Читать книгу Ten Little Niggers / Десять негритят - Агата Кристи, Agatha Christie, Detection Club The - Страница 4

Philip Lombard, sizing up the girl opposite with his quick moving eyes, thought to himself:

“Quite attractive – a bit schoolmistressy perhaps…”

A cool customer[6], he decided – and one who could hold her own – in love or war. He’d rather like to take her on.

He frowned. No, he’d got to keep his mind on the job.

What exactly was that job, he wondered? That little Jew had been damned mysterious. He had only said that a client of his had asked him to hand Lombard one hundred guineas in return for which Lombard would travel by train to Sticklehaven, Devon. The nearest to that place station was Oakbridge. There he would be met and motored to Sticklehaven where a motor launch would take him to Nigger Island.

“There you will hold yourself at the disposal of my client, Captain Lombard. My client assumes that your reputation is that of a good man in a tight place.”[7]

Philip had said thoughtfully:

“A hundred guineas, eh?”

His tone was casual as though a hundred guineas was nothing to him when actually he needed money very badly. But he had seen that the little Jew had not been deceived – that was the damnable part about Jews, you couldn’t deceive them about money – they knew!

Touching his small moustache, Captain Lombard said:

“You understand I can’t undertake anything – illegal?”

Mr. Isaac Morris had answered gravely, with a very light smile on his thick Semitic lips:

“If anything illegal is proposed, you will, of course, be absolutely free to leave.”

Damn the oily little brute, he had smiled! It was as though he knew very well that in Lombard’s past actions legality had not always been an absolutely necessary condition…

Lombard grinned himself.

He imagined that he was going to enjoy himself at Nigger Island.