Hallowe'en Party / Вечеринка на Хэллоуин. Книга для чтения на английском языке

One of our half-baked people[55 - half-baked people – (перен., разг.) глупые, недоделанные люди], I suppose could have come along to see what was on and sneaked in. A pretty big risk to take. Would a child agree, a child who’d gone to a party, to go playing apple games with anyone she didn’t know? Anyway, you haven’t explained yet, Poirot, what brings you into it. You said it was Mrs Oliver. Some wild idea of hers?’

�Not exactly a wild idea,’ said Poirot. �It is true that writers are prone to wild ideas.

Ideas, perhaps, which are on the far side of probability. But this was simply something that she heard the girl say.’

�What, the child Joyce?’

�Yes.’

Spence leant forward and looked at Poirot inquiringly.

�I will tell you,’ said Poirot.

Quietly and succinctly he recounted the story as Mrs Oliver had told it to him.

�I see,’ said Spence. He rubbed his moustache. �The girl said that, did she? Said she’d seen a murder committed.

Did she say when or how?’

�No,’ said Poirot.

�What led up to it?’

�Some remark, I think, about the murders in Mrs Oli ver’s books. Somebody said something about it to Mrs Oliver. One of the children, I think, to the effect that there wasn’t enough blood in her books or enough bodies. And then Joyce spoke up and said she’d seen a murder once.’

�Boasted of it? That’s the impression you’re giving me.’

�That’s the impression Mrs Oliver got.

Yes, she boasted of it.’

�It mightn’t have been true.’

�No, it might not have been true at all,’ said Poirot.

�Children often make these extravagant statements when they wish to call attention to themselves or to make an effect. On the other hand, it might have been true. Is that what you think?’

�I do not know,’ said Poirot. �A child boasts of having witnessed a murder. Only a few hours later, that child is dead. You must admit that there are grounds for believing that it might—it’s a far-fetched idea perhaps—but it might have been cause and effect.

If so, somebody lost no time.’

�Definitely,’ said Spence. �How many were present at the time the girl made her statement re[56 - re = regarding – относительно, касательно] murder, do you know exactly?’

�All that Mrs Oliver said was that she thought there were about fourteen or fifteen people, perhaps more.