Agatha Christie - Hickory Dickory Dock

"A good many students lodge round here, do they not?"

"Yes. This is a neighbourhood with a lot of students."

"There is one hostel, I believe, in Hickory Road?"

"Oh yes. I've sold several to the young gentlemen there. And the young ladies. They usually come here for any equipment they want before they go off. My prices are cheaper than the big stores, and so I tell them. There you are, sir, and I'm sure your nephew will be delighted with the service he gets out of this." Poirot thanked him and went out with his parcel.

He had only gone a step or two when a hand fell on his shoulder.

It was Inspector Sharpe.

"Just the man I want to see," said Sharpe.

"You have accomplished your search of the house?"

"I've searched the house, but I don't know that I've accomplished very much. There's a place along here where you can get a very decent sandwich and a cup of coffee. Come along with me if you're not too busy.

I'd like to talk to you." The sandwich bar was almost empty. The two men carried their plates and cups to a small table in a corner.

Here Sharpe recounted the results of his questioning of the students.

"The only person we've got any evidence against is young Chapman," he said. "And there we've got too much. Three lots of poison through his hands. But there's no reason to believe he'd any animus against Celia Austin, and I doubt if he'd have been as frank about his activities if he was really guilty."

"It opens out other possibilities, though."

"Yes-all that stuff knocking about in a drawer.

Silly young, ass!" He went on to Elizabeth Johnston and her account of what Celia had said to her.

"If what she said is true, it's significant."

"Very significant," Poirot agreed.

The Inspector quoted, was "I shall know more about it tomorrow."

"And so-tomorrow never came for that poor girl!

Your search of the house-did it accomplish anything?"

"There were one or two things that were-what shall I say? Unexpected, perhaps."

"Such as?"

"Elizabeth Johnston is a member of the Communist party. We found her Party card."

"Yes," said Poirot, thoughtfully. "That is interesting."

"You wouldn't have expected it," said Inspector Sharpe. "I didn't until I questioned her yesterday. She's got a lot of personality, that girl."

"I should think she was a valuable recruit to the Party," said Hercule Poirot. "She is a young woman of quite unusual intelligence, I should say."

"It was interesting to me," said Inspector Sharpe, "because she has never paraded those sympathies, apparently. She's kept very quiet about it at Hickory Road. I don't see that it has any significance in connection with the case of Celia Austin, I mean-but it's a thing to bear in mind."

"What else did you find?" Inspector Sharpe shrugged his shoulders.

Miss Patricia Lane, in her drawer, had a handkerchief rather extensively stained with green ink." Poirot's eyebrows rose.

"Green ink? Patricia Lane! So it may have been she who took the ink and spilled it over Elizabeth Johnston's papers and then wiped her hands afterwards. But surely…"

"Surely she wouldn't want her dear Nigel to be suspected," Sharpe finished for him. "One would not have thought so. Of course, someone else might have put the handkerchief in her drawer."

"Likely enough."

"Anything else?"

"Well," Sharpe reflected for a moment. "It seems Leonard Bateson's father is in Longwith Vale Mental Hospital, a certified patient. I don't suppose it's of any particular interest, but…"

"But Len Bateson's father is insane.

Probably without significance, as you say, but it is a fact to be stored away in the memory. It would even be interesting to know what particular form his mania takes."

"Bateson's a nice young fellow," said Sharpe, "but of course his temper is a bit, well, uncontrolled." Poirot nodded. Suddenly, vividly, he remembered Celia Austin saying 'Of course, I wouldn't cut up a rucksack. That's just silly.

Anyway, that was only temper." How did she know it was temper? Had she seen Len Bateson hacking at that rucksack? He came back to the present to hear Sharpe say, with a grin, and Mr. Ahmed Ali has some extremely pornographic literature and postcards which explains why he went up in the air over the search."

"There were many protests, no doubt?"

"I should say there were. A French girl practically had hysterics and an Indian, Mr. Chandra Lal, threatened to make an international incident of it. There were a few subversive pamphlets amongst his belongings-the usual half baked stuff-and one of the West Africans had some rather fearsome souvenirs and fetishes. Yes, a search warrant certainly shows you the peculiar side of human nature. You heard about Mrs. Nicoletis and her private cupboard?"

"Yes, I heard about that." Inspector Sharpe grinned.

"Never seen so many empty brandy bottles in my life! And was she mad at us!" He laughed, and then, abruptly, became serious.

"But we didn't find what we were after," he said.

"No passports except strictly legitimate ones."

"You can hardly expect such a thing as a false passport to be left about for you to find, mon ami.

You never had occasion, did you, to make an official visit to 26 Hickory Road in connection with a passport?

Say, in the last six months?"

"No. I'll tell you the only occasions on which we did call round-within the times you mention." He detailed them carefully.

Poirot listened with a frown.

"All that, it does not make sense," he said.

He shook his head.

"Things will only make sense If we begin at the beginning."

"What do you call the beginning, Poirot?"

"The rucksack, my friend," said Poirot softly. "The rucksack. All this began with a rucksack."

MRS. NICOLETIS CAME Up the stairs from the basement where she had just succeeded in thoroughly infuriating both Geronimo and the temperamental Maria.

"Liars and thieves," said Mrs. Nicoletis in a loud triumphant voice. "All Italians are liars and thieves!" Mrs. Hubbard who was just descending the stairs gave a short vexed sigh.

"It's a pity," she said, "to upset them just while they're cooking the supper."

"What do I care?" said Mrs. Nicoletis.

"I shall not be here for supper." Mrs. Hubbard suppressed the retort that rose to her lips. "I shall come in as usual on Monday," said Mrs. Nicoletis.

"Yes, Mrs. Nicoletis."

"And please get someone to repair my cupboard door first thing Monday morning. The bill for repairing it will go to the police, do you understand? To the police." Mrs. Hubbard looked dubious. "And I want fresh electric light bulbs put in the dark passages-stronger ones. The passages are too dark."

"You said especially that you wanted low power bulbs in the passages-for economy."

"This was last week," snapped Mrs. Nicoletis. "Now it is different. Now I look over my shoulder-and I wonder, 'Who is following me?" Was her employer dramatising herself, Mrs. Hubhard wondered, or was she really afraid of something or someone? Mrs. Nicoletis had such a habit of exaggerating everything that it was always hard to know how much relance to place on her statements.

Mrs. Hubbard said doubtfully, "Are you sure you ought to go home by yourself? Would you like me to come with you?"

"I shall be safer there than here, I can teer you!"

"But what is it you are afraid of? If I knew, perhaps I could-"

"It is not your business. I tell you nothing. I find it insupportable the way you continually ask me questions."

"I'm sorry, I'm sure-"

"Now you are offended." Mrs. Nicoletis gave her a beaming smile. "I am bad tempered and rude-yes. But I have much to worry me. And remember I trust you and rely on you. What I should do without you, dear Mrs. Hubbard, I really do not know. See, I kiss my hand to you. Have a pleasant weekend. Good night." Mrs. Hubbard watched her as she went out through the front door and pulled it to behind her. Relieving her feelings with a rather inadequate "Well, really!" Mrs. Hubbard turned toward the kitchen stairs.