Убийство Роджера Экройда
The Goldfish Pond
"ThoughtIsaw–awomandisappearingintothebushes.Justagleamofwhite,youknow.Musthavebeenmistaken.ItwaswhileIwasstandingatthecorneroftheterracethatIheardAckroyd’svoicespeakingtothatsecretaryofhis.""SpeakingtoMr.GeoffreyRaymond?""Yes–that’swhatIsupposedatthetime.SeemsIwaswrong.""Mr.Ackroyddidn’taddresshimbyname?""Oh,no.""Then,ifImayask,whydidyouthink-?"Bluntexplainedlaboriously.
"TookitforgrantedthatitwouldbeRaymond,becausehehadsaidjustbeforeIcameoutthathewastakingsomepaperstoAckroyd.Neverthoughtofitbeinganybodyelse.""Canyourememberwhatthewordsyouheardwere?""AfraidIcan’t.Somethingquiteordinaryandunimportant.Onlycaughtascrapofit.Iwasthinkingofsomethingelseatthetime.""Itisofnoimportance,"murmuredPoirot."Didyoumoveachairbackagainstthewallwhenyouwentintothestudyafterthebodywasdiscovered?""Chair?No,whyshouldI?"Poirotshruggedhisshouldersbutdidnotanswer.HeturnedtoFlora.
"ThereisonethingIshouldliketoknowfromyou,mademoiselle.WhenyouwereexaminingthethingsinthesilvertablewithDrSheppard,wasthedaggerinitsplace,orwasitnot?"Flora’schinshotup.
"InspectorRaglanhasbeenaskingmethat,"shesaidresentfully."I’vetoldhim,andI’lltellyou.I’mperfectlycertainthedaggerwasnotthere.HethinksitwasandthatRalphsneakeditlaterintheevening.
