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

premeditation ..." The Inspector took another tug at his moustache, then he looked atPoirot. "But you've hinted yourself at another possibility, M.Poirot. There's Miss Savernake. And here's where your eye-witness stuff, or rather Ishould say ear-witness stuff, comes in again. Dr. Christow said 'Henrietta' when he wasdying. You heard him--they all heard him, though Mr. Angkatell doesn't seem to havecaught what he said--" "Edward Angkatell did not hear? That is interesting.""But the others did. Miss Savernake herself says he tried to speak to her. Lady Angkatellsays he opened his eyes, saw Miss Savernake, and said 'Henrietta.' She doesn't, I think,attach any importance to it." Poirot smiled. "No--she would not attachimportance to it." "Now, M. Poirot, what about you? You were there--you saw--youheard. Was Dr.Christow trying to tell you all that it was Henrietta who had shot him? In short, wasthat word an accusation?" Poirot said slowly: "I did not think so at the time.""But now, M. Poirot? What do you think now?" Poirot sighed. Then he said slowly:"It may have been so. I cannot say more than that. It is an impression only for whichyou are asking me, and when the moment is past there is a temptation to read intothings a meaning which was not there at the time." Grange said hastily: "Ofcourse, this is all off the record. What M. Poirot thought isn't evidence--I knowthat. It's only a pointer I'm trying to get.""Oh, I understand you very well--and an impression from an eye-witness can be avery useful thing. But I am humiliated to have to say that my impressions are valueless.I was under the misconception, induced by the visual evidence, that Mrs. Christowhad just shot her husband, so that when Dr. Christow opened his eyes and said'Henrietta,' I never thought of it as being an accusation. It is tempting now, lookingback, to read into that scene something that was not there." "I know what youmean," said Grange. "But it seems to me that since 'Henrietta' Was the last word Christowspoke, it must have meant one of two things. It was either an accusation of murderor else it was--well, purely emotional. She's the woman he was in love with and he wasdying. Now, bearing everything in mind, which of the two did itsound like to you?" Poirot sighed, stirred, closed his eyes, opened them again,stretched out his hands in acute vexation. He said: "His voice was urgent--that isall I can say--urgent. It seemed to me neither accusing nor emotional--but urgent,yes! And of one thing I am sure. He was in full possession of his faculties. Hespoke--yes, he spoke like a doctor--a doctor who has, say, a sudden surgicalemergency on his hands --a patient who is bleeding to death, perhaps. . . ."Poirot shrugged his shoulders. "That is the best I can do for you." "Medical, eh?"said the Inspector. "Well, yes, that is a third way of looking at it. He was shot, hesuspected he was dying, he wanted something done for him quicklyAndif, as Lady Angkatell says. Miss Savernake was the first person he saw when hiseyes opened, then he would appeal to her . . .It's not very satisfactory, though.""Nothing about this case is satisfactory," said Poirot with some bitterness. A