The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie (romantic story to read .TXT) đ
- Author: Agatha Christie
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âAnd the dispatch to General Smuts? Who tampered with that?â
âMy dear Anne, you donât suppose I was going to have a lot of my plans given away, without making an effort to save them? With an escaped murderer as a secretary, I had no hesitation whatever in substituting blanks. Nobody would think of suspecting poor old Pedler.â
âWhat about Colonel Race?â
âYes, that was a nasty jar. When Pagett told me he was a Secret Service fellow, I had an unpleasant feeling down the spine. I remembered that heâd been nosing around Nadina in Paris during the Warâand I had a horrible suspicion that he was out after me! I donât like the way heâs stuck to me ever since. Heâs one of those strong, silent men who have always got something up their sleeve.â
A whistle sounded. Sir Eustace picked up the tube, listened for a minute or two, then answered:
âVery well, Iâll see him now.â
âBusiness,â he remarked. âMiss Anne, let me show you your room.â
He ushered me into a small shabby apartment, a Kafir boy brought up my small suit-case, and Sir Eustace, urging me to ask for anything I wanted, withdrew, the picture of a courteous host. A can of hot water was on the washstand, and I proceeded to unpack a few necessaries. Something hard and unfamiliar in my sponge-bag puzzled me greatly. I untied the string and looked inside.
To my utter amazement I drew out a small pearl-handled revolver. It hadnât been there when I started from Kimberley. I examined the thing gingerly. It appeared to be loaded.
I handled it with a comfortable feeling. It was a useful thing to have in a house such as this. But modern clothes are quite unsuited to the carrying of fire-arms. In the end I pushed it gingerly into the top of my stocking. It made a terrible bulge, and I expected every minute that it would go off and shoot me in the leg, but it really seemed the only place.
I was not summoned to Sir Eustaceâs presence until late in the afternoon. Eleven-oâclock tea and a substantial lunch had been served to me in my own apartment, and I felt fortified for further conflict.
Sir Eustace was alone. He was walking up and down the room, and there was a gleam in his eye and a restlessness in his manner which did not escape me. He was exultant about something. There was a subtle change in his manner towards me.
âI have news for you. Your young man is on his way. He will be here in a few minutes. Moderate your transportsâI have something more to say. You attempted to deceive me this morning. I warned you that you would be wise to stick to the truth, and up to a certain point you obeyed me. Then you ran off the rails. You attempted to make me believe that the diamonds were in Harry Rayburnâs possession. At the time, I accepted your statement because it facilitated my taskâthe task of inducing you to decoy Harry Rayburn here. But, my dear Anne, the diamonds have been in my possession ever since I left the Fallsâthough I only discovered the fact yesterday.â
âYou know!â I gasped.
âIt may interest you to hear that it was Pagett who gave the show away. He insisted on boring me with a long pointless story about a wager and a tin of films. It didnât take me long to put two and two togetherâMrs. Blairâs distrust of Colonel Race, her agitation, her entreaty that I would take care of her souvenirs for her. The excellent Pagett had already unfastened the cases through an excess of zeal. Before leaving the hotel, I simply transferred all the rolls of films to my own pocket. They are in the corner there. I admit that I havenât had time to examine them yet, but I notice that one is of a totally different weight to the others, rattles in a peculiar fashion, and has evidently been stuck down with seccotine, which will necessitate the use of a tin-opener. The case seems clear, does it not? And now, you see, I have you both nicely in the trap. . . . Itâs a pity that you didnât take kindly to the idea of becoming Lady Pedler.â
I did not answer. I stood looking at him.
There was the sound of feet on the stairs, the door was flung open, and Harry Rayburn was hustled into the room between two men. Sir Eustace flung me a look of triumph.
âAccording to plan,â he said softly. âYou amateurs will pit yourselves against professionals.â
âWhatâs the meaning of this?â cried Harry hoarsely.
âIt means that you have walked into my parlourâsaid the spider to the fly,â remarked Sir Eustace facetiously. âMy dear Rayburn, you are extraordinarily unlucky.â
âYou said I could come safely, Anne?â
âDo not reproach her, my dear fellow. That note was written at my dictation, and the lady could not help herself. She would have been wiser not to write it, but I did not tell her so at the time. You followed her instructions, went to the curio-shop, were taken through the secret passage from the back roomâand found yourself in the hands of your enemies!â
Harry looked at me. I understood his glance and edged nearer to Sir Eustace.
âYes,â murmured the latter, âdecidedly you are not lucky! This isâlet me see, the third encounter.â
âYou are right,â said Harry. âThis is the third encounter. Twice you have worsted meâhave you never heard that the third time the luck changes? This is my roundâcover him, Anne.â
I was all ready. In a flash I had whipped the pistol out of my stocking and was holding it to his head. The two men guarding Harry sprang forward, but his voice stopped them.
âAnother stepâand he dies! If they come any nearer, Anne, pull the triggerâdonât hesitate.â
âI shanât,â I replied cheerfully. âIâm rather afraid of pulling it, anyway.â
I think Sir Eustace shared my fears. He was certainly shaking like a jelly.
âStay where you are,â he commanded, and the men stopped obediently.
âTell them to leave the room,â said Harry.
Sir Eustace gave the order. The men filed out, and Harry shot the bolt across the door behind them.
âNow we can talk,â he observed grimly, and coming across the room, he took the revolver out of my hand.
Sir Eustace uttered a sigh of relief and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.
âIâm shockingly out of condition,â he observed. âI think I must have a weak heart. I am glad that revolver is in competent hands. I didnât trust Miss Anne with it. Well, my young friend, as you say, now we can talk. Iâm willing to admit that you stole a march upon me. Where the devil that revolver came from I donât know. I had the girlâs luggage searched when she arrived. And where did you produce it from now? You hadnât got it on you a minute ago?â
âYes, I had,â I replied. âIt was in my stocking.â
âI donât know enough about women. I ought to have studied them more,â said Sir Eustace sadly. âI wonder if Pagett would have known that?â
Harry rapped sharply on the table.
âDonât play the fool. If it werenât for your grey hairs, Iâd throw you out of the window. You damned scoundrel! Grey hairs, or no grey hairs, Iâââ
He advanced a step or two, and Sir Eustace skipped nimbly behind the table.
âThe young are always so violent,â he said reproachfully. âUnable to use their brains, they rely solely on their muscles. Let us talk sense. For the moment you have the upper hand. But that state of affairs cannot continue. The house is full of my men. You are hopelessly outnumbered. Your momentary ascendency has been gained by an accidentâââ
âHas it?â
Something in Harryâs voice, a grim raillery, seemed to attract Sir Eustaceâs attention. He stared at him.
âHas it?â said Harry again. âSit down, Sir Eustace, and listen to what I have to say.â Still covering him with the revolver, he went on: âThe cards are against you this time. To begin with, listen to that!â
That was a dull banging at the door below. There were shouts, oaths, and then a sound of firing. Sir Eustace paled.
âWhatâs that?â
âRaceâand his people. You didnât know, did you, Sir Eustace, that Anne had an arrangement with me by which we should know whether communications from one to the other were genuine? Telegrams were to be signed âAndy,â letters were to have the word âandâ crossed out somewhere in them. Anne knew that your telegram was a fake. She came here of her own free will, walked deliberately into the snare, in the hope that she might catch you in your own trap. Before leaving Kimberley she wired both to me and to Race. Mrs. Blair has been in communication with us ever since. I received the letter written at your dictation, which was just what I expected. I had already discussed the probabilities of a secret passage leading out of the curio-shop with Race, and he had discovered the place where the exit was situated.â
There was a screaming, tearing sound, and a heavy explosion which shook the room.
âTheyâre shelling this part of the town. I must get you out of here, Anne.â
A bright light flared up. The house opposite was on fire. Sir Eustace had risen and was passing up and down. Harry kept him covered with the revolver.
âSo you see, Sir Eustace, the game is up. It was you yourself who very kindly provided us with the clue of your whereabouts. Raceâs men were watching the exit of the secret passage. In spite of the precautions you took, they were successful in following me here.â
Sir Eustace turned suddenly.
âVery clever. Very creditable. But Iâve still a word to say. If Iâve lost the trick, so have you. Youâll never be able to bring the murder of Nadina home to me. I was in Marlow on that day, thatâs all youâve got against me. No one can prove that I even knew the woman. But you knew her, you had a motive for killing herâand your recordâs against you. Youâre a thief, remember, a thief. Thereâs one thing you donât know, perhaps. Iâve got the diamonds. And here goesâââ
With an incredibly swift movement, he stooped, swung up his arm and threw. There was a tinkle of breaking glass, as the object went through the window and disappeared into the blazing mass opposite.
âThere goes your only hope of establishing your innocence over the Kimberley affair. And now weâll talk. Iâll drive a bargain with you. Youâve got me cornered. Race will find all he needs in this house. Thereâs a chance for me if I can get away. Iâm done for if I stay, but so are you, young man! Thereâs a skylight in the next room. A couple of minutesâ start and I shall be all right. Iâve got one or two little arrangements all ready made. You let me out that way, and give me a startâand I leave you a signed confession that I killed Nadina.â
âYes, Harry,â I cried. âYes, yes, yes!â
He turned a stern face on me.
âNo, Anne, a thousand times, no. You donât know what youâre saying.â
âI do. It solves everything.â
âIâd never be able to look Race in the face again. Iâll take my chance, but Iâm damned if Iâll let this slippery old fox get away. Itâs no good, Anne. I wonât do it.â
Sir Eustace chuckled. He accepted defeat without the least emotion.
âWell, well,â he remarked. âYou seem to have met your master, Anne. But I can assure you both that moral rectitude does not always pay.â
There was a crash of rending wood, and footsteps surged up the stairs. Harry drew back the bolt. Colonel Race was the first to enter the room. His face lit at the sight of us.
âYouâre safe, Anne. I was afraidâââ He turned to Sir Eustace. âIâve been after you for a long time, Pedlerâand at last Iâve got you.â
âEverybody seems to have gone completely mad,â declared Sir Eustace airily. âThese young people have been threatening me with revolvers and accusing me of the most shocking things. I donât know what itâs all about.â
âDonât you? It means that Iâve found the âColonel.â It means that on January 8th last you were not at Cannes, but at Marlow. It means that when your tool, Madame Nadina, turned against you, you planned to do away with herâand at last we shall be able to bring the crime home to you.â
âIndeed? And from whom did you get all this interesting information? From the man who is even now being looked for by the police? His evidence will be very valuable.â
âWe have other evidence. There is some one else who knew that Nadina was going to meet you at the Mill House.â
Sir Eustace looked surprised. Colonel Race made a gesture with his hand. Arthur Minks alias the Rev. Edward Chichester alias Miss Pettigrew stepped
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