about having pulled a prank.’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Well, who do you think the culprit is?’
‘….’
‘It might be Ellery. But he isn’t the type to feel badly about anything, so we can rule him out. Maybe it’s little Leroux.’
‘Leroux?’
‘You know how he is. Leroux’s head is always full of detective fiction. He probably thought it’d be funny to frighten us all with that joke.’
Orczy looked away, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. She receded uncomfortably into her chair.
‘I’m scared.’
It was as if she were talking to herself.
Those were her true thoughts. Those plates—she just couldn’t believe it was just an innocent joke. She could sense some kind of malice behind them.
‘We shouldn’t have come to this island after all.’
‘Don’t say such things.’
Agatha laughed cheerfully.
‘Let’s go out and breathe in some fresh air after tea. This hall is gloomy, even in the afternoon. There’s a peculiar atmosphere here, because of these ten walls around us. It makes you worry more than necessary about little things.’
*
Sitting on the pier in the inlet, Ellery stared down into the depths.
‘I still think it’s weird, don’t you, Ellery?’ said Leroux, who was standing next to him.
‘—What?’
‘You know what I mean. Those plates this morning.’
‘Oh.’
‘You really weren’t the one behind it?’
‘Stop joking.’
They had been like this for some time. Leroux would say something and Ellery would just answer vaguely without even bothering to look at him.
‘But it would be just like you to prepare those plates, even for “The Detective” and “The Murderer.”’
‘Know nothing about them.’
‘Don’t act so crossly. I was just saying it would be like you.’
Leroux shrugged his round shoulders and crouched down.
‘But it was probably just a prank. Don’t you think so?’
‘No,’ answered Ellery bluntly and shoved his hands in his coat pockets.
‘I’d really like to think so, but I don’t.’
‘So why do you think it wasn’t?’
‘Because nobody admitted to it.’
‘That’s true.’
‘And too much effort went into it.’
Ellery turned around and looked Leroux in the eye.
‘It’d be different if it had been some pencil writings on pieces of drawing paper. But someone has gone to the effort of cutting those plastic plates to the same size, preparing forms for the lettering and spraying the plates with red paint. I wouldn’t have done all that just to give you a little scare.’
‘But—.’ Leroux removed his glasses and started to wipe them clumsily. ‘Are you saying that there really will be murders?’
‘I think there’s a strong possibility.’
‘Bu—how can you say that so calmly? A murder…that means someone will die. Someone will be killed. And not just one person. If those plates are announcing all our murders in advance, then there’ll be five victims. It’s just unbelievable.’
‘Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?’
‘It is ridiculous. This isn’t a film or a novel. Those plates have the same role as the infamous Indian figurines, right? If “The Murderer” kills “The Detective” and commits suicide at the end, then it’ll be precisely like And Then There Were None .’
‘Apparently.’
‘And why should we be murdered anyway, Ellery?’
‘Why ask me?’
After that, the two stared in silence at the waves crashing on the rocks. Compared to the day before, the waves were rougher and louder. The water was also darker.
Eventually, Ellery stood up.
‘Leroux, I’m going back. It’s cold out here.’
4
The noise of waves resonated in the overhead darkness, sounding like the rough snoring of a giant. It served to increase their anxiety and their feeling of impending doom.
The gloomy decagonal hall where they had just finished their dinner was dim in the weak light of the oil lamp.
‘They make me feel sick,’ Agatha said after she had given everyone coffee.
‘I don’t know.’
‘Well, who do you think the culprit is?’
‘….’
‘It might be Ellery. But he isn’t the type to feel badly about anything, so we can rule him out. Maybe it’s little Leroux.’
‘Leroux?’
‘You know how he is. Leroux’s head is always full of detective fiction. He probably thought it’d be funny to frighten us all with that joke.’
Orczy looked away, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. She receded uncomfortably into her chair.
‘I’m scared.’
It was as if she were talking to herself.
Those were her true thoughts. Those plates—she just couldn’t believe it was just an innocent joke. She could sense some kind of malice behind them.
‘We shouldn’t have come to this island after all.’
‘Don’t say such things.’
Agatha laughed cheerfully.
‘Let’s go out and breathe in some fresh air after tea. This hall is gloomy, even in the afternoon. There’s a peculiar atmosphere here, because of these ten walls around us. It makes you worry more than necessary about little things.’
*
Sitting on the pier in the inlet, Ellery stared down into the depths.
‘I still think it’s weird, don’t you, Ellery?’ said Leroux, who was standing next to him.
‘—What?’
‘You know what I mean. Those plates this morning.’
‘Oh.’
‘You really weren’t the one behind it?’
‘Stop joking.’
They had been like this for some time. Leroux would say something and Ellery would just answer vaguely without even bothering to look at him.
‘But it would be just like you to prepare those plates, even for “The Detective” and “The Murderer.”’
‘Know nothing about them.’
‘Don’t act so crossly. I was just saying it would be like you.’
Leroux shrugged his round shoulders and crouched down.
‘But it was probably just a prank. Don’t you think so?’
‘No,’ answered Ellery bluntly and shoved his hands in his coat pockets.
‘I’d really like to think so, but I don’t.’
‘So why do you think it wasn’t?’
‘Because nobody admitted to it.’
‘That’s true.’
‘And too much effort went into it.’
Ellery turned around and looked Leroux in the eye.
‘It’d be different if it had been some pencil writings on pieces of drawing paper. But someone has gone to the effort of cutting those plastic plates to the same size, preparing forms for the lettering and spraying the plates with red paint. I wouldn’t have done all that just to give you a little scare.’
‘But—.’ Leroux removed his glasses and started to wipe them clumsily. ‘Are you saying that there really will be murders?’
‘I think there’s a strong possibility.’
‘Bu—how can you say that so calmly? A murder…that means someone will die. Someone will be killed. And not just one person. If those plates are announcing all our murders in advance, then there’ll be five victims. It’s just unbelievable.’
‘Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?’
‘It is ridiculous. This isn’t a film or a novel. Those plates have the same role as the infamous Indian figurines, right? If “The Murderer” kills “The Detective” and commits suicide at the end, then it’ll be precisely like And Then There Were None .’
‘Apparently.’
‘And why should we be murdered anyway, Ellery?’
‘Why ask me?’
After that, the two stared in silence at the waves crashing on the rocks. Compared to the day before, the waves were rougher and louder. The water was also darker.
Eventually, Ellery stood up.
‘Leroux, I’m going back. It’s cold out here.’
4
The noise of waves resonated in the overhead darkness, sounding like the rough snoring of a giant. It served to increase their anxiety and their feeling of impending doom.
The gloomy decagonal hall where they had just finished their dinner was dim in the weak light of the oil lamp.
‘They make me feel sick,’ Agatha said after she had given everyone coffee.
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