VII
"This isn't Edgar's button" Said James Drysdale "He only wore what on would call typical English clothing, and he was never given anything that would have a button like this."
"Do you have any idea whose it could be?" Asked Poirot.
"Not a clue, but if I had to take a guess I would say Charles Everworth, he's the only person that would own clothing like this."
"Thank you" Said Inspector Jefferson.
"Would Mr. Everworth have been in here on the night of the murder?" Poirot asked Lady Alice.
"No, certainly not!" Answered Lady Alice Vehemently, "We only came in here when we used to play cards, and we don't do that anymore. I wish we still would, but he seems to think that he to good for things like that. Its such a shame that…"
"Thank you for your time," Said Poirot, interrupting Lady Alice's reflections. "You may go now."
Later that day, Poirot and Inspector Jefferson went to talk to Charles Everworth. However, when they passed at the front gate of Heatherfield Castle, they bumped into someone leaving.
"Beautiful Morning isn't it?" He said cheerfully, "and what brings you here?"
"We are the detectives looking into the murder of Lord Edgar." Replied Inspector Jefferson "and who might you be?"
"I'm Charles Everworth, a close friend of Lady Alice"
"What a stroke of luck, we were looking for you." Said Inspector Jefferson "We only wanted to ask you a few questions." He added quickly, at the sight of Charles Everworth's reaction.
"Well," he replied, relaxing "as I'm sure you heard, I was indeed there on the night of the murder, but I left well before 8 o'clock"
"And where did you go once you left Heatherfield Castle?"
"Home." replied Charles Everworth, rather abruptly.
"Did you see anyone on you way home?" Inspector Jefferson Asked
"Well… Gosh, I really can't seem to remember. Wait, I completely forgot." He said, looking shocked "I went to the bar to have a few drinks. I arrived at about half past eight I left about an hour and a half later, perhaps I stayed even longer, I don't really remember."
"Can anyone confirm what you have told us?" Poirot interjected.
"The bartender, Luke Abercrombie, saw me."
Do you happen to know a Miss O'Dreir, the head maid at Heatherfield castle?" Asked Inspector Jefferson
"Of course, accent like that, it's hard not to know her."
"It seems you misunderstood the question, did you know her before she was a maid there, or from somewhere else?"
"Not that I know of. Anything else you want to ask me?"
"Only one more thing, as I see you are impatient to go. Is this your button?" Poirot showed him the button found in the drawing room.
"Yes, it must have come off when I walked to the gate, I walked into a bush, it was such a dark night. Is that where you found it?"
"Yes, it is." Poirot replied
"Yes, thank you for returning it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to do." and he strolled of down the lane without a backwards glance.
"No, Charles couldn't have Killed Lord Edgar, he was here all the time, and didn't leave till about a quarter past ten" said Luke Abercrombie, whilst cleaning glasses. Poirot and Inspector Jefferson had come to the local pub to question him.
"Are you sure you couldn't have left without you seeing" Poirot
"Look where I'm standing" he said with the tone of a teacher telling a student something very obvious, "I have an unobstructed view of the door, and Charles always sits over there, he indicated a table on the other side of the bar. I never leave here for more than half a minute, and with the bar as packed as it is of a night, no one over there," he gestured in the direction of the table he had pointed out earlier "could leave without me seeing."
"I see," said Poirot, walking from the table to the door. "If it were crowded, it could not be done in the time you were away." He smiled at Luke as he left.