He indicated a big grandfather chair to the left of the door between it and the window. I append a plan of the room with the chair in question marked with an X.
“Just show me,” said Poirot.
The butler drew the chair in question out a good two feet from the wall, turning it so that the seat faced the door.
“ Voilà ce qui est curieux ,” murmured Poirot. “No one would want to sit in a chair in such a position, I fancy. Now who pushed it back into place again, I wonder? Did you, my friend?”
“No, sir,” said Parker. “I was too upset with seeing the master and all.”
Poirot looked across at me. “Did you, doctor?”
I shook my head.
“It was back in position when I arrived with the police, sir,” put in Parker. “I’m sure of that.”
“Curious,” said Poirot again.
“Raymond or Blunt must have pushed it back,” I suggested. “Surely it isn’t important?”
“It is completely unimportant,” said Poirot. “That is why it is so interesting,” he added softly.
“Excuse me a minute,” said Colonel Melrose. He left the room with Parker.
“Do you think Parker is speaking the truth?” I asked.
“About the chair, yes. Otherwise I do not know. You will find, M. le docteur, if you have much to do with cases of this kind, that they all