Summary - The diamonds have been recovered and the case is closed, so Poirot has the chance to explain.

Originally written for Yuletide 2007, as a present for Doyle.

Explanations

'Good morning, mon ami,' said Poirot cheerfully.

I glanced up from the paper. Poirot seemed much more like his usual self this morning. It had been a very quiet month so far, and inactivity did not suit him. What he needed was a case, but so far nothing had captured his interest.

'Morning,' I said.

I watched as he examined his pocket watch, then rap sharply on the dividing window, to summon Miss Lemon.

'My tisane, if you please, Miss Lemon.'

'Right away, Monsieur Poirot.'

As he walked across the room, I noticed that Poirot was looking more pleased with himself than usual. In fact, he positively glowed with self-appreciation as he stood by his seat and gazed out of the window to the gardens below. I waited, but forbade to ask as he would undoubtedly tell me before too long. I went back to reading the paper.

A number of minutes passed, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see Poirot getting restless.

'Do you not notice anything in the papers this morning, Hastings?' he said eventually.

I shook my head, glancing back over the headlines. Nothing caught my eye, at least nothing I thought would interest him.

'Is there nothing, Hastings?' he asked. 'Nothing at all?'

'Well, gold prices are down,' I said, picking the first headline I saw on the page I was reading. I turned back to the front page. 'And the Prime Minister is going to Germany.'

There was still no response from my friend, so I tried again.

'The Henley Regatta?'

Poirot scowled at me. I looked down the paper. At the very bottom there was the headline "Caruthers Art Gallery To Close." As I said read the line out loud, Poirot smiled.

'Oh! I see!' I said. 'So you are interested in Japp's little problem. I knew you wouldn't let him down!'

'Ah, yes, my friend, but I am not like the worthy Japp, no? I do not go around the countryside with my magnifying glass and measure the footprints!' He smiled to himself at that description of the Chief Inspector's methods. 'No! I use the little grey cells.' He tapped the side of his head.

'And what do they tell you this time?' I asked.

Poirot smiled once again and settled down into his chair behind his table, steepling his fingers.

'The Gallery it is to shut, mon ami, because the case is closed. The diamonds have been recovered.'

I frowned in confusion. Only a few days ago Japp had come to visit and asked for Poirot's help with a case of missing diamonds. The whole gem collection of Lady Caruthers had vanished without a trace and she was understandably distraught.

'Closed?' I asked in confusion. 'How? When?'

Poirot continued to smile, as Miss Lemon arrived with the tisane and the morning post.

'Chief Inspector Japp made an arrest yesterday evening, Hastings. I was able to tell him exactly what had happened.'

'But...'

'And it is you I have to thank, my friend,' he said beaming across the table at me.

'Me!' I replied in surprise. 'What did I do?'

He nodded with great enthusiasm.

'Yes, Hastings. Your help is always invaluable and this case was no exception.'

'But,' I said, 'we didn't even talk to any of the people. How did you know who stole the diamonds?'

'It was her nephew,' said Poirot. 'He is the well-known artist.' He gestured to the paper. 'And he is also the owner of the Gallery. Or rather, he was the owner!'

'Oh. Right.' I nodded slowly, not understanding what Poirot was hinting at. As far as I knew, the Gallery was unimportant to the case and I barely knew anything about it.

'But I don't see why the Gallery is important,' I said at last.

'Is it,' Poirot replied. 'It is of the utmost importance!'

'Why?'

'Ah!' said Poirot, leaning forward, his green eyes suddenly brightening. 'That is a very good question Hastings. You see, all along the question of how the diamonds were removed from the house interested me the most.'

'But not the safe?' I asked. 'I thought Japp was confused about how they were removed from the safe?'

'Pah!' said Poirot. 'That is simple! The thief, he knew the combination.'

'Oh,' I said. 'But how?'

'Hastings, do you not see? Her nephew was able to spy out the combination. He could remove the diamonds without damaging the safe. And therefore leave no trace of his presences there.'

'But Japp said...'

I received a stern look from my friend.

'The Chief Inspector Japp did not use his little grey cells!'

'Alright, but how did the nephew get the diamond out of the house? There was no way...'

'Ah, yes!' said Poirot gleefully. 'And that is precisely why Japp did not consider the relatives as suspects. But he overlooked one thing!'

'What was that?'

Poirot replied with a question.

'What were the only things to leave the house on the correct day?'

I thought about this for a long while, trying to think back to what I had been told. But there was only one thing that I could think of.

'There was some art, for the Gallery,' I said. 'Wasn't there?'

Poirot nodded, his eyes still shining.

'The diamonds?' I said incredulously. 'They were hidden in the pictures?'

'No, no, no!' he said. 'It was not the pictures. No they were too easily examined, and it would be too difficult to ensure the diamonds were safe.'

'Then what?'

'The statue.'

I looked at Poirot in surprise.

'That statue! What on earth made you think the stones were in there!'

'It was you, Hastings who commented on the name of that particular piece. Do you not remember?' I paused for a moment, trying to remember which statue Poirot was referring too. 'It was in the catalogue that the Chief Inspector Japp brought with him.'

'Oh! Yes, I remember! That charcoal and wire thing. Can't say I liked it very much! The Heart of something or other... Ice! The Heart of Ice!'

On the other side on the table, Poirot nodded.

'And I remember what you said about it.'

'What was that?'

'It's name, you said, it was not suitable.'

'I did?'

'Mais oui! You said that it looked nothing like the ice or the heart.'

'Well...' I tried my best to conjure a proper image of the statue to mind, but failed. 'Well... it didn't. I mean, I know you said it was modern and all that, but...

'Exactly, Hastings!' Poirot exclaimed. 'The title, it was ridiculous! It had no meaning to that statue. And so it must have meant something else.'

'Oh. I see.' I paused, as Poirot waited for me to say more. He looked at me as if I should implicitly understand. 'But...'

'It was a code,' he replied. 'For those who were waiting for the diamonds. Ice, Hastings! Do you not comprehend?'

I nodded, though the connection still eluded me. Poirot seemed satisfied however.

'Bon!' he said. 'Et maintenant, the men who collected the statue from the Gallery were arrested as well, and the diamonds, they have been recovered. The Chief Inspector is praised by his superiors, and I have had a most diverting problem to consider.'

He sat back into his chair, still looking inordinately pleased with himself. It was good to see him in such an agreeable mood.

'Bet Japp was happy,' I said.

Poirot nodded.

'The Chief Inspector was very happy, mon ami. Lady Caruthers is a woman most formidable!'

'And all that without ever leaving the flat!' I said. 'Jolly good show!'

He graciously accepted my praise with a genial nod and took a sip of his tisane.

And as my friend turned his attention to the pile of letters on his desk, I gave a small, proud smile then continued reading my paper.

The End.