Cards on the Table Read Online Free PDF

didn’t really look closely at him.”
    â€œVery good. Now, when did your fellow players leave their seats?”
    Dr. Roberts frowned.
    â€œDifficult—very difficult. Despard went and fetched an extra ashtray, I think. And he went for a drink. That was before me, for I remember he asked me if I’d have one, and I said I wasn’t quite ready.”
    â€œAnd the ladies?”
    â€œMrs. Lorrimer went over to the fire once. Poked it, I think. I rather fancy she spoke to Shaitana, but I don’t know. I was playing a rather tricky no trump at the time.”
    â€œAnd Miss Meredith?”
    â€œShe certainly left the table once. Came round and looked at my hand—I was her partner at the time. Then she looked at the other people’s hands, and then she wandered round the room. I don’t know what she was doing exactly. I wasn’t paying attention.”
    Superintendent Battle said thoughtfully:
    â€œAs you were sitting at the bridge table, no one’s chair was directly facing the fireplace?”
    â€œNo, sort of sideways on, and there was a big cabinet between—Chinese piece, very handsome. I can see, of course, that it would be perfectly possible to stab the old boy. After all, when you’re playing bridge, you’re playing bridge. You’re not looking round you, and noticing what is going on. The only person who’s likely to be doing that is dummy. And in this case—”
    â€œIn this case, undoubtedly, dummy was the murderer,” said Superintendent Battle.
    â€œAll the same,” said Dr. Roberts, “it wanted nerve, you know. After all, who is to say that somebody won’t look up just at the critical moment?”
    â€œYes,” said Battle. “It was a big risk. The motive must have been a strong one. I wish we knew what it was,” he added with unblushing mendacity.
    â€œYou’ll find out, I expect,” said Roberts. “You’ll go through his papers, and all that sort of thing. There will probably be a clue.”
    â€œWe’ll hope so,” said Superintendent Battle gloomily.
    He shot a keen glance at the other.
    â€œI wonder if you’d oblige me, Dr. Roberts, by giving me a personal opinion—as man to man.”
    â€œCertainly.”
    â€œWhich do you fancy yourself of the three?”
    Dr. Roberts shrugged his shoulders.
    â€œThat’s easy. Offhand, I’d say Despard. The man’s got plenty of nerve; he’s used to a dangerous life where you’ve got to act quickly. He wouldn’t mind taking a risk. It doesn’t seem to melikely the women are in on this. Take a bit of strength, I should imagine.”
    â€œNot so much as you might think. Take a look at this.”
    Rather like a conjurer, Battle suddenly produced a long thin instrument of gleaming metal with a small round jewelled head.
    Dr. Roberts leaned forward, took it, and examined it with rich professional appreciation. He tried the point and whistled.
    â€œWhat a tool! What a tool! Absolutely made for murder, this little boy. Go in like butter—absolutely like butter. Brought it with him, I suppose.”
    â€œNo. It was Mr. Shaitana’s. It lay on the table near the door with a good many other knickknacks.”
    â€œSo the murderer helped himself. A bit of luck finding a tool like that.”
    â€œWell, that’s one way of looking at it,” said Battle slowly.
    â€œWell, of course, it wasn’t luck for Shaitana, poor fellow.”
    â€œI didn’t mean that, Dr. Roberts. I meant that there was another angle of looking at the business. It occurs to me that it was noticing this weapon that put the idea of murder into our criminal’s mind.”
    â€œYou mean it was a sudden inspiration—that the murder wasn’t premeditated? He conceived the idea after he got here? Er—anything to suggest that idea to you?”
    He glanced at him searchingly.
    â€œIt’s just an