Seventeen POIROT ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE¹
Miss Livingstone showed in a guest. “Mr. Hercules Porrett.”
As soon as Miss Livingstone had left the room, Poirot shut the door after her and sat down byhis friend, Mrs. Ariadne Oliver.
He said, lowering his voice slightly, “I depart².”
“You do what?” said Mrs. Oliver, who was always slightly startled³ by Poirot’s methods ofpassing on information.
“I depart. I make the departure. I take a plane to Geneva.”
“You sound as though you were UNO or UNESCO or something.”
“No. It is just a private visit that I make.”
“Have you got an elephant in Geneva?”
“Well, I suppose you might look at it that way. Perhaps two of them.”
“I haven’t found out anything more,” said Mrs. Oliver. “In fact I don’t know who I can go to, tofind out anymore.”
“I believe you mentioned, or somebody did, that your goddaughter, Celia Ravenscroft, had ayoung brother.”
“Yes. He’s called Edward, I think. I’ve hardly ever seen him. I took him out once or twice fromschool, I remember. But that was years ago.”
“Where is he now?”
“He’s at university, in Canada I think. Or he’s taking some engineering⁴ course there. Do youwant to go and ask him things?”
“No, not at the moment. I should just like to know where he is now. But I gather he was not inthe house when this suicide⁵ happened?”
“You’re not thinking—you’re not thinking for a moment that he did it, are you? I mean, shot hisfather and his mother, both of them. I know boys do sometimes. Very queer⁶ they are sometimeswhen they’re at a funny age.”
“He was not in the house,” said Poirot. “That I know already from my police reports.”
“Have you found out anything else interesting? You look quite excited.”
“I am excited in a way. I have found out certain things that may throw light upon what wealready know.”

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