The Poisoned Chocolates Case · Chapter 6 (2/2)

“Might one enquire your reason?” ventured Mr. Chitterwick further.

“Certainly you may. It’s a conclusive one, I’m afraid, Sir Charles. I was in Paris at the time of the murder, and just about the very hour when the parcel was being posted I was talking to Pauline Pennefather in the foyer of the Opera.”

“What!” exclaimed the discomfited Sir Charles, the remnants of his beautiful theory crashing about his ears.

“I should apologise for not having given you this information before, I suppose,” said Miss Dammers with the utmost calmness, “but I wanted to see what sort of a case you could put up against her. And I really do congratulate you. It was a remarkable piece of inductive reasoning. If I hadn’t happened to know that it was built up on a complete fallacy you would have quite convinced me.”

“But⁠—but why the secrecy, and⁠—and the impersonation by the maid, if her visit was an innocent one?” stammered Sir Charles, his mind revolving wildly round private aeroplanes and the time they would take from the Place de l’Opéra to Trafalgar Square.

“Oh, I didn’t say it was an innocent one,” retorted Miss Dammers carelessly. “Sir Eustace isn’t the only one who is waiting for the divorce to marry again. And in the interim Pauline, quite rightly, doesn’t see why she should waste valuable time. After all, she isn’t so young as she was. And there’s always a strange creature called the King’s Proctor, isn’t there?”

Shortly after that the Chairman adjourned the meeting of the Circle. He did so because he did not wish one of the members to die of apoplexy on his hands.