死亡约会 Part II Chapter 15（3）（在线收听）

‘I will conclude now with my study of the possibility of Raymond Boynton’s guilt. Thefollowing are the facts. He had been heard to discuss the possibility of taking Mrs Boynton’s life.

He was in a condition of great nervous excitement. He had—mademoiselle will forgive me’—hebowed apologetically to Sarah—‘just passed through a moment of great emotional crisis. That is,he had fallen in love. The exaltation of his feelings might lead him to act in one of several ways.

He might feel mellowed and softened towards the world in general, including his stepmother—hemight feel the courage at last to defy her and shake off her influence—or he might find just theadditional spur to turn his crime from theory to practice. That is the psychology! Let us nowexamine the facts.

‘Raymond Boynton left the camp with the others about three-fifteen. Mrs Boynton was thenalive and well. Before long Raymond and Sarah King had a tête-à-tête interview. Then he left her.

According to him, he returned to the camp at ten minutes to six. He went up to his mother,exchanged a few words with her, then went to his tent and afterwards down to the marquee. Hesays that at ten minutes to six, Mrs Boynton was alive and well.

‘But we now come to a fact which directly contradicts that statement. At half-past six MrsBoynton’s death was discovered by a servant. Miss King, who holds a medical degree, examinedher body and she swears definitely that at that time, though she did not pay any special attention tothe time when death had occurred, it had most certainly and decisively taken place at least an hour(and probably a good deal more) before six o’clock.

‘We have here, you see, two conflicting statements. Setting aside the possibility that Miss Kingmay have made a mistake—’

Sarah interrupted him. ‘I don’t make mistakes. That is, if I had, I would admit to it.’

Her tone was hard and clear.

Poirot bowed to her politely.

‘Then there are only two possibilities — either Miss King or Mr Boynton is lying! Let usexamine Raymond Boynton’s reasons for so doing. Let us assume that Miss King was notmistaken and not deliberately lying. What, then, was the sequence of events? Raymond Boyntonreturns to the camp, sees his mother sitting at the mouth of her cave, goes up to her and finds she isdead. What does he do? Does he call for help? Does he immediately inform the camp of what hashappened? No, he waits a minute or two, then passes on to his tent and joins his family in themarquee and says nothing. Such conduct is exceedingly curious, is it not?’

Raymond said in a nervous, sharp voice:

‘It would be idiotic, of course. That ought to show you that my mother was alive and well asI’ve said. Miss King was flustered and upset and made a mistake.’

‘One asks oneself,’ said Poirot, calmly sweeping on, ‘whether there could possibly be a reasonfor such conduct? It seems, on the face of it, that Raymond Boynton cannot be guilty, since at theonly time he was known to approach his stepmother that afternoon she had already been dead forsome time. Now, supposing, therefore, that Raymond Boynton is innocent, can we explain hisconduct?

‘And I say, that on the assumption that he is innocent, we can! For I remember that fragment ofconversation I overheard. “You do see, don’t you, that she’s got to be killed?” He comes backfrom his walk and finds her dead and at once his guilty memory envisages a certain possibility.

The plan has been carried out—not by him—but by his fellow planner. Tout simplement—hesuspects that his sister, Carol Boynton, is guilty.’

‘It’s a lie,’ said Raymond in a low, trembling voice.

Poirot went on: ‘Let us now take the possibility of Carol Boynton being the murderess. What isthe evidence against her? She has the same highly-strung temperament—the kind of temperamentthat might see such a deed coloured with heroism. It was she to whom Raymond Boynton wastalking that night in Jerusalem. Carol Boynton returned to the camp at ten minues past five.

According to her own story she went up and spoke to her mother. No one saw her do so. The campwas deserted—the boys were asleep. Lady Westholme, Miss Pierce and Mr Cope were exploringcaves out of sight of the camp. There was no witness of Carol Boynton’s possible action. The timewould agree well enough. The case, then, against Carol Boynton is a perfectly possible one.’ Hepaused. Carol had raised her head. Her eyes looked steadily and sorrowfully into his.

‘There is one other point.