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Title: The Murder on the Links Author: Agatha Christie Release Date: February 11, 2019 [EBook #58866] Language: English Character set encoding: UTF-8 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MURDER ON THE LINKS *** Produced by Alex Cabal for the Standard Ebooks project, with thanks to Mark Graham of the Internet Archive Page 1 MYSTERY'S *1 BESTSELLER AGATHA CHRISTIE A HERCULE POIROT MYSTERY THE MURDER ON THE LINKS NO O •o ->>>->>>->>>^^^ "One can see by his face that he was stabbed in the back," remarked Poirot. Very gently he turned the dead man over. There, between the shoulder blades, staining the light fawn overcoat, was a round dark patch. In the middle of it was a slit in the cloth. Poirot exam- ined it narrowly. He let the body fall back to its original position. Poirot lingered a moment, looking back toward the body. When he spoke, it was tamely and awk- wardly, and his comment was ludicrously inap- propriate to the solemnity of the moment. "He wore his overcoat very long," he said. " "The champion deceiver of our time. —NEW YORK TIMES Berkley books by Agatha Christie APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH THE BIG FOUR THE BOOMERANG CLUE CARDS ON THE TABLE DEAD MANS MIRROR DEATH IN THE AIR DOUBLE SIN AND OTHER STORIES ELEPHANTS CAN REMEMBER THE GOLDEN BALL AND OTHER STORIES THE HOLLOW THE LABORS OF HERCULES THE MAN IN THE BROWN SUIT MISS MARPLE: THE COMPLETE SHORT STORIES MR. PARKER PYNE, DETECTIVE THE MOVING FINGER THE MURDER AT HAZELMOOR THE MURDER AT THE VICARAGE MURDER IN MESOPOTAMIA MURDER IN RETROSPECT MURDER IN THREE ACTS THE MURDER ON THE LINKS THE MYSTERIOUS MR. QUIN NORM? PARTNERS IN CRIME THE PATRIOTIC MURDERS POIROT LOSES A CLIENT THE REGATTA MYSTERY AND OTHER STORIES SAD CYPRESS THE SECRET OF CHIMNEYS THERE IS A TIDE... THEY CAME TO BAGHDAD THIRTEEN AT DINNER THREE BLIND MICE AND OTHER STORIES THE TUESDAY CLUB MURDERS THE UNDER DOG AND OTHER STORIES THE WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION AND OTHER STORIES AGATHA CHRISTIE THE MURDER ON THE LINKS i: BERKLEY BOOKS, NEW YORK This Berkley book contains the complete text of the original hardcover edition. It has been completely reset in a typeface designed for easy reading and was printed from new film. THE MURDER ON THE LINKS A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with G. P. Putnam's Sons PRINTING HISTORY Dodd, Mead edition published 1923 Dell edition / March 1977 Berkley edition / February 1984 All rights reserved. Copyright 1923 by Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc. Copyright renewed 1950 by Agatha Christie Mallowan. Book design by Virginia M. Smith. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by mimeograph or any other means, without permission. For information address: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016. ISBN: 0-425-06794-7 A BERKLEY BOOK ® TM 757,375 Berkley Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group, 200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016. The name "BERKLEY" and the "B" logo are trademarks belonging to Berkley Publishing Corporation. PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 TO MYHUSBAND A fellow enthusiast for detective stories, and to whom I am indebted for much helpful ad- vice and criticism 1 Contents 1 A Fellow Traveller 1 2 An Appeal for Help 7 3 At the Villa Genevieve 19 4 The Letter Signed " Bella" 29 5 Mrs. Renauld's Story 37 6 The Scene of the Crime 46 7 The Mysterious Madame Daubreuil 53 8 An Unexpected Meeting 64 9 M. Giraud Finds Some Clues 73 10 Gabriel Stonor 80 1 Jack Renauld 87 12 Poirot Elucidates Certain Points 98 13 The Girl with the Anxious Eyes 107 14 The Second Body 116 15 A Photograph 123 16 The Beroldy Case 131 17 We Make Further Investigations 137 18 GiraudActs 144 19 I Use My Grey Cells 151 20 An Amazing Statement 157 21 Hercule Poirot on the Case! 167 22 I Find Love 174 23 Difficulties Ahead 184 24 "Save Him!" 189 25 An Unexpected Denouement 197 26 I Receive a Letter 202 27 Jack Renauld's Story 207 28 Journey's End 218 " m m T^\xV \\A /ss '^'^TJL I tAHrdlow traveller I believe that a well-known anecdote exists to the effect that a young writer, determined to make the commence- ment of his story forcible and original enough to catch and rivet the attention of the most blase of editors, penned the following sentence: 44 'Hell!' said the Duchess. Strangely enough, this tale of mine opens in much the same fashion. Only the lady who gave utterance to the exclamation was not a Duchess! It was a day in early June. I had been transacting some business in Paris and was returning by the morn- ing service to London where I was still sharing rooms with my old friend, the Belgian ex-detective, Hercule Poirot. The Calais express was singularly empty— in fact, my own compartment held only one other traveller. I had made a somewhat hurried departure from the hotel and was busy assuring myself that I had duly collected all my traps when the train started. Up till then I had hardly noticed my companion, but I was now violently recalled to the fact of her existence. Jumping up from her seat, 1 2 Agatha Christie she let down the window and stuck her head out, with- drawing it a moment later with the brief and forcible ejaculation "Hell!" Now I am old-fashioned. A woman, I consider, should be womanly. I have no patience with the modern neurotic girl who jazzes from morning to night, smokes like a chimney, and uses language which would make a Billingsgate fish woman blush! I looked up now, frowning slightly, into a pretty, im- pudent face, surmounted by a rakish little red hat. A thick cluster of black curls hid each ear. I judged that she was little more than seventeen, but her face was covered with powder, and her lips were quite impossibly scarlet. Nothing abashed, she returned my glance, and ex- ecuted an expressive grimace. "Dear me, we've shocked the kind gentleman!' ' she observed to an imaginary audience. "I apologize for my language! Most unladylike, and all that, but Oh, Lord, there's reason enough for it! Do you know I've lost my only sister?" "Really?" I said politely. "How unfortunate." "He disapproves!" remarked the lady. "He disap- proves utterly—of me, and my sister—which last is un- fair, because he hasn't seen her!" I opened my mouth, but she forestalled me. "Say no more! Nobody loves me! I shall go into the garden and eat worms! Boohoo! I am crushed!" She buried herself behind a large comic French paper. In a minute or two I saw her eyes stealthily peeping at me over the top. In spite of myself I could not help smil- ing, and in a minute she had tossed the paper aside, and had burst into a merry peal of laughter. "I knew you weren't such a mutt as you looked," she cried. Her laughter was so infectious that I could not help joining in, though I hardly cared for the word "mutt." The girl was certainly all that I most disliked, but that THE MURDER ON THE LINKS 3 was no reason why I should make myself ridiculous by my attitude. I prepared to unbend. After all, she was decidedly pretty. "There! Now we're friends!" declared the minx. "Say you're sorry about my sister—" "I am desolated!" "That's a good boy!" "Let me finish. I was going to add that, although I am desolated, I can manage to put up with her absence very well." I made a little bow. But this most unaccountable of damsels frowned and shook her head. "Cut it out. I prefer the 'dignified disapproval' stunt. Oh, your face! 'Not one of us,' it said. And you were right there— though, mind you, it's pretty hard to tell nowadays. It's not every one who can distinguish be- tween a demi and a duchess. There now, I believe I've shocked you again! You've been dug out of the back- woods, you have. Not that I mind that. We could do with a few more of your sort. I just hate a fellow who gets fresh. It makes me mad." She shook her head vigorously. "What are you like when you're mad?" I inquired with a smile. "A regular little devil! Don't care what I say, or what I do, either! I nearly did a chap in once. Yes, really. He'd have deserved it too. Italian blood I've got. I shall get into trouble one of these days." "Well," I begged, "don't get mad with me." "I shan't. I like you— did the first moment I set eyes on you. But you looked so disapproving that I never thought we should make friends." "Well, we have.