Agatha Christie The Hollow Chapter I At 6:13 a.m. ... - bzelbublive.info

it." Grange stared at him. He said: "They're queer, all these Angkatells. I'dswear, sometimes, that they know all about it. ?? Poirotsaid quietly: "They do." "You mean, they know, all of them, whodid it?" the Inspector asked incredulously. Poirot nodded. "Yes--they know. Ihave thought so for some time. I am quite sure now." "I see." The Inspector's facewas grim. "And they're hiding it up among them? Well, I'll beat them yet. Pmgoing to find that gun" It was, Poirot reflected, quite the Inspector's themesong. Grange went on with rancour: "I'd give anything to get even withthem--" "With--" "All of them! Muddling me up! Suggesting things!Hinting! Helping my men--helping them! All gossamer and spiders' webs; nothingtangible. What I want is a good solid fact!"Hercule Poirot had been staring out of the window for some moments. His eye hadbeen attracted by an irregularity in the symmetry of his domain. He said now:"You want a solid fact? Eh bien, unless I am much mistaken there is a solid fact in thehedge by my gate." They went down the garden path. Grange went down on hisknees, coaxed the twigs apart till he disclosed more fully the thing that had beenthrust between them. He drew a deep sigh as something black and steel wasrevealed. He said: "It's a revolver all right." Just for a moment his eye resteddoubtfully on Poirot."No, no, my friend," said Poirot. "I did not shoot Dr. Christow and I did not put therevolver in my own hedge." "Of course you didn't, M. Poirot! Sorry! Well, we'vegot it. Looks like the one missing from Sir Henry's study. We can verify that assoon as we get the number. Then we'll see if it was the gun that shot Christow.Easy does it now." With infinite care and the use of a silk handkerchief, he easedthe gun out of the hedge. "To give us a break, we want fingerprints. I've afeeling, you know, that our luck's changed at last." "Let me know--" "Ofcourse I will, M. Poirot. I'll ring you up."Poirot received two telephone calls. The first came through that same evening.The Inspector was jubilant. "That you, M. Poirot? Well, here's the dope. It's thegun all right. The gun missing from Sir Henry's collection and the gun that shotJohn Christow! That's definite. And there is a good set of prints on it. Thumb, firstfinger, part of the middle finger. Didn't I tell you our luck had changed?" "Youhave identified the fingerprints?" "Not yet. They're certainly not Mrs. Christow's.We took hers. They look more like a man's than a woman's for size. Tomorrow I'mgoing along to The Hollow to speak my little piece and get a sample from everyone.And then, M. Poirot, we shallknow where we are!" "I hope so, I am sure," said Poirot, politely. The secondtelephone call came through on the following day and the voice that spoke was nolonger jubilant. In tones of unmitigated gloom. Grange said: "Want to hear thelatest? Those fingerprints aren't the prints of anybody connected with the case!No, sir! They're not Edward Angkatell's, nor David's, nor Sir Henry's. They're not