The A B C Murders / Убийство по алфавиту. Книга для чтения на английском языке

’

Poirot gave a quick, amused glance in my direction and then said:

�In truth I sympathize with you, but what will you? It is a question of murder, is it not? One has to be very, very careful.’

�Best tell the gentleman what he wants, Bert,’ said the woman nervously.

�You shut your blasted mouth,’ roared the giant.

�You did not, I think, go to the police of your own accord.’ Poirot slipped the remark in neatly.

�Why the hell should I? It were no business of mine.’

�A matter of opinion,’ said Poirot indifferently.

�There has been a murder—the police want to know who has been in the shop—I myself think it would have—what shall I say?—looked more natural if you had come forward.’

�I’ve got my work to do. Don’t say I shouldn’t have come forward in my own time —’

�But as it was, the police were given your name as that of a person seen to go into Mrs Ascher’s and they had to come to you. Were they satisfied with your account?’

�Why shouldn’t they be?’ demanded Bert truculently.

Poirot merely shrugged his shoulders.

�What are you getting at, mister? Nobody’s got anything against me? Everyone knows who did the old girl in[109 - to do in – прикончить], that b— of a husband of hers.’

�But he was not in the street that evening and you were.’

�Trying to fasten it on me, are you? Well, you won’t succeed. What reason had I got to do a thing like that? Think I wanted to pinch a tin of her bloody tobacco? Think I’m a bloody homicidal maniac[110 - homicidal maniac – маньяк-убийца] as they call it? Think I—?’

He rose threateningly from his seat.

His wife bleated out:

�Bert, Bert—don’t say such things. Bert—they’ll think —’

�Calm yourself, monsieur,’ said Poirot. �I demand only your account of your visit. That you refuse it seems to me—what shall we say—a little odd?’

�Who said I refused anything?’ Mr Riddell sank back again into his seat.

�I don’t mind.’

�It was six o’clock when you entered the shop?’

�That’s right—a minute or two after, as a matter of fact. Wanted a packet of Gold Flake[111 - Gold Flake – марка сигарет]. I pushed open the door —’

�It was closed, then?’

�That’s right. I thought shop was shut, maybe. But it wasn’t. I went in, there wasn’t anyone about. I hammered on the counter and waited a bit.