Black Coffee by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2010-06-26T08:36:40.500000+00:00

"What are you thinking of?"

"Dust, Hastings. Dust," said Poirot in an odd voice.

The door opened, and Dr Carelli entered the room. He and Poirot greeted each other with the greatest of ceremony, each politely speaking the other's native tongue.

"Ah, Monsieur Poirot," Carelli began. "Vous voulez me questionner?"

"Si, Signer Dottore, se lei permette," Poirot replied.

"Ah, lei parla italiano?"

"Si, ma preferisco parlare in francese."

"Alors," said Carelli, "qu'est'ce que vous voulez me demander?"

"I say," Hastings interjected with a certain irritation in his voice. "What the devil is all this?"

"Ah, the poor Hastings is not a linguist. I had forgotten." Poirot smiled. "We had better speak English."

"I beg your pardon. Of course," Carelli agreed. He addressed Poirot with an air of great frankness. "I am glad that you have sent for me, Monsieur Poirot," he declared. "Had you not done so, I should myself have requested an interview."

"Indeed?" remarked Poirot, indicating a chair by the table.

Carelli sat, while Poirot seated himself in the armchair, and Hastings made himself comfortable on the settee.

"Yes," the Italian doctor continued. "As it happens, I have business in London of an urgent nature."

"Pray, continue," Poirot encouraged him.

"Yes. Of course, I quite appreciated the position last night. A valuable document had been stolen. I was the only stranger present. Naturally, I was only too willing to remain, to permit myself to be searched, in fact to insist on being searched. As a man of honour, I could do nothing else."

"Quite so," Poirot agreed. "But today?"

"Today is different," replied Carelli. "I have, as I say, urgent business in London."

"And you wish to take your departure?"

"Exactly."

"It seems most reasonable," Poirot declared. "Do you not think so, Hastings?"

Hastings made no reply, but looked as though he did not think it at all reasonable.

"Perhaps a word from you, Monsieur Poirot, to Mr Amory, would be in order," Carelli suggested. "I should like to avoid any unpleasantness."

"My good offices are at your disposal, Monsieur le docteur," Poirot assured him. "And now, perhaps you can assist me with one or two details."

"I should be only too happy to do so," Carelli replied.

Poirot considered for a moment, before asking, "Is Madame Richard Amory an old friend of yours?"

"A very old friend," said Carelli. He sighed. "It was a delightful surprise, running across her so unexpectedly in this out-of-the-way spot."

"Unexpectedly, you say?" Poirot asked.

"Quite unexpectedly," Carelli replied, with a quick glance at the detective.

"Quite unexpectedly," Poirot repeated. "Fancy that!"

A certain tension had crept into the atmosphere. Carelli looked at Poirot sharply, but said nothing.

"You are interested in the latest discoveries of science?" Poirot asked him.

"Certainly. I am a doctor."

"Ah! But that does not quite follow, surely," Poirot observed. "A new vaccine, a new ray, a new germ - all this, yes. But a new explosive, surely that is not quite the province of a doctor of medicine?"

"Science should be of interest to all of us," Carelli insisted. "It represents the triumph of man over nature. Man wrings secrets from nature in spite of her bitter opposition."

Poirot nodded his head in agreement.

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