Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie

bed from a quarter to one until twenty to three and I didn't hear anything except that droning noise the Arab boy makes, and occasionally Mr. Emmott shouting up to Dr. Leidner on the roof.”
    “The Arab boy - yes.”
    He frowned.
    At that moment the door opened and Dr. Leidner and Captain Maitland came in. Captain Maitland was a fussy little man with a pair of shrewd grey eyes.
    Dr. Reilly rose and pushed Dr. Leidner into his chair.
    “Sit down, man. I'm glad you've come. We shall want you. There's something very queer about this business.”
    Dr. Leidner bowed his head.
    “I know.” He looked at me. “My wife confided the truth to Nurse Leatheran. We mustn't keep anything back at this juncture, nurse, so please tell Captain Maitland and Dr. Reilly just what passed between you and my wife yesterday.”
    As nearly as possible I gave our conversation verbatim.
    Captain Maitland uttered an occasional ejaculation. When I had finished he turned to Dr. Leidner.
    “And this is all true, Leidner - eh?”
    “Every word Nurse Leatheran has told you is correct.”
    “What an extraordinary story,” said Dr. Reilly. “You can produce these letters?”
    “I have no doubt they will be found amongst my wife's belongings.”
    “She took them out of the attaché-case on her table,” I said.
    “Then they are probably still there.”
    He turned to Captain Maitland and his usually gentle face grew hard and stern.
    “There must be no question of hushing this story up, Captain Maitland. The one thing necessary is for this man to be caught and punished.”
    “You believe it actually is Mrs. Leidner's former husband?” I asked.
    “Don't you think so, nurse?” asked Captain Maitland.
    “Well, I think it is open to doubt,” I said hesitatingly.
    “In any case,” said Dr. Leidner, “the man is a murderer - and I should say a dangerous lunatic also. He must be found, Captain Maitland. He must. It should not be difficult.”
    Dr. Reilly said slowly:
    “It may be more difficult than you think... eh, Maitland?”
    Captain Maitland tugged at his moustache without replying.
    Suddenly I gave a start.
    “Excuse me,” I said, “but there's something perhaps I ought to mention.”
    I told my story of the Iraqi we had seen trying to peer through the window, and of how I had seen him hanging about the place two days ago trying to pump Father Lavigny.
    “Good,” said Captain Maitland, “we'll make a note of that. It will be something for the police to go on. The man may have some connection with the case.”
    “Probably paid to act as a spy,” I suggested. “To find out when the coast was clear.”
    Dr. Reilly rubbed his nose with a harassed gesture.
    “That's the devil of it,” he said. “Supposing the coast wasn't clear - eh?”
    I stared at him in a puzzled fashion.
    Captain Maitland turned to Dr. Leidner.
    “I want you to listen to me very carefully, Leidner. This is a review of the evidence we've got up to date. After lunch, which was served at twelve o'clock and was over by five and twenty to one, your wife went to her room accompanied by Nurse Leatheran, who settled her comfortably. You yourself went up to the roof, where you spent the next two hours, is that right?”
    “Yes.”
    “Did you come down from the roof at all during that time?”
    “No.”
    “Did anyone come up to you?”
    “Yes, Emmott did pretty frequently. He went to and fro between me and the boy, who was washing pottery down below.”
    “Did you yourself look over into the courtyard at all?”
    “Once or twice - usually to call to Emmott about something.”
    “On each occasion the boy was sitting in the middle of the courtyard washing pots?”
    “Yes.”
    “What was the longest period of time when Emmott was with you and absent from the courtyard?”
    Dr. Leidner considered.
    “It's difficult to say - perhaps ten minutes. Personally I should say two or three minutes, but I know by experience that my sense of time is not very good when I am