Убийство Роджера Экройда
The Goose Quill
Thewholethingcanbedividedintotwoparts,eachclearanddistinctfromtheother.PartIrangesfromAckroyd’sdeathontheFridayeveningtothefollowingMondaynight.Itisthestraightforwardnarrativeofwhatoccurred,aspresentedtoHerculePoirot.IwasatPoirot’selbowthewholetime.Isawwhathesaw.Itriedmybesttoreadhismind.AsIknownow,Ifailedinthislattertask.ThoughPoirotshowedmeallhisdiscoveries–as,forinstance,thegoldwedding-ring–heheldbackthevitalandyetlogicalimpressionsthatheformed.AsIcametoknowlater,thissecrecywascharacteristicofhim.Hewouldthrowouthintsandsuggestions,butbeyondthathewouldnotgo.
AsIsay,uptilltheMondayevening,mynarrativemighthavebeenthatofPoirothimself.IplayedWatsontohisSherlock.ButafterMondayourwaysdiverged.Poirotwasbusyonhisownaccount.Igottohearofwhathewasdoing,becauseinKing’sAbbot,yougettohearofeverything,buthedidnottakemeintohisconfidencebeforehand.AndI,too,hadmyownpreoccupations.
Onlookingback,thethingthatstrikesmemostisthepiecemealcharacterofthisperiod.Everyonehadahandintheelucidationofthemystery.Itwasratherlikeajigsawpuzzletowhicheveryonecontributedtheirownlittlepieceofknowledgeordiscovery.Buttheirtaskendedthere.ToPoirotalonebelongstherenownoffittingthosepiecesintotheircorrectplace.
Someoftheincidentsseemedatthetimeirrelevantandunmeaning.
