The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories

the bath, and Major Rich, of course, let himself in

42 Agatha Crist.e with his own key. In his

o. Inl minutes later that Major leh un it was about ten him out for cigarettes.

.L . No,. tailed hi arid sent me stting room. Major ne , ....

doorway. He had rf,,-'ich ':". " goe Into mi-,,,d, -'-"I ;r naa StOod in the .... a mtcr ana on ths h "" the cigarettes five into the sitting room wh; cc. . . .. , sq SlOR fie boa

For fils master, who was studt

tncn epty' save smoking. His master had inu?g by the window ready, and on being told it 3 a ;:. .

ta,e ,,.--e. 'ur,o,ne. ,a:a' Clayton, as he assumed tha, n. . e

,. t mentioned Mr Mr. Clayton there and let ms i ,aa loun

.master's manner had been 6re,.Ot h self. His

usual. He had taken his ba?elth same as

shortly after, Mr. and Mrs, q, cnan ed, and

to be followed by Majo nce ha arrived, Clayton. 'artiss and Mrs.

It had not occurred to plained, that Mr. Clayton h his master's return. To do lg -u,

, nave left before v have had to bang the front d 'qr .....

mat te valet was sure he wou -ers Id h . nd ams and Still in the same imp one, -ave proceeded to his finding of thanner, ' urgoyne time

my attention was direct bdy. For the first It was a good-sized piece o if the fatal chest. against the

wall next to the hbo rniture standing

It was made of some dark w .ograph cabinet.

studded with brass nails. Th °t and enough. I looked in and shik

Plentifully opene, simply

scrubbed, ominous stains rem er t. Th0 g h well

Suddenly Poirot

uttered in ,.

"Those holes there they are a

h exclamation

uri

·

,ous. One would

THE MYSTERY OF THE BAGDAD CHEST 43

say that they had been newly made."

The holes in question were at the back of the chest against the wall. There were three or four of them. They were about a quarter of an inch in diameter- and certainly had the effect of having been freshly made.

Poirot bent down to examine them, looking in-quiringly at the valet.

"It's certainly curious, sir. I don't remember ever seeing those holes in the past, though maybe I wouldn't notice them."

"It makes no matter," said Poirot.

Closing the lid of the chest, he stepped back into the room until he was standing with his back against the window. Then he suddenly asked a question.

"Tell me," he said. "When you brought the x cigarettes into your master that night,, was there not something out of place in the room?"

Burgoyne hesitated for a minute, then with

some slight reluctance he replied,

"It's odd your saying that, sir. Now you come to mention it, there was. That screen there that cuts off the draft from the bedroom door--it was

moved a bit more to the left."

"Like this?"

Poirot darted nimbly forward and pulled at the screen. It was a handsome affair of painted leather. It already slightly obscured the view of the chest, and as Poirot adjusted it, it hid the chest altogether.

"That's right, sir," said the valet. "It was like that."

"And the next morning?"

44 Agatha Christie

"It was still like that. I remember. I moved it away and it was then I saw the stain. The carpet's gone to be cleaned, sir. That's why the boards are bare."

Poirot nodded.

"I see," he said. "I thank you."

He placed a crisp piece of paper in the valet's palm.

"Thank you, sir."

"Poirot," I said when we were out in the street, "that point about the screen--is that a point helpful to Rich?"

"It is a further point against him," said Poirot ruefully. "The screen hid the chest from the room. It also hid the stain on the carpet. Sooner or later the blood was bound to soak through the wood and stain the carpet. The screen would prevent discovery for the moment. Yes--but there is some-thing

there that I do not understand. The valet,

Hastings, the valet."

"What about the valet? He seemed a most in-telligent fellow."

"As you say, most intelligent. Is it credible, then, that Major Rich failed to realize that the valet would certainly discover the body in the morning? Immediately after the deed he had no time for anything--granted. He shoves the body into the chest, pulls the screen in front of it and goes through the evening hoping for the best. But after the guests are gone? Surely, then is the time to dispose of the body."

"Perhaps he hoped the valet wouldn't notice the stain?"

"That, mort ami, is absurd. A stained carpet is

THE MYSTERY OF THE BAGDAD CHEST

the first thing a good servant would be bound to, notice. And Major Rich, he goes to bed and snores

there comfortably and does nothing at all about the matter. Very remarkable and interesting, that."

"Curtiss might have seen the stains when he was changing the records the night before?" I sug, gested.

"That is unlikely. The screen would throw deep shadow just there. No, but I begin to see, Yes, dimly I begin to see."

"See what?" I asked eagerly.

"The possibilities, shall we say, of an alter,, native explanation. Our next visit may throw light on things."