It seems not.
Mrs. Boynton's death has affected him adversely - since it has brought about the frustration of certain hopes.
Unless M. Cope's motive was an almost fanatical desire to benefit others, we can find no reason for his desiring Mrs. Boynton's death.
Unless, of course, there is a motive about which we are entirely in the dark.
We do not know exactly what M. Cope's dealings with the Boynton family have been."
Mr. Cope said, with dignity: "This seems to me a little far-fetched, M. Poirot. You must remember, I had absolutely no opportunity for committing this deed, and in any case. I hold very strong views as to the sanctity of human life."
"Your position certainly seems impeccable," said Poirot with gravity. "In a work of fiction you would be strongly suspected on that account."
He turned a little in his chair.
"We now come to Miss King.
Miss King had a certain amount of motive and she had the necessary medical knowledge and is a person of character and determination, but since she left the camp before three-thirty with the others and did not return to it until six o'clock, it seems difficult to see where she could have had an opportunity."
"Next we must consider Dr. Gerard.
Now, here we must take into account the actual time that the murder was committed.
According to M. Lennox Boynton's last statement, his mother was dead at four thirty-five.
According to Lady Westholme and Miss Pierce she was alive at four-fifteen, when they started on their walk.
That leaves exactly twenty minutes unaccounted for.
Now, as these two ladies walked away from the camp Dr. Gerard passed them going to it.
There is no one to say what Dr. Gerard's movements were when he reached the camp because the two ladies' backs were towards it. They were walking away from it.
Therefore it is perfectly possible for Dr. Gerard to have committed the crime.
Being a doctor, he could easily counterfeit the appearance of malaria.
There is, I should say, a possible motive.
Dr. Gerard might have wished to save a certain person whose reason (perhaps more vital a loss than a loss of life) was in danger and he may have considered the sacrifice of an old and worn out life worth it!"
"Your ideas," said Dr. Gerard, "are fantastic!" He smiled amiably.
Without taking any notice, Poirot went on. "But if so, why did Gerard call attention to the possibility of foul play?
It is quite certain that, but for his statement to Colonel Carbury, Mrs. Boynton's death would have been put down to natural causes.
It was Dr. Gerard who first pointed out the possibility of murder.
That, my friends," said Poirot, "does not make common sense!"
"Doesn't seem to," said Colonel Carbury gruffly. He looked curiously at Poirot.
"There is one more possibility," said Poirot.
"Mrs. Lennox Boynton just now negated strongly the possibility of her young sister-in-law being guilty.
The force of her objection lay in the fact that she knew her mother-in-law to be dead at the time.
But remember this: Ginevra Boynton was at the camp all the afternoon.
And there was a moment - a moment when Lady Westholme and Miss Pierce were walking away from the camp and before Dr. Gerard had returned to it..."
Ginevra stirred. She leaned forward, staring into Poirot's face with a strange, innocent, puzzled stare.
"I did it? You think I did it?"
Then suddenly, with a movement of swift, incomparable beauty, she was up from her chair and had flung herself across the room and down on her knees beside Dr. Gerard, clinging to him, gazing up passionately into his face.
"No! No! Don't let them say it!
They're making the walls close around me again!
It's not true!
I never did anything!
They are my enemies - they want to put me in prison - to shut me up. You must help me!
You must help me!"
"There, there, my child." Gently the doctor patted her head. Then he addressed Poirot. "What you say is nonsense - absurd."
"Delusions of persecution?" murmured Poirot.
"Yes - but she could never have done it that way.
She would have done it, you must perceive, dramatically - a dagger, something flamboyant, spectacular - never this cool, calm logic!
I tell you, my friends, it is so. This was a reasoned crime - a sane crime."
Poirot smiled. Unexpectedly he bowed.
"Je suis entierement de votre avis," he said smoothly.
18
"Come," said Hercule Poirot. "We have still a little way to go! Dr. Gerard has invoked the psychology.