"I am sorry. Madame Veroneau must have gone out again."
"I think not," said Poirot quietly. "Will you give her my name, M. Hercule Poirot, and say that it is important I should see her at once, as I am just going to the Prefecture."
Again our messenger departed. This time the lady descended. She walked into the salon. We followed her.
She turned and raised her veil. To my astonishment I recognised our old antagonist, the Countess Rossakoff, a Russian countess, who had engineered a particularly smart jewel robbery in London.
56 Agatha Christie "As soon as I caught sight of you in the hall, I feared the worst," she observed plaintively.
"My dear Countess Rossakoff--"
She shook her head.
"Inez Veroneau now," she murmured. "A Spaniard, married to a Frenchman. What do you want of me, M.
Poirot? You are a terrible man. You hunted me from London. Now, I suppose, you will tell our wonderful Madame Olivier about me, and hunt me from Paris?
We poor Russians, we must live, you know."
"It is more serious than that, madame," said Poirot watching her. "I propose to enter the villa next door, and release M. Halliday, if he is still alive. I know everything, you see."
I saw her sudden pallor. She bit her lip. Then she spoke with her usual decision.
"He is still alive--but he is not at the villa. Come, monsieur, I will make a bargain with .you. Freedom for me--and M. Halliday, alive and well, for you."
"I accept," said Poirot. "I was about to propose the same bargain myself. By the way, are the Big Four your employers, madame?" Again I saw that deathly pallor creep over her face, but she left his question unanswered.
Instead, "You permit me to telephone?" she asked, and crossing to the instrument she rang up a number.
"The number of the villa," she explained, "where our friend is now imprisoned. You may give it to the police--the nest will be empty when they arrive. Ah! I am through. Is that you, Andre? It is I, Inez. The little Belgian knows all. Send Halliday to the hotel, and clear out."
She replaced the receiver, and came towards us, smiling.
"You will accompany us to the hotel, madame."
THE BIG FOUR 57
"Naturally. I expected that."
I got a taxi, and we drove off together. I could see by Poirot"s face that he was perplexed. The thing was almost too easy. We arrived at the hotel. The porter came up to us.
"A gentleman has arrived. He is in your rooms. He seems very ill. A nurse came with him, but she has left."
"That is all right," said Poirot, "he is a friend of mine."
We went upstairs together. Sitting in a chair by the window was a haggard young fellow who looked in the last stages of exhaustion. Poirot went over to him. "Are you John Halliday?" The man nodded. "Show me your left arm. John Halliday has a mole just below the left elbow."
The man stretched out his arm. The mole was there.
Poirot bowed to the countess. She turned and left the room.
A gla.s.s of brandy revived Halliday somewhat.
"My G.o.d!" he muttered. "I have been through h.e.l.l --h.e.l.l... . Those fiends are devils incarnate. My wife, where is she? What does she think? They told me that she would believe--would believe--"
"She does not," said Poirot firmly. "Her faith in you has never wavered. She is waiting for you--she and the child."
"Thank G.o.d for that. I can hardly believe that I am free once more."
"Now that you are a little recovered, monsieur, I should like to hear the whole story from the beginning."
Halliday looked at him with an indescribable expression.
"I remember--nothing," he said.
"What?"
"Have you ever heard of the Big Four?"
58 Agatha Christie "Something of them," said Poirot dryly. "You do not know what I know. They have unlimited power. If I remain silent, I shall be safe--if I say one word--not only I, but my nearest and dearest will suffer unspeakable things. It is no good arguing with me. / know.... I remember--nothing."
And, getting up, he walked from the room.
Poirot"s face wore a baffled expression.
"So it is like that, is it?" he muttered. "The Big Four win again. What is that you are holding in your hand, Hastings?"
I handed it to him.
"The countess scribbled it before she left," I explained.
He read it.
"Aurevoir.--I.V."
"Signed with her initials--I.V. Just a coincidence, perhaps, that they also stand for Four. wonder, Hastings, I wonder."
^iX-<5- --xi^="" 7="" g^e="" "radium="" sieves="" on="" the="" night="" of="" his="" release,="" halliday="" slept="" in="" the="" room="" next="" to="" ours="" at="" the="" hotel,="" and="" all="" night="" long="" i="" heard="" him="" moaning="" and="" protesting="" in="" his="" sleep.="" undoubtedly="" his="" experience="" in="" the="" villa="" had="" broken="" his="" nerve,="" and="" in="" the="" morning="" we="" failed="" completely="" to="" extract="" any="" information="" from="" him.="" he="" would="" only="" repeat="" his="" statement="" about="" the="" unlimited="" power="" at="" the="" disposal="" of="" the="" big="" four,="" and="" his="" a.s.surance="" of="" the="" vengeance="" which="" would="" follow="" if="" he="">
After lunch he departed to rejoin his wife in England, but Poirot and I remained behind in Paris. I was all for energetic proceedings of some kind or other, and Poirot"s quiescence annoyed me.
"For Heaven"s sake, Poirot," I urged, "let us be up and at them."
"Admirable, mon ami, admirable! Up where, and at whom? Be precise, I beg of you."
59 60 Agatha Christie "At the Big Four, of course."
"" Cela va sans dire. But how would you set about it? "
"The police," I hazarded doubtfully.
Poirot smiled.
"They would accuse us of romancing. We have nothing to go upon--nothing whatever. We must wait."
"Wait for what?"
"Wait for them to make a move. See now, in England you all comprehend and adore Ie boxe. If one man does not make a move, the other must, and by permitting the adversary to make the attack one learns something about him. That is our part--to let the other side make the attack."
"You think they will?" I said doubtfully.
"I have no doubt whatever of it. To begin with, see, they try to get me out of England. That fails. Then, in the Dartmoor affair, we step in and save their victim from the gallows. And yesterday, once again, we interfere with their plans. a.s.suredly, they will not leave the matter there."
As I reflected on this, there was a knock on the door.
Without waiting for a reply, a man stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He was a tall, thin man, with a slightly hooked nose and a sallow complexion.
He wore an overcoat b.u.t.toned up to his chin, and a soft hat well pulled down over his eyes.
"Excuse me, gentlemen, for my somewhat unceremonious entry," he said in a soft voice, "but my business is of a rather unorthodox nature."
Smiling, he advanced to the table and sat down by it.
I was about to spring up, but Poirot restrained me with a gesture.
"As you say, monsieur, your entry is somewhat unceremonious.
Will you kindly state your business?"
THE BIG FOUR 61
"My dear M. Poirot, it is very simple. You have been annoying my friends."
"In what way?" "Come, come. Monsieur Poirot. You do not seriously ask me that? You know as well as I do."
"It depends, monsieur, upon who these friends of yours are."
Without a word, the man drew from his pocket a cigarette case, and, opening it, took out four cigarettes and tossed them on the table. Then he picked them up and returned them to his case, which he replaced in his pocket.
"Aha!" said Poirot, "so it is like that, is it? And what do your friends suggest?"
"They suggest, monsieur, that you should employ your talents--your very considerable talents--in the detection of legitimate crime--return to your former avocations, and solve the problems of London society ladies."
"A peaceful programme," said Poirot. "And supposing I do not agree?"
The man made an eloquent gesture.
"We should regret it, of course, exceedingly," he said. "So would all the friends and admirers of the great M. Hercule Poirot. But regrets, however poignant, do not bring a man to life again."
"Put very delicately," said Poirot, nodding his head.
"And supposing I--accept?" "In that case I am empowered to offer you--compensation."
He drew out a pocket-book, and threw ten notes on the table. They were for ten thousand francs each.
"That is merely as a guarantee of our good faith," he said. "Ten times that amount will be paid you."
I 62 Agatha Christie II "Good G.o.d," I cried, springing up, "you dare to think--!"
"Sit down, Hastings," said Poirot autocratically.
"Subdue your so beautiful and honest nature and sit down. To you, monsieur, I will say this. What is to prevent me ringing up the police and giving you into their custody, whilst my friend here prevents you from escaping?"
"By all means do so if you think it advisable," said our visitor calmly.
"Oh! look here, Poirot," I cried. "I can"t stand this.
Ring up the police and have done with it."
Rising swiftly, I strode to the door and stood with my back against it.
"It seems the obvious course," murmured Poirot, as though debating with himself.
"But you distrust the obvious, eh?" said our visitor, smiling. "Go on, Poirot," I urged.
"It will be your responsibility, mon ami."