Free The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie Page A

said,” remarked Bundle. “I told him I was coming round to see you, and he said you wouldn’t be up.”
    â€œWell, I’m up now” said Jimmy encouragingly.
    â€œIt’s about Gerry,” said Loraine. “And now about Ronny—”
    â€œWhat do you mean by ‘and now about Ronny?’ ”
    â€œHe was shot yesterday.”
    â€œWhat?” cried Jimmy.
    Bundle told her story for the second time. Jimmy listened like a man in a dream.
    â€œOld Ronny—shot,” he murmured. “What is this damned business?”
    He sat down on the edge of a chair, thinking for a minute or two, and then spoke in a quiet, level voice.
    â€œThere’s something I think I ought to tell you.”
    â€œYes,” said Bundle encouragingly.
    â€œIt was on the day Gerry Wade died. On the way over to break the news to you ”—he nodded at Loraine—“in the car Ronny said something to me. That is to say, he started to tell me something. There was something he wanted to tell me, and he began about it, and then he said he was bound by a promise and couldn’t go on.”
    â€œBound by a promise,” said Loraine thoughtfully.
    â€œThat’s what he said. Naturally I didn’t press him after that. But he was odd—damned odd—all through. I got the impression then that he suspected—well, foul play. I thought he’d tell the doctor so. But no, not even a hint. So I thought I’d been mistaken. And afterwards, with the evidence and all—well, it seemed such a very clear case. I thought my suspicions had been all bosh.”
    â€œBut you think Ronny still suspected?” asked Bundle.
    Jimmy nodded.
    â€œThat’s what I think now. Why, none of us have seen anything of him since. I believe he was playing a lone hand—trying to find out the truth about Gerry’s death, and what’s more, I believe he did find out. That’s why the devils shot him. And then he tried to send word to me, but could only get out those two words.”
    â€œSeven Dials,” said Bundle, and shivered a little.
    â€œSeven Dials,” said Jimmy gravely. “At any rate we’ve got that to go on with.”
    Bundle turned to Loraine.
    â€œYou were just going to tell me—”
    â€œOh! yes. First, about the letter.” She spoke to Jimmy. “Gerry left a letter. Lady Eileen—”
    â€œBundle.”
    â€œBundle found it.” She explained the circumstances in a few words.
    Jimmy listened, keenly interested. This was the first he had heard of the letter. Loraine took it from her bag and handed it to him. He read it, then looked across at her.
    â€œThis is where you can help us. What was it Gerry wanted you to forget?”
    Loraine’s brows wrinkled a little in perplexity.
    â€œIt’s so hard to remember exactly now. I opened a letter of Gerry’s by mistake. It was written on cheap sort of paper, I remember, and very illiterate handwriting. It had some address in Seven Dials at the head of it. I realized it wasn’t for me, so I put it back in the envelope without reading it.”
    â€œSure?” asked Jimmy very gently.
    Loraine laughed for the first time.
    â€œI know what you think, and I admit that women are curious. But, you see, this didn’t even look interesting. It was a kind of list of names and dates.”
    â€œNames and dates,” said Jimmy thoughtfully.
    â€œGerry didn’t seem to mind much,” continued Loraine. “He laughed. He asked me if I had ever heard of the Mafia, and then said it would be queer if a society like the Mafia started in England—but that that kind of secret society didn’t take on much with English people. ‘Our criminals,’ he said, ‘haven’t got a picturesque imagination.’ ”
    Jimmy pursued up his lips into a whistle.
    â€œI’m beginning to see,” he said. “Seven Dials must be the