After the Funeral

particular object and take it to London.'
And what is this object I've got to get hold of?'
Poirot told him.

---

'But really, Poirot, I don't see
'It is not necessary for you to see. I am doing the seeing. You will take it to
London, to an address in Elm Park Gardens.'
Mr Entwhistle sighed, 'If we could only guess what Helen was going to tell
me.'
'There is no need to guess, I know. I know what Helen Abernethie saw
when she looked in her mirror.'
***
Breakfast had been an uncomfortable meal. Neither Rosamund nor
Timothy had appeared, but the others were there.
'What I can't understand,' said Susan, 'is what Helen was doing telephoning
at that early hour, and who she was telephoning.'
'She probably woke up feeling ill,' said Maude, 'and came down to ring up
the doctor. Then fainted and fell.'
The door opened and Rosamund came in, frowning. 'I can't find those wax
flowers,' she said. 'The ones that were standing on the marble table on the day of
Uncle Richard's funeral. Lanscombe, do you know where they are?'
'Mrs Helen had an accident with them, ma'am. She was going to find a new
glass shade. They are in the cupboard behind the staircase, ma'am.'
'Come with me, Michael darling. It's dark there, and I'm not going into any
dark corners by myself after what happened to Aunt Helen.'
'What do you mean, Rosamund?' Maude demanded. 'She fainted and fell.'
Rosamund laughed. 'Don't be silly! She was hit on the head. You'll see, one
by one we will be killed and the one that's left will be the murderer. But it's not
going to be me - who's killed, I mean.'
'And why should anyone want to kill you, beautiful Rosamund?' asked
George.

---

Rosamund opened her eyes very wide. 'Because I know too much, of
course.'
'What do you know?' Maude Abernethie and Gregory Banks spoke
together.
Rosamund gave her an innocent smile. 'Wouldn't you all like to know?
Come on, Michael.'

---

CHAPTER TWENTY
At eleven o'clock, Hercule Poirot called a meeting in the library. 'Please
listen carefully to what I have to say. I have been a friend for many years of Mr
Entwhistle's and he was very upset by some words spoken on the day of Richard
Abernethie's funeral by Mrs Lansquenet and asked me to investigate.'
No one spoke.
Poirot threw back his head. 'Eh hien, you will all be delighted to hear that
as a result of my investigations - it is my belief that Mr Abernethie died a natural
death. That is good news, is it not?'
They stared at him and in all but the eyes of one person there still seemed
to be doubt and suspicion.
The exception was Timothy Abernethie. 'Of course Richard wasn't
murdered,' he said angrily. 'Well, Mr whatever your name is, I'm pleased you've
had the sense to come to the right conclusion, though if you ask me, Entwhistle
went far beyond his duty as Richard's lawyer to get you to come nosing about
here. If the family's satisfied...'
'But the family wasn't satisfied, Uncle Timothy,' said Rosamund. 'And
what about Aunt Helen this morning?'
'Nonsense,' said Maude. 'Helen felt ill, came down and phoned the doctor,
and then...'
'But she didn't phone the doctor,' said Rosamund. 'I asked him...'
Susan said sharply, 'Who did she phone?'
'I don't know,' said Rosamund. 'But I'm sure I can find out'
Hercule Poirot was sitting in the summerhouse. He had told everyone that
he was leaving on the twelve o'clock train. There was still half an hour until
then. Half an hour for someone to come to him. Perhaps more than one person.

---

He waited - like a cat waiting for a mouse to come out of hiding.
It was Miss Gilchrist who came first. 'Oh, Mr Pontarlier - I can't remember
your other name,' she said. 'I had to come and speak to you, although I don't like
doing it. I did listen at the door that day Mr Richard Abernethie came to see his
sister and he said something like, "There's no point in talking to Timothy. He
simply won't listen. But I thought I'd like to tell you, Cora. And though you've
always liked to behave as if you are simple, you've got a lot of common sense.
So what would you do about it, if you were me?"
'I couldn't hear exactly what Mrs Lansquenet said, but I heard the word
police - and then Mr Abernethie said loudly, "I can't do that. Not when it's a
question of my own niece." And then I had to run into the kitchen because
something was burning, and when I got back Mr Abernethie was saying, "Even
if I die an unnatural death, I don't want the police called in. You understand that,
don't you, my dear girl? But now that I know, I shall take all possible
precautions." And then he said he'd made a mistake over her marriage because
she had been happy with her husband.'
Miss Gilchrist stopped.
Poirot said, 'I see - I see... Thank you, Miss Gilchrist, for coming to see
me.'
Miss Gilchrist had no sooner gone before Gregory Banks came.
'At last!' he said. 'I thought that stupid woman would never go. You're
wrong about everything. Richard Abernethie was killed. I killed him.'
Hercule Poirot showed no surprise. 'How?'
Gregory Banks smiled. 'It wasn't difficult for me. I worked out how I didn't
need to be anywhere near Enderby at the time.'
'Clever,' said Poirot. 'Why did you kill him? For the money that would
come to your wife?'
'No. No, of course not. I didn't marry Susan for her money! Abernethie
thought I was no good! He sneered at me! People can't do that to me and not be
punished!'

---

'A most successful murder,' said Poirot. 'But why give yourself away - to
me?'
'Because I had to show you that you're not as clever as you think you are -
and besides - besides - It was wrong, wicked... I must be punished... I must go
back there - to the place of punishment.!'
Poirot studied him for a moment or two. 'How badly do you want to get
away from your wife?'
Gregory's face changed. 'Why couldn't she let me alone? She's coming now
- across the lawn. Tell her I've gone to the police station. To confess.'
***
Susan came in breathlessly. 'Where's Greg? I saw him.'
'Yes. He came to tell me that it was he who poisoned Richard Abernethie.'
'What absolute nonsense! He wasn't even near this place when Uncle
Richard died!'
'Perhaps not. Where was he when Cora Lansquenet died?'
'In London. We both were.'
Hercule Poirot shook his head. 'No, no. You went to Lytchett St Mary. My
inquiries say that you were there on the afternoon Cora Lansquenet died. You
parked your car in the same quarry where you left it the morning of the inquest.
The car was seen and the number was noted.'
Susan stared at him. 'All right. What Cora said at the funeral worried me. I
decided to go and see her, and ask her what had put the idea into her head. I got
there about three o'clock, knocked and rang, but there was no answer. I didn't go
round to the back of the cottage. If I had, I might have seen the broken window. I
went back to London without any idea there was anything wrong.'
'I know something of your husband's history,' said Poirot. 'He has a
punishment complex.'

---

'You don't understand, Monsieur Poirot. Greg has never had a chance in
life. That's why I wanted Uncle Richard's money so badly. I knew Greg needed
to feel he was someone. Everything will be different now. He will have his own
laboratory. No one will tell him what to do.'
'Yes, yes - you will give him everything - but you cannot give to people
what they are not capable of receiving. At the end of it all, he will still be
something that he does not want to be.'
'What's that?'
'Susan's husband. Where Gregory Banks is concerned you have no sense of
right or wrong. You wanted your uncle's money - for your husband. How badly
did you want it?'
Angrily, Susan turned and ran away.
***
'I thought,' said Michael Shane, 'that I'd just come and say goodbye.'
'Your wife Rosamund,' said Poirot, 'is a very unusual woman.'
Michael raised his eyebrows. 'She's lovely, I agree. But she's not known for
her intelligence.'
'She will never be clever,' Poirot agreed. 'But she knows what she wants.'
He sighed. 'So few people do.' Poirot placed the tips of his fingers together.
'There have been inquiries made, you know. Not only by me.'
'You mean - the police are interested? And they've been making inquiries
about me?'
Poirot said quietly, 'They are interested in the movements of Mrs
Lansquenet's relations on the day that she was killed.'
'That's extremely awkward. I told Rosamund that I was having lunch with
Oscar Lewis on that day. Actually I went to see a woman called Sorrel Dainton -
and though that's satisfactory as far as the police are concerned, Rosamund won't
be pleased.'

---

'I see - I see - and this Miss Dainton, she will confirm your alibi?'
'She won't like it - but she'll do it.'
'She would do it, perhaps, even if you were not having an affair with her.'
'What do you mean?'
'The lady is in love with you. When they are in love, women will swear to
what is true - and also to what is untrue.'
'Do you mean to say that you don't believe me?'
'It does not matter if I believe you or not. It is not me you have to satisfy.'
'Who then?'
Poirot smiled. 'Inspector Morton - who has just come out through the side
door.'
Michael Shane turned round quickly.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
'I heard you were here, Monsieur Poirot,' said Inspector Morton when they
were alone. 'I came over with Superintendent Parwell. Dr Larraby phoned him
about Mrs Helen Abernethie and he's come over to make inquiries. I wanted to
ask a few questions - and the people I wanted to ask seemed, very conveniently,
to be all here. Did you do that?'
'Yes, I did.'
'And as a result someone hit Mrs Helen Abernethie on the head.'
'You must not blame me for that. If she had come to me... But she did not.
Instead she called her lawyer in London. Now, I will ask you, my friend, to give
me a few more hours, then I may be able to hand you a piece of solid evidence.'
'We certainly need it,' said Inspector Morton. 'Though we have our found
out that two nuns were out collecting money and went to Mrs Lansquenet's
cottage on the day before she was murdered. No one answered when they

---

knocked and rang - Mrs Lansquenet was at the Abernethie funeral and Gilchrist
had gone out for the day. The point is that they say they heard sighs and groans
from inside the cottage. So was there someone there? And if so, who? All the
Abernethie family were at the funeral.'
'These nuns, did they return at a later date to try again?'
'Actually, they did - on the day of the inquest.'
'That fits,' said Hercule Poirot. 'You will have noticed, Inspector, that the
visit of the nuns was the same day that poisoned wedding cake found its way
into that cottage.'
'That's a ridiculous idea!'
'My ideas are never ridiculous,' said Hercule Poirot. 'And now, mon cher, I
must go in search of the late Richard Abernethie's niece.'
'Now be careful what you say to Mrs Banks.'
'I do not mean Mrs Banks. I mean Richard Abernethie's other niece.'
***
Poirot found Rosamund sitting on a bench by a little pool.
'I thought you'd gone,' she said. 'It's past twelve o'clock.'
'I have missed my train,' said Poirot. 'Do you know, Madame, I have been
sitting in the little summerhouse hoping that you would, perhaps, visit me there?'
'Why should I? I had a lot to think about. I don't often do much thinking -
it seems a waste of time. But this is important. I think one ought to plan one's life
just as one wants it to be.'
'And that is what you are doing?'
'Well, yes... I was trying to make a decision about something.'
'About your husband?'

---

'In a way.'
Poirot waited a moment, then he said, 'Inspector Morton has just arrived.
He has come to get statements from you all about what you were doing on the
day Cora Lansquenet was murdered.'
'I see. Alibis' said Rosamund cheerfully. 'That will be hell for Michael. He
thinks I don't know he spent the day with that woman.'
'How did you know?'
'It was obvious from the way he said he was going to lunch with Oscar,
and his face always does something strange when he tells lies.'
'How thankful I am I am not married to you, Madame! He is not, I fear, a
very faithful husband?' Poirot suggested.
'No.'
'But you do not mind?'
'Well, it's fun having a husband that all the other women want to steal from
you.'
Poirot was studying her. 'And suppose someone did succeed - in stealing
your husband away from you?'
'They won't,' said Rosamund. 'Not now that there's Uncle Richard's money.
He can finance his own shows. And he really is good. Not like me. I love acting
- but I'm terrible at it, though I do look nice. No, I'm not worried about Michael
any more. Because it's my money, you see.'
Her eyes met Poirot's.
'I think, Madame, that you must allow your cousin Susan to have the green
marble table.'
Rosamund's eyes opened very wide. 'Why should I? I want it.'
'I know. But you - you will keep your husband. And poor Susan, she will

---

lose hers.'

---

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

The telegram came about six o'clock that evening, and then Hercule Poirot
gathered his audience and began speaking. 'The puzzle is solved. Let me first, go
over the various points which were brought to my attention by the excellent Mr
Entwhistle.
'First, Mr Richard Abernethie dies suddenly. Secondly, after his funeral, his
sister Cora Lansquenet says, "He was murdered, wasn't he?" Thirdly Mrs
Lansquenet is killed. Then Miss Gilchrist becomes ill after eating a piece of
wedding cake, which was poisoned with arsenic. That is the next step in the
sequence.
'I have found nothing to prove that Mr Abernethie was poisoned. Equally, I
have found nothing to prove that he was not. But Cora Lansquenet undoubtedly
asked that shocking question. And undoubtedly Mrs Lansquenet was murdered.
Now, the post van driver strongly believes that he did not deliver that wedding
cake. If that is so, then the parcel was left by hand and though we cannot exclude
a "person unknown" - we must consider those people who were able to put the
parcel where it was found. Those were: Miss Gilchrist herself, of course; Susan
Banks; Mr Entwhistle and Mr Guthrie, an art critic; and a nun or nuns who
called to collect money.
'Miss Gilchrist did not benefit by Richard Abernethie's death and in only a
very small way by the death of Mrs Lansquenet - and Miss Gilchrist was taken
to hospital with arsenic poisoning.
'Susan Banks did benefit from Richard Abernethie's death, and in a small
way from Mrs Lansquenet's. She might have believed that Miss Gilchrist had
overheard a conversation between Cora Lansquenet and Richard Abernethie
which referred to her. Because of that she might have decided that Miss Gilchrist
must be killed. She did, after all, refuse to eat the wedding cake.
'Mr Entwhistle did not benefit by either of the deaths - but he did have
considerable control over Mr Abernethie's affairs, and there could easily be some
reason why Richard Abernethie should not live too long. But - you will say - if it
is Mr Entwhistle who was worried, why should he come to me?

---

And that I will answer - it is not the first time that a murderer has been too
sure of himself.
'We now come to Mr Guthrie. If Mr Guthrie is really Mr Guthrie, the art
critic, then that clears him. The same is true for the nun, if she is really a nun.
The question is: are these people themselves, or are they somebody else?
'And there seems to be a strange - pattern - one might call it - of a nun all
through this business. A nun comes to the door of Mr Timothy Abernethie's
house and Miss Gilchrist believes it is the same nun she has seen at Cora's house.
Also a nun, or nuns, called here the day before Mr Abernethie died.
'Other features of the case caught my attention: the visit of an art critic, a
smell of oil paint, a picture postcard of Polflexan harbour, and finally a bouquet
of wax flowers.
'It was thinking about these things that led me to the truth. Richard
Abernethie died suddenly - but there would have been no reason to suspect
murder if it had not been for the words said by his sister Cora at his funeral. You
all believed them because Cora Lansquenet had always been famous for
speaking the truth at difficult moments.
'And now I come to the question that I suddenly asked myself: How well
did you all know Cora Lansquenet? And Not well at all is the answer! There
were actually only three people present that day who really knew Cora.
Lanscombe, the butler, who is old and almost blind; Mrs Maude Abernethie who
had only seen her a few times round about the date of her own wedding; and
Mrs Helen Abernethie who had not seen her for over thirty years.
'So I said to myself: "Supposing it was not Cora Lansquenet who came to
the funeral that day?'"
'Do you mean that it wasn't Aunt Cora who was murdered, but someone
else?' Susan demanded.
'No, no, it was Cora Lansquenet who was murdered. But it was not Cora
Lansquenet who came to the funeral. The woman who came that day came for
one purpose only - to create in the minds of his relations the idea that Richard
Abernethie had been murdered!'

---

'Why? What was the point of it?' Maude asked.
'To draw attention away from the murder of Cora Lansquenet herself For if
Cora says that Richard has been murdered, and the next day she herself is killed,
then her death will be believed to be the result of what she said. But if Cora had
simply been murdered without making her comment about Richard's death, and
if the "robbery" did not convince the police, then suspicion would be likely to
fall on the woman who shared the house with her.'
Miss Gilchrist protested, 'Oh really, you don't suggest I'd commit a murder
for a piece of jewellery and a few worthless watercolours?'
'No,' said Poirot. 'But one of those watercolours represented Polflexan
harbour which, as Mrs Banks realized, had been copied from a picture postcard
which showed the old pier still in position. Yet Mrs Lansquenet painted always
from life. Mr Entwhistle had mentioned there being a smell of oil paint in the
cottage. You can paint, can't you, Miss Gilchrist? And you had been painting
over another picture. You know a lot about painting. Supposing that one of the
pictures that Cora bought at a sale was a really valuable one. Supposing that she
did not recognize it, but that you did. You knew she was expecting a visit from a
well-known art critic. Then her brother died suddenly - and a plan comes into
your head. It was easy to put a sleeping drug in her morning tea that would keep
her unconscious for the whole of the day of the funeral whilst you played her