Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-22

own ideas?
There had certainly been nothing In
Miss Russells manner that morning
to arouse suspicion. At least
I remembered her persistent CONVEX
sation on the subject OF drug.tal<ing
and from that she had led the con-
versation to poisons and poisoning.
But there was nothing in that. Ack-
royd had not been poisoned. Still, 1t
I heard caroiine's voice, rather acid
in note, calling from the top Of the
stairs.
James, you will be late for dinner"
I put some coal on the fire and vent
upstairs obediently.
It 10 well at any rate to have peace
In the home.
CHAPTER XII.
Round the Table.
A Joint inquest was held on Monday.
/ DO not propose to give the pro
ceedings In detail. To do 90 would
only be to 90 over the same ground
again and again. BY arrangement
with the police. very little was allowed
to come out. I gave evidence as to the
cause OF Ackroyd's death and the
probable time. The absence Of Ralph
ner. but not unduly stressed.
Afterward Poirot and had q few
words with Inspector Raglan. The
inspector was very grave.
"It looks bad, Mr.. Poirot," he said.
m trying to Judge the thing fair
and square. I'm local man, and I've
seen Capt Patton many times in Gran.
chester. I'm not wanting him to be
the guilty one. but it's bad whichever
way you look at 1t. II he's innocent.
why doesn't he come forward? We've
got evidence against him, but it's Just
possible that that evidence could b
explained away. Then. why doesn't
he give an explanation"
A lot more lay behind the inspec.
tors words than I knew at the time.
Ralph's description had been wired to
every port and railway station in Eng
land. The police everywhere were on
the alert. His rooms in town were
watched, and any houses he had been
known to be In the habit OF frequent
impossible that Ralph should be able
to evade dissection. He had no lug
gage, and, as far as any one knew, no
money.
81 can't find any one who saw him
at the station that night" continued
the inspector. And yet he's well
known down here, and you'd think
somebody would have noticed him.
There's no news from Liverpool.
either"
you think he went to Liverpool"
queried Poirot.
"well. It's On the cards. That tele-
three minutes before the Liverpool ex.
press left--there ought to be some
thing in that"
Unless it was deliberately intsnded
to throw you OF the scent. That
might just possibly be the point OF the
telephone message"
That's an idea" said the inspector.
eagerly. do you really think that's
the explanation OF the telephone CAM"
my friend" said Poirot, gravely.
IT do not know. But will tell you
explanation Of that telephone call we
shall find the explanation Of the muir
der"
'You said something like that be-
fore, i remember" I observed. look
ing at him curiously.
Poirot nodded.
IT always come back to It," he said.
seriously.
ut seems to me utterly irrelevant.
declared.
II wouldn't say that" demurred the
inspector. But I must confess think
Mr.. Poirot here harps on 1t q little too
much. We've better clues than that.
The fingerprints on the dagger, for
instance"
Poirot became suddenly very foreign
In manner, as he often did when ex-
cited over anything.
M. rInspecteur," he said. beware
OF the blind---the blind-cornrnent
dire?-the little street that has no end
to it."
Inspector Raglan stared. but was
"You mean a blind alley?" I said.
"That is 1.-THE blind street that
leads nowhere. So it may Be with
those fingerprints-they may lead you
nowhere"
IT don't see how that can wen be-"
said the police off1cer. "I suppose
you're limiting that they're faxed?
i've read OF such things being done,
though / can't say I've ever come
across it in my experience. But fake
or true--they're bound to lead some
where"
poirot merely shrugged his shoul-
ders, fiin1ing out his arms wide.
The inspector then showed US vart.
Gus enlarged photographs Of the nm
gerprints, and proceeded to become
technical on the subject OF loops ana
whoris.
Come now" he said at last. an.
noyed by Poirot's detached manner.
you've got to admit that those prints
the house that nightT
'sBien entendu." said Poirot, nod
ding his head.
well, I've taken the prints OF every
member Of the household, every one.
mind you. from the old lady down
to the kitchenmaid.'
I don't think Mrs. Ackfoyd would
enjoy being referred to as the old
lady. She must spend considerable
amount on cosmetics.
Every ones" repeated the inspec'
for. fussily.
Including mine" I said. dryly.
very well. None OF them cor.
respond. That leaves US to alterna.
tives. Ralph Patton, or the mysterious
stranger the doctor here tells u
about. When we get hold OF those
two"
Much valuable time may have been
lost" broke In Poirot.
81 don't quite get you. Mr.. Poirot?"
you have taken the prints OF every
one In the house, you say" rnurmured
Poirot. rs that the exact truth you
are telling me there. NJ. rInspecteur?"
Certainly"
Without overlooking any one?"
without overlooking any one
1.-The quick or the dead?"
For q moment the inspector looked
at what he took to be q
religious observation. Then he re.
acted slowly.
You mean"
THE dead. NJ. l'Inspecteur."
The inspector still took a minute
Or two to understand