IV
"I didn't do it!" Miss O'Dreir protested, "I had no reason to!"
"It was your lacrosse stick, from your room!' Inspector Jefferson said in a threatening voice, "You cannot deny it is yours!"
"It is my stick, I admit that, but a few weeks ago I felt that this was not the best place for me to keep it, it always seemed to be in my way. I took it home to my sister's house last week, she will look after it for me."
"Can anyone confirm this?" Poirot said, looking doubtful.
"Lady Alice can, saw me leave. She had given me the day off to visit my sister, she will tell you that I speak the only the truth! And, if I wanted to kill someone, why would I be stupid enough to kill him or her with a lacrosse stick that could belong to no one else but me? I an not so stupid as that!" She glared at Poirot and Inspector Jefferson.
"We'd best speak to Lady Alice then" Poirot said, "but perhaps we should wait until tomorrow, as she is still in shock"
"I'm not sure if she took it to her sister's house, I know she went there last week though" said Lady Alice, who no longer seemed distraught over the death of her husband
"Mr. Drysdale was under the impression that it was still here" Poirot said gently, as though not to stress Lady Alice.
"That man knows more than me about what happens in this house, he's really the best butler," said Lady Alice admiringly. "I don't know what I would do without him!"
"Is there anyone else who could confirm that Miss O'Dreir lacrosse stick in no longer here?" said Inspector Jefferson, angry that evidence against Miss O'Dreir was disappearing "Mr. Galveston, for instance?"
"I don't think that he would… he never knows these sorts of things." Lady Alice said, finishing abruptly.
"Thank you for your time" said Poirot
"There's something not quite right about her, she is never sure of her story" said Poirot.
"Oh, don't be so suspicious, old chap" Inspector Jefferson said, still seeming upset they hadn't found the killer, "I bet she just feels guilty that her servant killed Lord Edgar, and tried not to give any evidence against her."
"I still think that it would be a good idea to interview Mr. Galverston, he may be able to help us sort this out."
"Miss O'Dreir is a person none of us know much about, but her lacrosse stick is defiantly not here, I saw her take it to her sister's house." said Mr. Galverston, seemingly annoyed he had to answer questions again. "Anyway, back to what I was saying. One day she arrived here with Lord Edgar, who had been out for a drive, and he said she was now the head maid. The odd thing was, she knew nothing about being a servant, and she almost expected the other servants to wait on her, but I must have been imagining things."
"This is most unusual," said Poirot "Can you tell us any more? Anything you think would help, something about… Charles Everworth for instance?"
"Well, no you mention it, there is something suspicious…" said Mr. Galverston, looking into the distance as thought he was back in time "Whenever he comes for supper, even if it's a quite early, he never leaves before 9 o'clock, at that is early for him."
"He must have had a previous commitment." Poirot suggested "Thank you for your time."