They Do It With Mirrors - Christie Agatha - Страница 23

He'd got this curious complex, or whatever the term is, about his unknown father. Winston Churchill and Viscount Montgomery - all quite likely in his state of mind. Just any famous man he happened to think of. But suppose somebody puts it into his head that it's Lewis Serrocold who is really his father, that it's Lewis Serrocold who has been persecuting him - that he ought by rights to be the Crown Prince as it were of Stonygates.

In his weak mental state he'll accept the idea - work himself up into a frenzy, and sooner or later will make the kind of scene he did make. And what a wonderful cover that will be! Everybody will have their attention fixed on the dangerous situation that is developing'- especially if somebody has thoughtfully supplied him with a revolver.'

'Hm, yes. Walter Hudd's revolver.'

'Oh yes,' said Miss Marple, 'I'd thought of that. But you know, Walter is uncommunicative and he's certainly sullen and ungracious, but I don't really think he's stupid.'

'So you don't think it's Walter?'

'I think everybody would be very relieved if it was Walter. That sounds very unkind, but it's because he is an outsider.'

'What about his wife?' asked Inspector Curry. 'Would she be relieved?'

Miss Marple did not answer. She was thinking of Gina and Stephen Restarick standing together as she had seen them on her first day. And she thought of the way Alex Restarick's eyes had gone straight to Gina as he had entered the Hall last night. What was Gina's own attitude?

II Two hours later Inspector Curry tilted back his chair, stretched himself and sighed.

'Well,' he said, 'we've cleared a good deal of ground.' Sergeant Lake agreed.

'The servants are out,' he said. 'They were together all through the critical period - those that sleep here. The ones that don't live in had gone home.'

Curry nodded. He was suffering from mental fatigue.

He had interviewed physio-therapists, members of the teaching staff, and what he called to himself the 'two young lags,' whose turn it had been to dine with the family that night. All their stories dovetailed and checked. He could write them off. Their activities and habits were communal. Them were no lonely souls among them. Which was useful for the purposes of alibis.

Curry had kept Dr Maverick, who was, as far as he could judge, the chief person in charge of the Institute, to the end.

'But we'll have him in now, Lake.' So the young doctor bustled in, neat and spruce and rather inhuman looking behind his pincenez.

Maverick confirmed the statements of his staff, and agreed with Curry's findings. There had been no slackness, no loophole in the College impregnability. Christian Gulbrandsen's death could not be laid to the account of the 'young patients,' as Curry almost called them, so hypnotized had he become by the fervent medical atmosphere.

'But patients are exactly what they are, Inspector,' said Dr Maverick with a little smile.

It was a superior smile, and Inspector Curry would not have been human if he had not resented it just a little.

He said professionally: 'Now as regards your own movements, Dr Maverick?

Can you give me an account of them?' 'Certainly. I have jotted them down for you with approximate times.' Dr Maverick had left the Great Hall at fifteen minutes after nine, with Mr Lacy and Dr Baumgarten. They had gone to Dr Baumgarten's rooms, where they had all three remained discussing certain courses of treatment until Miss Believer had come hurrying in and asked Dr Maverick to go to the Great Hall. That was at approximately half-past nine. He had gone at once to the Hall and had found Edgar Lawson in a state of collapse.

Inspector Curry stirred a little.

'Just a minute, Dr Maverick. Is this young man, in your opinion, definitely a mental case?'

Dr Maverick smiled the superior smile again.

'We are all mental cases, Inspector Curry.'

Tomfool answer, thought the Inspector. He knew quite well he wasn't a mental case, whatever Dr Maverick might be!

'Is he responsible for his actions? He knows what he is doing, I suppose?'

'Perfectly.'

'Then when he fired that revolver at Mr Serrocold it was definitely attempted murder.'

'No, no, Inspector Curry. Nothing of that kind.' 'Come now, Dr Maverick. I've seen the two bullet holes in the wall. They must have gone dangerously near to Mr Serrocold's head.'

'Perhaps. But Lawson had no intention of killing Mr Serrocold or even of wounding him. He is very fond of Mr Serrocold.'

'It seems a curious way of showing it.'

Dr Maverick smiled again. Inspector Curry found that smile very trying.

'Everything one does is intentional. Every time you, Inspector, forget a name or a face it is because, uncons-ciously, you wish to forget it.'

Inspector Curry looked unbelieving.

'Every time you make a slip of the tongue, that slip has a meaning. Edgar Lawson was standing a few feet away from Mr Serrocold. He could easily have shot him dead.

Instead, he missed him. Why did he miss him? Because he wanted to miss him. It is as simple as that. Mr Serrocold was never in any danger - and Mr Serrocold himself was quite aware of that fact. He understood Edgar's gesture for exactly what it was - a gesture of defiance and resentment against a universe that has denied him the simple necessities of a child's life security and affection.' 'I think I'd like to see this young man.' 'Certainly if you wish. His outburst last night has had a cathartic effect. There is a great improvement today.

Mr Serrocold will be very pleased.' Inspector Curry stared hard at him, but Dr Maverick was serious as always.

Curry sighed.

'Do you have any arsenic?' he asked.

'Arsenic?' The question took Dr Maverick by surprise.

It was clearly unexpected. 'What a very curious question.

Why arsenic?' 'Just answer the question, please.' 'No, I have no arsenic of any kind in my possession.' 'But you have some drugs?' 'Oh certainly. Sedatives. Morphia - the barbiturates.

The usual things.' 'Do you attend Mrs Serrocold?' 'No. Dr Gunter of Market Kimble is the family physician. I hold a medical degree, of course, but I practise purely as a psychiatrist.' 'I see. Well, thank you very much, Dr Maverick.' As Dr Maverick went out, Inspector Curry murmured to Lake that psychiatrists gave him a pain in the neck.

'We'll get on to the family now,' he said. 'I'll see young Walter Hudd first.' Walter Hudd's attitude was cautious. He seemed to be studying the police officer with a slightly wary expression.

But he was quite cooperative.

There was a good deal of defective wiring in Stony-gates - the whole electric system was very old-fashioned.

They wouldn't stand for a system like that in the States.

'It was installed, I believe, by the late Mr Gulbrandsen when electric light was a novelty,' said Inspector Curry with a faint smile.' 'I'll say so! Sweet old feudal English and never been brought up to date.' The fuse which controlled most of the lights in the Great Hall had gone, and he had gone out to the fuse-box to see about it. In due course he got it repaired and came back.

'How long were you away?' 'Why that I couldn't say for sure. The fuse-box is in an awkward place. I had to get steps and a candle. I was maybe ten minutes - perhaps a quarter of an hour.' 'Did you hear a shot?' 'Why no, I didn't hear anything like that. There are double doors through to the kitchen quarters and one of them is lined with a kind of felt.' 'I see. And when you came back into the Hall, what did you see?' 'They were all crowded round the door into Mr Serrocold's study. Mrs Strete said that Mr Serrocold had been shot - but actually that wasn't so. Mr Serrocold was quite all right. The boob had missed him.' 'You recognized the revolver?' 'Sure I recognized it! It was mine.' 'When did you see it last?' 'Two or three days ago.' 'Where did you keep it?'