"What do you mean, Miss Nevill?"
"Why, there wasn't anything the matter with Aunt at all.
She'd never been better. She couldn't understand it when I suddenly turned up.
Of course I was ever so glad – but it did make me mad. Sending a telegram like that and upsetting me and everything."
"Have you got that telegram, Miss Nevill?"
"I threw it away, I think, at the station.
It just said
'Your aunt had stroke last night.
Please come at once.'"
"You are quite sure – well -" Japp coughed delicately – "that it wasn't your friend, Mr. Carter, who sent that telegram?"
"Frank?
Whatever for?
Oh!
I see, you mean – a put up job between us?
No, indeed, Inspector – neither of us would do such a thing."
Her indignation seemed genuine enough and Japp had a little trouble in soothing her down.
But a question as to the patients on this particular morning restored her to her competent self.
"They are all here in the book.
I daresay you have seen it already.
I know about most of them.
Ten o'clock Mrs. Soames – that was about her new plate – 10:30 Lady Grant – she's an elderly lady – lives in Lowndes Square.
Eleven o'clock M. Hercule Poirot, he comes regularly – oh, of course this is him – sorry, M. Poirot, but I really am so upset!
At 11:30, Mr. Alistair Blunt – that's the banker, you know – a short appointment, because Mr. Morley had prepared the filling last time.
Then Miss Sainsbury Seale – she rang up specially – had toothache and so Mr. Morley fitted her in.
A terrible talker she is, never stops – the fuss kind, too. Then at twelve o'clock Mr. Amberiotis – he was a new patient – made an appointment from the Savoy Hotel.
Mr. Morley gets quite a lot o foreigners and Americans.
Then 12:30 Miss Kirby She comes up from Worthing."
Poirot asked: "There was here when I arrived a tall military gentleman.
Who would he be?"
"One of Mr. Reilly's patients, I expect.
I'll just get his list for you, shall I?"
"Thank you, Miss Nevill."
She was absent only a few minutes. She returned with a book similar to that of Mr. Morley's.
She read out: " Ten o'clock Betty Heath (That's a little girl of nine); eleven o'clock, Colonel Abercrombie."
"Abercrombie!" murmured Poirot. "C'etait ca."
"Eleven-thirty, Mr. Howard Raikes.
Twelve o'clock, Mr. Barnes, and that was all the patients this morning. Mr. Reilly isn't so booked up as Mr. Morley, of course."
"Can you tell us anything about any of these patients of Mr. Reilly's?"
"Colonel Abercrombie has been a patient for long time, and all of Mrs. Heath's children come to Mr. Reilly.
I can't tell you anything about Mr. Raikes or Mr. Barnes, though I fancy I have heard their names.
I take all the telephone calls, you see -"
Japp said: "We can ask Mr. Reilly ourselves.
I should like to see him as soon as possible."
Miss Nevill went out.
Japp said to Poirot: "All old patients of Mr. Morley's except Amberiotis.
I'm going to have an interesting talk with Mr. Amberiotis presently.
He's the last person, as it stands, to see Morley alive, and we've got to make quite sure that when he last saw him, Morley was alive."
Poirot said slowly, shaking his head: "You have still to prove motive."
"I know.
That's what is going to be the teaser.