Agatha Christie: Murder in Mesopotamia

‘No wonder that poor Miss Johnson, in her death agony, could only try desperately to impart her hard-won information. Through “the window,” that is how Mrs Leidner was killed, not through the door – through the window…

‘And so thus, everything is explained, everything falls into place…Psychologically perfect.

‘But there is no proof…No proof at all…’

None of us spoke. We were lost in a sea of horror…Yes, and not only horror. Pity, too.

Dr Leidner had neither moved nor spoken. He sat just as he had done all along. A tired, worn elderly man.

At last he stirred slightly and looked at Poirot with gentle, tired eyes.

‘No,’ he said, ‘there is no proof. But that does not matter. You knew that I would not deny truth…I have never denied truth…I think – really – I am rather glad…I’m so tired…’

Then he said simply: ‘I’m sorry about Anne. That was bad – senseless – it wasn’t me! And she suffered, too, poor soul. Yes, that wasn’t me. It was fear…’

A little smile just hovered on his pain-twisted lips.

‘You would have made a good archaeologist, M. Poirot. You have the gift of re-creating the past.

‘It was all very much as you said.

‘I loved Louise and I killed her…if you’d known Louise you’d have understood…No, I think you understand anyway…’

There isn’t really any more to say about things.

They got ‘Father’ Lavigny and the other man just as they were going to board a steamer at Beyrouth.

Sheila Reilly married young Emmott. I think that will be good for her. He’s no door-mat – he’ll keep her in her place. She’d have ridden roughshod over poor Bill Coleman.

I nursed him, by the way, when he had appendicitis a year ago. I got quite fond of him. His people were sending him out to farm in South Africa.

I’ve never been out East again. It’s funny – sometimes I wish I could. I think of the noise the water-wheel made and the women washing, and that queer haughty look that camels give you – and I get quite a homesick feeling. After all, perhaps dirt isn’t really so unhealthy as one is brought up to believe!

Dr Reilly usually looks me up when he’s in England, and as I said, it’s he who’s got me into this. ‘Take it or leave it,’ I said to him. ‘I know the grammar’s all wrong and it’s not properly written or anything like that – but there it is.’

And he took it. Made no bones about it. It will give me a queer feeling if it’s ever printed.

M. Poirot went back to Syria and about a week later he went home on the Orient Express and got himself mixed up in another murder. He was clever, I don’t deny it, but I shan’t forgive him in a hurry for pulling my leg the way he did. Pretending to think I might be mixed up in the crime and not a real hospital nurse at all!

Doctors are like that sometimes. Will have their joke, some of them will, and never think of your feelings!

I’ve thought and thought about Mrs Leidner and what she was really like…Sometimes it seems to me she was just a terrible woman – and other times I remember how nice she was to me and how soft her voice was – and her lovely fair hair and everything – and I feel that perhaps, after all, she was more to be pitied than blamed…

And I can’t help but pity Dr Leidner. I know he was a murderer twice over, but it doesn’t seem to make any difference. He was so dreadfully fond of her. It’s awful to be fond of anyone like that.

Somehow, the more I get older, and the more I see of people and sadness and illness and everything, the sorrier I get for everyone. Sometimes, I declare, I don’t know what’s becoming of the good, strict principles my aunt brought me up with. A very religious woman she was, and most particular. There wasn’t one of our neighbours whose faults she didn’t know backwards and forwards…

Oh, dear, it’s quite true what Dr Reilly said. How does one stop writing? If I could find a really good telling phrase.

I must ask Dr Reilly for some Arab one.

Like the one M. Poirot used.

In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate…

Something like that.