The Seven Dials Mystery - Agatha Christie [91]
‘My God, no,’ said Bill with feeling.
‘He went round to Mr Thesiger’s rooms with a cooked-up tale,’ continued Battle. ‘He was to pretend that certain papers of Mr Devereux’s had come into his hands. Those papers were to suggest a suspicion of Mr Thesiger. Naturally, as the honest friend, Mr Eversleigh rushed round, sure that Mr Thesiger would have an explanation. We calculated that if we were right, Mr Thesiger would try and put Mr Eversleigh out of the way, and we were fairly certain as to the way he’d do it. Sure enough, Mr Thesiger gave his guest a whisky and soda. During the minute or two that his host was out of the room. Mr Eversleigh poured that into a jar on the mantelpiece, but he had to pretend, of course, that the drug was taking effect. It would be slow, he knew, not sudden. He began his story, and Mr Thesiger at first denied it all indignantly, but as soon as he saw (or thought he saw) that the drug was taking effect, he admitted everything and told Mr Eversleigh that he was the third victim.
‘When Mr Eversleigh was nearly unconscious, Mr Thesiger took him down to the car and helped him in. The hood was up. He must already have telephoned to you unknown to Mr Eversleigh. He made a clever suggestion to you. You were to say that you were taking Miss Wade home.
‘You made no mention of a message from him. Later when your body was found here, Miss Wade would swear that you had driven her home and gone up to London with the idea of penetrating into this house by yourself.
‘Mr Eversleigh continued to play his part, that of the unconscious man. I may say that as soon as the two young men had left Jermyn Street, one of my men gained admission and found the doctored whisky, which contained enough hydrochloride of morphia to kill two men. Also the car they were in was followed. Mr Thesiger drove out of town to a well-known golf course, where he showed himself for a few minutes, speaking of playing a round. That, of course, was for an alibi, should one be needed. He left the car with Mr Eversleigh in it a little way down the road. Then he drove back to town and to the Seven Dials Club. As soon as he saw Alfred leave, he drove up to the door, spoke to Mr Eversleigh as he got out in case you might be listening and came into the house and played his little comedy.
‘When he pretended to go for a doctor, he really only slammed the door and then crept quietly upstairs and hid behind the door of this room, where Miss Wade would presently send you up on some excuse. Mr Eversleigh, of course, was horror-struck when he saw you, but he thought it best to keep up the part he was playing. He knew our people were watching the house, and he imagined that there was no immediate danger intended to you. He could always “come to life” at any moment. When Mr Thesiger threw his revolver on the table and apparently left the house it seemed safer than ever. As for the next bit–’ He paused, looking at Bill. ‘Perhaps you’d like to tell that, sir.’
‘I was still lying on that bally sofa,’ said Bill, ‘trying to look done in and getting the fidgets worse and worse. Then I heard someone run down the stairs, and Loraine got up and went to the door. I heard Thesiger’s voice, but not what he said. I heard Loraine say: “That’s all right–it’s gone splendidly.” Then he said: “Help me carry him up. It will be a bit of a job, but I want them both together there–a nice little surprise for No 7.” I didn’t quite understand what they were jawing about, but they hauled me up the stairs somehow or other. It was a bit of a job for them. I made myself a dead weight all right. They heaved me in here, and then I heard Loraine say: “You’re sure it’s all right? She won’t come round?” And Jimmy said–the damned