Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Mrs. Lorrimer Speaks

It was a cloudy day, and Mrs. Lorrimer's room was rather dark and a little dreary.Her own appearance was gloomy, and she appeared much older than Poirot had been on her last visit. As usual, she smiled and greeted him with confidence. "Mr. Poirot, thank you for coming at once. I know you are busy." Poirot bowed lightly and said, "Madam, please tell me something." Mrs. Lorrimer rang the chimney-bell. "We called for tea. I don't know how you feel. I think it would be wrong to talk about secrets without paving the way." "Ma'am, you have secrets to talk about?"

At this moment the maid answered the bell, but Mrs. Lorrimer made no answer.After the maid obeyed the order and left, Mrs. Lorrimer said calmly, "Do you remember the last time you came here, you said you would come if I asked you. I think you know why I asked you?" That's all for now.Tea is served.Mrs. Lorrimer served her guests tea, and turned to the various topics of the day. Poirot took advantage of the gap and said, "I heard that you had tea with Miss Meredith the other day." "Yeah. You saw her recently." "This afternoon." "Is she in London, or are you going to Wallingford?"

"No, she and her friends kindly came to visit me." "Ah, that friend, I have never met before." Poirot said with a smile: "The murder -- some camaraderie has been cultivated. You have tea with Miss Meredith. Major Desper is also on acquaintance with Miss Meredith. Only Dr. Roberts is absent." Mrs. Lorrimer said, "I met him at the bridge table the other day. He's still as happy as ever." "Still playing bridge?" "Yes, the bidding is still outrageous--and it usually works out." She was silent for a moment or two before saying, "Have you seen Inspector Bart lately?"

"Meet this afternoon, too. He was next to me when you called." Mrs. Lorrimer shaded her face with her hand from the firelight and said, "How is his investigation going?" Poirot said solemnly: "He's not going very fast, Bart. Madame, he's progressing very slowly, but at last he's getting something." "I don't know . .I think he dug up my past experience to girlhood. He interviewed my friends and chatted with my servants—including my current servants and people I used to hire. I don’t know what he wants to find out, But he mustn't have found it. He might as well have listened to me. I'm telling the truth. I don't know Mr. Shaitana very well. As I said, I knew him in Luther, just acquaintance. That's all. Inspector Bart cannot escape from these facts."

"Perhaps there is no way," said Poirot. "Mr. Poirot, what about you? Haven't you made any inquiries?" "Check your business, ma'am?" "That's exactly what I mean." The little old man shook his head slowly. "That's useless." "What do you mean by that, M. Poirot?" "Ma'am, let me tell you the truth. I've found from the beginning that of the four people in Shaitana's room that night, you were the smartest, calmest, and most logical. If I had to bet on who out of the four could plan a murder, It worked out, and I'll bet it's you."

Mrs. Lorrimer raised her eyebrows. She asked indifferently, "Should I feel flattered?" Poirot ignored her interruption and continued talking. "To succeed in a dead case, usually every detail has to be thought out in advance. All possible contingencies have to be taken into consideration. The timing has to be right. The place has to be right. Dr. Roberts may be too confident to A crime committed recklessly, Major Despar may be too sophisticated to strike, Miss Meredith may lose her head and tell the truth. Your wife will never be like this. You are level-headed, decisive, and when you are attached to an idea, you can Overwhelm prudent scruples, but you never lose your head."

Mrs. Lorrimer sat for a minute or two with an odd smile on her lips.Finally she said: "Mr. Poirot, it turns out that you thought I—I was the kind of woman who would commit ideal murder." "At least you don't hate the idea." "I thought it was funny. Turns out you thought I was the only one who could succeed in murdering Shaitana." Poirot said slowly: "That is a little debatable, madame." "Really? Tell me." "You may have noticed that I just said this: A case usually has to be carefully planned in every detail in order to be successful. I want you to pay attention to the word usually. There is another kind of criminal case that can be successful. Have you ever suddenly Say: Throw a pebble and see if it hits the tree. The man does it right away without thinking—often he hits the tree. But he tries again, and it is not easy to succeed, because he starts THINK. THINK THAT THAT'S GOOD - DON'T ATTENTION - Slightly to the right - A little to the left. For the first time not impulsive - inspiration - sudden genius - no time to hesitate or think. Madame, kill Shaitana Mr.'s crime falls into this category. Sudden need, instant inspiration, swift execution."

He shook his head. "Ma'am, this is not at all the kind of crime you are prone to commit. If you killed Mr. Shaitana, it must be premeditated." "I see." She shook her hand lightly, waving the heat from the fire on her face. "Of course, it wasn't a premeditated murder, so it couldn't have been me—er, M. Poirot?" Poirot bowed. "Yes, ma'am." "But—" She leaned forward, her waving hand suddenly stopped—"Mr. Poirot, I did kill Shaitana—"