The A B C Murders / Убийство по алфавиту. Книга для чтения на английском языке

Almost exactly opposite Mrs Ascher’s was a greengrocer’s shop—of the type that has most of its stock outside rather than inside.

In a low voice Poirot gave me certain instructions. Then he himself entered the shop. After waiting a minute or two I followed him in. He was at the moment negotiating for a lettuce. I myself bought a pound of strawberries.

Poirot was talking animatedly to the stout lady who was serving him.

�It was just opposite you, was it not, that this murder occurred? What an affair! What a sensation it must have caused you!’

The stout lady was obviously tired of talking about the murder.

�It would be as well if some of that gaping crowd cleared off. What is there to look at, I’d like to know?’

�It must have been very different last night,’ said Poirot. �Possibly you even observed the murderer enter the shop—a tall, fair man with a beard, was he not? A Russian, so I have heard.

�What’s that?’ The woman looked up sharply. �A Russian did it, you say?’

�I understand that the police have arrested him.’

�Did you ever know?’ The woman was excited, voluble. �A foreigner.’

�Mais oui[85 - Mais oui (фр.) – Ну да]. I thought perhaps you might have noticed him last night?’

�Well, I don’t get much chance of noticing, and that’s a fact. The evening’s our busy time and there’s always a fair few passing along and getting home after their work.

I broke in on my cue[86 - on my cue – в подходящий момент].

�Excuse me, sir,’ I said to Poirot. �I think you have been misinformed. A short dark man I was told.’

An interested discussion intervened in which the stout lady, her lank husband and a hoarse-voiced shop-boy all participated. No less than four short dark men had been observed, and the hoarse boy had seen a tall fair one, �but he hadn’t got no beard,’ he added regretfully.

Finally, our purchases made, we left the establishment, leaving our falsehoods uncorrected.

�And what was the point of all that, Poirot?’ I demanded somewhat reproachfully.

�Parbleu[87 - Parbleu (фр.) – Ей-богу], I wanted to estimate the chances of a stranger being noticed entering the shop opposite.