死亡约会 Part II Chapter 16（1）（在线收听）

Chapter 16

There was a pause. Then clearing his throat with a slightly affected sound, Poirot went on:

‘We have now solved the mystery of what I might term the second hypodermic. That belongedto Mrs Lennox Boynton, was taken by Raymond Boynton before leaving Jerusalem, was takenfrom Raymond by Carol after the discovery of Mrs Boynton’s dead body, was thrown away byher, found by Miss Pierce, and claimed by Miss King as hers. I presume Miss King has it now.’

‘I have,’ said Sarah.

‘So that when you said it was yours just now, you were doing what you told us you do not do—you told a lie.’

Sarah said calmly: ‘That’s a different kind of lie. It isn’t—it isn’t a professional lie.’

Gerard nodded appreciation.

‘Yes, it is a point that. I understand you perfectly, mademoiselle.’

‘Thanks,’ said Sarah.

Again Poirot cleared his throat.

‘Let us now review our time-table. Thus:

Boyntons and Jefferson Cope leave the camp 3.5 (approx.)Dr Gerard and Sarah King leave the camp 3.15 (approx.)Lady Westholme and Miss Pierce leave the

camp

4.15

Dr Gerard returns to camp 4.20 (approx.)

Lennox Boynton returns to camp 4.35

Nadine Boynton returns to camp and talks to

Mrs Boynton

4.40

Nadine Boynton leaves her mother-in-law and

goes to marquee

4.50 (approx.)

Carol Boynton returns to camp 5.10

Lady Westholme, Miss Pierce and Mr Jefferson

Cope return to camp

5.40

Raymond Boynton returns to camp 5.50

Sarah King returns to camp 6.0

Body discovered 6.30

‘There is, you will notice, a gap of twenty minutes between four-fifty when Nadine Boynton lefther mother-in-law and five-ten when Carol returned. Therefore, if Carol is speaking the truth, MrsBoynton must have been killed in that twenty minutes.

‘Now who could have killed her? At that time Miss King and Raymond Boynton were together.

Mr Cope (not that he had any perceivable motive for killing her) has an alibi. He was with LadyWestholme and Miss Pierce. Lennox Boynton was with his wife in the marquee. Dr Gerard wasgroaning with fever in his tent. The camp is deserted, the boys are asleep. It is a suitable momentfor a crime! Was there a person who could have committed it?’

His eyes went thoughtfully to Ginevra Boynton.

‘There was one person. Ginevra Boynton was in her tent all the afternoon. That is what we havebeen told—but actually there is evidence that she was not in her tent all the time. Ginevra Boyntonmade a very significant remark. She said that Dr Gerard spoke her name in his fever. And DrGerard has also told us that he dreamt in his fever of Ginevra Boynton’s face. But it was not adream! It was actually her face he saw, standing there by his bed. He thought it an effect of fever—but it was the truth. Ginevra was in Dr Gerard’s tent. Is it not possible that she had come to putback the hypodermic syringe after using it?’

Ginevra Boynton raised her head with its crown of red-gold hair. Her wide beautiful eyes staredat Poirot. They were singularly expressionless. She looked like a vague saint.

‘Ah, ?a non!’ cried Dr Gerard.

‘Is it, then, so psychologically impossible?’ inquired Poirot.

The Frenchman’s eyes dropped.

Nadine Boynton said sharply: ‘It’s quite impossible!’

Poirot’s eyes came quickly round to her.

‘Impossible, madame?’

‘Yes.’ She paused, bit her lip, then went on, ‘I will not hear of such a disgraceful accusationagainst my young sister-in-law. We—all of us—know it to be impossible.’

Ginevra moved a little on her chair. The lines of her mouth relaxed into a smile—the touching,innocent half-unconscious smile of a very young girl.

Nadine said again: ‘Impossible.’

Her gentle face had hardened into lines of determination. The eyes that met Poirot’s were hardand unflinching.

Poirot leaned forward in what was half a bow.

‘Madame is very intelligent,’ he said.

Nadine said quietly: ‘What do you mean by that, M. Poirot?’

‘I mean, madame, that all along I have realized that you have what I believe is called an“excellent headpiece”.’

‘You flatter me.’

‘I think not. All along you have envisaged the situation calmly and collectively. You haveremained on outwardly good terms with your husband’s mother, deeming that the best thing to bedone, but inwardly you have judged and condemned her. I think that some time ago you realizedthat the only chance for your husband’s happiness was for him to make an effort to leave home—strike out on his own no matter how difficult and penurious such a life might be. You were willingto take all risks and you endeavoured to influence him to exactly that course of action. But youfailed, madame.