Black Coffee by Agatha Christie Read Free Book Online

working, when Dr Carelli appeared at the door. After greeting him, Raynor left Carelli alone in the study while he went to let Lucia know -”
    “I protest - I -” Carelli began, but again Sir Claud raised his hand for silence, and continued his narrative. “Raynor, however,” he said, “did not get further than the door of this room, where he met my sister Caroline, with Barbara. The three of them remained in this room, and Dr Carelli joined them. Caroline and Barbara were the only two members of the party who did not enter the study.”
    Barbara glanced at her aunt, and then addressed Sir Claud. “I'm afraid your information about our movements isn't quite correct, Uncle Claud,” she said. “I can't be excluded from your list of suspects. Do you remember, Aunt Caroline? You sent me into the study to look for a knitting needle you said you'd mislaid. You wondered if it might be in there.”
    Ignoring his niece's interruption, the scientist continued. “Richard came down next. He strolled into the study by himself and remained there for some minutes.”
    “My God!” Richard exclaimed. “Really, Father, you surely don't suspect that I'd steal your wretched formula, do you?”
    Looking directly at his son, Sir Claud replied meaningfully, “That piece of paper was worth a great deal of money.”
    “I see.” His son regarded him steadily. “And I'm in debt. That's what you mean, isn't it?”
    Sir Claud made no reply to him. His gaze sweeping over the others, he continued. “As I was saying, Richard remained in the study for some minutes. He reappeared in this room just as Lucia came in. When dinner was announced, a few minutes later, Lucia was no longer with us. I found her in the study, standing by the safe.”
    “Father!” exclaimed Richard, moving to his wife and putting an arm protectively about her.
    “I repeat, standing by the safe,” Sir Claud insisted. “She seemed very much agitated, and when I asked what was the matter she told me she felt unwell. I suggested that a glass of wine might be good for her. She assured me, however, that she was quite all right again, and then left me to join the others. Instead of following Lucia immediately to the dining-room, I remained behind in my study. I don't know why, but some instinct urged me to look in the safe. The envelope with the formula in it had disappeared.”

Black Coffee

Chapter 6
    There was a pause. No one spoke. The immense seriousness of the situation appeared to be dawning on everyone. Then Richard asked, “How have you assembled this information about our movements, Father?”
    “By taking thought, of course,” Sir Claud replied. “By observation and deduction. By the evidence of my own eyes, and by what I learned from questioning Tredwell.”
    “I notice you don't include Tredwell or any of the other servants among your suspects, Claud,” Caroline Amory observed tartly. “Only your family.”
    “My family - and our guest,” her brother corrected her.
    “That is so, Caroline. I have established to my own satisfaction that neither Tredwell nor any of the domestics were in the study between the time I placed the formula in the safe and the time I opened the safe again to find it missing.”
    He looked at each of them in turn, before adding, “I hope the position is clear to you all. Whoever took the formula must still have it. Since we returned here from dinner, the dining-room has been thoroughly searched. Tredwell would have informed me if the piece of paper had been found hidden there. And, as you now realize, I have seen to it that no one has had the opportunity to leave this room.”
    For some moments there was a tense silence, broken only when Dr Carelli asked politely, “Is it your suggestion, then, Sir Claud, that we should all be searched?”
    “That is not my suggestion,” replied Sir Claud, consulting his watch. “It is now two minutes to nine. Hercule Poirot will have arrived at Market Cleve, where he is being met. At