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“Not he. Nobody came to see him at the Savoy. He lunched up in his room. And the doctors say the stuff was definitely injected, not taken by mouth—it wasn’t in the stomach. So there you are. It’s a clear case.”
“That is what we are meant to think.”
“The A.C. is satisfied anyway.”
“And he is satisfied with the disappearing lady?”
“The Case of the Vanishing Seal? No, I can tell you, we’re still working on that. That woman’s got to be somewhere. You just can’t walk out into the street and disappear.”
“She seems to have done so.”
“For the moment. But she must be somewhere, alive or dead, and I don’t think she is dead.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’d have found her body by now.”
“Oh, my Japp, do bodies always come to light so soon?”
“I suppose you’re hinting that she’s been murdered now and that we’ll find her in a quarry, cut up in little pieces like Mrs. Ruxton?”
“After all, mon ami, you do have missing persons who are not found.”
“Very seldom, old boy. Lots of women disappear, yes, but we usually find ’em, all right. Nine times out of ten it’s a case of good old sex. They’re somewhere with a man. But I don’t think it could be that with our Mabelle, do you?”
“One never knows,” said Poirot cautiously. “But I do not think it likely. So you are sure of finding her?”
“We’ll find her all right. We’re publishing a description of her to the Press and we
’re roping in the B.B.C.”
“Ah,” said Poirot, “I fancy that may bring developments.”
“Don’t worry, old boy. We’ll find your missing beauty for you—woollen underwear and all.”
He rang off.
George entered the room with his usual noiseless tread. He set down on a little table a steaming pot of chocolate and some sugar biscuits.
“Will there be anything else, sir?”
“I am in great perplexity of mind, Georges.”
“Indeed, sir? I am sorry to hear it.”
Hercule Poirot poured himself out some chocolate and stirred his cup thoughtfully.
George stood deferentially waiting, recognizing the signs. There were moments when Hercule Poirot discussed his cases with his valet. He always said that he found George’s comments singularly helpful.
“You are aware, no doubt, Georges, of the death of my dentist?”
“Mr. Morley, sir? Yes, sir. Very distressing, sir. He shot himself, I understand.”
“That is the general understanding. If he did not shoot himself, he was murdered.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The question is, if he was murdered, who murdered him?”
