You must excuse me, the woman was saying. I am sure Im sorry I spoke so sharp just now, but youd hardly believe the worry one has to put up withfellows coming along selling this, that and the othervacuum cleaners, stockings, lavender bags[95] and such-like fooleryand all so plausible and civil spoken. Got your name, too, pat they have. Its Mrs Fowler this, that and the other.
Seizing adroitly on the name, Poirot said:
Well, Mrs Fowler, I hope youre going to do what I ask.
I dont know, Im sure. The five pounds hung alluringly before Mrs Fowlers eyes. I knew Mrs Ascher, of course, but as to writing anything.
Hastily Poirot reassured her. No labour on her part was required. He would elicit the facts from her and the interview would be written up.
Thus encouraged, Mrs Fowler plunged willingly into reminiscence, conjecture and hearsay.
Kept herself to herself[96], Mrs Ascher had. Not what youd call really friendly, but there, shed had a lot of trouble, poor soul, everyone knew that. And by rights Franz Ascher ought to have been locked up years ago. Not that Mrs Ascher had been afraid of himreal tartar she could be when roused! Give as good as she got any day. But there it wasthe pitcher could go to the well once too often[97]. Again and again, she, Mrs Fowler, had said to her: One of these days that man will do for you[98]. Mark my words. And he had done, hadnt he? And there had she, Mrs Fowler, been right next door and never heard a sound.
In a pause Poirot managed to insert a question.
Had Mrs Ascher ever received any peculiar lettersletters without a proper signaturejust something like ABC?
Regretfully, Mrs Fowler returned a negative answer.
I know the kind of thing you meananonymous letters they call themmostly full of words youd blush to say out loud. Well, I dont know, Im sure, if Franz Ascher ever took to writing those. Mrs Ascher never let on to me if he did. Whats that? A railway guide, an А В C? No, I never saw such a thing aboutand Im sure if Mrs Ascher had been sent one Id have heard about it. I declare you could have knocked me down with a feather[99] when I heard about this whole business. It was my girl Edie what came to me. Mum, she says, theres ever so many policemen next door. Gave me quite a turn[100], it did. Well, I said, when I heard about it, it does show that she ought never to have been alone in the housethat niece of hers ought to have been with her. A man in drink can be like a ravening wolf, I said, and in my opinion a wild beast is neither more nor less than what that old devil of a husband of hers is. Ive warned her, I said, many times and now my words have come true. Hell do for you, I said. And he has done for her! You cant rightly estimate what a man will do when hes in drink and this murders a proof of it.
She wound up with a deep gasp.
Nobody saw this man Ascher go into the shop, I believe? said Poirot.
Mrs Fowler sniffed scornfully.
Naturally he wasnt going to show himself, she said.
How Mr Ascher had got there without showing himself she did not deign to explain.
She agreed that there was no back way into the house and that Ascher was quite well known by sight in the district.
But he didnt want to swing for it and he kept himself well hid.
Poirot kept the conversational ball rolling some little time longer, but when it seemed certain that Mrs Fowler had told all that she knew not once but many times over, he terminated the interview, first paying out the promised sum.
Rather a dear five pounds worth, Poirot, I ventured to remark when we were once more in the street.
So far, yes.
You think she knows more than she has told?
My friend, we are in the peculiar position of not knowing what questions to ask. We are like little children playing cache-cache[101] in the dark. We stretch out our hands and grope about. Mrs Fowler has told us all that she thinks she knowsand has thrown in several conjectures for good measure! In the future, however, her evidence may be useful. It is for the future that I have invested that sum of five pounds.
I did not quite understand the point, but at this moment we ran into[102] Inspector Glen.
Chapter 7
Mr Partridge and Mr Riddell
Inspector Glen was looking rather gloomy. He had, I gathered, spent the afternoon trying to get a complete list of persons who had been noticed entering the tobacco shop.
And nobody has seen anyone? Poirot inquired.
Oh, yes, they have. Three tall men with furtive expressionsfour short men with black moustachestwo beardsthree fat menall strangersand all, if Im to believe witnesses, with sinister expressions! I wonder somebody didnt see a gang of masked men with revolvers while they were about it!
Poirot smiled sympathetically.
Does anybody claim to have seen the man Ascher?
No, they dont. And thats another point in his favour. Ive just told the Chief Constable that I think this is a job for Scotland Yard. I dont believe its a local crime.
Poirot said gravely:
I agree with you.
The inspector said:
You know, Monsieur Poirot, its a nasty businessa nasty business I dont like it