Five Little Pigs

‘I was dumbfounded at first. I didn’t feel itcould be true. And it wasn’t true-if you know what I mean-it wasn’t the real Caroline who did that.’

‘But you are quite sure that-in the legal sense-Caroline Crale did do it?’

Again Meredith Blake stared at him.

‘My dear man-if she didn’t-’

‘Well, if she didn’t?’

‘I can’t imagine any alternative solution. Accident? Surely impossible.’

‘Quite impossible, I should say.’

‘And I can’t believe in the suicide theory. It had to be brought forward, but it was quite unconvincing to any one who knew Crale.’

‘Quite.’

‘So what remains?’ asked Meredith Blake.

Poirot said coolly: ‘There remains the possibility of Amyas Crale having been killed by somebody else.’

‘But that’s absurd!’

‘You think so?’

‘I’m sure of it. Who would have wanted to kill him? Whocould have killed him?’

‘You are more likely to know than I am.’

‘But you don’t seriously believe-’

‘Perhaps not. It interests me to examine the possibility. Give it your serious consideration. Tell me what you think.’

Meredith stared at him for a minute or two. Then he lowered his eyes. After a minute or two he shook his head. He said:

‘I can’t imagineany possible alternative. I should like to do so. If there were any reason for suspecting anybody else I would readily believe Caroline innocent. I don’t want to think she did it. I couldn’t believe it at first. But who else is there? Who else was there. Philip? Crale’s best friend. Elsa? Ridiculous. Myself? Do I look like a murderer? A respectable governess? A couple of old faithful servants? Perhaps you’d suggest that the child Angela did it? No, M. Poirot, there’sno alternative.Nobody could have killed Amyas Crale but his wife. But he drove her to it. And so, in a way, it was suicide after all, I suppose.’

‘Meaning that he died by the result of his own actions, though not by his own hand?’

‘Yes, it’s a fanciful point of view, perhaps. But-well-cause and effect, you know.’

Hercule Poirot said:

‘Have you ever reflected, Mr Blake, that the reason for murder is nearly always to be found by a study of the person murdered?’

‘I hadn’t exactly-yes, I suppose I see what you mean.’

Poirot said:

‘Until you know exactlywhat sort of a person the victim was, you cannot begin to see the circumstances of a crime clearly.’

He added:

‘That is what I am seeking for-and what you and your brother have helped to give me-a reconstruction of the man Amyas Crale.’

Meredith Blake passed the main point of the remark over. His attention had been attracted by a single word. He said quickly:

‘Philip?’

‘Yes.’

‘You have talked with him also?’

‘Certainly.’

Meredith Blake said sharply:

‘You should have come to me first.’

Smiling a little, Poirot made a courteous gesture.

‘According to the laws of primogenitude, that is so,’ he said. ‘I am aware that you are the elder. But you comprehend that as your brother lives near London, it was easier to visit him first.’

Meredith Blake was still frowning. He pulled uneasily at his lip. He repeated:

‘You should have come to me first.’

This time, Poirot did not answer. He waited. And presently Meredith Blake went on:

‘Philip,’ he said, ‘is prejudiced.’

‘Yes?’

‘As a matter of fact he’s a mass of prejudices-always has been.’ He shot a quick uneasy glance at Poirot. ‘He’ll have tried to put you against Caroline.’

‘Does that matter, so long-after?’

Meredith Blake gave a sharp sigh.

‘I know. I forget that it’s so long ago-that it’s all over. Caroline is beyond being harmed. But all the same I shouldn’t like you to get a false impression.’

‘And you think your brother might give me a false impression?’

‘Frankly, I do. You see, there was always a certain-how shall I put it?-antagonism between him and Caroline.’

‘Why?’

The question seemed to irritate Blake. He said:

‘Why? How should I knowwhy? These things are so. Philip always crabbed her whenever he could. He was annoyed, I think, when Amyas married her. He never went near them for over a year. And yet Amyas was almost his best friend. That was the reason really, I suppose. He didn’t feel that any woman was good enough. And he probably felt that Caroline’s influence would spoil their friendship.’

‘And did it?’

‘No, of course it didn’t. Amyas was always just as fond of Philip-right up to the end. Used to twit him with being a money grabber and with growing a corporation and being a Philistine generally. Philip didn’t care. He just used to grin and say it was a good thing Amyas had one respectable friend.’

‘How did your brother react to the Elsa Greer affair?’

‘Do you know, I find it rather difficult to say. His attitude wasn’t really easy to define. He was annoyed, I think, with Amyas for making a fool of himself over the girl. He said more than once that it wouldn’t work and that Amyas would live to regret it. At the same time I have a feeling-yes, very definitely I have a feeling that he was just faintly pleased at seeing Caroline let down.’

Poirot’s eyebrows rose. He said:

‘He really felt like that?’