The Floating Admiral - Agatha Christie [119]
She does not go straight to Rundel Croft, preferring not to face Walter, who may be there (she does not know details of the plot). She will try to get hold of the Vicar and warn him. In the village she directs the chauffeur to stop at the Vicarage gate and wait for her. She will not be many minutes. She reaches the Vicarage at 10.40. (N.B.—This is earlier than the constable said in Chapter VI, but he only said about 10.45.) She does not like to ring the bell (the boys! the servants!)—perhaps the Vicar is down the garden having his bed-time pipe (she remembers his habits). She creeps down to the summer-house. Nobody there—only the Vicar’s hat and Peter’s knife on the table. She wonders what to do. Shall she throw stones at the Vicar’s bedroom window? (But which is it?) Or shall she take the boat and go boldly across to Rundel Croft? She is playing with the open knife, and it occurs to her that if she has to face Walter on her own it may be a useful weapon. Suddenly she hears the unmistakable noise of oars in the rowlocks. She hurries down to the boat-house and in the summer dusk sees the Admiral starting off down the river. He must be going to the fatal rendezvous! In the summer-house she has snatched up what she thinks is her black calf-skin bag, but is really the Vicar’s hat. She pulls the Vicar’s boat in by the rope at the stern, but, owing to the strong stream and the stiffness of the new painter, has some difficulty in unhitching the painter from the mooring-post. She therefore cuts the painter with Peter’s knife, and I think that at this point she drops the knife into the river, to be subsequently found. She gets the rowlocks into place and starts off in pursuit of the Admiral, who by this time is well away down the river. (She may try to hail him, but the Admiral will probably pay no attention—or she may be afraid of causing a disturbance. The boys! the servants!)
5. The Coat. The Admiral has decided to go by river to the meeting. To get the car out means making a racket, and he does not walk because he has a game leg as a result of the War. (This will make it O.K. about his not being supposed capable of walking to Whynmouth in the time, by the way.) He waits in the boat-house till Elma is well out of the way and reflects that he had better take a coat with him, since he will get hot rowing and the interview in the old boat-house may be a long one. He goes up to the house and fetches the coat, and returning re-locks the french window. He then gets the boat out. He reckons that with the tide setting strongly down the river, he will make Fernton Bridge well within the half-hour, being a vigorous old boy at the oars.
6. Mrs. Mount is not able to make such good time down the river as he does. She used to boat in the old days with the Vicar, but she is out of practice. Actually, the Admiral makes Fernton Bridge in twenty-five minutes, arriving at 11.10, to find Denny waiting for him. Mrs. Mount arrives five minutes later. She sees the boat but no Admiral. She moors at the rotten old raft and creeping round the boat-house, which is derelict and water-logged, sees Denny and the Admiral behind it. Now, Denny has the grimmest doubts about Walter. He thinks it quite likely that Walter may do him in, as well as the Admiral. He has therefore come armed with a knife—a relic of Chinese days, no doubt. Mrs. Mount calls out to the Admiral: “Take care, Admiral! They mean to murder you.” The Admiral (who has the grimmest doubts about Denny!) turns menacingly on Denny. Denny loses his silly head, whips out the knife and stabs the Admiral. Mrs. Mount shrieks and collapses.
7. At this distressing moment, enter Walter, having carried out his part of the programme. He is