The Floating Admiral - Agatha Christie [111]
Elma is now setting her cap at the Vicar, a handsome and vigorous man, though fifty. On the night in question she persuades him to a romantic trip up the river after she is supposed to have returned home. The Vicar’s “shock” at the news is largely due to his fear that this “adventure” will “come out.”
Penistone, after locking up the boat-house and finishing his cigar out of doors, returns to his study, where he is murdered by the butler, Emery. Emery is in fact Vanyke, who believes Penistone to be morally, if not actually, responsible for the death of his “poor young friend, Walter.” “Emery” puts Penistone’s overcoat back on to the body, to suggest that he was killed out of doors. The newspaper (the one delivered at the house at 9 p.m.) was splashed with blood, so he thrust it in the pocket for the same reason. At 2.30 a.m. he carries the body to the boat-house, unlocks it with the Admiral’s key, rows across to the Vicarage wharf, dumps the body in the boat (in which the Vicar had left his hat on his romantic voyage) and cuts it adrift. (This to suggest murder at the Vicarage—or at least to lay a false trail.) As suggested by P.C. Hempstead, the boat is stranded at slack tide and comes back on the flow. Emery swabs out the Rundel Croft boat for fear of blood-stains.
Elma probably went to London to see her solicitors, and her dress and shoes may have been hidden by Emery, further to confuse the issue.
Probably Neddy Ware knew something about the Hong Kong incident.
CHAPTER IV
By Agatha Christie
THE real Elma Fitzgerald is dead and her brother Walter is masquerading as her, being unable to claim his inheritance under his own name as he is wanted by the police. Holland has been a friend of his in remote parts of the world. Walter finds it hard to get any definite statement as to money out of the Admiral and, to force his hand, pretends to be engaged to Holland. The Admiral will then be forced to hand over the money. Unknown to Walter, however, the Admiral has speculated with it and lost it.
Walter, who has been an actor at one time, has had no difficulty in deceiving the Admiral, who has not seen his niece since she was a child. He takes no great pains with Holland, but reserves his best effects of make-up when asked out in the neighbourhood, when he takes an artistic pleasure in playing the vamp.
The Admiral, however, has received an anonymous letter from “Célie,” stating that “Elma” is a man. He slips this into his pocket unopened just before starting for the Vicarage and opens it when waiting for “Elma” to say good-bye to the Vicar.
He immediately taxes Walter with the truth as they go over in the boat, and says he will give him up to the police. Walter, who knows the Admiral’s uncompromising character, stabs him as the boat glides into the boat-house.
He then goes up to the house and waits till all is quiet. Then he makes up as the Admiral, dons an overcoat, puts the newspaper in the pocket and shows himself at the Lord Marshall, which is badly lighted and where the Boots is a rustic who is nearly half-witted. He asks for Holland, then says he can’t wait.
He returns. Later goes down to the boat-house, takes the boat across the river, puts the body in the other boat and cuts the painter. He thinks the boat will go out to sea, and as the Admiral’s boat will be in the boat-house, the Admiral will be supposed to have left on foot and gone to town by train. The boat, however, drifts down and drifts into the bank, to be sent up-stream later.
The murder discovered, “Elma” hastens away with the white dress on which are blood-stains. He intends to return with a good excuse, secure in the alibi he has created.
The Vicar did take his boat out again. He met his former wife at Fernton Bridge. He was terribly anxious to have no “talk,