The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories

"How perfectly lovely," cried Eve in a high affected voice. "Oh!" She gave a cry of consternation as it slipped from her hand. "I've dropped it." She pushed back her chair and got down to grope under the table. Sir George at her right, bent also. A glass got swept off the table in the confusion. Stein, Llewellyn and Mrs. Rustington all helped in the search. Finally Lady Marroway joined in.

Only Mr. Pointz took no part in the proceedings.

He remained in his seat sipping his wine and smiling sardonically. "Oh, dear," said Eve, still in her artificial manner. "How dreadful! Where can it have rolled to? I can't find it anywhere." One by one the assistant searchers rose to their feet. "It's disappeared all right, Pointz," said Sir George, smiling. "Very nicely done," said Mr. Pointz, nodding approval. "You'd make a very good actress, Eve. Now the question is, have you hidden it somewhere or have you got it on you?" "Search me," said Eve dramatically. Mr. Pointz' eye sought out a large screen in the corner of the room. He nodded towards it and then looked at Lady Marroway and Mrs. R.ustington. "If you ladies will be so good--" "Why, certainly," said Lady Marroway, smiling. The two women rose. Lady Marroway said,

THE REGATTA MYSTERY 13

"Don't be afraid, Mr. Pointz. We'll vet her properly."

The three went behind the screen.

The room was hot. Evan Llewellyn flung open the window. A news vender was passing. Evan

threw down a coin and the man threw up a paper. Llewellyn unfolded it.

,'Hungarian situation none too good," he said.

"That the local rag?" asked Sir George. "There's a horse I'm interested in ought to have run at Haldon today--Natty Boy."

"Leo," said Mr. Pointz. "Lock the door: We don't want those damned waiters popping in and out till this business is over."

"Natty Boy won three to one," said Evan.

"Rotten odds," said Sir George.

"Mostly Regatta news," said Evan, glancing over the sheet.

The three young women came out from the screen.

"Not a sign of it," said Janet Rustington.

"You can take it from me she hasn't got it on her," said Lady Marroway.

Mr. Pointz thought he would be quite ready to take it from her. There was a grim tone in her voice and he felt no doubt that the search had been thorough.

"Say, Eve, you haven't swallowed it?" asked 'i Mr. Leathern anxiously. "Because maybe that

wouldn't be too good for you." "I'd have seen her do that," said Leo Stein

quietly. "I was watching her. She didn't put any-thing in her mouth."

14 Agatha Christie

"I couldn't swallow a great thing all points like that," said Eve. She put her hands on her hips and looked at Mr. Pointz. "What about it, big boy?" she asked.

"You stand over there where you are and don't .move," said that gentleman.

Among them, the men stripped the table and turned it upside down. Mr. Pointz examined every inch of it. Then he transferred his attention to the chair on which Eve had been sitting and those on either side of her.

The thoroughness of the search left nothing to be desired. The other four men joined in and the

women also. Eve Leathern stood by the wall

near the screen and laughed with intense enjoy-ment.

Five minutes later Mr. Pointz rose with a slight groan from his knees and dusted his trousers sadly. His pristine freshness was somewhat im-paired.

"Eve," he said. "I take off my hat to you. You're the finest thing in jewel thieves I've ever come across. What you've done with that stone beats me. As far as I can see it must be in the room as it isn't on you. I give you best."

"Are the stockings mine?" demanded Eve. "They're yours, young lady."

"Eve, my child, where can you have hidden it?"

demanded Mrs. Rustington curiously.

Eve pranced forward.

"I'll show you. You'll all be just mad with yourselves."

She went across to the side table where the things from the dinner table had been roughly

THE REGATTA MYSTERY 15

stacked. She picked up her little black evening bag ''Right under your eyes. Right..."

Her voice, gay and triumphant, trailed off sud-denly.

"Oh," she said. "Oh .... "

"What's the matter, honey?" said her father. Eve whispered: "It's gone.., it's gone .... "

"What's all this?" asked Pointz, coming for-ward.

Eve turned to him impetuously.

"It was like this. This pochette of mine has a big paste stone in the middle of the clasp. It fell out

last night and just when you were showing that diamond round I noticed that it was much the

same size. And so I thought in the night what a good idea for a robbery it would be to wedge your diamond into the gap with a bit of plasticine. I felt sure nobody would ever spot it. That's what I did tonight. First I dropped it--then went down after it with the bag in my hand, stuck it into the gap with a bit of plasticine which I had handy, put my bag on the table and went on pretending to look for the diamond. I thought it would be like the Purloined Letter--you know--lying there in full view under all your noses--and just looking like a common bit of rhinestone. And it was a good plan --none of you did notice."

"I wonder," said Mr. Stein.