2 The Double Clue Text Task
2. THE DOUBLE CLUE
"But above everything – no publicity," said Mr. Marcus Hardman for perhaps the fourteenth time.
He repeated the word publicity regularly throughout his conversation. Mr. Hardman was a small man, delicately plump, with exquisitely manicured hands and a plaintive tenor voice. He was rich, but not remarkably so. His hobby was collecting. Old lace, old fans, antique jewelry were the focus of his interest.
Poirot and I, obeying Mr. Hardman's urgent call, had arrived at his house.
"My rubies, Monsieur Poirot, and the emerald necklace – said to have belonged to Catherine de Medici. Oh, the emerald necklace!"
"If you will tell me the circumstances of their disappearance?" suggested Poirot gently.
"You see, yesterday afternoon I had a little tea party – some half a dozen people or so. I have given one or two of them during the season, and they have been quite a success. Some good music – Nacora, the pianist, and Katherine Bird, the Australian contralto – in the big studio. Well, early in the afternoon, I was showing my guests my collection of medieval jewels. I keep them in the small wall safe over there. It is arranged like a cabinet inside, with colored velvet background, to display the stones. Afterward we inspected the fans – in that case on the wall. Then we all went to the studio for music. It was not until after everyone had gone that I discovered the safe rifled! I must have failed to shut it properly! The rubies, Monsieur Poirot, the emerald necklace – the collection of a lifetime! What would I not give to recover them! But there must be no publicity! You fully understand that, do you not, Monsieur Poirot? My own guests, my personal friends! It would be a horrible scandal!"
"Who was the last person to leave this room when you went to the studio?"
"Mr. Johnston. You may know him? The South African millionaire. He has just rented the Abbotburys' house in Park Lane. He stayed in the studio a few moments, I remember. But surely, oh, surely it could
"But above everything – no publicity," said Mr. Marcus Hardman for perhaps the fourteenth time.
He repeated the word publicity regularly throughout his conversation. Mr. Hardman was a small man, delicately plump, with exquisitely manicured hands and a plaintive tenor voice. He was rich, but not remarkably so. His hobby was collecting. Old lace, old fans, antique jewelry were the focus of his interest.
Poirot and I, obeying Mr. Hardman's urgent call, had arrived at his house.
"My rubies, Monsieur Poirot, and the emerald necklace – said to have belonged to Catherine de Medici. Oh, the emerald necklace!"
"If you will tell me the circumstances of their disappearance?" suggested Poirot gently.
"You see, yesterday afternoon I had a little tea party – some half a dozen people or so. I have given one or two of them during the season, and they have been quite a success. Some good music – Nacora, the pianist, and Katherine Bird, the Australian contralto – in the big studio. Well, early in the afternoon, I was showing my guests my collection of medieval jewels. I keep them in the small wall safe over there. It is arranged like a cabinet inside, with colored velvet background, to display the stones. Afterward we inspected the fans – in that case on the wall. Then we all went to the studio for music. It was not until after everyone had gone that I discovered the safe rifled! I must have failed to shut it properly! The rubies, Monsieur Poirot, the emerald necklace – the collection of a lifetime! What would I not give to recover them! But there must be no publicity! You fully understand that, do you not, Monsieur Poirot? My own guests, my personal friends! It would be a horrible scandal!"
"Who was the last person to leave this room when you went to the studio?"
"Mr. Johnston. You may know him? The South African millionaire. He has just rented the Abbotburys' house in Park Lane. He stayed in the studio a few moments, I remember. But surely, oh, surely it could