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roof, where you spent the next two hours, is that right?"
"Yes."
"Did you come down from the roof at all during that time?"
"No."
"Did anyone come up to you?"
"Yes, Emmott did pretty frequently. He went to and fro between me and the boy, who was washing
pottery down below."
"Did you yourself look over into the courtyard at all?"
"Once or twice - usually to call to Emmott about something."
"On each occasion the boy was sitting in the middle of the courtyard washing pots?"
"Yes."
"What was the longest period of time when Emmott was with you and absent from the courtyard?"
Dr. Leidner considered.
"It's difficult to say - perhaps ten minutes. Personally I should say two or three minutes, but I know by
experience that my sense of time is not very good when I am absorbed and interested in what I am
doing."
Captain Maitland looked at Dr. Reilly. The latter nodded. "We'd better get down to it," he said.
Captain Maitland took out a small notebook and opened it.
"Look here, Leidner, I'm going to read to you exactly what every member of your expedition was doing
between one and two this afternoon."
"But surely -"
"Wait. You'll see what I'm driving at in a minute. First Mr. and Mrs. Mercado. Mr. Mercado says he was
working in his laboratory. Mrs. Mercado says she was in her bedroom shampooing her hair. Miss
Johnson says she was in the living-room taking impressions of cylinder seals. Mr. Reiter says he was in
the dark-room developing plates. Father Lavigny says he was working in his bedroom. As to the two
remaining members of the expedition, Carey and Coleman, the former was up on the dig and Coleman
was in Hassanieh. So much for the members of the expedition. Now for the servants. The cook - your
Indian chap - was sitting immediately outside the archway chatting to the guard and plucking a couple
of fowls. Ibrahim and Mansur, the house-boys, joined him there at about 1.15. They both remained there
laughing and talking until 2.30 - by which time your wife was already dead."
Dr. Leidner leaned forward.
"I don't understand - you puzzle me. What are you hinting at?"
"Is there any means of access to your wife's room except by the door into the courtyard?"
"No. There are two windows, but they are heavily barred - and besides, I think they were shut."
He looked at me questioningly.
"They were closed and latched on the inside," I said promptly.
"In any case," said Captain Maitland, "even if they had been open, no one could have entered or left the
room that way. My fellows and I have assured ourselves of that. It is the same with all the other
windows giving on the open country. They all have iron bars and all the bars are in good condition. To
have got into your wife's room, a stranger must have come through the arched doorway into the
courtyard. But we have the united assurances of the guard, the cook and the house-boy that nobody did
so."
Dr. Leidner sprang up.
"What do you mean? What do you mean?"
"Pull yourself together, man," said Dr. Reilly quietly. "I know it's a shock, but it's got to be faced. The
murderer didn't come from outside - so he must have come from inside. It looks as though Mrs. Leidner
must have been murdered by a member of your own expedition."
Chapter 12
"I DIDN'T BELIEVE..."
"No! No!"
Dr. Leidner sprang up and walked up and down in an agitated manner.
"It's impossible what you say, Reilly. Absolutely impossible. One of us? Why, every single member of
the expedition was devoted to Louise!"
A queer little expression pulled down the corners of Dr. Reilly's mouth. Under the circumstances it was
difficult for him to say anything, but if ever a man's silence was eloquent his was at that minute.
"Quite impossible," reiterated Dr. Leidner. "They were all devoted to her. Louise had such wonderful
charm. Every one felt it."
Dr. Reilly coughed.
"Excuse me, Leidner, but after all that's only your opinion. If any member of the expedition had disliked
your wife they would naturally not advertise the fact to you."
Dr. Leidner looked distressed.
"True - quite true. But all the same, Reilly, I think you are wrong. I'm sure every one was fond of
Louise."
He was silent for a moment or two and then burst out.
"This idea of yours is infamous. It's - it's frankly incredible."
"You can't get away from - er - the facts," said Captain Maitland.
"Facts? Facts? Lies told by an Indian cook and a couple of Arab house-boys. You know these fellows as
well as I do, Reilly; so do you, Maitland. Truth as truth means nothing to them. They say what you want
them to say as a mere matter of politeness."
"In this case," said Dr. Reilly dryly, "they are saying what we don't want them to say. Besides, I know
the habits of your household fairly well. Just outside the gate is a kind of social club. Whenever I've
been over here in the afternoon I've always found most of your staff there. It's the natural place for them
to be."
"All the same I think you are assuming too much. Why shouldn't this man - this devil - have got in
earlier and concealed himself somewhere?"
"I agree that that is not actually impossible," said Dr. Reilly coolly. "Let us assume that a stranger did
somehow gain admission unseen. He would have to remain concealed until the right moment (and he [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl ocenkijessi.opx.pl
roof, where you spent the next two hours, is that right?"
"Yes."
"Did you come down from the roof at all during that time?"
"No."
"Did anyone come up to you?"
"Yes, Emmott did pretty frequently. He went to and fro between me and the boy, who was washing
pottery down below."
"Did you yourself look over into the courtyard at all?"
"Once or twice - usually to call to Emmott about something."
"On each occasion the boy was sitting in the middle of the courtyard washing pots?"
"Yes."
"What was the longest period of time when Emmott was with you and absent from the courtyard?"
Dr. Leidner considered.
"It's difficult to say - perhaps ten minutes. Personally I should say two or three minutes, but I know by
experience that my sense of time is not very good when I am absorbed and interested in what I am
doing."
Captain Maitland looked at Dr. Reilly. The latter nodded. "We'd better get down to it," he said.
Captain Maitland took out a small notebook and opened it.
"Look here, Leidner, I'm going to read to you exactly what every member of your expedition was doing
between one and two this afternoon."
"But surely -"
"Wait. You'll see what I'm driving at in a minute. First Mr. and Mrs. Mercado. Mr. Mercado says he was
working in his laboratory. Mrs. Mercado says she was in her bedroom shampooing her hair. Miss
Johnson says she was in the living-room taking impressions of cylinder seals. Mr. Reiter says he was in
the dark-room developing plates. Father Lavigny says he was working in his bedroom. As to the two
remaining members of the expedition, Carey and Coleman, the former was up on the dig and Coleman
was in Hassanieh. So much for the members of the expedition. Now for the servants. The cook - your
Indian chap - was sitting immediately outside the archway chatting to the guard and plucking a couple
of fowls. Ibrahim and Mansur, the house-boys, joined him there at about 1.15. They both remained there
laughing and talking until 2.30 - by which time your wife was already dead."
Dr. Leidner leaned forward.
"I don't understand - you puzzle me. What are you hinting at?"
"Is there any means of access to your wife's room except by the door into the courtyard?"
"No. There are two windows, but they are heavily barred - and besides, I think they were shut."
He looked at me questioningly.
"They were closed and latched on the inside," I said promptly.
"In any case," said Captain Maitland, "even if they had been open, no one could have entered or left the
room that way. My fellows and I have assured ourselves of that. It is the same with all the other
windows giving on the open country. They all have iron bars and all the bars are in good condition. To
have got into your wife's room, a stranger must have come through the arched doorway into the
courtyard. But we have the united assurances of the guard, the cook and the house-boy that nobody did
so."
Dr. Leidner sprang up.
"What do you mean? What do you mean?"
"Pull yourself together, man," said Dr. Reilly quietly. "I know it's a shock, but it's got to be faced. The
murderer didn't come from outside - so he must have come from inside. It looks as though Mrs. Leidner
must have been murdered by a member of your own expedition."
Chapter 12
"I DIDN'T BELIEVE..."
"No! No!"
Dr. Leidner sprang up and walked up and down in an agitated manner.
"It's impossible what you say, Reilly. Absolutely impossible. One of us? Why, every single member of
the expedition was devoted to Louise!"
A queer little expression pulled down the corners of Dr. Reilly's mouth. Under the circumstances it was
difficult for him to say anything, but if ever a man's silence was eloquent his was at that minute.
"Quite impossible," reiterated Dr. Leidner. "They were all devoted to her. Louise had such wonderful
charm. Every one felt it."
Dr. Reilly coughed.
"Excuse me, Leidner, but after all that's only your opinion. If any member of the expedition had disliked
your wife they would naturally not advertise the fact to you."
Dr. Leidner looked distressed.
"True - quite true. But all the same, Reilly, I think you are wrong. I'm sure every one was fond of
Louise."
He was silent for a moment or two and then burst out.
"This idea of yours is infamous. It's - it's frankly incredible."
"You can't get away from - er - the facts," said Captain Maitland.
"Facts? Facts? Lies told by an Indian cook and a couple of Arab house-boys. You know these fellows as
well as I do, Reilly; so do you, Maitland. Truth as truth means nothing to them. They say what you want
them to say as a mere matter of politeness."
"In this case," said Dr. Reilly dryly, "they are saying what we don't want them to say. Besides, I know
the habits of your household fairly well. Just outside the gate is a kind of social club. Whenever I've
been over here in the afternoon I've always found most of your staff there. It's the natural place for them
to be."
"All the same I think you are assuming too much. Why shouldn't this man - this devil - have got in
earlier and concealed himself somewhere?"
"I agree that that is not actually impossible," said Dr. Reilly coolly. "Let us assume that a stranger did
somehow gain admission unseen. He would have to remain concealed until the right moment (and he [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]