Part 13 (1/2)

”I'm so sorry. I'm talking shop. And this is a real murder.” Her face lit up.

”What a good idea it would be if none of them had murdered him. If he'd asked

them all, and then quietly committed suicide just for the fun of making a

schemozzle.”

Poirot nodded approvingly.

”An admirable solution. So neat. So ironic. But, alas, Mr. Shaitana was not

that sort of man. He was very fond of life.”

”I don't think he was really a nice man,” said Mrs. Oliver slowly.

”He was not nice, no,” said Poirot. ”But he was alive--and now he is dead,

and as I told him once, I have a bourgeois att.i.tude to murder. I disapprove of it.”

He added softly: ”And soI am prepared to go inside the tiger's cage ”

CHAPTER 9

Dr. Roberts

”Good-morning, Superintendent Battle.”

Dr. Roberts rose from his chair and offered a large pink hand smelling of a mixture of good soap and faint carbolic.

”How are things going?” he went on.

/uperintendent Battle glanced round the comfortable consulting-room before swering.

”Well, Dr. Roberts, strictly speaking, they're not going. They're standing still.”

”There's been nothing much in the papers, I've been glad to see.”

”Sudden death of the well-known Mr. Shaitana at an evening party in his own house. It's left at that for the moment. We've had the' autopsy--I brought a report of the findings along--thought it might interest you- ”

”That's very kind of you--it would--h'm--h'm. Yes, very interesting.”

He handed it back.

”And we've interviewed Mr. Shaitana's solicitor. We know the terms of his will. Nothing of interest there. He has relatives in Syria, it seems. And then, of course, we've been through all his private papers.”

Was it fancy or did that broad, clean-shaven countenance look a little strained--a little wooden?

”And?” said Dr. Roberts.

”Nothing,” said Superintendent Battle, watching him.

There wasn't a sigh of relief. Nothing so blatant as that. But the doctor's figure

seemed to relax just a shade more comfortably in his chair.