The other conductors did the same.”
“What about the forward door – the one near the restaurant car?” “It is always fastened on the inside.” “It is not so fastened now.”
The man looked surprised; then his face cleared.
“Doubtless one of the passengers opened it to look out on the snow.”
“Probably,” said Poirot.
He tapped thoughtfully on the table for a minute or two.
“Monsieur does not blame me?” said the man timidly.
Poirot smiled on him kindly.
“You have had the evil chance, my friend,” he said.
“Ah! one other point while I remember it. You said that another bell rang just as you were knocking at M. Ratchett’s door.
In fact I heard it myself Whose was it?”
“It was the bell of Madame la Princesse Dragomiroff.
She desired me to summon her maid.”
“And you did so?”
“Yes, Monsieur.”
Poirot studied the plan in front of him thoughtfully. Then he inclined his head.
“That is all,” he said, “for the moment.”
“Thank you, Monsieur.”
The man rose. He looked at M. Bouc.
“Do not distress yourself,” said the latter kindly; “I cannot see that there has been any negligence on your part.”
Gratified, Pierre Michel left the compartment.
2.
The Evidence of the Secretary
For a minute or two Poirot remained lost, in thought.
“I think,” he said at last, “that it would be well to have a further word with Mr. MacQueen, in view of what we now know.”
The young American appeared promptly.
“Well,” he said, “how are things going?”
“Not too badly.
Since our last conversation, I have learnt something – the identity of Mr. Ratchett.”
Hector MacQueen leaned forward interestedly.
“Yes?” he said.
“ ‘Ratchett,’ as you suspected, was merely an alias.
The man ‘Ratchett’ was Cassetti, who ran the celebrated kidnapping stunts – including the famous affair of little Daisy Armstrong.”
An expression of utter astonishment appeared on MacQueen’s face. Then it darkened.
“The damned skunk!” he exclaimed.
“You had no idea of this, Mr. MacQueen?”
“No, sir,” said the young American decidedly. “If I had, I’d have cut off my right hand before it had a chance to do secretarial work for him!”
“You feel strongly about the matter, Mr. MacQueen?”
“I have a particular reason for doing so.
My father was the district attorney who handled the case, Mr. Poirot.
I saw Mrs. Armstrong more than once – she was a lovely woman. So gentle and heartbroken.” His face darkened. “If ever a man deserved what he got, Ratchett – or Cassetti – is the man.
I’m rejoiced at his end.
Such a man wasn’t fit to live!”
“You almost feel as though you would have been willing to do the good deed yourself?”
“I do.
I–” He paused, then added rather guiltily, “Seems I’m kind of incriminating myself.”
“I should be more inclined to suspect you, Mr. MacQueen, if you displayed an inordinate sorrow at your employer’s decease.”
“I don’t think I could do that even to save myself from the chair,” said MacQueen grimly. Then he added: “If I’m not being unduly curious, just how did you figure this out? Cassetti’s identity, I mean.”
“By a fragment of a letter found in his compartment.”
“But surely – I mean – that was rather careless of the old man?”