Chapter Twenty-Nine At Scotland Yard Conference again. The Assistant Commissioner£¬Inspector Crome£¬Poirot and myself. The A.C.was saying: "A good tip that yours£¬M.Poirot£¬about checking a large sale of stockings." Poirot spread out his hands. "It was indicated.This man could not be a regular agent.He sold outright instead of touting for orders." "Got everything clear so far£¬inspector?" "I think so£¬sir."Crome consulted a file. "Shall I run over the position to date?" "Yes£¬please." "I've checked up with Churston£¬Paignton and Torquay.Got a list of people where he went and offered stockings.I must say he did the thing thoroughly.Stayed at the Pitt£¬small hotel near Torre Station.Returned to the hotel at 10.30on the night of the murder.Could have taken a train from Churston at 9.57£¬getting to Torre at 10.20.No one answering to his description noticed on train or at station£¬but that Friday was Dartmouth Regatta and the trains back from Kingswear were pretty full. "Bexhill much the same.Stayed at the Globe under his own name.Offered stockings to about a dozen addresses£¬including Mrs Barnard and including the Ginger Cat.Left hotel early in the evening. Arrived back in London about 11.30the following morning.As to Andover£¬ same procedure.Stayed at the Feathers.Offered stockings to Mrs Fowler£¬next door to Mrs Ascher£¬and to half a dozen other people in the street.The pair Mrs Ascher had I got from the niece (name of Drower)-they're identical with Cust's supply." "So far£¬good£¬"said the A.C. "Acting on information received£¬"said the inspector£¬"I went to the address given me by Hartigan£¬but found that Cust had left the house about half an hour previously.He received a telephone message£¬I'm told.First time such a thing had happened to him£¬so his landlady told me." "An accomplice?"suggested the Assistant Commissioner. "Hardly£¬"said Poirot."It is odd that-unless-"We all looked at him inquiringly as he paused. He shook his head£¬however£¬and the inspector proceeded.That search puts the matter beyond doubt.I found a block of notepaper similar to that on which the letters were written£¬a large quantity of hosiery and-at the back of the cupboard where the hosiery was stored-a parcel much the same shape and size but which turned out to contain-not hosiery-but eight new A B C railway guides!" "Proof positive£¬"said the Assistant Commissioner. "I've found something else£¬too£¬"said the inspector-his voice becoming suddenly almost human with triumph."Only found it this morning£¬ sir.Not had time to report yet.There was no sigh of the knife in his room-""It would be the act of an imbecile to bring that back with him£¬"remarked Poirot. "After all£¬he's not a reasonable human being£¬"remarked the inspector. "Anway£¬it occurred to me that he might just possibly have brought it back to the house and then realized the danger of hiding it (as M.Poirot points out)in his room£¬and have looked about elsewhere. What place in the house would he be likely to select?I got it straight away.The hall stand-no one ever moves a hall stand.With a lot of trouble I got it moved out from the wall-and there it was!" "The knife?" "The knife.Not a doubt of it.The dried blood's still on it." "Good work£¬Crome£¬"said the A.C. approvingly."We only need one thing more now." "What's that?" "The man himself." "We'll get him£¬sir.Never fear." The inspector's tone was confident. "What do you say£¬M.Poirot?" Poirot started out of a reverie. "I beg your pardon?" "We were saying that it was only a matter of time before we got our man. Do you agree?" "Oh£¬that-yes.Without a doubt." His tone was so abstracted that the others looked at him curiously. "Is there anything worrying you£¬M.Poirot?" "There is something that worries me very much. It is the why?The motive." "But£¬my dear fellow£¬the man's crazy£¬"said the Assistant Commissioner impatiently. "I understand what M.Poirot means£¬"said Crome£¬coming graciously to the rescue."He's quite right.There's got to be some definite obsession.I think we'll find the root of the matter in an intensified inferiority complex.There may be a persecution mania£¬too£¬and if so he may possibly associate M.Poirot with it.He may have the delusion that M.Poirot is a detective employed on purpose to hunt him down." "H'm£¬"said the A.C."That's the jargon that's talked nowadays.In my day if a man was mad and we didn't look about for scientific terms to soften it down.I suppose a thoroughly up-to-date doctor would suggest putting a man like A B C in a nursing home£¬telling him what a fine fellow he was for forty-five days on end and then letting him out as a responsible member of society." Poirot smiled but did not answer. The conference broke up. "Well£¬"said the Assistant Commissioner. "As you say£¬Crome£¬pulling him in is only a matter of time." "We'd have had him before now£¬"said the inspector£¬"if he wasn't so ordinary-looking.We've worried enough perfectly inoffensive citizens as it is." "I wonder where he is at this minute£¬"said the Assistant Commissioner.