Murder in Mesopotamia

‘It’s nothing really,’ I said hurriedly. ‘It only just passed through my mind, so to speak, that perhaps even if anyone did know or suspect something it wouldn’t be easy to bring it out in front of everybody else – or even, perhaps, in front of Dr Leidner.’

Rather to my astonishment, M. Poirot nodded his head in vigorous agreement.

‘Precisely. Precisely. It is very just what you say there. But I will explain. That little reunion we have just had – it served a purpose. In England before the races you have a parade of the horses, do you not? They go in front of the grandstand so that everyone may have an opportunity of seeing and judging them. That is the purpose of my little assembly. In the sporting phrase, I run my eye over the possible starters.’

Dr Leidner cried out violently, ‘I do not believe for one minute that any member of my expedition is implicated in this crime!’

Then, turning to me, he said authoritatively: ‘Nurse, I should be much obliged if you would tell M. Poirot here and now exactly what passed between my wife and you two days ago.’

Thus urged, I plunged straightaway into my own story, trying as far as possible to recall the exact words and phrases Mrs Leidner had used.

When I had finished, M. Poirot said: ‘Very good. Very good. You have the mind neat and orderly. You will be of great service to me here.’

He turned to Dr Leidner.

‘You have these letters?’

‘I have them here. I thought that you would want to see them first thing.’

Poirot took them from him, read them, and scrutinized them carefully as he did so. I was rather disappointed that he didn’t dust powder over them or examine them with a microscope or anything like that – but I realized that he wasn’t a very young man and that his methods were probably not very up to date. He just read them in the way that anyone might read a letter.

Having read them he put them down and cleared his throat.

‘Now,’ he said, ‘let us proceed to get our facts clear and in order. The first of these letters was received by your wife shortly after her marriage to you in America. There had been others but these she destroyed. The first letter was followed by a second. A very short time after the second arrived you both had a near escape from coal-gas poisoning. You then came abroad and for nearly two years no further letters were received. They started again at the beginning of your season this year – that is to say within the last three weeks. That is correct?’

‘Absolutely.’

‘Your wife displayed every sign of panic and, after consulting Dr Reilly, you engaged Nurse Leatheran here to keep your wife company and allay her fears?’

‘Yes.’

‘Certain incidents occurred – hands tapping at the window – a spectral face – noises in the antika-room. You did not witness any of these phenomena yourself?’

‘No.’

‘In fact nobody did except Mrs Leidner?’

‘Father Lavigny saw a light in the antika-room.’

‘Yes, I have not forgotten that.’

He was silent for a minute or two, then he said: ‘Had your wife made a will?’

‘I do not think so.’

‘Why was that?’

‘It did not seem worth it from her point of view.’

‘Is she not a wealthy woman?’

‘Yes, during her lifetime. Her father left her a considerable sum of money in trust. She could not touch the principal. At her death it was to pass to any children she might have – and failing children to the Pittstown Museum.’

Poirot drummed thoughtfully on the table.

‘Then we can, I think,’ he said, ‘eliminate one motive from the case. It is, you comprehend, what I look for first. Who benefits by the deceased’s death? In this case it is a museum. Had it been otherwise, had Mrs Leidner died intestate but possessed of a considerable fortune, I should imagine that it would prove an interesting question as to who inherited the money – you – or a former husband. But there would have been this difficulty, the former husband would have had to resurrect himself in order to claim it, and I should imagine that he would then be in danger of arrest, though I hardly fancy that the death penalty would be exacted so long after the war. However, these speculations need not arise. As I say, I settle first the question of money. For the next step I proceed always to suspect the husband or wife of the deceased! In this case, in the first place, you are proved never to have gone near your wife’s room yesterday afternoon, in the second place you lose instead of gain by your wife’s death, and in the third place–’

He paused.

‘Yes?’ said Dr Leidner.

‘In the third place,’ said Poirot slowly, ‘I can, I think, appreciate devotion when I see it. I believe, Dr Leidner, that your love for your wife was the ruling passion of your life. It is so, is it not?’

Dr Leidner answered quite simply: ‘Yes.’

Poirot nodded.

‘Therefore,’ he said, ‘we can proceed.’

‘Hear, hear, let’s get down to it,’ said Dr Reilly with some impatience.

Poirot gave him a reproving glance.