THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD
"Thought I saw—a woman disappearing into the bushes. Just a gleam of white, you know. Must have been mistaken. It was while I was standing at the corner of the terrace that I heard Ackroyd's voice speaking to that secretary of his."
"Speaking to Mr. Geoffrey Raymond?"
"Yes—that's what I supposed at the time. Seems I was wrong."
"Mr. Ackroyd didn't address him by name?"
"Oh, no."
"Then, if I may ask, why did you think———?"
Blunt explained laboriously.
"Took it for granted that it would be Raymond, because he had said just before I came out that he was taking some papers to Ackroyd. Never thought of it being anybody else."
"Can you remember what the words you heard were?"
"Afraid I can't. Something quite ordinary and unimportant. Only caught a scrap of it. I was thinking of something else at the time."
"It is of no importance," murmured Poirot. "Did you move a chair back against the wall when you went into the study after the body was discovered?"
"Chair? No—why should I?"
Poirot shrugged his shoulders but did not answer. He turned to Flora.
"There is one thing I should like to know from you, mademoiselle. When you were examining the things in the silver table with Dr. Sheppard, was the dagger in its place, or was it not?"
[114]
