Chapter 31 19

Passengers walked into the restaurant sparsely.It seemed to everyone that if they sat down to eat, they would appear indifferent to the misfortune.There was an apologetic atmosphere in the restaurant. Tim Ellerton was a few minutes behind his mother.He seemed out of sorts. "Wish I never took this dreadful ride," he growled. Mrs. Elleton shook her head sadly. "Oh, baby, I hope so too. That lovely girl! What a waste of a trip! Can't imagine anyone killing her in such cruelty! Terrible! And that poor child!" "Jaclyn?" "Yes, I do feel sorry for her. She looks so unhappy."

"Teach her not to play with toy pistols!" Tim said relentlessly, smearing butter. "I think her tutor must be very bad." "Oh, for God's sake, Mom, stop your mother education theory!" "You're hot, Tim." "Yes, I am angry. Who is not angry?" "I think it's better to be sad than to lose your temper." Tim said angrily, "You see, it's so emotional! You have no idea how much trouble it can get if you're implicated in a murder!" Mrs. Elleton looked a little surprised. "But of course..." "That's the way it is. Nothing is taken for granted. Everyone on this damn ship is a suspect—you, me, and the others."

Mrs. Elleton protested, "That's true in theory, I think—but in practice it's absurd!" "There's nothing absurd or non-absurd when you're implicated in murder. You can sit here and act upright and good; but Shelley or Aswin's loathsome detectives wouldn't judge you that way." "Perhaps before that, the truth has come to light." "How come?" "Mr. Poirot may have solved the case." "The old world? He won't find anything. He can only brag." "Well, Tim," said Mrs. Elleton, "I dare say you're right in everything you say; but even so, you've got to get through it. Make up your mind and get through this!" "

But her son doesn't look relaxed. "And that missing pearl necklace!" "Lin Na's bead chain?" "Yes, it seems to have been stolen." "I suppose that was the motive of the murder," said Mrs. Elleton. "How? You're confusing two very different things." "Who told you the bead chain was missing?" "Ferguson. He heard it from a boozy friend in the machine room; and that friend just heard it from the maid." "It's a fine string of pearls," said Mrs. Elleton. Poirot sat down at the table, bowed to Mrs. Allering, and said, "I'm a little late."

"I know you are very busy," replied Mrs. Elleton. "Yes, it's true that you can't have two parts." He ordered a bottle of wine from the waiter. "We all three have different tastes," said Mrs. Elleton. "You always drink, Tim drinks whiskey and soda, and I always try a soda." "Strange!" said Poirot.He looked at Mrs. Allerton for a moment, and then said to himself, "That's the point..." Then, with an impatient shrug, trying to banish the sudden thought, he began to chat lightly. "Is Mr. Doyle seriously injured?" asked Mrs. Elleton.

"Yes, very serious. Dr. Bessler is anxious to get to Yaswin as quickly as possible to x-ray him and remove the bullet. Hopefully without permanent disability." "Poor Simon!" said Mrs. Elleton. "Yesterday he was quite happy, and looking very happy. Now, not only is the pretty lady killed, but he's also paralyzed. I wish, however. ..." "Madam, what do you wish?" "I hope he's not too angry with the poor boy." "Miss Jaclyn? On the contrary, he is very concerned about her situation." Poirot turned to Tim. "You know, it's a very subtle psychological phenomenon, and Jaclyn followed them all the way, and he was absolutely pissed off; but once she did shoot him, causing serious injuries—maybe even permanent disabilities—his rage It seems to disappear without a trace. Do you understand that? "Yes," Tim said thoughtfully, "I think I understand.She followed them all to make him feel like a fool. "

Poirot nodded. "You're right. It hurt his masculine pride." "And now—in a way, she's made a fool of herself, and everyone looks down on her, so..." "He can forgive her generously," concluded Mrs. Elleton. "Men are like children!" "Women always say things that don't make sense," Tim murmured. Poirot smiled slightly, and then said to Tim, "Tell me, is Mrs. Doyle's cousin—Miss Joanna Southwood, like Mrs. Doyle?" "Mr. Poirot, you are mistaken. Joanna is my cousin and Linna's friend." "Oh, sorry—I was confused. This young lady is in the news a lot, and I've had my eye on her for a long time."

"Why?" Tim asked sharply. At this moment Jaclyn Dubelfer entered the living room, passed them, and walked to her dining table.Poirot half rose, and bowed to her.Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were bright, and her breath was short of breath.Poirot sat down again, seeming to have forgotten Tim's question.He murmured vaguely, "I wonder if all young ladies are as careless about precious jewels as Mrs. Doyle?" "The necklace was indeed stolen?" asked Mrs. Elleton. "Ma'am, who told you?" "Ferguson said." Tim rushed to answer. Poirot nodded gravely.

"The bead chain was stolen." "I think," said Mrs. Elleton nervously, "that it's going to cause us a lot of inconvenience. Tim says it will." Her son glanced at her, but Poirot had turned to him. "Ah! Have you had experience before? Have you ever been involved in burglary?" "Never," Tim said. "Oh yes, honey, one time when you were in Bodonington—didn't that nasty woman's diamond be stolen?" "Mom, you're always messing things up! That's when she found out that all the diamonds on her fat neck were fake! They were replaced probably months ago.

In fact, many say she did it herself! " "I remember, it was Joanna who said it." "Joanna wasn't there." "However, Joanna knows them well. She always likes to make judgments like that." "Mother, you always find fault with Joanna." Poirot hastened to change the subject: he once wanted to buy a batch of precious gems in Yathwin's shop.An Indian businessman held some purple and yellow gemstones.Of course there is a duty to pay, but... "They told me they could—how should I put it?—to get it done for me as quickly as possible and at a low cost. Do you think it will arrive safely?"

Mrs Elleton said, "I've heard from many people who have tried sending things back to the UK directly from the Egyptian store, and there has been no error." "That's what I'll do! But what if someone sends a package from England during the trip? Have you tried it? Have you ever received a package during the trip?" "I don't think so. Right, Tim? You get some books sometimes, but of course there's nothing wrong with books." "Yes, the books are different." After the sweets, and without forewarning, Colonel Race rose to his feet and made the announcement. He explained the circumstances of the murder and announced that the pearl necklace had been stolen.A full search will be conducted on board.He hopes all travelers will cooperate and remain in the restaurant during the search.Then, with everyone's consent--and he was sure there would be no objection--they would search. Poirot walked quietly to Leith's side.Buzzing sounds come and go, full of doubts, dissatisfaction, excitement... When Lace was about to leave the restaurant, Poirot whispered a few words in his ear. Reis nodded and waved for a waiter.He gave the waiter a few words, and then he and Poirot stepped onto the deck, closing the dining-room door behind them. They stood by the railing.Reese lit a cigarette. "You have a good idea," he said, "and we'll see if it comes to fruition soon. I give them three minutes. " The door of the restaurant opened, and the waiter from just now came out.After saluting to Reis, he said, "Sir, your estimate is not bad. There is a lady who has something important to tell you immediately." "Ah!" Reis had a satisfied look on his face. "who is it?" "It's Miss Nurse Bowles." Reis looked a little surprised.He said, "Take her to the smoking room. Don't let anyone leave." "Yes, Colonel. The other colleagues will take care of it." The waiter returns to the restaurant.Poirot and Reis went to the smoking room. "Miss Bowles, huh?" Lace said to himself. It was not long after they reached the smoking-room that Miss Powers appeared. "Well, Miss Bowles," Lace looked at her questioningly. "What's up?" Miss Bowles remained steady and composed, without any emotion at all. "Forgive me, Colonel Race," she said, "under the circumstances, I think it's best to explain everything to you at once."—she opened the black purse— "At the same time, return this thing to you." She took out a beaded chain and put it on the table.