Mrs. Lennox Boynton had a long conversation with her about five minutes later.
Carol Boynton had a word with her mother at a time she is unable to state precisely - but which, from the evidence of others, would seem to have been about ten minutes past five."
"Jefferson Cope, an American friend of the family, returning to the camp with Lady Westholme and Miss Pierce, saw her asleep. He did not speak to her. That was about twenty to six.
Raymond Boynton, the younger son, seems to have been the last person to see her alive.
On his return from a walk he went and spoke to her at about ten minutes to six.
The discovery of the body was made at six-thirty when a servant went to tell her dinner was ready."
"Between the time that Mr. Raymond Boynton spoke to her and half-past six did no one go near her?" asked Poirot.
"I understand not."
"But someone might have done so?" Poirot persisted.
"Don't think so.
From close on six and up to six-thirty servants were moving about the camp, people were going to and from their tents.
No one can be found who saw anyone approaching the old lady."
"Then Raymond Boynton was definitely the last person to see his mother alive?" said Poirot.
Dr. Gerard and Colonel Carbury interchanged a quick glance.
Colonel Carbury drummed on the table with his fingers.
"This is where we begin to get into deep waters," he said. "Go on, Gerard. This is your pigeon."
Dr. Gerard said: "As I mentioned just now, Sarah King, when she examined Mrs. Boynton, saw no reason for determining the exact time of death.
She merely said that Mrs. Boynton had been dead 'some little time'; but when, on the following day for reasons of my own, I endeavored to narrow things down and happened to mention that Mrs. Boynton was last seen alive by her son, Raymond, at a little before six, Miss King, to my great surprise, said point blank that that was impossible, that at that time Mrs. Boynton must already have been dead."
Poirot's eyebrows rose.
"Odd. Extremely odd.
And what does M. Raymond Boynton say to that?"
Colonel Carbury said abruptly: "He swears that his mother was alive. He went up to her and said: 'I'm back. Hope you have had a nice afternoon?' Something of that kind.
He says she just grunted 'Quite all right,' and he went on to his tent."
Poirot frowned perplexedly.
"Curious," he said. "Extremely curious.
Tell me - it was growing dusk by then?"
"The sun was just setting."
"Curious," said Poirot again. "And you, Dr. Gerard, when did you see the body?"
"Not until the following day.
At nine A.M., to be precise."
"And your estimate of the time death had occurred?"
The Frenchman shrugged his shoulders.
"It is difficult to be exact after that length of time.
There must necessarily be a margin of several hours.
Were I giving evidence on oath I could only say that she had been dead certainly twelve hours and not longer than eighteen.
You see, that does not help at all!"
"Go on, Gerard," said Colonel Carbury. "Give him the rest of it."
"On getting up in the morning," said Dr. Gerard, "I found my hypodermic syringe - it was behind a case of bottles on my dressing table." He leaned forward.
"You may say, if you like, that I had overlooked it the day before.
I was in a miserable state of fever and wretchedness, shaking from head to foot, and how often does one look for a thing that is there all the time and yet be unable to find it!
I can only say that I am quite positive the syringe was not there then."
"There's something more still," said Carburv.
"Yes, two facts for what they are worth and they mean a great deal.
There was a mark on the dead woman's wrist - a mark such as would be caused by the insertion of a hypodermic syringe.
Her daughter explains it as having been caused by the prick of a pin - "
Poirot stirred.
"Which daughter?"
"Her daughter, Carol."
"Yes, continue, I pray you."
"And there is the last fact.