The Man in the Brown Suit - Agatha Christie [92]
‘I won’t do anything of the kind.’
‘Don’t interrupt your elders. I propose to make a bargain with you. The diamonds in exchange for your life. And don’t make any mistake about it, your life is absolutely in my power.’
‘And Harry?’
‘I’m far too tender-hearted to part two young lovers. He shall go free too–on the understanding, of course, that neither of you interfere with me in the future.’
‘And what guarantee have I that you will keep your side of the bargain?’
‘None whatever, my dear girl. You’ll have to trust me and hope for the best. Of course, if you’re in an heroic mood and prefer annihilation, that’s another matter.’
This was what I had been playing for. I was careful not to jump at the bait. Gradually I allowed myself to be bullied and cajoled into yielding. I wrote at Sir Eustace’s dictation:
‘Dear Harry,
I think I see a chance of establishing your innocence beyond any possible doubt. Please follow my instructions minutely. Go to Agrasato’s curioshop. Ask to see something “out of the ordinary”, “for a special occasion”. The man will then ask you to “come into the back room”. Go with him. You will find a messenger who will bring you tome. Do exactly as he tells you. Be sure and bring the diamonds with you. Not a word to anyone.’
Sir Eustace stopped.
‘I leave the fancy touches to your own imagination,’ he remarked. ‘But be careful to make no mistakes.’
‘“Yours for ever and ever, Anne,” will be sufficient,’ I remarked.
I wrote in the words. Sir Eustace stretched out his hand for the letter and read it through.
‘That seems all right. Now the address.’
I gave it him. It was that of a small shop which received letters and telegrams for a consideration.
He struck the bell upon the table with his hand. Chichester-Pettigrew, alias Minks, answered the summons.
‘This letter is to go immediately–the usual route.’
‘Very well, Colonel.’
He looked at the name on the envelope. Sir Eustace was watching him keenly.
‘A friend of yours, I think?’
‘Of mine?’ The man seemed startled.
‘You had a prolonged conversation with him in Johannesburg yesterday.’
‘A man came up and questioned me about your movements and those of Colonel Race. I gave him misleading information.’
‘Excellent, my dear fellow, excellent,’ said Sir Eustace genially. ‘My mistake.’
I chanced to look at Chichester-Pettigrew as he left the room. He was white to the lips, as though in deadly terror. No sooner was he outside, than Sir Eustace picked up a speaking-tube that rested by his elbow, and spoke down it. ‘That you, Schwart? Watch Minks. He’s not to leave the house without orders.’
He put the speaking-tube down again, and frowned, slightly tapping the table with his hand.
‘May I ask you a few questions, Sir Eustace,’ I said, after a minute or two of silence.
‘Certainly. What excellent nerves you have, Anne! You are capable of taking an intelligent interest in things when most girls would be sniffling and wringing their hands.’
‘Why did you take Harry as your secretary instead of giving him up to the police?’
‘I wanted those cursed diamonds. Nadina, the little devil, was playing off your Harry against me. Unless I gave her the price she wanted, she threatened to sell them back to him. That was another mistake I made–I thought she’d have them with her that day. But she was too clever for that. Carton, her husband, was dead too–I’d no clue whatsoever as to where the diamonds were hidden. Then I managed to get a copy of a wireless message sent to Nadina by someone on board the Kilmorden–either Carton or Rayburn, I didn’t know which. It was a duplicate of that piece of paper you picked up. “Seventeen one twenty two”, it ran. I took it to be an appointment with Rayburn, and when he was so desperate to get aboard the Kilmorden I was convinced that I was right. So I pretended to swallow his statements, and let