feeling restless – and then I met Linnet, and she just swept me off my feet! I’d never seen anything so lovely. It was all so amazing. Everyone kowtowing to her – and then her singling out a poor chump like me.’
His tone held boyish awe and astonishment.
‘I see,’ said Poirot. He nodded thoughtfully. ‘Yes – I see.’
‘Why can’t Jackie take it like a man?’ demanded Simon resentfully.
A very faint smile twitched Poirot’s upper lip.
‘Well, you see, Monsieur Doyle, to begin with she is not a man.’
‘No, no – but I meant take it like a good sport! After all, you’ve got to take your medicine when it comes to you. The fault’s mine, I admit. But there it is! If you no longer care for a girl, it’s simply madness to marry her. And now that I see what Jackie’s really like and the lengths she is likely to go to, I feel I’ve had rather a lucky escape.’
‘The lengths she is likely to go to,’ Poirot repeated thoughtfully. ‘Have you an idea, Monsieur Doyle, what those lengths are?’
Simon looked at him rather startled.
‘No – at least, what do you mean?’
‘You know she carries a pistol about with her?’
Simon frowned, then shook his head.
‘I don’t believe she’ll use that – now. She might have done so earlier. But I believe it’s got past that. She’s just spiteful now – trying to take it out of us both.’
Poirot shrugged his shoulders.
‘It may be so,’ he said doubtfully.
‘It’s Linnet I’m worrying about,’ said Simon somewhat unnecessarily.
‘I quite realize that,’ said Poirot.
‘I’m not really afraid of Jackie doing any melodramatic shooting stuff, but this spying and following business has absolutely got Linnet on the raw. I’ll tell you the plan I’ve made, and perhaps you can suggest improvements on it. To begin with, I’ve announced fairly openly that we’re going to stay here ten days. But tomorrow – the steamer Karnak starts from Shellal to Wadi Halfa. I propose to book passages on that under an assumed name. Tomorrow we’ll go on an excursion to Philae. Linnet’s maid can take the luggage. We’ll join the Karnak at Shellal. When Jackie finds we don’t come back, it will be too late – we shall be well on our way. She’ll assume we have given her the slip and gone back to Cairo. In fact I might even bribe the porter to say so. Enquiry at the tourist offices won’t help her, because our names won’t appear. How does that strike you?’