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VII. Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan
Hisfacebrightenedwhenhesawwhoitwas.
“Ah!”hesaid.“That’sratherfortunate.Isentforoneofourfemalesearchers,andshe’sjustarrived.Perhapsifyouwouldn’tmindgoingintotheroomnextdoor.”
Helookedatthechambermaid,whosteppedacrossthethresholdwithatossofherhead,thesearcherfollowingherclosely.
TheFrenchgirlhadsunksobbingintoachair.Poirotwaslookingroundtheroom,themainfeaturesofwhichIhavemadeclearbyasketch.
Asketchofthebedroom,adjoiningmaid’sroom,andcorridor.
“Wheredoesthatdoorlead?”heinquired,noddinghisheadtowardstheonebythewindow.
“Intothenextapartment,Ibelieve,”saidtheinspector.“It’sbolted,anyway,onthisside.”
Poirotwalkedacrosstoit,triedit,thendrewbacktheboltandtrieditagain.
“Andontheothersideaswell,”heremarked.“Well,thatseemstoruleoutthat.”
Hewalkedovertothewindows,examiningeachoftheminturn.
“Andagain—nothing.Notevenabalconyoutside.”
“Eveniftherewere,”saidtheinspectorimpatiently,“Idon’tseehowthatwouldhelpus,ifthemaidneverlefttheroom.”
“Évidemment,”saidPoirot,notdisconcerted.“AsMademoiselleispositiveshedidnotleavetheroom——”
Hewasinterruptedbythereappearanceofthechambermaidandthepolicesearcher.
“Nothing,”saidthelatterlaconically.
“Ishouldhopenot,indeed,”saidthechambermaidvirtuously.
