Roger Mystery

Chapter 36 The Ralph Paton Mystery

I was so upset that I hardly paid attention to what happened next, only remembering the exclamations in my ears one after another.When I managed to get my emotions together, Ralph Paton and his wife were standing side by side, holding hands, and smiling at me.

Poirot smiled too, and wagged his fingers at me meaningfully.

"How many times have I said it? No one can hide from Hercule Poirot," he said, emphatically, "that such a case is nothing to me."

He turned to the rest of the crowd.

"As you will recall, there was a meeting the other day - just six of us. I accused the other five people present of concealing something. Four of them had confessed, and only Dr. Shepherd had kept it secret. But I still have my doubts. On the night of the incident, Shepard went to the "Three Wild Boars" to find Ralph, but he couldn't find him; but I thought, what if Shepard met him on the way home? Dr. Shepard was Captain Paton's friend, having just come straight from the scene of the crime, must have understood that the case was very bad for Captain Paton. Perhaps he knew more than anyone else—"

"That's right," I said dejectedly, "looks like I'm going to do it all. I went to Ralph that afternoon. He was still defensive at first, but he quickly revealed to me his marriage and the problems he was facing. Dilemma. After the murder, I realized that if Ralph's secret was exposed, people would doubt it—if not him, then the woman he loved. I dissected him that night, and he always Thinking that if you prove your innocence, the blame may fall on your wife, so you decide to do whatever it takes to——”

I hesitated whether to go on, but Ralph finished for me:

"Be a shameless deserter at all costs," he said vividly. "Well, Ursula went back to the house after she and I separated, and I thought she might go to her stepfather to intercede again, and that afternoon he Treated her very roughly. It occurred to me that if he continued to speak so harshly—she might lose her mind for a moment—”

He stopped, and Ursula withdrew her hand quickly, taking a step back.

"You think so, Ralph! Do you really think I'm a murderer?"

"Let's talk about Dr. Shepard's imprudence," said Poirot flatly. "Dr. Shepard promised to help. He succeeded in hiding Captain Paton, completely in the dark of the police. "

"Where is it hidden?" Raymond asked. "Is it hidden in the doctor's house?"

"Oh, of course not," said Poirot. "You should learn from me and ask yourself: If the good doctor wanted to hide the boy, where would he choose? It must be nearby. I thought of Ke Lanchester. Hotel? No. Apartment? Not likely. So where? Ah! I had an idea and thought of the answer: hide in a sanatorium, a sanatorium for the mentally ill. So I set out to test this Conclusion, falsely claiming that I have a mentally ill nephew, and asking Miss Shepard to recommend a suitable placement. She gave me the names of two mental asylums near Cranchester to which her brother had sent patients I checked further, and sure enough, there was a patient in one of them, who was delivered by Dr. Shepard himself on Saturday morning. Although the patient used an alias, I still easily recognized him as Captain Peyton. After some necessary procedures, the hospital allowed me to take him out of the hospital. He just moved into my house early yesterday morning."

I looked at him deflatedly.

"The Home Office expert Caroline was talking about," I muttered, "I didn't expect it to be Ralph!"

"Now you understand why I paid special attention to the 'restraint' you showed in your manuscript." Poirot whispered, "Although you have recorded the case in as much detail as possible-but not without reservation, yes. Right, my friend?"

I was too ashamed to say anything.

"Dr. Shepherd is indeed the most loyal friend," said Ralph. "He supported me unreservedly and thought of me in every way. After Mr. Poirot's advice, I realized that hiding is not the best way. .I should face reality and come forward. You know, there are no newspapers in nursing homes, and I had no idea what happened after that."

"Dr. Shepherd is a model of prudence," said Poirot coldly, "but no secret can be kept from me, and that is what I do."

"Now you can explain what happened that night." Raymond was a little impatient.

"Everybody already knows," said Ralph, "and there's nothing to add. I left the gazebo at about nine-forty-five, and wandered about the path for a while, trying to figure out what to do next. I confess I didn't Alibi, but I can swear to God, I have never been to the study from the beginning to the end, and I have never seen whether my stepfather is alive or dead. I don’t care what others think, I just hope that everyone present can believe me.”

"No alibi," Raymond muttered. "Too bad. Of course I believe you, but it's a tricky situation."

"However, the case has become very clear." Poirot was actually very happy. "It is really very clear."

We all stared at him.

"Do you understand what I mean? Don't you understand? It's that simple—to save Captain Peyton, the real murderer must bow his head and confess his guilt."

He smiled at everyone.

"Yes—that's what I meant. Now you see why I didn't invite Inspector Raglan to the party tonight? Because I didn't want to give him all I knew—at least not tonight."

He leaned forward, his tone and demeanor changed suddenly, revealing a dangerous aura in an instant.

"I'll tell you now - I know the murderer of Mr Ackroyd is in this very room. I'm speaking to the murderer. To-morrow the whole truth will be communicated to Inspector Raglan. Listen! Yet?"

There was no sound in the room, and an undercurrent of tension surged quietly in the silence.At this moment, the old woman dressed in Breton came in with a telegram on a tray in her hand.Poirot tore the telegram open.

Brant suddenly asked loudly: "You mean the murderer is among us? And you know—which one?"

Poirot crumpled up after reading the telegram.

"now I know."

He patted the ball of paper in his hand lightly.

"What's that?" Raymond asked.

"A message has come over the radio from the ship—the ship is heading for America."

There was another dead silence.Poirot stood up and bowed slightly.

"Gentlemen and ladies, this is the end of the party for tonight. Remember--tomorrow morning Inspector Raglan will know the truth."

(End of this chapter)