Убийство на поле для гольфа
9. M. Giraud Finds Some Clues
“Withoutdoubtyouhavebeenemployingyourtimetoamarvel?Youhavethenamesoftheassassinsforus,haveyounot?Andalsotheprecisespotwheretheyfindthemselvesnow?”
Unmovedbythisirony,Giraudreplied:
“Iknowatleastwheretheyhavecomefrom.”
“Comment?”
Giraudtooktwosmallobjectsfromhispocketandlaidthemdownonthetable.Wecrowdedround.Theobjectswereverysimpleones:thestubofacigarette,andanunlightedmatch.ThedetectivewheeledroundonPoirot.
“Whatdoyouseethere?”heasked.
Therewassomethingalmostbrutalinhistone.Itmademycheeksflush.ButPoirotremainedunmoved.Heshruggedhisshoulders.
“Acigaretteend,andamatch.”
“Andwhatdoesthattellyou?”
Poirotspreadouthishands.
“Ittellsme—nothing.”
“Ah!”saidGiraud,inasatisfiedvoice.“Youhaven’tmadeastudyofthesethings.That’snotanordinarymatch—notinthiscountryatleast.It’scommonenoughinSouthAmerica.Luckilyit’sunlighted.Imightn’thaverecognizeditotherwise.Evidentlyoneofthementhrewawayhiscigaretteend,andlitanother,spillingonematchoutoftheboxashedidso.”
“Andtheothermatch?”askedPoirot.
“Whichmatch?”
“Theonehedidlighthiscigarettewith.Youhavefoundthatalso?”
“No.”
“Perhapsyoudidn’tsearchverythoroughly.”
“Notsearchthoroughly—”Foramomentitseemedasthoughthedetectiveweregoingtobreakoutangrily,butwithanefforthecontrolledhimself.“Iseeyouloveajoke,M.Poirot.Butinanycase,matchornomatch,thecigaretteendwouldbesufficient.
