Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1941-10-31
CHAPTER TWELVE

the nurse out of the room and made
as thorough an investigation as
could. OF course, it was impossible to
be sure without an autopsy. Well,
what was the good of that? If she'd
taken shortcut, why make song
and dance about it and create scan
dial? Better sign the certificate and
let her be buried in peace. After all,
couldn't be sure. I decided wrong,
suppose. But l never dreamed for
one moment of foul play! I was quite
sure she'd done it herself"
Poirot asked: GLOW did you think
she had got hold of the morphine?"
81 hadn't the least idea. But, as I
tell you, she was a clever, resourceful
woman, with plenty of ingenuity and
remarkable determination"
"Would she have got it from the
nurses?"
Peter Lord shook his head. "Never
on your life! You don't know nurses!"
From her family?"
POSSIBLY. Might have worked on
their feelings"
Hercule Poirot said: "You have told
me that Mrs. Welman died intestate.
If she had lived, would she have made
will?"
Peter Lord grinned suddenly. "Put-
ting your finger with fiendish accura-
cy on all the vital spots, aren't you?
Yes, she was going to make a will;
very agitated about it. Couldn't
speak intelligently, but made her
wishes clear. Elinor Carlisle was to
have telephoned the lawyer first thing
in the morning"
$50 Elinor Carlisle knew that her
aunt wanted to make will? And if
her aunt died without making one,
Elinor Carlisle inherited everything 2"
Peter Lord said quickly: "She
didn't know that. She'd no idea her
aunt had never made WILL"
"That, my friend, is what she says.
She may have known"
"Look here, Poirot, are you the
Prosecuting Counsel?"
"At the moment, yes. must know
the full strength of the case against
her. Could Elinor Carlisle have TAX
en- the morphine from the attache
case?"
eyes. So could any one else. Rod
erick Welman. Nurse O'Brien. Anv
of the servants"
"Or DR.. Lord?"
Peter Lords eyes opened wide. He
said: Certainly. But what would be
the idea?"
Mercy, perhaps"
Peter Lord shook his head. Moth
ing doing there! You'll have to be-
lieve mel"
Hercule Poirot leaned back in his
chair. He said: "Let us entertain a
supposition. Let us say that Elinor
Carlisle did take that morphine from
the attache case and did administer
it to her aunt. Was anything said a.
bout the loss of the morphine?"
mot to the household. The two
nurses kept it to themselve s."
Poirot said: what, in your opin-
ion, will be the action of the Crown?"
"You mean if they find morphine
in Mrs. Welman's body?"
EYES,"
"Peter Lord said grimly: cts pos
sible that if Elinor is acquitted of the
present charge she will be rearrested
and charged with the murder of her
aunt"
Poirot said thoughtfully: "The mo-
tives are different; that is to say, in
the case of Mrs. Welman the motive
would have been gain, whereas in the
case of Mary Gerard the motive is
supposed to be jealousy"
"That's right"
Poirot said: "What lines does the
defense propose to take?"
Peter Lord said: "Bulmer proposes
to take the line that there was no mo-
tive. He'll put forward the theory
that the engagement between Elinor
and Roderick was family business,
entered into for family reasons, to
please Mrs. Welman, and that the
moment the old lady was dead Eli
nor broke it off of her own accord.
Roderick Welman will give evidence
to that effect. I think he almost be-
ieves it,"
believes that Elinor did not care
for him to any great extent?"
Eyes"
"In which case," said Poirot, "she
would have no reason for numbering
Mary Gerard"
Exactly"