The Seven Dials Mystery - Agatha Christie [87]
‘And now, Lady Eileen, I’m going to introduce you. First of all, there’s Mr Mosgorovsky, whom you already know in a manner of speaking. As you’re aware, he runs the club and he runs a host of other things too. He’s our most valuable Secret Anti-Bolshevist Agent in England. No 5 is Count Andras of the Hungarian Embassy, a very near and dear friend of the late Gerald Wade. No 4 is Mr Hayward Phelps, an American journalist, whose British sympathies are very keen and whose aptitude for scenting “news” is remarkable. No 3–’
He stopped, smiling, and Bundle stared dumbfounded into the sheepish, grinning face of Bill Eversleigh.
‘No 2,’ went on Battle in a graver voice, ‘can only show an empty place. It is the place belonging to Mr Ronald Devereux, a very gallant young gentleman who died for his country if any man ever did. No 1–well, No 1 was Mr Gerald Wade, another very gallant gentleman who died in the same way. His place was taken–not without some grave misgivings on my part–by a lady–a lady who has proved her fitness to have it and who has been a great help to us.’
The last to do so, No 1, removed her mask, and Bundle looked without surprise into the beautiful, dark face of Countess Radzky.
‘I might have known,’ said Bundle resentfully, ‘that you were too completely the beautiful foreign adventuress to be anything of the kind really.’
‘But you don’t know the real joke,’ said Bill. ‘Bundle, this is Babe St Maur–you remember my telling you about her and what a ripping actress she was–and she’s about proved it.’
‘That’s so,’ said Miss Maur in pure transatlantic nasal. ‘But it’s not a terrible lot of credit to me, because Poppa and Momma came from that part of Yurrup–so I got the patter fairly easy. Gee, but I nearly gave myself away once at the Abbey, talking about gardens.’
She paused and then said abruptly:
‘It’s–it’s not been just fun. You see, I was kinder engaged to Ronny, and when he handed in his checks–well, I had to do something to track down the skunk who murdered him. That’s all.’
‘I’m completely bewildered,’ said Bundle. ‘Nothing is what it seems.’
‘It’s very simple, Lady Eileen,’ said Superintendent Battle. ‘It began with some of the young people wanting a bit of excitement. It was Mr Wade who first got on to me. He suggested the formation of a band of what you might call amateur workers to do a bit of secret service work. I warned him that it might be dangerous–but he wasn’t the kind to weigh that in the balance. I made it plain to him that anyone who came in must do so on that understanding. But, bless you, that wasn’t going to stop any of Mr Wade’s friends. And so the thing began.’
‘But what was the object of it all?’ asked Bundle.
‘We wanted a certain man–wanted him badly. He wasn’t an ordinary crook. He worked in Mr Wade’s world, a kind of Raffles, but much more dangerous than any Raffles ever was or could be. He was out for big stuff, international stuff. Twice already valuable secret inventions had been stolen, and clearly stolen by someone who had inside knowledge. The professionals had had a try–and failed. Then the amateurs took on–and succeeded.’
‘Succeeded?’
‘Yes–but they didn’t come out of it unscathed. The man was dangerous. Two lives fell victim to him and he got away with it. But the Seven Dials stuck to it. And as I say they succeeded. Thanks to Mr Eversleigh, the man was caught at last red-handed.’
‘Who was he?’ asked Bundle. ‘Do I know him?’
‘You know him very well, Lady Eileen. His name is Mr Jimmy Thesiger, and he was arrested this afternoon.’
Chapter 33
Battle Explains
Superintendent Battle settled down to explain. He spoke comfortably and cosily.
‘I didn’t suspect him myself for a long time. The first hint of it I had was when I heard what Mr Devereux’s last words had been. Naturally, you took them to mean that Mr Devereux was trying to send word to Mr Thesiger that the Seven Dials had killed him. That’s what the words seemed to mean on their face value. But of course I knew that that couldn