Вбивство на поле для гольфу
12. Poirot Elucidates Certain Points
OnethingIamfairlysureof—theydidnotleavethroughthedoor.Theyleftbythewindow.”
“What?”
“Precisely.”
“Buttherewerenofootmarksintheflowerbedunderneath.”
“No—andthereoughttohavebeen.Listen,Hastings.Thegardener,Auguste,asyouheardhimsay,plantedboththosebedstheprecedingafternoon.Intheonethereareplentifulimpressionsofhisbighobnailedboots—intheother,none!Yousee?Someonehadpassedthatway,someonewho,toobliteratetheirfootprints,smoothedoverthesurfaceofthebedwitharake.”
“Wheredidtheygetarake?”
“Wheretheygotthespadeandthegardeninggloves,”saidPoirotimpatiently.“Thereisnodifficultyaboutthat.”
“Whatmakesyouthinkthattheyleftthatway,though?Surelyitismoreprobablethattheyenteredbythewindow,andleftbythedoor.”
“Thatispossibleofcourse.YetIhaveastrongideathattheyleftbythewindow.”
“Ithinkyouarewrong.”
“Perhaps,monami.”
Imused,thinkingoverthenewfieldofconjecturethatPoirot’sdeductionshadopeneduptome.Irecalledmywonderathiscrypticallusionstotheflowerbedandthewristwatch.Hisremarkshadseemedsomeaninglessatthemomentandnow,forthefirsttime,Irealizedhowremarkably,fromafewslightincidents,hehadunravelledmuchofthemysterythatsurroundedthecase.Ipaidabelatedhomagetomyfriend.Asthoughhereadmythoughts,henoddedsagely.
“Method,youcomprehend!Method!Arrangeyourfacts.Arrangeyourideas.Andifsomelittlefactwillnotfitin—donotrejectitbutconsideritclosely.
