Poirot - Chapter 9 The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim

Poirot - Chapter 9 The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
The disappearance of mister Davenheim. Puiotand I were expecting our old friend,
Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard to tea. We were sitting round the tea table
awaiting his arrival. Poirot had justfinished carefully straightening the cups and saucers,
which our landlady was in the habitof throwing rather than placing on the table.
He had also breathed heavily on themetal teapot and polished it with a

(00:20):
silk handkerchief. The kettle was onthe boil, and a small enamel saucepan
beside. It contained some thick,sweet chocolate, which was more to Poirot's
palate than what he described as yourEnglish poison. A sharp rat tat sounded
below, and a few minutes afterwardsJap entered briskly. Hope I'm not late,
he said, as he greeted us. To tell the truth, I

(00:41):
was yarning with Miller, the manwho's in charge of the Davenheim case.
I pricked up my ears. Forthe last three days the papers had been
full of the strange disappearance of misterDavenheim, senior partner of Davenheim and salmon
the well known bankers and financiers.On Saturday last he had walked out of
his house and had never been seensince. I looked forward to extracting some

(01:04):
interesting details from Jap, I shouldhave thought. I remarked that it would
be almost impossible for anyone to disappearnowadays. Poorro moved a plate of bread
and butter the eighth of an inchand said, sharply, be exact,
my friend, what do you meanby disappear to Which class of disappearance are
you referring? Our disappearance is classifiedand labeled. Then I laughed. Jap

(01:27):
smiled. Also Puoro frowned at us. Both, but certainly they are.
They fall into three categories, firstand most common, the voluntary disappearance,
Second, the much abused loss ofmemory case rare but occasionally genuine, Third,
murder, and a more or lesssuccessful disposal of the body. Do
you refer to all three as impossible? Of execution? Very nearly so?

(01:52):
I should think you might lose yourown memory, but someone would be sure
to recognize you, especially in thecase of a well known man like Davenheim.
Then can't be made to vanish intothin air? Sooner? Or later
they turn up concealed in lonely placesor in trunks, murder will out in
the same way. The absconding clerkor the domestic defaulter is bound to be

(02:13):
run down. In these days ofwireless telegraphy, he can be headed off
from foreign countries, ports and railwaystations are watched, and as for concealment
in this country, his features andappearance will be known to everyone who reads
a daily newspaper. He's up againstcivilization, mona me, said Poirot,
You make one air. You donot allow for the fact that a man
who had decided to make away withanother man, or with himself in a

(02:36):
figurative sense, might be that raremachine. A man of method. He
might bring intelligence, talent, acareful calculation of detail to the task.
And then I do not see whyhe should not be successful in baffling the
police force. But not you,I suppose, said jap Good, humoredly,
winking at me. He couldn't baffleyou, ah, Monsieur Poirot.

(02:58):
Poirot endeavored with a marked lack ofsuccess to look modest me. Also,
why not it is true that Iapproach such problems with an exact science,
a mathematical precision which seems alas onlytoo rare in the new generation of detectives.
Jap grinned more widely. I don'tknow, he said Miller. The
man who's on this case is asmart chap. You may be very sure

(03:20):
he won't overlook a footprint or acigar ash or a crumb. Even he's
got eyes that see everything. SoMona me said Poirot has the London sparrow,
but all the same, I shouldnot ask the little brown bird to
solve the problem of mister Davenheim.Yet, Come now, monsieur, You're
not going to run down the valueof details as clues by no means.
These things are all good in theirway. The danger is they may assume

(03:43):
undue importance. Most details are insignificant, one or two are vital. It
is the brain, the little graycells, he tapped his forehead, on
which one must rely the senses,mislead. One must seek the truth within,
not without. You don't mean tosay, Monsieur Poirot, that you
would undertake to solve a case withoutmoving from your chair, do you?
That is exactly what I do mean. Granted, the facts were placed before

(04:06):
me, I regard myself as aconsulting specialist. Jap slapped his knee hanged.
If I don't take you at yourword, bet you a fiver that
you can't lay your hand, orrather tell me where to lay my hand
on. Mister Davenheim, dead oralive before a week is out, Poirot
considered a bien mon amie. Iaccept lisport. It is the passion of
you English. Now the facts.On Saturday last, as is his usual

(04:30):
custom, mister Davenheim took the twelvepoint four zero train from Victoria to Chingside,
where his palatial country place, theCedars, is situated. After lunch,
he strolled round the grounds and gavevarious directions to the gardeners. Everybody
agrees that his manner was absolutely normaland as usual. After tea, he
put his head into his wife's boudoir, saying that he was going to stroll

(04:51):
down to the village and post someletters. He added that he was expecting
a mister Loewen on business if heshould come before he himself returned. Earned
he was to be shown into thestudy and asked to wait. Mister Davenheim
then left the house by the frontdoor. Passed leisurely down the drive and
out at the gate, and wasnever seen again. From that hour.

(05:11):
He vanished completely, pretty, verypretty, altogether a charming little problem,
murmured Puaro proceed my good friend.About a quarter of an hour later,
a tall, dark man with athick black mustache rang the front door bell
and explained that he had an appointmentwith mister Davenheim. He gave the name
of Loewen, and in accordance withthe banker's instructions, was shown into the

(05:34):
study. Nearly an hour passed,mister Davenheim did not return. Finally,
mister Lowen rang the bell and explainedthat he was unable to wait any longer,
as he must catch his train backto town. Missus Davenheim apologized for
her husband's absence, which seemed unaccountable, as she knew him to have been
expecting the visitor. Mister Lowen reiteratedhis regrets and took his departure. Well.

(05:59):
As everyone knows, mister Davenheim didnot return. Early on Sunday morning.
The police were communicated with, butcould make neither head nor tail of
the matter. Mister Davenheim seemed literallyto have vanished into thin air. He
had not been to the post office, nor had he been seen passing through
the village at the station. Theywere positive he had not departed by any

(06:20):
train. His own motor had notleft the garage. If he had hired
a car to meet him in somelonely spot, it seems almost certain that
by this time, in view ofthe large reward offered for information, the
driver of it would have come forwardto tell what he knew. True,
there was a small race meeting atEnfield, five miles away, and if
he had walked to that station hemight have passed unnoticed in the crowd.

(06:43):
But since then his photograph and afull description of him have been circulated in
every newspaper, and nobody has beenable to give any news of him.
We have, of course received manyletters from all over England, but each
clue so far has ended in disappointment. On Monday morning, a further sensational
discovery came to light. Behind aportier in mister Davenheim's study stands as safe

(07:04):
and that's safe had been broken intoand rifled. The windows were fastened securely
on the inside, which seems toput an ordinary burglary out of court,
unless of course, an accomplice withinthe house fastened them again afterwards. On
the other hand, Sunday having intervenedand the household being in a state of
chaos, it is likely that theburglary was committed on the Saturday and remained

(07:26):
undetected until Monday precisement, said Poirotdryly. Well, is he arrested,
see pover m Leewen Jap grinned,not yet, but he's under pretty close
supervision. Pooro nodded. What wastaken from the safe? Have you any
idea? We've been going into thatwith the junior partner of the firm and

(07:46):
Missus Davenheim. Apparently there was aconsiderable amount in bearer bonds and a very
large sum in notes, owing tosome large transaction having been just carried through.
There was also a small fortune andjewelry. All Missus Davenheim's jewels were
kept in the safe. The purchasingof them had become a passion with her
husband of late years, and hardlya month passed that he did not make

(08:07):
her a present of some rare andcostly gem. Altogether, a good haul,
said Poirot thoughtfully, Now, whatabout Lowen? Is it known?
What his business was with Davenheim thatevening. Well. The two men were
apparently not on very good terms.Lowen is a speculator in quite a small
way. Nevertheless, he has beenable once or twice to score a coup

(08:28):
off Davenheim in the market, thoughit seems they seldom or never actually met.
It was a matter concerning some SouthAmerican shares which led the banker to
make his appointment. Had Davenheim interestsin South America, then, I believe
so. Missus Davenheim happened to mentionthat he spent all last autumn in Buenos
Aires. Any trouble in his homelife were the husband and wife on good

(08:50):
terms, I should say his domesticlife was quite peaceful and uneventful. Missus
Davenheim is a pleasant, rather unintelligentwoman, quite a nonentity. I think,
then we must not look for thesolution of the mystery. There had
he any enemies? He had plentyof financial rivals, and no doubt there
are many people whom he has gotthe better of, who bear him no

(09:13):
particular goodwill. But there was noone likely to make away with him.
And if they had, where isthe body? Exactly as Hastings says,
bodies have a habit of coming tolight with fatal persistency. By the way,
one of the gardeners says he sawa figure going round to the side
of the house toward the rose garden. The long French window of the study
opens onto the rose garden, andmister Davenheim frequently entered and left the house

(09:37):
that way. But the man wasa good way off at work on some
cucumber frames, and cannot even saywhether it was the figure of his master
or not. Also, he cannotfix the time with any accuracy. It
must have been before six, asthe gardener cease work at that time,
and mister Davenheim left the house abouthalf past five or thereabouts. What lies

(10:03):
beyond the rose garden a lake witha boat house. Yes, a couple
of punts are kept there. Isuppose you're thinking of suicide, Monsieur Poirot.
Well, I don't mind telling youthat Miller's going down tomorrow, expressly
to see that piece of water dragged. That's the kind of man he is.
Poirot smiled faintly and turned to me, Hastings, I pray you hand

(10:26):
me that copy of the Daily megaphoneif I remember rightly, there is an
unusually clear photograph there of the missingman. I rose and found the sheet
required. Poirot studied the features attentively. Hm. He murmured, wear's his
hair rather long and wavy, fullmustache and pointed beard, bushy eyebrows,
eyes dark yes, hair and beardturning gray. The detective nodded, well,

(10:52):
Monsieur Poirot, what have you gotto say to it? All clear
as daylight? Eh. On thecontrary, most obscure. The Scotland yard
man looked pleased, which gives megreat hopes of solving it. Finished Poirot
placidly, huh, I find ita good sign when a case is obscure.
If a thing as clear as daylight, a bion mistrust it. Someone

(11:13):
has made it so. Jap shookhis head, almost pityingly. Well,
each to their fancy. But it'snot a bad thing to see your way
clear ahead. I do not see, murmured Poirot. I shut my eyes
and think. Jap sighed, well, you've got a clear week to think
in and you will bring me anyfresh developments that arise the result of the

(11:33):
labors of the hard working and lynxeyed inspector Miller, for instance. Certainly
that's in the bargain. Seems ashame, doesn't it? Said Jap to
me, as I accompanied him tothe door, like robbing a child,
I could not help agreeing with asmile. I was still smiling as I
re entered the room. Ay,BN, said Poirot. Immediately you make

(11:54):
fun of Papa Poirot. Is itnot so? He shook his finger at
me. You do not trust hisgray cells. Ah, do not be
confused. Let us discuss this littleproblem incomplete as yet I admit, but
already showing one or two points ofinterest. The lake, I said,
significantly, and even more than thelake, the boat house. I looked
sidewise at Poirot. He was smilingin his most inscrutable fashion. I felt

(12:18):
that for the moment it would bequite useless to question him further. We
heard nothing of Jap until the followingevening, when he walked in about nine
o'clock. I saw at once byhis expression that he was bursting with news
of some kind. A BN,my friend remarked, Poirot, all goes
well, But do not tell methat you have discovered the body of mister

(12:39):
Davenheim in your lake. Because Ishall not believe you. We haven't found
the body, but we did findhis clothes, the identical clothes he was
wearing that day. What do yousay to that, any other clothes missing
from the house. No, hisvalet is quite positive on that point.
The rest of his wardrobe is intact. There's more. We've arrested Lowen.

(13:00):
One of the maids, whose businessit is to fasten the bedroom windows,
declares that she saw Lowen coming towardsthe study through the rose garden about a
quarter past six. That would beabout ten minutes before he left the house.
What does he himself say to that? Denied first of all that he
had ever left the study, Butthe maid was positive, and he pretended

(13:22):
afterwards that he had forgotten, juststepping out of the window to examine an
unusual species of rose. Rather aweak's story, And there's fresh evidence against
him come to light. Mister Davenheimalways wore a thick gold ring set with
a solitaire diamond on the little fingerof his right hand. Well, that
ring was pawned in London on Saturdaynight by a man called Billy Kellett.

(13:46):
He's already known to the police.Did three months last autumn for lifting an
old gentleman's watch. It seems hetried to pawn the ring at no less
than five different places, succeeded atthe last one, got gloriously drunk on
the proceeds, assaulted a police andwas run in in consequence. I went
to bow Street with Miller and sawhim. He's sober enough now, and
I don't mind admitting we pretty wellfrighten the life out of him, hinting

(14:09):
he might be charged with murder.This is his yarn, and a very
queer one it is. He wasat Enfield Races on Saturday, though I
dare say scarf pins was his lineof business rather than betting. Anyway,
he had a bad day and wasdown on his luck. He was tramping
along the road to Chingside and satdown in a ditch to rest just before
he got into the village. Afew minutes later, he noticed a man

(14:31):
coming along the road to the village, dark complexion, gent with a big
mustache. One of them city toftsis his description of the man. Kellett
was half concealed from the road bya heap of stones. Just before he
got abreast of him. The manlooked quickly up and down the road,
and seeing it apparently deserted, hetook a small object from his pocket and
threw it over the hedge. Thenhe went on towards the station. Now

(14:54):
the object he had thrown over thehedge had fallen with a slight chink,
which aroused the curiosity of the humanderelict in the ditch. He investigated,
and after a short search, discoveredthe ring. That is Kellett's story.
It's only fair to say that Lowendenies it utterly, And of course the
word of a man like Kellett can'tbe relied upon in the slightest. It's

(15:16):
within the bounds of possibility that hemet Davenheim in the lane and robbed and
murdered him. Poirot shook his head. Very improbable mon ami. He had
no means of disposing of the body. It would have been found by now.
Secondly, the open way in whichhe pawned the ring makes it unlikely
that he did murder to get it. Thirdly, your sneak thief is rarely

(15:37):
a murderer. Fourthly, as hehas been in prison since Saturday, it
would be too much of a coincidencethat he is able to give so accurate
a description of Lowen. Jap nodded, I don't say you're not right,
but all the same, you won'tget a jury to take much note of
a jailbird's evidence. What seems oddto me is that Lowen couldn't find a
cleverer way of disposing of the ring. Puirot rugged his shoulders. Well,

(16:02):
after all, if it were foundin the neighborhood, it might be argued
that Davenheim himself had dropped it.But why remove it from the body at
all? I cried, There mightbe a reason for that, said Jap.
Do you know that just beyond thelake, a little gate leads out
onto the hill, and not threeminutes walk brings you to what do you
think a lime kiln? Good heavens, I cried, You mean that the

(16:26):
lime which destroyed the body would bepowerless to affect the metal of the ring.
Exactly, it seems to me,I said that that explains everything.
What a horrible crime. By commonconsent. We both turned and looked at
Poirot. He seemed lost in reflection, his brow knitted, as though with
some supreme mental effort. I feltthat at last his keen intellect was asserting

(16:48):
itself what would his first words be? We were not long left in doubt.
With a sigh, the tension ofhis attitude relaxed, and turning to
Jap, he asked, have youany idea, my friend, whether mister
and Missus Davenheim occupied the same bedroom. The question seemed so ludicrously inappropriate that
for a moment we both stared insilence. Then Jap burst into a laugh.

(17:11):
Good lord, Monsieur Poirot, Ithought you were coming out with something
startling as to your question. I'msure I don't know you could find out,
asked Poirot with curious persistence. Oh, certainly, if you really want
to know, Mersimon Ami, Ishould be obliged if you would make a
point of it. Jap stared athim a few minutes longer, but Poirot

(17:33):
seemed to have forgotten us both.The detective shook his head sadly at me
and murmuring, poor old fellow,war's been too much for him, gently
withdrew from the room, as Poirotstill seemed sunk in a day dream.
I took a sheet of paper andamused myself by scribbling notes upon it.
My friend's voice aroused me. Hehad come out of his reverie and was

(17:56):
looking brisk and alert Cfate's mon ami. And I was jotting down what occurred
to me is the main points ofinterest in this affair. You become methodical
at last, said Poirot, approvingly. I concealed my pleasure. Shall I
read them to you? By allmeans? I cleared my throat. One

(18:17):
all the evidence points to Lowen havingbeen the man who forced the safe.
Two he had a grudge against Davenheim. Three he lied in his first statement
that he had never left the study. And for if you accept Billy Kellett's
story is true, Lowen is unmistakablyimplicated. I paused, well, I
asked for I felt that I hadput my finger on all the vital facts.
Poorot looked at me pityingly, shakinghis head very gently. Mompauver a

(18:41):
me. But it is that youhave not the gift the important detail.
You appreciate him never. Also,your reasoning is false. How let me
take your four points. One.Mister Lowan could not possibly know that he
would have the chance to open thesafe. He came for a business interview.
He could not know beforehand that misterDavenheim would be absent posting a letter,

(19:04):
and that he would consequently be alonein the study. He might have
seized his opportunity, I suggested,and the tools. City gentlemen do not
carry round housebreakers tools on the offchance, and one could not cut into
that safe with a penknife. Bianon ten due, well, what about
number two? You say Lowen hada grudge against mister Davenheim. What you

(19:26):
mean is that he had once ortwice got the better of him, and
presumably those transactions were entered into withthe view of benefiting himself. In any
case, you do not, asa rule, bear a grudge against a
man you have got the better of. It is more likely to be the
other way about. Whatever grudge theremight have been would have been on mister
Davenheim's side. Well, you can'tdeny that he lied about never having left

(19:48):
the study. No, but hemay have been frightened. Remember the missing
man's clothes had just been discovered inthe lake. Of course, as usual,
he would have done better to speakthe truth. And the fourth point,
I grant you that if Kellett's storyis true, Lowen is undeniably implicated.
That is what makes the affair sovery interesting. Then I did appreciate

(20:11):
one vital fact, perhaps, butyou have entirely overlooked the two most important
points, the ones which undoubtedly holdthe clue to the whole matter. And
pray, what are they? Onethe passion which has grown upon mister Davenheim
in the last few years for buyingjewelry two his trip to Buenos Aires last
autumn. Poirot, you are joking. I am most serious, Ah,

(20:33):
sacred thunder, But I hope japwill not forget my little commission. But
the detective, entering into the spiritof the joke, had remembered it so
well that a telegram was handed toPoiret about eleven o'clock the next day at
his request. I opened it andread it out. And husband and wife
have occupied separate rooms since last winter, ah, cried Poirot. And now

(20:55):
we are in mid June. Allis solved. I stared at him.
You have no monies in the bankof Davenheim and salmon mon amie no,
I said, wondering why, becauseI should advise you to withdraw it before
it is too late. Why whatdo you expect? I expect a big
smash in a few days, perhapssooner, which reminds me. We will

(21:18):
return the compliment of a depeche toJap a pencil. I pray you in
a form voila, advise you towithdraw any money deposited with firm in question
that will intrigue him. The goodJap, His eyes will open wide wide.
He will not comprehend in the slightestuntil tomorrow or the next day.
I remained skeptical, but the morrowforced me to render tribute to my friend's

(21:40):
remarkable powers. In every paper wasa huge headline telling of the sensational failure
of the Davenheim Bank. The disappearanceof the famous financier took on a totally
different aspect in the light of therevelation of the financial affairs of the bank.
Before we were halfway through breakfast,the door flew open and Jap rushed

(22:02):
in. In his left hand wasa paper. In his right was Poirot's
telegram, which he banged down onthe table in front of my friend.
How did you know, Monsieur Poirot, How the blazes could you know?
Puiot smiled placidly at him. Ahmon am after your wire, It was
a certainty from the commencement, seeyou it struck me that the safe burglary

(22:23):
was somewhat remarkable. Jewels ready moneybearer bonds also conveniently arranged for whom well
the good Monsieur Davenheim was of thosewho look after number one. As you're
saying, goes. It seemed almostcertain that it was arranged for himself.
Then his passion of late years forbuying jewelry. How simple the funds he

(22:44):
embezzled he converted into jewels, verylikely replacing them in turn with paste duplicates.
And so he put away in asafe place under another name, a
considerable fortune to be enjoyed, allin good time. When everyone has been
thrown off the track, his arrangementscompleted, he makes an appointment with mister
Loewen, who has been imprudent enoughin the past to cross the great man
once or twice, drills a holein the safe, leaves, orders that

(23:07):
the guest is to be shown intothe study, and walks out of the
house, where Poirot stopped and stretchedout his hand for another boiled egg.
He frowned. It is really insupportable, He murmured, that every hen lays
an egg of a different size.What symmetry can there be on the breakfast
table. At least they should sortthem in dozens at the shop. Never

(23:30):
mind the eggs, said jap impatiently. Let them lay him square if they
like. Tell us where our customerwent to when he left the cedars,
that is, if you know abnhe went to his hiding place. Ah,
this, Monsieur d'avenheim. There maybe some malformation in his gray cells,
but they are of the first quality. Do you know where he is
hiding? Certainly it is most ingeniousfor the lord's sake. Tell us.

(23:52):
Then Poirot gently collected every fragment ofshell from his plate, placed them in
the egg cup, and reversed theempty egg shell on top of them.
This little operation concluded, He smiledon the neat effect, and then beamed
affectionately on us. Both come,my friends, you are men of intelligence.
Ask yourselves the question which I askedmyself if I were this man,

(24:14):
Where should I hide hastings? Whatdo you say? Well, I said,
I'm rather inclined to think. I'dnot do a bolt at all.
I'd stay in London, in theheart of things, travel by tubes and
buses ten to one. I'd neverbe recognized. There's safety in a crowd.
Poirot turned inquiringly to Jap. Idon't agree. Get clear away at
once. That's the only chance.I would have had plenty of time to

(24:36):
prepare things beforehand. I'd have ayacht waiting with steam up, and I'd
be off to one of the mostout of the way corners of the world.
Before the hue and cry began,we both looked at Poirot. What
do you say, monsieur? Fora moment he remained silent, Then a
very curious smile flitted across his face. Now, my friends, if I
were hiding from the police, doyou know where I should hide? In

(24:59):
a prison? What eh You're seeking, Monsieur Davenheim in order to put him
in prison? So you never dreamof looking to see if he may not
be already there? What do youmean you tell me? Madame Davenheim is
not a very intelligent woman. Nevertheless, I think that if you took her
to bow Street and confronted her withthe man Billy Kellet, she would recognize

(25:19):
him, in spite of the factthat he has shaved his beard and mustache
and those bushy eyebrows, and hascropped his hair close. A woman nearly
always knows her husband, though therest of the world may be deceived Billy
Kellett, but he's known to thepolice. Did I not tell you?
Davenheim was a clever man. Heprepared his alibi long beforehand. He was

(25:42):
not in Buenos Aires's last autumn.He was creating the character of Billy Kellett,
doing three months so that the policeshould have no suspicions. When the
time came, he was playing.Remember, for a large fortune as well
as liberty. It was worth whiledoing the thing thoroughly. Only yes,

(26:02):
abien. Afterwards he had to weara false beard, and Wig had to
make up as himself again. Andto sleep with a false beard is not
easy. It invites detection. Hecannot risk continuing to share the chamber of
Madame his wife. You found outfor me that for the last six months
or ever since his supposed return fromBuenos Ayre's, he and Missus Davenheim occupied
separate rooms. Then I was sureeverything fitted in. The gardener, who

(26:26):
fancied he saw his master going roundto the side of the house was quite
right. He went to the boathouse, donned his tramp clothes, which
you may be sure had been safelyhidden from the eyes of his Valet dropped
the others in the lake and proceededto carry out his plan by pawning the
ring in an obvious manner and thenassaulting a policeman, getting himself safely into

(26:47):
the haven of Bow Street, wherenobody would ever dream of looking for him.
It's impossible, murmured jap ask,Madame, said my friend smiling.
The next day, a registered letterlay beside Poirot's plate. He opened it
and a five pound note fluttered out. My friend's brow puckered. Ah sacra,
But what shall I do with it? I have much remorse, sep

(27:08):
over jap ah an idea. Wewill have a little dinner we three.
That consoles me. It was reallytoo easy. I am ashamed, I
who would not rob a child?Militoneris mon ami? What have you that
you laughed so heartily