Chapter 16 Chapter Fifteen Miss Lawson

"Poirot," I said, "must we listen at the door?" "Calm down, my friend. Only I eavesdropped! You did not put your ear to the crack of the door to eavesdrop. On the contrary, you stood upright outside like a soldier." "But I heard it, too." "That's true. Miss speaks in a high-pitched voice." "Because she thought we had left her place." "Yeah, we played a little trick on her." "I don't like playing tricks like this." "Your morals are above reproach! But let's stop repeating that. We've talked a few times before, and you said this kind of action was dishonest. And my answer is: Murder is no joke. "

"But there's no murder here." "Don't be so sure." "Maybe there was an attempted murder. But murder and attempted murder are not the same thing after all." "It's exactly the same morally. I mean, are you sure we're only concerned with attempted murder?" I looked at him intently and said: "But old Miss Arundell died of natural causes." "I'll ask again—are you sure?" "Everyone says so!" "Everyone? Well, lala (French: la la la la la la)!" "That's what the doctor said," I pointed out. "It's Dr. Granger, he should know."

"Yes, he should have known," said Poirot, dissatisfied in his voice, "but, you remember, Hastings, people do exhumations again and again in the work of solving crimes—and in every case there is Signed by the doctor related to the case, certifying that there is no problem." "Yes, but in this case Miss Arundell died of a long illness." "It looks so--good." There was still dissatisfaction in Poirot's voice.I fixed him with piercing eyes. "Poirot," I said, "I also start my sentence with 'Are you sure!' Are you sure you are not carried away by professional zeal? Because you want it to be murder, you think it must be murder."

His brows knit together even more tightly.He nodded slowly, and said: "Hastings, you speak very well. You have rightly pointed out my weakness of character. Murder is my profession. I am like a well-known surgeon who is good at-say-appendices or Some rare operations. When a patient comes to see him, he observes the patient completely from his own special point of view. He always thinks first: Is there a reason why the patient has that disease? Me, I am the same. I always come out of a case and say to myself: 'It could be murder/'You see, my friend, there's always the possibility of murder."

"I would say that this case is not very likely," I told him. "But she's dead, Hastings, and you can't get around that fact. She's dead!" "She is in her seventies and has been in poor health. It all seems very natural to me." "Miss Theresa Arundell's reaction was interesting, too, from your point of view, and their argument was enlightening to me—instructive." "Hmm," I replied bewilderedly. "Their words opened up two clear lines of thought for us to explore further." "They look like a pair of swindlers," I said. "They can do anything. The girl is very pretty. As for Charles, he must be a charmer."

Poirot called a taxi.The car stopped on the side of the road, and Poirot told the driver where he was going. "No. 17, Bayswater Cranroydon Apartments." "Ten is going to call on Lawson now," I said, "and—shouldn't it be time to call on Tanios?" "Exactly, Hastings." "What part are you going to play here?" I asked Poirot as the taxi pulled up at Cranroydon Flats, "as the biographer of General Arundel, or as the future heir to the Little Green House." , or some other more mysterious role?" "This time I appear as Hercule Poirot."

"What a disappointment!" I laughed at him. Poirot glanced at me knowingly, and paid the taxi. Number seventeen is on the third floor.A lively maid opened the door and ushered us into a room.Since we had just left Theresa's room, the room looked ridiculous. Theresa Arundell's unit was bare and empty.Miss Lawson's room was so full of furniture and clutter that one could not walk about for fear of being knocked over. The door opened and a fat middle-aged woman walked in.Miss Lawson was very similar to what I imagined her to be.An eager, but somewhat goofy face, tousled gray hair, pince-nez worn askew on the bridge of his nose.She spoke with convulsive pauses, out of breath, and said:

"Morning - good - uh - I don't think I'm..." "Are you Miss Wilhelmina Lawson?" "Yes—yes—that's my name..." "My name is Poirot—Hercule Poirot. I looked at the Little Green House yesterday." "Really?" Miss Lawson's mouth opened a little, and she pressed her hands against the unkempt hair, but it was in vain. "Sit down, please?" she went on. "Is it okay to sit here? Oh my God, I'm afraid this table is in your way. I'm a bit crowded here. How difficult it is! Look at these little units! Here's The house is cramped. But this place is in the center of town! I like being in the center, how about you?"

She took a breath, and sat down in an uncomfortable-looking vintage Victorian chair, her pince-nez still askew.She leaned forward, panting, and looked hopefully at Poirot. "I went to Little Green House pretending to be a buyer," continued Poirot, "but I'll tell you now—it's an absolute secret..." "Oh, yes," gasped Miss Lawson, visibly becoming excited and agitated. "It is an absolute secret," continued Poirot. "I was there for another purpose. . . . You may or may not know that Miss Arundell wrote me a letter shortly before her death. . . . "

He paused, then went on: "I'm a famous private detective." At this moment, the expression on Miss Lawson's slightly flushed face changed rapidly. I don't know which expression Poirot thinks is related to his inquiry, frightened, excited, surprised, confused... "Oh..." she said.After a pause, she repeated: "Oh." Then, quite unexpectedly, she asked: "Miss Arundell talked to you about money?" The question startled even Poirot a little.He tentatively asked: "The money you mean is..." "Yes, yes. Money taken from the drawer?"

Poirot said calmly: "Didn't Miss Arundell tell you that she wrote me a letter about the money?" "No, really not. I don't know—well, I really don't know. I must say, I'm surprised to hear you say that..." "You don't think she mentioned it to anyone else either?" "I don't think she has. You see, she knows perfectly well—" She stopped again.Poirot said quickly: "She knows exactly who took the money. That's what you're going to say, isn't it?" Miss Lawson nodded, and said breathlessly: "I don't think she wanted to—I mean she said it, she seemed to think it was..." Once again Poirot interjected artfully between these incoherent sentences: "It's a family thing, isn't it?" "Not bad." "But I," said Poirot, "are good at domestic matters. You see, I handle them very, very carefully." Miss Lawson nodded emphatically, and said: "Oh! Of course—that's the difference, you're not like the police." "Yes, yes. I don't look like a policeman at all. If I had, Miss Arundell wouldn't have written to me." "Oh, yes. My dear Miss Arundell is a very proud woman. Of course, she had quarrels with Charles before, but they were covered up. I remember one time when he had to go to Australia because of the quarrel! " "That's right," said Poirot. "Is this the case now? Miss Arundell has a sum of money in her drawer..." He paused, and Miss Lawson hastened to agree with him, saying: "Yes—the money was withdrawn from the bank. It was for wages, you know, and part of it was for books." "How much money did you lose?" "Four one-pound notes. No, no, I misunderstood three one-pound notes, and two ten-shilling notes. Be precise. Money is what I remember best." Miss Lawson watched him eagerly, and carelessly touched her pince-nez, which made them even more crooked.Her rather protruding glasses were still staring at him. "Thank you, Miss Lawson. I see you have a strong sense of duty." Miss Lawson tilted her head slightly, and laughed, feeling that Poirot had done her a favor. "No doubt Miss Arundell suspects her nephew Charles of stealing the money," continued Poirot. "yes." "There is no conclusive evidence to prove who stole it?" "Oh, but it must be Charles! Mrs. Tanios would not do such a thing. Her husband is a stranger, and would not know where the money is--so neither of them would steal. I think Theresa Arundell wouldn't have dreamed of doing it. She's got a lot of money and always dresses so nicely." "Perhaps the servant did it," suggested Poirot. Miss Lawson, frightened by the thought, said: "No, it's impossible, it's really impossible. Ellen and Anne would never dream of doing such a thing. They are the best people, and they are completely reliable. I am sure of that." After a while Poirot said: "I don't know if you can tell me—I'm sure you can, because if anyone else has Miss Arundell's secret, it's you..." Miss Lawson looked a little flustered, and said in a low voice: "Oh, I don't know about those things, I'm sure..." It was obvious that she was very proud of herself. "I thought you could help me." "Oh, if I could, I would—but what can I do..." Poirot continued: "This is a secret..." A serious expression took over Miss Lawson's face.The magic word "secret" seems to be.Poirot asked: "Do you know what caused Miss Arundell to alter her will?" "Her will? Oh—her will?" Miss Lawson seemed taken aback. Poirot, looking closely at her, said: "Not long before she died, she wrote a new will and left all her property to you. Is this true or false?" "It's true, but I didn't know anything. Not at all!" screamed Miss Lawson in protest. "It was the most unexpected thing for me! It surprised me, of course! No hint was given! When Mr. Purvis read the will, I was so taken aback that I didn't know where to look or cry. Still laughing! I assure you, M. Poirot, it is a shock—you know, a shock. Good heart—my dear Miss Arundell is very kind. Of course, I had hoped Something—maybe just a little inheritance—of course it is, and I have no reason to ask her to keep me, because I haven't served her long. But it—seems—seems to be a myth Stories! I don't quite believe it even now, if you know what I mean. Sometimes—sometimes—I feel uneasy. I mean—well, I mean..." She knocked off her pince-nez, picked it up again, wiped it clumsily, and went on, even more incoherently: "Sometimes I feel—flesh is flesh after all, and I've always been uneasy about the fact that Miss Arundell didn't leave money to her kindred. I mean it doesn't seem right, does it? Not at all. No. But she left such a large sum of money that no one expected! But--it--it's really disturbing. Everyone's talking about it. You know--I'm not a malicious woman at all! My Meaning, I never dreamed of any means of influencing Miss Arundell! Besides, I couldn't influence her. To tell the truth, I was always a little afraid of her! She was so severe, you know, and so fond of reprimanding. It can be quite rough at times! 'Don't be so stupid,' she said to me angrily. Really, after all, I have my own feelings, and sometimes I feel like I'm getting mad at her...and then , I found out that she's been really into me all the time - ah, that's amazing, isn't it? Of course as I said, she's a little too hard-hearted, it makes people feel like - I mean, she's a little too hard on people Ruthless, isn't it?" "You mean that you are willing to give up the money?" asked Poirot. For a moment I thought a strange light shone in Miss Lawson's dull, pale blue eyes.It was a quick, intelligent woman sitting there now, not the affable and silly woman of old. She smiled slightly and said: "There's - of course, there's another side to this... I mean there are two sides to every question. What I'm saying is that it was Miss Arundell's intention that I get the money. If I don't take it The money, then I'm going against her wishes. That's wrong, isn't it?" "That's a problem," said Poirot, shaking his head. "Yes, it's a real problem. I'm having a hard time with it, Mrs. Tanios--that's Bella--she's a nice person--and those lovely little kids! I mean Miss Arundell." Certainly not to her—I think you can understand that my dear Miss Arundell intends to leave it to my discretion. She would not leave the money directly to Bella, for she was afraid that the person might take possession of the property." "Which person?" "Her husband. You know, M. Poirot. The poor girl is completely at his disposal. She does what he tells her to do. I daresay if he told her to murder, she would! She's afraid." He. I'm quite sure she was afraid of him. Once or twice I saw her quite frightened. If that's not right, M. Poirot—you can't say it's right." Poirot said nothing, but asked: "What kind of a man is Dr. Tanios?" "Well," said Miss Lawson hesitantly, "he's a very agreeable man." She paused, as if in doubt. "But you don't trust him?" asked Poirot. "Well, yes, I don't trust," continued Miss Lawson, vaguely; "I know, I don't trust any man! How many dreadful things have been heard! Their poor wives are tormented by them It's horrible! Of course, Dr. Tanios pretends to love his wife very much, and treats her wonderfully. And he's really nice to look at, too. But I don't trust foreigners. They're good at acting. I'm sure, Dear Miss Arundell would not have her money in his hands!" "Miss Theresa Arundell and Mr. Charles Arundell are also disinherited. Isn't that a little cruel to them?" said Poirot. A red cloud came over Miss Lawson's face. "I think Theresa has plenty of money, enough for her," she snapped, "and she spends hundreds of pounds on her clothes. But her inner world is—dirty! One has only to think, There are many well-bred women who have to earn a living, and she..." Poirot calmly finished what she had left to say: "You don't think it would do her any harm if she went to earn her own living?" Miss Lawson looked at him gravely. "That could have done her a lot," she said, "to maybe wake her up. Suffering has taught us a lot." Poirot nodded slowly.He stared at her intently. "And what about Charles?" "Charles shouldn't be given a penny," snapped Miss Lawson. "If Miss Arundel disinherited him in her will, there is a good reason for it—after his vicious threats against Miss Arundell." , she did it." "Threat?" Poirot raised his eyebrows. "Yes, threats." "What threat? When did he threaten her?" "Let me see, it was—yes, it was Easter, that's right. Actually on Easter Sunday—which made things worse!" "What did he say?" "He asked her for money, and she turned him down! Then he said it was not wise for her to do it, and he said that if she persisted in that attitude, he would be - what was that phrase he said - a Very vulgar American phrase - oh yes, he said he was going to kill her!" "He threatened to kill her?" "yes." "What did Miss Arundell say?" "She said: 'Charles, I think you'll find that I can take care of myself.'" "Were you in the house then?" "I was not in the room, exactly," returned Miss Lawson, after a moment's pause. "Yes, yes," said Poirot hastily, "and what did Charles say afterwards?" "He said: 'Don't be so sure.'" Poirot said slowly: "Is Miss Arundell serious about this threat?" "Oh, I don't know...she never told me about it at all...but anyway, she wouldn't pay him." Poirot said softly: "Of course you knew before that Miss Arundell had made a new will?" "No, I don't know the contents of the new will. But you know the fact—Miss Arundell made a new will?" "Oh—I suspected—I mean she sent for a lawyer while she was lying ill in bed..." "Indeed. That was after she fell, didn't it?" "Yes, Bob - Bob was the name of the dog - who left the ball on the top of the stairs - she tripped over it and fell." "What an unfortunate accident," said Poirot. "Oh yes, she's likely to break a leg or an arm. The doctor said so." "She's also likely to fall to her death." "Yes, it is likely to fall to death." Her answers seemed natural and straightforward. Poirot said with a smile: "I saw Master Bob at the Little Green House." "Oh, yes. I think you saw him. He's a lovely little dog." Nothing annoys me more than hearing a sporty dog ​​called a cute little bus.No wonder, I thought, that Bob despised Miss Lawson, and refused what she asked him to do. "It's clever, isn't it?" Poirot continued. "Oh yes, very clever." "Wouldn't it be disturbing to know that it nearly killed its mistress?" Miss Lawson made no answer.She just shook her head and sighed. Poirot asked: "Do you think it possible that Miss Arundell may have re-made her will as a result of the fall?" I felt that we were getting dangerously close to the substantive question, but Miss Lawson was still very natural in answering the question. "You know," she said, "that you're not quite right, but that's all right. The incident shocked her a bit—I'm sure of that. Old people don't like to think that they might die. And such an accident would The old man thinks so. Maybe she has a premonition that death is not far away." Poirot said casually: "She's all right, isn't she?" "Oh yes, not bad." "Then she must have been very ill?" "Oh, it was quite sudden. It was a shock. We had some friends here that night..." Miss Lawson broke off. "It's your friends, the Tripp sisters. I've seen them. They're lovely." Miss Lawson, flushed with excitement, said: "Yes, are they pleasant? They are educated women! Their tastes are so wide! So unworldly! Perhaps they told you—about our party? I think you are an atheist." —but really, I wish I could tell you how delightful it is to be in touch with these underworlds, beyond description!" "I'm sure of that, I'm sure." "You know, Monsieur Poirot, my mother has told me--she has told me more than once, how delightful it is to know that one's dear ones are still thinking about themselves, watching them closely." "Yes, yes, I quite understand," said Poirot softly. "Miss Arundell is also a believer?" Miss Lawson looked a little sullen. "She'd like to believe it," she said vaguely, "but I think she sometimes doesn't treat it religiously. She's suspicious of believing it's true—once or twice her attitude attracted Most unpopular spirit! This spirit said some very nasty things - all because of Miss Arundell's attitude, I believe." "I think it's probably because of Miss Arundell's attitude," agreed Poirot. "But that last night..." went on Miss Lawson, "perhaps Isabel and Julia told you?—a peculiar phenomenon occurred. It was actually ghosts that began to appear. Spiritual possession—perhaps you know this is what?" "Yes, yes, I am familiar with its characteristics." "You know, at first it was a sort of ribbon coming out of the possessed's mouth, and then it was formed into a shape. I now believe, Mr. Poirot, that Miss Arundell herself was unaware of the possessed spirit. That day At night, I distinctly saw a luminous streamer spewing from dear Miss Arundell's mouth! Then her head was enveloped in a luminous mist." "So funny!" "Then, unfortunately, Miss Arundell fell ill suddenly and our party had to be stopped." "You sent for the doctor—when was that?" "The next morning, the first thing we did was call the doctor." "Does the doctor think she is very ill?" "The next night he sent a nurse, but I think he wanted my mistress back to health." "I'm sorry—didn't you invite her relatives?" Miss Lawson blushed and said: "We notified her next of kin as soon as possible - that is, as soon as Dr Granger declared she was in danger." "What's the cause this time? Did she eat anything?" "No, I don't think there is any particular cause. Dr. Granger said she had been following her doctor's orders and was very careful with her diet. I think he thought her illness might be due to the cold. The weather is always changing these days." impermanence." "Theresa and Charles Arundell were both here that weekend, weren't they?" Miss Lawson pursed her lips and said: "Here they come." "Their visit was unsuccessful this time," said Poirot, staring at her. "No gain," she added viciously, "Miss Arundell knows why they're here!" "Why?" asked Poirot, still looking at her. "For the money!" said Miss Lawson angrily, "and they didn't get it." "No money?" said Poirot. "I believe that's what Dr. Tanios came for," she continued. "You said Dr. Tanios, he didn't come that weekend, did he?" "Here he is, he came on Sunday. Only stayed about an hour." "It seems everyone is after Miss Arundell's money," said Poirot casually. "I know it's a bad idea, don't I?" "No, indeed," said Poirot. "Charles and Theresa must have been shocked to learn that Miss Arundell must have disinherited them that weekend!" Miss Lawson looked at him intently. Poirot said: "Is that so? Didn't she tell them explicitly about it?" "I can't say anything about that. I haven't heard anything about it! Nothing was disturbed or anything else happened, as far as I know. Charles and his sister seemed happy when they left." "Ah! I may have heard it incorrectly. Miss Arundell keeps her will in the house, doesn't she?" Miss Lawson dropped her pince-nez and stooped to pick it up. "I can't really tell. No, I think, her will is on the Purvis display." "Who is the executor?" "Mr. Purvis." "Did he come here to examine Miss Arundell's papers after her death?" "Yes, he came to see." Poirot looked at her intently, and asked her a completely unexpected question: "Does Ni like Mr. Powell?" Miss Lawson panicked, and said: "You ask me if I like Mr. Purvey? Well, really, it's hard to tell, isn't it? I mean, I'm sure he's a very smart guy--a smart lawyer, but he's rough! It's me In my opinion, it's often unpleasant when someone talks to you as if—well, maybe I didn't explain that well enough—he's being rude when he looks polite, you know what I mean. " "Your situation is indeed difficult," said Poirot sympathetically. "It is indeed difficult." Miss Lawson sighed and shook her head. Poirot stood up and said: "Thank you, miss, for your kindness and help." Miss Lawson also stood up.Listening to her voice seemed a little excited, she said: "I have nothing to thank--nothing at all! I'd be glad if I could do anything for you--what else can I do--" Poirot came back from the door again.He lowered his voice and said: "Miss Lawson, I thought I should tell you something: Charles and Theresa Arundell want to overturn this will." Miss Lawson's cheeks were visibly flushed. "They can't do that," she said aloud. "My lawyer said so." "Oh," said Poirot, "so you have a lawyer?" "Of course. Why shouldn't I?" "Quite right. You're very clever. Good-bye, miss." Poirot took a deep breath as we came out into the street from Clanroydon flats. "Hastings, my friend, that woman is either exactly what she seems, or she's a good actress." "She doesn't believe Miss Arundell died of natural causes. You can see that," I said. Poirot did not answer me.Sometimes he pretended to be deaf as the situation required.He called a taxi. "Durham's Hotel, Bloomsbury," he told the driver.

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