第33部分(第3/7 頁)

oves　Monsieur　Kettering　…　correct　me　if　I　am　wrong　…　and　for　her　sake　…　well　…　for　her　sake　I　hope　that　I　am　right　and　the　police　are　wrong。　You　know　who　that　someone　is？〃

There　was　a　pause；　then　Katherine　said：　〃Yes　…　I　think　I　know。〃

Poirot　leant　across　the　table　towards　her。

〃I　am　not　satisfied；　Mademoiselle；　no；　I　am　not　satisfied。　The　facts；　the　main　facts；　led　straight　to　Monsieur　Kettering。　But　there　is　one　thing　that　has　been　left　out　of　account。〃

〃And　what　is　that？〃

〃The　disfigured　face　of　the　victim。　I　have　asked　myself；　Mademoiselle；　a　hundred　times；　'Was　Derek　Kettering　the　kind　of　man　who　would　deal　that　smashing　blow　after　having　mitted　murder？'　What　end　would　it　serve？　What　purpose　would　it　acplish？　Was　it　a　likely　action　for　one　of　Monsieur　Kettering's　temperament？　And；　Mademoiselle；　the　answer　to　these　questions　is　profoundly　unsatisfactory。　Again　and　again　I　go　back　to　that　one　point　…　'why？'　And　the　only　things　I　have　to　help　me　to　a　solution　of　the　problem　are　these。〃

He　whipped　out　his　pocket…book　and　extracted　something　from　it　which　he　held　between　his　finger　and　thumb。

〃Do　you　remember；　Mademoiselle？　You　saw　me　take　these　hairs　from　the　rug　in　the　railway　carriage。〃

Katherine　leant　forward；　scrutinizing　the　hairs　keenly。

Poirot　nodded　his　head　slowly　several　times。

〃They　suggest　nothing　to　you；　I　see　that；　Mademoiselle。　And　yet　…　I　think　somehow　that　you　see　a　good　deal。〃

〃I　have　had　ideas；〃　said　Katherine　slowly；　〃curious　ideas。　That　is　why　I　ask　you　what　you　were　doing　in　Paris；　Monsieur　Poirot。〃

〃When　I　wrote　to　you　…〃

〃From　the　Ritz？〃

A　curious　smile　came　over　Poirot's　face。

〃Yes；　as　you　say；　from　the　Ritz。　I　am　a　luxurious　person　sometime