AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Poirot waved an exasperated hand.
“My ideas are childish in the extreme. I tell myself, it was perhaps a ruse to indicate you to someone—to point you out. But that again is absurd—you are quite a well-known man—and anyway how much more simple to say ‘See, that is he—the man who entered now by that door.’”
“And anyway,” said Blunt, “why should anyone want to point me out?”
“Mr. Blunt, think back once more on your time that morning in the dentist’s chair. Did nothing that Morley said strike an unusual note? Is there nothing at all that you can remember which might help as a clue?”
Alistair Blunt frowned in an effort of memory. Then he shook his head.
“I’m sorry. I can’t think of anything.”
“You’re quite sure he didn’t mention this woman—this Miss Sainsbury Seale?”
“No.”
“Or the other woman—Mrs. Chapman?”
“No—no—we didn’t speak of people at all. We mentioned roses, gardens needing rain, holidays—nothing else.”
“And no one came into the room while you were there?”
“Let me see—no, I don’t think so. On other occasions I seem to remember a young woman being there—fair-haired girl. But she wasn’t there this time. Oh, another dentist fellow came in, I remember—the fellow with an Irish accent.”
“What did he say or do?”
“Just asked Morley some question and went out again. Morley was a bit short with him, I fancy. He was only there a minute or so.”
“And there is nothing else you can remember? Nothing at all?”
“No. He was absolutely normal.”
Hercule Poirot said thoughtfully:
“I, too, found him absolutely normal.”
There was a long pause. Then Poirot said:
“Do you happen to remember, Monsieur, a young man who was in the waiting room downstairs with you that morning?”
Alistair Blunt frowned.
“Let me see—yes, there was a young man—rather restless he was. I don’t remember him particularly, though. Why?”
“Would you know him again if you saw him?”
Blunt shook his head.
“I hardly glanced at him.”
“He didn’t try to enter into conversation with you at all?”
“No.”
Blunt looked with frank curiosity at the other.
“What’s the point? Who is this young man?”
“His name is Howard Raikes.”
