Читать книгу The Murder of Roger Ackroyd / Убийство Роджера Экройда онлайн

105 страница из 172

Colonel Melrose entered with an animated manner.

‘That telephone call has been traced at last,’ he said. ‘It did not come from here. It was put through to Dr Sheppard at 10.15 last night from a public call office at king’s Abbot station. And at 10.23 the night mail leaves for Liverpool.’

We looked at each other.

‘You’ll have inquiries made at the station, of course?’ I said.

‘Naturally, but I’m not over sanguine as to the result. you know what that station is like.’

I did. king’s Abbot is a mere village, but its station happens to be an important junction. Most of the big expresses stop there, and trains are shunted, re-sorted, and made up. It has two or three public telephone boxes. At that time of night, three local trains come in close upon each other, to catch the connection with the express for the north which comes in at 10.19 and leaves at 10.23. The whole place is in a bustle, and the chances of one particular person being noticed telephoning or getting into the express are very small indeed.