Peril at End House - Agatha Christie [52]
‘And Frederica Rice would know about the will that her friend had made?’
‘Doubtless. Oh, yes, it narrows down now. You remember my list—a list of persons numbered from A. to J. It has narrowed down to only two persons. I dismiss the servants. I dismiss the Commander Challenger—even though he did take one hour and a half to reach here from Plymouth—and the distance is only thirty miles. I dismiss the long-nosed M. Lazarus who offered fifty pounds for a picture that was only worth twenty (it is odd, that, when you come to think of it. Most uncharacteristic of his race). I dismiss the Australians—so hearty and so pleasant. I keep two people on my list still.’
‘One is Frederica Rice,’ I said slowly.
I had a vision of her face, the golden hair, the white fragility of the features.
‘Yes. She is indicated very clearly. However carelessly worded Mademoiselle’s will may have been, she would be plainly indicated as residuary legatee. Apart from End House, everything was to go to her. If Mademoiselle Nick instead of Mademoiselle Maggie had been shot last night, Madame Rice would be a rich woman today.’
‘I can hardly believe it!’
‘You mean that you can hardly believe that a beautiful woman can be a murderess? One often has a little difficulty with members of a jury on that account. But you may be right. There is still another suspect.’
‘Who?’
‘Charles Vyse.’
‘But he only inherits the house.’
‘Yes—but he may not know that. Did he make Mademoiselle’s will for her? I think not. If so, it would be in his keeping, not “knocking around somewhere”, or whatever the phrase was that Mademoiselle used. So, you see, Hastings, it is quite probable that he knows nothing about that will. He may believe that she has never made a will and that, in that case, he will inherit as next of kin.’
‘You know,’ I said, ‘that really seems to me much more probable.’
‘That is your romantic mind, Hastings. The wicked solicitor. A familiar figure in fiction. If as well as being a solicitor he has an impassive face, it makes the matter almost certain. It is true that, in some ways, he is more in the picture than Madame. He would be more likely to know about the pistol and more likely to use one.’
‘And to send the boulder crashing down.’
‘Perhaps. Though, as I have told you, much can be done by leverage. And the fact that the boulder was dislodged at the wrong minute, and consequently missed Mademoiselle, is more suggestive of feminine agency. The idea of tampering with the interior of a car seems masculine in conception—though many women are as good mechanics as men nowadays. On the other hand, there are one or two gaps in the theory against M. Vyse.’
‘Such as—?’
‘He is less likely to have known of the engagement than Madame. And there is another point. His action was rather precipitate.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, until last night there was no certitude that Seton was dead. To act rashly, without due assurance, seems very uncharacteristic of the legal mind.’
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘A woman would jump to conclusions.’
‘Exactly. Ce que femme veut, Dieu veut. That is the attitude.’
‘It’s really amazing the way Nick has escaped. It seems almost incredible.’
And suddenly I remembered the tone in Frederica’s voice as she had said: ‘Nick bears a charmed life.’
I shivered a little.
‘Yes,’ said Poirot, thoughtfully. ‘And I can take no credit to myself. Which is humiliating.’
‘Providence,’ I murmured.
‘Ah! mon ami, I would not put on the shoulders of the good God the burden of men’s wrongdoing. You say that in your Sunday morning voice of thankfulness—without reflecting that what you are really saying is that le bon Dieu has killed Miss Maggie Buckley.’
‘Really, Poirot!’
‘Really, my friend! But I will not sit back and say “le bon Dieu has arranged everything, I will not interfere”. Because I am convinced that le bon Dieu created Hercule Poirot for the express purpose of interfering. It is my métier.’
We had been slowly ascending the zig-zag path up the cliff. It was at this juncture that we passed through the little gate into the grounds of End