Foreword
Foreword
There are certain clichés belonging to certain types of fiction. The “bold bad baronet” for melodrama, the “body inthe library” for the detective story. For several years I treasured up the possibility of a suitable “Variation on a well-known Theme.” I laid down for myself certain conditions. The library in question must be a highly orthodox andconventional library. The body, on the other hand, must be a wildly improbable and highly sensational body. Suchwere the terms of the problem, but for some years they remained as such, represented only by a few lines of writing inan exercise book. Then, staying one summer for a few days at a fashionable hotel by the seaside I observed a family atone of the tables in the dining room; an elderly man, a cripple, in a wheeled chair, and with him was a family party ofa younger generation. Fortunately they left the next day, so that my imagination could get to work unhampered by anykind of knowledge. When people ask “Do you put real people in your books?” the answer is that, for me, it is quiteimpossible to write about anyone I know, or have ever spoken to, or indeed have even heard about! For some reason, itkills them for me stone dead. But I can take a “lay figure” and endow it with qualities and imaginings of my own.
So an elderly crippled man became the pivot of the story. Colonel and Mrs. Bantry, those old cronies of my MissMarple, had just the right kind of library. In the manner of a cookery recipe add the following ingredients: a tennis pro,a young dancer, an artist, a girl guide, a dance hostess, etc., and serve up à la Miss Marple!
Agatha Christie
作者序言
作者序言
有些陈词滥调只属于某种类型的小说，像是传奇剧里的“秃头坏男爵”，侦探小说里的“藏书室里的尸体”。多年来，我一直试图适当改编那些人们已经熟悉的主题。我给自己立了一些规矩：谜题中的藏书室必须是传统中常见的，另一方面，尸体必须出乎意料、耸人听闻。因为这些规矩，这些年出现在我笔记本上的只有几行字。后来，某个夏天，我在海边一家高级酒店住了几天，就在那时注意到坐在餐厅里餐桌旁的一家人：一个瘸腿老人坐在轮椅上，身边是家里年少的晚辈。幸运的是，他们第二天就离开了，我有机会任意发挥自己的想象力。当人们问我：“你把真实的人物写进书里吗？”答案是，我不可能把任何我认识的人或和我交谈过的、甚至听说过的人写进书里！因为某种原因，他们在我眼里不是活生生的人。但我能赋予这些“木偶”不同的特征和自己的各种想象。
所以一个瘸腿老人成了故事的关键人物，而我的马普尔小姐的好朋友——上校和班特里夫人——恰好拥有这样一个藏书室。我像写菜谱一样添加了以下配料：一个职业网球选手、一个年轻的舞者、一位艺术家、一个女童子军、一个舞女，等等人物，再把这道菜以马普尔小姐的方式呈现给大家。
阿加莎•克里斯蒂
 
Chapter One
One
IM rs. Bantry was dreaming. Her sweet peas had just taken a First at the flower show. The vicar, dressed in cassockand surplice, was giving out the prizes in church. His wife wandered past, dressed in a bathing suit, but as is theblessed habit of dreams this fact did not arouse the disapproval of the parish in the way it would assuredly have donein real life….
Mrs. Bantry was enjoying her dream a good deal. She usually did enjoy those early-morning dreams that wereterminated by the arrival of early-morning tea. Somewhere in her inner consciousness was an awareness of the usualearly-morning noises of the household. The rattle of the curtain rings on the stairs as the housemaid drew them, thenoises of the second housemaid’s dustpan and brush in the passage outside. In the distance the heavy noise of thefront-door bolt being drawn back.
Another day was beginning. In the meantime she must extract as much pleasure as possible from the flower show—for already its dream-like quality was becoming apparent….
Below her was the noise of the big wooden shutters in the drawing room being opened. She heard it, yet did nothear it. For quite half an hour longer the usual household noises would go on, discreet, subdued, not disturbingbecause they were so familiar. They would culminate in a swift, controlled sound of footsteps along the passage, therustle of a print dress, the subdued chink of tea things as the tray was deposited on the table outside, then the softknock and the entry of Mary to draw the curtains.
In her sleep Mrs. Bantry frowned. Something disturbing was penetrating through to the dream state, something outof its time. Footsteps along the passage, footsteps that were too hurried and too soon. Her ears listened unconsciouslyfor the chink of china, but there was no chink of china.
The knock came at the door. Automatically from the depths of her dreams Mrs. Bantry said: “Come in.” The dooropened—now there would be the chink of curtain rings as the curtains were drawn back.
But there was no chink of curtain rings. Out of the dim green light Mary’s voice came—breathless, hysterical: “Oh,ma’am, oh, ma’am, there’s a body in the library.”
And then with a hysterical burst of sobs she rushed out of the room again.
II
Mrs. Bantry sat up in bed.
Either her dream had taken a very odd turn or else—or else Mary had really rushed into the room and had said(incredible! fantastic!) that there was a body in the library.
“Impossible,” said Mrs. Bantry to herself. “I must have been dreaming.”
But even as she said it, she felt more and more certain that she had not been dreaming, that Mary, her superior self-controlled Mary, had actually uttered those fantastic words.
Mrs. Bantry reflected a minute and then applied an urgent conjugal elbow to her sleeping spouse.
“Arthur, Arthur, wake up.”
Colonel Bantry grunted, muttered, and rolled over on his side.
“Wake up, Arthur. Did you hear what she said?”
“Very likely,” said Colonel Bantry indistinctly. “I quite agree with you, Dolly,” and promptly went to sleep again.
Mrs. Bantry shook him.
“You’ve got to listen. Mary came in and said that there was a body in the library.”
“Eh, what?”
“A body in the library.”
“Who said so?”
“Mary.”
Colonel Bantry collected his scattered faculties and proceeded to deal with the situation. He said:
“Nonsense, old girl; you’ve been dreaming.”
“No, I haven’t. I thought so, too, at first. But I haven’t. She really came in and said so.”
“Mary came in and said there was a body in the library?”
“Yes.”
“But there couldn’t be,” said Colonel Bantry.
“No, no, I suppose not,” said Mrs. Bantry doubtfully.
Rallying, she went on:
“But then why did Mary say there was?”
“She can’t have.”
“She did.”
“You must have imagined it.”
“I didn’t imagine it.”
Colonel Bantry was by now thoroughly awake and prepared to deal with the situation on its merits. He said kindly:
“You’ve been dreaming, Dolly, that’s what it is. It’s that detective story you were reading—The Clue of the BrokenMatch. You know—Lord Edgbaston finds a beautiful blonde dead on the library hearthrug. Bodies are always beingfound in libraries in books. I’ve never known a case in real life.”
“Perhaps you will now,” said Mrs. Bantry. “Anyway, Arthur, you’ve got to get up and see.”
“But really, Dolly, it must have been a dream. Dreams often do seem wonderfully vivid when you first wake up.
You feel quite sure they’re true.”
“I was having quite a different sort of dream—about a flower show and the vicar’s wife in a bathing dress—something like that.”
With a sudden burst of energy Mrs. Bantry jumped out of bed and pulled back the curtains. The light of a fineautumn day flooded the room.
“I did not dream it,” said Mrs. Bantry firmly. “Get up at once, Arthur, and go downstairs and see about it.”
“You want me to go downstairs and ask if there’s a body in the library? I shall look a damned fool.”
“You needn’t ask anything,” said Mrs. Bantry. “If there is a body—and of course it’s just possible that Mary’sgone mad and thinks she sees things that aren’t there—well, somebody will tell you soon enough. You won’t have tosay a word.”
Grumbling, Colonel Bantry wrapped himself in his dressing gown and left the room. He went along the passageand down the staircase. At the foot of it was a little knot of huddled servants; some of them were sobbing. The butlerstepped forward impressively.
“I’m glad you have come, sir. I have directed that nothing should be done until you came. Will it be in order for meto ring up the police, sir?”
“Ring ’em up about what?”
The butler cast a reproachful glance over his shoulder at the tall young woman who was weeping hysterically onthe cook’s shoulder.
“I understood, sir, that Mary had already informed you. She said she had done so.”
Mary gasped out:
“I was so upset I don’t know what I said. It all came over me again and my legs gave way and my inside turnedover. Finding it like that—oh, oh, oh!”
She subsided again on to Mrs. Eccles, who said: “There, there, my dear,” with some relish.
“Mary is naturally somewhat upset, sir, having been the one to make the gruesome discovery,” explained thebutler. “She went into the library as usual, to draw the curtains, and—almost stumbled over the body.”
“Do you mean to tell me,” demanded Colonel Bantry, “that there’s a dead body in my library—my library?”
The butler coughed.
“Perhaps, sir, you would like to see for yourself.”
III
“Hallo, ’allo, ’allo. Police station here. Yes, who’s speaking?”
Police-Constable Palk was buttoning up his tunic with one hand while the other held the receiver.
“Yes, yes, Gossington Hall. Yes? Oh, good morning, sir.” Police- Constable Palk’s tone underwent a slightmodification. It became less impatiently official, recognizing the generous patron of the police sports and the principalmagistrate of the district.
“Yes, sir? What can I do for you?—I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t quite catch—a body, did you say?—yes?—yes, if youplease, sir—that’s right, sir—young woman not known to you, you say?—quite, sir. Yes, you can leave it all to me.”
Police- Constable Palk replaced the receiver, uttered a longdrawn whistle and proceeded to dial his superiorofficer’s number.
Mrs. Palk looked in from the kitchen whence proceeded an appetizing smell of frying bacon.
“What is it?”
“Rummest thing you ever heard of,” replied her husband. “Body of a young woman found up at the Hall. In theColonel’s library.”
“Murdered?”
“Strangled, so he says.”
“Who was she?”
“The Colonel says he doesn’t know her from Adam.”
“Then what was she doing in ’is library?”
Police-Constable Palk silenced her with a reproachful glance and spoke officially into the telephone.
“Inspector Slack? Police-Constable Palk here. A report has just come in that the body of a young woman wasdiscovered this morning at seven-fifteen—”
IV
Miss Marple’s telephone rang when she was dressing. The sound of it flurried her a little. It was an unusual hour forher telephone to ring. So well ordered was her prim spinster’s life that unforeseen telephone calls were a source ofvivid conjecture.
“Dear me,” said Miss Marple, surveying the ringing instrument with perplexity. “I wonder who that can be?”
Nine o’clock to nine-thirty was the recognized time for the village to make friendly calls to neighbours. Plans forthe day, invitations and so on were always issued then. The butcher had been known to ring up just before nine if somecrisis in the meat trade had occurred. At intervals during the day spasmodic calls might occur, though it wasconsidered bad form to ring after nine-thirty at night. It was true that Miss Marple’s nephew, a writer, and thereforeerratic, had been known to ring up at the most peculiar times, once as late as ten minutes to midnight. But whateverRaymond West’s eccentricities, early rising was not one of them. Neither he nor anyone of Miss Marple’sacquaintance would be likely to ring up before eight in the morning. Actually a quarter to eight.
Too early even for a telegram, since the post office did not open until eight.
“It must be,” Miss Marple decided, “a wrong number.”
Having decided this, she advanced to the impatient instrument and quelled its clamour by picking up the receiver.
“Yes?” she said.
“Is that you, Jane?”
Miss Marple was much surprised.
“Yes, it’s Jane. You’re up very early, Dolly.”
Mrs. Bantry’s voice came breathless and agitated over the wires.
“The most awful thing has happened.”
“Oh, my dear.”
“We’ve just found a body in the library.”
For a moment Miss Marple thought her friend had gone mad.
“You’ve found a what?”
“I know. One doesn’t believe it, does one? I mean, I thought they only happened in books. I had to argue for hourswith Arthur this morning before he’d even go down and see.”
Miss Marple tried to collect herself. She demanded breathlessly: “But whose body is it?”
“It’s a blonde.”
“A what?”
“A blonde. A beautiful blonde—like books again. None of us have ever seen her before. She’s just lying there inthe library, dead. That’s why you’ve got to come up at once.”
“You want me to come up?”
“Yes, I’m sending the car down for you.”
Miss Marple said doubtfully:
“Of course, dear, if you think I can be of any comfort to you—”
“Oh, I don’t want comfort. But you’re so good at bodies.”
“Oh no, indeed. My little successes have been mostly theoretical.”
“But you’re very good at murders. She’s been murdered, you see, strangled. What I feel is that if one has got tohave a murder actually happening in one’s house, one might as well enjoy it, if you know what I mean. That’s why Iwant you to come and help me find out who did it and unravel the mystery and all that. It really is rather thrilling, isn’tit?”
“Well, of course, my dear, if I can be of any help to you.”
“Splendid! Arthur’s being rather difficult. He seems to think I shouldn’t enjoy myself about it at all. Of course, I doknow it’s very sad and all that, but then I don’t know the girl—and when you’ve seen her you’ll understand what Imean when I say she doesn’t look real at all.”
VA little breathless, Miss Marple alighted from the Bantry’s car, the door of which was held open for her by thechauffeur.
Colonel Bantry came out on the steps, and looked a little surprised.
“Miss Marple?—er—very pleased to see you.”
“Your wife telephoned to me,” explained Miss Marple.
“Capital, capital. She ought to have someone with her. She’ll crack up otherwise. She’s putting a good face onthings at the moment, but you know what it is—”
At this moment Mrs. Bantry appeared, and exclaimed:
“Do go back into the dining room and eat your breakfast, Arthur. Your bacon will get cold.”
“I thought it might be the Inspector arriving,” explained Colonel Bantry.
“He’ll be here soon enough,” said Mrs. Bantry. “That’s why it’s important to get your breakfast first. You need it.”
“So do you. Much better come and eat something. Dolly—”
“I’ll come in a minute,” said Mrs. Bantry. “Go on, Arthur.”
Colonel Bantry was shooed back into the dining room like a recalcitrant hen.
“Now!” said Mrs. Bantry with an intonation of triumph. “Come on.”
She led the way rapidly along the long corridor to the east of the house. Outside the library door Constable Palkstood on guard. He intercepted Mrs. Bantry with a show of authority.
“I’m afraid nobody is allowed in, madam. Inspector’s orders.”
“Nonsense, Palk,” said Mrs. Bantry. “You know Miss Marple perfectly well.”
Constable Palk admitted to knowing Miss Marple.
“It’s very important that she should see the body,” said Mrs. Bantry. “Don’t be stupid, Palk. After all, it’s mylibrary, isn’t it?”
Constable Palk gave way. His habit of giving in to the gentry was lifelong. The Inspector, he reflected, need neverknow about it.
“Nothing must be touched or handled in any way,” he warned the ladies.
“Of course not,” said Mrs. Bantry impatiently. “We know that. You can come in and watch, if you like.”
Constable Palk availed himself of this permission. It had been his intention, anyway.
Mrs. Bantry bore her friend triumphantly across the library to the big old-fashioned fireplace. She said, with adramatic sense of climax: “There!”
Miss Marple understood then just what her friend had meant when she said the dead girl wasn’t real. The librarywas a room very typical of its owners. It was large and shabby and untidy. It had big sagging armchairs, and pipes andbooks and estate papers laid out on the big table. There were one or two good old family portraits on the walls, andsome bad Victorian watercolours, and some would-be-funny hunting scenes. There was a big vase of Michaelmasdaisies in the corner. The whole room was dim and mellow and casual. It spoke of long occupation and familiar useand of links with tradition.
And across the old bearskin hearthrug there was sprawled something new and crude and melodramatic.
The flamboyant figure of a girl. A girl with unnaturally fair hair dressed up off her face in elaborate curls and rings.
Her thin body was dressed in a backless evening dress of white spangled satin. The face was heavily made-up, thepowder standing out grotesquely on its blue swollen surface, the mascara of the lashes lying thickly on the distortedcheeks, the scarlet of the lips looking like a gash. The fingernails were enamelled in a deep blood-red and so were thetoenails in their cheap silver sandal shoes. It was a cheap, tawdry, flamboyant figure—most incongruous in the solidold-fashioned comfort of Colonel Bantry’s library.
Mrs. Bantry said in a low voice:
“You see what I mean? It just isn’t true!”
The old lady by her side nodded her head. She looked down long and thoughtfully at the huddled figure.
She said at last in a gentle voice:
“She’s very young.”
“Yes—yes—I suppose she is.” Mrs. Bantry seemed almost surprised—like one making a discovery.
Miss Marple bent down. She did not touch the girl. She looked at the fingers that clutched frantically at the front ofthe girl’s dress, as though she had clawed it in her last frantic struggle for breath.
There was the sound of a car scrunching on the gravel outside. Constable Palk said with urgency:
“That’ll be the Inspector….”
True to his ingrained belief that the gentry didn’t let you down, Mrs. Bantry immediately moved to the door. MissMarple followed her. Mrs. Bantry said:
“That’ll be all right, Palk.”
Constable Palk was immensely relieved.
VI
Hastily downing the last fragments of toast and marmalade with a drink of coffee, Colonel Bantry hurried out into thehall and was relieved to see Colonel Melchett, the Chief Constable of the county, descending from a car with InspectorSlack in attendance. Melchett was a friend of the Colonel’s. Slack he had never much taken to—an energetic man whobelied his name and who accompanied his bustling manner with a good deal of disregard for the feelings of anyone hedid not consider important.
“Morning, Bantry,” said the Chief Constable. “Thought I’d better come along myself. This seems an extraordinarybusiness.”
“It’s—it’s—” Colonel Bantry struggled to express himself. “It’s incredible—fantastic!”
“No idea who the woman is?”
“Not the slightest. Never set eyes on her in my life.”
“Butler know anything?” asked Inspector Slack.
“Lorrimer is just as taken aback as I am.”
“Ah,” said Inspector Slack. “I wonder.”
Colonel Bantry said:
“There’s breakfast in the dining room, Melchett, if you’d like anything?”
“No, no—better get on with the job. Haydock ought to be here any minute now—ah, here he is.”
Another car drew up and big, broad-shouldered Doctor Haydock, who was also the police surgeon, got out. Asecond police car had disgorged two plainclothes men, one with a camera.
“All set—eh?” said the Chief Constable. “Right. We’ll go along. In the library, Slack tells me.”
Colonel Bantry groaned.
“It’s incredible! You know, when my wife insisted this morning that the housemaid had come in and said there wasa body in the library, I just wouldn’t believe her.”
“No, no, I can quite understand that. Hope your missus isn’t too badly upset by it all?”
“She’s been wonderful—really wonderful. She’s got old Miss Marple up here with her—from the village, youknow.”
“Miss Marple?” The Chief Constable stiffened. “Why did she send for her?”
“Oh, a woman wants another woman—don’t you think so?”
Colonel Melchett said with a slight chuckle:
“If you ask me, your wife’s going to try her hand at a little amateur detecting. Miss Marple’s quite the local sleuth.
Put it over us properly once, didn’t she, Slack?”
Inspector Slack said: “That was different.”
“Different from what?”
“That was a local case, that was, sir. The old lady knows everything that goes on in the village, that’s true enough.
But she’ll be out of her depth here.”
Melchett said dryly: “You don’t know very much about it yourself yet, Slack.”
“Ah, you wait, sir. It won’t take me long to get down to it.”
VII
In the dining room Mrs. Bantry and Miss Marple, in their turn, were partaking of breakfast.
After waiting on her guest, Mrs. Bantry said urgently:
“Well, Jane?”
Miss Marple looked up at her, slightly bewildered.
Mrs. Bantry said hopefully:
“Doesn’t it remind you of anything?”
For Miss Marple had attained fame by her ability to link up trivial village happenings with graver problems in sucha way as to throw light upon the latter.
“No,” said Miss Marple thoughtfully, “I can’t say that it does—not at the moment. I was reminded a little of Mrs.
Chetty’s youngest—Edie, you know—but I think that was just because this poor girl bit her nails and her front teethstuck out a little. Nothing more than that. And, of course,” went on Miss Marple, pursuing the parallel further, “Ediewas fond of what I call cheap finery, too.”
“You mean her dress?” said Mrs. Bantry.
“Yes, a very tawdry satin—poor quality.”
Mrs. Bantry said:
“I know. One of those nasty little shops where everything is a guinea.” She went on hopefully:
“Let me see, what happened to Mrs. Chetty’s Edie?”
“She’s just gone into her second place—and doing very well, I believe.”
Mrs. Bantry felt slightly disappointed. The village parallel didn’t seem to be exactly hopeful.
“What I can’t make out,” said Mrs. Bantry, “is what she could possibly be doing in Arthur’s study. The windowwas forced, Palk tells me. She might have come down here with a burglar and then they quarrelled—but that seemssuch nonsense, doesn’t it?”
“She was hardly dressed for burglary,” said Miss Marple thoughtfully.
“No, she was dressed for dancing—or a party of some kind. But there’s nothing of that kind down here—oranywhere near.”
“N-n-o,” said Miss Marple doubtfully.
Mrs. Bantry pounced.
“Something’s in your mind, Jane.”
“Well, I was just wondering—”
“Yes?”
“Basil Blake.”
Mrs. Bantry cried impulsively: “Oh, no!” and added as though in explanation, “I know his mother.”
The two women looked at each other.
Miss Marple sighed and shook her head.
“I quite understand how you feel about it.”
“Selina Blake is the nicest woman imaginable. Her herbaceous borders are simply marvellous—they make megreen with envy. And she’s frightfully generous with cuttings.”
Miss Marple, passing over these claims to consideration on the part of Mrs. Blake, said:
“All the same, you know, there has been a lot of talk.”
“Oh, I know—I know. And of course Arthur goes simply livid when he hears Basil Blake mentioned. He wasreally very rude to Arthur, and since then Arthur won’t hear a good word for him. He’s got that silly slighting way oftalking that these boys have nowadays—sneering at people sticking up for their school or the Empire or that sort ofthing. And then, of course, the clothes he wears!”
“People say,” continued Mrs. Bantry, “that it doesn’t matter what you wear in the country. I never heard suchnonsense. It’s just in the country that everyone notices.” She paused, and added wistfully: “He was an adorable babyin his bath.”
“There was a lovely picture of the Cheviot murderer as a baby in the paper last Sunday,” said Miss Marple.
“Oh, but Jane, you don’t think he—”
“No, no, dear. I didn’t mean that at all. That would indeed be jumping to conclusions. I was just trying to accountfor the young woman’s presence down here. St. Mary Mead is such an unlikely place. And then it seemed to me thatthe only possible explanation was Basil Blake. He does have parties. People came down from London and from thestudios—you remember last July? Shouting and singing—the most terrible noise—everyone very drunk, I’m afraid—and the mess and the broken glass next morning simply unbelievable—so old Mrs. Berry told me—and a youngwoman asleep in the bath with practically nothing on!”
Mrs. Bantry said indulgently:
“I suppose they were film people.”
“Very likely. And then—what I expect you’ve heard—several weekends lately he’s brought down a young womanwith him—a platinum blonde.”
Mrs. Bantry exclaimed:
“You don’t think it’s this one?”
“Well—I wondered. Of course, I’ve never seen her close to—only just getting in and out of the car—and once inthe cottage garden when she was sunbathing with just some shorts and a brassière. I never really saw her face. And allthese girls with their makeup and their hair and their nails look so alike.”
“Yes. Still, it might be. It’s an idea, Jane.”
第一章
第一章
1班特里夫人在做梦。她的香豌豆花在花展上赢得了一等奖。身穿长袍和白色法衣的教区牧师在教堂颁奖，他妻子穿着泳装从旁边走过。这种举动在现实生活里一定会引起一片反对。不过，梦境赋予的特权使其没有引起教区的任何不满。
班特里夫人沉醉在她的梦里。这些清晨的梦让她很享受，直到被送来的早茶唤醒。半梦半醒中，她听到每天清晨家里都会出现的嘈杂声。在楼上拉窗帘的女佣弄出的窗帘环碰撞声，在屋外走廊清扫的女佣用扫帚和簸箕弄出的声音。远处，大门门闩被拉开了，发出沉重的响声。
又一天开始了。她要尽力从花展中获得最大的愉悦，因为它越来越像一个梦了……楼下客厅传来木制大百叶窗被打开的声音，她似乎听到了，又好像没听到。这种悄悄做家务发出的被压低的声响通常会持续半个小时，它并不扰人，因为太熟悉了。晨曲的高潮是走廊里轻快而节制的脚步声、印花布裙子的窸窣声，茶盘放在了门外的桌上，茶具发出低低的叮当声，进屋拉窗帘之前，玛丽轻轻的敲门声。
睡梦中的班特里夫人皱起眉头。蒙眬中，她感到一种令人不安的东西，不太对劲儿。
走廊里传来的脚步声太匆忙、太快了。她的耳朵下意识地等待瓷器碰撞的声音，却没有等到。
敲门声响了。睡梦中的班特里夫人应道：“进来。”门开了，现在应该是窗帘被拉开的声音了。
但是没听到窗帘环的碰撞声。昏暗的绿色光线里传来玛丽急促的呼吸声和惊恐的叫喊：“哦，夫人，哦，夫人，藏书室里有一具尸体！”
接着又是一阵歇斯底里的哭喊，她又冲出了房间。
2班特里夫人从床上坐了起来。
要么是她的梦境出现了转折，要么就是——就是玛丽真的闯进来说（难以置信！不可思议！）藏书室里有一具尸体！
“不可能，”班特里夫人喃喃自语，“一定是我在做梦。”
尽管这样说，她却越来越觉得这不是个梦，那个一向非常克制自己的玛丽确实说了那些令人难以置信的话。
班特里夫人定了定神，然后急忙用胳膊肘顶了顶身旁熟睡的丈夫。
“亚瑟，亚瑟，醒醒。”
班特里上校咕哝着抱怨了什么，翻了个身。
“醒醒，亚瑟。你听见她说了什么吗？”
“很有可能，”班特里上校口齿不清地说，“你说得很对，多莉。”接着又睡着了。
班特里夫人摇晃他。
“你听好了，玛丽进来说藏书室里有具尸体。”
“呃，什么？”
“藏书室里有具尸体。”
“谁说的？”
“玛丽。”
班特里上校醒了，他定了定神，试图应付眼前的局面。他说：
“别胡说了，老伴儿。你在做梦。”
“不，不是的。开始我也以为是做梦，但不是。她真的闯进来这么说了。”
“玛丽跑进来说藏书室里有具尸体？”
“是的。”
“但这不可能。”班特里上校说。
“对，对，我也觉得不可能。”班特里夫人犹豫了。
她想了想，又说：
“那么，为什么玛丽说有呢？”
“她不可能说有。”
“她确实说了。”
“一定是你的幻想。”
“我没幻想。”
班特里上校现在已经彻底清醒了，他打算把这事弄个明白，便和气地说：
“多莉，你刚才是在做梦，就是这样。是因为你读了那本侦探小说《断火柴的线索》。
你知道的，埃格巴斯顿勋爵在藏书室壁炉前的地毯上发现了一具金发美女的尸体。小说里的藏书室总会发现尸体。我在现实生活中可从没遇到过。”
“也许现在你遇到了，”班特里夫人说，“不管怎么说，亚瑟，你得起来去看看。”
“但是说真的，多莉，这一定是个梦。你刚醒的时候，梦总是特别真实，于是你就相信是真的。”
“我刚才做的梦完全不是这样的，我梦到的是花展，牧师的妻子穿着泳装——诸如此类的事。”
班特里夫人来了精神，她跳下床，拉开窗帘。秋日晴朗的日光立刻涌进了房间。
“这不是我的梦，”班特里夫人肯定地说，“快起床，亚瑟，下楼去看看。”
“你让我下楼去问问藏书室里是不是有具尸体？别人肯定会以为我是个该死的傻子。”
“你什么也不用问，”班特里夫人说，“如果真的有具尸体——当然也可能是玛丽疯了，认为自己看见了不存在的东西——立刻会有人告诉你。你一个字都不用说。”
班特里上校一边抱怨，一边披上睡袍走出了房间。他穿过走廊，走下楼梯。楼梯下面挤着一小簇仆人，有几个还在抽泣。男管家表情严肃地走过来。
“先生，你来了真是太好了。我已经下令，在你来之前什么都不许做。现在你要我打电话报警吗？”
“为什么要报警？”
管家扭过头，责备地看了一眼正伏在厨娘肩头、哭得歇斯底里的高个子姑娘。
“先生，我以为玛丽已经向你报告了。她说她已经讲了。”
玛丽喘着气说：
“我太难受了，根本不知道自己说了什么。我吓坏了，两腿发软，心里直翻腾。看到那个——哦，哦，哦！”
她又靠在埃克尔斯夫人身上，埃克尔斯夫人耐心地说：“没事了，没事了，亲爱的。”
“玛丽有些害怕是正常的，先生，是她发现了那可怕的场景。”管家解释说，“她和平时一样走进藏书室拉窗帘，然后——差点儿被尸体绊倒。”
“你是说，”班特里上校追问道，“我的藏书室里有具尸体——我的藏书室？”
管家咳嗽了一声。
“恐怕是的，先生，你最好亲自去看看。”
3“喂，喂，喂，这里是警察局。是的，你是哪位？”
波尔克警员一手握着听筒，另一手在系制服上衣的扣子。
“是，是，戈辛顿大宅。什么？哦，早上好，先生。”波尔克警员的语气略微起了变化。他发现对方是警察局比赛活动的慷慨资助人和当地的行政官员，语气里便少了些不耐烦的官腔。
“是的，先生。有什么我能为你效劳的吗……对不起，先生，我不太明白……一具尸体？你是说……是……奇怪……是这样，先生……你不认识的年轻女人？你是说……好的，先生。是的，交给我办吧。”
波尔克警员放下听筒，吹了一声长长的口哨，然后开始拨他上司的电话号码。
厨房里的波尔克夫人探出身来，带出一股诱人的煎熏肉的味道。
“怎么了？”
“你所听过的最离奇的事，”她丈夫回答，“戈辛顿大宅发现了一具年轻女人的尸体。在上校的藏书室里。”
“谋杀？”
“他说是被勒死的。”
“那女人是谁？”
“上校说他根本不认识。”
“那她在他的藏书室里干什么？”
波尔克警员责备地看了她一眼，波尔克夫人安静下来。警员对着电话用非常正式的语气说：
“是斯莱克警督吗？我是波尔克警员。我接到报案，说今天早上七点十五分发现了一具年轻女人的尸体……”
4马普尔小姐接到电话时正在穿衣服。铃声让她有点儿慌乱。通常没人会在这时候给她打电话。她是一个生活严谨的老小姐，日程安排得有条不紊，出人意料的电话会让她浮想联翩。
“天哪，”马普尔小姐困惑地看着电话，“会是谁呢？”
九点到九点半是村民们致电问候的时间，一天的计划、邀请做客等等都是那时的话题。如果猪肉买卖出现危机，肉铺老板九点前就会打来电话。一天之中的其他时间也会有电话，但晚上九点半以后的电话被认为是很失礼的。尽管马普尔小姐的外甥——那个作家——很古怪，会在最奇怪的时间打电话，最晚的一次是在午夜前十分钟。但无论雷蒙德•韦斯特有多少古怪行为，早起肯定不是其中之一。不管是他还是马普尔小姐认识的任何人，都不会在早上八点之前来电话。确切地说，是八点差一刻。
即使是电报也太早了，邮局要到八点才开门。
“一定是打错了。”马普尔小姐断定。
她走到不耐烦的电话机旁，拿起听筒，吵闹的铃声停了。“喂？”她说。
“简，是你吗？”
马普尔小姐大吃一惊。
“是的，我是。你起床可真早，多莉。”
电话那头传来班特里夫人焦虑不安的声音，她听起来气喘吁吁的。
“发生了最可怕的事。”
“哦，亲爱的。”
“我们在藏书室里发现了一具尸体。”
一时间，马普尔小姐还以为她的朋友疯了。
“你们发现了什么？”
“我知道，没人会信的，不是吗？我是说，我也以为只有书里面才会发生这种事。今天早上我和亚瑟争论了很久，他才同意下楼看看。”
马普尔小姐努力保持镇定。她屏住呼吸，追问道：“可是，那是谁的尸体？”
“一个金发女郎。”
“一个什么？”
“一个金发女郎，漂亮的金发女郎——又和书里一样。以前我们谁都没见过她。她就那样躺在藏书室里，死了。所以你得马上过来。”
“你想让我过去？”
“是的，我立刻派车去接你。”
马普尔小姐迟疑地说：
“哦，当然，亲爱的，如果我能给你带去一些安慰——”
“哦，我不需要安慰。我知道你对谋杀案很擅长。”
“哦，不，说真的，我那一点儿小成功大都是理论上的。”
“可是你特别擅长处理谋杀案。你知道，她是被勒死的，是谋杀。我认为如果家里出了谋杀案，能自己侦破就太好了，你明白我的意思。所以我要请你过来，帮我找出凶手，解开谜团。这太让人激动了，不是吗？”
“是的，当然，亲爱的，如果我能帮你的话。”
“好极了！亚瑟现在不太好对付。他似乎认为我根本不应该对此有兴趣。当然，我知道这事令人难过，可我不认识那个女孩——你见了她就会明白我的意思，我是说，她看上去一点儿也不真实。”
5马普尔小姐从班特里家的车里出来，有点儿气喘，司机为她扶住车门。
班特里上校走出来，站在台阶上，看上去有点儿惊讶。
“马普尔小姐——呃——很高兴见到你。”
“你妻子给我打了电话。”马普尔小姐解释说。
“太好了，太好了。她是需要有人陪着，不然会崩溃的。现在她装作若无其事，可你知道其实——”
这时，班特里夫人出现了，她大声宣布：
“回餐厅去吃早饭，亚瑟。你的培根要冷了。”
“我以为是警督到了。”班特里上校解释说。
“他很快就到，”班特里夫人说，“正因为如此，你必须先吃早饭。你需要吃早饭。”
“你也是。最好进来吃点儿东西，多莉。”
“我马上来，”班特里夫人说，“快去，亚瑟。”
班特里上校像一只倔犟的母鸡，被她嘘着赶进了餐厅。
“好了！”班特里夫人以胜利者的口吻说，“来吧。”
她引着马普尔小姐迅速穿过长长的走廊，向房子东翼走去。波尔克警员守在藏书室门外，威严地拦住了班特里夫人。
“夫人，恐怕任何人都不许入内。这是警督的命令。”
“荒唐，波尔克，”班特里夫人说，“你很清楚马普尔小姐是谁。”
波尔克警员承认他认识马普尔小姐。
“让她看看尸体，这很重要。”班特里夫人说，“别犯傻了，波尔克。这毕竟是我的藏书室，不是吗？”
波尔克警员让步了。他向来习惯屈从于上等人。不过他明白，这件事绝不能让警督知道。
“任何东西都不能碰。”他警告两位女士。
“当然不会。”班特里夫人不耐烦地说，“我们知道。如果你想的话，进来看着吧。”
波尔克警员没错过这次许可，他确实想进去。
班特里夫人带着她的朋友凯旋般地穿过藏书室，来到一个老式大壁炉前。她以戏剧到了高潮般的架势叫着：“那儿！”
直到这时，马普尔小姐才明白，她朋友所说的那个死去的女孩看起来不真实是什么意思。藏书室极好地体现了主人的特点。非常宽敞，陈旧而凌乱。几张快散架的大扶手椅，大写字台上放着烟斗、书籍和不动产文件。墙上挂着一两幅漂亮的家庭成员肖像，已经有些年头了，还有几幅拙劣的维多利亚时期的水彩画，以及一些自以为有趣的狩猎主题绘画。墙角有一个装着紫菀的大花瓶。整个房间光线昏暗、色彩柔和、陈设随意。显然这间藏书室已经使用了很久，与传统有着种种联系，主人对这里非常熟悉。
然而，横在壁炉前熊皮地毯上的东西，却是新奇的、突兀的、惊悚的。
那是个艳丽的女孩，脸庞边散落着完美到不自然的头发，那些弯曲的鬈发显然是精心打理过的，单薄的身体上裹着一件白缎子做的露背晚礼服，上面缝着亮闪闪的饰片。妆化得很浓，淤青肿胀的脸上堆着粉，看上去奇特诡异；厚厚的睫毛膏横在变形的脸颊上，猩红的嘴唇像一道深深的伤口。她的手指甲，还有廉价银色凉鞋映衬的脚指甲上都涂着血红的指甲油。这具低贱、媚俗、艳丽的尸体和班特里上校藏书室那稳重传统的风格截然相反。
班特里夫人压低了声音：
“你懂我的意思吗？就是不真实。”
站在她身旁的老妇人点点头，久久俯视着那具蜷曲的尸体，陷入沉思。
最后，她轻声说：
“她很年轻。”
“是——是——我想她是的。”班特里夫人看上去很惊讶——仿佛刚刚发现了什么。
马普尔小姐弯下腰。她没碰那个女孩，而是看着紧抓住裙子前襟的手指，它们似乎在为最后一口气而疯狂挣扎。
窗外传来轮胎碾上砾石路的声音。波尔克警员紧张地说：
“警督来了……”
正如他所深信的，上等人不会让你失望，班特里夫人立刻走向门口，马普尔小姐跟在她后面。班特里夫人说：
“没事的，波尔克。”
波尔克警士马上松了一口气。
6班特里上校匆匆用一口咖啡送下最后一片抹果酱的面包，然后急急忙忙地回到大厅，正看见梅尔切特上校从车上下来，他顿时松了一口气。和梅尔切特一起从车上下来的是斯莱克警督。梅尔切特上校是班特里上校的朋友。他向来看不惯斯莱克——一个自负而精力充沛的人，和他的名字截然相反，他总是一副匆匆忙忙的样子，对任何他认为不重要的人都不屑一顾。
“早啊，班特里。”警察局局长说，“我想最好还是亲自来一趟。此事看来很不寻常。”
“这——这——”班特里上校一时词穷，“不可思议——太稀奇了！”
“你不知道那个女人是谁吗？”
“完全不知道。我这辈子从没见过她。”
“管家知道些什么吗？”斯莱克警督问。
“洛里默和我一样震惊。”
“啊，”斯莱克警督说，“是这样。”
班特里上校说：
“餐厅里有早点，梅尔切特，想吃点儿什么吗？”
“不，不——最好先工作。海多克应该到了——啊，他来了。”
又一辆车停在门前，身材高大、肩膀宽阔的海多克医生从车上下来，他的另一个身份是法医。接着，另一辆警车里跳出两个便衣，其中一个带着照相机。
“都准备好了吗？”警察局局长说，“好，我们开始吧。在藏书室里，斯莱克说了。”
班特里上校叹了一口气。
“简直不敢相信！你知道，今天早上我妻子坚持说女佣进了房间，告诉她藏书室里有具尸体。我就是不相信。”
“当然，当然，这我完全明白。希望你夫人没有因为这事而过于紧张。”
“她很好——真的好极了。马普尔小姐从村子里来了，在这里陪着她，你知道。”
“马普尔小姐？”警察局局长紧张起来，“为什么请她来？”
“哦，一个女人需要另一个女人吧——你不觉得吗？”
梅尔切特上校笑了出来：
“我倒是觉得，你妻子想让业余侦探显显身手。马普尔小姐可是一位出名的本地侦探。
有一次让我们都信服了，对吧，斯莱克？”
警督斯莱克说：“那次不一样。”
“哪里不一样？”
“那是一起地方性案件，先生。这位女士对村子里的一切确实了如指掌，但这一次可超出她的能力范围了。”
梅尔切特冷冷地说：“斯莱克，可你自己还没弄明白呢。”
“啊，等着瞧吧，先生。用不了多久我就能了结此案。”
7餐厅里，班特里夫人和马普尔小姐开始吃早餐了。
照顾好她的客人之后，班特里夫人急忙问道：
“你怎么看，简？”
马普尔小姐抬起头，有些困惑地看着她。
班特里夫人期待地问：
“难道没让你想起什么吗？”
马普尔小姐已经赢得了这样的名声：她能把发生在乡间的琐事和更重大的难题联系起来，并以此解决后者。
“没有，”马普尔小姐一边思考一边说道，“我得说没有——至少目前没有。我只是忽然想起切蒂夫人家最小的伊迪，不过我觉得只是因为那个可怜的小女孩总咬指甲，因此门牙有点儿突出。仅此而已。当然，”马普尔小姐继续追述，“伊迪热衷于那些我称为便宜货的花俏装束。”
“你是说她的衣服？”班特里夫人说。
“没错，非常俗气的假缎子——质地很差。”
班特里夫人说：
“我知道。那些廉价小店里的东西每件都只要一个几尼。”她继续期待地问，“那么，切蒂夫人家的伊迪怎么样了？”
“刚获得第二份工作——干得不错，我认为。”
班特里夫人有点儿失望。在乡间找到可供对比的人和事是不太可能了。
“我还没想清楚，”班特里夫人说，“她到亚瑟的藏书室里来做什么。波尔克说窗户是被撬开的。她可能是和窃贼同伙一起进屋，然后吵了起来——但这根本不合理，是不是？”
“她那身打扮可不像窃贼。”马普尔小姐沉吟道。
“不像，她像是要去舞会——或是什么晚会派对。但这里根本没有派对——这附近也没有。”
“不……”马普尔小姐有些犹豫。
班特里夫人突然说：
“简，你一定想到了什么。”
“好吧，我只是觉得——”
“什么？”
“巴兹尔•布莱克。”
班特里夫人激动地喊出口：“哦，不！”她补充道，“我认识他母亲。”
两个女人看着对方。
马普尔小姐叹了口气，摇摇头。
“我非常理解你的感受。”
“塞利纳•布莱克是我能想得到的最善良的女人。她的花坛太美了——简直让我嫉妒得眼红。而且她还乐于把它们剪下送人，慷慨得可怕。”
马普尔小姐没理会为布莱克夫人辩护的话，说：
“不管怎么说，你知道，最近有很多闲话。”
“哦，我知道——我知道。亚瑟听见巴兹尔•布莱克这个名字，就气得脸色铁青。他对待亚瑟的态度真是非常粗鲁，从此亚瑟就不想听到任何人讲他的好话。他总是傻乎乎地以轻蔑的语气谈论这一代男孩——他们嘲笑人们维护自己的母校和帝国，或其他的事。还有，当然了，他的衣着打扮！”
“人们说，”班特里夫人继续讲，“在乡下穿什么衣服并不重要。我可没听过这种胡话，正是在乡下才会让每个人都注意到。”她停下来，伤感地补充道，“他在澡盆里的时候还是个可爱的婴孩呢。”
“上个星期天的报纸上有一张切维厄特杀手在婴儿时拍的照片，非常可爱。”马普尔小姐说。
“哦，可是，简，你不会认为他——”
“不，不，亲爱的。我根本没那么想，直接下结论实在太草率了。我只是试图弄明白那个年轻女人究竟为什么会出现在这里。不该是圣玛丽米德这样的地方。再说了，我认为唯一可能的解释就是巴兹尔•布莱克。他的确开过派对，伦敦和电影制片厂都有人来参加——你记得去年七月吗？叫喊声和歌唱声——最可怕的噪声，每个人都酩酊大醉，第二天早上的混乱和碎玻璃，你看了都不会相信——贝里老夫人是这么告诉我的，一个年轻女人睡在浴室里，什么都没穿。”
班特里夫人宽容地说：
“大概是电影圈的人吧。”
“很可能是的。而且——你大概已经听说了——最近这几个周末，他带来了一个年轻女人，头发是浅金色的。”
班特里夫人惊讶地叫道：
“你不会觉得就是这个女人吧？”
“呃——我也想知道。当然，我从未走近了看她——只有上车和下车的时候——还有一次是她在小屋花园里晒太阳的时候，只穿了短裤和胸罩。我从没看清楚她的脸，这些女孩都化着浓妆，头发和指甲看起来全一样。”
“你说得没错。不过，简，这也有可能是一条线索。”
Chapter Two
Two
II t was an idea that was being at that moment discussed by Colonel Melchett and Colonel Bantry.
The Chief Constable, after viewing the body and seeing his subordinates set to work on their routine tasks, hadadjourned with the master of the house to the study in the other wing of the house.
Colonel Melchett was an irascible-looking man with a habit of tugging at his short red moustache. He did so now,shooting a perplexed sideways glance at the other man. Finally, he rapped out:
“Look here, Bantry, got to get this off my chest. Is it a fact that you don’t know from Adam who this girl is?”
The other’s answer was explosive, but the Chief Constable interrupted him.
“Yes, yes, old man, but look at it like this. Might be deuced awkward for you. Married man—fond of your missusand all that. But just between ourselves—if you were tied up with this girl in any way, better say so now. Quite naturalto want to suppress the fact—should feel the same myself. But it won’t do. Murder case. Facts bound to come out.
Dash it all, I’m not suggesting you strangled the girl—not the sort of thing you’d do—I know that. But, after all, shecame here—to this house. Put it she broke in and was waiting to see you, and some bloke or other followed her downand did her in. Possible, you know. See what I mean?”
“Damn it all, Melchett, I tell you I’ve never set eyes on that girl in my life! I’m not that sort of man.”
“That’s all right, then. Shouldn’t blame you, you know. Man of the world. Still, if you say so—Question is, whatwas she doing down here? She doesn’t come from these parts—that’s quite certain.”
“The whole thing’s a nightmare,” fumed the angry master of the house.
“The point is, old man, what was she doing in your library?”
“How should I know? I didn’t ask her here.”
“No, no. But she came here, all the same. Looks as though she wanted to see you. You haven’t had any odd lettersor anything?”
“No, I haven’t.”
Colonel Melchett inquired delicately:
“What were you doing yourself last night?”
“I went to the meeting of the Conservative Association. Nine o’clock, at Much Benham.”
“And you got home when?”
“I left Much Benham just after ten—had a bit of trouble on the way home, had to change a wheel. I got back at aquarter to twelve.”
“You didn’t go into the library?”
“No.”
“Pity.”
“I was tired. I went straight up to bed.”
“Anyone waiting up for you?”
“No. I always take the latchkey. Lorrimer goes to bed at eleven unless I give orders to the contrary.”
“Who shuts up the library?”
“Lorrimer. Usually about seven-thirty this time of year.”
“Would he go in there again during the evening?”
“Not with my being out. He left the tray with whisky and glasses in the hall.”
“I see. What about your wife?”
“I don’t know. She was in bed when I got home and fast asleep. She may have sat in the library yesterday eveningor in the drawing room. I forgot to ask her.”
“Oh well, we shall soon know all the details. Of course, it’s possible one of the servants may be concerned, eh?”
Colonel Bantry shook his head.
“I don’t believe it. They’re all a most respectable lot. We’ve had ’em for years.”
Melchett agreed.
“Yes, it doesn’t seem likely that they’re mixed up in it. Looks more as though the girl came down from town—perhaps with some young fellow. Though why they wanted to break into this house—”
Bantry interrupted.
“London. That’s more like it. We don’t have goings on down here—at least—”
“Well, what is it?”
“Upon my word!” exploded Colonel Bantry. “Basil Blake!”
“Who’s he?”
“Young fellow connected with the film industry. Poisonous young brute. My wife sticks up for him because shewas at school with his mother, but of all the decadent useless young jackanapes! Wants his behind kicked! He’s takenthat cottage on the Lansham Road—you know—ghastly modern bit of building. He has parties there, shrieking, noisycrowds, and he has girls down for the weekend.”
“Girls?”
“Yes, there was one last week—one of these platinum blondes—”
The Colonel’s jaw dropped.
“A platinum blonde, eh?” said Melchett reflectively.
“Yes. I say, Melchett, you don’t think—”
The Chief Constable said briskly:
“It’s a possibility. It accounts for a girl of this type being in St. Mary Mead. I think I’ll run along and have a wordwith this young fellow—Braid—Blake—what did you say his name was?”
“Blake. Basil Blake.”
“Will he be at home, do you know?”
“Let me see. What’s today—Saturday? Usually gets here sometime Saturday morning.”
Melchett said grimly:
“We’ll see if we can find him.”
II
Basil Blake’s cottage, which consisted of all modern conveniences enclosed in a hideous shell of half timbering andsham Tudor, was known to the postal authorities, and to William Booker, builder, as “Chatsworth”; to Basil and hisfriends as “The Period Piece,” and to the village of St. Mary Mead at large as “Mr. Booker’s new house.”
It was little more than a quarter of a mile from the village proper, being situated on a new building estate that hadbeen bought by the enterprising Mr. Booker just beyond the Blue Boar, with frontage on what had been a particularlyunspoilt country lane. Gossington Hall was about a mile farther on along the same road.
Lively interest had been aroused in St. Mary Mead when news went round that “Mr. Booker’s new house” hadbeen bought by a film star. Eager watch was kept for the first appearance of the legendary creature in the village, and itmay be said that as far as appearances went Basil Blake was all that could be asked for. Little by little, however, thereal facts leaked out. Basil Blake was not a film star—not even a film actor. He was a very junior person, rejoicing inthe title of about fifteenth in the list of those responsible for Set Decorations at Lemville Studios, headquarters ofBritish New Era Films. The village maidens lost interest, and the ruling class of censorious spinsters took exception toBasil Blake’s way of life. Only the landlord of the Blue Boar continued to be enthusiastic about Basil and Basil’sfriends. The revenues of the Blue Boar had increased since the young man’s arrival in the place.
The police car stopped outside the distorted rustic gate of Mr. Booker’s fancy, and Colonel Melchett, with a glanceof distaste at the excessive half timbering of Chatsworth, strode up to the front door and attacked it briskly with theknocker.
It was opened much more promptly than he had expected. A young man with straight, somewhat long, black hair,wearing orange corduroy trousers and a royal-blue shirt, snapped out: “Well, what do you want?”
“Are you Mr. Basil Blake?”
“Of course I am.”
“I should be glad to have a few words with you, if I may, Mr. Blake?”
“Who are you?”
“I am Colonel Melchett, the Chief Constable of the County.”
Mr. Blake said insolently:
“You don’t say so; how amusing!”
And Colonel Melchett, following the other in, understood what Colonel Bantry’s reactions had been. The toe of hisown boot itched.
Containing himself, however, he said with an attempt to speak pleasantly:
“You’re an early riser, Mr. Blake.”
“Not at all. I haven’t been to bed yet.”
“Indeed.”
“But I don’t suppose you’ve come here to inquire into my hours of bedgoing—or if you have it’s rather a waste ofthe county’s time and money. What is it you want to speak to me about?”
Colonel Melchett cleared his throat.
“I understand, Mr. Blake, that last weekend you had a visitor—a—er—fair-haired young lady.”
Basil Blake stared, threw back his head and roared with laughter.
“Have the old cats been on to you from the village? About my morals? Damn it all, morals aren’t a police matter.
You know that.”
“As you say,” said Melchett dryly, “your morals are no concern of mine. I have come to you because the body of afair-haired young woman of slightly—er—exotic appearance has been found—murdered.”
“Strewth!” Blake stared at him. “Where?”
“In the library at Gossington Hall.”
“At Gossington? At old Bantry’s? I say, that’s pretty rich. Old Bantry! The dirty old man!”
Colonel Melchett went very red in the face. He said sharply through the renewed mirth of the young man oppositehim: “Kindly control your tongue, sir. I came to ask you if you can throw any light on this business.”
“You’ve come round to ask me if I’ve missed a blonde? Is that it? Why should—hallo, ’allo, ’allo, what’s this?”
A car had drawn up outside with a scream of brakes. Out of it tumbled a young woman dressed in flapping black-and-white pyjamas. She had scarlet lips, blackened eyelashes, and a platinum-blonde head. She strode up to the door,flung it open, and exclaimed angrily:
“Why did you run out on me, you brute?”
Basil Blake had risen.
“So there you are! Why shouldn’t I leave you? I told you to clear out and you wouldn’t.”
“Why the hell should I because you told me to? I was enjoying myself.”
“Yes—with that filthy brute Rosenberg. You know what he’s like.”
“You were jealous, that’s all.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I hate to see a girl I like who can’t hold her drink and lets a disgusting Central Europeanpaw her about.”
“That’s a damned lie. You were drinking pretty hard yourself—and going on with the black-haired Spanish bitch.”
“If I take you to a party I expect you to be able to behave yourself.”
“And I refuse to be dictated to, and that’s that. You said we’d go to the party and come on down here afterwards.
I’m not going to leave a party before I’m ready to leave it.”
“No—and that’s why I left you flat. I was ready to come down here and I came. I don’t hang round waiting for anyfool of a woman.”
“Sweet, polite person you are!”
“You seem to have followed me down all right!”
“I wanted to tell you what I thought of you!”
“If you think you can boss me, my girl, you’re wrong!”
“And if you think you can order me about, you can think again!”
They glared at each other.
It was at this moment that Colonel Melchett seized his opportunity, and cleared his throat loudly.
Basil Blake swung round on him.
“Hallo, I forgot you were here. About time you took yourself off, isn’t it? Let me introduce you—Dinah Lee—Colonel Blimp of the County Police. And now, Colonel, that you’ve seen my blonde is alive and in good condition,perhaps you’ll get on with the good work concerning old Bantry’s little bit of fluff. Good morning!”
Colonel Melchett said:
“I advise you to keep a civil tongue in your head, young man, or you’ll let yourself in for trouble,” and stumpedout, his face red and wrathful.
第二章
第二章
1这时，梅尔切特上校和班特里上校恰恰也在讨论这条线索。
看过尸体后，警察局局长便让手下去做他们的例行工作，自己和房子主人一起走到另一翼的书房。
梅尔切特上校是个外表暴躁的人，总是习惯性地扯他嘴唇上的红色小胡子。现在他正一边扯胡子，一边困惑地瞥着对方。最后，他责备道：
“我说，班特里，有件事我不吐不快，你真的不认识这个女孩吗？”
班特里立刻连珠炮般地解释起来，警察局局长却打断了他的话。
“是的，是的，伙计。这样说吧，或许这会让你觉得难堪——你已经结婚了，深爱着你的妻子，不过这话只有你知我知——如果你和这女孩之间有任何关系，最好现在就说出来。想要隐瞒事实是很自然的，如果是我的话，或许也会这么做，但是行不通，这是谋杀案，迟早都会真相大白的。见鬼，我不是说你勒死了那个女孩——你做不出这种事——我知道。但她毕竟到了这儿——这幢房子，她可能是闯进来等你的，有个家伙跟着她到了这儿，杀了她。这不是没有可能，你懂我的意思吗？”
“见鬼，梅尔切特，我说了，我这辈子从未见过这个女孩——我不是那种人。”
“好了，不能怪你，我知道，你是世界上最好的人。不过，如果你说的是真的——问题在于，她来这儿干什么？她不是这附近的人——这非常确定。”
“整件事就是一场噩梦。”房子的主人非常生气。
“问题在于，伙计，她在你的藏书室里干什么？”
“我怎么能知道？又不是我请她来的。”
“是，你确实没有，可她还是来了，似乎是想见你。你有没有收到奇怪的信或什么东西？”
“没有。”
梅尔切特上校换了一种巧妙的问话方式：
“昨天晚上你独自一个人的时候干什么了？”
“我去参加保守党联合会的会议。九点钟在马奇贝纳姆。”
“你到家时是几点？”
“我离开马奇贝纳姆的时候刚过十点——回来的路上遇到了一点儿麻烦，换了一个轮胎。到家时是十二点差一刻。”
“你没进藏书室？”
“没有。”
“真遗憾。”
“我太累了，就直接上床睡觉了。”
“有人给你开门吗？”
“没有。我总是带着前门钥匙。洛里默每天十一点上床睡觉，除非我特意吩咐过他。”
“谁关上了藏书室的门？”
“洛里默。每年的这个时候都是七点半左右关。”
“之后他还进去吗？”
“如果我不在，他不会的。他会把盛着威士忌和酒杯的托盘留在大厅里。”
“知道了。那你妻子呢？”
“不知道。我回来时她已经在床上睡熟了，她昨晚可能去过藏书室或客厅。我没问她。”
“好吧，我们很快就会把所有的细节搞清楚。有没有可能是某个用人呢？”
班特里上校摇着头说：
“我不相信。他们都是非常体面的人，我们已经用了他们很多年了。”
梅尔切特表示同意。
“是的，他们不太可能掺和进来。这个女孩更像是从城里来的——可能是和什么年轻小伙子一起。不过，他们为什么要闯进这幢房子——”
班特里打断了他。
“伦敦，这就对了。我们这里没有什么能吸引他们的——至少——”
“哦，什么？”
“我敢肯定！”班特里上校叫道，“巴兹尔•布莱克！”
“他是谁？”
“一个电影圈的年轻人，无恶不作。可我妻子总是护着他，因为她和他母亲以前是同学。就是个一无是处、自大无礼的家伙！真想从后面给他一脚！他占据了兰夏姆路上那幢小屋，你知道的，那座可怕的现代化建筑。他家里经常办派对，尖叫，吵闹的人群……他还带女孩去那里过周末。”
“女孩？”
“是的，上星期还来了一个呢，那种金色头发的女孩——”
上校微微颔首。
“一个金色头发的女孩，是吗？”梅尔切特沉思道。
“是的。我说，梅尔切特，你该不会——”
警察局局长高兴地说：
“这是一种可能，这能解释像这样的女孩为什么会到圣玛丽米德来。我想我应该去找这个年轻人谈谈——布莱德——布拉克——你刚才说他叫什么名字？”
“布莱克。巴兹尔•布莱克。”
“你知道他在家吗？”
“让我想想。今天是星期几——星期六？他通常在星期六上午的某个时间来这儿。”
梅尔切特冷笑道：
“看看我们能不能找到他。”
2巴兹尔•布莱克的半木质结构小屋里装备着所有的现代化便利设施，是一幢仿都铎式建筑。邮局的管理者和小屋的建造人威廉•布克称之为“查茨沃思”，巴兹尔和他的朋友叫它“时代的杰作”，而圣玛丽米德村的人普遍认为它就是“布克先生的新房子”。
确切地说，这幢小屋在村外四分之一英里多一点儿的地方，坐落在野心勃勃的布克先生新置的一片建筑区里，就在蓝野猪旅店后面，正对着一条保存完好的乡间小路，戈辛顿大宅就在这条路向前走大约一英里的地方。
电影明星买下“布克先生的新房子”的消息传开后，在圣玛丽米德引起了很多人的兴趣。他们期待在这个村子里看到传说中的人物亮相，仅就外表而言，巴兹尔•布莱克确实满足了他们的好奇心。然而，真相渐渐泄露，巴兹尔•布莱克不是什么电影明星——连电影演员都不是。他只是一个小人物，在英国新时代电影制作中心总部的莱姆维尔制片厂负责布景装饰的人中排名约第十五。村子里的姑娘们顿时失去了兴趣，挑剔的老小姐们对巴兹尔•布莱克的生活方式非常看不惯，仍然对巴兹尔和他的朋友抱有热情的只剩下了蓝野猪旅店的店主。自从年轻人来这儿之后，蓝野猪旅店的收入增加了。
警车停在布克先生高级住宅的粗木大门前。梅尔切特上校用鄙视的目光看着装饰过度的查茨沃思，然后大步走到前门，使劲儿拍打门环。
没想到门很快就开了。一个身穿宝蓝色衬衣和橘色灯芯绒长裤，留着黑色长发的年轻人大声问道：“你有什么事？”
“你是巴兹尔•布莱克先生吗？”
“当然是。”
“布莱克先生，方便的话，我很想和你谈一谈。”
“你是谁？”
“我是梅尔切特上校，郡警察局局长。”
布莱克先生粗鲁地说：
“不可能吧，这太滑稽了！”
跟着他进门的梅尔切特明白了班特里上校为什么会对这个年轻人有那样的评价。他也感到一阵不快。
不过，他还是克制住情绪，尽力用和蔼的口气说：
“你起得很早啊，布莱克先生。”
“根本不早。我还没睡觉呢。”
“是这样。”
“不过，我想你不是来调查我上床睡觉的时间吧——应该不会这样浪费郡里的时间和金钱。你想和我说什么？”
梅尔切特上校清了清嗓子。
“据我所知，布莱克先生，上周末你有位客人——一位——嗯——年轻的金发女郎。”
巴兹尔•布莱克瞪起眼，仰头大笑。
“是乡下的老悍妇告诉你的？是关于我的道德问题？见鬼，道德不是警察的管辖范畴。
你知道。”
“你说得没错，”梅尔切特干巴巴地说，“你的道德品行与我无关。我来找你的原因是我们发现了一个金发女人的尸体——呃——外表像是从外面来的女人，她被谋杀了。”
“天哪！”布莱克瞪着他，“在什么地方？”
“在戈辛顿大宅的藏书室里。”
“在戈辛顿？老班特里家？哦，这可真是有意思。老班特里！那个下流的老家伙！”
梅尔切特上校脸色通红。他对着面前越来越兴奋的年轻人大声呵斥道：“请注意你的言辞，先生。我是来问你能否就此事提供任何线索。”
“你来问我是不是丢了一位金发女郎？是吗？这可——哎呀，哎呀，哎呀——这是怎么回事？”
随着尖厉的刹车声，一辆车停在了外面。一个身着飘逸的黑白色睡衣的年轻女人从车里匆匆出来。她涂着猩红的口红和乌黑的睫毛膏，头发是淡金色的。她大步走到门口，用力推开门，生气地喊道：
“为什么丢下我？你这个禽兽！”
巴兹尔•布莱克站了起来。
“你可出现了！为什么我不能丢下你？我让你收拾东西离开，你不肯。”
“凭什么因为你说了我就得他妈的离开？我当时正玩得高兴。”
“是啊——和那个下流的畜生罗森堡。你知道他是什么人。”
“你就是嫉妒。”
“别高看自己了。我讨厌看到我喜欢的女孩喝起酒来无法节制，还让一个恶心的中欧人对她上下其手。”
“胡说八道。你自己才醉得不省人事——还和那个黑头发的西班牙婊子鬼混。”
“如果我带你参加派对，那我希望你能知道检点。”
“我可不会乖乖地听话，就是这么回事。你说过我们先去参加派对，然后才回这里。不尽兴之前我是不会离开的。”
“你不走，我走。我准备好回来就回这儿了。我可不会无聊地等一个蠢女人。”
“亲爱的，你可真有礼貌！”
“你不是一直跟着我混吗？”
“我一直想告诉你我对你的看法！”
“如果你觉得能对我颐指气使，我的姑娘，那你就错了！”
“如果你认为你可以对我指手画脚，你应该再想想！”
两人剑拔弩张地瞪着对方。
梅尔切特上校抓住机会，大声清了清嗓子。
巴兹尔•布莱克转过身看着他。
“你好，我忘了你还在这儿。你该走了吧？让我来介绍——这是黛娜•李——这是郡警察局的老顽固。上校，现在你看到了，我的金发女人还活着，非常健康，也许你该去为老班特里的小女人操心了。再见！”
梅尔切特上校说：
“我建议你说话文明一点儿，年轻人，否则会惹上麻烦的。”他怒气冲冲地大步走了出去，脸涨得通红。
Chapter Three
Three
II n his office at Much Benham, Colonel Melchett received and scrutinized the reports of his subordinates:
“… so it all seems clear enough, sir,” Inspector Slack was concluding: “Mrs. Bantry sat in the library after dinnerand went to bed just before ten. She turned out the lights when she left the room and, presumably, no one entered theroom afterwards. The servants went to bed at half-past ten and Lorrimer, after putting the drinks in the hall, went tobed at a quarter to eleven. Nobody heard anything out of the usual except the third housemaid, and she heard toomuch! Groans and a blood-curdling yell and sinister footsteps and I don’t know what. The second housemaid whoshares a room with her says the other girl slept all night through without a sound. It’s those ones that make up thingsthat cause us all the trouble.”
“What about the forced window?”
“Amateur job, Simmons says; done with a common chisel—ordinary pattern—wouldn’t have made much noise.
Ought to be a chisel about the house but nobody can find it. Still, that’s common enough where tools are concerned.”
“Think any of the servants know anything?”
Rather unwillingly Inspector Slack replied:
“No, sir, I don’t think they do. They all seemed very shocked and upset. I had my suspicions of Lorrimer—reticent,he was, if you know what I mean—but I don’t think there’s anything in it.”
Melchett nodded. He attached no importance to Lorrimer’s reticence. The energetic Inspector Slack often producedthat effect on people he interrogated.
The door opened and Dr. Haydock came in.
“Thought I’d look in and give you the rough gist of things.”
“Yes, yes, glad to see you. Well?”
“Nothing much. Just what you’d think. Death was due to strangulation. Satin waistband of her own dress, whichwas passed round the neck and crossed at the back. Quite easy and simple to do. Wouldn’t have needed great strength—that is, if the girl were taken by surprise. There are no signs of a struggle.”
“What about time of death?”
“Say, between ten o’clock and midnight.”
“You can’t get nearer than that?”
Haydock shook his head with a slight grin.
“I won’t risk my professional reputation. Not earlier than ten and not later than midnight.”
“And your own fancy inclines to which time?”
“Depends. There was a fire in the grate—the room was warm—all that would delay rigor and cadaveric stiffening.”
“Anything more you can say about her?”
“Nothing much. She was young—about seventeen or eighteen, I should say. Rather immature in some ways butwell developed muscularly. Quite a healthy specimen. She was virgo intacta, by the way.”
And with a nod of his head the doctor left the room.
Melchett said to the Inspector:
“You’re quite sure she’d never been seen before at Gossington?”
“The servants are positive of that. Quite indignant about it. They’d have remembered if they’d ever seen her aboutin the neighbourhood, they say.”
“I expect they would,” said Melchett. “Anyone of that type sticks out a mile round here. Look at that young womanof Blake’s.”
“Pity it wasn’t her,” said Slack; “then we should be able to get on a bit.”
“It seems to me this girl must have come down from London,” said the Chief Constable thoughtfully. “Don’tbelieve there will be any local leads. In that case, I suppose, we should do well to call in the Yard. It’s a case for them,not for us.”
“Something must have brought her down here, though,” said Slack. He added tentatively: “Seems to me, Coloneland Mrs. Bantry must know something—of course, I know they’re friends of yours, sir—”
Colonel Melchett treated him to a cold stare. He said stiffly:
“You may rest assured that I’m taking every possibility into account. Every possibility.” He went on: “You’velooked through the list of persons reported missing, I suppose?”
Slack nodded. He produced a typed sheet.
“Got ’em here. Mrs. Saunders, reported missing a week ago, dark-haired, blue-eyed, thirty-six. ’Tisn’t her—and,anyway, everyone knows except her husband that she’s gone off with a fellow from Leeds — commercial. Mrs.
Barnard—she’s sixty-five. Pamela Reeves, sixteen, missing from her home last night, had attended Girl Guide rally,dark-brown hair in pigtail, five feet five—”
Melchett said irritably:
“Don’t go on reading idiotic details, Slack. This wasn’t a schoolgirl. In my opinion—”
He broke off as the telephone rang. “Hallo—yes—yes, Much Benham Police Headquarters—what? Just a minute—”
He listened, and wrote rapidly. Then he spoke again, a new tone in his voice:
“Ruby Keene, eighteen, occupation professional dancer, five feet four inches, slender, platinum-blonde hair, blueeyes, retroussé nose, believed to be wearing white diamanté evening dress, silver sandal shoes. Is that right? What?
Yes, not a doubt of it, I should say. I’ll send Slack over at once.”
He rang off and looked at his subordinate with rising excitement. “We’ve got it, I think. That was the GlenshirePolice” (Glenshire was the adjoining county). “Girl reported missing from the Majestic Hotel, Danemouth.”
“Danemouth,” said Inspector Slack. “That’s more like it.”
Danemouth was a large and fashionable watering-place on the coast not far away.
“It’s only a matter of eighteen miles or so from here,” said the Chief Constable. “The girl was a dance hostess orsomething at the Majestic. Didn’t come on to do her turn last night and the management were very fed up about it.
When she was still missing this morning one of the other girls got the wind up about her, or someone else did. Itsounds a bit obscure. You’d better go over to Danemouth at once, Slack. Report there to Superintendent Harper, andcooperate with him.”
II
Activity was always to Inspector Slack’s taste. To rush off in a car, to silence rudely those people who were anxious totell him things, to cut short conversations on the plea of urgent necessity. All this was the breath of life to Slack.
In an incredibly short time, therefore, he had arrived at Danemouth, reported at police headquarters, had a briefinterview with a distracted and apprehensive hotel manager, and, leaving the latter with the doubtful comfort of—“gotto make sure it is the girl, first, before we start raising the wind”—was driving back to Much Benham in company withRuby Keene’s nearest relative.
He had put through a short call to Much Benham before leaving Danemouth, so the Chief Constable was preparedfor his arrival, though not perhaps for the brief introduction of: “This is Josie, sir.”
Colonel Melchett stared at his subordinate coldly. His feeling was that Slack had taken leave of his senses.
The young woman who had just got out of the car came to the rescue.
“That’s what I’m known as professionally,” she explained with a momentary flash of large, handsome white teeth.
“Raymond and Josie, my partner and I call ourselves, and, of course, all the hotel know me as Josie. JosephineTurner’s my real name.”
Colonel Melchett adjusted himself to the situation and invited Miss Turner to sit down, meanwhile casting a swift,professional glance over her.
She was a good-looking young woman of perhaps nearer thirty than twenty, her looks depending more on skilfulgrooming than actual features. She looked competent and good-tempered, with plenty of common sense. She was notthe type that would ever be described as glamorous, but she had nevertheless plenty of attraction. She was discreetlymade-up and wore a dark tailor-made suit. Though she looked anxious and upset she was not, the Colonel decided,particularly grief-stricken.
As she sat down she said: “It seems too awful to be true. Do you really think it’s Ruby?”
“That, I’m afraid, is what we’ve got to ask you to tell us. I’m afraid it may be rather unpleasant for you.”
Miss Turner said apprehensively:
“Does she—does she—look very terrible?”
“Well—I’m afraid it may be rather a shock to you.” He handed her his cigarette case and she accepted onegratefully.
“Do—do you want me to look at her right away?”
“It would be best, I think, Miss Turner. You see, it’s not much good asking you questions until we’re sure. Best getit over, don’t you think?”
“All right.”
They drove down to the mortuary.
When Josie came out after a brief visit, she looked rather sick.
“It’s Ruby all right,” she said shakily. “Poor kid! Goodness, I do feel queer. There isn’t”—she looked roundwistfully—“any gin?”
Gin was not available, but brandy was, and after gulping a little down Miss Turner regained her composure. Shesaid frankly:
“It gives you a turn, doesn’t it, seeing anything like that? Poor little Rube! What swine men are, aren’t they?”
“You believe it was a man?”
Josie looked slightly taken aback.
“Wasn’t it? Well, I mean—I naturally thought—”
“Any special man you were thinking of?”
She shook her head vigorously.
“No—not me. I haven’t the least idea. Naturally Ruby wouldn’t have let on to me if—”
“If what?”
Josie hesitated.
“Well—if she’d been—going about with anyone.”
Melchett shot her a keen glance. He said no more until they were back at his office. Then he began:
“Now, Miss Turner, I want all the information you can give me.”
“Yes, of course. Where shall I begin?”
“I’d like the girl’s full name and address, her relationship to you and all you know about her.”
Josephine Turner nodded. Melchett was confirmed in his opinion that she felt no particular grief. She was shockedand distressed but no more. She spoke readily enough.
“Her name was Ruby Keene—her professional name, that is. Her real name was Rosy Legge. Her mother was mymother’s cousin. I’ve known her all my life, but not particularly well, if you know what I mean. I’ve got a lot ofcousins—some in business, some on the stage. Ruby was more or less training for a dancer. She had some goodengagements last year in panto and that sort of thing. Not really classy, but good provincial companies. Since thenshe’s been engaged as one of the dancing partners at the Palais de Danse in Brixwell—South London. It’s a nicerespectable place and they look after the girls well, but there isn’t much money in it.” She paused.
Colonel Melchett nodded.
“Now this is where I come in. I’ve been dance and bridge hostess at the Majestic in Danemouth for three years. It’sa good job, well paid and pleasant to do. You look after people when they arrive—size them up, of course—some liketo be left alone and others are lonely and want to get into the swing of things. You try to get the right people togetherfor bridge and all that, and get the young people dancing with each other. It needs a bit of tact and experience.”
Again Melchett nodded. He thought that this girl would be good at her job; she had a pleasant, friendly way withher and was, he thought, shrewd without being in the least intellectual.
“Besides that,” continued Josie, “I do a couple of exhibition dances every evening with Raymond. Raymond Starr—he’s the tennis and dancing pro. Well, as it happens, this summer I slipped on the rocks bathing one day and gavemy ankle a nasty turn.”
Melchett had noticed that she walked with a slight limp.
“Naturally that put the stop to dancing for a bit and it was rather awkward. I didn’t want the hotel to get someoneelse in my place. That’s always a danger”—for a minute her good-natured blue eyes were hard and sharp; she was thefemale fighting for existence—“that they may queer your pitch, you see. So I thought of Ruby and suggested to themanager that I should get her down. I’d carry on with the hostess business and the bridge and all that. Ruby would justtake on the dancing. Keep it in the family, if you see what I mean?”
Melchett said he saw.
“Well, they agreed, and I wired to Ruby and she came down. Rather a chance for her. Much better class thananything she’d ever done before. That was about a month ago.”
Colonel Melchett said:
“I understand. And she was a success?”
“Oh, yes,” Josie said carelessly, “she went down quite well. She doesn’t dance as well as I do, but Raymond’sclever and carried her through, and she was quite nice-looking, you know—slim and fair and baby-looking. Overdidthe makeup a bit—I was always on at her about that. But you know what girls are. She was only eighteen, and at thatage they always go and overdo it. It doesn’t do for a good-class place like the Majestic. I was always ticking her offabout it and getting her to tone it down.”
Melchett asked: “People liked her?”
“Oh, yes. Mind you, Ruby hadn’t got much comeback. She was a bit dumb. She went down better with the oldermen than with the young ones.”
“Had she got any special friend?”
The girl’s eyes met his with complete understanding.
“Not in the way you mean. Or, at any rate, not that I knew about. But then, you see, she wouldn’t tell me.”
Just for a moment Melchett wondered why not—Josie did not give the impression of being a strict disciplinarian.
But he only said: “Will you describe to me now when you last saw your cousin.”
“Last night. She and Raymond do two exhibition dances—one at 10:30 and the other at midnight. They finished thefirst one. After it, I noticed Ruby dancing with one of the young men staying in the hotel. I was playing bridge withsome people in the lounge. There’s a glass panel between the lounge and the ballroom. That’s the last time I saw her.
Just after midnight Raymond came up in a terrible taking, said where was Ruby, she hadn’t turned up, and it was timeto begin. I was vexed, I can tell you! That’s the sort of silly thing girls do and get the management’s backs up and thenthey get the sack! I went up with him to her room, but she wasn’t there. I noticed that she’d changed. The dress she’dbeen dancing in—a sort of pink, foamy thing with full skirts—was lying over a chair. Usually she kept the same dresson unless it was the special dance night—Wednesdays, that is.
“I’d no idea where she’d got to. We got the band to play one more foxtrot—still no Ruby, so I said to Raymond I’ddo the exhibition dance with him. We chose one that was easy on my ankle and made it short—but it played up myankle pretty badly all the same. It’s all swollen this morning. Still Ruby didn’t show up. We sat about waiting up forher until two o’clock. Furious with her, I was.”
Her voice vibrated slightly. Melchett caught the note of real anger in it. Just for a moment he wondered. Thereaction seemed a little more intense than was justified by the facts. He had a feeling of something deliberately leftunsaid. He said:
“And this morning, when Ruby Keene had not returned and her bed had not been slept in, you went to the police?”
He knew from Slack’s brief telephone message from Danemouth that that was not the case. But he wanted to hearwhat Josephine Turner would say.
She did not hesitate. She said: “No, I didn’t.”
“Why not, Miss Turner?”
Her eyes met his frankly. She said:
“You wouldn’t—in my place!”
“You think not?”
Josie said:
“I’ve got my job to think about. The one thing a hotel doesn’t want is scandal—especially anything that brings inthe police. I didn’t think anything had happened to Ruby. Not for a minute! I thought she’d just made a fool of herselfabout some young man. I thought she’d turn up all right—and I was going to give her a good dressing down when shedid! Girls of eighteen are such fools.”
Melchett pretended to glance through his notes.
“Ah, yes, I see it was a Mr. Jefferson who went to the police. One of the guests staying at the hotel?”
Josephine Turner said shortly:
“Yes.”
Colonel Melchett asked:
“What made this Mr. Jefferson do that?”
Josie was stroking the cuff of her jacket. There was a constraint in her manner. Again Colonel Melchett had afeeling that something was being withheld. She said rather sullenly:
“He’s an invalid. He—he gets all het up rather easily. Being an invalid, I mean.”
Melchett passed on from that. He asked:
“Who was the young man with whom you last saw your cousin dancing?”
“His name’s Bartlett. He’d been there about ten days.”
“Were they on very friendly terms?”
“Not specially, I should say. Not that I knew, anyway.”
Again a curious note of anger in her voice.
“What does he have to say?”
“Said that after their dance Ruby went upstairs to powder her nose.”
“That was when she changed her dress?”
“I suppose so.”
“And that is the last thing you know? After that she just—”
“Vanished,” said Josie. “That’s right.”
“Did Miss Keene know anybody in St. Mary Mead? Or in this neighbourhood?”
“I don’t know. She may have done. You see, quite a lot of young men come into Danemouth to the Majestic fromall round about. I wouldn’t know where they lived unless they happened to mention it.”
“Did you ever hear your cousin mention Gossington?”
“Gossington?” Josie looked patently puzzled.
“Gossington Hall.”
She shook her head.
“Never heard of it.” Her tone carried conviction. There was curiosity in it too.
“Gossington Hall,” explained Colonel Melchett, “is where her body was found.”
“Gossington Hall?” She stared. “How extraordinary!”
Melchett thought to himself: “Extraordinary’s the word!” Aloud he said:
“Do you know a Colonel or Mrs. Bantry?”
Again Josie shook her head.
“Or a Mr. Basil Blake?”
She frowned slightly.
“I think I’ve heard that name. Yes, I’m sure I have—but I don’t remember anything about him.”
The diligent Inspector Slack slid across to his superior officer a page torn from his notebook. On it was pencilled:
“Col. Bantry dined at Majestic last week.”
Melchett looked up and met the Inspector’s eye. The Chief Constable flushed. Slack was an industrious and zealousofficer and Melchett disliked him a good deal. But he could not disregard the challenge. The Inspector was tacitlyaccusing him of favouring his own class—of shielding an “old school tie.”
He turned to Josie.
“Miss Turner, I should like you, if you do not mind, to accompany me to Gossington Hall.”
Coldly, defiantly, almost ignoring Josie’s murmur of assent, Melchett’s eyes met Slack’s.
第三章
第三章
1梅尔切特上校在自己位于马奇贝纳姆的办公室里，仔细研究下属送来的报告：
“……所以一切都很清楚了，长官，”斯莱克警督总结道，“班特里夫人晚饭后在藏书室里坐到快十点才离开那里去睡觉。离开房间时她熄灭了灯，估计之后再没有人进去。用人十点半休息，洛里默把酒放在大厅之后回到自己房间，那时是十一点差一刻。除了第三女佣之外，没有人听到任何异常的动静，但她听到的也太多了！呻吟声、令人毛骨悚然的尖叫、不祥的脚步声，还有很多别的动静。和她住在同一个房间的第二女佣说她明明整晚都睡得很熟，没发出任何声音。这些无中生有的人给我们找了一堆麻烦。”
“那扇被人打开的窗户呢？”
“西蒙斯说是外行干的，用了一把普通凿子——常见的型号——不会弄出太大动静。房子周围应该有把凿子，可没人找到。不过，找不到作案工具也并不奇怪。”
“会有哪个用人知道些什么吗？”
斯莱克警督不太情愿地回答说：
“没有，长官。我认为他们不知道。他们看起来都很震惊不安。我曾怀疑是洛里默——他当时保持沉默，我想你明白我的意思——不过现在我不觉得有什么问题。”
梅尔切特点点头，他并不觉得洛里默不说话有什么问题。接受精力充沛的斯莱克警督讯问之后，人们通常会有这样的表现。
门开了，进来的是海多克医生。
“我觉得应该向你通报几个要点。”
“是的，是的，真是太好了。情况如何？”
“要说的并不多。正如你所预料的，是窒息而死。她的缎子腰带绕过后背勒住脖子。很简单，毫不费力——也就是说，那女孩毫无防备。现场没有反抗的迹象。”
“死亡时间呢？”
“大概是晚上十点到午夜之间。”
“能再确切一些吗？”
海多克摇了摇头，微笑着说：
“我不能冒险破坏我的专业声誉。不早于十点，不晚于午夜十二点。”
“你个人倾向于哪个时间？”
“取决于具体情况。当时壁炉燃着，房间里很温暖，这都会减缓尸体的僵硬速度。”
“对于死者，你还有什么要说的吗？”
“没有了。她还年轻——大约十七八岁，我猜。有些方面还没发育成熟，但肌肉发育得很好，身体健康。顺便说一句，她还是处女。”
医生点了点头，走出了办公室。
梅尔切特对警督说：
“你能确定之前没有人在戈辛顿见过她？”
“用人们对此非常肯定，他们非常愤慨。他们说，如果在这一带见过她，应该会记得。”
“我相信他们会的，”梅尔切特说，“如果在方圆一英里内见过这样的人，他们都不会忘的。看看布莱克家那个年轻女人吧。”
“可惜不是她，”斯莱克说，“不然我们就有线索了。”
“我觉得这个女人一定是从伦敦来的。”警察局局长沉思道，“我不相信这附近会有任何线索。这样的话，我们最好报告苏格兰场。这应该是他们的案子，不是我们的。”
“她一定是为了某件事才来这里的。”斯莱克说，然后犹豫不决地补充了一句，“班特里上校和夫人一定知道什么——当然，我知道他们是你的朋友，长官——”
梅尔切特上校冷冷地看了他一眼，坚定地说：
“你可以放心，我会把所有可能性考虑在内。每一种可能。”他接着说，“你已经查过失踪人员名单了吧？”
斯莱克点点头，拿出一张打字纸。
“这里。‘绍德夫人，一周前报告失踪，黑头发，蓝眼睛，三十六岁。’不是她。而且，除了她丈夫，每个人都知道她和一个从利兹来的家伙私奔了，为了钱。巴纳德夫人——六十五岁。帕米拉•里夫斯，十六岁，昨晚从家里失踪，她参加了女童子军领会，深褐色的头发，梳着辫子，五英尺五英寸——”
梅尔切特不耐烦地说：
“不用念那些无聊的细节，斯莱克。这不是一个女学生。我认为——”
电话铃声打断了他。“喂——是——是——马奇贝纳姆警察总部——什么？等一下——”
他快速地记着从话筒里听到的内容。再次说话时，他的语气变了：
“鲁比•基恩，十八岁，职业舞蹈演员，身高五英尺四英寸，身材较瘦，金黄色头发，蓝眼睛，翘鼻子，据称穿着缝着亮片的白色晚礼服，银色凉鞋。对吗？什么？是的，我认为很确定。我现在就派斯莱克过去。”
他挂上电话，怀着刚刚激起的兴奋之情，看着他的属下。“有眉目了。是格伦郡警察局打来的（格伦郡是相邻的郡）。丹尼茅斯的堂皇酒店有个女孩失踪了。”
“丹尼茅斯，”斯莱克警督说，“这个很接近了。”
丹尼茅斯是不远处的一个大型时尚海滨度假胜地。
“距离这里只有大概十八英里，”警察局局长说，“失踪的女孩是堂皇酒店的舞女。昨天晚上轮到她上场时没出现，经理为此很不高兴。今天上午她还是不见踪影，另一个女孩就开始担心她。这事很蹊跷。斯莱克，你最好立刻动身前往丹尼茅斯，到了那儿就向哈珀警司报到，配合他工作。”
2行动总是很对斯莱克警督的口味。驾车飞驰，粗暴地让那些急切地向他报告的人闭嘴，用情况紧急的借口打断谈话。这些都是斯莱克的生命中不可或缺的。
他以令人难以置信的速度赶到了丹尼茅斯，先去警察总部报到，然后和心烦意乱、忧心忡忡的酒店经理匆匆见了一面，给对方留下了令人生疑的安慰——“在我们正式行动之前必须确定死者就是这个女孩。”之后，他和鲁比•基恩最近的亲属驾车回到了马奇贝纳姆。
离开丹尼茅斯前，他给马奇贝纳姆打了一通简短的电话。郡警察局局长对他的到来并不感到意外，但像“这是乔西，长官。”这样简单的介绍似乎还是让他感到突兀。
梅尔切特上校冷冷地瞪着他的下属。他觉得斯莱克简直是脑子出了问题。
刚从车里出来的年轻女人连忙为他解围。
“那是我工作时用的名字，”她解释道，露出一排又大又白的漂亮牙齿，“雷蒙德和乔西，这是我和搭档用的名字，当然，酒店里的人叫我乔西。我真正的名字是约瑟芬•特纳。”
梅尔切特上校整了整状态，请特纳小姐坐下，同时用训练有素的目光迅速扫了她一眼。
她是一个漂亮的年轻女人，年龄在二十到三十岁之间，更接近三十岁。她的美貌主要归功于精致的修饰，而不是天然的五官。她看上去能干、和气、精明。你或许不会把她归于光彩照人的那一类，但颇具吸引力，妆容精致，身穿定制的深色套装。她看上去焦虑不安，但上校觉得她并不感到非常忧伤。
她坐下之后说：“简直不敢相信这么可怕的事是真的。你们真的认为那是鲁比？”
“这个问题，恐怕我们要请你来回答。这可能会令你非常不愉快。”
特纳小姐忧心忡忡地问：
“她——她——看起来很可怕吗？”
“呃——恐怕会让你震惊。”他把自己的烟盒递过去，她感激地拿了一支。
“你——你们想让我现在去看她吗？”
“那再好不过了，特纳小姐。你知道，确认之前最好不要问你太多问题。尽快结束这一切，你认为呢？”
“好的。”
他们驱车前往殡仪馆。
乔西很快就出来了，她的脸色很难看。
“是的，确实是鲁比。”她声音颤抖，“可怜的孩子！天哪，我觉得很难受。有没有……”她急切地打量着周围——“杜松子酒？”
没有杜松子酒，但是有白兰地。特纳小姐咽下几口，恢复了镇定。她坦率地说：
“看到这种情形实在太震惊了，是不是？可怜的小鲁比！那些男人都是猪猡。”
“你认为是个男人干的？”
乔西有些吃惊。
“不是吗？哦，我的意思是——我理所当然会认为——”
“你想到某个男人了吗？”
她用力摇了摇头。
“不——没有。我什么都不知道。鲁比不会让我知道的，如果——”
“如果什么？”
乔西犹豫着。
“嗯——如果她——和什么人约会了。”
梅尔切特用敏锐的目光扫了她一眼，不过直到回了办公室后才开口：
“特纳小姐，我想你得把所有的信息都告诉我。”
“当然。从哪儿说起呢？”
“我想知道这个女孩的全名和住址，她和你的关系，以及你知道的关于她的所有事情。”
约瑟芬•特纳点点头。梅尔切特更加确定她并不非常忧伤。她震惊、苦恼，但仅此而已。她说话很快。
“她叫鲁比•基恩——这是她工作时用的名字，真名是罗西•莱格。她母亲和我母亲是表姐妹。我从小就认识她，但不太了解，希望你明白我的意思。我有很多表亲——有的做生意，有的从事表演。鲁比受过一些舞蹈方面的训练。去年她做了很多舞剧方面的工作。层次不高，但的确是相当不错的当地公司。之后，她在伦敦南部布里格斯韦尔的王宫舞厅伴舞。那是一家正经舞厅，把这些女孩照顾得不错，但没多少收入。”她停了下来。
梅尔切特上校点点头。
“现在说说我吧。我在丹尼茅斯的堂皇酒店做了三年的舞者和桥牌女招待。这份工作很好，薪水高，做得愉快。我负责招呼客人——取决于他们的需要——有的人不喜欢打扰，有的人很孤独、想找事做。你要把合适的人组织起来玩桥牌，让年轻人一起跳舞，等等。
这需要一点儿机智和经验。”
梅尔切特又点了点头。他相信眼前这个女人工作起来一定游刃有余；她让人觉得亲切而友好，梅尔切特还发现她很精明。
“此外，”乔西继续说，“我和雷蒙德每晚表演几场舞蹈。雷蒙德•斯塔尔——他对网球和舞蹈很在行。哦，是这样，今年夏天我游泳时不小心在岩石上滑了一跤，脚踝严重扭伤。”
梅尔切特已经注意到她走路有点儿跛。
“所以我暂时不能跳舞了，情况很棘手。我不想让酒店找人取代我。这一行总有风险——”忽然，她温和的蓝眼睛变得凌厉起来，她是一个为了生存而奋斗的女性——“你知道，那很可能毁掉你的前程。所以我想到了鲁比，向经理推荐她。我继续做接待和组织桥牌的工作。鲁比只需要跳舞。我想把事情控制在自家人范围内，你明白我的意思吗？”
梅尔切特说他明白。
“他们同意了，我给鲁比打了电话。这对她来说是个机会，比她之前的任何一份工作都好。这大概是一个月前的事。”
梅尔切特上校说：
“我知道了。她干得不错吧？”
“哦，是的。”乔西漫不经心地说，“确实不错。她不如我跳得好，但是雷蒙德很聪明，把一切都安排妥当，而且她很漂亮——身材苗条，漂亮的娃娃脸。就是妆化得有点儿过头——我一直在提醒她。可你知道女孩是怎么回事，她只有十八岁，这个年龄的女孩都化妆，而且妆总是过于厚重。在像堂皇酒店这种档次的地方，这样做很不得体。我向她指出过很多次，要求她把妆化得淡一些。”
梅尔切特问：“人们喜欢她吗？”
“哦，是的。对了，鲁比很少加演。她有点儿木讷，和年轻人相比，年纪大的人更喜欢她。”
“她有什么特别的朋友吗？”
眼前这个女孩心领神会地看着他。
“没有你指的那种，或者说，据我所知没有。不过，你知道，她不可能告诉我的。”
梅尔切特一时不明白这究竟是为什么——乔西给人的感觉不像是一个严格遵守纪律的人。但他只是说：“现在请你说说最后一次见到你表妹时的情形。”
“昨天晚上，她和雷蒙德有两场舞蹈表演——一场在十点半，另一场在午夜。他们跳了第一场之后，我看到鲁比和酒店的一个年轻男客人一起跳舞。当时我和几个客人在休息室里玩桥牌。休息室和舞厅之间隔着一道玻璃墙。那是我最后一次看见她。午夜刚过，雷蒙德急匆匆地来了，问鲁比在哪里，该上场了，她还没出现。我可以告诉你，当时我气坏了。女孩子就会做这种傻事，最后惹得经理发火，把她开除。我和他一起上楼去她的房间，但她不在那儿。我发现她换了衣服。她平时跳舞穿的那条裙子——那种粉红色的大摆蓬蓬裙——搭在椅子上。她总是穿这条裙子，除了特别的跳舞之夜，那是星期三。”
“我不知道她去哪儿了。我们让乐队又演奏了一曲狐步舞，可鲁比还是没来，所以我告诉雷蒙德，说我和他上场表演。我们选了一首对我的脚踝来说比较容易的舞曲，还缩短了时间，但就算这样我的脚踝也受不了，今天早上全肿了。鲁比还是没回来。我们坐着等到两点。我对她非常生气。”
她的声音微微颤抖。梅尔切特知道她是真的很生气。一时间，他觉得她对此事的反应过于激烈。他觉得对方在有意隐瞒什么，说：
“今天早上你发现鲁比•基恩还没回来，她的床也没人睡过，你就报警了？”
从斯莱克在丹尼茅斯打来的简短电话中，他知道情况并非如此。但是他想听听约瑟芬•特纳怎么说。
她一刻也没迟疑，说：“不，我没有。”
“为什么没有呢，特纳小姐？”
她坦诚地看着他，说：
“如果你处在我的位置，你也不会的。”
“你这样认为吗？”
乔西说：
“我必须考虑我的工作。酒店最不愿看到的就是丑闻——特别是会招来警察的事。我当时以为鲁比不会怎么样。完全不可能！我想她是为了某个年轻人犯了蠢。我想她会平安回来的——还打算等她回来后教训她一顿！十八岁的女孩真是太蠢了。”
梅尔切特假装浏览笔记。
“哦，对，这里说是一位杰弗逊先生报了警。他是住在酒店的客人吗？”
约瑟芬•特纳马上回答：
“是的。”
梅尔切特上校问：
“为什么会是杰弗逊先生报了警？”
乔西摆弄着袖口，显得局促不安。梅尔切特上校的那种感觉再次出现了——她有事隐瞒。她满脸不高兴地说：
“他是个伤残人士。他——他非常容易激动。我是说，因为他的伤。”
梅尔切特没有追问下去，而是说：
“你最后一次看到你表妹时，和她跳舞的那个年轻人是谁？”
“他名叫巴特列特。住进酒店大约十天了。”
“他们的关系很好吗？”
“没什么特别的，我认为。据我所知是这样。”
她的声音里又出现了一丝奇怪的愤怒。
“他是怎么说的？”
“他说跳舞之后，鲁比上楼去给鼻子补粉。”
“她就是那时换了衣服？”
“我想是的。”
“那是你知道的最后一件事？之后她就——”
“消失了。”乔西说，“就是这样。”
“基恩小姐认识圣玛丽米德的什么人吗？或那附近的什么人？”
“我不知道，也许有吧。丹尼茅斯堂皇酒店有很多各地来的年轻人。除非他们碰巧提起，否则我根本不知道他们住在哪里。”
“你表妹向你提起过戈辛顿吗？”
“戈辛顿？”乔西的表情非常困惑。
“戈辛顿大宅。”
她摇摇头。
“从没听过。”她的语气非常确定，还有一丝好奇。
“戈辛顿大宅，”梅尔切特上校解释说，“是她的尸体被发现的地方。”
“戈辛顿大宅？”她瞪着眼睛，“真是太奇怪了！”
梅尔切特若有所思。“是奇怪！”他大声说：
“你认识班特里上校或班特里夫人吗？”
乔西又摇摇头。
“或者一位巴兹尔•布莱克先生？”
她微微皱眉。
“我觉得我听过这个名字。对，我肯定听过，但不记得任何有关他的事。”
勤快的斯莱克警督将一张从笔记本上撕下的纸递给上司。纸上用铅笔写着：
“班特里上校上星期在堂皇酒店吃过饭。”
梅尔切特抬头看着警督的眼睛。警察局局长的脸红了。斯莱克是一位勤勉热心的警官，梅尔切特非常不喜欢他。但他不能无视这种挑衅。警督正无声地指责他袒护自己的朋友——包庇所谓的同学情谊。
梅尔切特转向乔西。
“特纳小姐，如果你不介意，我想请你和我一起去戈辛顿大宅。”
梅尔切特冷冷地迎向斯莱克的目光，几乎没有理会乔西表示同意的低语声。
Chapter Four
Four
IS t. Mary Mead was having the most exciting morning it had known for a long time.
Miss Wetherby, a long-nosed, acidulated spinster, was the first to spread the intoxicating information. She droppedin upon her friend and neighbour Miss Hartnell.
“Forgive me coming so early, dear, but I thought, perhaps, you mightn’t have heard the news.”
“What news?” demanded Miss Hartnell. She had a deep bass voice and visited the poor indefatigably, howeverhard they tried to avoid her ministrations.
“About the body in Colonel Bantry’s library—a woman’s body—”
“In Colonel Bantry’s library?”
“Yes. Isn’t it terrible?”
“His poor wife.” Miss Hartnell tried to disguise her deep and ardent pleasure.
“Yes, indeed. I don’t suppose she had any idea.”
Miss Hartnell observed censoriously:
“She thought too much about her garden and not enough about her husband. You’ve got to keep an eye on a man—all the time—all the time,” repeated Miss Hartnell fiercely.
“I know. I know. It’s really too dreadful.”
“I wonder what Jane Marple will say. Do you think she knew anything about it? She’s so sharp about these things.”
“Jane Marple has gone up to Gossington.”
“What? This morning?”
“Very early. Before breakfast.”
“But really! I do think! Well, I mean, I think that is carrying things too far. We all know Jane likes to poke her noseinto things—but I call this indecent!”
“Oh, but Mrs. Bantry sent for her.”
“Mrs. Bantry sent for her?”
“Well, the car came—with Muswell driving it.”
“Dear me! How very peculiar….”
They were silent a minute or two digesting the news.
“Whose body?” demanded Miss Hartnell.
“You know that dreadful woman who comes down with Basil Blake?”
“That terrible peroxide blonde?” Miss Hartnell was slightly behind the times. She had not yet advanced fromperoxide to platinum. “The one who lies about in the garden with practically nothing on?”
“Yes, my dear. There she was—on the hearthrug—strangled!”
“But what do you mean—at Gossington?”
Miss Wetherby nodded with infinite meaning.
“Then—Colonel Bantry too—?”
Again Miss Wetherby nodded.
“Oh!”
There was a pause as the ladies savoured this new addition to village scandal.
“What a wicked woman!” trumpeted Miss Hartnell with righteous wrath.
“Quite, quite abandoned, I’m afraid!”
“And Colonel Bantry—such a nice quiet man—”
Miss Wetherby said zestfully:
“Those quiet ones are often the worst. Jane Marple always says so.”
II
Mrs. Price Ridley was among the last to hear the news.
A rich and dictatorial widow, she lived in a large house next door to the vicarage. Her informant was her little maidClara.
“A woman, you say, Clara? Found dead on Colonel Bantry’s hearthrug?”
“Yes, mum. And they say, mum, as she hadn’t anything on at all, mum, not a stitch!”
“That will do, Clara. It is not necessary to go into details.”
“No, mum, and they say, mum, that at first they thought it was Mr. Blake’s young lady—what comes down for theweekends with ’im to Mr. Booker’s new ’ouse. But now they say it’s quite a different young lady. And thefishmonger’s young man, he says he’d never have believed it of Colonel Bantry—not with him handing round theplate on Sundays and all.”
“There is a lot of wickedness in the world, Clara,” said Mrs. Price Ridley. “Let this be a warning to you.”
“Yes, mum. Mother, she never will let me take a place where there’s a gentleman in the ’ouse.”
“That will do, Clara,” said Mrs. Price Ridley.
III
It was only a step from Mrs. Price Ridley’s house to the vicarage.
Mrs. Price Ridley was fortunate enough to find the vicar in his study.
The vicar, a gentle, middle-aged man, was always the last to hear anything.
“Such a terrible thing,” said Mrs. Price Ridley, panting a little, because she had come rather fast. “I felt I must haveyour advice, your counsel about it, dear vicar.”
Mr. Clement looked mildly alarmed. He said:
“Has anything happened?”
“Has anything happened?” Mrs. Price Ridley repeated the question dramatically. “The most terrible scandal! Noneof us had any idea of it. An abandoned woman, completely unclothed, strangled on Colonel Bantry’s hearthrug.”
The vicar stared. He said:
“You—you are feeling quite well?”
“No wonder you can’t believe it! I couldn’t at first. The hypocrisy of the man! All these years!”
“Please tell me exactly what all this is about.”
Mrs. Price Ridley plunged into a full-swing narrative. When she had finished Mr. Clement said mildly:
“But there is nothing, is there, to point to Colonel Bantry’s being involved in this?”
“Oh, dear vicar, you are so unworldly! But I must tell you a little story. Last Thursday—or was it the Thursdaybefore? well, it doesn’t matter—I was going up to London by the cheap day train. Colonel Bantry was in the samecarriage. He looked, I thought, very abstracted. And nearly the whole way he buried himself behind The Times. Asthough, you know, he didn’t want to talk.”
The vicar nodded with complete comprehension and possible sympathy.
“At Paddington I said good-bye. He had offered to get me a taxi, but I was taking the bus down to Oxford Street—but he got into one, and I distinctly heard him tell the driver to go to—where do you think?”
Mr. Clement looked inquiring.
“An address in St. John’s Wood!”
Mrs. Price Ridley paused triumphantly.
The vicar remained completely unenlightened.
“That, I consider, proves it,” said Mrs. Price Ridley.
IV
At Gossington, Mrs. Bantry and Miss Marple were sitting in the drawing room.
“You know,” said Mrs. Bantry, “I can’t help feeling glad they’ve taken the body away. It’s not nice to have a bodyin one’s house.”
Miss Marple nodded.
“I know, dear. I know just how you feel.”
“You can’t,” said Mrs. Bantry; “not until you’ve had one. I know you had one next door once, but that’s not thesame thing. I only hope,” she went on, “that Arthur won’t take a dislike to the library. We sit there so much. What areyou doing, Jane?”
For Miss Marple, with a glance at her watch, was rising to her feet. “Well, I was thinking I’d go home. If there’snothing more I can do for you?”
“Don’t go yet,” said Mrs. Bantry. “The fingerprint men and the photographers and most of the police have gone, Iknow, but I still feel something might happen. You don’t want to miss anything.”
The telephone rang and she went off to answer. She returned with a beaming face.
“I told you more things would happen. That was Colonel Melchett. He’s bringing the poor girl’s cousin along.”
“I wonder why,” said Miss Marple.
“Oh, I suppose, to see where it happened and all that.”
“More than that, I expect,” said Miss Marple.
“What do you mean, Jane?”
“Well, I think—perhaps—he might want her to meet Colonel Bantry.”
Mrs. Bantry said sharply:
“To see if she recognizes him? I suppose—oh, yes, I suppose they’re bound to suspect Arthur.”
“I’m afraid so.”
“As though Arthur could have anything to do with it!”
Miss Marple was silent. Mrs. Bantry turned on her accusingly.
“And don’t quote old General Henderson—or some frightful old man who kept his housemaid—at me. Arthur isn’tlike that.”
“No, no, of course not.”
“No, but he really isn’t. He’s just—sometimes—a little silly about pretty girls who come to tennis. You know—rather fatuous and avuncular. There’s no harm in it. And why shouldn’t he? After all,” finished Mrs. Bantry ratherobscurely, “I’ve got the garden.”
Miss Marple smiled.
“You must not worry, Dolly,” she said.
“No, I don’t mean to. But all the same I do a little. So does Arthur. It’s upset him. All these policemen prowlingabout. He’s gone down to the farm. Looking at pigs and things always soothes him if he’s been upset. Hallo, here theyare.”
The Chief Constable’s car drew up outside.
Colonel Melchett came in accompanied by a smartly dressed young woman.
“This is Miss Turner, Mrs. Bantry. The cousin of the—er—victim.”
“How do you do,” said Mrs. Bantry, advancing with outstretched hand. “All this must be rather awful for you.”
Josephine Turner said frankly: “Oh, it is. None of it seems real, somehow. It’s like a bad dream.”
Mrs. Bantry introduced Miss Marple.
Melchett said casually: “Your good man about?”
“He had to go down to one of the farms. He’ll be back soon.”
“Oh—” Melchett seemed rather at a loss.
Mrs. Bantry said to Josie: “Would you like to see where—where it happened? Or would you rather not?”
Josephine said after a moment’s pause:
“I think I’d like to see.”
Mrs. Bantry led her to her library with Miss Marple and Melchett following behind.
“She was there,” said Mrs. Bantry, pointing dramatically; “on the hearthrug.”
“Oh!” Josie shuddered. But she also looked perplexed. She said, her brow creased: “I just can’t understand it! Ican’t!”
“Well, we certainly can’t,” said Mrs. Bantry.
Josie said slowly:
“It isn’t the sort of place—” and broke off.
Miss Marple nodded her head gently in agreement with the unfinished sentiment.
“That,” she murmured, “is what makes it so very interesting.”
“Come now, Miss Marple,” said Colonel Melchett goodhumouredly, “haven’t you got an explanation?”
“Oh yes, I’ve got an explanation,” said Miss Marple. “Quite a feasible one. But of course it’s only my own idea.
Tommy Bond,” she continued, “and Mrs. Martin, our new schoolmistress. She went to wind up the clock and a frogjumped out.”
Josephine Turner looked puzzled. As they all went out of the room she murmured to Mrs. Bantry: “Is the old lady abit funny in the head?”
“Not at all,” said Mrs. Bantry indignantly.
Josie said: “Sorry; I thought perhaps she thought she was a frog or something.”
Colonel Bantry was just coming in through the side door. Melchett hailed him, and watched Josephine Turner as heintroduced them to each other. But there was no sign of interest or recognition in her face. Melchett breathed a sigh ofrelief. Curse Slack and his insinuations!
In answer to Mrs. Bantry’s questions Josie was pouring out the story of Ruby Keene’s disappearance.
“Frightfully worrying for you, my dear,” said Mrs. Bantry.
“I was more angry than worried,” said Josie. “You see, I didn’t know then that anything had happened to her.”
“And yet,” said Miss Marple, “you went to the police. Wasn’t that—excuse me—rather premature?”
Josie said eagerly:
“Oh, but I didn’t. That was Mr. Jefferson—”
Mrs. Bantry said: “Jefferson?”
“Yes, he’s an invalid.”
“Not Conway Jefferson? But I know him well. He’s an old friend of ours. Arthur, listen—Conway Jefferson. He’sstaying at the Majestic, and it was he who went to the police! Isn’t that a coincidence?”
Josephine Turner said:
“Mr. Jefferson was here last summer too.”
“Fancy! And we never knew. I haven’t seen him for a long time.” She turned to Josie. “How — how is he,nowadays?”
Josie considered.
“I think he’s wonderful, really—quite wonderful. Considering, I mean. He’s always cheerful—always got a joke.”
“Are the family there with him?”
“Mr. Gaskell, you mean? And young Mrs. Jefferson? And Peter? Oh, yes.”
There was something inhibiting Josephine Turner’s usual attractive frankness of manner. When she spoke of theJeffersons there was something not quite natural in her voice.
Mrs. Bantry said: “They’re both very nice, aren’t they? The young ones, I mean.”
Josie said rather uncertainly:
“Oh yes—yes, they are. I—we—yes, they are, really.”
V“And what,” demanded Mrs. Bantry as she looked through the window at the retreating car of the Chief Constable,“did she mean by that? ‘They are, really.’ Don’t you think, Jane, that there’s something—”
Miss Marple fell upon the words eagerly.
“Oh, I do—indeed I do. It’s quite unmistakable! Her manner changed at once when the Jeffersons were mentioned.
She had seemed quite natural up to then.”
“But what do you think it is, Jane?”
“Well, my dear, you know them. All I feel is that there is something, as you say, about them which is worrying thatyoung woman. Another thing, did you notice that when you asked her if she wasn’t anxious about the girl beingmissing, she said that she was angry! And she looked angry—really angry! That strikes me as interesting, you know. Ihave a feeling—perhaps I’m wrong—that that’s her main reaction to the fact of the girl’s death. She didn’t care forher, I’m sure. She’s not grieving in any way. But I do think, very definitely, that the thought of that girl, Ruby Keene,makes her angry. And the interesting point is—why?”
“We’ll find out!” said Mrs. Bantry. “We’ll go over to Danemouth and stay at the Majestic—yes, Jane, you too. Ineed a change for my nerves after what has happened here. A few days at the Majestic—that’s what we need. Andyou’ll meet Conway Jefferson. He’s a dear—a perfect dear. It’s the saddest story imaginable. Had a son and daughter,both of whom he loved dearly. They were both married, but they still spent a lot of time at home. His wife, too, wasthe sweetest woman, and he was devoted to her. They were flying home one year from France and there was anaccident. They were all killed: the pilot, Mrs. Jefferson, Rosamund, and Frank. Conway had both legs so badly injuredthey had to be amputated. And he’s been wonderful—his courage, his pluck! He was a very active man and now he’s ahelpless cripple, but he never complains. His daughter-in-law lives with him—she was a widow when Frank Jeffersonmarried her and she had a son by her first marriage—Peter Carmody. They both live with Conway. And Mark Gaskell,Rosamund’s husband, is there too most of the time. The whole thing was the most awful tragedy.”
“And now,” said Miss Marple, “there’s another tragedy—”
Mrs. Bantry said: “Oh yes—yes—but it’s nothing to do with the Jeffersons.”
“Isn’t it?” said Miss Marple. “It was Mr. Jefferson who went to the police.”
“So he did … You know, Jane, that is curious….”
第四章
第四章
1这是圣玛丽米德有史以来最令人兴奋的早晨。
韦瑟比小姐，一个长鼻子的刻薄老小姐，第一个开始传播那令人陶醉的消息。她拜访了邻居及好友哈特内尔家。
“亲爱的，请原谅我这么早就来了。不过，我想你也许还没听说这个新闻吧。”
“什么新闻？”哈特内尔小姐问。她嗓音低沉，经常不知疲倦地去探访周围的穷人，尽管他们不愿接受她的帮助。
“就是班特里上校的藏书室里发现了一具尸体——女人的尸体——”
“在班特里上校的藏书室里？”
“是的。太可怕了，不是吗。”
“他可怜的妻子啊！”哈特内尔小姐尽力掩饰她热切的快感。
“是啊，的确。我想她什么也不知道。”
哈特内尔小姐刻薄地评论道：
“她过于关注她的花园，对她丈夫关注得不够。你必须盯着男人——任何时候——任何时候。”哈特内尔小姐咬牙切齿地重复着。
“是呀，是呀。这真是太可怕了。”
“我想知道简•马普尔会怎么说。你觉得她会知道些什么吗？她对这种事总是很敏锐。”
“简•马普尔已经去过戈辛顿了。”
“什么？今天早上？”
“很早。早饭以前。”
“真的！我认为！哦，我是说，这样太过分了。我们都知道简喜欢打听——但我得说这次她太不体面了！”
“哦，可是，是班特里夫人请她去的。”
“班特里夫人请她去的？”
“呃，派了车来，是马斯韦尔开车去接的。”
“天哪！真是特别……”
她们沉默了一两分钟，努力消化这条新闻。
“是谁的尸体？”哈特内尔小姐问。
“你认识那个和巴兹尔•布莱克在一起的可怕女人吗？”
“那个把头发漂成金黄色的可怕女人？”哈特内尔小姐有点儿跟不上时代，她还没从双氧水漂染前进到染淡金黄色，“那个躺在花园里，几乎没穿衣服的女人？”
“是的，亲爱的。她躺在——壁炉前的地毯上——被勒死了！”
“你是说——在戈辛顿？”
韦瑟比小姐意味深长地点点头。
“那——班特里上校也——”
韦瑟比小姐又点了点头。
“哦！”
在这一刻的沉默中，两位妇人津津有味地享受着又一桩乡间丑闻。
“真是个邪恶的女人。”义愤填膺的哈特内尔小姐像高音喇叭似的喊出这句话。
“真是，真是放纵啊！我说。”
“还有班特里上校——那么一个善良而安静的人——”
韦瑟比小姐激动地说：
“那些沉默不语的人通常最坏。简•马普尔总这么说。”
2普赖斯•里德雷夫人是最后听到这个消息的人之一。
她是一个富有而专横的寡妇，住在教区牧师寓所隔壁的大房子里。报信人是她的小女佣克拉拉。
“一个女人，克拉拉，你的意思是……被发现死在班特里上校家炉前的地毯上？”
“是的，夫人。而且，夫人，他们说她什么也没穿，光溜溜的！”
“够了，克拉拉。不要讲细节了。”
“是的，夫人。起初大家还以为是布莱克先生的年轻小姐——就是在布克先生的新房子里和他一起度周末的那个。可现在又说是另一个年轻小姐。卖鱼的伙计说他可不信像班特里上校这样在星期天传递捐款盘的人会出这样的事。”
“这个世界上有很多邪恶的事，克拉拉。”普赖斯•里德雷夫人说，“这件事对你是个警告。”
“是的，夫人。只要屋里有男人，我妈妈就不让我留在屋里。”
“这就好，克拉拉。”普赖斯•里德雷夫人说。
3普赖斯•里德雷夫人家和教区牧师寓所只隔着一步之遥。
普赖斯•里德雷夫人幸运地在牧师的书房里找到了他。
牧师是一位温和的中年人，不管什么消息，他总是最后一个听到。
“这真是太可怕了。”普赖斯•里德雷夫人来的时候走得太快，现在还有点儿气喘，“我觉得必须问你的意见，你对此事的看法，亲爱的牧师。”
克莱蒙特先生有些惊恐，他问：
“发生了什么事吗？”
“发生了什么事吗？”普赖斯•里德雷夫人夸张地重复着问题，“最可怕的丑闻！谁也不知道是怎么回事。一个放荡的女人，一丝不挂，被勒死在班特里上校家壁炉前的地毯上。”
牧师瞪大了眼睛，说：
“你——你还好吧？”
“不怪你无法相信！起初我也不信。多么虚伪的人啊！这么多年！”
“请告诉我到底是怎么回事。”
普赖斯•里德雷夫人立刻全面细致地讲述起来。她说完后，克莱蒙特先生温和地说：
“但是，没有任何事能表明班特里上校被牵扯进来了，是不是？”
“哦，亲爱的牧师，你真是太不谙世事了！但是，我必须告诉你一件事。上个星期四——或者是上上个星期四？呃，这不重要——我坐特价日的火车去伦敦，班特里上校和我在同一节车厢。他看上去——我认为——非常心不在焉，一路上都在埋头看《泰晤士报》，而且，不想说话。”
牧师心领神会地点点头，简直是面带同情。
“我在帕丁顿车站和他道别。他当时要帮我叫一辆出租车，不过我是要乘公共汽车去牛津街——但是，他自己乘了一辆出租车，我清楚地听见，他对司机说去——你认为是去哪里？”
克莱蒙特先生用询问的目光看着她。
“去圣约翰林地的某个地方！”
普赖斯•里德雷夫人胜利般地打住了话头。
牧师还是困惑不解。
“我想，这可以证明一切。”普赖斯•里德雷夫人说。
4班特里夫人和马普尔小姐正坐在戈辛顿的客厅里。
“你知道，”班特里夫人说，“我真高兴他们把尸体抬走了。家里有具尸体实在感觉很糟糕。”
马普尔小姐点点头。
“我知道，亲爱的。我完全明白你的感受。”
“你不会明白的，”班特里夫人说，“除非你家也有一具尸体。我知道你家隔壁曾经有过一具，但那不一样，我只希望，”她接着说，“亚瑟不要从此讨厌那个藏书室。我们总是坐在那里。你在干什么，简？”
马普尔小姐瞥了一眼手表，准备起身。
“呃，我觉得我该回家了。如果你没有什么事需要我帮忙的话。”
“先别走。”班特里夫人说，“我知道，指纹专家、摄影师和大部分警察都走了，不过我觉得还会发生什么事，你不想错过吧？”
电话铃响了，班特里夫人过去接，回来时高兴得脸上放光。
“我说了还会发生什么事的。是梅尔切特上校，他要带那个可怜女孩的表姐一起过来。”
“来干什么呢？”马普尔小姐说。
“哦，我想是来看看现场之类的。”
“我觉得不仅是这样。”马普尔小姐说。
“你想说什么，简？”
“嗯，我想——恐怕——他想让她见见班特里上校。”
班特里夫人语气尖厉地说：
“看看她能不能认出他？我想——哦，没错，我想他们一定会怀疑亚瑟。”
“恐怕是这样。”
“就好像亚瑟和这件事有什么关系似的！”
马普尔小姐沉默不语。班特里夫人生气地转向她。
“别对我引用那个老将军亨德森的例子，或者哪个养情妇的可憎的老家伙，亚瑟不是那样的人。”
“不，不，当然不是。”
“他真的不是那种人。他只是——有时候——在来打网球的漂亮女孩面前表现得有点儿愚蠢。你知道——就是那种有点儿糊涂的、长辈般的，并没有恶意。他这样也不奇怪，”班特里夫人的结束语有些令人困惑不解，“毕竟，那是我的花园。”
马普尔小姐笑了。
“别担心，多莉。”她说。
“我是不想担心，可总还是会有点儿。亚瑟也是。这件事让他非常不安。警察在周围走来走去。他去农场了，不高兴的时候看看猪和别的东西能让他平静下来。看，他们来了。”
警察局局长的车停在外面。
梅尔切特上校和一位衣着得体的年轻女人走了进来。
“班特里夫人，这是特纳小姐，是——呃——受害人的表姐。”
“你好。”班特里夫人说着伸出了手，“这事对你来说一定非常可怕。”
约瑟芬•特纳坦率地说：“哦，是的。这一切似乎都不是真的，简直像一场噩梦。”
班特里夫人介绍了马普尔小姐。
梅尔切特随口问道：“你家的老好人在吗？”
“他去下面的一个农场了，应该很快就回来。”
“哦——”梅尔切特似乎有些不知所措。
班特里夫人对乔西说：“你想看看那个——出事的地方吗？还是宁愿不看？”
约瑟芬犹豫了一会儿，说：
“我想我愿意看一看。”
班特里夫人带她走进藏书室，马普尔小姐和梅尔切特跟在后面。
“她就在那儿，”班特里夫人一只手夸张地指着，“在炉前的地毯上。”
“哦！”乔西抖了一下。不过她似乎非常困惑，皱着眉头说：“我就是无法理解！完全不理解！”
“我们当然无法理解。”班特里夫人说。
乔西慢慢地说：
“这不是那种地方——”她的话没说完。
马普尔小姐轻轻地点点头，表示同意她没说完的话。
她咕哝着：“正因为如此，这件事才变得非常有趣。”
“说吧，马普尔小姐，”梅尔切特上校极富幽默感地说，“你是不是有了一个解释？”
“哦，是的，我有一个解释。”马普尔小姐说，“一个非常合理的解释。但只是我自己的想法。汤米•邦德，”她继续说，“还有马丁夫人，我们新来的女教师。她给钟上弦的时候，一只青蛙跳了出来。”
约瑟芬•特纳表情非常困惑。大家都离开房间后，她低声问班特里夫人：“这位老夫人的脑子是不是有点儿毛病？”
“完全没有。”班特里夫人愤怒地说。
乔西说：“对不起。我还以为她觉得自己是只青蛙或别的什么。”
这时，班特里上校刚好从侧门进来。梅尔切特大声向他打招呼，在把他介绍给约瑟芬•特纳时特别留意了特纳的反应。但她没有表现出丝毫感兴趣或认出来的表情。梅尔切特松了一口气。该死的斯莱克，还含沙射影！
由于班特里夫人问起，乔西把鲁比•基恩失踪的事再次详细地说了一遍。
“你一定担心坏了，亲爱的。”班特里夫人说。
“事实上我更多的是生气。”乔西说，“你知道，我当时根本没意识到她出事了。”
“不过，”马普尔小姐说，“你还是报了警。这难道不——请原谅——为时过早了吗？”
乔西急切地说：
“哦，我没有，是杰弗逊先生——”
班特里夫人说：“杰弗逊？”
“是的，他是个伤残人士。”
“不会是康韦•杰弗逊吧？我和他很熟，他是我们家的老朋友。亚瑟，听着——康韦•杰弗逊。他住在堂皇酒店，就是他报了警！这不是个巧合吗？”
约瑟芬，特纳说：
“杰弗逊先生去年夏天也来过这里。”
“真的！我们根本不知道。我很久没见过他了。”她转向乔西，“他——他现在怎么样？”
乔西考虑了一会儿。
“我想他很好，真的——相当好。我是说，他总是很开心——总有笑话讲。”
“他的亲人和他在一起吗？”
“你是说加斯克尔先生吗？还有小杰弗逊夫人和彼得？哦，是的。”
约瑟芬•特纳迷人而率真的外表下隐藏着什么。说到杰弗逊一家时，她的声音有些不自然。
班特里夫人说：“他们两人都非常好，是吗？我是指年轻人。”
乔西犹豫不决地说：
“哦，是的——是的，他们确实很好。我——我们——是的，他们很好，真的。”
5班特里夫人望着窗外正在远去的警察局局长的车，喃喃说道：“她是什么意思？‘他们很好，确实。’简，你不觉得这有点……”
马普尔小姐很快接过了话头。
“哦，是的——我的确觉得。绝不会有错！提到杰弗逊一家时，她的态度立刻变了。在此之前她一直显得很自然。”
“是啊，你觉得这是为什么，简？”
“哦，亲爱的，认识他们的你啊。正如你说的，我觉得这家人有什么事让这个年轻女人很不安。另外，你注意到了吗？当你问她是否因为那女孩失踪而感到担忧时，她说她更多的是生气！而且她看上去确实生气——真的很生气！这让我很感兴趣。你知道，我有种感觉——也许是错的——对于这个女孩的死，其实她最大的反应就是生气。我确定她不在乎这个女孩。她根本不难过。我非常确定，一想到那个叫鲁比•基恩的女孩，她就生气。有趣的问题是：为什么？”
“我们去查清楚！”班特里夫人说，“我们去丹尼茅斯，住进堂皇酒店——是的，简，你也去。这里发生了这些事，我需要换个环境。到堂皇酒店住几天——这就是我们需要的。
你还会见到康韦•杰弗逊。他是一个亲切——完美的好人。那是你能想到的最悲伤的故事。
他曾有一对非常惹人喜爱的儿女。他们都结了婚，不过还是有很多时间住在家里。他妻子也是个非常好的女人，他对她一片痴心。有一年，他们从法国搭飞机回家，结果发生了空难。飞行员、杰弗逊夫人、罗莎蒙德、弗兰克都遇难了。康韦双腿伤势过重，不得不截肢。他真了不起——那种勇气和精神！他曾经是一个非常活跃的人，现在成了一个无助的伤残人士，但他从不抱怨。他儿媳和他住一起——和弗兰克•杰弗逊结婚之前，她是个寡妇，带着第一次婚姻留给她的儿子——彼得•卡莫迪。他们都和康韦住在一起。罗莎蒙德的丈夫马克•加斯克尔大部分时间也在那里。真是一场可怕的悲剧。”
“现在，”马普尔小姐说，“发生了另一场悲剧——”
班特里夫人说：“哦，是的——是的——但是和杰弗逊先生一家没有关系。”
“是吗？”马普尔小姐说，“是杰弗逊先生报了警。”
“是他报的警……哦，简，这确实很奇怪……”
Chapter Five
Five
IC olonel Melchett was facing a much annoyed hotel manager. With him was Superintendent Harper of the GlenshirePolice and the inevitable Inspector Slack—the latter rather disgruntled at the Chief Constable’s wilful usurpation ofthe case.
Superintendent Harper was inclined to be soothing with the almost tearful Mr. Prestcott—Colonel Melchett tendedtowards a blunt brutality.
“No good crying over spilt milk,” he said sharply. “The girl’s dead—strangled. You’re lucky that she wasn’tstrangled in your hotel. This puts the inquiry in a different county and lets your establishment down extremely lightly.
But certain inquiries have got to be made, and the sooner we get on with it the better. You can trust us to be discreetand tactful. So I suggest you cut the cackle and come to the horses. Just what exactly do you know about the girl?”
“I knew nothing of her—nothing at all. Josie brought her here.”
“Josie’s been here some time?”
“Two years—no, three.”
“And you like her?”
“Yes, Josie’s a good girl—a nice girl. Competent. She gets on with people, and smoothes over differences—bridge,you know, is a touchy sort of game—” Colonel Melchett nodded feelingly. His wife was a keen but an extremely badbridge player. Mr. Prestcott went on: “Josie was very good at calming down unpleasantnesses. She could handlepeople well—sort of bright and firm, if you know what I mean.”
Again Melchett nodded. He knew now what it was Miss Josephine Turner had reminded him of. In spite of themakeup and the smart turnout there was a distinct touch of the nursery governess about her.
“I depend upon her,” went on Mr. Prestcott. His manner became aggrieved. “What does she want to go playingabout on slippery rocks in that damn’ fool way? We’ve got a nice beach here. Why couldn’t she bathe from that?
Slipping and falling and breaking her ankle. It wasn’t fair on me! I pay her to dance and play bridge and keep peoplehappy and amused—not to go bathing off rocks and breaking her ankle. Dancers ought to be careful of their ankles—not take risks. I was very annoyed about it. It wasn’t fair to the hotel.”
Melchett cut the recital short.
“And then she suggested this girl—her cousin—coming down?”
Prestcott assented grudgingly.
“That’s right. It sounded quite a good idea. Mind you, I wasn’t going to pay anything extra. The girl could have herkeep; but as for salary, that would have to be fixed up between her and Josie. That’s the way it was arranged. I didn’tknow anything about the girl.”
“But she turned out all right?”
“Oh yes, there wasn’t anything wrong with her—not to look at, anyway. She was very young, of course—rathercheap in style, perhaps, for a place of this kind, but nice manners—quiet and wellbehaved. Danced well. People likedher.”
“Pretty?”
It had been a question hard to answer from a view of the blue swollen face.
Mr. Prestcott considered.
“Fair to middling. Bit weaselly, if you know what I mean. Wouldn’t have been much without makeup. As it wasshe managed to look quite attractive.”
“Many young men hanging about after her?”
“I know what you’re trying to get at, sir.” Mr. Prestcott became excited. “I never saw anything. Nothing special.
One or two of the boys hung around a bit—but all in the day’s work, so to speak. Nothing in the strangling line, I’dsay. She got on well with the older people, too—had a kind of prattling way with her—seemed quite a kid, if youknow what I mean. It amused them.”
Superintendent Harper said in a deep melancholy voice:
“Mr. Jefferson, for instance?”
The manager agreed.
“Yes, Mr. Jefferson was the one I had in mind. She used to sit with him and his family a lot. He used to take her outfor drives sometimes. Mr. Jefferson’s very fond of young people and very good to them. I don’t want to have anymisunderstanding. Mr. Jefferson’s a cripple; he can’t get about much—only where his wheelchair will take him. Buthe’s always keen on seeing young people enjoy themselves—watches the tennis and the bathing and all that—andgives parties for young people here. He likes youth—and there’s nothing bitter about him as there well might be. Avery popular gentleman and, I’d say, a very fine character.”
Melchett asked:
“And he took an interest in Ruby Keene?”
“Her talk amused him, I think.”
“Did his family share his liking for her?”
“They were always very pleasant to her.”
Harper said:
“And it was he who reported the fact of her being missing to the police?”
He contrived to put into the word a significance and a reproach to which the manager instantly responded.
“Put yourself in my place, Mr. Harper. I didn’t dream for a minute anything was wrong. Mr. Jefferson came alongto my office, storming, and all worked up. The girl hadn’t slept in her room. She hadn’t appeared in her dance lastnight. She must have gone for a drive and had an accident, perhaps. The police must be informed at once! Inquiriesmade! In a state, he was, and quite high-handed. He rang up the police station then and there.”
“Without consulting Miss Turner?”
“Josie didn’t like it much. I could see that. She was very annoyed about the whole thing—annoyed with Ruby, Imean. But what could she say?”
“I think,” said Melchett, “we’d better see Mr. Jefferson. Eh, Harper?”
Superintendent Harper agreed.
II
Mr. Prestcott went up with them to Conway Jefferson’s suite. It was on the first floor, overlooking the sea. Melchettsaid carelessly:
“Does himself pretty well, eh? Rich man?”
“Very well off indeed, I believe. Nothing’s ever stinted when he comes here. Best rooms reserved—food usually àla carte, expensive wines—best of everything.”
Melchett nodded.
Mr. Prestcott tapped on the outer door and a woman’s voice said: “Come in.”
The manager entered, the others behind him.
Mr. Prestcott’s manner was apologetic as he spoke to the woman who turned her head at their entrance from herseat by the window.
“I am so sorry to disturb you, Mrs. Jefferson, but these gentlemen are—from the police. They are very anxious tohave a word with Mr. Jefferson. Er—Colonel Melchett—Superintendent Harper, Inspector—er—Slack—Mrs.
Jefferson.”
Mrs. Jefferson acknowledged the introduction by bending her head.
A plain woman, was Melchett’s first impression. Then, as a slight smile came to her lips and she spoke, he changedhis opinion. She had a singularly charming and sympathetic voice and her eyes, clear hazel eyes, were beautiful. Shewas quietly but not unbecomingly dressed and was, he judged, about thirty-five years of age.
She said:
“My father-in-law is asleep. He is not strong at all, and this affair has been a terrible shock to him. We had to havethe doctor, and the doctor gave him a sedative. As soon as he wakes he will, I know, want to see you. In the meantime,perhaps I can help you? Won’t you sit down?”
Mr. Prestcott, anxious to escape, said to Colonel Melchett: “Well—er—if that’s all I can do for you?” andthankfully received permission to depart.
With his closing of the door behind him, the atmosphere took on a mellow and more social quality. AdelaideJefferson had the power of creating a restful atmosphere. She was a woman who never seemed to say anythingremarkable but who succeeded in stimulating other people to talk and setting them at their ease. She struck now theright note when she said:
“This business has shocked us all very much. We saw quite a lot of the poor girl, you know. It seems quiteunbelievable. My father-in-law is terribly upset. He was very fond of Ruby.”
Colonel Melchett said:
“It was Mr. Jefferson, I understand, who reported her disappearance to the police?”
He wanted to see exactly how she would react to that. There was a flicker—just a flicker—of—annoyance?
concern?—he could not say what exactly, but there was something, and it seemed to him she had definitely to braceherself, as though to an unpleasant task, before going on.
She said:
“Yes, that is so. Being an invalid, he gets easily upset and worried. We tried to persuade him that it was all right,that there was some natural explanation, and that the girl herself would not like the police being notified. He insisted.
Well”—she made a slight gesture—“he was right and we were wrong.”
Melchett asked: “Exactly how well did you know Ruby Keene, Mrs. Jefferson?”
She considered.
“It’s difficult to say. My father-in-law is very fond of young people and likes to have them round him. Ruby was anew type to him—he was amused and interested by her chatter. She sat with us a good deal in the hotel and my father-in-law took her out for drives in the car.”
Her voice was quite noncommittal. Melchett thought to himself: “She could say more if she chose.”
He said: “Will you tell me what you can of the course of events last night?”
“Certainly, but there is very little that will be useful, I’m afraid. After dinner Ruby came and sat with us in thelounge. She remained even after the dancing had started. We had arranged to play bridge later, but we were waitingfor Mark, that is Mark Gaskell, my brother-in-law—he married Mr. Jefferson’s daughter, you know—who had someimportant letters to write, and also for Josie. She was going to make a fourth with us.”
“Did that often happen?”
“Quite frequently. She’s a first-class player, of course, and very nice. My father-in-law is a keen bridge player andwhenever possible liked to get hold of Josie to make the fourth instead of an outsider. Naturally, as she has to arrangethe fours, she can’t always play with us, but she does whenever she can, and as”—her eyes smiled a little—“myfather-in-law spends a lot of money in the hotel, the management are quite pleased for Josie to favour us.”
Melchett asked:
“You like Josie?”
“Yes, I do. She’s always good-humoured and cheerful, works hard and seems to enjoy her job. She’s shrewd,though not well educated, and—well—never pretends about anything. She’s natural and unaffected.”
“Please go on, Mrs. Jefferson.”
“As I say, Josie had to get her bridge fours arranged and Mark was writing, so Ruby sat and talked with us a littlelonger than usual. Then Josie came along, and Ruby went off to do her first solo dance with Raymond—he’s the danceand tennis professional. She came back to us afterwards just as Mark joined us. Then she went off to dance with ayoung man and we four started our bridge.”
She stopped, and made a slight insignificant gesture of helplessness.
“And that’s all I know! I just caught a glimpse of her once dancing, but bridge is an absorbing game and I hardlyglanced through the glass partition at the ballroom. Then, at midnight, Raymond came along to Josie very upset andasked where Ruby was. Josie, naturally, tried to shut him up but—”
Superintendent Harper interrupted. He said in his quiet voice: “Why ‘naturally,’ Mrs. Jefferson?”
“Well”—she hesitated, looked, Melchett thought, a little put out—“Josie didn’t want the girl’s absence made toomuch of. She considered herself responsible for her in a way. She said Ruby was probably up in her bedroom, said thegirl had talked about having a headache earlier—I don’t think that was true, by the way; Josie just said it by way ofexcuse. Raymond went off and telephoned up to Ruby’s room, but apparently there was no answer, and he came backin rather a state—temperamental, you know. Josie went off with him and tried to soothe him down, and in the end shedanced with him instead of Ruby. Rather plucky of her, because you could see afterwards it had hurt her ankle. Shecame back to us when the dance was over and tried to calm down Mr. Jefferson. He had got worked up by then. Wepersuaded him in the end to go to bed, told him Ruby had probably gone for a spin in a car and that they’d had apuncture. He went to bed worried, and this morning he began to agitate at once.” She paused. “The rest you know.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Jefferson. Now I’m going to ask you if you’ve any idea who could have done this thing.”
She said immediately: “No idea whatever. I’m afraid I can’t help you in the slightest.”
He pressed her. “The girl never said anything? Nothing about jealousy? About some man she was afraid of? Orintimate with?”
Adelaide Jefferson shook her head to each query.
There seemed nothing more that she could tell them.
The Superintendent suggested that they should interview young George Bartlett and return to see Mr. Jeffersonlater. Colonel Melchett agreed, and the three men went out, Mrs. Jefferson promising to send word as soon as Mr.
Jefferson was awake.
“Nice woman,” said the Colonel, as they closed the door behind them.
“A very nice lady indeed,” said Superintendent Harper.
III
George Bartlett was a thin, lanky youth with a prominent Adam’s apple and an immense difficulty in saying what hemeant. He was in such a state of dither that it was hard to get a calm statement from him.
“I say, it is awful, isn’t it? Sort of thing one reads about in the Sunday papers—but one doesn’t feel it reallyhappens, don’t you know?”
“Unfortunately there is no doubt about it, Mr. Bartlett,” said the Superintendent.
“No, no, of course not. But it seems so rum somehow. And miles from here and everything—in some countryhouse, wasn’t it? Awfully county and all that. Created a bit of a stir in the neighbourhood—what?”
Colonel Melchett took charge.
“How well did you know the dead girl, Mr. Bartlett?”
George Bartlett looked alarmed.
“Oh, n-n-n-ot well at all, s-s-sir. No, hardly at all—if you know what I mean. Danced with her once or twice—passed the time of day—bit of tennis—you know.”
“You were, I think, the last person to see her alive last night?”
“I suppose I was—doesn’t it sound awful? I mean, she was perfectly all right when I saw her—absolutely.”
“What time was that, Mr. Bartlett?”
“Well, you know, I never know about time—wasn’t very late, if you know what I mean.”
“You danced with her?”
“Yes—as a matter of fact—well, yes, I did. Early on in the evening, though. Tell you what, it was just after herexhibition dance with the pro fellow. Must have been ten, half-past, eleven, I don’t know.”
“Never mind the time. We can fix that. Please tell us exactly what happened.”
“Well, we danced, don’t you know. Not that I’m much of a dancer.”
“How you dance is not really relevant, Mr. Bartlett.”
George Bartlett cast an alarmed eye on the Colonel and stammered:
“No—er—n-n-n-o, I suppose it isn’t. Well, as I say, we danced, round and round, and I talked, but Ruby didn’t sayvery much and she yawned a bit. As I say, I don’t dance awfully well, and so girls—well—inclined to give it a miss, ifyou know what I mean. She said she had a headache—I know where I get off, so I said righty ho, and that was that.”
“What was the last you saw of her?”
“She went off upstairs.”
“She said nothing about meeting anyone? Or going for a drive? Or—or—having a date?” The Colonel used thecolloquial expression with a slight effort.
Bartlett shook his head.
“Not to me.” He looked rather mournful. “Just gave me the push.”
“What was her manner? Did she seem anxious, abstracted, anything on her mind?”
George Bartlett considered. Then he shook his head.
“Seemed a bit bored. Yawned, as I said. Nothing more.”
Colonel Melchett said:
“And what did you do, Mr. Bartlett?”
“Eh?”
“What did you do when Ruby Keene left you?”
George Bartlett gaped at him.
“Let’s see now—what did I do?”
“We’re waiting for you to tell us.”
“Yes, yes—of course. Jolly difficult, remembering things, what? Let me see. Shouldn’t be surprised if I went intothe bar and had a drink.”
“Did you go into the bar and have a drink?”
“That’s just it. I did have a drink. Don’t think it was just then. Have an idea I wandered out, don’t you know? Bit ofair. Rather stuffy for September. Very nice outside. Yes, that’s it. I strolled around a bit, then I came in and had a drinkand then I strolled back to the ballroom. Wasn’t much doing. Noticed what’s-her-name—Josie—was dancing again.
With the tennis fellow. She’d been on the sick list—twisted ankle or something.”
“That fixes the time of your return at midnight. Do you intend us to understand that you spent over an hour walkingabout outside?”
“Well, I had a drink, you know. I was—well, I was thinking of things.”
This statement received more credulity than any other.
Colonel Melchett said sharply:
“What were you thinking about?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Things,” said Mr. Bartlett vaguely.
“You have a car, Mr. Bartlett?”
“Oh, yes, I’ve got a car.”
“Where was it, in the hotel garage?”
“No, it was in the courtyard, as a matter of fact. Thought I might go for a spin, you see.”
“Perhaps you did go for a spin?”
“No—no, I didn’t. Swear I didn’t.”
“You didn’t, for instance, take Miss Keene for a spin?”
“Oh, I say. Look here, what are you getting at? I didn’t—I swear I didn’t. Really, now.”
“Thank you, Mr. Bartlett, I don’t think there is anything more at present. At present,” repeated Colonel Melchettwith a good deal of emphasis on the words.
They left Mr. Bartlett looking after them with a ludicrous expression of alarm on his unintellectual face.
“Brainless young ass,” said Colonel Melchett. “Or isn’t he?”
Superintendent Harper shook his head.
“We’ve got a long way to go,” he said.
第五章 两位小姐
第五章
1梅尔切特上校正面对着一个气恼的酒店经理。在场的还有格伦郡警察局的哈珀警司，以及无处不在的斯莱克警督——他对警司刻意插手这个案子感到极为不满。
哈珀警司想要安慰快哭出来的普雷斯科特先生——梅尔切特上校则比较简单粗暴。
“人死不能复生，”他严厉地说，“那个女孩死了——被勒死了。你很走运，她不是在你的酒店里被勒死的。因此这件案子的调查工作在另一个郡，而且你的生意基本不会受到影响。不过，有些事情我们必须要问，而且越快越好。你应该相信我们能办得周到而巧妙。
所以，我建议你不要拐弯抹角，告诉我们，你对这个女孩都知道些什么？”
“我不知道她的事——什么都不知道。是乔西带她来的。”
“乔西在这儿有段时间了吗？”
“两年——不，三年。”
“你喜欢她？”
“是的，乔西是个好女孩——相当不错。很有能力。她负责接待，让人们和睦相处——你知道，桥牌是一种很难对付的游戏——”梅尔切特上校颇有同感，点了点头。他的妻子就非常喜欢桥牌，不过牌技很差。普雷斯科特先生继续说：“乔西善于处理矛盾。她跟各种人都相处得很好——聪明而果断，如果你知道我在说什么。”
梅尔切特再次点头。现在他知道约瑟芬•特纳小姐让他想起了什么。尽管她化了妆，穿着也很得体，但她有着明显的保育员的气质。
“我很依赖她。”普雷斯科特先生继续说，他的态度开始变得恼怒而委屈，“她为什么会蠢得跑到湿滑的岩石上去玩？我们有很美的海滩，她为什么不到海里去游泳？滑倒扭伤了脚踝，这对我太不公平了！我给她工资是让她来跳舞、打桥牌、让客人们高兴——不是让她去游泳、在岩石上扭伤踝骨的。舞蹈演员应该对他们的踝骨特别小心——不应该冒险。
那件事让我很生气。这对酒店很不公平。”
梅尔切特打断了他的独白。
“然后她就推荐这个女孩——她的表妹——来顶替她？”
普雷斯科特勉强表示认可。
“是的。这个办法听起来不错。你知道，我不用再支付一份报酬。那女孩可以留下，至于工资，则是她和乔西之间的事。就是这么安排的，我对那个女孩一无所知。”
“结果她干得不错？”
“哦，是的，她没出什么差错——起码看起来是这样。当然，她很年轻——也许对于我们这种地方来说她还不够格，但她很规矩——安静、举止文雅。舞跳得好。大家也喜欢她。”
“漂亮吗？”
从那青肿的脸上很难找到这个问题的答案。
普雷斯科特考虑了一下。
“介于漂亮到普通之间。有点儿瘦，不知道你是否明白我的意思。不化妆就非常平凡。
所以她努力让自己看上去更有魅力。”
“她身边有许多年轻男人吗？”
“我明白你的意思，先生。”普雷斯科特兴奋起来，“我什么都没看见，没什么特别的。
会有一两个年轻人围着她——但那也很正常，跟勒死的事毫无关系。她和年长的人也相处得很好——她是个天真无邪的姑娘——像个孩子，你明白吗？这让他们很开心。”
哈珀警司的嗓音很低沉：
“比如说，杰弗逊先生？”
经理表示同意。
“是的，杰弗逊先生是我想到的人之一。她总和他还有他的家人坐在一起。他有时还带着她出去兜风。杰弗逊先生很喜欢年轻人，待他们也很好。我不想产生任何误会。杰弗逊先生是残疾人士，他能去的地方不多——仅仅是他的轮椅能去的地方。但他很喜欢看年轻人玩——打网球、游泳等等——还在这里给年轻人开派对。他喜欢年轻人——这里没有什么关于他的风言风语。他是一位受人欢迎的绅士，我得说，他是一个非常好的人。”
梅尔切特问：
“所以，他对鲁比•基恩有兴趣？”
“跟她谈话让他觉得有趣，我想。”
“他的家人和他一样喜欢她吗？”
“他们都对她很好。”
哈珀说：
“他向警方报案说她失踪了？”
他刻意强调了这句话的重要性和指责的语气，经理立刻作出反应。
“哈珀先生，请你设身处地地想想。我做梦也没想到会有什么不对。杰弗逊先生来到我的办公室，气势汹汹，不肯罢休。那女孩没在她房间里睡觉。昨晚的表演也没出现。她一定是出去兜风，出了车祸。应该马上通知警方！进行调查！他焦躁不安，专横霸道，当场就打了报警电话。”
“没问过特纳小姐？”
“乔西不想这样做，我看得出来。她对整件事都非常恼火——我的意思是她生鲁比的气。不过她能说什么呢？”
“我看，”梅尔切特说，“我们最好去见见杰弗逊先生。你说呢，哈珀？”
哈珀警司同意了。
2普雷斯科特先生陪他们上楼去康韦•杰弗逊的套房。房间在二层，从这里能俯瞰大海。
梅尔切特随口说：
“他过得不错，是吧？有钱人？”
“我想他确实很富有。他花钱很大方，订最好的房间，按菜单点菜，昂贵的葡萄酒——什么都是最好的。”
梅尔切特点点头。
普雷斯科特先生敲了门，里面传来一个女人的声音：“请进。”
经理走进门，其他人跟在他后面。
普雷斯科特先生带着歉意对靠窗坐着的女人说：
“抱歉打扰你，杰弗逊夫人，这几位先生是——警察局的。他们迫切地想和杰弗逊先生谈一谈。呃——这是梅尔切特上校——哈珀警司，警督——呃——斯莱克——这是杰弗逊夫人。”
杰弗逊夫人对经理介绍的人一一点头。
一个普通女人——梅尔切特对她的第一印象。接着，她嘴边浮现出一抹微笑，开口说话，于是他改变了看法。她的声音极富感染力和魅力，淡褐色的眼睛清澈明亮，非常美丽。她衣着普通，但很得体。他判断她大概三十五岁。
她说：
“我公公正在睡觉。他身体不好，这件事对他打击很大。我们不得不请了医生。医生给他用了镇静剂。我想他一醒来就会见你们的。我能帮上什么忙吗？请坐吧。”
普雷斯科特先生急着离开，便对梅尔切特上校说：“那么——我能做的就是这些吗？”在征得允许后，他感激不尽地走了出去。
随着房门在他身后关上，屋内的气氛变得轻松而更适于社交。艾黛莱德•杰弗逊能让气氛变得悠闲宁静。她是这样一个女人，从不发表惊人之语，却能让别人放松并侃侃而谈。
这时，她以恰到好处的方式说：
“这件事让我们都很震惊。我们经常见到这个可怜的女孩。真是让人无法相信。我公公非常难过。他很喜欢鲁比。”
梅尔切特说：
“据我所知，是杰弗逊先生向警方报告了她的失踪？”
他想看她听了会有什么反应。有一点儿——仅仅是一点儿——恼火？担忧？他无法确切地说出来，但的确有什么，而且在他看来，她显然在强打精神，似乎要处理一件令人不快的事务。
她说：
“是的，是这样。他身有伤残，很容易不安和担忧。我们尽量说服他一切都好，那女孩肯定是有什么事情，而且她肯定不想让警方知道。可是他坚持要这样做。呃，”她轻轻打了一个手势——“结果他是对的，我们错了。”
梅尔切特问：“杰弗逊夫人，你对鲁比•基恩到底了解多少？”
她想了一下。
“这不好说。我公公很喜欢年轻人，喜欢有他们围绕在身边。在他看来，鲁比是一种完全不同类型的人——她没完没了的闲扯让他觉得有趣。她经常和我们一起坐在酒店里，我公公还带她出去兜风。”
她的语气表明她不想对此表态。梅尔切特想：“其实她知道得比这个更多。”
他说：“关于昨晚发生的事，你能就你所知道的讲一下吗？”
“当然，不过有用的信息很少。晚饭后，鲁比到休息厅来，和我们坐在一起。舞蹈表演开始后她也没有离开。我们打算稍后打桥牌，不过还在等马克，就是马克•加斯克尔，我的妹夫——他娶了杰弗逊先生的女儿——他有些重要的信要写。我们还要等乔西，她是我们桌上的第四个人。”
“经常这样安排吗？”
“是的。乔西是一流的桥牌手，当然她人也很好。我公公很喜欢玩桥牌，只要有可能他就会找乔西而不是别人来做第四个牌友。自然，她要给大家都安排好四个人，不能总和我们一起玩，不过只要可能，她总会和我们一起，再说，”她眼睛里流露出笑意——“我公公在这家酒店花了不少钱，所以经理很愿意让乔西来讨好我们。”
梅尔切特问：
“你喜欢乔西吗？”
“是的。她很幽默，总是很快活，做事努力而且似乎很享受自己的工作。虽然没有受过很好的教育，但她很精明，而且——从来不装腔作势。她很自然，毫不矫揉造作。”
“请继续说，杰弗逊夫人。”
“就像我说的，乔西要安排四人一组打桥牌，马克在写信。于是鲁比和我们坐在一起多聊了一会儿。后来乔西过来了，鲁比就去和雷蒙德做第一场舞蹈表演。雷蒙德是个职业舞蹈家和网球手。鲁比跳完回来时马克刚刚加入我们。然后她就去和一个年轻人跳舞了，我们四个开始打桥牌。”
她停了下来，做了一个无奈的手势。
“我知道的就这么多！她跳舞的时候我只瞥了她一眼，玩桥牌需要注意力集中，我几乎没看舞厅的玻璃隔断。午夜时，雷蒙德神情不安地来找乔西，问鲁比在哪里。当然，乔西想让他闭嘴，可是——”
哈珀警司打断了她，用平静的声音问：“为什么说‘当然’，杰弗逊夫人？”
“呃，”她犹豫了一下，梅尔切特觉得她有点儿不安——“乔西不想为了女孩没出现的事小题大做。从某个方面说，她觉得自己对那个女孩有责任。她说鲁比可能在楼上卧室里，还说那女孩之前说过头疼——顺便说一句，我觉得这不是真的，乔西只不过是替她找个借口。雷蒙德给鲁比的房间打电话，但显然没人接，因为他回来的时候情绪很不稳定。乔西和他一起离开，想要抚慰他的情绪，最后她替鲁比上了场。她真是勇气可嘉，因为跳完后她的脚显然疼得很厉害。之后她又回来安慰杰弗逊先生。当时他很激动。我们好不容易才说服他上床休息，告诉他鲁比可能坐车出去兜风了，也许车胎破了。他忧心忡忡地上了床。今天一早又紧张不安。”她沉默了一会儿，“之后的事你们都知道了。”
“谢谢你，杰弗逊夫人。现在我想问问，你觉得这件事可能是谁干的？”
她立刻回答：“完全不知道。恐怕我根本帮不上忙。”
梅尔切特没有放弃。“那女孩什么都没说过？没说过嫉妒的事？没提过她害怕某个男人？或她和某个男人比较……”
艾黛莱德•杰弗逊对每一个问题的回答都是摇头。
似乎她再也没有什么可以告诉他们了。
警司提议去见小乔治•巴特列特，再回来找杰弗逊先生。梅尔切特上校表示同意，三人便走了出去，杰弗逊夫人保证说杰弗逊先生一起床就通知他们。
身后的门关上了，上校说：“一个好女人。”
哈珀警司说：“是啊，一位非常好的女士。”
3乔治•巴特列特是个瘦得皮包骨的年轻人，喉结突出，语言表达非常不清楚。他浑身发抖，连一句连贯的话都说不出来。
“我说，这真是太可怕了，对不对？正像星期天的报纸上刊登的新闻——你总觉得这不可能真的发生了，不是吗？”
“不幸的是，这确实发生了，巴特列特先生。”警司说。
“是的，是的，确实如此。可这真是古怪。离这儿好几英里，而且——在一幢乡下的房子里，是不是？可怕的郡之类的地方。在周围引起一阵骚动——嗯？”
梅尔切特上校接过话头。
“巴特列特先生，你跟那个被害的女孩有多熟悉？”
乔治•巴特列特似乎吓了一跳。
“哦，不，不，不熟，先，先，先生，根本不熟，如果你明白我的意思。只和她跳过一两次舞——打发时间——打打网球——你知道。”
“我想，你是昨晚最后一个见到她活着的人？”
“我想是的——听起来真可怕，不是吗？我的意思是，我看见她的时候她还好好的——安然无恙。”
“那是几点钟，巴特列特先生？”
“哦，你知道，我没有时间概念——不是很晚，如果你明白我的意思。”
“你和她跳舞了？”
“是的——事实是——哦，是，我跳舞了。不过是昨晚早些时候。确切地说，就在她和那个职业舞者表演之后。一定是十点、十点半、十一点，我不知道。”
“别管时间了。我们能查出来。请告诉我们到底发生了什么事。”
“呃，我们跳舞，你不是说了吗，我跳得不怎么样。”
“你跳得怎么样根本没关系，巴特列特先生。”
乔治•巴特列特警觉地看了一眼上校，结结巴巴地说：
“不——哦——不——不——不，我想确实不重要。我说过了，我们跳舞，一圈又一圈，我同时还说了话，但鲁比没说几句，她打了几个哈欠。我说过我跳得不好，所以女孩们就想——呃——宁可休息一下，你明白我的意思。她说她头疼——我知道该结束了，于是立刻表示赞成。事情就这是这样。”
“你最后一次见到她时是什么情形？”
“她上楼了。”
“她没说过要见什么人？或者出去兜风？或者——或者——有约会？”上校不习惯使用口语词汇。
巴特列特摇摇头。
“没告诉我。”他看起来很沮丧，“只是把我打发走了。”
“她的态度如何？有没有看起来很焦虑、烦躁、心里有事？”
乔治•巴特列特想了一会儿，摇摇头。
“好像有点儿不耐烦，打了哈欠，我说过了，没别的了。”
梅尔切特上校说：
“你都做什么了，巴特列特先生？”
“嗯？”
“和鲁比•基恩分开后，你又做了什么？”
乔治•巴特列特瞪着他。
“我想想——我做了什么？”
“我们在等你告诉我们。”
“是的，是的——当然。回忆起来并不容易，对不对？让我想想。如果说我去酒吧喝了一杯应该不奇怪。”
“你进酒吧喝酒了吗？”
“是的，我确实喝了，不过又似乎不是那个时候。我记得我出去过，你们知道吗？出去呼吸新鲜空气。已经九月了还这么闷热，但是外面很舒服。是的，没错。我在外面转了一圈，然后进来喝了一杯，又回了舞厅。没什么可做的。我注意到——她叫什么来着——乔西——又开始跳舞了，和那个打网球的家伙。她一直生病——脚踝受伤或者是别的什么。”
“这说明你是午夜回来的。你是想说你在外面闲逛了一个多小时？”
“哦，我喝了一杯，你知道。我在——在想事情。”
这句话比任何一句的可信程度都要高。
梅尔切特上校突然发问：
“你在想什么？”
“哦，我不知道。就是一些事情。”巴特列特先生含糊其辞。
“巴特列特先生，你有车吗？”
“哦，是的，我有辆车。”
“停在哪里？酒店停车场？”
“不，在院子里，我有时会出去兜风。”
“也许你确实出去兜风了？”
“不——不，没有。我发誓没有。”
“你没有——比如说——带基恩小姐出去兜风？”
“哦，我说，你这是什么意思？我没有——我发誓没有。真的没有。”
“谢谢你，巴特列特先生。我看目前没什么要问了。目前。”梅尔切特上校刻意强调了这个词。
巴特列特先生望着他们离开，木讷的脸上露出惊恐的滑稽表情。
“一头小蠢驴，”梅尔切特上校说，“也许不是他？”
哈珀警司摇摇头。
“还有很长的路要走呢。”他说。
Chapter Six
Six
IN either the night porter nor the barman proved helpful. The night porter remembered ringing up to Miss Keene’sroom just after midnight and getting no reply. He had not noticed Mr. Bartlett leaving or entering the hotel. A lot ofgentlemen and ladies were strolling in and out, the night being fine. And there were side doors off the corridor as wellas the one in the main hall. He was fairly certain Miss Keene had not gone out by the main door, but if she had comedown from her room, which was on the first floor, there was a staircase next to it and a door out at the end of thecorridor, leading on to the side terrace. She could have gone out of that unseen easily enough. It was not locked untilthe dancing was over at two o’clock.
The barman remembered Mr. Bartlett being in the bar the preceding evening but could not say when. Somewhereabout the middle of the evening, he thought. Mr. Bartlett had sat against the wall and was looking rather melancholy.
He did not know how long he was there. There were a lot of outside guests coming and going in the bar. He hadnoticed Mr. Bartlett but he couldn’t fix the time in any way.
II
As they left the bar, they were accosted by a small boy of about nine years old. He burst immediately into excitedspeech.
“I say, are you the detectives? I’m Peter Carmody. It was my grandfather, Mr. Jefferson, who rang up the policeabout Ruby. Are you from Scotland Yard? You don’t mind my speaking to you, do you?”
Colonel Melchett looked as though he were about to return a short answer, but Superintendent Harper intervened.
He spoke benignly and heartily.
“That’s all right, my son. Naturally interests you, I expect?”
“You bet it does. Do you like detective stories? I do. I read them all, and I’ve got autographs from Dorothy Sayersand Agatha Christie and Dickson Carr and H. C. Bailey. Will the murder be in the papers?”
“It’ll be in the papers all right,” said Superintendent Harper grimly.
“You see, I’m going back to school next week and I shall tell them all that I knew her—really knew her well.”
“What did you think of her, eh?”
Peter considered.
“Well, I didn’t like her much. I think she was rather a stupid sort of girl. Mum and Uncle Mark didn’t like hermuch either. Only Grandfather. Grandfather wants to see you, by the way. Edwards is looking for you.”
Superintendent Harper murmured encouragingly:
“So your mother and your Uncle Mark didn’t like Ruby Keene much? Why was that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. She was always butting in. And they didn’t like Grandfather making such a fuss of her. Iexpect,” said Peter cheerfully, “that they’re glad she’s dead.”
Superintendent Harper looked at him thoughtfully. He said: “Did you hear them—er—say so?”
“Well, not exactly. Uncle Mark said: ‘Well, it’s one way out, anyway,’ and Mums said: ‘Yes, but such a horribleone,’ and Uncle Mark said it was no good being hypocritical.”
The men exchanged glances. At that moment a respectable, clean-shaven man, neatly dressed in blue serge, cameup to them.
“Excuse me, gentlemen. I am Mr. Jefferson’s valet. He is awake now and sent me to find you, as he is very anxiousto see you.”
Once more they went up to Conway Jefferson’s suite. In the sitting room Adelaide Jefferson was talking to a tall,restless man who was prowling nervously about the room. He swung round sharply to view the newcomers.
“Oh, yes. Glad you’ve come. My father-in-law’s been asking for you. He’s awake now. Keep him as calm as youcan, won’t you? His health’s not too good. It’s a wonder, really, that this shock didn’t do for him.”
Harper said:
“I’d no idea his health was as bad as that.”
“He doesn’t know it himself,” said Mark Gaskell. “It’s his heart, you see. The doctor warned Addie that he mustn’tbe overexcited or startled. He more or less hinted that the end might come any time, didn’t he, Addie?”
Mrs. Jefferson nodded. She said:
“It’s incredible that he’s rallied the way he has.”
Melchett said dryly:
“Murder isn’t exactly a soothing incident. We’ll be as careful as we can.”
He was sizing up Mark Gaskell as he spoke. He didn’t much care for the fellow. A bold, unscrupulous, hawk-likeface. One of those men who usually get their own way and whom women frequently admire.
“But not the sort of fellow I’d trust,” the Colonel thought to himself.
Unscrupulous—that was the word for him.
The sort of fellow who wouldn’t stick at anything….
III
In the big bedroom overlooking the sea, Conway Jefferson was sitting in his wheeled chair by the window.
No sooner were you in the room with him than you felt the power and magnetism of the man. It was as though theinjuries which had left him a cripple had resulted in concentrating the vitality of his shattered body into a narrower andmore intense focus.
He had a fine head, the red of the hair slightly grizzled. The face was rugged and powerful, deeply suntanned, andthe eyes were a startling blue. There was no sign of illness or feebleness about him. The deep lines on his face werethe lines of suffering, not the lines of weakness. Here was a man who would never rail against fate but accept it andpass on to victory.
He said: “I’m glad you’ve come.” His quick eyes took them in. He said to Melchett: “You’re the Chief Constableof Radfordshire? Right. And you’re Superintendent Harper? Sit down. Cigarettes on the table beside you.”
They thanked him and sat down. Melchett said:
“I understand, Mr. Jefferson, that you were interested in the dead girl?”
A quick, twisted smile flashed across the lined face.
“Yes—they’ll all have told you that! Well, it’s no secret. How much has my family said to you?”
He looked quickly from one to the other as he asked the question. It was Melchett who answered.
“Mrs. Jefferson told us very little beyond the fact that the girl’s chatter amused you and that she was by way ofbeing a protégée. We have only exchanged half a dozen words with Mr. Gaskell.”
Conway Jefferson smiled.
“Addie’s a discreet creature, bless her. Mark would probably have been more outspoken. I think, Melchett, that I’dbetter tell you some facts rather fully. It’s important, in order that you should understand my attitude. And, to beginwith, it’s necessary that I go back to the big tragedy of my life. Eight years ago I lost my wife, my son, and mydaughter in an aeroplane accident. Since then I’ve been like a man who’s lost half himself—and I’m not speaking ofmy physical plight! I was a family man. My daughter-in-law and my son-in-law have been very good to me. They’vedone all they can to take the place of my flesh and blood. But I’ve realized—especially of late, that they have, after all,their own lives to live.
“So you must understand that, essentially, I’m a lonely man. I like young people. I enjoy them. Once or twice I’veplayed with the idea of adopting some girl or boy. During this last month I got very friendly with the child who’s beenkilled. She was absolutely natural—completely na?ve. She chattered on about her life and her experiences—inpantomime, with touring companies, with Mum and Dad as a child in cheap lodgings. Such a different life from anyI’ve known! Never complaining, never seeing it as sordid. Just a natural, uncomplaining, hardworking child, unspoiltand charming. Not a lady, perhaps, but, thank God, neither vulgar nor—abominable word—‘lady-like.’
“I got more and more fond of Ruby. I decided, gentlemen, to adopt her legally. She would become—by law—mydaughter. That, I hope, explains my concern for her and the steps I took when I heard of her unaccountabledisappearance.”
There was a pause. Then Superintendent Harper, his unemotional voice robbing the question of any offence, asked:
“May I ask what your son-in-law and daughter-in-law said to that?”
Jefferson’s answer came back quickly:
“What could they say? They didn’t, perhaps, like it very much. It’s the sort of thing that arouses prejudice. But theybehaved very well—yes, very well. It’s not as though, you see, they were dependent on me. When my son Frankmarried I turned over half my worldly goods to him then and there. I believe in that. Don’t let your children wait untilyou’re dead. They want the money when they’re young, not when they’re middle-aged. In the same way when mydaughter Rosamund insisted on marrying a poor man, I settled a big sum of money on her. That sum passed to him ather death. So, you see, that simplified the matter from the financial angle.”
“I see, Mr. Jefferson,” said Superintendent Harper.
But there was a certain reserve in his tone. Conway Jefferson pounced upon it.
“But you don’t agree, eh?”
“It’s not for me to say, sir, but families, in my experience, don’t always act reasonably.”
“I dare say you’re right, Superintendent, but you must remember that Mr. Gaskell and Mrs. Jefferson aren’t, strictlyspeaking, my family. They’re not blood relations.”
“That, of course, makes a difference,” admitted the Superintendent.
For a moment Conway Jefferson’s eyes twinkled. He said: “That’s not to say that they didn’t think me an old fool!
That would be the average person’s reaction. But I wasn’t being a fool. I know character. With education andpolishing, Ruby Keene could have taken her place anywhere.”
Melchett said:
“I’m afraid we’re being rather impertinent and inquisitive, but it’s important that we should get at all the facts. Youproposed to make full provision for the girl—that is, settle money upon her, but you hadn’t already done so?”
Jefferson said:
“I understand what you’re driving at—the possibility of someone’s benefiting by the girl’s death? But nobodycould. The necessary formalities for legal adoption were under way, but they hadn’t yet been completed.”
Melchett said slowly:
“Then, if anything happened to you—?”
He left the sentence unfinished, as a query. Conway Jefferson was quick to respond.
“Nothing’s likely to happen to me! I’m a cripple, but I’m not an invalid. Although doctors do like to pull long facesand give advice about not overdoing things. Not overdoing things! I’m as strong as a horse! Still, I’m quite aware ofthe fatalities of life—my God, I’ve good reason to be! Sudden death comes to the strongest man—especially in thesedays of road casualties. But I’d provided for that. I made a new will about ten days ago.”
“Yes?” Superintendent Harper leaned forward.
“I left the sum of fifty thousand pounds to be held in trust for Ruby Keene until she was twenty-five, when shewould come into the principal.”
Superintendent Harper’s eyes opened. So did Colonel Melchett’s. Harper said in an almost awed voice:
“That’s a very large sum of money, Mr. Jefferson.”
“In these days, yes, it is.”
“And you were leaving it to a girl you had only known a few weeks?”
Anger flashed into the vivid blue eyes.
“Must I go on repeating the same thing over and over again? I’ve no flesh and blood of my own—no nieces ornephews or distant cousins, even! I might have left it to charity. I prefer to leave it to an individual.” He laughed.
“Cinderella turned into a princess overnight! A fairy-godfather instead of a fairy-godmother. Why not? It’s my money.
I made it.”
Colonel Melchett asked: “Any other bequests?”
“A small legacy to Edwards, my valet—and the remainder to Mark and Addie in equal shares.”
“Would—excuse me—the residue amount to a large sum?”
“Probably not. It’s difficult to say exactly, investments fluctuate all the time. The sum involved, after death dutiesand expenses had been paid, would probably have come to something between five and ten thousand pounds net.”
“I see.”
“And you needn’t think I was treating them shabbily. As I said, I divided up my estate at the time my childrenmarried. I left myself, actually, a very small sum. But after—after the tragedy—I wanted something to occupy mymind. I flung myself into business. At my house in London I had a private line put in connecting my bedroom with myoffice. I worked hard—it helped me not to think, and it made me feel that my—my mutilation had not vanquished me.
I threw myself into work”—his voice took on a deeper note, he spoke more to himself than to his audience—“and, bysome subtle irony, everything I did prospered! My wildest speculations succeeded. If I gambled, I won. Everything Itouched turned to gold. Fate’s ironic way of righting the balance, I suppose.”
The lines of suffering stood out on his face again.
Recollecting himself, he smiled wryly at them.
“So you see, the sum of money I left Ruby was indisputably mine to do with as my fancy dictated.”
Melchett said quickly:
“Undoubtedly, my dear fellow, we are not questioning that for a moment.”
Conway Jefferson said: “Good. Now I want to ask some questions in my turn, if I may. I want to hear—more aboutthis terrible business. All I know is that she—that little Ruby was found strangled in a house some twenty miles fromhere.”
“That is correct. At Gossington Hall.”
Jefferson frowned.
“Gossington? But that’s—”
“Colonel Bantry’s house.”
“Bantry! Arthur Bantry? But I know him. Know him and his wife! Met them abroad some years ago. I didn’trealize they lived in this part of the world. Why, it’s—”
He broke off. Superintendent Harper slipped in smoothly:
“Colonel Bantry was dining in the hotel here Tuesday of last week. You didn’t see him?”
“Tuesday? Tuesday? No, we were back late. Went over to Harden Head and had dinner on the way back.”
Melchett said:
“Ruby Keene never mentioned the Bantrys to you?”
Jefferson shook his head.
“Never. Don’t believe she knew them. Sure she didn’t. She didn’t know anybody but theatrical folk and that sort ofthing.” He paused and then asked abruptly:
“What’s Bantry got to say about it?”
“He can’t account for it in the least. He was out at a Conservative meeting last night. The body was discovered thismorning. He says he’s never seen the girl in his life.”
Jefferson nodded. He said:
“It certainly seems fantastic.”
Superintendent Harper cleared his throat. He said:
“Have you any idea at all, sir, who can have done this?”
“Good God, I wish I had!” The veins stood out on his forehead. “It’s incredible, unimaginable! I’d say it couldn’thave happened, if it hadn’t happened!”
“There’s no friend of hers—from her past life—no man hanging about—or threatening her?”
“I’m sure there isn’t. She’d have told me if so. She’s never had a regular ‘boyfriend.’ She told me so herself.”
Superintendent Harper thought:
“Yes, I dare say that’s what she told you! But that’s as may be!”
Conway Jefferson went on:
“Josie would know better than anyone if there had been some man hanging about Ruby or pestering her. Can’t shehelp?”
“She says not.”
Jefferson said, frowning:
“I can’t help feeling it must be the work of some maniac—the brutality of the method—breaking into a countryhouse—the whole thing so unconnected and senseless. There are men of that type, men outwardly sane, but whodecoy girls—sometimes children—away and kill them. Sexual crimes really, I suppose.”
Harper said:
“Oh, yes, there are such cases, but we’ve no knowledge of anyone of that kind operating in this neighbourhood.”
Jefferson went on:
“I’ve thought over all the various men I’ve seen with Ruby. Guests here and outsiders—men she’d danced with.
They all seem harmless enough—the usual type. She had no special friend of any kind.”
Superintendent Harper’s face remained quite impassive, but unseen by Conway Jefferson there was still aspeculative glint in his eye.
It was quite possible, he thought, that Ruby Keene might have had a special friend even though Conway Jeffersondid not know about it.
He said nothing, however. The Chief Constable gave him a glance of inquiry and then rose to his feet. He said:
“Thank you, Mr. Jefferson. That’s all we need for the present.”
Jefferson said:
“You’ll keep me informed of your progress?”
“Yes, yes, we’ll keep in touch with you.”
The two men went out.
Conway Jefferson leaned back in his chair.
His eyelids came down and veiled the fierce blue of his eyes. He looked suddenly a very tired man.
Then, after a minute or two, the lids flickered. He called: “Edwards!”
From the next room the valet appeared promptly. Edwards knew his master as no one else did. Others, even hisnearest, knew only his strength. Edwards knew his weakness. He had seen Conway Jefferson tired, discouraged, wearyof life, momentarily defeated by infirmity and loneliness.
“Yes, sir?”
Jefferson said:
“Get on to Sir Henry Clithering. He’s at Melborne Abbas. Ask him, from me, to get here today if he can, instead oftomorrow. Tell him it’s urgent.”
第六章
第六章
1夜班行李员和酒吧服务员都帮不上忙。夜班行李员记得他在午夜刚过时给基恩小姐的房间打了电话，不过无人接听。他没注意到巴特列特先生曾经离开过或是回酒店。那晚天气很好，很多先生女士进进出出。除了大厅的正门之外，过道两端都有侧门。他很确定基恩小姐没从正门出去，但在她位于二层的房间旁边就有一段楼梯，在走廊尽头有一扇门通向侧面的阳台。她可以从这扇门随意出入而不被发现。这扇门直到舞会结束后，也就是两点钟，才会关闭。
酒吧服务员记得巴特列特先生前一天晚上来过，但记不清时间，应该是午夜时分。他记得巴特列特先生坐在墙边，情绪低落，不过不知道他在那儿待了多久。当时还有许多不在酒店住宿的客人进出酒吧。他注意到了巴特列特先生，但说不清确切的时间。
2他们离开酒吧，遇到了一个大约九岁的小男孩，他兴奋地滔滔不绝。
“我说，你们是侦探吗？我叫彼得•卡莫迪，打电话把鲁比的事告诉警方的杰弗逊先生是我爷爷。你们是从苏格兰场来的？我可以和你们说话吧，可以吗？”
梅尔切特上校似乎想把他打发走，但哈珀警司挤进来，亲切地说：
“没问题，孩子。我想你对此很感兴趣，对吗？”
“太对了。你喜欢侦探小说吗？我喜欢。我全读过，我还有多萝西•塞耶斯、阿加莎•克里斯蒂、迪克森•卡尔和H.C.贝利的亲笔签名。这起谋杀案会上报纸吗？”
“是的，会上报纸的。”哈珀警司严肃地说。
“你看，我下星期就要回学校了。我要把知道的关于她的一切都告诉他们——我真的很了解她。”
“你觉得她怎么样，嗯？”
彼得想了想。
“呃，我不太喜欢她。我觉得她是那种愚蠢的女孩。妈妈和马克叔叔也不太喜欢她。只有爷爷。对啦，爷爷想见你们，爱德华兹在找你们。”
哈珀警司鼓励般的小声嘀咕着：
“你妈妈和你叔叔都不太喜欢鲁比•基恩？为什么呢？”
“哦，我不知道。她什么事都爱掺和。他们也不喜欢爷爷总为了她而紧张，我想，”彼得高兴地说，“她死了他们一定很高兴。”
哈珀警司若有所思地看着他。他说：
“你听见他们——呃——这么说了？”
“呃，不全是。马克叔叔说：‘好，不管怎么说，总是条出路。’妈妈说：‘是啊，但是真的很可怕。’马克叔叔还说假装伤心没什么好处。”
警察先生们互相递了一个眼色。这时，一个胡子刮得很干净、身穿蓝色哔叽呢套装的体面男人向他们走来。
“打扰了，先生们。我是杰弗逊先生的贴身男仆。他醒了，让我来找你们。他想立刻见到你们。”
他们回到了康韦•杰弗逊的套间。艾黛莱德•杰弗逊正在客厅里和一个身材高大的男人说话，那人紧张不安地在房间里踱来踱去，又猛然转过身面向来客。
“哦，好，很高兴你们来了。我岳父一直要见你们。他醒了。你们能不能尽量让他保持平静？他身体不太好。这件事带来的打击没让他倒下，简直是个奇迹。”
哈珀说：“我没想到他的健康状况如此糟糕。”
“他自己也不知道。”马克•加斯克尔说，“是他的心脏。医生曾警告过艾迪，不能让他太兴奋或受到惊吓。这或多或少是在暗示死亡随时有可能降临，是不是，艾迪？”
杰弗逊夫人点头说：
“很难相信他还能保持现在的状态。”
梅尔切特干巴巴地说：
“谋杀案实在不是能让人镇定的事。我们会尽量注意的。”
他说话时打量着马克•加斯克尔。他不太喜欢这个家伙——一张无礼而狂妄的、鹰一般的脸，是那种我行我素、受女人追捧的男人。
“但不是我会信任的人。”梅尔切特上校暗忖。
狂妄——对，就是这个词。
对什么事都不会持之以恒的家伙……
3在可以俯瞰大海的大卧室里，康韦•杰弗逊坐在窗边的轮椅上。
一走进房间，你就能发觉这个男人的力量和吸引力。让他致残的伤痛仿佛只是把他的所有活力压缩到了残破的身体里，使之更加强烈。
他的头发很漂亮，红色夹杂着灰白。长年日晒的脸粗犷而充满了力量，眼睛的颜色是让人吃惊的蓝色。在他身上找不到任何病痛和虚弱。他是一个勇敢面对命运而不是向它低头的人。
他说：“很高兴你们来了。”同时迅速扫了他们一眼，然后对梅尔切特说，“你是拉德福郡的警察局局长吧？没错。你是哈珀警司？请坐。香烟就在你们身边的桌子上。”
他们谢过他，坐下。梅尔切特说：
“杰弗逊先生，我听说你对那个死去的女孩很感兴趣？”
一丝扭曲的笑意从那张布满皱纹的脸上闪过。
“是的——他们一定都告诉你们了！这不是个秘密。我的家人对你们说了多少？”
他提问时迅速把目光从他们中的一个移到另一个人身上。
回答问题的是梅尔切特。
“杰弗逊夫人只说那女孩说话让你觉得有趣，她总是受到保护，除此之外什么都没说。
至于加斯克尔先生，我们只和他说了几句话。”
康韦•杰弗逊笑了。
“艾迪很谨慎，上帝保佑她。马克说话可能比较直。梅尔切特，有些事我想最好还是详细地跟你们说一说。这很重要，你们可以由此了解我的态度。首先，应该回顾一下我生命里的重大悲剧。八年前，我在一次空难中失去了妻子、儿子和女儿。从那以后，我就像失去了半个自己——我指的不是身体上的残疾！我是一个很重家庭的人。我的儿媳和女婿对我一直很好，竭尽全力让我觉得他们是我的亲生孩子。但是我发觉——特别是最近——他们毕竟有他们自己的生活。”
“所以你们必须理解，基本上，我是一个孤独的人。我喜欢年轻人，享受和他们在一起。有一两次我起了收养一个女孩或男孩的念头。最近一个月，我和这个被杀害的孩子相处得非常愉快。她非常真实——非常天真。她总是谈论自己的生活和经历——童话剧、巡回演出公司、儿时和父母住在廉价的出租屋里。一种和我所知道的完全不同的生活！她从不抱怨，从不觉得辛苦工作是件丢人的事。一个真实、不怨天尤人、非常努力的孩子，没有被宠坏，很讨人喜欢。也许不是个淑女，不过，感谢上帝，她并不粗俗，也不——不客气地说——‘装得像淑女一样’。”
“我越来越喜欢鲁比。先生们，我决定通过法律程序收养她。她将在法律上成为我的女儿。我希望这能解释我对她的关心以及在听到她无故失踪后所采取的行动。”
一阵沉默之后，哈珀警司以不掺杂个人情绪也不会冒犯任何人的语气问：“我想问一下，你女婿和儿媳对此事的看法如何？”
杰弗逊立刻回答：
“他们有什么好说的呢？他们，呃，也许不太喜欢这个主意。这类事会引起一些偏见。
不过他们表现得很得体——是的，很得体。你知道，他们并不依赖我。我儿子弗兰克结婚时，我把一半的财产分给了他。我认为，不要等你死了之后才让你的孩子继承财产。他们年轻时需要钱，而不是等到中年才要。我女儿罗莎蒙德坚持嫁给一个穷光蛋，我同样给了她一大笔钱。她死后这笔钱转给了她丈夫。所以，你看，这件事从财产角度来说是很简单的。”
“我明白了，杰弗逊先生。”哈珀警司说。
但他的语气中似乎多少有点儿保留。康韦•杰弗逊立即发觉了。
“但是你不同意，是吗？”
“这不该由我发表意见，先生。不过以我的经验看，家人并不总是通情达理。”
“我知道你是对的，警司。但是你必须记住，严格地说，加斯克尔先生和杰弗逊夫人不是我的家人。他们和我没有血缘关系。”
“当然，这样一来是有很大区别。”警司承认。
康韦•杰弗逊眨了眨眼。他说：“但这并不表示他们不把我当成一个老傻瓜！一般人通常都是这种反应。但我不傻。我很会看人。只要受到一些教育和指点，鲁比•基恩在任何地方都会有一席之地。”
梅尔切特说：
“我知道我们太鲁莽，问得太多了，不过，我们必须弄清楚所有的事实。你打算为这个女孩提供一切——就是说，在她身上花钱，不过你还没开始这样做，是吗？”
杰弗逊说：
“我明白你想说什么，你的意思是：这女孩的死是否会让某人受益？没有。正式收养的法律手续正在办理之中，还没有完成。”
梅尔切特慢慢地说：
“那么，如果你发生了什么意外——”
他还没问完，康韦•杰弗逊就说：
“我不可能发生什么意外——我是瘸了，但不是废人。尽管医生常常严肃地告诫我不要太劳累。不要太劳累！我壮得像一匹马！是啊，我知道生命的脆弱——天哪，我当然知道！死亡会突然降临到最健壮的人身上——特别是目前的公路交通事故。但我已经准备好了。十天前我立了一份新遗嘱。”
“是吗？”哈珀警司忙凑过身子。
“我为鲁比•基恩留下了总数为五万英镑的托管基金，等她年满二十五岁就能支取，等她有了自主能力的时候。”
哈珀警司瞪大了眼睛，梅尔切特上校也一样。哈珀的语气简直像是受到了惊吓，他说：
“那是很大一笔钱，杰弗逊先生。”
“目前来说，是的。”
“而你把它留给一个刚认识几个星期的女孩？”
杰弗逊先生灵动的蓝眼睛里冒出怒火。
“非要我把同样的话重复一遍又一遍吗？我没有自己的亲骨肉——没有侄子或侄女，甚至远房表亲！我也可以把这些钱留给慈善机构。可是我更愿意把它留给某个人。”他笑了，“灰姑娘一夜之间成了公主！不是一位仙母，而是仙父。有什么不可以呢？这是我的钱。是我赚来的。”
梅尔切特上校问：“还有别的遗赠吗？”
“一小笔钱给我的贴身男仆爱德华兹——剩下的平均分给马克和艾迪。”
“是——请原谅——剩下的那笔是很多钱吗？”
“应该不多。很难说得很确切，因为投资总在波动。除去遗产税和其他费用，大约净剩五千至一万英镑。”
“我明白了。”
“你们不应该认为我对他们不够公正。我说过，孩子们结婚时我已经把财产分给了他们。实际上，我只给自己留下很少的钱。不过，在——那场悲剧之后——我希望能有事情填满我的脑子，于是便投身商界。在我伦敦住处的卧室里有一条通到我办公室的私人专线。我努力工作，这让我不去想，让我觉得我的——我的伤残没把我击垮。我全心投入工作，”他的声音变得低沉，更像是在对自己而不是对别人讲述——“后来，真是无法言喻的讽刺，我做什么都成功了！最冒险的投机成功了，连赌博都会赢。我简直是点石成金。我想命运大概是用这种讽刺来维持平衡。”
饱经沧桑的痕迹再次在他脸上显露出来。
他稳定了一下情绪，对他们露出苦笑。
“所以，你们看，那笔留给鲁比的钱没有什么讨论的余地，就应该按照我的美妙想象去办。”
梅尔切特立刻说：
“不可置疑，亲爱的伙计，我们对此没有过一刻的怀疑。”
康韦•杰弗逊说：“很好。如果可以，现在我想问几个问题。我想知道——更多有关这起可怕事件的情况。我只知道她——那个小鲁比——被发现勒死在一幢二十英里以外的房子里。”
“是的。在戈辛顿大宅。”
杰弗逊皱起眉头。
“戈辛顿？但是，那是——”
“班特里上校的房子。”
“班特里！亚瑟•班特里？可我认识他。认识他和他妻子！几年前在国外见到了他们。
我没想到他们住在这个地区。为什么，这——”
他沉默了。哈珀警司抓住机会插进来说：
“上个星期二，班特里上校来这家酒店吃饭。你没看见他？”
“星期二？没有。那天我们回来得很晚——去了哈登角，回来的路上还吃了晚饭。”
梅尔切特说：
“鲁比•基恩从没对你提起过班特里一家？”
杰弗逊摇摇头。
“从来没有。我认为她不认识他们，肯定不认识。她只认识从事戏剧之类行业的人。”他停下来，突然问道：
“班特里对此事是怎么说的？”
“他什么也说不出来。他昨晚去参加保守党的会议。尸体今天早上才发现。他说他这辈子从来没见过那个女孩。”
杰弗逊点点头，说：
“真是件怪事。”
哈珀警司清了清嗓子，说：
“你有任何猜测吗？先生，这有可能是谁干的呢？”
“天哪，我希望我知道！”他额头上的血管突起，“实在令人难以置信，无法想象！如果不是已经发生了，我会说这根本不可能！”
“她有没有朋友——过去认识的——身边有没有男人——威胁她？”
“我可以肯定没有。如果有，她一定会告诉我。她从没有过固定的‘男朋友’。她亲口这样对我说过。”
哈珀警司想：
“是的，我相信她是亲口对你说的！不过这只是一种可能！”
康韦•杰弗逊继续说：
“如果鲁比身边真的有什么男人纠缠她，乔西一定比谁都更清楚。她帮不上忙吗？”
“她说她不知道。”
杰弗逊皱着眉说：
“我总认为这一定是个疯子干的——手段残忍——闯入一幢乡间的房子——所有的事都毫无关系，不合常理。有这样的男人，外表看起来很正常，但是会诱骗女孩——甚至孩子——把他们带走之后杀害。我想一定是性犯罪。”
哈珀说：
“哦，是的，有这样的案子，可我们还没听说这一带发生过这样的案件。”
杰弗逊继续说：
“我想了我见过的所有和鲁比在一起的男人，各种各样的，住在这里的客人和外面的人——和她跳过舞的男人。他们似乎都没有恶意——都是普通人。她没有什么特别的朋友。”
哈珀警司仍然面无表情，但眼睛里有康韦•杰弗逊还没有察觉的疑问。
他想，鲁比•基恩很可能有一个特别的朋友，即使康韦•杰弗逊都不知道的朋友。
但他什么都没说。警司向他投去询问的一瞥，然后站起来说：
“谢谢你，杰弗逊先生。我们目前想问的就是这些。”
杰弗逊说：
“你们会一直通知我案子的进展吧？”
“是的，是的，我们会和你保持联系的。”
两位警官离开了。
康韦•杰弗逊靠在椅子上。
他垂下眼睑，合上了碧蓝的眼睛。突然显得非常疲劳。
之后，过了一两分钟，他的眼睛睁开了，嘴里喊道：“爱德华兹！”
贴身男仆立刻从隔壁房间走进来，爱德华兹比任何人都更了解他的主人。其他人，即使是杰弗逊先生最亲近的人，只知道他的坚强。爱德华兹却知道他的脆弱。他见过康韦•杰弗逊疲惫、沮丧、厌倦生活、被疾病和孤独击倒的时刻。
“是，先生。”
杰弗逊说：
“去找亨利•克利瑟林爵士。他在墨尔伯尼阿巴斯，告诉他，就说是我说的，马上来这里，不要等到明天。告诉他事情非常紧急。
Chapter Seven
Seven
IW hen they were outside Jefferson’s door, Superintendent Harper said:
“Well, for what it’s worth, we’ve got a motive, sir.”
“H’m,” said Melchett. “Fifty thousand pounds, eh?”
“Yes, sir. Murder’s been done for a good deal less than that.”
“Yes, but—”
Colonel Melchett left the sentence unfinished. Harper, however, understood him.
“You don’t think it’s likely in this case? Well, I don’t either, as far as that goes. But it’s got to be gone into all thesame.”
“Oh, of course.”
Harper went on:
“If, as Mr. Jefferson says, Mr. Gaskell and Mrs. Jefferson are already well provided for and in receipt of acomfortable income, well, it’s not likely they’d set out to do a brutal murder.”
“Quite so. Their financial standing will have to be investigated, of course. Can’t say I like the appearance ofGaskell much—looks a sharp, unscrupulous sort of fellow—but that’s a long way from making him out a murderer.”
“Oh, yes, sir, as I say, I don’t think it’s likely to be either of them, and from what Josie said I don’t see how itwould have been humanly possible. They were both playing bridge from twenty minutes to eleven until midnight. No,to my mind there’s another possibility much more likely.”
Melchett said: “Boy friend of Ruby Keene’s?”
“That’s it, sir. Some disgruntled young fellow—not too strong in the head, perhaps. Someone, I’d say, she knewbefore she came here. This adoption scheme, if he got wise to it, may just have put the lid on things. He saw himselflosing her, saw her being removed to a different sphere of life altogether, and he went mad and blind with rage. He gother to come out and meet him last night, had a row with her over it, lost his head completely and did her in.”
“And how did she come to be in Bantry’s library?”
“I think that’s feasible. They were out, say, in his car at the time. He came to himself, realized what he’d done, andhis first thought was how to get rid of the body. Say they were near the gates of a big house at the time. The ideacomes to him that if she’s found there the hue and cry will centre round the house and its occupants and will leave himcomfortably out of it. She’s a little bit of a thing. He could easily carry her. He’s got a chisel in the car. He forces awindow and plops her down on the hearthrug. Being a strangling case, there’s no blood or mess to give him away inthe car. See what I mean, sir?”
“Oh, yes, Harper, it’s all perfectly possible. But there’s still one thing to be done. Cherchez l’homme.”
“What? Oh, very good, sir.”
Superintendent Harper tactfully applauded his superior’s joke, although, owing to the excellence of ColonelMelchett’s French accent he almost missed the sense of the words.
II
“Oh—er—I say—er—c-could I speak to you a minute?” It was George Bartlett who thus waylaid the two men.
Colonel Melchett, who was not attracted to Mr. Bartlett and who was anxious to see how Slack had got on with theinvestigation of the girl’s room and the questioning of the chambermaids, barked sharply:
“Well, what is it—what is it?”
Young Mr. Bartlett retreated a step or two, opening and shutting his mouth and giving an unconscious imitation ofa fish in a tank.
“Well—er—probably isn’t important, don’t you know—thought I ought to tell you. Matter of fact, can’t find mycar.”
“What do you mean, can’t find your car?”
Stammering a good deal, Mr. Bartlett explained that what he meant was that he couldn’t find his car.
Superintendent Harper said:
“Do you mean it’s been stolen?”
George Bartlett turned gratefully to the more placid voice.
“Well, that’s just it, you know. I mean, one can’t tell, can one? I mean someone may just have buzzed off in it, notmeaning any harm, if you know what I mean.”
“When did you last see it, Mr. Bartlett?”
“Well, I was tryin’ to remember. Funny how difficult it is to remember anything, isn’t it?”
Colonel Melchett said coldly:
“Not, I should think, to a normal intelligence. I understood you to say just now that it was in the courtyard of thehotel last night—”
Mr. Bartlett was bold enough to interrupt. He said:
“That’s just it—was it?”
“What do you mean by ‘was it’? You said it was.”
“Well—I mean I thought it was. I mean—well, I didn’t go out and look, don’t you see?”
Colonel Melchett sighed. He summoned all his patience. He said:
“Let’s get this quite clear. When was the last time you saw—actually saw your car? What make is it, by the way?”
“Minoan 14.”
“And you last saw it—when?”
George Bartlett’s Adam’s apple jerked convulsively up and down.
“Been trying to think. Had it before lunch yesterday. Was going for a spin in the afternoon. But somehow, youknow how it is, went to sleep instead. Then, after tea, had a game of squash and all that, and a bathe afterwards.”
“And the car was then in the courtyard of the hotel?”
“Suppose so. I mean, that’s where I’d put it. Thought, you see, I’d take someone for a spin. After dinner, I mean.
But it wasn’t my lucky evening. Nothing doing. Never took the old bus out after all.”
Harper said:
“But, as far as you knew, the car was still in the courtyard?”
“Well, naturally. I mean, I’d put it there—what?”
“Would you have noticed if it had not been there?”
Mr. Bartlett shook his head.
“Don’t think so, you know. Lots of cars going and coming and all that. Plenty of Minoans.”
Superintendent Harper nodded. He had just cast a casual glance out of the window. There were at that moment noless than eight Minoan 14s in the courtyard—it was the popular cheap car of the year.
“Aren’t you in the habit of putting your car away at night?” asked Colonel Melchett.
“Don’t usually bother,” said Mr. Bartlett. “Fine weather and all that, you know. Such a fag putting a car away in agarage.”
Glancing at Colonel Melchett, Superintendent Harper said: “I’ll join you upstairs, sir. I’ll just get hold of SergeantHiggins and he can take down particulars from Mr. Bartlett.”
“Right, Harper.”
Mr. Bartlett murmured wistfully:
“Thought I ought to let you know, you know. Might be important, what?”
III
Mr. Prestcott had supplied his additional dancer with board and lodging. Whatever the board, the lodging was thepoorest the hotel possessed.
Josephine Turner and Ruby Keene had occupied rooms at the extreme end of a mean and dingy little corridor. Therooms were small, faced north on to a portion of the cliff that backed the hotel, and were furnished with the odds andends of suites that had once, some thirty years ago, represented luxury and magnificence in the best suites. Now, whenthe hotel had been modernized and the bedrooms supplied with built-in receptacles for clothes, these large Victorianoak and mahogany wardrobes were relegated to those rooms occupied by the hotel’s resident staff, or given to guestsin the height of the season when all the rest of the hotel was full.
As Melchett saw at once, the position of Ruby Keene’s room was ideal for the purpose of leaving the hotel withoutbeing observed, and was particularly unfortunate from the point of view of throwing light on the circumstances of thatdeparture.
At the end of the corridor was a small staircase which led down to an equally obscure corridor on the ground floor.
Here there was a glass door which led out on to the side terrace of the hotel, an unfrequented terrace with no view.
You could go from it to the main terrace in front, or you could go down a winding path and come out in a lane thateventually rejoined the cliff road farther along. Its surface being bad, it was seldom used.
Inspector Slack had been busy harrying chambermaids and examining Ruby’s room for clues. He had been luckyenough to find the room exactly as it had been left the night before.
Ruby Keene had not been in the habit of rising early. Her usual procedure, Slack discovered, was to sleep untilabout ten or half-past and then ring for breakfast. Consequently, since Conway Jefferson had begun his representationsto the manager very early, the police had taken charge of things before the chambermaids had touched the room. Theyhad actually not been down that corridor at all. The other rooms there, at this season of the year, were only opened anddusted once a week.
“That’s all to the good as far as it goes,” Slack explained gloomily. “It means that if there were anything to findwe’d find it, but there isn’t anything.”
The Glenshire police had already been over the room for fingerprints, but there were none unaccounted for. Ruby’sown, Josie’s, and the two chambermaids—one on the morning and one on the evening shift. There were also a coupleof prints made by Raymond Starr, but these were accounted for by his story that he had come up with Josie to look forRuby when she did not appear for the midnight exhibition dance.
There had been a heap of letters and general rubbish in the pigeonholes of the massive mahogany desk in thecorner. Slack had just been carefully sorting through them. But he had found nothing of a suggestive nature. Bills,receipts, theatre programmes, cinema stubs, newspaper cuttings, beauty hints torn from magazines. Of the letters therewere some from “Lil,” apparently a friend from the Palais de Danse, recounting various affairs and gossip, saying they“missed Rube a lot. Mr. Findeison asked after you ever so often! Quite put out, he is! Young Reg has taken up withMay now you’ve gone. Barny asks after you now and then. Things going much as usual. Old Grouser still as mean asever with us girls. He ticked off Ada for going about with a fellow.”
Slack had carefully noted all the names mentioned. Inquiries would be made—and it was possible some usefulinformation might come to light. To this Colonel Melchett agreed; so did Superintendent Harper, who had joinedthem. Otherwise the room had little to yield in the way of information.
Across a chair in the middle of the room was the foamy pink dance frock Ruby had worn early in the evening witha pair of pink satin high-heeled shoes kicked off carelessly on the floor. Two sheer silk stockings were rolled into aball and flung down. One had a ladder in it. Melchett recalled that the dead girl had had bare feet and legs. This, Slacklearned, was her custom. She used makeup on her legs instead of stockings and only sometimes wore stockings fordancing, by this means saving expense. The wardrobe door was open and showed a variety of rather flashy eveningdresses and a row of shoes below. There was some soiled underwear in the clothes-basket, some nail parings, soiledface-cleaning tissue and bits of cotton wool stained with rouge and nail-polish in the wastepaper basket—in fact,nothing out of the ordinary! The facts seemed plain to read. Ruby Keene had hurried upstairs, changed her clothes andhurried off again—where?
Josephine Turner, who might be supposed to know most of Ruby’s life and friends, had proved unable to help. Butthis, as Inspector Slack pointed out, might be natural.
“If what you tell me is true, sir—about this adoption business, I mean—well, Josie would be all for Ruby breakingwith any old friends she might have and who might queer the pitch, so to speak. As I see it, this invalid gentleman getsall worked up about Ruby Keene being such a sweet, innocent, childish little piece of goods. Now, supposing Ruby’sgot a tough boy friend—that won’t go down so well with the old boy. So it’s Ruby’s business to keep that dark. Josiedoesn’t know much about the girl anyway—not about her friends and all that. But one thing she wouldn’t stand for—Ruby’s messing up things by carrying on with some undesirable fellow. So it stands to reason that Ruby (who, as I seeit, was a sly little piece!) would keep very dark about seeing any old friend. She wouldn’t let on to Josie anythingabout it—otherwise Josie would say: ‘No, you don’t, my girl.’ But you know what girls are—especially young ones—always ready to make a fool of themselves over a tough guy. Ruby wants to see him. He comes down here, cuts uprough about the whole business, and wrings the girl’s neck.”
“I expect you’re right, Slack,” said Colonel Melchett, disguising his usual repugnance for the unpleasant way Slackhad of putting things. “If so, we ought to be able to discover this tough friend’s identity fairly easily.”
“You leave it to me, sir,” said Slack with his usual confidence. “I’ll get hold of this ‘Lil’ girl at that Palais de Danseplace and turn her right inside out. We’ll soon get at the truth.”
Colonel Melchett wondered if they would. Slack’s energy and activity always made him feel tired.
“There’s one other person you might be able to get a tip from, sir,” went on Slack, “and that’s the dance and tennispro fellow. He must have seen a lot of her and he’d know more than Josie would. Likely enough she’d loosen hertongue a bit to him.”
“I have already discussed that point with Superintendent Harper.”
“Good, sir. I’ve done the chambermaids pretty thoroughly! They don’t know a thing. Looked down on these two,as far as I can make out. Scamped the service as much as they dared. Chambermaid was in here last at seven o’clocklast night, when she turned down the bed and drew the curtains and cleared up a bit. There’s a bathroom next door, ifyou’d like to see it?”
The bathroom was situated between Ruby’s room and the slightly larger room occupied by Josie. It wasilluminating. Colonel Melchett silently marvelled at the amount of aids to beauty that women could use. Rows of jarsof face cream, cleansing cream, vanishing cream, skin-feeding cream! Boxes of different shades of powder. An untidyheap of every variety of lipstick. Hair lotions and “brightening” applications. Eyelash black, mascara, blue stain forunder the eyes, at least twelve different shades of nail varnish, face tissues, bits of cotton wool, dirty powder-puffs.
Bottles of lotions—astringent, tonic, soothing, etc.
“Do you mean to say,” he murmured feebly, “that women use all these things?”
Inspector Slack, who always knew everything, kindly enlightened him.
“In private life, sir, so to speak, a lady keeps to one or two distinct shades, one for evening, one for day. They knowwhat suits them and they keep to it. But these professional girls, they have to ring a change, so to speak. They doexhibition dances, and one night it’s a tango and the next a crinoline Victorian dance and then a kind of Apache danceand then just ordinary ballroom, and, of course, the makeup varies a good bit.”
“Good lord!” said the Colonel. “No wonder the people who turn out these creams and messes make a fortune.”
“Easy money, that’s what it is,” said Slack. “Easy money. Got to spend a bit in advertisement, of course.”
Colonel Melchett jerked his mind away from the fascinating and age-long problem of woman’s adornments. Hesaid to Harper, who had just joined them:
“There’s still this dancing fellow. Your pigeon, Superintendent?”
“I suppose so, sir.”
As they went downstairs Harper asked:
“What did you think of Mr. Bartlett’s story, sir?”
“About his car? I think, Harper, that that young man wants watching. It’s a fishy story. Supposing that he did takeRuby Keene out in that car last night, after all?”
IV
Superintendent Harper’s manner was slow and pleasant and absolutely noncommittal. These cases where the police oftwo counties had to collaborate were always difficult. He liked Colonel Melchett and considered him an able ChiefConstable, but he was nevertheless glad to be tackling the present interview by himself. Never do too much at once,was Superintendent Harper’s rule. Bare routine inquiry for the first time. That left the persons you were interviewingrelieved and predisposed them to be more unguarded in the next interview you had with them.
Harper already knew Raymond Starr by sight. A fine-looking specimen, tall, lithe, and good-looking, with verywhite teeth in a deeply-bronzed face. He was dark and graceful. He had a pleasant, friendly manner and was verypopular in the hotel.
“I’m afraid I can’t help you much, Superintendent. I knew Ruby quite well, of course. She’d been here over amonth and we had practised our dances together and all that. But there’s really very little to say. She was quite apleasant and rather stupid girl.”
“It’s her friendships we’re particularly anxious to know about. Her friendships with men.”
“So I suppose. Well, I don’t know anything! She’d got a few young men in tow in the hotel, but nothing special.
You see, she was nearly always monopolized by the Jefferson family.”
“Yes, the Jefferson family.” Harper paused meditatively. He shot a shrewd glance at the young man. “What did youthink of that business, Mr. Starr?”
Raymond Starr said coolly: “What business?”
Harper said: “Did you know that Mr. Jefferson was proposing to adopt Ruby Keene legally?”
This appeared to be news to Starr. He pursed up his lips and whistled. He said:
“The clever little devil! Oh, well, there’s no fool like an old fool.”
“That’s how it strikes you, is it?”
“Well—what else can one say? If the old boy wanted to adopt someone, why didn’t he pick upon a girl of his ownclass?”
“Ruby Keene never mentioned the matter to you?”
“No, she didn’t. I knew she was elated about something, but I didn’t know what it was.”
“And Josie?”
“Oh, I think Josie must have known what was in the wind. Probably she was the one who planned the whole thing.
Josie’s no fool. She’s got a head on her, that girl.”
Harper nodded. It was Josie who had sent for Ruby Keene. Josie, no doubt, who had encouraged the intimacy. Nowonder she had been upset when Ruby had failed to show up for her dance that night and Conway Jefferson had begunto panic. She was envisaging her plans going awry.
He asked:
“Could Ruby keep a secret, do you think?”
“As well as most. She didn’t talk about her own affairs much.”
“Did she ever say anything—anything at all—about some friend of hers—someone from her former life who wascoming to see her here, or whom she had had difficulty with—you know the sort of thing I mean, no doubt.”
“I know perfectly. Well, as far as I’m aware, there was no one of the kind. Not by anything she ever said.”
“Thank you, Mr. Starr. Now will you just tell me in your own words exactly what happened last night?”
“Certainly. Ruby and I did our ten-thirty dance together—”
“No signs of anything unusual about her then?”
Raymond considered.
“I don’t think so. I didn’t notice what happened afterwards. I had my own partners to look after. I do remembernoticing she wasn’t in the ballroom. At midnight she hadn’t turned up. I was very annoyed and went to Josie about it.
Josie was playing bridge with the Jeffersons. She hadn’t any idea where Ruby was, and I think she got a bit of a jolt. Inoticed her shoot a quick, anxious glance at Mr. Jefferson. I persuaded the band to play another dance and I went tothe office and got them to ring up to Ruby’s room. There wasn’t any answer. I went back to Josie. She suggested thatRuby was perhaps asleep in her room. Idiotic suggestion really, but it was meant for the Jeffersons, of course! Shecame away with me and said we’d go up together.”
“Yes, Mr. Starr. And what did she say when she was alone with you?”
“As far as I can remember, she looked very angry and said: ‘Damned little fool. She can’t do this sort of thing. Itwill ruin all her chances. Who’s she with, do you know?’
“I said that I hadn’t the least idea. The last I’d seen of her was dancing with young Bartlett. Josie said: ‘Shewouldn’t be with him. What can she be up to? She isn’t with that film man, is she?’”
Harper said sharply: “Film man? Who was he?”
Raymond said: “I don’t know his name. He’s never stayed here. Rather an unusual-looking chap—black hair andtheatrical-looking. He has something to do with the film industry, I believe—or so he told Ruby. He came over to dinehere once or twice and danced with Ruby afterwards, but I don’t think she knew him at all well. That’s why I wassurprised when Josie mentioned him. I said I didn’t think he’d been here tonight. Josie said: ‘Well, she must be outwith someone. What on earth am I going to say to the Jeffersons?’ I said what did it matter to the Jeffersons? And Josiesaid it did matter. And she said, too, that she’d never forgive Ruby if she went and messed things up.
“We’d got to Ruby’s room by then. She wasn’t there, of course, but she’d been there, because the dress she hadbeen wearing was lying across a chair. Josie looked in the wardrobe and said she thought she’d put on her old whitedress. Normally she’d have changed into a black velvet dress for our Spanish dance. I was pretty angry by this time atthe way Ruby had let me down. Josie did her best to soothe me and said she’d dance herself so that old Prestcottshouldn’t get after us all. She went away and changed her dress and we went down and did a tango—exaggerated styleand quite showy but not really too exhausting upon the ankles. Josie was very plucky about it—for it hurt her, I couldsee. After that she asked me to help her soothe the Jeffersons down. She said it was important. So, of course, I didwhat I could.”
Superintendent Harper nodded. He said:
“Thank you, Mr. Starr.”
To himself he thought: “It was important, all right! Fifty thousand pounds!”
He watched Raymond Starr as the latter moved gracefully away. He went down the steps of the terrace, picking upa bag of tennis balls and a racquet on the way. Mrs. Jefferson, also carrying a racquet, joined him and they wenttowards the tennis courts.
“Excuse me, sir.”
Sergeant Higgins, rather breathless, stood at Harper’s side.
The Superintendent, jerked from the train of thought he was following, looked startled.
“Message just come through for you from headquarters, sir. Labourer reported this morning saw glare as of fire.
Half an hour ago they found a burnt-out car in a quarry. Venn’s Quarry—about two miles from here. Traces of acharred body inside.”
A flush came over Harper’s heavy features. He said:
“What’s come to Glenshire? An epidemic of violence? Don’t tell me we’re going to have a Rouse case now!”
He asked: “Could they get the number of the car?”
“No, sir. But we’ll be able to identify it, of course, by the engine number. A Minoan 14, they think it is.”
第七章
第七章
1出了杰弗逊的房间，哈珀警司说：
“这么说，不管到底有多少价值，长官，我们已经有了一个动机。”
“哦，”梅尔切特说，“五万英镑，哈？”
“是的，长官。比这更小的数额都曾引发过谋杀案。”
“是的，不过——”
梅尔切特上校没把话说完，不过哈珀已经明白了他的意思。
“你认为在这个案子里不太可能？是啊，目前来看我也觉得不可能。但是一样要查。”
“哦，当然。”
哈珀继续说道：
“如果就像杰弗逊先生说的，加斯克尔先生和杰弗逊夫人已经衣食无忧并且还有一笔宽裕的收入，那么，他们不太可能犯下这样残忍的谋杀案。”
“没错。当然，依然要调查他们的经济状况。我不喜欢加斯克尔的样子——太精明了，像是个狂妄之徒——不过仅凭这一点不足以将他定为凶手。”
“哦，是的。我得说，我不认为他们两个可能是凶手。从乔西的话来看，他们没机会下手。他们两个从十点四十分到午夜一直在打桥牌，我觉得有另一种更合理的可能性。”
梅尔切特说：“鲁比•基恩的男朋友？”
“是的，长官。一个满心怨恨的年轻人——也许酒量不好。她到这儿来之前认识的某个人。他知道了收养的事，可能觉得希望破灭了。眼看自己就要失去她，她就要去过一种完全不一样的生活，他快疯了，怒气冲天。昨晚他找她出去见面，因为这件事吵起来，在完全失去理智之后杀了她。”
“那她怎么会出现在班特里家的藏书室里呢？”
“我认为有这种可能。比如说，他们乘他的车出来。等他清醒过来，意识到自己干了什么，第一个念头就是处理掉尸体。假设他们当时在一幢大宅附近，他有了一个主意，如果她的尸体在这里被人发现，就会把警方的注意力引到这幢房子及四周的居民上来，他就能置身事外了。那女孩并不重，他能轻松地抱起来。他车里有把凿子，他撬开一扇窗户，把她放在壁炉前的地毯上。因为女孩是被勒死的，所以车里没有会暴露他的血迹和痕迹。你明白我的意思了吗？长官？”
“哦，是的，哈珀，的确很有可能。但还有一件事。Cherchez l'homme [1] 。”
“什么？哦，太好了，长官。”
哈珀警司圆滑地称赞上司的玩笑，由于梅尔切特上校的法语发音过于标准，哈珀差点儿没明白他的话。
2“哦——呃——我说——呃——能——能和你聊一会儿吗？”拦住两位警官的人是乔治•巴特列特。梅尔切特上校本来就不喜欢巴特列特先生，这会儿又急于知道斯莱克对那女孩房间的调查结果和酒店女仆的问话情况，于是生气地大声说：
“好吧，什么事——什么事？”
小巴特列特先生退了一两步，嘴巴一张一合，像水缸里的一条鱼。
“这个——呃——或许你们不知道也不重要——我觉得应该告诉你们。事情是这样的，我的车找不到了。”
“你的车找不到了是什么意思？”
巴特列特先生结结巴巴了很长时间才解释清楚，原来是他的车不见了。
哈珀警司说：
“你的意思是车被偷了？”
乔治•巴特列特满怀感激地转向这个比较温和的声音。
“是的，正是这样。我是说，没人知道，是不是？我是说也许是谁一时起意开走了，并没有恶意，你明白我的意思吧。”
“你最后一次看见你的车是什么时候，巴特列特先生？”
“呃，我努力回忆来着。回忆起来可真不容易，这真有意思，是吧？”
梅尔切特上校冷冷地说：
“不，我得说，对于一个智力正常的人来说并不难。你刚才说昨晚车停在酒店的院子里——”
巴特列特先生壮起胆子打断了他，说：
“正是这样——是吗？”
“你说‘是吗？’是什么意思？你说过就停在那儿。”
“哦——我是说我以为它停在那儿。我的意思是——呃，我没有出去看，你明白吗？”
梅尔切特上校不禁叹了口气，用尽所有的耐心说：
“我们来把这件事弄清楚。你最后看见你的车是什么时候？我是说亲眼看见。对了，你的车是什么牌子的？”
“米诺斯14。”
“你最后看见它是——什么时候？”
乔治•巴特列特的喉结痉挛般地上下抖动。
“我一直尽力回想。昨天午饭前还在。下午本打算出去兜风，可是不知怎么回事，你们知道是怎么回事，就上床睡觉了。起来后，喝完茶又打了会儿壁球什么的，之后去游泳。”
“当时车就停在酒店的院子里吗？”
“应该是。我是说，我通常都把车停在那儿，想着，你看，要是带人出去兜兜风之类的，我是说，吃完晚饭后。不过昨晚运气不好，没事可做，根本没机会开我那辆老破车出去。”
哈珀说：
“不过，据你所知，那辆车还在院子里？”
“哦，那是自然。我是说，通常都停在那里——不是吗？”
“如果车不在那儿的话你会注意到吗？”
巴特列特先生摇摇头。
“我觉得不会，你知道，很多车进进出出。很多都是米诺斯。”
哈珀警司点点头。他刚才随意往窗外扫了一眼，院子里至少有八辆米诺斯14——今年流行的廉价款。
“通常你晚上都把车放回车库吗？”梅尔切特上校问。
“一般不费那个麻烦。”巴特列特先生说，“天气好的话，你知道，把车停到车库里很麻烦。”
哈珀警司看着梅尔切特上校，说：“长官，我一会儿到楼上找你。我得去找希金斯警长，他会记下巴特列特先生所讲的细节。”
“好的，哈珀。”
巴特列特先生愁眉苦脸地嘀咕道：
“我想应该告诉你们，你知道。也许很重要，嗯？”
3普雷斯科特先生给酒店的舞女提供食宿。吃得不知如何，房间肯定是酒店里最差的。
约瑟芬•特纳和鲁比•基恩的房间在一条狭窄昏暗的走廊尽头。朝北的狭小房间面向酒店后面的峭壁。房间里不成套的家具代表着——大概是三十年前——酒店套间的华丽和奢侈。现在，酒店已经被改造得现代化，卧室里有放置衣服的更衣室，这些庞大的维多利亚式橡木和红木衣橱就被处理到了工作人员的、或者酒店旺季客满时供客人们使用的房间。
梅尔切特一眼便看出鲁比•基恩房间所在的位置能让她在不被人察觉的情况下离开酒店，想到她可能会这样离开，便觉得情况更为不妙了。
走廊尽头有一小段楼梯，通向一层的一条同样昏暗的走廊。那里还有扇玻璃门通向酒店侧阳台，阳台上看不到什么风景，因此很少有人来。你可以从这里直达正面的主阳台，也可以沿着一条蜿蜒的小路走上一条车道，最终和远处峭壁边的公路交会。这条车道的路况很差，很少有人使用。
斯莱克警督一直忙于阻止酒店女仆工作，检查鲁比的房间寻找线索。他很幸运，房间没有人动过，一切都保持着昨晚鲁比离开时的模样。
鲁比•基恩没有早起的习惯。斯莱克了解到，她通常十点或十点半起床打电话要早餐。
由于康韦•杰弗逊一早就找了经理，所以警察在酒店女仆进房间之前就接管了这里。实际上她们连那条走廊都没去过。现在是一年中的淡季，其他房间每星期只开门打扫一次。
“能查的都查过了，”斯莱克沮丧地说，“就是说，如果存在要找的东西，我们一定能找到，可是没有任何东西。”
格伦郡的警察已经采集了房间里所有的指纹，但没有一个能提供线索。指纹包括鲁比、乔西，还有两个酒店女仆的——一个值早班，一个值晚班，还有几个是雷蒙德•斯塔尔的，但是，照他的话看，应该是鲁比没有出场表演时，他和乔西一起上楼找她时留下的。
角落里大红木写字台上的信件架上有一堆信件和杂物。斯莱克已经认真检查过了，没发现什么有价值的东西，账单、收据、剧院节目表、电影票存根、剪报、杂志上撕下来的美容信息。有几封信的寄件人署名是“莉尔”，显然是鲁比在王宫舞厅共事的朋友。信中充满了琐事八卦，说他们“非常想念鲁比。你走了之后芬德森先生总是问起你。他真烦人！你离开之后瑞格和梅来往频繁起来。巴尼时常问起你。事情都和往常一样。老格罗瑟对待女孩们还是那么刻薄。那天他因为艾达经常和一个男人来往，狠狠地骂了她一顿。”
斯莱克记下了其中提到的所有名字，打算去询问这些人——也许会发现一些有用的信息。梅尔切特上校和哈珀警司都表示赞同。除此之外，这间屋子已经无法提供什么信息了。
屋子中间的一把椅子上搭着粉红色的泡泡纱舞衣，应该是鲁比昨晚早些时候穿过的那件，地上随手扔着一双粉红色缎子高跟鞋，两只揉成一团的丝质长筒袜躺在一边，其中一条抽了丝。这让梅尔切特想起那个死去的女孩腿上什么也没穿。斯莱克了解到这是她的习惯，她平时只在腿部用些化妆品，跳舞的时候才穿长丝袜，以节省开支。衣柜的门敞着，露出各种俗艳的晚礼服，下面是一排鞋子。衣筐里有几件脏内衣，废纸篓里有剪下的指甲、用过的洁面巾、沾着胭脂和指甲油的化妆棉——事实上，根本没有什么不寻常的东西！事情看起来再简单不过了。鲁比•基恩匆匆上了楼，换了衣服又匆匆离开——去了哪儿呢？
约瑟芬•特纳应该是最了解鲁比的生活和朋友的人，可她显然不能提供什么帮助。不过，斯莱克警督指出这非常正常。
“如果你告诉我的是真的，长官——我是说收养这件事——乔西一定会让鲁比和所有过去的朋友以及可能把这事搞砸的人断绝来往。在我看来，这位残疾的绅士完全被鲁比•基恩的甜美、可爱和孩子气给迷住了。如果说鲁比有个棘手的男朋友——他不会接受这个老家伙。所以鲁比不能让这事见光。乔西毕竟对这女孩了解不多——她有哪些朋友之类的。但有一件她肯定不会同意——鲁比因为和某个不合意的家伙交往而把事情搞砸。这样一来，鲁比完全有理由（要我说，她是个狡猾的小妞！）隐瞒她和任何一个老朋友的来往，不会让乔西知道任何事——否则乔西一定会说：‘不，不行，姑娘。’但你知道那些女孩——特别是年青一代——总为了一个坏男孩犯傻。鲁比想见他。他来了，发现了这件事，发火闹了起来，拧断了女孩的脖子。”
“我希望你是对的，斯莱克。”梅尔切特上校说，极力掩饰他对斯莱克惹人厌的说话方式的反感情绪，“如果是这样，我们应该很容易查出这个坏家伙。”
“就把这事交给我吧，长官。”斯莱克带着他一如既往的自信劲头说，“我去王宫舞厅找那个叫‘莉尔’的，把她的底翻出来，我们很快就能知道真相了。”
梅尔切特上校对此表示怀疑。斯莱克充沛的精力和活力总让他疲劳不堪。
“还有一个人或许能提供一点儿情况，长官。”斯莱克继续说，“就是那个职业舞蹈演员兼网球运动员。他常常见到她，可能比乔西知道得更多。鲁比很可能告诉他了什么。”
“我已经就这一点和哈珀警司讨论过了。”
“好的，长官。我已经仔细询问过酒店女仆了，她们什么也不知道。我觉得，她们很看不起她们两个。对她们的服务都是敷衍了事。酒店女仆最后一次收拾房间是昨晚七点，她整理了床铺、拉了窗帘，还简单打扫了一下。隔壁是一间浴室，你想看一看吗？”
浴室在鲁比和乔西的房间中间，乔西的房间稍大一点儿。浴室里的灯亮着，梅尔切特上校暗暗惊叹女人用来美容的东西竟然这么多。成排的洁面乳、面霜、粉底、营养霜。各种深浅不一的粉，一大堆各种各样的口红，发乳和头发增亮剂。睫毛液、睫毛膏、蓝色眼影粉，至少十二种不同颜色的指甲油，面巾纸、小片化妆棉、用过的粉扑。各种化妆液——收缩水、化妆水、柔肤水等等。
“你是说，”他弱弱地嘟囔着，“所有这些女人们都会用？”
一向无所不知的斯莱克和蔼地为他启蒙：
“这么说吧，长官，一位女士的生活中主要使用两种色彩，一种是白天的，一种是晚上的。她们知道哪一种最适合自己，因而固定使用某一种。而这些职业女孩必须经常换装。
她们要表演舞蹈，今晚表演探戈，明晚是维多利亚式的衬架裙舞，另一个晚上是双人舞，还有通常在舞厅里跳的舞，化的妆自然也要变了。”
“天哪！”上校说，“难怪生产各种面霜和这堆东西的人都发了财。”
“钱来得很快，”斯莱克说，“赚得很容易。当然要付点儿广告费了。”
梅尔切特上校不再去想那些令人眼花缭乱、用之不竭的女人的装饰品。他对刚刚出现的哈珀警司说：
“还有那个表演跳舞的小伙子，就交给你了，警司？”
“好的，先生。”
一起下楼时，哈珀问：
“长官，你对巴特列特先生的话怎么看？”
“关于他的车？我认为，哈珀，这个年轻人想引起别人的注意。他说的话可不能全信。
假使他昨晚真的和鲁比开那辆车出去了，又会怎么样呢？”
4哈珀警司态度温和，令人愉快，但绝不明确发表任何意见。两个郡的警察共同办案总会比较困难。他喜欢梅尔切特上校，认为他是个颇有能力的警察局局长，但他对眼下自己能独自进行询问还是感到高兴。哈珀警司的宗旨是每次不要问太多，第一次只进行例行询问。这样能让对方放松，在下次面谈的时候减少防备。
哈珀一眼就认出了雷蒙德•斯塔尔。他相貌漂亮，高高的个子，身手敏捷，英俊帅气，皮肤呈深褐色，牙齿雪白。他举止优雅，待人亲切友好，在酒店里很受欢迎。
“恐怕我帮不了你太多，警司。当然，我和鲁比很熟。她来这里一个多月了，我们一起练跳舞，诸如此类的事。实在没什么可说的。她是一个快活的女孩，不过挺傻的。”
“目前我们急需了解她的朋友圈。她和男人的交往。”
“我想也是，不过，我真的什么也不知道！在酒店里，她身边有几个年轻人，可是没什么特别的。你看，她几乎总是和杰弗逊一家在一起。”
“是的，杰弗逊一家。”哈珀沉吟片刻，然后敏锐地看了一眼这个年轻人，“你对这件事怎么看，斯塔尔先生？”
雷蒙德•斯塔尔冷静地问：“什么事？”
哈珀说：“你知道杰弗逊先生准备正式收养鲁比•基恩吗？”
斯塔尔像是没听说过。他撅起嘴吹了声口哨，说：
“这个聪明的小鬼！哦，是的，没有比那老蠢货更蠢的人了。”
“这事让你很惊讶，是吗？”
“呃——还能说什么？如果那老伙计想收养一个孩子，为什么不从自己所在的阶层里选一个？”
“鲁比•基恩从没跟你提起过这件事？”
“没有，她没提过。我知道她正在为什么事暗自高兴，但我不知道是什么事。”
“那么乔西呢？”
“哦，我想乔西肯定知道。也许这件事从头到尾都是她谋划的。乔西可不是傻瓜，这个女人很有头脑。”
哈珀点点头，是乔西把鲁比•基恩引来的。她显然很鼓励这种亲密关系。难怪那天晚上应该上场时鲁比没出现就让她心烦意乱，而康韦•杰弗逊则惊慌不已。她担心自己的计划泡汤。
他问：“你觉得鲁比会保守秘密吗？”
“很可能。她对自己的事谈得不多。”
“她有没有说过什么——任何事——关于她的朋友——她过去生活中的某个人，要来这里找她，或她和谁有了麻烦——你肯定明白我的意思。”
“我完全明白。呃，据我所知没有那样的人。至少她从没提过。”
“谢谢你，斯塔尔先生。现在能不能请你用自己的话向我准确地描述一下昨晚发生的事？”
“当然。鲁比和我一起跳了十点半那场舞——”
“她当时看起来没有什么反常吗？”
雷蒙德想了想。
“我觉得没有。我没有注意之后发生的事，我要照顾自己的舞伴。但我清楚地记得，我注意到她不在舞厅，一直到午夜她还没出现。我很生气，于是去找乔西。乔西当时正和杰弗逊一家打桥牌。她根本不知道鲁比在哪里，我觉得她有点儿慌乱。我注意到她焦急地看了一眼杰弗逊先生。我请乐队演奏了另一支舞曲，并到办公室让他们给鲁比的房间打电话，没有人接。于是又去找乔西。她估计鲁比可能是在房间里睡着了。这话当然很蠢，显然是说给杰弗逊一家人听的。然后她和我走到一边，说一起上楼去看看。”
“好的，斯塔尔先生。她单独和你在一起时说了什么？”
“我只记得她看起来很生气，还说：‘该死的小傻瓜。她怎么能这样做。这会眼睁睁丢了大好机会。你知道她和谁在一起吗？’”
“我说我根本不知道。我最后看见她时，她正在和小巴特列特跳舞。乔西说：‘她不会和他在一起。她到底在干什么？是不是和那个拍电影的男人在一起？’”
哈珀警司赶紧问：“拍电影的男人？谁？”
雷蒙德说：“我不知道他的名字。他没在这里住过。是那种相貌不寻常的家伙——黑头发，看上去很夸张，就像个演戏的。我想他是拍电影的——或许他对鲁比是这样说的。他在这里吃过一两次饭，然后和鲁比跳舞，不过我想她对他根本不了解。所以乔西提到他时我很吃惊。我说我想他今晚不在这里。乔西说：‘嗯，她一定是和谁出去了。我到底该怎么跟杰弗逊一家人说呢？’我说这和杰弗逊一家有什么关系？乔西说关系很大。她还说，如果鲁比把事情搞砸了，她永远都不会原谅她。”
“这时我们已经到了鲁比的房间。她当然不在，但显然回来过，因为她刚才穿的裙子搭在椅子上。乔西看了衣柜，说鲁比穿走的是那条旧的白裙子。通常我们跳西班牙舞时，她会穿一条黑色的天鹅绒裙子。我当时非常生气，鲁比这是成心让我难堪。乔西一个劲儿地安慰我，说她来替鲁比跳，这样那个老普雷斯科特就不会找我们几个的麻烦。于是她去换衣服，然后我们一起下楼跳了一曲探戈，跳得夸张华丽，但不会让她的脚太累。乔西很有毅力——因为看得出她感觉很疼。之后她又让我帮她安慰杰弗逊一家。她说这很重要。当然，我尽力而为了。”
哈珀警司点点头，说：“谢谢你，斯塔尔先生。”
哈珀心想：“很重要，当然了！五万英镑！”
他看着雷蒙德•斯塔尔离去时优雅的背影，只见他走下阳台的台阶，途中拾起一袋网球和一副球拍。杰弗逊夫人拿着球拍走过来，和他一起向网球场走去。
“抱歉，长官。”
希金斯警长站在哈珀身边，气都快喘不上来了。
警司的思路突然被打断，吃了一惊。
“刚刚从总部传给你的消息，长官。有工人报告说今早看见了火光。半小时前，他们在采石场发现了一辆烧毁的汽车。文恩采石场——离这儿大约两英里。车里有一具烧焦的尸体残骸。”
哈珀的怒气顿时蹿了上来。他说：
“格伦郡这是怎么了？感染暴力瘟疫了？不要跟我说又有一起大案！”
他问：“他们弄清车号了吗？”
“没有，长官。但是通过发动机号肯定可以查出来。他们认为是一辆米诺斯14。”
[1]法语，意为“找到那个男人”。
Chapter Eight
Eight
IS ir Henry Clithering, as he passed through the lounge of the Majestic, hardly glanced at its occupants. His mind waspreoccupied. Nevertheless, as is the way of life, something registered in his subconscious. It waited its time patiently.
Sir Henry was wondering as he went upstairs just what had induced the sudden urgency of his friend’s message.
Conway Jefferson was not the type of man who sent urgent summonses to anyone. Something quite out of the usualmust have occurred, decided Sir Henry.
Jefferson wasted no time in beating about the bush. He said:
“Glad you’ve come. Edwards, get Sir Henry a drink. Sit down, man. You’ve not heard anything, I suppose?
Nothing in the papers yet?”
Sir Henry shook his head, his curiosity aroused.
“What’s the matter?”
“Murder’s the matter. I’m concerned in it and so are your friends the Bantrys.”
“Arthur and Dolly Bantry?” Clithering sounded incredulous.
“Yes, you see, the body was found in their house.”
Clearly and succinctly, Conway Jefferson ran through the facts. Sir Henry listened without interrupting. Both menwere accustomed to grasping the gist of a matter. Sir Henry, during his term as Commissioner of the MetropolitanPolice, had been renowned for his quick grip on essentials.
“It’s an extraordinary business,” he commented when the other had finished. “How do the Bantrys come into it, doyou think?”
“That’s what worries me. You see, Henry, it looks to me as though possibly the fact that I know them might have abearing on the case. That’s the only connection I can find. Neither of them, I gather, ever saw the girl before. That’swhat they say, and there’s no reason to disbelieve them. It’s most unlikely they should know her. Then isn’t it possiblethat she was decoyed away and her body deliberately left in the house of friends of mine?”
Clithering said:
“I think that’s far-fetched.”
“It’s possible, though,” persisted the other.
“Yes, but unlikely. What do you want me to do?”
Conway Jefferson said bitterly:
“I’m an invalid. I disguise the fact—refuse to face it—but now it comes home to me. I can’t go about as I’d like to,asking questions, looking into things. I’ve got to stay here meekly grateful for such scraps of information as the policeare kind enough to dole out to me. Do you happen to know Melchett, by the way, the Chief Constable ofRadfordshire?”
“Yes, I’ve met him.”
Something stirred in Sir Henry’s brain. A face and figure noted unseeingly as he passed through the lounge. Astraight-backed old lady whose face was familiar. It linked up with the last time he had seen Melchett.
He said:
“Do you mean you want me to be a kind of amateur sleuth? That’s not my line.”
Jefferson said:
“You’re not an amateur, that’s just it.”
“I’m not a professional anymore. I’m on the retired list now.”
Jefferson said: “That simplifies matters.”
“You mean that if I were still at Scotland Yard I couldn’t butt in? That’s perfectly true.”
“As it is,” said Jefferson, “your experience qualifies you to take an interest in the case, and any cooperation youoffer will be welcomed.”
Clithering said slowly:
“Etiquette permits, I agree. But what do you really want, Conway? To find out who killed this girl?”
“Just that.”
“You’ve no idea yourself?”
“None whatever.”
Sir Henry said slowly:
“You probably won’t believe me, but you’ve got an expert at solving mysteries sitting downstairs in the lounge atthis minute. Someone who’s better than I am at it, and who in all probability may have some local dope.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Downstairs in the lounge, by the third pillar from the left, there sits an old lady with a sweet, placid spinsterishface, and a mind that has plumbed the depths of human iniquity and taken it as all in the day’s work. Her name’s MissMarple. She comes from the village of St. Mary Mead, which is a mile and a half from Gossington, she’s a friend ofthe Bantrys—and where crime is concerned she’s the goods, Conway.”
Jefferson stared at him with thick, puckered brows. He said heavily:
“You’re joking.”
“No, I’m not. You spoke of Melchett just now. The last time I saw Melchett there was a village tragedy. Girlsupposed to have drowned herself. Police quite rightly suspected that it wasn’t suicide, but murder. They thought theyknew who did it. Along to me comes old Miss Marple, fluttering and dithering. She’s afraid, she says, they’ll hang thewrong person. She’s got no evidence, but she knows who did do it. Hands me a piece of paper with a name written onit. And, by God, Jefferson, she was right!”
Conway Jefferson’s brows came down lower than ever. He grunted disbelievingly:
“Woman’s intuition, I suppose,” he said sceptically.
“No, she doesn’t call it that. Specialized knowledge is her claim.”
“And what does that mean?”
“Well, you know, Jefferson, we use it in police work. We get a burglary and we usually know pretty well who did it—of the regular crowd, that is. We know the sort of burglar who acts in a particular sort of way. Miss Marple has aninteresting, though occasionally trivial, series of parallels from village life.”
Jefferson said sceptically:
“What is she likely to know about a girl who’s been brought up in a theatrical milieu and probably never been in avillage in her life?”
“I think,” said Sir Henry Clithering firmly, “that she might have ideas.”
II
Miss Marple flushed with pleasure as Sir Henry bore down upon her.
“Oh, Sir Henry, this is indeed a great piece of luck meeting you here.”
Sir Henry was gallant. He said:
“To me it is a great pleasure.”
Miss Marple murmured, flushing: “So kind of you.”
“Are you staying here?”
“Well, as a matter of fact, we are.”
“We?”
“Mrs. Bantry’s here too.” She looked at him sharply. “Have you heard yet? Yes, I can see you have. It is terrible, isit not?”
“What’s Dolly Bantry doing here? Is her husband here too?”
“No. Naturally, they both reacted quite differently. Colonel Bantry, poor man, just shuts himself up in his study, orgoes down to one of the farms, when anything like this happens. Like tortoises, you know, they draw their heads inand hope nobody will notice them. Dolly, of course, is quite different.”
“Dolly, in fact,” said Sir Henry, who knew his old friend fairly well, “is almost enjoying herself, eh?”
“Well—er—yes. Poor dear.”
“And she’s brought you along to produce the rabbits out of the hat for her?”
Miss Marple said composedly:
“Dolly thought that a change of scene would be a good thing and she didn’t want to come alone.” She met his eyeand her own gently twinkled. “But, of course, your way of describing it is quite true. It’s rather embarrassing for me,because, of course, I am no use at all.”
“No ideas? No village parallels?”
“I don’t know very much about it all yet.”
“I can remedy that, I think. I’m going to call you into consultation, Miss Marple.”
He gave a brief recital of the course of events. Miss Marple listened with keen interest.
“Poor Mr. Jefferson,” she said. “What a very sad story. These terrible accidents. To leave him alive, crippled,seems more cruel than if he had been killed too.”
“Yes, indeed. That’s why all his friends admire him so much for the resolute way he’s gone on, conquering painand grief and physical disabilities.”
“Yes, it is splendid.”
“The only thing I can’t understand is this sudden outpouring of affection for this girl. She may, of course, have hadsome remarkable qualities.”
“Probably not,” said Miss Marple placidly.
“You don’t think so?”
“I don’t think her qualities entered into it.”
Sir Henry said:
“He isn’t just a nasty old man, you know.”
“Oh, no, no!” Miss Marple got quite pink. “I wasn’t implying that for a minute. What I was trying to say was—very badly, I know—that he was just looking for a nice bright girl to take his dead daughter’s place—and then this girlsaw her opportunity and played it for all she was worth! That sounds rather uncharitable, I know, but I have seen somany cases of the kind. The young maid-servant at Mr. Harbottle’s, for instance. A very ordinary girl, but quiet withnice manners. His sister was called away to nurse a dying relative and when she got back she found the girl completelyabove herself, sitting down in the drawing room laughing and talking and not wearing her cap or apron. MissHarbottle spoke to her very sharply and the girl was impertinent, and then old Mr. Harbottle left her quitedumbfounded by saying that he thought she had kept house for him long enough and that he was making otherarrangements.
“Such a scandal as it created in the village, but poor Miss Harbottle had to go and live most uncomfortably inrooms in Eastbourne. People said things, of course, but I believe there was no familiarity of any kind—it was simplythat the old man found it much pleasanter to have a young, cheerful girl telling him how clever and amusing he wasthan to have his sister continually pointing out his faults to him, even if she was a good economical manager.”
There was a moment’s pause, and then Miss Marple resumed.
“And there was Mr. Badger who had the chemist’s shop. Made a lot of fuss over the young lady who worked in histoilet section. Told his wife they must look on her as a daughter and have her to live in the house. Mrs. Badger didn’tsee it that way at all.”
Sir Henry said: “If she’d only been a girl in his own rank of life—a friend’s child—”
Miss Marple interrupted him.
“Oh! but that wouldn’t have been nearly as satisfactory from his point of view. It’s like King Cophetua and thebeggar maid. If you’re really rather a lonely, tired old man, and if, perhaps, your own family have been neglectingyou”—she paused for a second—“well, to befriend someone who will be overwhelmed with your magnificence—(toput it rather melodramatically, but I hope you see what I mean)—well, that’s much more interesting. It makes you feela much greater person—a beneficent monarch! The recipient is more likely to be dazzled, and that, of course, is apleasant feeling for you.” She paused and said: “Mr. Badger, you know, bought the girl in his shop some reallyfantastic presents, a diamond bracelet and a most expensive radio-gramophone. Took out a lot of his savings to do so.
However, Mrs. Badger, who was a much more astute woman than poor Miss Harbottle (marriage, of course, helps),took the trouble to find out a few things. And when Mr. Badger discovered that the girl was carrying on with a veryundesirable young man connected with the racecourses, and had actually pawned the bracelet to give him the money—well, he was completely disgusted and the affair passed over quite safely. And he gave Mrs. Badger a diamond ringthe following Christmas.”
Her pleasant, shrewd eyes met Sir Henry’s. He wondered if what she had been saying was intended as a hint. Hesaid:
“Are you suggesting that if there had been a young man in Ruby Keene’s life, my friend’s attitude towards hermight have altered?”
“It probably would, you know. I dare say, in a year or two, he might have liked to arrange for her marriage himself—though more likely he wouldn’t—gentlemen are usually rather selfish. But I certainly think that if Ruby Keene hadhad a young man she’d have been careful to keep very quiet about it.”
“And the young man might have resented that?”
“I suppose that is the most plausible solution. It struck me, you know, that her cousin, the young woman who wasat Gossington this morning, looked definitely angry with the dead girl. What you’ve told me explains why. No doubtshe was looking forward to doing very well out of the business.”
“Rather a cold-blooded character, in fact?”
“That’s too harsh a judgment, perhaps. The poor thing has had to earn her living, and you can’t expect her tosentimentalize because a well-to-do man and woman—as you have described Mr. Gaskell and Mrs. Jefferson—aregoing to be done out of a further large sum of money to which they have really no particular moral right. I should sayMiss Turner was a hard-headed, ambitious young woman, with a good temper and considerable joie de vivre. A little,”
added Miss Marple, “like Jessie Golden, the baker’s daughter.”
“What happened to her?” asked Sir Henry.
“She trained as a nursery governess and married the son of the house, who was home on leave from India. Madehim a very good wife, I believe.”
Sir Henry pulled himself clear of these fascinating side issues. He said:
“Is there any reason, do you think, why my friend Conway Jefferson should suddenly have developed this‘Cophetua complex,’ if you like to call it that?”
“There might have been.”
“In what way?”
Miss Marple said, hesitating a little:
“I should think—it’s only a suggestion, of course—that perhaps his son-in-law and daughter-in-law might havewanted to get married again.”
“Surely he couldn’t have objected to that?”
“Oh, no, not objected. But, you see, you must look at it from his point of view. He had a terrible shock and loss—so had they. The three bereaved people live together and the link between them is the loss they have all sustained. ButTime, as my dear mother used to say, is a great healer. Mr. Gaskell and Mrs. Jefferson are young. Without knowing itthemselves, they may have begun to feel restless, to resent the bonds that tied them to their past sorrow. And so,feeling like that, old Mr. Jefferson would have become conscious of a sudden lack of sympathy without knowing itscause. It’s usually that. Gentlemen so easily feel neglected. With Mr. Harbottle it was Miss Harbottle going away. Andwith the Badgers it was Mrs. Badger taking such an interest in Spiritualism and always going out to séances.”
“I must say,” said Sir Henry ruefully, “that I dislike the way you reduce us all to a General CommonDenominator.”
Miss Marple shook her head sadly.
“Human nature is very much the same anywhere, Sir Henry.”
Sir Henry said distastefully:
“Mr. Harbottle! Mr. Badger! And poor Conway! I hate to intrude the personal note, but have you any parallel formy humble self in your village?”
“Well, of course, there is Briggs.”
“Who’s Briggs?”
“He was the head gardener up at Old Hall. Quite the best man they ever had. Knew exactly when the under-gardeners were slacking off—quite uncanny it was! He managed with only three men and a boy and the place was keptbetter than it had been with six. And took several firsts with his sweet peas. He’s retired now.”
“Like me,” said Sir Henry.
“But he still does a little jobbing—if he likes the people.”
“Ah,” said Sir Henry. “Again like me. That’s what I’m doing now—jobbing—to help an old friend.”
“Two old friends.”
“Two?” Sir Henry looked a little puzzled.
Miss Marple said:
“I suppose you meant Mr. Jefferson. But I wasn’t thinking of him. I was thinking of Colonel and Mrs. Bantry.”
“Yes—yes—I see—” He asked sharply: “Was that why you alluded to Dolly Bantry as ‘poor dear’ at the beginningof our conversation?”
“Yes. She hasn’t begun to realize things yet. I know because I’ve had more experience. You see, Sir Henry, itseems to me that there’s a great possibility of this crime being the kind of crime that never does get solved. Like theBrighton trunk murders. But if that happens it will be absolutely disastrous for the Bantrys. Colonel Bantry, like nearlyall retired military men, is really abnormally sensitive. He reacts very quickly to public opinion. He won’t notice it forsome time, and then it will begin to go home to him. A slight here, and a snub there, and invitations that are refused,and excuses that are made—and then, little by little, it will dawn upon him and he’ll retire into his shell and getterribly morbid and miserable.”
“Let me be sure I understand you rightly, Miss Marple. You mean that, because the body was found in his house,people will think that he had something to do with it?”
“Of course they will! I’ve no doubt they’re saying so already. They’ll say so more and more. And people will coldshoulder the Bantrys and avoid them. That’s why the truth has got to be found out and why I was willing to come herewith Mrs. Bantry. An open accusation is one thing—and quite easy for a soldier to meet. He’s indignant and he has achance of fighting. But this other whispering business will break him—will break them both. So you see, Sir Henry,we’ve got to find out the truth.”
Sir Henry said:
“Any ideas as to why the body should have been found in his house? There must be an explanation of that. Someconnection.”
“Oh, of course.”
“The girl was last seen here about twenty minutes to eleven. By midnight, according to the medical evidence, shewas dead. Gossington’s about eighteen miles from here. Good road for sixteen of those miles until one turns off themain road. A powerful car could do it in well under half an hour. Practically any car could average thirty-five. Butwhy anyone should either kill her here and take her body out to Gossington or should take her out to Gossington andstrangle her there, I don’t know.”
“Of course you don’t, because it didn’t happen.”
“Do you mean that she was strangled by some fellow who took her out in a car and he then decided to push her intothe first likely house in the neighbourhood?”
“I don’t think anything of the kind. I think there was a very careful plan made. What happened was that the planwent wrong.”
Sir Henry stared at her.
“Why did the plan go wrong?”
Miss Marple said rather apologetically:
“Such curious things happen, don’t they? If I were to say that this particular plan went wrong because humanbeings are so much more vulnerable and sensitive than anyone thinks, it wouldn’t sound sensible, would it? But that’swhat I believe—and—”
She broke off. “Here’s Mrs. Bantry now.”
第八章
第八章
1亨利•克利瑟林爵士径直穿过堂皇酒店的大堂，几乎没注意在场的人。他现在心里有事。和以往一样，他潜意识里感觉到有什么事要发生，只是时机未到。
亨利爵士上楼时想，他的朋友是为了什么事忽然这么急着找他。康韦•杰弗逊通常不会紧急召唤谁。亨利爵士认为一定发生了不同寻常的事。
见面后，杰弗逊没浪费时间拐弯抹角。他说：
“你能来我很高兴。爱德华兹，给亨利爵士倒杯酒。坐吧，老兄。我想你什么都没听说吧？报纸上什么都没说？”
亨利爵士摇摇头，他的好奇心被激起来了。
“怎么回事？”
“谋杀。我牵涉其中，还有你的朋友班特里一家。”
“亚瑟和多莉•班特里？”克利瑟林似乎不相信。
“是的，你看，尸体是在他们家被发现的。”
康韦•杰弗逊简明扼要地把事情说了一遍。亨利爵士一言不发地听着。他们两人都善于抓住事情的要点。亨利爵士在担任都市警务专员时就以能迅速抓住事情的本质而闻名。
“这件事非同寻常。”听完康韦•杰弗逊的陈述后，亨利爵士说，“班特里家怎么会和此事有关？”
“让我担心的就是这个。你看，亨利，我觉得这可能是因为我认识他们。这是我能想到的唯一关联。我认为，之前他们谁都没有见过那女孩。他们也是这样说的，而且我们没理由不相信他们。他们根本不可能认识她。那么，她会不会是在别的地方被人诱骗，然后抛尸在我朋友家里呢？”
克利瑟林说：“我觉得这个说法有点儿牵强。”
“但这是可能的。”另一个人坚持。
“是的，但是未必。你需要我做什么？”
康韦•杰弗逊苦涩地说：
“我身有伤残，而且一直想掩盖这个事实——拒绝面对它——但现在它找上了我。我不能按自己的意愿四处走动，去问问题、调查情况。我只能老老实实地待在这里，等着警察心情好的时候向我施舍一点儿信息。顺便问一句，你认识拉德福郡的警察局局长梅尔切特吗？”
“是的，我见过他。”
亨利脑海里闪过一些信息。那是在他穿过休息厅时无意中看到的一张脸和一个身影。
一个背部挺直的老妇人，有些面熟。这让他想起了和梅尔切特的最后一次会面。
他说：
“你是想让我做一个业余侦探？这可不是我的特长。”
杰弗逊说：
“可你不是业余的。”
“不再是职业的，我已经退休了。”
杰弗逊说：“这样就更方便了。”
“你是说，如果我现在还在苏格兰场，就无法介入此案？的确如此。”
“是的，”杰弗逊说，“以你的经验，你完全可以介入这个案子。你给予的任何帮助都会受到欢迎。”
克利瑟林慢悠悠地说：
“在礼节上是可以的，这我同意。可你到底想要什么，康韦？查出是谁杀了那个女孩？”
“正是如此。”
“你自己完全不知道？”
“毫无头绪。”
亨利爵士慢慢地说：
“你可能不相信我的话，不过此时此刻，楼下的休息厅里就坐着一位解谜专家。在这方面她比我强，而且对于地方上的事，她可能有内幕消息。”
“你在说什么？”
“楼下大堂里，左边第三根柱子边坐着一位老妇人，她有一张甜美宁静的老小姐的面庞和一个能探测人类最隐秘之处的大脑，她将此事视为每天的工作。她叫马普尔小姐，来自距离戈辛顿一英里半的圣玛丽米德村，她是班特里家的朋友——而且，谈到犯罪事件，她可是最擅长的。”
杰弗逊盯着他，浓密的眉头皱了起来，严肃地说：
“你在开玩笑。”
“不，我不是开玩笑。刚才你提起梅尔切特。上次我见到梅尔切特时，村子里发生了一起惨案。一个女孩死了，据说是淹死的。警方怀疑不是自杀，而是谋杀，而且知道是谁干的。和我在一起的还有马普尔小姐，她心慌意乱。她说，她恐怕警方没把真正的凶手送上绞架。她没有证据，可是知道凶手是谁。她给了我一张纸，上面写着一个名字。天知道，杰弗逊，她是对的。”
康韦•杰弗逊的眉毛绞得更紧了。他满腹狐疑地嘟囔：
“我想那是女人的直觉。”他表示怀疑。
“不，她不是这么说的。她称之为专业知识。”
“什么意思？”
“这个，你知道的，杰弗逊，警察工作中会用到。遇到入室盗窃案时，我们通常很清楚是谁干的——就那几个惯犯。我们了解此类盗窃犯有什么样的特殊习惯。同样，马普尔小姐拥有一些尽管非常琐碎，但非常有趣的、来自乡村生活的经验。”
杰弗逊怀疑地说：
“对一个在表演圈子里长大，而且可能从来没到过乡下的女孩，她能知道些什么呢？”
“我认为，”亨利•克利瑟林爵士坚定地说，“她也许有些想法。”
2当亨利爵士出现时，马普尔小姐因为高兴，脸色都亮了起来。
“哦，亨利爵士，在这儿见到你真是太好了。”
亨利爵士非常绅士地说：
“我才是真正感到荣幸。”
马普尔小姐脸红了，小声说：“你真是太好了。”
“你住在这里？”
“哦，实际上，是我们。”
“我们？”
“班特里夫人也在。”她用敏锐的目光看着他，“你听说了吗？看来你已经知道了。非常可怕，是不是？”
“多莉•班特里在这里干什么？她丈夫也在吗？”
“没有。对于这件事，他们俩的反应完全不同。班特里上校这个可怜的人，遇到这种事，他就把自己关在书房里，或到农场去。你知道的，就像乌龟一样把头缩进去，希望没人会注意到他们。当然，多莉就完全不同。”
亨利爵士非常了解他的老朋友，他对马普尔小姐说：“其实多莉简直可以说是很快活，是不是？”
“这个——呃——是的。亲爱的小可怜。”
“她带你一起过来，是想让你从她的帽子里变出兔子来吧？”
马普尔小姐从容地说：
“多莉认为应该换个环境，而她又不想一个人来。”她看着他，目光柔和，“不过，关于她的想法，你说得很对。问题是我根本帮不上什么忙，这让我很难堪。”
“你完全没有想法？村子里没有过类似的事吗？”
“目前我对这件事还知之甚少。”
“我想，这个我可以补充。我希望能听听你的看法，马普尔小姐。”
他把事情的经过简要叙述了一遍。马普尔小姐饶有兴趣地听着。
“可怜的杰弗逊先生，”她说，“真是一个悲伤的故事。那可怕的事故。让他瘸腿活着似乎比杀了他更残忍。”
“是的，确实如此。正因为如此，他的朋友才会如此敬重他，他们钦佩他的坚毅，克服了痛苦、悲伤和身体的残疾。”
“是啊，非常了不起。”
“唯一让我无法理解的是他忽然对那个女孩倾注了那么多的爱。当然，也许她具备一些异常优秀的品质。”
“也许不是。”马普尔小姐平静地说。
“你觉得不是吗？”
“我想这件事与她的品行无关。”
亨利说：
“你知道，他可不是那种令人恶心的老家伙。”
“哦，不，不！”马普尔小姐的脸红了，“我完全不是在暗示那件事。我想说的是，他只是在找一个聪明伶俐的女孩取代他死去的女儿——他非常急切——然后这个女孩看到了自己在这件事上的机会，并为此使出了浑身解数！我知道这么说有些刻薄，但这种事我见过太多了。比如说哈博特尔先生家那个年轻的女仆。一个非常普通的女孩，但是安静有礼。
哈博特尔先生的姐姐被叫去照顾一个将死的亲属，回来后便发现那女孩变得趾高气扬，坐在客厅里高声说笑，不戴帽子和围裙。哈博特尔小姐严厉地批评了她，那女孩却极为无礼。然而，让哈博特尔小姐惊讶的是，老哈博特尔先生居然跟他姐姐说，他觉得她在这里料理家务太久了，他要另作安排。”
“村里发生了这样的丑闻，要被迫离开的却是可怜的哈博特尔小姐，她搬去了环境糟糕的伊斯特本。人们当然会有闲言碎语，但是我相信没发生什么有伤风化的事——那老家伙只是觉得听一个年轻快乐的女孩说他多么聪明有趣实在是件愉快的事，远胜于听他姐姐没完没了地挑他的毛病，尽管他姐姐理财很有一套。”
停了一会儿，马普尔小姐继续说：
“还有药店的巴杰尔先生，总是围着店里卖洗涤用品的年轻小姐转。他还跟夫人说他们应该像待女儿一样对待她，并让她搬进来住。不过巴杰尔夫人根本不这样想。”
亨利爵士说：“如果她是属于他那个阶层的女孩——比如一个朋友的孩子——”
马普尔小姐打断了他。
“哦！可是在他看来，那也不令人满意。这就像科菲图阿国王和那个乞丐少女。如果你真的是一个孤独疲惫的老人，而且觉得家人忽视了你——”说到这里她停顿了一下，“那么，向仰慕你的人表示友好——这样说可能比较夸张，但我想你明白我的意思——便会显得有趣得多。这让你觉得自己伟大了许多——简直是一位仁慈的君主。受到照应的人很可能因此不知所措，这让你的自我感觉非常好。”她停了一下，又说，“你知道，巴杰尔先生给他店里那个女孩买了一些很好的礼物，一条钻石手链和一台最贵的收音电唱两用机，花了不少积蓄。不过，与可怜的哈博特尔小姐相比，巴杰尔夫人要聪明得多（当然，婚姻也起了作用），她用各种方式打探到了一些信息。后来，巴杰尔先生发现那个女孩在和一个令人讨厌的赛马场里的年轻人约会，并且当掉手链把钱给了那小子，便立刻产生了厌恶，这件事就这样不了了之。接下来的圣诞节，他送给巴杰尔夫人一枚钻戒。”
她那活泼的、精明的眼睛看向亨利爵士的眼睛。他在想，她说这些是什么意思。他说：
“你的意思是，如果鲁比•基恩的生活里有个年轻人，我朋友对她的态度就会改变？”
“这是有可能的，你知道。我敢说，也许一两年后他会为她安排一桩婚事——当然也很有可能不这样做——男人通常比较自私。但我可以肯定地说，如果鲁比•基恩有个男朋友，她会小心地不让人知道。”
“那个年轻人也许会因此很不高兴？”
“我想这应该是最合理的解释。你知道，她表姐，就是今天上午去过戈辛顿的那个年轻女人，她看起来对死去的女孩非常生气，这让我很惊讶。刚才听了你的解释我便明白了。
她显然是期待着从这件事中获利。”
“事实上她很冷血？”
“也许这个判断过于刻薄。这可怜的人要自己谋生，你不能指望她多愁善感，因为一个富有的男人或女人——从你的话中看，加斯克尔先生和杰弗逊夫人正是这样的人——还要获取一大笔从道义上说根本不应该属于他们的钱。我得说，特纳小姐头脑冷静、野心勃勃，她脾气好，懂得生活乐趣。有点儿——”马普尔小姐补充道，“像杰西•戈登，那个面包师的女儿。”
“她怎么啦？”亨利爵士问。
“她接受过保育员训练，嫁给了那家从印度回来休假的儿子。她是一个很好的妻子，我想。”
亨利爵士把谈话拉回到刚才的内容，他说：
“在你看来，有没有什么原因使我的朋友康韦•杰弗逊突然产生了这种‘科菲图阿情结’？
不知道你觉得这样说是否合适。”
“也许有原因。”
“什么样的原因？”
马普尔小姐犹豫了一下。“我觉得——当然只是猜测——也许他的女婿和儿媳想再结一次婚。”
“他会反对吗？”
“哦，不，不反对。但是，你知道，你必须从他的角度来看这件事。他遭受过沉重的打击和损失——他们也一样。这三个失去了亲人的人生活在一起，他们之间的纽带就是共同经历过的灾难。可是，正如我亲爱的母亲说过的，时间是最好的愈合剂。加斯克尔先生和杰弗逊夫人都很年轻。也许他们自己都没有意识到，可是渐渐开始不安，不喜欢把他们和过去的悲痛联系在一起。同时，老杰弗逊感觉到了这种变化，他莫名地觉得自己缺少关爱。事情往往是这样。男人比较容易觉得被忽略。在哈博特尔先生家，体现为哈博特尔小姐离开。在巴杰尔家，巴杰尔夫人醉心于招魂术，常常出去参加降魂会。”
“我必须说，”亨利爵士深感懊悔，“我不喜欢你把我们全都简单地归类为有共同特点的普通人。”
马普尔小姐难过地摇摇头。
“无论在什么地方，人的本性都是相似的，亨利爵士。”
亨利爵士不悦地说：
“哈博特尔先生！巴杰尔先生！还有可怜的康韦！我不喜欢介入别人的私事。不过你们村里有没有像我这样卑微的人呢？”
“哦，当然，有布里格斯先生。”
“谁是布里格斯？”
“他是老宅的首席花匠，可以说是他们请过的最好的人。连手下园丁什么时候懈怠偷懒他都知道得一清二楚——非常不可思议！他手下只有三个男工匠和一个小男孩，可那里比六个人打理得还要好。他的香豌豆花得过好几次头等奖。现在他已经退休了。”
“和我一样。”亨利爵士说。
“不过他还做点儿零活——如果他还比较喜欢对方的话。”
“哦，”亨利爵士说，“又和我一样，这正是我目前做的事——零活儿——帮一位老朋友。”
“两位老朋友。”
“两位？”亨利爵士似乎很不解。
马普尔小姐说：
“我想你指的是杰弗逊先生。不过我想到的不是他，而是上校和班特里夫人。”
“是的——是的——我明白了。”他一针见血地问，“所以刚才你说班特里夫人是‘亲爱的小可怜’？”
“是的，她还没意识到这是怎么回事。然而我知道，因为我的经验更多。你看，亨利爵士，在我看来，这类案子很可能永远无法破解，就像布赖顿的卡车谋杀案。可一旦发生了这种事，对班特里一家来说就是灾难。和几乎所有退役军人一样，班特里上校异常敏感，对公众舆论的反应极快。也许开始他不会注意到，但很快就会发现的。怠慢、冷落、谢绝，各种借口——等他逐渐明白过来，他就会缩回去，生活会变得冷酷而悲哀。”
“马普尔小姐，不知道我理解得对不对。你是说，由于尸体是在他家里发现的，公众就会认为这件事情与他有关？”
“当然！我敢肯定人们现在已经在这样说了。事情会被越描越黑。人们会对他们采取冷漠的回避态度。因此我们必须查清真相，这也是我和班特里夫人一起来这里的原因。公开指责是另一回事——对一个士兵来说这不难对付。他可以表示愤怒，有机会反击。可这种流言飞语会击垮他——会击垮他们两个。所以，亨利爵士，我们必须查明真相。”
亨利爵士说：
“你知道尸体为什么会在他家里吗？必定有什么解释，有某种联系。”
“哦，当然。”
“那女孩最后一次被人看到在这里出现是大约十一点差二十。验尸报告显示，午夜时她已经死了。戈辛顿大宅离这里大约十八英里，在拐离主路之前，那十六英里的路况都很好。动力大的车不到半小时就可以跑完这段路，实际上所有的车都可以在三十五分钟内跑完。可是我想不通为什么有人要在这里杀死她，然后把尸体运到戈辛顿，或者先把她带到戈辛顿，然后再勒死她。”
“你当然不明白，因为事情本来就不是这样。”
“你的意思是说，那个家伙开车带她出去，把她勒死，然后就近把尸体抛在沿途经过的随便哪幢房子里？”
“我不这样认为。我觉得这件事有一个周密的计划，只是执行计划的时候出了点儿问题。”
亨利爵士盯着她。
“为什么那个计划出了问题？”
马普尔小姐带着歉意说：
“这种奇怪的事时有发生，不是吗？如果我说这个计划出现了差错是因为人类其实比我们想象得更加脆弱和敏感，这听起来不合理，是吗？但我就是这样想的——而且——”
她停了下来。“班特里夫人来了。”
Chapter Nine
Nine
M rs. Bantry was with Adelaide Jefferson. The former came up to Sir Henry and exclaimed: “You?”
“I, myself.” He took both her hands and pressed them warmly. “I can’t tell you how distressed I am at all this, Mrs.
B.”
Mrs. Bantry said mechanically:
“Don’t call me Mrs. B.!” and went on: “Arthur isn’t here. He’s taking it all rather seriously. Miss Marple and Ihave come here to sleuth. Do you know Mrs. Jefferson?”
“Yes, of course.”
He shook hands. Adelaide Jefferson said:
“Have you seen my father-in-law?”
“Yes, I have.”
“I’m glad. We’re anxious about him. It was a terrible shock.”
Mrs. Bantry said:
“Let’s come out on the terrace and have drinks and talk about it all.”
The four of them went out and joined Mark Gaskell, who was sitting at the extreme end of the terrace by himself.
After a few desultory remarks and the arrival of the drinks Mrs. Bantry plunged straight into the subject with herusual zest for direct action.
“We can talk about it, can’t we?” she said. “I mean, we’re all old friends—except Miss Marple, and she knows allabout crime. And she wants to help.”
Mark Gaskell looked at Miss Marple in a somewhat puzzled fashion. He said doubtfully:
“Do you—er—write detective stories?”
The most unlikely people, he knew, wrote detective stories. And Miss Marple, in her old-fashioned spinster’sclothes, looked a singularly unlikely person.
“Oh no, I’m not clever enough for that.”
“She’s wonderful,” said Mrs. Bantry impatiently. “I can’t explain now, but she is. Now, Addie, I want to know allabout things. What was she really like, this girl?”
“Well—” Adelaide Jefferson paused, glanced across at Mark, and half laughed. She said: “You’re so direct.”
“Did you like her?”
“No, of course I didn’t.”
“What was she really like?” Mrs. Bantry shifted her inquiry to Mark Gaskell. Mark said deliberately:
“Common or garden gold-digger. And she knew her stuff. She’d got her hooks into Jeff all right.”
Both of them called their father-in-law Jeff.
Sir Henry thought, looking disapprovingly at Mark:
“Indiscreet fellow. Shouldn’t be so outspoken.”
He had always disapproved a little of Mark Gaskell. The man had charm but he was unreliable—talked too much,was occasionally boastful—not quite to be trusted, Sir Henry thought. He had sometimes wondered if ConwayJefferson thought so too.
“But couldn’t you do something about it?” demanded Mrs. Bantry.
Mark said dryly:
“We might have—if we’d realized it in time.”
He shot a glance at Adelaide and she coloured faintly. There had been reproach in that glance.
She said:
“Mark thinks I ought to have seen what was coming.”
“You left the old boy alone too much, Addie. Tennis lessons and all the rest of it.”
“Well, I had to have some exercise.” She spoke apologetically. “Anyway, I never dreamed—”
“No,” said Mark, “neither of us ever dreamed. Jeff has always been such a sensible, levelheaded old boy.”
Miss Marple made a contribution to the conversation.
“Gentlemen,” she said with her old-maid’s way of referring to the opposite sex as though it were a species of wildanimal, “are frequently not as levelheaded as they seem.”
“I’ll say you’re right,” said Mark. “Unfortunately, Miss Marple, we didn’t realize that. We wondered what the oldboy saw in that rather insipid and meretricious little bag of tricks. But we were pleased for him to be kept happy andamused. We thought there was no harm in her. No harm in her! I wish I’d wrung her neck!”
“Mark,” said Addie, “you really must be careful what you say.”
He grinned at her engagingly.
“I suppose I must. Otherwise people will think I actually did wring her neck. Oh well, I suppose I’m undersuspicion, anyway. If anyone had an interest in seeing that girl dead it was Addie and myself.”
“Mark,” cried Mrs. Jefferson, half laughing and half angry, “you really mustn’t!”
“All right, all right,” said Mark Gaskell pacifically. “But I do like speaking my mind. Fifty thousand pounds ouresteemed father-in-law was proposing to settle upon that half-baked nitwitted little slypuss.”
“Mark, you mustn’t—she’s dead.”
“Yes, she’s dead, poor little devil. And after all, why shouldn’t she use the weapons that Nature gave her? Who amI to judge? Done plenty of rotten things myself in my life. No, let’s say Ruby was entitled to plot and scheme and wewere mugs not to have tumbled to her game sooner.”
Sir Henry said:
“What did you say when Conway told you he proposed to adopt the girl?”
Mark thrust out his hands.
“What could we say? Addie, always the little lady, retained her self-control admirably. Put a brave face upon it. Iendeavoured to follow her example.”
“I should have made a fuss!” said Mrs. Bantry.
“Well, frankly speaking, we weren’t entitled to make a fuss. It was Jeff ’s money. We weren’t his flesh and blood.
He’d always been damned good to us. There was nothing for it but to bite on the bullet.” He added reflectively: “Butwe didn’t love little Ruby.”
Adelaide Jefferson said:
“If only it had been some other kind of girl. Jeff had two godchildren, you know. If it had been one of them—well,one would have understood it.” She added, with a shade of resentment: “And Jeff ’s always seemed so fond of Peter.”
“Of course,” said Mrs. Bantry. “I always have known Peter was your first husband’s child—but I’d quite forgottenit. I’ve always thought of him as Mr. Jefferson’s grandson.”
“So have I,” said Adelaide. Her voice held a note that made Miss Marple turn in her chair and look at her.
“It was Josie’s fault,” said Mark. “Josie brought her here.”
Adelaide said:
“Oh, but surely you don’t think it was deliberate, do you? Why, you’ve always liked Josie so much.”
“Yes, I did like her. I thought she was a good sport.”
“It was sheer accident her bringing the girl down.”
“Josie’s got a good head on her shoulders, my girl.”
“Yes, but she couldn’t foresee—”
Mark said:
“No, she couldn’t. I admit it. I’m not really accusing her of planning the whole thing. But I’ve no doubt she sawwhich way the wind was blowing long before we did and kept very quiet about it.”
Adelaide said with a sigh:
“I suppose one can’t blame her for that.”
Mark said:
“Oh, we can’t blame anyone for anything!”
Mrs. Bantry asked:
“Was Ruby Keene very pretty?”
Mark stared at her. “I thought you’d seen—”
Mrs. Bantry said hastily:
“Oh yes, I saw her—her body. But she’d been strangled, you know, and one couldn’t tell—” She shivered.
Mark said, thoughtfully:
“I don’t think she was really pretty at all. She certainly wouldn’t have been without any makeup. A thin ferretylittle face, not much chin, teeth running down her throat, nondescript sort of nose—”
“It sounds revolting,” said Mrs. Bantry.
“Oh no, she wasn’t. As I say, with makeup she managed to give quite an effect of good looks, don’t you think so,Addie?”
“Yes, rather chocolate-box, pink and white business. She had nice blue eyes.”
“Yes, innocent baby stare, and the heavily-blacked lashes brought out the blueness. Her hair was bleached, ofcourse. It’s true, when I come to think of it, that in colouring—artificial colouring, anyway—she had a kind ofspurious resemblance to Rosamund—my wife, you know. I dare say that’s what attracted the old man’s attention toher.”
He sighed.
“Well, it’s a bad business. The awful thing is that Addie and I can’t help being glad, really, that she’s dead—”
He quelled a protest from his sister-in-law.
“It’s no good, Addie; I know what you feel. I feel the same. And I’m not going to pretend! But, at the same time, ifyou know what I mean, I really am most awfully concerned for Jeff about the whole business. It’s hit him very hard. I—”
He stopped, and stared towards the doors leading out of the lounge on to the terrace.
“Well, well—see who’s here. What an unscrupulous woman you are, Addie.”
Mrs. Jefferson looked over her shoulder, uttered an exclamation and got up, a slight colour rising in her face. Shewalked quickly along the terrace and went up to a tall middle-aged man with a thin brown face, who was lookinguncertainly about him.
Mrs. Bantry said: “Isn’t that Hugo McLean?”
Mark Gaskell said:
“Hugo McLean it is. Alias William Dobbin.”
Mrs. Bantry murmured:
“He’s very faithful, isn’t he?”
“Dog-like devotion,” said Mark. “Addie’s only got to whistle and Hugo comes trotting from any odd corner of theglobe. Always hopes that some day she’ll marry him. I dare say she will.”
Miss Marple looked beamingly after them. She said:
“I see. A romance?”
“One of the good old-fashioned kind,” Mark assured her. “It’s been going on for years. Addie’s that kind ofwoman.”
He added meditatively: “I suppose Addie telephoned him this morning. She didn’t tell me she had.”
Edwards came discreetly along the terrace and paused at Mark’s elbow.
“Excuse me, sir. Mr. Jefferson would like you to come up.”
“I’ll come at once.” Mark sprang up.
He nodded to them, said: “See you later,” and went off.
Sir Henry leant forward to Miss Marple. He said:
“Well, what do you think of the principal beneficiaries of the crime?”
Miss Marple said thoughtfully, looking at Adelaide Jefferson as she stood talking to her old friend:
“I should think, you know, that she was a very devoted mother.”
“Oh, she is,” said Mrs. Bantry. “She’s simply devoted to Peter.”
“She’s the kind of woman,” said Miss Marple, “that everyone likes. The kind of woman that could go on gettingmarried again and again. I don’t mean a man’s woman—that’s quite different.”
“I know what you mean,” said Sir Henry.
“What you both mean,” said Mrs. Bantry, “is that she’s a good listener.”
Sir Henry laughed. He said:
“And Mark Gaskell?”
“Ah,” said Miss Marple, “he’s a downy fellow.”
“Village parallel, please?”
“Mr. Cargill, the builder. He bluffed a lot of people into having things done to their houses they never meant to do.
And how he charged them for it! But he could always explain his bills away plausibly. A downy fellow. He marriedmoney. So did Mr. Gaskell, I understand.”
“You don’t like him.”
“Yes, I do. Most women would. But he can’t take me in. He’s a very attractive person, I think. But a little unwise,perhaps, to talk as much as he does.”
“Unwise is the word,” said Sir Henry. “Mark will get himself into trouble if he doesn’t look out.”
A tall dark young man in white flannels came up the steps to the terrace and paused just for a minute, watchingAdelaide Jefferson and Hugo McLean.
“And that,” said Sir Henry obligingly, “is X, whom we might describe as an interested party. He is the tennis anddancing pro—Raymond Starr, Ruby Keene’s partner.”
Miss Marple looked at him with interest. She said:
“He’s very nice-looking, isn’t he?”
“I suppose so.”
“Don’t be absurd, Sir Henry,” said Mrs. Bantry; “there’s no supposing about it. He is good-looking.”
Miss Marple murmured:
“Mrs. Jefferson has been taking tennis lessons, I think she said.”
“Do you mean anything by that, Jane, or don’t you?”
Miss Marple had no chance of replying to this downright question. Young Peter Carmody came across the terraceand joined them. He addressed himself to Sir Henry:
“I say, are you a detective, too? I saw you talking to the Superintendent—the fat one is a superintendent, isn’t he?”
“Quite right, my son.”
“And somebody told me you were a frightfully important detective from London. The head of Scotland Yard orsomething like that.”
“The head of Scotland Yard is usually a complete dud in books, isn’t he?”
“Oh no, not nowadays. Making fun of the police is very old-fashioned. Do you know who did the murder yet?”
“Not yet, I’m afraid.”
“Are you enjoying this very much, Peter?” asked Mrs. Bantry.
“Well, I am, rather. It makes a change, doesn’t it? I’ve been hunting round to see if I could find any clues, but Ihaven’t been lucky. I’ve got a souvenir, though. Would you like to see it? Fancy, Mother wanted me to throw it away.
I do think one’s parents are rather trying sometimes.”
He produced from his pocket a small matchbox. Pushing it open, he disclosed the precious contents.
“See, it’s a fingernail. Her fingernail! I’m going to label it Fingernail of the Murdered Woman and take it back toschool. It’s a good souvenir, don’t you think?”
“Where did you get it?” asked Miss Marple.
“Well, it was a bit of luck, really. Because, of course, I didn’t know she was going to be murdered then. It wasbefore dinner last night. Ruby caught her nail in Josie’s shawl and it tore it. Mums cut it off for her and gave it to meand said put it in the wastepaper basket, and I meant to, but I put it in my pocket instead, and this morning Iremembered and looked to see if it was still there and it was, so now I’ve got it as a souvenir.”
“Disgusting,” said Mrs. Bantry.
Peter said politely: “Oh, do you think so?”
“Got any other souvenirs?” asked Sir Henry.
“Well, I don’t know. I’ve got something that might be.”
“Explain yourself, young man.”
Peter looked at him thoughtfully. Then he pulled out an envelope. From the inside of it he extracted a piece ofbrowny tapey substance.
“It’s a bit of that chap George Bartlett’s shoe-lace,” he explained. “I saw his shoes outside the door this morningand I bagged a bit just in case.”
“In case what?”
“In case he should be the murderer, of course. He was the last person to see her and that’s always frightfullysuspicious, you know. Is it nearly dinner time, do you think? I’m frightfully hungry. It always seems such a long timebetween tea and dinner. Hallo, there’s Uncle Hugo. I didn’t know Mums had asked him to come down. I suppose shesent for him. She always does if she’s in a jam. Here’s Josie coming. Hi, Josie!”
Josephine Turner, coming along the terrace, stopped and looked rather startled to see Mrs. Bantry and Miss Marple.
Mrs. Bantry said pleasantly:
“How d’you do, Miss Turner. We’ve come to do a bit of sleuthing!”
Josie cast a guilty glance round. She said, lowering her voice:
“It’s awful. Nobody knows yet. I mean, it isn’t in the papers yet. I suppose everyone will be asking me questionsand it’s so awkward. I don’t know what I ought to say.”
Her glance went rather wistfully towards Miss Marple, who said: “Yes, it will be a very difficult situation for you,I’m afraid.”
Josie warmed to this sympathy.
“You see, Mr. Prestcott said to me: ‘Don’t talk about it.’ And that’s all very well, but everyone is sure to ask me,and you can’t offend people, can you? Mr. Prestcott said he hoped I’d feel able to carry on as usual—and he wasn’tvery nice about it, so of course I want to do my best. And I really don’t see why it should all be blamed on me.”
Sir Henry said:
“Do you mind me asking you a frank question, Miss Turner?”
“Oh, do ask me anything you like,” said Josie, a little insincerely.
“Has there been any unpleasantness between you and Mrs. Jefferson and Mr. Gaskell over all this?”
“Over the murder, do you mean?”
“No, I don’t mean the murder.”
Josie stood twisting her fingers together. She said rather sullenly:
“Well, there has and there hasn’t, if you know what I mean. Neither of them have said anything. But I think theyblamed it on me—Mr. Jefferson taking such a fancy to Ruby, I mean. It wasn’t my fault, though, was it? These thingshappen, and I never dreamt of such a thing happening beforehand, not for a moment. I—I was quite dumbfounded.”
Her words rang out with what seemed undeniable sincerity.
Sir Henry said kindly:
“I’m quite sure you were. But once it had happened?”
Josie’s chin went up.
“Well, it was a piece of luck, wasn’t it? Everyone’s got the right to have a piece of luck sometimes.”
She looked from one to the other of them in a slightly defiant questioning manner and then went on across theterrace and into the hotel.
Peter said judicially:
“I don’t think she did it.”
Miss Marple murmured:
“It’s interesting, that piece of fingernail. It had been worrying me, you know—how to account for her nails.”
“Nails?” asked Sir Henry.
“The dead girl’s nails,” explained Mrs. Bantry. “They were quite short, and now that Jane says so, of course it wasa little unlikely. A girl like that usually has absolute talons.”
Miss Marple said:
“But of course if she tore one off, then she might clip the others close, so as to match. Did they find nail parings inher room, I wonder?”
Sir Henry looked at her curiously. He said:
“I’ll ask Superintendent Harper when he gets back.”
“Back from where?” asked Mrs. Bantry. “He hasn’t gone over to Gossington, has he?”
Sir Henry said gravely:
“No. There’s been another tragedy. Blazing car in a quarry—”
Miss Marple caught her breath.
“Was there someone in the car?”
“I’m afraid so—yes.”
Miss Marple said thoughtfully:
“I expect that will be the Girl Guide who’s missing—Patience—no, Pamela Reeves.”
Sir Henry stared at her.
“Now why on earth do you think that, Miss Marple?”
Miss Marple got rather pink.
“Well, it was given out on the wireless that she was missing from her home—since last night. And her home wasDaneleigh Vale; that’s not very far from here. And she was last seen at the Girl-Guide Rally up on Danebury Downs.
That’s very close indeed. In fact, she’d have to pass through Danemouth to get home. So it does rather fit in, doesn’tit? I mean, it looks as though she might have seen—or perhaps heard—something that no one was supposed to see andhear. If so, of course, she’d be a source of danger to the murderer and she’d have to be—removed. Two things like thatmust be connected, don’t you think?”
Sir Henry said, his voice dropping a little:
“You think—a second murder?”
“Why not?” Her quiet placid gaze met his. “When anyone has committed one murder, they don’t shrink fromanother, do they? Nor even from a third.”
“A third? You don’t think there will be a third murder?”
“I think it’s just possible … Yes, I think it’s highly possible.”
“Miss Marple,” said Sir Henry, “you frighten me. Do you know who is going to be murdered?”
Miss Marple said: “I’ve a very good idea.”
第九章
第九章
和班特里夫人一起到来的还有艾黛莱德•杰弗逊。班特里夫人向亨利爵士走去，嘴里喊道：“是你？”
“是的，是我。”他热情地握住她的双手，“B夫人，对发生的一切我感到非常难过，真是难以言表。”
班特里夫人立刻反应道：
“不要叫我B夫人！”接着又说，“亚瑟没有来，他觉得这件事太严重了。马普尔小姐和我过来做一些调查。你认识杰弗逊夫人吗？”
“当然。”
他们握了手。艾黛莱德•杰弗逊说：
“你见过我公公了吗？”
“是的，去过了。”
“那就好。我们都很担心，这件事对他的震动太大了。”
班特里夫人说：
“我们去阳台喝点儿东西再谈吧。”
马克•加斯克尔正独自坐在阳台的尽头，四人向他走过去。
大家寒暄了几句，酒水一到，喜欢直来直去的班特里夫人便和平时一样进入了主题。
“我们可以开始谈谈这事了，对吗？”她说，“我的意思是，我们都是老朋友了——除了马普尔小姐，不过她对犯罪事件无所不知，而且愿意帮忙。”
马克•加斯克尔有些不解地看着马普尔小姐，心存疑虑地说：
“你——呃——写侦探小说吗？”
他知道那些写侦探小说的人是最不可信的。身穿过时老小姐服装的马普尔小姐尤其像那种人。
“哦，不，我还没聪明到那个程度。”
“她很了不起。”班特里夫人急切地说，“现在我不能详细解释，不过她确实很了不起。
好了，艾迪，我想知道所有的事。这个女孩是个什么样的人？”
“嗯——”艾黛莱德•杰弗逊迟疑了一会儿，看了看马克，脸上露出一丝笑意，“你真是直截了当。”
“你喜欢她吗？”
“不，当然不喜欢。”
“她到底是个什么样的人？”班特里夫人转而又问马克•加斯克尔。马克措辞谨慎：
“很普通，或者说是个骗取男人金钱的女人。她很有一套，紧紧抓住了杰夫。”
他们两人都称杰弗逊为杰夫。
亨利爵士不悦地看着马克，心想：
“太不谨慎，说话怎么能这样口无遮拦。”
他一直对马克•加斯克尔有些不满。这个男人很有魅力，但不可靠——话太多，有时候还爱自吹自擂——总之亨利爵士觉得他不可信。有时他会想，康韦•杰弗逊是否有同样的感觉。
“你们当时就不能做点儿什么吗？”班特里夫人追问道。
马克干巴巴地说：
“也许可以——如果我们及时发现的话。”
他看了一眼艾黛莱德，她的脸微微发红。他的眼神充满责备。
她说：“马克认为我应该预料到接下来发生的事。”
“你让老小孩独自待着的时间太久了。网球课，还有其他事情。”
“哦，我必须做一些锻炼。”她带着歉意说，“总之，我做梦也没想到——”
“是的，”马克说，“我们谁都没有想到。杰夫一直是个头脑冷静、行事明智的老男孩。”
马普尔小姐说话了。
“男人，”是那种老小姐提及男性的口吻，仿佛他们是野生动物一样，“往往不像他们看上去那么冷静。”
“我觉得你说得对。”马克说，“不幸的是，我们没有意识到这一点，马普尔小姐。我们不知道老男孩怎么看待那些乏味俗气的小把戏。但我们很乐意有人让他高兴、开心。我们认为她不会有什么害处。不会有害处！真希望我拧断了她的脖子！”
“马克，”艾迪说，“注意你的言辞。”
他对她露出迷人的微笑。
“我想我是应该注意，否则人们会认为我真的拧断了她的脖子。不过，我想我已经受到怀疑了。如果有人乐于看到那女孩死掉的话，那就是艾迪和我。”
“马克，”杰弗逊夫人嗔怒地喊了起来，“你真的不能这样！”
“好吧，好吧。”马克和解似的说，“不过我真的想说出我的想法。尊敬的岳父大人要把五万英镑投到那个浅薄愚蠢的小妖精身上。”
“马克，你真的不能这样——她已经死了。”
“是的，她死了，可怜的小恶魔。不过，她又为什么不能利用上帝赋予她的武器呢？我有什么权利去评判？我自己这辈子就干过不少令人讨厌的事。这么说吧，鲁比有权谋划，是我们太傻，没有及早看穿她的把戏。”
亨利爵士说：“康韦告诉你他打算收养这个女孩时，你是怎么说的？”
马克伸出双手。
“我们能说什么？艾迪可是个温婉的淑女，自制力令人钦佩。她勇敢地面对这件事，我决定也像她那样。”
“换了我肯定会大吵大闹！”班特里夫人说。
“呃，坦率地说，我们也没有权利大吵大闹。那是杰夫的钱。我们不是他的亲生骨肉。
他对我们一直都很好。所以我们没有别的办法，只能接受。”接着他又若有所思地补充了一句，“不过我们不喜欢小鲁比。”
艾黛莱德•杰弗逊说：
“如果是另一种女孩就好了。你们知道，杰夫有两个教子。如果是他们中的任何一个——呃，就比较容易理解。”她略带怨恨地又补充了一句，“杰夫似乎一直很喜欢彼得。”
“当然。”班特里夫人说，“我一直知道彼得是你第一个丈夫的孩子——不过我不知不觉就忘记了，总把他看成是杰弗逊先生的孙子。”
“我也是。”艾黛莱德说。她的语气引得马普尔小姐从椅子上转过身来看着她。
“都是乔西的错，”马克说，“是乔西把她弄到这里来的。”
艾黛莱德说：
“哦，不过你肯定会认为她不是故意的，对吧？你看，你一直都很喜欢乔西。”
“是的，我确实喜欢她。我觉得她就是讨人喜欢。”
“她把那女孩弄来完全是个意外。”
“你知道，乔西的脑袋可是很聪明的。”
“确实，不过她不可能预料——”
马克说：
“是的，她不可能预料，这我承认。我并不是在指责她策划了这件事。但我肯定她在我们之前就看出了事情的苗头，并且一直对此保持沉默。”
艾黛莱德叹了口气，说：
“我觉得这件事也不是她的错。”
马克说：
“哦，无论什么事我们都不怪任何人！”
班特里夫人问：
“鲁比•基恩很漂亮吗？”
马克盯着她。
“我以为你看过了——”
“哦，是的，我看过她——的尸体。不过，你知道，她是被勒死的，看不出来——”她战栗起来。
马克沉思着说：
“我一点儿也不觉得她漂亮，不化妆肯定是另外一副模样。一张苍白干瘦的小脸，下巴很短，牙齿参差不齐，很难说清是什么样的鼻子——”
“听上去令人厌恶。”班特里夫人说。
“哦，不，不是这样的。我说了，她化了妆看起来还是不错的，是不是，艾迪？”
“是的，花里胡哨的，脸色粉嫩，蓝眼睛非常漂亮。”
“没错，孩子般无辜的眼神，睫毛染得很浓，让那双蓝眼睛更蓝了。当然了，她的头发染过。真的，说到颜色——总之，在用化妆品调颜色方面——她有点儿像罗莎蒙德——就是我妻子，你们知道。我敢说就是这一点吸引了老头子。”
他叹了口气。
“唉，这是件糟糕的事。可怕的是，对于她的死，艾迪和我忍不住感到高兴——”
他制止了艾黛莱德的抗议。
“这没用，艾迪。我知道你是怎么想的。我也一样。但我不想装模作样！不过，与此同时，我真的非常担心杰夫，如果你明白我的意思。这件事对他打击很大。我——”
他停下来，盯着休息厅那扇通往阳台的门。
“好了，好了——看看谁来了。艾迪，你真是个肆无忌惮的女人。”
杰弗逊夫人扭过头，惊呼了一声，然后站起来，脸上泛起红晕。她沿着阳台朝一位高个子的中年男人快步走去，那人瘦削的脸晒成了棕色，此刻他正犹豫不决地四下环顾。
班特里夫人说：“那不是雨果•麦克莱恩吗？”
马克•加斯克尔说：
“正是雨果•麦克莱恩。又叫威廉•多宾。”
班特里夫人低声说：
“他很忠实，是不是？”
“忠实得像条狗。”马克说，“只要艾迪吹声口哨，他就会一路小跑着从世界任何一个角落赶来，他总盼着有一天她会嫁给他。我敢打赌，她会的。”
马普尔小姐高兴地看着他们，说：
“我明白了。罗曼蒂克故事？”
“属于传统意义上的好事，”马克保证说，“已经好几年了，艾迪就是那种女人。”
他想了想，又补充道：“我估计艾迪今天早上给他打了电话。不过她没告诉我。”
爱德华兹谨慎地沿着阳台踱步走来，在马克身边停下。
“打扰了，先生。杰弗逊先生希望你过去一趟。”
“我这就来。”马克立刻从椅子上站起身。
他朝大家点了点头，说了声“回见”，便离开了。
亨利爵士倾身靠近马普尔小姐，说：
“在你看来，这起犯罪的主要受益人是谁？”
马普尔小姐看着站在那里和老朋友说话的艾黛莱德•杰弗逊，若有所思地说：
“你知道，我认为她是一位非常称职的母亲。”
“哦，确实如此。”班特里夫人说，“她把所有心思都放在彼得身上。”
“她是那种人人都喜欢的女人，”马普尔小姐说，“那种可以一次又一次地结婚的。我不是说专门迎合男人的女人——是完全不同的意思。”
“我明白你指的是什么。”亨利爵士说。
“你们两人的意思是，”班特里夫人说，“她善于聆听。”
亨利爵士笑了。他说：“那马克•加斯克尔呢？”
“啊，”马普尔小姐说，“他是个精明的家伙。”
“村子里有像他这样的人吗？”
“那个承建商，卡吉尔先生。他哄骗很多人为自家房子做了一些他们从不想做的工程，并且向他们收取高额费用！然而他总能为账单做出合理的解释。一个狡猾的家伙。他娶了钱。我看加斯克尔先生也一样。”
“看来你不喜欢他。”
“不，我喜欢。大多数女人都会喜欢他，但他瞒不过我。他是一个很有吸引力的人，这我知道，但他的话太多，这或许不太明智。”
“就是这个词：不明智。”亨利爵士说，“马克如果不留神，会给自己找麻烦。”
一个身穿白色法兰绒外衣的高个子年轻黑人走上通向阳台的台阶，他停下来看着艾黛莱德•杰弗逊和雨果•麦克莱恩。
“而那位X先生，”亨利爵士亲切地说，“我们可以称他为有关当事人。他是个职业网球运动员和舞者——雷蒙德•斯塔尔，鲁比•基恩的搭档。”
马普尔小姐饶有兴趣地看着他，说：
“他很英俊，是不是？”
“我猜是吧。”
“别那么滑稽，亨利爵士。”班特里夫人说，“没什么可猜的，他就是很英俊。”
马普尔小姐低声说：
“我记得杰弗逊夫人说过她在上网球课。”
“简，你这么说是有什么特别的意思吗？”
马普尔小姐还没来得及回答这个直率的问题，就看见小彼得•卡莫迪穿过阳台走上前来。他跟亨利爵士打招呼说：
“我说，你也是个侦探吗？我看到你和那位警司在谈话——胖的那个是警司，对不对？”
“非常正确，我的孩子。”
“有人告诉我说你是从伦敦来的大侦探。苏格兰场的长官之类的。”
“在书里，警察厅厅长通常都是个没用的蠢货，对吗？”
“哦，不，现在不同了。嘲笑警察之类的事已经过时了。你知道谁是凶手了吗？”
“恐怕还不知道。”
“你很喜欢这种事吗，彼得？”班特里夫人问。
“哦，是的。跟平常的生活不同了，对吗？我一直在到处搜索，希望能找到什么线索，不过我运气不怎么样。可是，我得到一个纪念品，你们想看看吗？奇怪，妈妈让我把它扔掉。我真是觉得父母有时候太过严厉了。”
他说着从口袋里掏出一个小火柴盒。把它推开，向大家展示里面的宝贝。
“看，是一块指甲。她的指甲！我打算将它命名为‘被谋杀的女人的指甲’并把它带回学校。真是很好的纪念品，你们觉得呢？”
“你从哪里弄来的？”马普尔小姐问。
“呃，这还真是凭了运气。因为当时我不可能知道她会被人谋杀。昨天晚饭前，鲁比的指甲钩住了乔西的披肩，把它扯坏了。妈妈帮鲁比把指甲剪掉，然后交给我，说要扔进废纸篓，我原本是要那么做的，可不知怎么的却把它放进了衣袋里。今天早上我想起这件事，便察看它是否还在，结果发现还在口袋里，于是现在成了纪念品。”
“真恶心。”班特里夫人说。
彼得有礼貌地说：“哦，你这样认为吗？”
“你还有其他纪念品吗？”亨利爵士问。
“哦，我不知道。也许还有吧。”
“说清楚点儿，年轻人。”
彼得若有所思地看着他，然后掏出一个信封，从信封里抽出一条棕色的东西。
“这是那个乔治•巴特列特的一段鞋带。”他解释道，“今天早上我看见他的鞋子放在门外，就弄了一点儿，以防万一。”
“万一什么？”
“万一他就是凶手啊。他是最后一个见到她的人，要知道，这一点总会引起怀疑。快到晚饭时间了，是吧？我饿坏了。下午茶和晚饭之间的时间似乎总是那么长。嗨，那是雨果叔叔。我不知道妈妈把他叫来了。我想是她叫来的。她遇到棘手的事就总这样。乔西来了。嗨，乔西！”
约瑟芬•特纳沿着阳台走来，看见班特里夫人和马普尔小姐，她停住脚，似乎非常吃惊。
班特里夫人愉快地说：
“你好，特纳小姐。我们来查问点儿事情！”
乔西歉疚地四下看了看，然后压低声音说：
“这真是太可怕了。还没有人知道。我的意思是，报纸还没有刊登。我想大家都会向我发问，这真是太让人难堪了。我不知道该说什么。”
她满面愁容地看向马普尔小姐。马普尔小姐说：“是的，恐怕你的处境会很艰难。”
这种同情让乔西心怀感激。
“你看，普雷斯科特先生对我说：‘不要谈这件事。’说得倒是没错，但是每个人肯定都会来问我，而你又不能冒犯别人，对不对？普雷斯科特先生希望我能像平时一样继续工作——发生这种事让他很不高兴，我当然愿意尽力而为。再说，我真不明白这件事为什么要怪我。”
亨利爵士说：
“你介意我向你提一个坦率的问题吗，特纳小姐？”
“哦，请问吧。”乔西说这话时多少有点儿言不由衷。
“在整个事件中，你和杰弗逊夫人及加斯克尔先生之间有什么不愉快吗？”
“你是指关于这起谋杀？”
“不，我不是指谋杀。”
乔西站在那里，绞着手指。她满脸不快地说：
“呃，可以说有，也可以说没有。如果你能明白我的意思。他们俩都没说过什么。不过我觉得他们在怪我——我是说，杰弗逊先生很喜欢鲁比。但这不是我的错，对不对？这样的事确实发生过，我事先做梦也没想到，完全没有想到。我——我非常吃惊。”
她的话让人感觉句句真心实意。
亨利爵士和颜悦色地说：
“我相信是这样的。可万一真的发生了呢？”
乔西抬起下巴。
“哦，是运气，对不对？每个人都有机会和权利拥有一点儿运气。”
她带着质问的神情挑战似的同每一个人对视，然后穿过阳台，进入酒店。
彼得语气公正地说：
“我觉得不是她干的。”
马普尔小姐轻声说：
“很有意思，我是说那片指甲。要知道，这一直让我觉得困扰——该怎么解释她的指甲。”
“指甲？”亨利爵士问。
“那个死了的女孩，”班特里夫人解释说，“她的指甲非常短，简说了，这当然有点儿不对劲儿。像她那样的女孩肯定都留长指甲。”
马普尔小姐说：
“当然，如果指甲断了一处，她有可能把其他的都剪齐。我想知道，他们在她的房间里发现指甲了吗？”
亨利爵士好奇地看着她，说：
“等哈珀警司回来后我问问他。”
“从哪儿回来？”班特里夫人问，“他没有去戈辛顿，是吗？”
亨利爵士心情沉重地说：
“没有。又发生了一场悲剧。采石场发现一辆烧毁的汽车——”
马普尔小姐屏住呼吸。
“车里有人吗？”
“我恐怕——是的。”
马普尔小姐一边思考一边说：
“我认为是那个失踪的女童子军——佩兴斯——不，是帕米拉•里夫斯。”
亨利爵士看着她。
“马普尔小姐，究竟是什么让你这么看？”
马普尔小姐的脸红了。
“呃，广播电台报道这个女孩从家里失踪了——昨晚的事。她家在戴恩利谷，离这儿不远。最后一次有人见到她是在戴恩伯里丘陵举行的女童子军集会上。这很接近了。事实上，她回家时必须经过丹尼茅斯。所有的事都很吻合，是不是？我的意思是，可能她看到——或听到了——不应该让任何人看到或听到的事。如果是这样的话，她当然会被凶手视作危险而灭口。这样两件事之间必然有联系，你不这样认为吗？”
亨利爵士压低声音说：
“你觉得——是第二起谋杀？”
“为什么不会呢？”她平静地看着他的眼睛，“如果某人干了一起谋杀案，他还会干第二次，不会因为害怕而退缩，不是吗？甚至第三次。”
“第三次？你不会认为还会有第三起谋杀吧？”
“我认为有这个可能……是的，我认为可能性很大。”
“马普尔小姐，”亨利爵士说，“你吓着我了。你知道谁会被谋杀吗？”
马普尔小姐说：“我有一个很好的办法。”
Chapter Ten
Ten
IS uperintendent Harper stood looking at the charred and twisted heap of metal. A burnt-up car was always a revoltingobject, even without the additional gruesome burden of a charred and blackened corpse.
Venn’s Quarry was a remote spot, far from any human habitation. Though actually only two miles as the crow fliesfrom Danemouth, the approach to it was by one of those narrow, twisted, rutted roads, little more than a cart track,which led nowhere except to the quarry itself. It was a long time now since the quarry had been worked, and the onlypeople who came along the lane were the casual visitors in search of blackberries. As a spot to dispose of a car it wasideal. The car need not have been found for weeks but for the accident of the glow in the sky having been seen byAlbert Biggs, a labourer, on his way to work.
Albert Biggs was still on the scene, though all he had to tell had been heard some time ago, but he continued torepeat the thrilling story with such embellishments as occurred to him.
“Why, dang my eyes, I said, whatever be that? Proper glow it was, up in the sky. Might be a bonfire, I says, butwho’d be having bonfire over to Venn’s Quarry? No, I says, ’tis some mighty big fire, to be sure. But whatever wouldit be, I says? There’s no house or farm to that direction. ’Tis over by Venn’s, I says, that’s where it is, to be sure.
Didn’t rightly know what I ought to do about it, but seeing as Constable Gregg comes along just then on his bicycle, Itells him about it. ’Twas all died down by then, but I tells him just where ’twere. ’Tis over that direction, I says. Bigglare in the sky, I says. Mayhap as it’s a rick, I says. One of them tramps, as likely as not, set alight of it. But I didnever think as how it might be a car—far less as someone was being burnt up alive in it. ’Tis a terrible tragedy, to besure.”
The Glenshire police had been busy. Cameras had clicked and the position of the charred body had been carefullynoted before the police surgeon had started his own investigation.
The latter came over now to Harper, dusting black ash off his hands, his lips set grimly together.
“A pretty thorough job,” he said. “Part of one foot and shoe are about all that has escaped. Personally I myselfcouldn’t say if the body was a man’s or a woman’s at the moment, though we’ll get some indication from the bones, Iexpect. But the shoe is one of the black strapped affairs—the kind schoolgirls wear.”
“There’s a schoolgirl missing from the next county,” said Harper; “quite close to here. Girl of sixteen or so.”
“Then it’s probably her,” said the doctor. “Poor kid.”
Harper said uneasily: “She wasn’t alive when—?”
“No, no, I don’t think so. No signs of her having tried to get out. Body was just slumped down on the seat—withthe foot sticking out. She was dead when she was put there, I should say. Then the car was set fire to in order to tryand get rid of the evidence.”
He paused, and asked:
“Want me any longer?”
“I don’t think so, thank you.”
“Right. I’ll be off.”
He strode away to his car. Harper went over to where one of his sergeants, a man who specialized in car cases, wasbusy.
The latter looked up.
“Quite a clear case, sir. Petrol poured over the car and the whole thing deliberately set light to. There are threeempty cans in the hedge over there.”
A little farther away another man was carefully arranging small objects picked out of the wreckage. There was ascorched black leather shoe and with it some scraps of scorched and blackened material. As Harper approached, hissubordinate looked up and exclaimed:
“Look at this, sir. This seems to clinch it.”
Harper took the small object in his hand. He said:
“Button from a Girl Guide’s uniform?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Yes,” said Harper, “that does seem to settle it.”
A decent, kindly man, he felt slightly sick. First Ruby Keene and now this child, Pamela Reeves.
He said to himself, as he had said before:
“What’s come to Glenshire?”
His next move was first to ring up his own Chief Constable, and afterwards to get in touch with Colonel Melchett.
The disappearance of Pamela Reeves had taken place in Radfordshire though her body had been found in Glenshire.
The next task set him was not a pleasant one. He had to break the news to Pamela Reeves’s father and mother….
II
Superintendent Harper looked up consideringly at the fa?ade of Braeside as he rang the front door bell.
Neat little villa, nice garden of about an acre and a half. The sort of place that had been built fairly freely all overthe countryside in the last twenty years. Retired Army men, retired Civil Servants—that type. Nice decent folk; theworst you could say of them was that they might be a bit dull. Spent as much money as they could afford on theirchildren’s education. Not the kind of people you associated with tragedy. And now tragedy had come to them. Hesighed.
He was shown at once into a lounge where a stiff man with a grey moustache and a woman whose eyes were redwith weeping both sprang up. Mrs. Reeves cried out eagerly:
“You have some news of Pamela?”
Then she shrank back, as though the Superintendent’s commiserating glance had been a blow.
Harper said:
“I’m afraid you must prepare yourself for bad news.”
“Pamela—” faltered the woman.
Major Reeves said sharply:
“Something’s happened—to the child?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you mean she’s dead?”
Mrs. Reeves burst out:
“Oh no, no,” and broke into a storm of weeping. Major Reeves put his arm round his wife and drew her to him. Hislips trembled but he looked inquiringly at Harper, who bent his head.
“An accident?”
“Not exactly, Major Reeves. She was found in a burnt-out car which had been abandoned in a quarry.”
“In a car? In a quarry?”
His astonishment was evident.
Mrs. Reeves broke down altogether and sank down on the sofa, sobbing violently.
Superintendent Harper said:
“If you’d like me to wait a few minutes?”
Major Reeves said sharply:
“What does this mean? Foul play?”
“That’s what it looks like, sir. That’s why I’d like to ask you some questions if it isn’t too trying for you.”
“No, no, you’re quite right. No time must be lost if what you suggest is true. But I can’t believe it. Who wouldwant to harm a child like Pamela?”
Harper said stolidly:
“You’ve already reported to your local police the circumstances of your daughter’s disappearance. She left here toattend a Guides rally and you expected her home for supper. That is right?”
“Yes.”
“She was to return by bus?”
“Yes.”
“I understand that, according to the story of her fellow Guides, when the rally was over Pamela said she was goinginto Danemouth to Woolworth’s, and would catch a later bus home. That strikes you as quite a normal proceeding?”
“Oh yes, Pamela was very fond of going to Woolworth’s. She often went into Danemouth to shop. The bus goesfrom the main road, only about a quarter of a mile from here.”
“And she had no other plans, so far as you know?”
“None.”
“She was not meeting anybody in Danemouth?”
“No, I’m sure she wasn’t. She would have mentioned it if so. We expected her back for supper. That’s why, whenit got so late and she hadn’t turned up, we rang up the police. It wasn’t like her not to come home.”
“Your daughter had no undesirable friends—that is, friends that you didn’t approve of?”
“No, there was never any trouble of that kind.”
Mrs. Reeves said tearfully:
“Pam was just a child. She was very young for her age. She liked games and all that. She wasn’t precocious in anyway.”
“Do you know a Mr. George Bartlett who is staying at the Majestic Hotel in Danemouth?”
Major Reeves stared.
“Never heard of him.”
“You don’t think your daughter knew him?”
“I’m quite sure she didn’t.”
He added sharply: “How does he come into it?”
“He’s the owner of the Minoan 14 car in which your daughter’s body was found.”
Mrs. Reeves cried: “But then he must—”
Harper said quickly:
“He reported his car missing early today. It was in the courtyard of the Majestic Hotel at lunch time yesterday.
Anybody might have taken the car.”
“But didn’t someone see who took it?”
The Superintendent shook his head.
“Dozens of cars going in and out all day. And a Minoan 14 is one of the commonest makes.”
Mrs. Reeves cried:
“But aren’t you doing something? Aren’t you trying to find the—the devil who did this? My little girl—oh, mylittle girl! She wasn’t burnt alive, was she? Oh, Pam, Pam …!”
“She didn’t suffer, Mrs. Reeves. I assure you she was already dead when the car was set alight.”
Reeves asked stiffly:
“How was she killed?”
Harper gave him a significant glance.
“We don’t know. The fire had destroyed all evidence of that kind.”
He turned to the distraught woman on the sofa.
“Believe me, Mrs. Reeves, we’re doing everything we can. It’s a matter of checking up. Sooner or later we shallfind someone who saw your daughter in Danemouth yesterday, and saw whom she was with. It all takes time, youknow. We shall have dozens, hundreds of reports coming in about a Girl Guide who was seen here, there, andeverywhere. It’s a matter of selection and of patience—but we shall find out the truth in the end, never you fear.”
Mrs. Reeves asked:
“Where—where is she? Can I go to her?”
Again Superintendent Harper caught the husband’s eye. He said:
“The medical officer is attending to all that. I’d suggest that your husband comes with me now and attends to all theformalities. In the meantime, try and recollect anything Pamela may have said—something, perhaps, that you didn’tpay attention to at the time but which might throw some light upon things. You know what I mean—just some chanceword or phrase. That’s the best way you can help us.”
As the two men went towards the door, Reeves said, pointing to a photograph:
“There she is.”
Harper looked at it attentively. It was a hockey group. Reeves pointed out Pamela in the centre of the team.
“A nice kid,” Harper thought, as he looked at the earnest face of the pigtailed girl.
His mouth set in a grim line as he thought of the charred body in the car.
He vowed to himself that the murder of Pamela Reeves should not remain one of Glenshire’s unsolved mysteries.
Ruby Keene, so he admitted privately, might have asked for what was coming to her, but Pamela Reeves was quiteanother story. A nice kid, if he ever saw one. He’d not rest until he’d hunted down the man or woman who’d killedher.
第十章
第十章
1哈珀警司站在那儿，看着那堆烧焦变形的金属。烧毁的汽车总让人感到恶心，更别说还有一具烧得焦黑的可怕的尸体。
文恩采石场位置偏僻，附近没有任何住宅区。虽然这里和丹尼茅斯的实际直线距离只有两英里，但其间的道路状况只比马车道稍好一点儿，那条路狭窄弯曲，路面高低不平，而且是通往这里唯一的路。这个采石场很久以前就不再使用了，顺着这条小路来这里的只有那些寻找黑莓的不速之客。要想扔掉一辆汽车，这里是非常理想的场所。一个名叫艾伯特•比格斯的工人在上班途中碰巧看到天空中有火光，否则这辆车留在这里几个星期也不会被发现。
艾伯特•比格斯还在现场，刚才他已经把该说的都说过了，可他仍在绘声绘色地不断重复着那个骇人听闻的故事。
“天哪，我这双该死的眼睛看到了什么？那是怎么回事儿？我的天，那到底是什么？火光冲天。开始我以为是篝火，可谁会在文恩采石场点篝火呢？不，不对，我说，肯定是场大火。可这到底是怎么回事儿？那个方向没有住户或农场啊。肯定就在文恩那边，就是那儿，没错。我不知道怎么办，这时格雷格警员正好骑车过来，我就告诉他了。那时火焰已经看不到了，不过我告诉了他在哪个位置。就在那个方向，我说，火光冲天。可能是干草垛。很可能是谁踩上去，不知怎么的就着火了。不过我怎么也想不到会是辆汽车——更想不到会有人被活活烧死在里面。这真是一场可怕的悲剧，显然是的。”
格伦郡的警察一直在忙碌。照相机的咔嚓咔嚓声响个不停，烧焦尸体的位置被准确记录下来，之后法医开始仔细调查。
法医拍打着手上的黑灰，向哈珀走过来，他的嘴唇闭得紧紧的。
“做得很彻底。”他说，“只剩下一只脚的一部分和一只鞋。骨骼应该能提供一些信息，但是至少目前我个人还无法断定尸体是男还是女。不过，那只鞋是黑色搭扣的式样——是女学生穿的。”
“邻郡有一个女学生失踪了，”哈珀说，“离这儿这很近。是十六岁左右的女孩。”
“那很可能是她。”法医说，“可怜的孩子。”
哈珀面带忧虑地问：“她还活着吗，就是——”
“不，不，我想没有。没有试图逃出去的迹象。尸体就倒在车座上——一只脚伸直。我想她被放在那里时就已经死了，然后有人将车点燃以毁灭证据。”
他停止讲述，问道：
“还需要我做什么吗？”
“不用了，谢谢。”
“那好，我走了。”
法医朝他的汽车走去。哈珀则走到一个忙碌的警长身边，此人是汽车案件的专家。
后者抬起头。
“案情很清楚，长官。车子被浇了汽油，是故意纵火。那边的树篱里有三个空罐头。”
稍远一点儿的地方，一个人正在仔细整理从残骸里搜寻出来的小物件。—只烧焦的黑皮鞋和一些烧焦发黑的物体残片。看见哈珀走过来，那人抬起头说：
“看看这个，长官。这能说明一些问题。”
哈珀伸手接过那个小东西，说：
“女童子军制服上的纽扣？”
“是的，长官。”
“嗯，”哈珀说，“看来确实能说明问题。”
作为一个正直善良的人，哈珀的胃里翻江倒海一般。先是鲁比•基恩，然后是这个孩子，帕米拉•里夫斯。
他再一次问自己：
“格伦郡是怎么了？”
接着，他给自己的警察局局长打了电话，之后又联系了梅尔切特上校。帕米拉•里夫斯在拉德福郡失踪，尸体则是在格伦郡被发现的。
接下来要做的事非常艰难：他必须通知帕米拉•里夫斯的父母……2哈珀警司按响了前门门铃，然后抬起头，若有所思地打量着布雷塞德宅邸的前部。
这是一幢干净整洁的小房子，有一个占地约一英亩半的漂亮花园。最近二十年，乡下出现了很多这样的房子，随处可见。里面住的通常是像退伍军人、退休的公务员这样的当地人。他们为人正派得体；用不太好听的话说，他们或许有点儿乏味，在孩子的教育方面愿意倾其所有。看到他们，你绝对不会联想到悲剧。然而现在悲剧找上门来了。他叹了口气。
他很快被领进了休息室，里面坐着一个留着灰色胡须、表情凝重的男人和一个哭得双眼红肿的女人，看见哈珀警司，他们立刻站起身。里夫斯夫人焦急地问：
“有帕米拉的消息了？”
说完她立刻又坐了回去，警司怜悯的目光仿佛给了她一击。
哈珀说：
“恐怕你们要有心理准备，是坏消息。”
“帕米拉——”那个女人声音颤抖。
里夫斯少校直截了当地问：
“出事了吗？孩子——”
“是的，先生。”
“你是说她死了？”
里夫斯夫人叫起来：
“哦，不，不……”接下来是一阵哭泣声。里夫斯少校伸手搂住妻子，把她拉到自己身边。他嘴唇颤抖，用询问的目光看向低着头的哈珀。
“是事故？”
“不完全是，里夫斯少校。我们是在废弃的采石场里一辆被烧毁的汽车里发现她的。”
“在车里？采石场？”
他显然非常吃惊。
里夫斯夫人完全崩溃了，她重重地摔在沙发上，大声哭泣。
哈珀警司说：
“你们希望我过一会儿再解释吗？”
里夫斯少校厉声问道：
“这到底是怎么回事？残忍的行为？”
“看起来是这样，先生。所以，如果不是太为难的话，我需要问你们几个问题。”
“好的，好的，你是对的。如果确实如你所说，我们不应该浪费时间。可我无法相信。
谁会去伤害像帕米拉这样的孩子？”
哈珀神情木然，他说：
“你们已经向当地警方报告了你们女儿失踪的经过。她离开这儿去参加童子军集会，你们等她回来吃晚饭。是这样吗？”
“是的。”
“她应该是乘公共汽车回来？”
“是的。”
“根据她的童子军伙伴的描述，我们了解到，在集会结束后，帕米拉说她要经丹尼茅斯去伍尔沃思，然后乘下一趟车回家。你们觉得她这样做正常吗？”
“哦，是的。帕米拉非常喜欢去伍尔沃思。她经常去丹尼茅斯购物。公共汽车从主路走，离这儿大约只有四分之一英里。”
“就你们所知，她还有别的计划吗？”
“没有。”
“她在丹尼茅斯是不是要见什么人？”
“不，我肯定没有。如果是的话，她会说的。我们跟她说好了回来吃晚饭。所以，那么晚还没见她回来，我们就打电话报了警。她从来不会不回家。”
“你的女儿有没有交什么不良的朋友——或者说，你们不赞成的朋友？”
“没有，从来没有任何这方面的麻烦。”
里夫斯夫人哭着说：
“帕米拉只是个孩子。她看上去比实际年龄还要小。她喜欢游戏什么的，各方面都不成熟。”
“你们认识一个住在丹尼茅斯堂皇酒店的乔治•巴特列特先生吗？”
里夫斯少校睁大了眼睛。
“从没听说过。”
“你觉得你女儿会认识他吗？”
“我肯定她不认识。”
接着他厉声问道：“他和这件事有什么关系？”
“他是那辆被烧毁的米诺斯14的车主，你女儿的尸体就是在那辆车里被发现的。”
里夫斯夫人哭喊着：“那他一定是——”
哈珀立刻说：
“今天早些时候，他报案说车不见了。那辆车昨天午饭时还在堂皇酒店的院子里，任何人都有可能开走。”
“可没有人看见是谁开走的？”
警司摇摇头。
“一天之中有数十辆汽车在那里进进出出，而米诺斯14是最常见的车型之一。”
里夫斯夫人哭着说：
“可是，难道你们没有采取什么行动吗？难道你们不是在设法找到那个——那个干这件事的魔鬼？我的小姑娘——哦，我的小姑娘！她不是被活活地烧死的，是吧？哦，帕姆[1] ，帕姆……”
“她没有遭受什么痛苦，里夫斯夫人。我肯定车着火时她已经死了。”
里夫斯语气坚定地问：
“她是如何被害的？”
哈珀意味深长地看了他一眼。
“我们不知道。大火烧毁了所有相关证据。”
他转向倒在沙发里的近乎崩溃的女人。
“相信我，里夫斯夫人，我们正在尽最大努力。这需要核查。我们迟早会找到昨天有谁在丹尼茅斯见过你女儿，以及有谁和她在一起。你们知道这需要时间。我们会收到数十份、数百份报告，说在这里、那里，以及任何地方见过一个女童子军。这需要筛选和耐心——但是不要担心，我们最终一定会查明真相。”
里夫斯夫人问：
“她——她在哪里？我能去看她吗？”
哈珀警司看了一眼她的丈夫，说：
“法医正在处理相关事宜。我建议你丈夫现在跟我—起去办理手续。同时，请尽量回忆帕米拉说过的话——任何话，也许当时你们没有注意，可有些事对弄清案情会有所帮助。
你知道我的意思——就是偶然情况下说的只言片语。这是你们能帮助我们的最好办法。”
他们朝门口走去，里夫斯指着一张照片说：
“那就是她。”
哈珀专注地看着照片，上面是一队曲棍球队员。里夫斯指着站在中间的帕米拉。
“是个好孩子。”哈珀说，他看着照片上那个梳马尾的女孩，那张真诚的脸。
哈珀想到了车里那具被烧焦的尸体，双唇紧紧抿成了一条线。
他暗下决心，决不能让帕米拉•里夫斯被害的案子成为格伦郡的一个不解之谜。
他私下里有过这种想法，鲁比•基恩有可能是自找的，而帕米拉•里夫斯的事则完全不同。如果他曾见过一个好孩子，那就是她。他发誓，不找出杀人凶手决不罢休。
[1]帕姆是帕米拉的昵称。
Chapter Eleven
Eleven
A day or two later Colonel Melchett and Superintendent Harper looked at each other across the former’s big desk.
Harper had come over to Much Benham for a consultation.
Melchett said gloomily:
“Well, we know where we are—or rather where we aren’t!”
“Where we aren’t expresses it better, sir.”
“We’ve got two deaths to take into account,” said Melchett. “Two murders. Ruby Keene and the child PamelaReeves. Not much to identify her by, poor kid, but enough. That shoe that escaped burning has been identifiedpositively as hers by her father, and there’s this button from her Girl Guide uniform. A fiendish business,Superintendent.”
Superintendent Harper said very quietly:
“I’ll say you’re right, sir.”
“I’m glad it’s quite certain she was dead before the car was set on fire. The way she was lying, thrown across theseat, shows that. Probably knocked on the head, poor kid.”
“Or strangled, perhaps,” said Harper.
Melchett looked at him sharply.
“You think so?”
“Well, sir, there are murderers like that.”
“I know. I’ve seen the parents—the poor girl’s mother’s beside herself. Damned painful, the whole thing. The pointfor us to settle is—are the two murders connected?”
“I’d say definitely yes.”
“So would I.”
The Superintendent ticked off the points on his fingers.
“Pamela Reeves attended rally of Girl Guides on Danebury Downs. Stated by companions to be normal andcheerful. Did not return with three companions by the bus to Medchester. Said to them that she was going intoDanemouth to Woolworth’s and would take the bus home from there. The main road into Danemouth from the downsdoes a big round inland. Pamela Reeves took a shortcut over two fields and a footpath and lane which would bring herinto Danemouth near the Majestic Hotel. The lane, in fact, actually passes the hotel on the west side. It’s possible,therefore, that she overheard or saw something—something concerning Ruby Keene—which would have proveddangerous to the murderer—say, for instance, that she heard him arranging to meet Ruby Keene at eleven thatevening. He realizes that this schoolgirl has overheard, and he has to silence her.”
Colonel Melchett said:
“That’s presuming, Harper, that the Ruby Keene crime was premeditated—not spontaneous.”
Superintendent Harper agreed.
“I believe it was, sir. It looks as though it would be the other way—sudden violence, a fit of passion or jealousy—but I’m beginning to think that that’s not so. I don’t see otherwise how you can account for the death of the Reeveschild. If she was a witness of the actual crime, it would be late at night, round about eleven p.m., and what would shebe doing round about the Majestic at that time? Why, at nine o’clock her parents were getting anxious because shehadn’t returned.”
“The alternative is that she went to meet someone in Danemouth unknown to her family and friends, and that herdeath is quite unconnected with the other death.”
“Yes, sir, and I don’t believe that’s so. Look how even the old lady, old Miss Marple, tumbled to it at once thatthere was a connection. She asked at once if the body in the burnt car was the body of the missing Girl Guide. Verysmart old lady, that. These old ladies are sometimes. Shrewd, you know. Put their fingers on the vital spot.”
“Miss Marple has done that more than once,” said Colonel Melchett dryly.
“And besides, sir, there’s the car. That seems to me to link up her death definitely with the Majestic Hotel. It wasMr. George Bartlett’s car.”
Again the eyes of the two men met. Melchett said:
“George Bartlett? Could be! What do you think?”
Again Harper methodically recited various points.
“Ruby Keene was last seen with George Bartlett. He says she went to her room (borne out by the dress she waswearing being found there), but did she go to her room and change in order to go out with him? Had they made a dateto go out together earlier—discussed it, say, before dinner, and did Pamela Reeves happen to overhear?”
Melchett said: “He didn’t report the loss of his car until the following morning, and he was extremely vague aboutit then, pretended he couldn’t remember exactly when he had last noticed it.”
“That might be cleverness, sir. As I see it, he’s either a very clever gentleman pretending to be a silly ass, or else—well, he is a silly ass.”
“What we want,” said Melchett, “is motive. As it stands, he had no motive whatever for killing Ruby Keene.”
“Yes—that’s where we’re stuck every time. Motive. All the reports from the Palais de Danse at Brixwell arenegative, I understand?”
“Absolutely! Ruby Keene had no special boy friend. Slack’s been into the matter thoroughly—give Slack his due,he is thorough.”
“That’s right, sir. Thorough’s the word.”
“If there was anything to ferret out, he’d have ferreted it out. But there’s nothing there. He got a list of her mostfrequent dancing partners—all vetted and found correct. Harmless fellows, and all able to produce alibis for thatnight.”
“Ah,” said Superintendent Harper. “Alibis. That’s what we’re up against.”
Melchett looked at him sharply. “Think so? I’ve left that side of the investigation to you.”
“Yes, sir. It’s been gone into—very thoroughly. We applied to London for help over it.”
“Well?”
“Mr. Conway Jefferson may think that Mr. Gaskell and young Mrs. Jefferson are comfortably off, but that is not thecase. They’re both extremely hard up.”
“Is that true?”
“Quite true, sir. It’s as Mr. Conway Jefferson said, he made over considerable sums of money to his son anddaughter when they married. That was over ten years ago, though. Mr. Jefferson fancied himself as knowing goodinvestments. He didn’t invest in anything absolutely wild cat, but he was unlucky and showed poor judgment morethan once. His holdings have gone steadily down. I should say the widow found it difficult to make both ends meet andsend her son to a good school.”
“But she hasn’t applied to her father-in-law for help?”
“No, sir. As far as I can make out she lives with him, and consequently has no household expenses.”
“And his health is such that he wasn’t expected to live long?”
“That’s right, sir. Now for Mr. Mark Gaskell. He’s a gambler, pure and simple. Got through his wife’s money verysoon. Has got himself tangled up rather critically just at present. He needs money badly—and a good deal of it.”
“Can’t say I liked the looks of him much,” said Colonel Melchett. “Wild-looking sort of fellow—what? And he’sgot a motive all right. Twenty-five thousand pounds it meant to him getting that girl out of the way. Yes, it’s a motiveall right.”
“They both had a motive.”
“I’m not considering Mrs. Jefferson.”
“No, sir, I know you’re not. And, anyway, the alibi holds for both of them. They couldn’t have done it. Just that.”
“You’ve got a detailed statement of their movements that evening?”
“Yes, I have. Take Mr. Gaskell first. He dined with his father-in-law and Mrs. Jefferson, had coffee with themafterwards when Ruby Keene joined them. Then he said he had to write letters and left them. Actually he took his carand went for a spin down to the front. He told me quite frankly he couldn’t stick playing bridge for a whole evening.
The old boy’s mad on it. So he made letters an excuse. Ruby Keene remained with the others. Mark Gaskell returnedwhen she was dancing with Raymond. After the dance Ruby came and had a drink with them, then she went off withyoung Bartlett, and Gaskell and the others cut for partners and started their bridge. That was at twenty minutes toeleven—and he didn’t leave the table until after midnight. That’s quite certain, sir. Everyone says so. The family, thewaiters, everyone. Therefore he couldn’t have done it. And Mrs. Jefferson’s alibi is the same. She, too, didn’t leave thetable. They’re out, both of them—out.”
Colonel Melchett leaned back, tapping the table with a paper cutter.
Superintendent Harper said:
“That is, assuming the girl was killed before midnight.”
“Haydock said she was. He’s a very sound fellow in police work. If he says a thing, it’s so.”
“There might be reasons—health, physical idiosyncrasy, or something.”
“I’ll put it to him.” Melchett glanced at his watch, picked up the telephone receiver and asked for a number. Hesaid: “Haydock ought to be at home at this time. Now, assuming that she was killed after midnight?”
Harper said:
“Then there might be a chance. There was some coming and going afterwards. Let’s assume that Gaskell had askedthe girl to meet him outside somewhere—say at twenty past twelve. He slips away for a minute or two, strangles her,comes back and disposes of the body later—in the early hours of the morning.”
Melchett said:
“Takes her by car thirty-odd miles to put her in Bantry’s library? Dash it all, it’s not a likely story.”
“No, it isn’t,” the Superintendent admitted at once.
The telephone rang. Melchett picked up the receiver.
“Hallo, Haydock, is that you? Ruby Keene. Would it be possible for her to have been killed after midnight?”
“I told you she was killed between ten and midnight.”
“Yes, I know, but one could stretch it a bit—what?”
“No, you couldn’t stretch it. When I say she was killed before midnight I mean before midnight, and don’t try totamper with the medical evidence.”
“Yes, but couldn’t there be some physiological what-not? You know what I mean.”
“I know that you don’t know what you’re talking about. The girl was perfectly healthy and not abnormal in anyway—and I’m not going to say she was just to help you fit a rope round the neck of some wretched fellow whom youpolice wallahs have got your knife into. Now don’t protest. I know your ways. And, by the way, the girl wasn’tstrangled willingly—that is to say, she was drugged first. Powerful narcotic. She died of strangulation but she wasdrugged first.” Haydock rang off.
Melchett said gloomily: “Well, that’s that.”
Harper said:
“Thought I’d found another likely starter—but it petered out.”
“What’s that? Who?”
“Strictly speaking, he’s your pigeon, sir. Name of Basil Blake. Lives near Gossington Hall.”
“Impudent young jackanapes!” The Colonel’s brow darkened as he remembered Basil Blake’s outrageousrudeness. “How’s he mixed up in it?”
“Seems he knew Ruby Keene. Dined over at the Majestic quite often—danced with the girl. Do you rememberwhat Josie said to Raymond when Ruby was discovered to be missing? ‘She’s not with that film fellow, is she?’ I’vefound out it was Blake, she meant. He’s employed with the Lemville Studios, you know. Josie has nothing to go uponexcept a belief that Ruby was rather keen on him.”
“Very promising, Harper, very promising.”
“Not so good as it sounds, sir. Basil Blake was at a party at the studios that night. You know the sort of thing. Startsat eight with cocktails and goes on and on until the air’s too thick to see through and everyone passes out. Accordingto Inspector Slack, who’s questioned him, he left the show round about midnight. At midnight Ruby Keene was dead.”
“Anyone bear out his statement?”
“Most of them, I gather, sir, were rather—er—far gone. The—er—young woman now at the bungalow—MissDinah Lee—says his statement is correct.”
“Doesn’t mean a thing!”
“No, sir, probably not. Statements taken from other members of the party bear Mr. Blake’s statement out on thewhole, though ideas as to time are somewhat vague.”
“Where are these studios?”
“Lemville, sir, thirty miles southwest of London.”
“H’m—about the same distance from here?”
“Yes, sir.”
Colonel Melchett rubbed his nose. He said in a rather dissatisfied tone:
“Well, it looks as though we could wash him out.”
“I think so, sir. There is no evidence that he was seriously attracted by Ruby Keene. In fact”—SuperintendentHarper coughed primly—“he seems fully occupied with his own young lady.”
Melchett said:
“Well, we are left with ‘X,’ an unknown murderer—so unknown Slack can’t find a trace of him! Or Jefferson’sson-in-law, who might have wanted to kill the girl—but didn’t have a chance to do so. Daughter-in-law ditto. OrGeorge Bartlett, who has no alibi—but unfortunately no motive either. Or with young Blake, who has an alibi and nomotive. And that’s the lot! No, stop, I suppose we ought to consider the dancing fellow—Raymond Starr. After all, hesaw a lot of the girl.”
Harper said slowly:
“Can’t believe he took much interest in her—or else he’s a thundering good actor. And, for all practical purposes,he’s got an alibi too. He was more or less in view from twenty minutes to eleven until midnight, dancing with variouspartners. I don’t see that we can make a case against him.”
“In fact,” said Colonel Melchett, “we can’t make a case against anybody.”
“George Bartlett’s our best hope. If we could only hit on a motive.”
“You’ve had him looked up?”
“Yes, sir. Only child. Coddled by his mother. Came into a good deal of money on her death a year ago. Gettingthrough it fast. Weak rather than vicious.”
“May be mental,” said Melchett hopefully.
Superintendent Harper nodded. He said:
“Has it struck you, sir—that that may be the explanation of the whole case?”
“Criminal lunatic, you mean?”
“Yes, sir. One of those fellows who go about strangling young girls. Doctors have a long name for it.”
“That would solve all our difficulties,” said Melchett.
“There’s only one thing I don’t like about it,” said Superintendent Harper.
“What?”
“It’s too easy.”
“H’m—yes—perhaps. So, as I said at the beginning where are we?”
“Nowhere, sir,” said Superintendent Harper.
第十一章
第十一章
一两天后，梅尔切特上校坐在自己的大办公桌后面，他面前是哈珀警司，两人默默地望着对方。哈珀这次来马奇贝纳姆是为了就一些事情进行商榷。
梅尔切特沮丧地说：
“嗯，我们知道目前的进展——或者说没有进展！”
“说没有进展更合适，长官。”
“我们有两起死亡事件要调查，”梅尔切特说，“两起谋杀案。鲁比•基恩和帕米拉•里夫斯。可怜的孩子，没多少东西能证明她的身份，不过也足够了。她父亲已经认出了那只没被烧毁的鞋是她的，还有这颗女童子军制服上的纽扣。极其凶残的案子，警司。”
哈珀警司低声说：
“是这样的，长官。”
“让我稍感宽慰的是，能确定车着火前她已经死了。她被扔在车座上，从躺着的姿态可以推断出来。可怜的孩子，可能是被击中头部。”“也可能是被勒死的。”哈珀说。
梅尔切特以锐利的目光看着他。
“你这样认为吗？”
“嗯，先生，有这类谋杀案。”
“我知道。我见过那女孩的父母了——那可怜的母亲都快崩溃了。这件事太令人痛苦了。目前我们要弄清的问题是：这两起谋杀案有关联吗？”
“我认为肯定有。”
“我也这么想。”
警司逐条陈述他的观点：
“帕米拉•里夫斯参加了在戴思伯里丘陵举行的女童子军集会。据同伴说，她看起来一切正常，而且很愉快。集会结束后，她没和三个同伴乘公共汽车返回梅德切斯特。她说要经丹尼茅斯去伍尔沃思，然后从那儿乘公共汽车回家。从丘陵地区到丹尼茅斯的公路要在内陆绕一大圈。帕米拉•里夫斯走的是一条捷径，这样她就需要穿过两片空旷地，经过一条羊肠小道和一条进入丹尼茅斯的小路，一直到堂皇酒店附近。这条小路其实就在酒店西面。因此，她有可能无意中听到或看到了什么——某些和鲁比•基恩有关的事，这会对凶手构成威胁——比如，她听到凶手约鲁比•基恩当天晚上十一点见面。他发现这个安排被女学生听到了，于是杀人灭口。”
梅尔切特上校说：
“哈珀，你的前提是，杀害鲁比•基恩是有预谋的——不是临时起意。”
哈珀警司表示同意。
“我相信是这样，长官。虽然看上去像另一回事——突发的暴力行为，一时的冲动或嫉妒——但我现在觉得情况并不是这样。否则我不知道该如何解释里夫斯家孩子的死因。如果她是案件的目击者，那应该是在那天很晚的时候，大约晚上十一点左右。这个时间她在堂皇酒店做什么？要知道，九点钟时她父母就开始担心了。”
“还有一个可能性，就是她去丹尼茅斯见一个她父母和朋友都不知道的人，而她的死和另一起死亡毫无关系。”
“不，长官，我不觉得是这样。你看，连那位老妇人——马普尔小姐——都马上想到这两起案件之间有关联。她立刻问烧毁车辆里的尸体是否就是那个失踪的女孩。真是个精明的老妇人。这些老妇人有时候就是这样，你知道的，非常敏锐，一下子抓住要害。”
“马普尔小姐已经不是第一次这样了。”梅尔切特上校冷冷地说。
“另外，还有那辆车，长官。我认为她的死一定和堂皇酒店有关。那是乔治•巴特列特先生的车。”
两人又交换了一个眼神。梅尔切特说：
“乔治•巴特列特？很有可能！你怎么看？”
哈珀条理清晰地陈述他的观点。
“鲁比•基恩最后被人看见时，是和乔治•巴特列特在一起。他说她去了自己房间（从屋里有她之前穿过的衣服这一点可以证实），可她回房间换衣服是不是为了和他一起出去？
他们是不是之前就约好了——比如，在晚饭前谈好的，碰巧被帕米拉•里夫斯听到了？”
梅尔切特说：“他第二天早上才给他的车报失，而且说得非常含糊，还假装记不起最后看到车的确切时间。”
“那可能是在耍小聪明，先生。照我看来，他要么是个装糊涂的聪明人，要么——就是真的糊涂。”
梅尔切特说：“我们要找的是动机。然而目前看来，他没有。”
“是啊——我们每次都卡在这里。动机。据我所知，所有来自布里克思韦尔王宫舞厅的报告也没有任何结果？”
“的确！鲁比•基恩没有特别的男朋友。斯莱克已经彻底查过了——说实话，他查得很彻底。”
“是的，长官。是很彻底。”
“如果真的有什么，他早就查出来了。可什么也没有。他找到一份与她往来最频繁的舞伴的名单，全都逐一查过了，没有问题。都是没有恶意的人，而且都能拿出那天晚上的不在场证据。”
“啊，”哈珀警司说，“不在场证据。这正是我们面临的问题。”
梅尔切特看向他，目光锐利。“是吗？我已经把这方面的调查交给你了。”
“是的，长官。已经查了——非常彻底。我们还请求了伦敦方面的协助。”
“结果如何？”
“康韦•杰弗逊先生也许认为加斯克尔先生和小杰弗逊夫人很富有，但实际上并非如此。他们两个手头都非常拮据！”
“真的？”
“确实如此，长官。事情确实如康韦•杰弗逊先生所说，儿女结婚时，他给了他们相当可观的一笔钱。但那是十多年前的事。小杰弗逊先生自以为精通投资。实际上他并没有做过任何高风险投资，而且运气不佳，一次次判断失误。他的财产在不断减少。我敢说那个寡妇现在根本入不敷出，把儿子送进一家好学校上学都很困难。”
“可她难道没有请求公公帮助她吗？”
“没有，长官。据我判断，她和他住在一起，因此不用负担家庭开支。”
“而他的健康状况很糟，人们觉得他恐怕活不了多久？”
“是这样，长官。再说说马克•加斯克尔先生。他是个彻头彻尾的赌鬼。很快就把他妻子留下的钱挥霍一空。他目前的处境极为窘迫。他急切地需要钱——而且是一大笔钱。”
“我得说，我不喜欢这家伙的样子，”梅尔切特上校说，“看起来很放纵——是不是这样？再说他有充分的动机。两万五千英镑对他来说意味着要除掉那个女孩。没错，这确实是个合理的动机。”
“他们两人都有动机。”
“我没有说杰弗逊夫人。”
“是的，长官，我知道你没有，长官。总之，他们俩都有不在场证明，不可能是他们干的。就是这样。”
“你有他们俩当天晚上活动的详细记录吗？”
“是的，我有。先说加斯克尔先生。他和岳父还有杰弗逊夫人一起吃了晚饭、喝了咖啡，然后鲁比•基恩来了。接着他说要写几封信，就离开了。实际上他去取了车，在酒店前面兜了一圈。他坦率地说自己无法整晚都打桥牌。老男孩过于沉迷玩桥牌。所以写信只是个借口。鲁比•基恩一直和其他人在一起。她和雷蒙德跳舞的时候，马克•加斯克尔回来了。
跳舞之后，她又过来和他们一起喝了点儿东西，然后就和小巴特列特一起走了。加斯克尔和其他人分了组，开始打牌。当时的时间是十一点差二十——他午夜之后才离开牌桌。这一点很肯定，先生。每个人都这样说。他的家人、服务员，每一个人。因此不可能是他干的。杰弗逊夫人也有同样的不在场证据。她根本没有离开过牌桌。所以他们可以被排除了，两个人都不可能。”
梅尔切特上校向后靠过去，用裁纸刀敲打着桌面。
哈珀警司说：“这个结论的前提是那女孩是午夜之前被害的。”
“海多克是这样说的。在这方面他是警方的专家，能力卓著。如果他说是，那肯定就是。”
“可能还有别的原因——健康、生理特质之类的。”
“我去跟他说。”梅尔切特看了一眼手表，拿起电话要了一个号码。他说：“海多克此刻应该在家里。现在我们假设那女孩是午夜前被害的？”
哈珀说：
“这样我们也许还有机会。那之后还是有人进进出出。假设加斯克尔约那女孩到外面的什么地方见面——比如说在十二点二十分。他溜出去几分钟，勒死她之后再回来，然后再找机会处理尸体——比如清晨。”
梅尔切特说：
“开车把她带到三十多英里外的班特里家的藏书室？行了，这不可能。”
“是的，这不可能。”警司立刻承认。
这时，电话铃响了。梅尔切特接起电话。
“喂，海多克，是你吗？鲁比•基恩。她有没有可能是在午夜之后被害的？”
“我告诉过你，她是在十点到午夜之间被害的。”
“是的，我知道，不过时间可以推后一点儿，嗯？”
“不，不能推后。如果我说了她是午夜之前被害的，那指的就是午夜之前，不要试图篡改医学证据。”
“是的。可会不会有某种生理现象？我想你明白我的意思。”
“我明白你根本不知道自己在说什么。那个女孩非常健康，没有任何异常——我不会这样说她，以便让你绞死一个可怜的替死鬼。不要反驳，我知道你们那一套。顺便说一句，那女孩是在毫不知情的状态下被勒死的——也就是说，她先被下了药。是强力的麻醉剂。
她死于窒息，不过之前先被麻醉了。”海多克说完挂断了电话。
梅尔切特沮丧地说：“唉，就是这样了。”
哈珀说：
“本以为找到了一个可能的突破口——不过又消失了。”
“那是什么？谁？”
“严格说来，他还是你的人，长官。一个叫巴兹尔•布莱克的人，就住在戈辛顿大宅附近。”
“那个粗鲁的轻狂家伙！”一想起巴兹尔•布莱克的傲慢无礼，上校的脸就沉了下来，“他怎么会和这件事有关？”
“他好像认识鲁比•基恩，而且经常在堂皇酒店吃饭，还和那个女孩跳舞。你还记得找不到鲁比时，乔西是怎么对雷蒙德说的吗？‘她没和那个拍电影的男人在一起吧？’我查到她指的是布莱克。你知道，他受雇于莱姆维尔制片厂。当然，乔西这样说并没有什么依据，她只是认为鲁比很喜欢他。”
“有希望了，哈珀，大有希望。”
“其实并没有那么好，长官。巴兹尔•布莱克那天晚上在制片厂参加派对。你知道这类活动。八点钟开始喝鸡尾酒，一直闹到空气浑浊到让人视线模糊，人人都喝得醉醺醺的。
据盘问过他的斯莱克警督说，布莱克大约是在午夜时分离开制片厂的，那时鲁比•基恩已经死了。”
“有人能证明他说的话吗？”
“我想，那些人大多数都相当——呃——醉。那个——呃——现在还在别墅的年轻女人——黛娜•李小姐——认为他说的是实情。”
“这不说明任何问题！”
“是的，长官，可能是这样。根据参加派对的其他人的证词，他说的是实话，只是时间上有些含混不清。”
“制片厂在哪里？”
“莱姆维尔，长官，伦敦西南方向三十英里。”
“嗯——和到这儿的距离差不多？”
“是的，长官。”
梅尔切特上校揉了揉鼻子，非常不高兴地说：
“看来我们可以排除他了。”
“我想是的，长官。没有证据表明他确实被鲁比•基恩吸引。事实是，”哈珀警司古板地清了清嗓子，“他好像正迷恋于他的年轻小姐。”
梅尔切特说：
“那么，只剩下X先生，一个不为人知的谋杀者——隐秘得连斯莱克都没发现他的蛛丝马迹！或者是杰弗逊的女婿，他可能想干掉那个女孩——但苦于没有机会。儿媳妇也是一样。又或者是乔治•巴特列特，他没有不在场证据——可不走运的是，他没有动机。还有可能是年轻的布莱克，他有不在场证据，也没有动机。就这些了！不，慢着，我想我们还应该考虑一下那个跳舞的——雷蒙德•斯塔尔。毕竟他经常和那女孩见面。”
哈珀慢吞吞地说：
“我不觉得他对她有太大的兴趣——否则的话，他就是一个异常出色的演员。再说，他实际上也有不在场证据。从十一点差二十直到午夜，他一直在众目睽睽之下和不同的舞伴跳舞。我看我们无法起诉他。”
“实际上，”梅尔切特上校说，“我们无法起诉任何人。”
“乔治•巴特列特是我们最大的希望——如果我们能找到动机的话。”
“你查过他了？”
“是的，长官。他是家里的独子，被他的母亲娇生惯养。一年前她去世时给他留下相当大一笔钱。他很快就把钱花光了。这人很软弱，但并不邪恶。”
“或许是精神上的。”梅尔切特满怀希望地说。
哈珀警司点点头，说：
“你有没有想过，这也许可以解释整个案情？”
“你的意思是，精神病犯罪？”
“是的，长官。有一些那样的人专门勒死年轻女孩。对此，医生有很长的专业术语。”
“这可以解决我们的所有问题。”梅尔切特说。
“这个解释只有一点让我不太喜欢。”哈珀警司说。
“是什么？”
“太简单。”
“嗯——是的——也许。那么，像我一开始说的，我们目前进展如何？”
“没有任何进展，长官。”哈珀警司说。
Chapter Twelve
Twelve
IC onway Jefferson stirred in his sleep and stretched. His arms were flung out, long, powerful arms into which all thestrength of his body seemed to be concentrated since his accident.
Through the curtains the morning light glowed softly.
Conway Jefferson smiled to himself. Always, after a night of rest, he woke like this, happy, refreshed, his deepvitality renewed. Another day!
So for a minute he lay. Then he pressed the special bell by his hand. And suddenly a wave of remembrance sweptover him.
Even as Edwards, deft and quiet-footed, entered the room, a groan was wrung from his master.
Edwards paused with his hand on the curtains. He said: “You’re not in pain, sir?”
Conway Jefferson said harshly:
“No. Go on, pull ’em.”
The clear light flooded the room. Edwards, understanding, did not glance at his master.
His face grim, Conway Jefferson lay remembering and thinking. Before his eyes he saw again the pretty, vapid faceof Ruby. Only in his mind he did not use the adjective vapid. Last night he would have said innocent. A na?ve,innocent child! And now?
A great weariness came over Conway Jefferson. He closed his eyes. He murmured below his breath:
“Margaret….”
It was the name of his dead wife….
II
“I like your friend,” said Adelaide Jefferson to Mrs. Bantry.
The two women were sitting on the terrace.
“Jane Marple’s a very remarkable woman,” said Mrs. Bantry.
“She’s nice too,” said Addie, smiling.
“People call her a scandalmonger,” said Mrs. Bantry, “but she isn’t really.”
“Just a low opinion of human nature?”
“You could call it that.”
“It’s rather refreshing,” said Adelaide Jefferson, “after having had too much of the other thing.”
Mrs. Bantry looked at her sharply.
Addie explained herself.
“So much high-thinking—idealization of an unworthy object!”
“You mean Ruby Keene?”
Addie nodded.
“I don’t want to be horrid about her. There wasn’t any harm in her. Poor little rat, she had to fight for what shewanted. She wasn’t bad. Common and rather silly and quite good-natured, but a decided little gold-digger. I don’tthink she schemed or planned. It was just that she was quick to take advantage of a possibility. And she knew just howto appeal to an elderly man who was—lonely.”
“I suppose,” said Mrs. Bantry thoughtfully, “that Conway was lonely?”
Addie moved restlessly. She said:
“He was—this summer.” She paused and then burst out: “Mark will have it that it was all my fault. Perhaps it was,I don’t know.”
She was silent for a minute, then, impelled by some need to talk, she went on speaking in a difficult, almostreluctant way.
“I—I’ve had such an odd sort of life. Mike Carmody, my first husband, died so soon after we were married—it—itknocked me out. Peter, as you know, was born after his death. Frank Jefferson was Mike’s great friend. So I came tosee a lot of him. He was Peter’s godfather—Mike had wanted that. I got very fond of him—and—oh! sorry for himtoo.”
“Sorry?” queried Mrs. Bantry with interest.
“Yes, just that. It sounds odd. Frank had always had everything he wanted. His father and his mother couldn’t havebeen nicer to him. And yet—how can I say it?—you see, old Mr. Jefferson’s personality is so strong. If you live withit, you can’t somehow have a personality of your own. Frank felt that.
“When we were married he was very happy—wonderfully so. Mr. Jefferson was very generous. He settled a largesum of money on Frank—said he wanted his children to be independent and not have to wait for his death. It was sonice of him—so generous. But it was much too sudden. He ought really to have accustomed Frank to independencelittle by little.
“It went to Frank’s head. He wanted to be as good a man as his father, as clever about money and business, as far-seeing and successful. And, of course, he wasn’t. He didn’t exactly speculate with the money, but he invested in thewrong things at the wrong time. It’s frightening, you know, how soon money goes if you’re not clever about it. Themore Frank dropped, the more eager he was to get it back by some clever deal. So things went from bad to worse.”
“But, my dear,” said Mrs. Bantry, “couldn’t Conway have advised him?”
“He didn’t want to be advised. The one thing he wanted was to do well on his own. That’s why we never let Mr.
Jefferson know. When Frank died there was very little left—only a tiny income for me. And I—I didn’t let his fatherknow either. You see—”
She turned abruptly.
“It would have felt like betraying Frank to him. Frank would have hated it so. Mr. Jefferson was ill for a long time.
When he got well he assumed that I was a very-well-off widow. I’ve never undeceived him. It’s been a point ofhonour. He knows I’m very careful about money—but he approves of that, thinks I’m a thrifty sort of woman. And, ofcourse, Peter and I have lived with him practically ever since, and he’s paid for all our living expenses. So I’ve neverhad to worry.”
She said slowly:
“We’ve been like a family all these years—only—only—you see (or don’t you see?) I’ve never been Frank’swidow to him—I’ve been Frank’s wife.”
Mrs. Bantry grasped the implication.
“You mean he’s never accepted their deaths?”
“No. He’s been wonderful. But he’s conquered his own terrible tragedy by refusing to recognize death. Mark isRosamund’s husband and I’m Frank’s wife—and though Frank and Rosamund aren’t exactly here with us—they arestill existent.”
Mrs. Bantry said softly:
“It’s a wonderful triumph of faith.”
“I know. We’ve gone on, year after year. But suddenly—this summer—something went wrong in me. I felt—I feltrebellious. It’s an awful thing to say, but I didn’t want to think of Frank anymore! All that was over—my love andcompanionship with him, and my grief when he died. It was something that had been and wasn’t any longer.
“It’s awfully hard to describe. It’s like wanting to wipe the slate clean and start again. I wanted to be me—Addie,still reasonably young and strong and able to play games and swim and dance—just a person. Even Hugo—(you knowHugo McLean?) he’s a dear and wants to marry me, but, of course, I’ve never really thought of it—but this summer Idid begin to think of it—not seriously—only vaguely….”
She stopped and shook her head.
“And so I suppose it’s true. I neglected Jeff. I don’t mean really neglected him, but my mind and thoughts weren’twith him. When Ruby, as I saw, amused him, I was rather glad. It left me freer to go and do my own things. I neverdreamed—of course I never dreamed—that he would be so—so—infatuated by her!”
Mrs. Bantry asked:
“And when you did find out?”
“I was dumbfounded—absolutely dumbfounded! And, I’m afraid, angry too.”
“I’d have been angry,” said Mrs. Bantry.
“There was Peter, you see. Peter’s whole future depends on Jeff. Jeff practically looked on him as a grandson, or soI thought, but, of course, he wasn’t a grandson. He was no relation at all. And to think that he was going to be—disinherited!” Her firm, well-shaped hands shook a little where they lay in her lap. “For that’s what it felt like—andfor a vulgar, gold-digging little simpleton—Oh! I could have killed her!”
She stopped, stricken. Her beautiful hazel eyes met Mrs. Bantry’s in a pleading horror. She said:
“What an awful thing to say!”
Hugo McLean, coming quietly up behind them, asked:
“What’s an awful thing to say?”
“Sit down, Hugo. You know Mrs. Bantry, don’t you?”
McLean had already greeted the older lady. He said now in a low, persevering way:
“What was an awful thing to say?”
Addie Jefferson said:
“That I’d like to have killed Ruby Keene.”
Hugo McLean reflected a minute or two. Then he said:
“No, I wouldn’t say that if I were you. Might be misunderstood.”
His eyes—steady, reflective, grey eyes—looked at her meaningly.
He said:
“You’ve got to watch your step, Addie.”
There was a warning in his voice.
III
When Miss Marple came out of the hotel and joined Mrs. Bantry a few minutes later, Hugo McLean and AdelaideJefferson were walking down the path to the sea together.
Seating herself, Miss Marple remarked:
“He seems very devoted.”
“He’s been devoted for years! One of those men.”
“I know. Like Major Bury. He hung round an Anglo-Indian widow for quite ten years. A joke among her friends!
In the end she gave in—but unfortunately ten days before they were to have been married she ran away with thechauffeur! Such a nice woman, too, and usually so well balanced.”
“People do do very odd things,” agreed Mrs. Bantry. “I wish you’d been here just now, Jane. Addie Jefferson wastelling me all about herself—how her husband went through all his money but they never let Mr. Jefferson know. Andthen, this summer, things felt different to her—”
Miss Marple nodded.
“Yes. She rebelled, I suppose, against being made to live in the past? After all, there’s a time for everything. Youcan’t sit in the house with the blinds down forever. I suppose Mrs. Jefferson just pulled them up and took off herwidow’s weeds, and her father-in-law, of course, didn’t like it. Felt left out in the cold, though I don’t suppose for aminute he realized who put her up to it. Still, he certainly wouldn’t like it. And so, of course, like old Mr. Badgerwhen his wife took up Spiritualism, he was just ripe for what happened. Any fairly nice-looking young girl wholistened prettily would have done.”
“Do you think,” said Mrs. Bantry, “that that cousin, Josie, got her down here deliberately—that it was a familyplot?”
Miss Marple shook her head.
“No, I don’t think so at all. I don’t think Josie has the kind of mind that could foresee people’s reactions. She’srather dense in that way. She’s got one of those shrewd, limited, practical minds that never do foresee the future andare usually astonished by it.”
“It seems to have taken everyone by surprise,” said Mrs. Bantry. “Addie—and Mark Gaskell too, apparently.”
Miss Marple smiled.
“I dare say he had his own fish to fry. A bold fellow with a roving eye! Not the man to go on being a sorrowingwidower for years, no matter how fond he may have been of his wife. I should think they were both restless under oldMr. Jefferson’s yoke of perpetual remembrance.
“Only,” added Miss Marple cynically, “it’s easier for gentlemen, of course.”
IV
At that very moment Mark was confirming this judgment on himself in a talk with Sir Henry Clithering.
With characteristic candour Mark had gone straight to the heart of things.
“It’s just dawned on me,” he said, “that I’m Favourite Suspect No. I to the police! They’ve been delving into myfinancial troubles. I’m broke, you know, or very nearly. If dear old Jeff dies according to schedule in a month or two,and Addie and I divide the dibs also according to schedule, all will be well. Matter of fact, I owe rather a lot … If thecrash comes it will be a big one! If I can stave it off, it will be the other way round—I shall come out on top and be avery rich man.”
Sir Henry Clithering said:
“You’re a gambler, Mark.”
“Always have been. Risk everything—that’s my motto! Yes, it’s a lucky thing for me that somebody strangled thatpoor kid. I didn’t do it. I’m not a strangler. I don’t really think I could ever murder anybody. I’m too easygoing. But Idon’t suppose I can ask the police to believe that! I must look to them like the answer to the criminal investigator’sprayer! I had a motive, was on the spot, I am not burdened with high moral scruples! I can’t imagine why I’m not inthe jug already! That Superintendent’s got a very nasty eye.”
“You’ve got that useful thing, an alibi.”
“An alibi is the fishiest thing on God’s earth! No innocent person ever has an alibi! Besides, it all depends on thetime of death, or something like that, and you may be sure if three doctors say the girl was killed at midnight, at leastsix will be found who will swear positively that she was killed at five in the morning—and where’s my alibi then?”
“At any rate, you are able to joke about it.”
“Damned bad taste, isn’t it?” said Mark cheerfully. “Actually, I’m rather scared. One is—with murder! And don’tthink I’m not sorry for old Jeff. I am. But it’s better this way—bad as the shock was—than if he’d found her out.”
“What do you mean, found her out?”
Mark winked.
“Where did she go off to last night? I’ll lay you any odds you like she went to meet a man. Jeff wouldn’t have likedthat. He wouldn’t have liked it at all. If he’d found she was deceiving him—that she wasn’t the prattling little innocentshe seemed—well—my father-in-law is an odd man. He’s a man of great self-control, but that self-control can snap.
And then—look out!”
Sir Henry glanced at him curiously.
“Are you fond of him or not?”
“I’m very fond of him—and at the same time I resent him. I’ll try and explain. Conway Jefferson is a man wholikes to control his surroundings. He’s a benevolent despot, kind, generous, and affectionate—but his is the tune, andthe others dance to his piping.”
Mark Gaskell paused.
“I loved my wife. I shall never feel the same for anyone else. Rosamund was sunshine and laughter and flowers,and when she was killed I felt just like a man in the ring who’s had a knock-out blow. But the referee’s been countinga good long time now. I’m a man, after all. I like women. I don’t want to marry again—not in the least. Well, that’s allright. I’ve had to be discreet—but I’ve had my good times all right. Poor Addie hasn’t. Addie’s a really nice woman.
She’s the kind of woman men want to marry, not to sleep with. Give her half a chance and she would marry again—and be very happy and make the chap happy too. But old Jeff saw her always as Frank’s wife—and hypnotized herinto seeing herself like that. He doesn’t know it, but we’ve been in prison. I broke out, on the quiet, a long time ago.
Addie broke out this summer—and it gave him a shock. It split up his world. Result—Ruby Keene.”
Irrepressibly he sang:
“But she is in her grave, and, oh,
The difference to me!
“Come and have a drink, Clithering.”
It was hardly surprising, Sir Henry reflected, that Mark Gaskell should be an object of suspicion to the police.
第十二章
第十二章
1康韦•杰弗逊从睡梦中醒来，舒展了一下身体。他伸开长而有力的双臂，那次事故之后，他身体的所有力量似乎都集中到了双臂上。
清晨柔和的光线透过窗帘照进来。
康韦•杰弗逊露出了微笑。在一夜的休息之后醒来，他总是觉得心情愉快、精神饱满，又恢复了活力。新的一天！
他就这样躺了一会儿，然后抬手去按那个专用的铃。突然，一阵记忆吞没了他。
爱德华兹敏捷无声地走进屋里，听到主人在呻吟。
爱德华兹拉窗帘的手停了下来，问道：“你是不是哪里感觉疼痛，先生？”
康韦•杰弗逊粗声粗气地说：
“没有，继续做你的事，把它拉开。”
明亮的光线立刻涌了进来。爱德华兹非常体贴地没去看他的主人。
康韦•杰弗逊表情冷漠，躺在那里回忆着、思考着。他眼前又浮现出鲁比那张漂亮而乏味的面孔。不过他的脑子里并没有使用“乏味”这个形容词。前一天晚上，他还会说那是单纯。一个天真、单纯的孩子！可现在呢？
一阵倦意袭来，康韦•杰弗逊闭上了眼睛，低语着：
“玛格丽特……”
那是他过世妻子的名字。
2“我喜欢你的朋友。”艾黛莱德•杰弗逊对班特里夫人说。
她们正坐在阳台上。
“简•马普尔是个不同寻常的女人。”班特里夫人说。
“人也很好。”艾迪微笑着说。
“有人说她喜欢散布丑闻，”班特里夫人说，“可她其实不是这样。”
“她只是对人性不抱乐观态度？”
“你可以这么说。”
“现在觉得精神多了，”艾黛莱德•杰弗逊说，“那件事情真是带来不少困扰。”
班特里夫人锐利的目光看向她。
艾迪辩解道：
“那么高的评价——把一个卑微的东西理想化！”
“你是在说鲁比•基恩？”
艾迪点点头。
“我不是有什么恶意，她本人也没有坏心。可怜的小耗子，必须为自己想得到的东西而奋斗。她并不坏。平庸、愚蠢，不过天性不坏，只是下定决心想要骗钱。我并不认为她刻意策划或者预谋了什么，她只是迅速抓住了机会，并且知道如何去吸引一个——呃——孤独的老人。”
“我想，”班特里夫人若有所思，“康韦很孤独吧？”
艾迪不安地动了一下，说：
“今年夏天——是的。”她犹豫了一会儿，又忽然开口说，“马克会觉得这都是我的错。
也许吧，我不知道。”
她沉默了一会儿，又抑制不住想说话的冲动，于是艰难地、很不情愿地开口说道：
“我——我的生活很不顺。我的第一个丈夫迈克•卡莫迪在我们婚后不久就去世了——当时我几乎垮掉了。你知道，彼得是遗腹子。弗兰克•杰弗逊是迈克的好朋友，所以我们常见面。他是彼得的教父——这是迈克所希望的。我非常喜欢他——而且——哦！也很遗憾。”
“遗憾？”班特里夫人显然很感兴趣，追问道。
“是的，就是这样。这听起来很奇怪。弗兰克要什么有什么。他的父母亲对他好得无以复加。可是——该怎么说呢？你看，杰弗逊先生个性太强。和他共同生活，你就不可能有自己的个性。弗兰克就是这样认为的。”
“我们结婚后他很快乐——非常快乐。杰弗逊先生很慷慨，他给了弗兰克一大笔钱——说他希望孩子们能独立，不需要等到他死后才能得到这些钱。他真是太好了——那么慷慨。但这一切太突然了。他应该一步步地让弗兰克逐渐适应独立。”
“弗兰克因此昏了头。他想和他的父亲一样出色，善于理财、照料生意，有远见，而且成功。当然，他没做到。他并没有拿那笔钱去投机，却在错误的时间把它投到了错误的地方。那太可怕了，要知道，如果你不善于理财，钱会流失得非常快。损失越多，弗兰克就越想一举捞回来，于是情况越来越糟。”
“可是，亲爱的，”班特里夫人说，“难道康韦不会给他一些建议吗？”
“他不想听。他只想靠自己的能力做好。因此我们从没告诉过杰弗逊先生。弗兰克死的时候，留下的钱很少——只给我留下很少的收入。我——我一直没让他父亲知道。你看——”
她突然回过头。
“如果告诉他，我会觉得自己背叛了弗兰克，弗兰克也一定会不高兴。杰弗逊先生病了很长时间。康复后，他以为我是一个非常富有的寡妇。我一直没告诉他，这事关荣誉。他知道我精打细算——不过他对此很赞成，觉得我是节俭的人。当然，从那以后彼得和我实际上和他住在一起，生活开支都由他负责，所以我不必担心。”
她慢慢地说：
“这些年来，我们一直像一家人——只是——只是——你明白（或是不明白？）在他看来，我从来就不是弗兰克的遗孀——而是弗兰克的妻子。”
班特里夫人领会了其中的含义。
“你是说他从没接受他们的死？”
“是的。他其实非常了不起，但他是靠着拒绝承认死亡的方式来克服自己的痛苦。马克是罗莎蒙德的丈夫，我是弗兰克的妻子，虽然弗兰克和罗莎蒙德实际上已经不和我们在一起了——但他们依然存在。”
班特里夫人轻轻地说：
“真是不同寻常的忠诚。”
“我知道。生活在继续，我们就这样过了一年又一年。可是突然——就在今年夏天——我觉得有问题了。我感觉——感觉到了叛逆。这样说很可怕，可我不愿意再去想弗兰克了！一切都过去了——我和他的爱以及伴侣情分，还有他死后留给我的悲伤。这些都曾经存在过，而现在不再继续了。”
“这种感觉很难描述。就像是抹掉一切，重新开始。我想成为我自己——艾迪，我年轻、健康，可以玩乐、游泳、跳舞——是一个活生生的人。还有雨果——你认识雨果•麦克莱恩吗？他是个可亲的人，想和我结婚。不过，我当然没有认真考虑过。可是今年夏天，我真的开始考虑这件事了——并不是认真在考虑——只是模模糊糊地……”
她停下来，摇了摇头。
“所以我想这是真的。我忽略了杰夫。并不是说真的忽略了他，只是我的心神不在他身上了。看到鲁比能让他开心，我很高兴。这能让我更自由地去做自己想做的事。我做梦也没想到——当然没想到——他会如此——如此——为她着迷！”
班特里夫人问：
“当你发觉以后又怎么样了呢？”
“我惊呆了——完全惊呆了！而且，恐怕还很生气。”
“我也会生气。”班特里夫人说。
“你知道，还有彼得。彼得的将来全靠杰夫了。杰夫实际上把他看成自己的孙子，或者这只是我一相情愿。他当然不是他的孙子，甚至连亲人都不是。一想到他将——被剥夺继承权！”她那双搁在膝盖上的漂亮结实的手微微颤抖，“这事给人的感觉就是这样——那个粗俗的、一心想发财的蠢货——哦！我真该杀了她！”
她痛苦地停了下来，漂亮的淡褐色眼睛中带着乞求般的惊恐，她看着班特里夫人，说：
“这事说起来真可怕！”
雨果•麦克莱恩从她们背后悄无声息地走过来，问道：
“什么事说起来真可怕？”
“坐下，雨果。你认识班特里夫人，对吧？”
麦克莱恩已经和她打过招呼了。他执著地低声问道：
“什么事说起来真可怕？”
艾迪•杰弗逊说：
“我希望我杀了鲁比•基恩。”
雨果•麦克莱恩想了一会儿，然后说：
“不，如果我是你，便不会这么说。这可能会造成误解。”
他那双沉静发亮的灰眼睛意味深长地看着她。
他说：
“你行事要小心，艾迪。”
语气中带有警告的意味。
3几分钟后，马普尔小姐从酒店里出来找班特里夫人，雨果•麦克莱恩和艾黛莱德•杰弗逊则沿着小路一起朝海边走去。
马普尔小姐坐下后说：
“他似乎非常执著。”
“已经执著了很多年了！他是那种男人。”
“我知道。和伯里少校一样。他追求一位英印混血寡妇，追了有十年。成了她朋友圈里的笑柄！最后她终于同意了——然而，在离结婚还有十天的时候，她和司机私奔了！那也是个非常好的女人，做事一向稳重。”
“人有时候确实会做些奇怪的事。”班特里夫人表示同意，“简，你刚才要是在场就好了。艾迪•杰弗逊跟我说了她的一切——她丈夫如何败光了所有的钱，还一直不让杰弗逊先生知道。然后又说今年夏天，她觉得一切都变了——”
马普尔小姐点点头。
“是的。我想她开始反叛了，不愿意继续被迫生活在过去。毕竟，任何事情都有期限。
你不能永远坐在与世隔绝的屋子里。我估计杰弗逊夫人拉开了窗帘，脱掉了寡妇的丧服。
当然，她公公很不高兴。他觉得自己被忽略了，不再受到重视，不过我认为他根本没意识到是谁造成了这样的后果。总之，他对此肯定很不高兴。所以，像巴杰尔老先生一样，妻子开始学习招魂术时，他也开始等待时机。任何一个愿意认真听他说话的漂亮姑娘都可以。”
“你有没有想过，”班特里夫人问，“是她的表姐乔西刻意安排她来的？也就是说，这是有预谋的？”
马普尔小姐摇摇头。
“不，我完全不这么看。我觉得乔西的头脑还不足以预测人的反应。她在这方面很迟钝。她很精明实际，但眼界狭隘，不可能预见未来，而且常常被事情的发展弄得手足无措。”
“似乎每个人都对此手足无措。”班特里夫人说，“艾迪——显然还有马克•加斯克尔。”
马普尔小姐笑了。
“我敢说他有自己的目标。一个胆大妄为的家伙！眼神闪烁不定。无论以前多爱他妻子，他都不是那种能服丧鳏居几年的男人。我认为，在老杰弗逊先生永恒记忆的束缚下，这两个人都不很安分。”
“只是，”马普尔小姐用嘲讽的语气补充了一句，“对男人来说显然更容易些。”
4就在这时，马克与亨利•克利瑟林爵士的谈话证实了这个判断。
马克以他特有的坦率直奔问题的核心。
“我刚刚才知道，”他说，“我是警方的头号嫌疑人！他们正在调查我的财务困境。你知道，我破产了，或者说几乎破产。如果亲爱的老杰夫像预期的那样在一两个月后去世，艾迪和我也能如预期的那样分到财产，那就平安无事了。实际上，我欠了很多债……如果垮了，就会不可收拾。如果能避免，情况就会完全不同——到时我会出人头地，成为一个富翁。”
亨利•克利瑟林爵士说：
“你是个赌鬼，马克。”
“一直都是。敢冒任何风险——这就是我的座右铭！是的，有人勒死了那个孩子，对于我是件幸运的事。这不是我干的。我没有杀人。我想我也杀不了任何人。我太随和了。不过我恐怕无法让警方相信这一点！我只能指望犯罪调查员的结果对我有利。我有动机，也在场，我没有道德规范的约束！无法想象我现在居然不是在监狱里！那个警司的眼神非常凌厉。”
“你有个有用的东西，不在场证据。”
“不在场证据是世界上最脆弱的东西！无辜的人从来都没有不在场证据！而且，现在完全依靠死亡时间，或类似的东西。我敢肯定，如果有三个医生说那女孩是在午夜被杀的，那么至少可以找到六个医生发誓说她是清晨五点被害的——我那个时间的不在场证据又在哪里？”
“无论如何，拿它开玩笑还是可以的。”
“非常粗俗，是不是？”马克开心地说，“实际上，我非常害怕。这人——和谋杀有关！
别以为我不为老杰夫难过。我很难过。不过比起查清她的底细，这个结果其实更好——虽然对他的打击很大。”
“你这是什么意思，查清她的底细？”
马克眨了眨眼。
“那天晚上她去了哪里？我敢打赌，她肯定是去见一个男人，赌什么都可以。杰夫不会高兴的，肯定不会高兴。如果他发现她在欺骗他——发现她不是那个表面天真无邪的小女孩——呃——我岳父是个性情古怪的人。他有着极强的自制力，不过那种自制力也会崩溃。到时候——可要小心了！”
亨利爵士好奇地看了他一眼。
“那你喜不喜欢他？”
“我很喜欢他——不过同时又恨他。这么说不知道你能不能明白，康韦•杰弗逊这个人喜欢控制周围的一切。他是一位君主，善良、慷慨、仁慈——但要由他来定基调，其他人都得跟着他的节奏舞蹈。”
马克•加斯克尔停了一下，继续说道：
“我爱我妻子，再也不会对任何人有那样的感觉。罗莎蒙德是阳光、欢笑和鲜花，她死的时候我觉得自己就像一个在场上被击倒的拳手。可事到如今，裁判倒数的时间已经太长了。毕竟，我是个男人。我喜欢女人。我不想再结婚了——完全不想。嗯，这样就很好。
我得小心谨慎——不过，日子过得也不错。可怜的艾迪就不行了。艾迪是一个真正的好女人，是那种男人愿意娶她、而不仅仅是一起上床的女人。哪怕给她一半的机会，她就会再结婚——会很快乐，而且让对方也很快乐。然而老杰夫总把她视为弗兰克的妻子——并且迫使她也这么想。他自己不知道，但这让我们感觉像在坐牢。很久以前，我就悄悄越狱了。艾迪今年夏天也逃出来了——带给他不小的震动。他的世界垮了。结果是——鲁比•基恩。”
他情不自禁地唱道：
可是她在坟墓里，哦，和我大相径庭！
“来吧，我们去喝一杯，克利瑟林。”
亨利爵士想，要是马克•加斯克尔不被警方怀疑，那才怪呢。
Chapter Thirteen
Thirteen
ID r. Metcalf was one of the best-known physicians in Danemouth. He had no aggressive bedside manner, but hispresence in the sick room had an invariably cheering effect. He was middle-aged, with a quiet pleasant voice.
He listened carefully to Superintendent Harper and replied to his questions with gentle precision.
Harper said:
“Then I can take it, Doctor Metcalf, that what I was told by Mrs. Jefferson was substantially correct?”
“Yes, Mr. Jefferson’s health is in a precarious state. For several years now the man has been driving himselfruthlessly. In his determination to live like other men, he has lived at a far greater pace than the normal man of his age.
He has refused to rest, to take things easy, to go slow—or any of the other phrases with which I and his other medicaladvisers have tendered our opinion. The result is that the man is an overworked engine. Heart, lungs, blood pressure—they’re all overstrained.”
“You say Mr. Jefferson has absolutely refused to listen?”
“Yes. I don’t know that I blame him. It’s not what I say to my patients, Superintendent, but a man may as wellwear out as rust out. A lot of my colleagues do that, and take it from me it’s not a bad way. In a place like Danemouthone sees most of the other thing: invalids clinging to life, terrified of over-exerting themselves, terrified of a breath ofdraughty air, of a stray germ, of an injudicious meal!”
“I expect that’s true enough,” said Superintendent Harper. “What it amounts to, then, is this: Conway Jefferson isstrong enough, physically speaking—or, I suppose I mean, muscularly speaking. Just what can he do in the active line,by the way?”
“He has immense strength in his arms and shoulders. He was a powerful man before his accident. He is extremelydexterous in his handling of his wheeled chair, and with the aid of crutches he can move himself about a room—fromhis bed to the chair, for instance.”
“Isn’t it possible for a man injured as Mr. Jefferson was to have artificial legs?”
“Not in his case. There was a spine injury.”
“I see. Let me sum up again. Jefferson is strong and fit in the muscular sense. He feels well and all that?”
Metcalf nodded.
“But his heart is in a bad condition. Any overstrain or exertion, or a shock or a sudden fright, and he might pop off.
Is that it?”
“More or less. Over-exertion is killing him slowly, because he won’t give in when he feels tired. That aggravatesthe cardiac condition. It is unlikely that exertion would kill him suddenly. But a sudden shock or fright might easily doso. That is why I expressly warned his family.”
Superintendent Harper said slowly:
“But in actual fact a shock didn’t kill him. I mean, doctor, that there couldn’t have been a much worse shock thanthis business, and he’s still alive?”
Dr. Metcalf shrugged his shoulders.
“I know. But if you’d had my experience, Superintendent, you’d know that case history shows the impossibility ofprognosticating accurately. People who ought to die of shock and exposure don’t die of shock and exposure, etc., etc.
The human frame is tougher than one can imagine possible. Moreover, in my experience, a physical shock is moreoften fatal than a mental shock. In plain language, a door banging suddenly would be more likely to kill Mr. Jeffersonthan the discovery that a girl he was fond of had died in a particularly horrible manner.”
“Why is that, I wonder?”
“The breaking of a piece of bad news nearly always sets up a defence reaction. It numbs the recipient. They areunable—at first—to take it in. Full realization takes a little time. But the banged door, someone jumping out of acupboard, the sudden onslaught of a motor as you cross a road—all those things are immediate in their action. Theheart gives a terrified leap—to put it in layman’s language.”
Superintendent Harper said slowly:
“But as far as anyone would know, Mr. Jefferson’s death might easily have been caused by the shock of the girl’sdeath?”
“Oh, easily.” The doctor looked curiously at the other. “You don’t think—”
“I don’t know what I think,” said Superintendent Harper vexedly.
II
“But you’ll admit, sir, that the two things would fit in very prettily together,” he said a little later to Sir HenryClithering. “Kill two birds with one stone. First the girl—and the fact of her death takes off Mr. Jefferson too—beforehe’s had any opportunity of altering his will.”
“Do you think he will alter it?”
“You’d be more likely to know that, sir, than I would. What do you say?”
“I don’t know. Before Ruby Keene came on the scene I happen to know that he had left his money between MarkGaskell and Mrs. Jefferson. I don’t see why he should now change his mind about that. But of course he might do so.
Might leave it to a Cats’ Home, or to subsidize young professional dancers.”
Superintendent Harper agreed.
“You never know what bee a man is going to get in his bonnet—especially when he doesn’t feel there’s any moralobligation in the disposal of his fortune. No blood relations in this case.”
Sir Henry said:
“He is fond of the boy—of young Peter.”
“D’you think he regards him as a grandson? You’d know that better than I would, sir.”
Sir Henry said slowly:
“No, I don’t think so.”
“There’s another thing I’d like to ask you, sir. It’s a thing I can’t judge for myself. But they’re friends of yours andso you’d know. I’d like very much to know just how fond Mr. Jefferson is of Mr. Gaskell and young Mrs. Jefferson.”
Sir Henry frowned.
“I’m not sure if I understand you, Superintendent?”
“Well, it’s this way, sir. How fond is he of them as persons—apart from his relationship to them?”
“Ah, I see what you mean.”
“Yes, sir. Nobody doubts that he was very attached to them both—but he was attached to them, as I see it, becausethey were, respectively, the husband and the wife of his daughter and his son. But supposing, for instance, one of themhad married again?”
Sir Henry reflected. He said:
“It’s an interesting point you raise there. I don’t know. I’m inclined to suspect—this is a mere opinion—that itwould have altered his attitude a good deal. He would have wished them well, borne no rancour, but I think, yes, Irather think that he would have taken very little more interest in them.”
“In both cases, sir?”
“I think so, yes. In Mr. Gaskell’s, almost certainly, and I rather think in Mrs. Jefferson’s also, but that’s not nearlyso certain. I think he was fond of her for her own sake.”
“Sex would have something to do with that,” said Superintendent Harper sapiently. “Easier for him to look on heras a daughter than to look on Mr. Gaskell as a son. It works both ways. Women accept a son-in-law as one of thefamily easily enough, but there aren’t many times when a woman looks on her son’s wife as a daughter.”
Superintendent Harper went on:
“Mind if we walk along this path, sir, to the tennis court? I see Miss Marple’s sitting there. I want to ask her to dosomething for me. As a matter of fact I want to rope you both in.”
“In what way, Superintendent?”
“To get at stuff that I can’t get at myself. I want you to tackle Edwards for me, sir.”
“Edwards? What do you want from him?”
“Everything you can think of! Everything he knows and what he thinks! About the relations between the variousmembers of the family, his angle on the Ruby Keene business. Inside stuff. He knows better than anyone the state ofaffairs—you bet he does! And he wouldn’t tell me. But he’ll tell you. And something might turn up from it. That is, ofcourse, if you don’t object?”
Sir Henry said grimly:
“I don’t object. I’ve been sent for, urgently, to get at the truth. I mean to do my utmost.”
He added:
“How do you want Miss Marple to help you?”
“With some girls. Some of those Girl Guides. We’ve rounded up half a dozen or so, the ones who were mostfriendly with Pamela Reeves. It’s possible that they may know something. You see, I’ve been thinking. It seems to methat if that girl was really going to Woolworth’s she would have tried to persuade one of the other girls to go with her.
Girls usually like to shop with someone.”
“Yes, I think that’s true.”
“So I think it’s possible that Woolworth’s was only an excuse. I want to know where the girl was really going. Shemay have let slip something. If so, I feel Miss Marple’s the person to get it out of these girls. I’d say she knows a thingor two about girls—more than I do. And, anyway, they’d be scared of the police.”
“It sounds to me the kind of village domestic problem that is right up Miss Marple’s street. She’s very sharp, youknow.”
The Superintendent smiled. He said:
“I’ll say you’re right. Nothing much gets past her.” Miss Marple looked up at their approach and welcomed themeagerly. She listened to the Superintendent’s request and at once acquiesced.
“I should like to help you very much, Superintendent, and I think that perhaps I could be of some use. What withthe Sunday School, you know, and the Brownies, and our Guides, and the Orphanage quite near — I’m on thecommittee, you know, and often run in to have a little talk with Matron—and then servants—I usually have veryyoung maids. Oh, yes, I’ve quite a lot of experience in when a girl is speaking the truth and when she is holdingsomething back.”
“In fact, you’re an expert,” said Sir Henry.
Miss Marple flashed him a reproachful glance and said:
“Oh, please don’t laugh at me, Sir Henry.”
“I shouldn’t dream of laughing at you. You’ve had the laugh of me too many times.”
“One does see so much evil in a village,” murmured Miss Marple in an explanatory voice.
“By the way,” said Sir Henry, “I’ve cleared up one point you asked me about. The Superintendent tells me thatthere were nail clippings in Ruby’s wastepaper basket.”
Miss Marple said thoughtfully:
“There were? Then that’s that….”
“Why did you want to know, Miss Marple?” asked the Superintendent.
Miss Marple said:
“It was one of the things that—well, that seemed wrong when I looked at the body. The hands were wrong,somehow, and I couldn’t at first think why. Then I realized that girls who are very much made-up, and all that, usuallyhave very long fingernails. Of course, I know that girls everywhere do bite their nails—it’s one of those habits that arevery hard to break oneself of. But vanity often does a lot to help. Still, I presumed that this girl hadn’t cured herself.
And then the little boy—Peter, you know—he said something which showed that her nails had been long, only shecaught one and broke it. So then, of course, she might have trimmed off the rest to make an even appearance, and Iasked about clippings and Sir Henry said he’d find out.”
Sir Henry remarked:
“You said just now, ‘one of the things that seemed wrong when you looked at the body.’ Was there somethingelse?”
Miss Marple nodded vigorously.
“Oh yes!” she said. “There was the dress. The dress was all wrong.”
Both men looked at her curiously.
“Now why?” said Sir Henry.
“Well, you see, it was an old dress. Josie said so, definitely, and I could see for myself that it was shabby and ratherworn. Now that’s all wrong.”
“I don’t see why.”
Miss Marple got a little pink.
“Well, the idea is, isn’t it, that Ruby Keene changed her dress and went off to meet someone on whom shepresumably had what my young nephews call a ‘crush’?”
The Superintendent’s eyes twinkled a little.
“That’s the theory. She’d got a date with someone—a boy friend, as the saying goes.”
“Then why,” demanded Miss Marple, “was she wearing an old dress?”
The Superintendent scratched his head thoughtfully. He said:
“I see your point. You think she’d wear a new one?”
“I think she’d wear her best dress. Girls do.”
Sir Henry interposed.
“Yes, but look here, Miss Marple. Suppose she was going outside to this rendezvous. Going in an open car,perhaps, or walking in some rough going. Then she’d not want to risk messing a new frock and she’d put on an oldone.”
“That would be the sensible thing to do,” agreed the Superintendent.
Miss Marple turned on him. She spoke with animation.
“The sensible thing to do would be to change into trousers and a pullover, or into tweeds. That, of course (I don’twant to be snobbish, but I’m afraid it’s unavoidable), that’s what a girl of—of our class would do.
“A well-bred girl,” continued Miss Marple, warming to her subject, “is always very particular to wear the rightclothes for the right occasion. I mean, however hot the day was, a well-bred girl would never turn up at a point-to-point in a silk flowered frock.”
“And the correct wear to meet a lover?” demanded Sir Henry.
“If she were meeting him inside the hotel or somewhere where evening dress was worn, she’d wear her bestevening frock, of course—but outside she’d feel she’d look ridiculous in evening dress and she’d wear her mostattractive sportswear.”
“Granted, Fashion Queen, but the girl Ruby—”
Miss Marple said:
“Ruby, of course, wasn’t—well, to put it bluntly—Ruby wasn’t a lady. She belonged to the class that wear theirbest clothes however unsuitable to the occasion. Last year, you know, we had a picnic outing at Scrantor Rocks.
You’d be surprised at the unsuitable clothes the girls wore. Foulard dresses and patent shoes and quite elaborate hats,some of them. For climbing about over rocks and in gorse and heather. And the young men in their best suits. Ofcourse, hiking’s different again. That’s practically a uniform—and girls don’t seem to realize that shorts are veryunbecoming unless they are very slender.”
The Superintendent said slowly:
“And you think that Ruby Keene—?”
“I think that she’d have kept on the frock she was wearing—her best pink one. She’d only have changed it if she’dhad something newer still.”
Superintendent Harper said:
“And what’s your explanation, Miss Marple?”
Miss Marple said:
“I haven’t got one—yet. But I can’t help feeling that it’s important….”
III
Inside the wire cage, the tennis lesson that Raymond Starr was giving had come to an end.
A stout middle-aged woman uttered a few appreciative squeaks, picked up a sky-blue cardigan and went offtowards the hotel.
Raymond called out a few gay words after her.
Then he turned towards the bench where the three onlookers were sitting. The balls dangled in a net in his hand, hisracquet was under one arm. The gay, laughing expression on his face was wiped off as though by a sponge from aslate. He looked tired and worried.
Coming towards them, he said: “That’s over.”
Then the smile broke out again, that charming, boyish, expressive smile that went so harmoniously with hissuntanned face and dark lithe grace.
Sir Henry found himself wondering how old the man was. Twenty-five, thirty, thirty-five? It was impossible to say.
Raymond said, shaking his head a little:
“She’ll never be able to play, you know.”
“All this must be very boring for you,” said Miss Marple.
Raymond said simply:
“It is, sometimes. Especially at the end of the summer. For a time the thought of the pay buoys you up, but eventhat fails to stimulate imagination in the end!”
Superintendent Harper got up. He said abruptly:
“I’ll call for you in half an hour’s time, Miss Marple, if that will be all right?”
“Perfectly, thank you. I shall be ready.”
Harper went off. Raymond stood looking after him. Then he said: “Mind if I sit here for a bit?”
“Do,” said Sir Henry. “Have a cigarette?” He offered his case, wondering as he did so why he had a slight feelingof prejudice against Raymond Starr. Was it simply because he was a professional tennis coach and dancer? If so, itwasn’t the tennis—it was the dancing. The English, Sir Henry decided, had a distrust for any man who danced toowell! This fellow moved with too much grace! Ramon—Raymond—which was his name? Abruptly, he asked thequestion.
The other seemed amused.
“Ramon was my original professional name. Ramon and Josie—Spanish effect, you know. Then there was rather aprejudice against foreigners—so I became Raymond—very British—”
Miss Marple said:
“And is your real name something quite different?”
He smiled at her.
“Actually my real name is Ramon. I had an Argentine grandmother, you see—” (And that accounts for that swingfrom the hips, thought Sir Henry parenthetically.) “But my first name is Thomas. Painfully prosaic.”
He turned to Sir Henry.
“You come from Devonshire, don’t you, sir? From Stane? My people lived down that way. At Alsmonston.”
Sir Henry’s face lit up.
“Are you one of the Alsmonston Starrs? I didn’t realize that.”
“No—I don’t suppose you would.”
There was a slight bitterness in his voice.
Sir Henry said awkwardly:
“Bad luck—er—all that.”
“The place being sold up after it had been in the family for three hundred years? Yes, it was rather. Still, our kindhave to go, I suppose. We’ve outlived our usefulness. My elder brother went to New York. He’s in publishing—doingwell. The rest of us are scattered up and down the earth. I’ll say it’s hard to get a job nowadays when you’ve nothingto say for yourself except that you’ve had a public-school education! Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you get taken on as areception clerk at an hotel. The tie and the manner are an asset there. The only job I could get was showman in aplumbing establishment. Selling superb peach and lemon-coloured porcelain baths. Enormous showrooms, but as Inever knew the price of the damned things or how soon we could deliver them—I got fired.
“The only things I could do were dance and play tennis. I got taken on at an hotel on the Riviera. Good pickingsthere. I suppose I was doing well. Then I overheard an old Colonel, real old Colonel, incredibly ancient, British to thebackbone and always talking about Poona. He went up to the manager and said at the top of his voice:
“‘Where’s the gigolo? I want to get hold of the gigolo. My wife and daughter want to dance, yer know. Where isthe feller? What does he sting yer for? It’s the gigolo I want.’”
Raymond went on:
“Silly to mind—but I did. I chucked it. Came here. Less pay but pleasanter work. Mostly teaching tennis to rotundwomen who will never, never, never be able to play. That and dancing with the neglected wallflower daughters of richclients. Oh well, it’s life, I suppose. Excuse today’s hard-luck story!”
He laughed. His teeth flashed out white, his eyes crinkled up at the corners. He looked suddenly healthy and happyand very much alive.
Sir Henry said:
“I’m glad to have a chat with you. I’ve been wanting to talk with you.”
“About Ruby Keene? I can’t help you, you know. I don’t know who killed her. I knew very little about her. Shedidn’t confide in me.”
Miss Marple said: “Did you like her?”
“Not particularly. I didn’t dislike her.”
His voice was careless, uninterested.
Sir Henry said:
“So you’ve no suggestions to offer?”
“I’m afraid not … I’d have told Harper if I had. It just seems to me one of those things! Petty, sordid little crime—no clues, no motive.”
“Two people had a motive,” said Miss Marple.
Sir Henry looked at her sharply.
“Really?” Raymond looked surprised.
Miss Marple looked insistently at Sir Henry and he said rather unwillingly:
“Her death probably benefits Mrs. Jefferson and Mr. Gaskell to the amount of fifty thousand pounds.”
“What?” Raymond looked really startled—more than startled—upset. “Oh, but that’s absurd—absolutely absurd—Mrs. Jefferson—neither of them—could have had anything to do with it. It would be incredible to think of such athing.”
Miss Marple coughed. She said gently:
“I’m afraid, you know, you’re rather an idealist.”
“I?” he laughed. “Not me! I’m a hard-boiled cynic.”
“Money,” said Miss Marple, “is a very powerful motive.”
“Perhaps,” Raymond said hotly. “But that either of those two would strangle a girl in cold blood—” He shook hishead.
Then he got up.
“Here’s Mrs. Jefferson now. Come for her lesson. She’s late.” His voice sounded amused. “Ten minutes late!”
Adelaide Jefferson and Hugo McLean were walking rapidly down the path towards them.
With a smiling apology for her lateness, Addie Jefferson went on to the court. McLean sat down on the bench.
After a polite inquiry whether Miss Marple minded a pipe, he lit it and puffed for some minutes in silence, watchingcritically the two white figures about the tennis court.
He said at last:
“Can’t see what Addie wants to have lessons for. Have a game, yes. No one enjoys it better than I do. But whylessons?”
“Wants to improve her game,” said Sir Henry.
“She’s not a bad player,” said Hugo. “Good enough, at all events. Dash it all, she isn’t aiming to play atWimbledon.”
He was silent for a minute or two. Then he said:
“Who is this Raymond fellow? Where do they come from, these pros? Fellow looks like a dago to me.”
“He’s one of the Devonshire Starrs,” said Sir Henry.
“What? Not really?”
Sir Henry nodded. It was clear that this news was unpleasing to Hugo McLean. He scowled more than ever.
He said: “Don’t know why Addie sent for me. She seems not to have turned a hair over this business! Never lookedbetter. Why send for me?”
Sir Henry asked with some curiosity:
“When did she send for you?”
“Oh—er—when all this happened.”
“How did you hear? Telephone or telegram?”
“Telegram.”
“As a matter of curiosity, when was it sent off?”
“Well—I don’t know exactly.”
“What time did you receive it?”
“I didn’t exactly receive it. It was telephoned on to me—as a matter of fact.”
“Why, where were you?”
“Fact is, I’d left London the afternoon before. I was staying at Danebury Head.”
“What—quite near here?”
“Yes, rather funny, wasn’t it? Got the message when I got in from a round of golf and came over here at once.”
Miss Marple gazed at him thoughtfully. He looked hot and uncomfortable. She said: “I’ve heard it’s very pleasantat Danebury Head, and not very expensive.”
“No, it’s not expensive. I couldn’t afford it if it was. It’s a nice little place.”
“We must drive over there one day,” said Miss Marple.
“Eh? What? Oh—er—yes, I should.” He got up. “Better take some exercise—get an appetite.”
He walked away stiffly.
“Women,” said Sir Henry, “treat their devoted admirers very badly.”
Miss Marple smiled but made no answer.
“Does he strike you as rather a dull dog?” asked Sir Henry. “I’d be interested to know.”
“A little limited in his ideas, perhaps,” said Miss Marple. “But with possibilities, I think — oh, definitelypossibilities.”
Sir Henry in his turn got up.
“It’s time for me to go and do my stuff. I see Mrs. Bantry is on her way to keep you company.”
IV
Mrs. Bantry arrived breathless and sat down with a gasp.
She said:
“I’ve been talking to chambermaids. But it isn’t any good. I haven’t found out a thing more! Do you think that girlcan really have been carrying on with someone without everybody in the hotel knowing all about it?”
“That’s a very interesting point, dear. I should say, definitely not. Somebody knows, depend upon it, if it’s true! Butshe must have been very clever about it.”
Mrs. Bantry’s attention had strayed to the tennis court. She said approvingly:
“Addie’s tennis is coming on a lot. Attractive young man, that tennis pro. Addie’s looking quite nice-looking.
She’s still an attractive woman—I shouldn’t be at all surprised if she married again.”
“She’ll be a rich woman, too, when Mr. Jefferson dies,” said Miss Marple.
“Oh, don’t always have such a nasty mind, Jane! Why haven’t you solved this mystery yet? We don’t seem to begetting on at all. I thought you’d know at once.” Mrs. Bantry’s tone held reproach.
“No, no, dear. I didn’t know at once—not for some time.”
Mrs. Bantry turned startled and incredulous eyes on her.
“You mean you know now who killed Ruby Keene?”
“Oh yes,” said Miss Marple, “I know that!”
“But Jane, who is it? Tell me at once.”
Miss Marple shook her head very firmly and pursed up her lips.
“I’m sorry, Dolly, but that wouldn’t do at all.”
“Why wouldn’t it do?”
“Because you’re so indiscreet. You would go round telling everyone—or, if you didn’t tell, you’d hint.”
“No, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t tell a soul.”
“People who use that phrase are always the last to live up to it. It’s no good, dear. There’s a long way to go yet. Agreat many things that are quite obscure. You remember when I was so against letting Mrs. Partridge collect for theRed Cross, and I couldn’t say why. The reason was that her nose had twitched in just the same way that that maid ofmine, Alice, twitched her nose when I sent her out to pay the books. Always paid them a shilling or so short, and said‘it could go on to the next week’s account,’ which, of course, was exactly what Mrs. Partridge did, only on a muchlarger scale. Seventy-five pounds it was she embezzled.”
“Never mind Mrs. Partridge,” said Mrs. Bantry.
“But I had to explain to you. And if you care I’ll give you a hint. The trouble in this case is that everybody has beenmuch too credulous and believing. You simply cannot afford to believe everything that people tell you. When there’sanything fishy about, I never believe anyone at all! You see, I know human nature so well.”
Mrs. Bantry was silent for a minute or two. Then she said in a different tone of voice:
“I told you, didn’t I, that I didn’t see why I shouldn’t enjoy myself over this case. A real murder in my own house!
The sort of thing that will never happen again.”
“I hope not,” said Miss Marple.
“Well, so do I, really. Once is enough. But it’s my murder, Jane; I want to enjoy myself over it.”
Miss Marple shot a glance at her.
Mrs. Bantry said belligerently:
“Don’t you believe that?”
Miss Marple said sweetly:
“Of course, Dolly, if you tell me so.”
“Yes, but you never believe what people tell you, do you? You’ve just said so. Well, you’re quite right.” Mrs.
Bantry’s voice took on a sudden bitter note. She said: “I’m not altogether a fool. You may think, Jane, that I don’tknow what they’re saying all over St. Mary Mead—all over the county! They’re saying, one and all, that there’s nosmoke without fire, that if the girl was found in Arthur’s library, then Arthur must know something about it. They’resaying that the girl was Arthur’s mistress—that she was his illegitimate daughter—that she was blackmailing him.
They’re saying anything that comes into their damned heads! And it will go on like that! Arthur won’t realize it at first—he won’t know what’s wrong. He’s such a dear old stupid that he’d never believe people would think things likethat about him. He’ll be cold-shouldered and looked at askance (whatever that means!) and it will dawn on him littleby little and suddenly he’ll be horrified and cut to the soul, and he’ll fasten up like a clam and just endure, day afterday, in misery.
“It’s because of all that’s going to happen to him that I’ve come here to ferret out every single thing about it that Ican! This murder’s got to be solved! If it isn’t, then Arthur’s whole life will be wrecked—and I won’t have thathappen. I won’t! I won’t! I won’t!”
She paused for a minute and said:
“I won’t have the dear old boy go through hell for something he didn’t do. That’s the only reason I came toDanemouth and left him alone at home—to find out the truth.”
“I know, dear,” said Miss Marple. “That’s why I’m here too.”
第十三章
第十三章
1梅特卡夫医生是丹尼茅斯最著名的外科医生之一。他对病人谦和有礼，总能让病房里的气氛轻松愉快。是个嗓音温和悦耳的中年人。
他仔细聆听哈珀警司说话，并且平和准确地回答他的问题。
哈珀说：
“梅特卡夫医生，这么说，我可以确定杰弗逊夫人的话是真实的？”
“是的，杰弗逊先生的健康状况不稳定。近几年，他一直在无情地驱赶自己。他要和其他人过一样的生活，因此生活节奏比健康的同龄人快得多。他拒绝休息、放松、慢节奏——完全不接受我和他的医疗顾问提出的任何建议。结果，他成了一台过度使用的机器。
他的心脏、肺、血压全都超负荷。”
“你是说杰弗逊先生完全听不进别人的话？”
“是的。我没有责备过他，我从不对病人说这样的话，警司，但是一个人与其荒废，确实还不如忙得筋疲力尽。我的很多同事都是这样，而且我知道这个方法并不坏。在丹尼茅斯这样的地方，人们看到的大都是另一种情况：患病的人牢牢地抓住生命，他们害怕让自己过于劳累，害怕流动的空气和四处散落的细菌，甚至连吃一顿饭都会犹豫不决！”
“我觉得确实如此。”哈珀警司说，“这就是说，从身体方面来看，康韦•杰弗逊还很健壮——或者应该说肌肉强壮。对了，他精神好的时候可以做什么？”
“他的手臂和肩膀力量很强。空难之前他就是个很强健的人。他可以灵巧地操纵轮椅，依靠拐杖可以自己在房间里活动——比如从床挪到椅子上。”
“像杰弗逊先生这样受过伤的病人不能安假肢吗？”
“他不行。他的脊椎骨被损坏了。”
“原来是这样。我再总结一下。从体格方面来看，杰弗逊健康强壮。他自己感觉很好，是这样吗？”
梅特卡夫点点头。
“但他的心脏状况不好。任何紧张或劳累、震惊、惊恐都可能导致他猝死。是这样吗？”
“基本是这样。过度的劳累正在慢慢杀死他，因为他疲劳的时候也不休息。这让他的心脏病更加恶化。疲劳不可能导致他猝死，但突如其来的震惊或者惊恐则很容易导致这种结果。因此我已经明确提醒过他的家人。”
哈珀警司慢慢地说：
“然而，事实上震惊并没有夺走他的生命。医生，我的意思是，他还活着，不可能有比这更令人震惊的事了，对吧？”
梅特卡夫医生耸耸肩。
“我知道。不过，警司，如果你有我的经验，就会知道很多病例确实无法准确预测。本该死于震惊和寒冷的人，却没有因震惊和寒冷而死等等，不胜枚举。人体比我们想象中的要坚韧得多。而且，从我的经验来看，身体上的打击通常比精神上的打击更加致命。简单地说，与得知自己喜爱的女孩死于非命相比，突然的摔门声对杰弗逊先生来说更加致命。”
“这是为什么呢？”
“突如其来的消息通常都能引起听者的防御性反应，让听者麻木。起初，他们无法接受。需要一点儿时间彻底弄清事情的原委。可是砰的摔门声、从壁橱里突然跳出一个人、过马路时一辆车疾驰而过——这些都是即发行为。用外行的话讲——吓得心都快跳出来了。”
哈珀警司慢慢地说：
“不过每个人都知道，那女孩的死所带来的震惊或许会轻易要了杰弗逊先生的命？”
“哦，很容易。”医生好奇地看着对方，“你不会是想——”
“我不知道我在想什么。”哈珀警司恼怒地说。
2“然而你必须承认，长官，这两件事非常吻合，”稍晚时候他这样告诉亨利•克利瑟林爵士，“一石二鸟。先是那个女孩——她的死同时会带走杰弗逊先生——在他有机会更改遗嘱之前。”
“你认为他会更改遗嘱？”
“这个你应该比我更清楚，长官。你认为呢？”
“我不知道。鲁比•基恩出现之前，我无意中得知他已经把钱留给了马克•加斯克尔和杰弗逊夫人。我不理解他现在为什么要改变主意，不过当然有可能这样做。也许他会把钱留给某个动物收容所，或是捐助给年轻的职业舞蹈演员。”
哈珀警司表示同意。
“你永远猜不到一个男人的脑子里究竟装了什么——尤其是他处理钱财而不必考虑道德义务的时候。这件事的背景是他们没有血缘关系。”
亨利爵士说：
“他喜欢那个男孩——小彼得。”
“你觉得他把彼得视为自己的孙子吗？这一点你比我更清楚，长官。”
亨利爵士慢慢说：
“不，我不这么认为。”
“还有一件事想问你，长官。我个人无法判断。可他们是你的朋友，所以你知道。我很想了解一下，杰弗逊先生到底有多喜欢加斯克尔先生和小杰弗逊夫人。”
亨利爵士皱起眉头。
“我不能确定你究竟是什么意思，警司？”
“呃，是这样的，长官。抛开他们之间的关系不谈，如果他们是普通人，他有那么喜欢他们吗？”
“啊，我懂你的意思了。”
“是的，长官。没有人怀疑他非常依恋他们两个——但是，在我看来，他依恋他们是因为他们分别是他女儿的丈夫和儿子的妻子。不过，如果他们之中有谁再婚呢？”
亨利爵士想了想，说：
“你提的这个问题很有意思。我不知道。我倾向于怀疑——这只是一种看法——这会使他的态度有很大改变。他会祝福他们，不会心存怨恨，不过我认为，他也不会对他们有更多的兴趣。”
“对两个人都是这样吗，长官？”
“我想是的。对加斯克尔先生的态度几乎可以肯定是这样，而且我认为对杰弗逊夫人也是如此，不过不这么肯定。我觉得他很喜欢她。”
“这和性别有关。”哈珀警司故作聪明地说，“对杰弗逊先生来说，把她当女儿比把加斯克尔先生当儿子更容易。反过来也一样。女人很容易接受女婿，而很少把儿媳看成女儿。”
哈珀警司继续说：
“长官，你介意和我一起沿着这条小路去网球场吗？我看见马普尔小姐坐在那里。我想请她帮个忙，事实是，我想请你们两个都来。”
“什么事，警司？”
“弄到一些我弄不到的消息。我想请你代我去查问爱德华兹，长官。”
“爱德华兹？你想从他那里知道些什么？”
“任何你能想到的事！他知道的一切以及他的想法！关于各个家庭成员之间的关系，他对鲁比•基恩这件事的看法，内部信息。他比任何人更了解事情的来龙去脉——他肯定知道！他不会对我说，但他会跟你说。我们也许能因此发现什么。当然，如果你不反对的话。”
亨利爵士严肃地说：
“我不反对。我匆忙赶到这里就是为了弄清真相。我会尽最大努力。”
他又补充道：
“你想让马普尔小姐怎么帮你呢？”
“是几个女孩，女童子军。我们已经找来了六个左右，都是帕米拉•里夫斯生前来往最密切的好友。她们很可能知道些什么。你看，我一直在想，如果那女孩真的要去伍尔沃思，她应该会找另一个女孩和她一起去。女孩通常喜欢一起结伴购物。”
“是的，我想确实如此。”
“所以我觉得伍尔沃思可能只是个借口。我想知道这个女孩真正去了什么地方。她可能会无意中透露了什么。如果是这样，若是有人能从这些女孩身上问出来，那人应该是马普尔小姐。我得说，她比较了解女孩——比我了解。再说，这些女孩害怕警察。”
“听起来，马普尔小姐最善于处理乡下的地方性案件。你知道，她非常敏锐。”
警司笑了，他说：
“你说得对。几乎没什么事能逃过她的眼睛。”
马普尔小姐看见他们过来，抬起头热情地打招呼。听了警司的要求，她答应了。
“我非常愿意帮忙，警司，而且我觉得我应该能做点儿什么。凡是关于主日学校、小女童子军和我们的女童子军，附近的孤儿院的事——你知道，我是委员会的成员，经常和主妇交流——还有仆人——通常是非常年轻的女佣。我一眼就能看出一个女孩什么时候在说真话，什么时候在说假话。”
“你是真正的专家。”亨利爵士说。
马普尔小姐责备地看了他一眼，说：
“哦，请不要取笑我，亨利爵士。”
“我做梦也不敢取笑你，相反，你取笑我的时候倒是很多。”
“在乡下，见到的邪恶之事确实很多。”马普尔小姐低声解释。
“顺便说一句，”亨利爵士说，“我查清了上次你向我提出的问题。警司告诉我，鲁比的废纸篓里有剪下的指甲。”
马普尔小姐一边思考，一边说：
“是吗？那么就是……”
“你为什么想知道这件事，马普尔小姐？”警司问。
马普尔小姐说：
“是这样——呃，看到尸体时，我觉得有什么地方不对劲儿。不知怎么的，她的手看起来不对。起初我想不出是怎么回事。后来我明白了，习惯浓妆艳抹的那种女孩通常都会留长指甲。当然，我知道女孩们喜欢咬指甲——这个习惯很难改。不过虚荣心常常能起作用。我当时还以为这女孩还有这个毛病。后来那个小男孩——就是彼得——从他的话里我知道了以前她是留长指甲的，只不过因为钩住了东西而断裂了。这样的话，她应该会把其他的指甲都剪齐。所以我问起指甲的事，亨利爵士答应去查一查。”
亨利爵士说：
“你刚才说：‘看到尸体时，我觉得有什么地方不对劲儿。’还有别的吗？”
马普尔小姐用力点了点头。
“哦，是的！”她说，“就是那件衣服，实在太不对劲儿了。”
两个男人都好奇地看着她。
“这又是为什么？”亨利爵士问。
“嗯，你看，那是件旧衣服。乔西说得很肯定，我也亲眼看到了，那件衣服很廉价，很旧。这完全不对劲儿。”
“我看不出这有什么不对劲儿。”
马普尔小姐的脸有点儿红了。
“问题在于，我们是不是认为鲁比•基恩换了衣服是打算去见某个人，也许就是我的小侄子们所说的‘心上人’？”
警司的目光闪烁了一下。
“那是推测。她有个约会——和人们常说的男朋友的约会。”
“那么，”马普尔小姐追问道，“她为什么穿了一件旧衣服？”
警司挠了挠头，说：
“我明白了。你的意思是说，她应该穿一件新衣服？”
“我认为她应该穿上她最好的衣服。女孩们都这样。”
亨利爵士插话道：
“是的，不过你看，马普尔小姐。我们假设她是出去约会了。她或许会乘敞篷车，或许会选一条不太好走的小路散步。她不想把新衣服弄坏，于是穿了件旧的。”
“这是明智的做法。”警司表示同意。
马普尔小姐转向他，立刻反驳道：
“明智的做法应该是换上长裤和外套，或者花呢衣服。这个（当然，我不想太势利，不过这次恐怕很难避免），这是女孩——我们这个阶层的女孩的正常做法。”
“一个有教养的女孩，”马普尔小姐继续这个话题，“总是会特别注意在适当的场合穿适当的衣服。我的意思是，无论天气多热，一个有教养的女孩决不会穿着丝绸花裙子出现在赛马场。”
“那么和恋人约会时合适的打扮应该是什么？”亨利爵士追问道。
“如果是在酒店或某个穿晚礼服的场合见面，她会穿上她最好的晚礼服。当然，如果在外面约会，穿晚礼服会显得滑稽，所以她会穿上她最漂亮的运动装。”
“那是时装模特的做法，但是鲁比这个女孩——”
马普尔小姐说：
“鲁比，当然——坦率地说——鲁比不是个淑女。她那个阶层的女孩在任何场合都会穿上她们最好的衣服，不管合不合适。你知道，去年我们去斯克兰特尔礁野餐。女孩们的打扮真是让人大开眼界。丝绸的花衣裙，与众不同的鞋子，精致优雅的帽子。她们穿着这些衣服爬上山石，穿梭于金雀花和石南属植物之间。年轻的先生们则穿着他们最好的西服。
当然，徒步旅行又不同，这种场合的着装是有规定的——女孩们却似乎没意识到，除非身材非常苗条，否则穿短裤是非常不雅观的。”
警司慢慢地说：
“而你认为鲁比•基恩——”
“我认为她会一直穿着她之前穿的那件——她那件最好的粉红色裙子。除非有更新的，否则她应该不会换掉。”
哈珀警司说：
“那么，你的解释是什么，马普尔小姐？”
马普尔小姐说：
“我没有解释——目前还没有，不过我总觉得这事很重要……”
3在四周安着围栏的网球场里，雷蒙德•斯塔尔的网球课快结束了。
一个矮胖的中年妇女说了几句表示感谢的话，拾起天蓝色的羊毛开衫，向酒店走去。
雷蒙德对着她的背影嚷了几句轻松的客套话。
他转身朝长凳上坐着的三个观众走来。手中网球袋里的球摇晃着，球拍夹在腋下。现在，他脸上那欢快的表情像被擦掉一样忽然消失了。他看上去疲惫而焦虑。
他走近长凳，说：“结束了。”
笑意在他脸上绽开，迷人、孩子气、富有表现力，与他晒黑的脸庞和轻巧自如的优雅恰到好处地融为一体。
亨利爵士不禁在心里猜测他有多大年纪。二十五、三十、三十五？无法判断。
雷蒙德轻轻摇着头说：
“她永远也打不好，你知道。”
“这对你来说一定很乏味。”马普尔小姐说。
雷蒙德说：
“是的，有时候是这样。特别是夏末。想起酬金会让你振奋一下，但即使钱也不能激发你的想象力！”
哈珀警司站了起来，忽然说：
“我半小时后再来找你，可以吗？”
“没问题，谢谢。我会准备好的。”
哈珀离开了。雷蒙德站在原地望着他的背影，说：“我能在这里坐一会儿吗？”
“坐吧。”亨利爵士说，“抽烟吗？”他拿出烟盒递过去，同时想着自己为什么对雷蒙德•斯塔尔存有偏见。只是因为他是一个职业网球教练和舞蹈演员？如果是，那也不是因为网球——而是跳舞。亨利爵士和大多数英国人一样，认为舞姿太好的男人都不可靠。这个家伙的舞姿太优雅了！雷蒙——雷蒙德——哪个是他的名字？他突然提出这个问题。
对方似乎觉得这很有趣。
“雷蒙是我最初工作用的名字。雷蒙和乔西——看，很有西班牙风情。后来，因为这里对外国人有偏见，我就成了雷蒙德——非常英国化——”
马普尔小姐说：
“你的真名完全不同吗？”
他对她笑了笑。
“事实上，我的真名是雷蒙。我祖母是阿根廷人，你知道——”怪不得他臀扭得那么好，亨利爵士想，“但我的第一个名字是托马斯。平凡得令人乏味。”
他转向亨利爵士。
“你是从德文郡来的，是吗，先生？从斯塔内？那边有我认识的人。在阿尔斯蒙斯顿。”
亨利爵士兴奋起来。
“你是阿尔斯蒙斯顿的斯塔尔家族的？我真没想到。”
“是的——我知道你不会想到。”
他的声音里有一丝苦涩。
亨利爵士尴尬地说：
“运气不好——呃——诸如此类的。”
“你是说那块地在属于家族三百年之后被卖掉了？是的，非常不幸。不过，我想，我们这样的人还是得生存。我们的生命比自身的价值更长。我哥哥去了纽约，从事出版业——干得不错。我们其他人分散到了各地。现在，如果你只接受过公共学校的教育，要找一份工作是很难的。运气好的话，有时候可以在酒店做接待员。领带和礼貌在那里是一种资本。我能得到的唯一工作是在一家洁具部做展示员。那里售卖高档的桃子色和柠檬色的瓷浴缸。那个用于展示的浴室非常大，可是我对那些该死的东西的价格或发货时间一窍不通，于是我被解雇了。”
“我只会跳舞和打网球。”我在里维埃拉的一家酒店找到了一份工作，收入不错。我想我干得也不错。后来，我听说一个老上校——非常老，老得让人不敢相信，是个地道的英国人，总是在谈论浦那 [1] ——找到经理，大声喊道：
“‘那个跳舞的男人呢？我要找他。我夫人和女儿想跳舞，你知道。那家伙在哪里？他敲诈了你们多少钱？我要找那个跳舞的男人。’”
雷蒙德继续说：
“这事说起来很傻——但是我干了。我辞掉工作，来到这里。虽然挣得比以前少，但工作很愉快。我的工作主要是教那些永远、永远、永远都学不会的胖女人打网球。还有和那些富有的顾客的女儿跳舞。她们在舞会上往往是没有舞伴的姑娘。嗯，我想这就是生活。
请原谅今天这不走运的倒霉事！”
他大笑起来，露出雪白的牙齿，眼角向上扬起。他突然看起来健康、快乐、充满活力。
亨利爵士说：
“很高兴和你聊天。我一直想和你谈谈。”
“关于鲁比•基恩？我帮不了你，你知道。我不知道谁杀了她。她的事我知道得很少。
她从来不跟我说心事。”
马普尔小姐说：“你喜欢她吗？”
“不是特别喜欢，也没有不喜欢。”
他的声音透着无所谓和不感兴趣。
亨利爵士问：
“那你没什么话要说了？”
“恐怕没有了……如果有的话我早就告诉哈珀了。在我看来这是一件再普通不过的事！
是那种不值一提的、卑鄙的小犯罪——没有线索，没有动机。”
“有两个人有动机。”马普尔小姐说。
亨利爵士锐利的目光看向她。
“真的？”雷蒙德似乎很惊讶。
马普尔小姐目不转睛地盯着亨利爵士，他极不情愿地说：
“她的死可能给杰弗逊夫人和加斯克尔先生带来五万英镑的利益。”
“什么？”雷蒙德似乎真的大吃一惊——不仅仅是吃惊——而且很不安，“哦，可是这太荒唐了——绝对荒唐——杰弗逊夫人——他们两个谁都不可能——和这件事有关。这样想实在太不可思议了。”
马普尔小姐咳了一声，轻轻地说：
“我觉得，恐怕是你太理想主义了。”
“我？”他大笑起来，“不是我！我是个没心没肺、玩世不恭的人。”
“金钱，”马普尔小姐说，“是个非常强烈的动机。”
“也许吧。”雷蒙德激动地说，“不过他们两个谁都不会冷酷地勒死一个女孩——”他摇了摇头。
然后，他站了起来。
“杰弗逊夫人来了，来上课。她迟到了。”他的声音听起来很有趣，“迟到了十分钟！”
艾黛莱德•杰弗逊和雨果•麦克莱恩正沿着小路匆匆向他们走来。
杰弗逊夫人微笑着为迟到致歉，接着走向球场。麦克莱恩在长凳上坐下。他礼貌地问过马普尔小姐是否介意，征得同意后点燃了烟斗，默默地抽了几分钟，有些不满地看着网球场上的两个白色身影。
然后他说：
“不明白艾迪为什么要上课。好玩，是的。没有人比我更喜欢玩，可为什么要上课呢？”
“想玩得更好。”亨利爵士说。
“她打得不错。”雨果说，“总之够好了。见鬼，她又不参加温布尔登比赛。”
他沉默了一两分钟，又说：
“这个叫雷蒙德的家伙是谁？这些职业教练是从哪儿来的？那家伙像个意大利人。”
“他是德文郡斯塔尔家族的人。”亨利爵士说。
“什么？不可能吧？”
亨利爵士点点头。这个消息显然让雨果•麦克莱恩非常不快。他比刚才更生气了。
他说：“不知道艾迪为什么让我来。她似乎丝毫没有受到这件事的影响！气色从没这么好过。为什么叫我来？”
亨利爵士有些好奇地问：
“她什么时候叫你来的？”
“哦——呃——这些事发生以后。”
“你是怎么听说的？电话还是电报？”
“电报。”
“出于好奇——请问电报是什么时候发的？”
“呃——我不知道确切的时间。”
“你是什么时候收到的？”
“其实我没有收到，事实上——是她打电话给我的。”
“哦，你当时在哪里？”
“事实上，我前一天下午就离开伦敦了，当时我在戴恩伯里角。”
“呃——离这儿很近？”
“是的，很滑稽，是不是？听到消息时我刚打完一场高尔夫，立刻就赶来了。”
马普尔小姐若有所思地看着他，后者显得焦躁不安。她说：“我听说戴恩伯里角这个地方相当不错，而且还不算太贵。”
“不，不贵。贵了我也支付不起。那是一个漂亮的小地方。”
“我们一定要找个时间开车过去看看。”马普尔小姐说。
“嗯？什么？哦——呃——是的，我会的。”他站起来，“运动一下是很好的——能有胃口。”
他说完便僵硬地走开了。
“女人，”亨利爵士说，“对她们忠实的仰慕者太不公平了。”
马普尔小姐笑了，但没有搭腔。
“你是不是没想到他这么乏味？”亨利爵士问，“我很有兴趣知道。”
“也许想法比较保守。”马普尔小姐说，“但很有潜力，我认为——哦，确实很有潜力。”
亨利爵士也站了起来。
“我该去办我的事了。我看见班特里夫人正走过来，要和你们做伴。”
4班特里夫人气喘吁吁地走来，坐下喘了口气。
她说：
“我刚才一直在和酒店女仆聊天。可是一点儿帮助都没有。我没有发现任何新东西！你觉得那个女孩真的能暗地里和人来往，谁都不知道吗？”
“这一点很有意思，亲爱的。我觉得显然不可能。如果她确实在和什么人来往，就肯定会有人知道，但是她的做法一定很聪明。”
班特里夫人的注意力转向网球场，她赞赏地说：
“艾迪的球技很有长进。那个职业网球手是个迷人的年轻人。艾迪也很漂亮。她仍然是一个有吸引力的女人——如果她再婚，我一点儿都不会惊讶。”
“杰弗逊先生死后，她还会成为一个富有的女人。”马普尔小姐说。
“哦，简，不要总是心存恶意！为什么你还没解开这个谜团？我们似乎一点儿进展都没有。我本以为你很快就能解决它。”班特里夫人的语气里有责备之意。
“不，不，亲爱的。我并不是立刻就知道的——而是过了一段时间。”
班特里夫人吃惊地转过身，用不敢相信的眼神看着她。
“你是说你现在知道是谁杀了鲁比•基恩？”
“哦，是的。”马普尔小姐说，“我知道！”
“可是，简，是谁？快告诉我。”
马普尔小姐坚决地摇摇头，紧紧闭上双唇。
“对不起，多莉，可我不能告诉你。”
“为什么？”
“因为你很不谨慎。你会告诉每一个人——即使不说，你也会暗示。”
“不，不会的。我谁也不说。”
“说这话的人总是最后一个遵守诺言。这不好，亲爱的。前面还有很长的路要走。很多事情还不清楚。你记得我当时那么强烈地反对让帕特里奇夫人负责为红十字会收账，但我也说不清是为什么。那只是因为她鼻子抽动的样子和我的女佣艾丽丝出去付账时抽鼻子的样子完全一样。艾丽丝总是少付给别人一先令左右的钱，还说‘可以记在下个星期的账上’，帕特里奇夫人的做法如出一辙，只不过数额大得多。她挪用了七十五英镑。”
“先不提帕特里奇夫人了。”班特里夫人说。
“但我必须向你解释。如果你真的在意，我会给你个提示。这个案子的问题在于所有的人都太轻信、太相信别人。你不能听到什么就信什么。只要有任何可疑之处，我就完全不会相信！你看，我太了解人性了。”
班特里夫人沉默了一两分钟，然后换了一种语气：
“我告诉过你，是不是？我看不出我有什么理由不应该从这个案子里获得乐趣。发生在我家里的一起真正的谋杀！这种事绝不会再发生的。”
“希望不会。”马普尔小姐说。
“是的，我也希望不会。一次就够了。但是，简，这是我的谋杀案，我想自己能从中获得乐趣。”
马普尔小姐看了她一眼。
班特里夫人挑衅似的问：
“难道你不相信吗？”
马普尔小姐温和地说：
“当然，多莉，如果你这样说的话。”
“是的，不过你从不相信别人对你说的话，是吗？你刚才就是这样说的。好吧，你是对的。”班特里夫人的声音突然变得有些辛酸，她说，“我并不是个傻瓜。简，你或许以为我不知道圣玛丽米德的人都在议论什么——整个郡！所有的人都在说，无风不起浪，既然那个女孩是在亚瑟的藏书室里被发现的，那么亚瑟肯定会知道些什么。他们说那女孩是亚瑟的情妇——还有人说是他的私生女——她在勒索他。他们想到什么就说什么！而且会继续这样说下去！开始时亚瑟没有意识到——他不知道是怎么回事。他是个可爱的老傻瓜，从来不认为人们会这样看待他。人们会冷淡他，对他侧目而视——无论那是什么意思——最后他会渐渐明白，然后会突然变得惊恐万分，伤心不已，他会像只蛤蛎一样紧紧封锁自己，日复一日在悲伤中度过。”
“正因为这一切会发生在他身上，我才来到这里搜寻任何我能找到的蛛丝马迹！这起谋杀案必须查清！如果侦破不了，亚瑟这辈子就毁了——我绝不能让这种事发生。我不会！
我不会！我不会！”
她停了一会儿，继续说：
“我不会让亲爱的老伴儿为他没做过的事而遭受地狱般的痛苦。我离开丹尼茅斯，把他独自留在家里就是为了这个——查明真相。”
“我知道，亲爱的。”马普尔小姐说，“这也是我来这里的原因。”
[1]浦那（Poona），印度西部马哈拉施特拉邦工业城市。
Chapter Fourteen
Fourteen
II n a quiet hotel room Edwards was listening deferentially to Sir Henry Clithering.
“There are certain questions I would like to ask you, Edwards, but I want you first to understand quite clearly myposition here. I was at one time Commissioner of Police at Scotland Yard. I am now retired into private life. Yourmaster sent for me when this tragedy occurred. He begged me to use my skill and experience in order to find out thetruth.”
Sir Henry paused.
Edwards, his pale intelligent eyes on the other’s face, inclined his head. He said: “Quite so, Sir Henry.”
Clithering went on slowly and deliberately:
“In all police cases there is necessarily a lot of information that is held back. It is held back for various reasons—because it touches on a family skeleton, because it is considered to have no bearing on the case, because it wouldentail awkwardness and embarrassment to the parties concerned.”
Again Edwards said:
“Quite so, Sir Henry.”
“I expect, Edwards, that by now you appreciate quite clearly the main points of this business. The dead girl was onthe point of becoming Mr. Jefferson’s adopted daughter. Two people had a motive in seeing that this should nothappen. Those two people are Mr. Gaskell and Mrs. Jefferson.”
The valet’s eyes displayed a momentary gleam. He said: “May I ask if they are under suspicion, sir?”
“They are in no danger of arrest, if that is what you mean. But the police are bound to be suspicious of them andwill continue to be so until the matter is cleared up.”
“An unpleasant position for them, sir.”
“Very unpleasant. Now to get at the truth one must have all the facts of the case. A lot depends, must depend, onthe reactions, the words and gestures, of Mr. Jefferson and his family. How did they feel, what did they show, whatthings were said? I am asking you, Edwards, for inside information—the kind of inside information that only you arelikely to have. You know your master’s moods. From observation of them you probably know what caused them. I amasking this, not as a policeman, but as a friend of Mr. Jefferson’s. That is to say, if anything you tell me is not, in myopinion, relevant to the case, I shall not pass it on to the police.”
He paused. Edwards said quietly:
“I understand you, sir. You want me to speak quite frankly—to say things that in the ordinary course of events Ishould not say—and that, excuse me, sir, you wouldn’t dream of listening to.”
Sir Henry said:
“You’re a very intelligent fellow, Edwards. That’s exactly what I do mean.”
Edwards was silent for a minute or two, then he began to speak.
“Of course I know Mr. Jefferson fairly well by now. I’ve been with him quite a number of years. And I see him inhis ‘off ’ moments, not only in his ‘on’ ones. Sometimes, sir, I’ve questioned in my own mind whether it’s good foranyone to fight fate in the way Mr. Jefferson has fought. It’s taken a terrible toll of him, sir. If, sometimes, he couldhave given way, been an unhappy, lonely, broken old man—well, it might have been better for him in the end. Buthe’s too proud for that! He’ll go down fighting—that’s his motto.
“But that sort of thing leads, Sir Henry, to a lot of nervous reaction. He looks a good-tempered gentleman. I’veseen him in violent rages when he could hardly speak for passion. And the one thing that roused him, sir, wasdeceit….”
“Are you saying that for any particular reason, Edwards?”
“Yes, sir, I am. You asked me, sir, to speak quite frankly?”
“That is the idea.”
“Well, then, Sir Henry, in my opinion the young woman that Mr. Jefferson was so taken up with wasn’t worth it.
She was, to put it bluntly, a common little piece. And she didn’t care tuppence for Mr. Jefferson. All that play ofaffection and gratitude was so much poppycock. I don’t say there was any harm in her—but she wasn’t, by a long way,what Mr. Jefferson thought her. It was funny, that, sir, for Mr. Jefferson was a shrewd gentleman; he wasn’t oftendeceived over people. But there, a gentleman isn’t himself in his judgment when it comes to a young woman being inquestion. Young Mrs. Jefferson, you see, whom he’d always depended upon a lot for sympathy, had changed a gooddeal this summer. He noticed it and he felt it badly. He was fond of her, you see. Mr. Mark he never liked much.”
Sir Henry interjected:
“And yet he had him with him constantly?”
“Yes, but that was for Miss Rosamund’s sake. Mrs. Gaskell that was. She was the apple of his eye. He adored her.
Mr. Mark was Miss Rosamund’s husband. He always thought of him like that.”
“Supposing Mr. Mark had married someone else?”
“Mr. Jefferson, sir, would have been furious.”
Sir Henry raised his eyebrows. “As much as that?”
“He wouldn’t have shown it, but that’s what it would have been.”
“And if Mrs. Jefferson had married again?”
“Mr. Jefferson wouldn’t have liked that either, sir.”
“Please go on, Edwards.”
“I was saying, sir, that Mr. Jefferson fell for this young woman. I’ve often seen it happen with the gentlemen I’vebeen with. Comes over them like a kind of disease. They want to protect the girl, and shield her, and shower benefitsupon her—and nine times out of ten the girl is very well able to look after herself and has a good eye to the mainchance.”
“So you think Ruby Keene was a schemer?”
“Well, Sir Henry, she was quite inexperienced, being so young, but she had the makings of a very fine schemerindeed when she’d once got well into her swing, so to speak! In another five years she’d have been an expert at thegame!”
Sir Henry said:
“I’m glad to have your opinion of her. It’s valuable. Now do you recall any incident in which this matter wasdiscussed between Mr. Jefferson and his family?”
“There was very little discussion, sir. Mr. Jefferson announced what he had in mind and stifled any protests. Thatis, he shut up Mr. Mark, who was a bit outspoken. Mrs. Jefferson didn’t say much—she’s a quiet lady—only urgedhim not to do anything in a great hurry.”
Sir Henry nodded.
“Anything else? What was the girl’s attitude?”
With marked distaste the valet said:
“I should describe it, sir, as jubilant.”
“Ah—jubilant, you say? You had no reason to believe, Edwards, that”—he sought about for a phrase suitable toEdwards—“that—er—her affections were engaged elsewhere?”
“Mr. Jefferson was not proposing marriage, sir. He was going to adopt her.”
“Cut out the ‘elsewhere’ and let the question stand.”
The valet said slowly: “There was one incident, sir. I happened to be a witness of it.”
“That is gratifying. Tell me.”
“There is probably nothing in it, sir. It was just that one day the young woman, chancing to open her handbag, asmall snapshot fell out. Mr. Jefferson pounced on it and said: ‘Hallo, Kitten, who’s this, eh?’
“It was a snapshot, sir, of a young man, a dark young man with rather untidy hair and his tie very badly arranged.
“Miss Keene pretended that she didn’t know anything about it. She said: ‘I’ve no idea, Jeffie. No idea at all. I don’tknow how it could have got into my bag. I didn’t put it there!’
“Now, Mr. Jefferson, sir, wasn’t quite a fool. That story wasn’t good enough. He looked angry, his brows camedown heavy, and his voice was gruff when he said:
“‘Now then, Kitten, now then. You know who it is right enough.’
“She changed her tactics quick, sir. Looked frightened. She said: ‘I do recognize him now. He comes heresometimes and I’ve danced with him. I don’t know his name. The silly idiot must have stuffed his photo into my bagone day. These boys are too silly for anything!’ She tossed her head and giggled and passed it off. But it wasn’t alikely story, was it? And I don’t think Mr. Jefferson quite believed it. He looked at her once or twice after that in asharp way, and sometimes, if she’d been out, he asked her where she’d been.”
Sir Henry said: “Have you ever seen the original of the photo about the hotel?”
“Not to my knowledge, sir. Of course, I am not much downstairs in the public departments.”
Sir Henry nodded. He asked a few more questions, but Edwards could tell him nothing more.
II
In the police station at Danemouth, Superintendent Harper was interviewing Jessie Davis, Florence Small, BeatriceHenniker, Mary Price, and Lilian Ridgeway.
They were girls much of an age, differing slightly in mentality. They ranged from “county” to farmers’ andshopkeepers’ daughters. One and all they told the same story—Pamela Reeves had been just the same as usual, shehad said nothing to any of them except that she was going to Woolworth’s and would go home by a later bus.
In the corner of Superintendent Harper’s office sat an elderly lady. The girls hardly noticed her. If they did, theymay have wondered who she was. She was certainly no police matron. Possibly they assumed that she, likethemselves, was a witness to be questioned.
The last girl was shown out. Superintendent Harper wiped his forehead and turned round to look at Miss Marple.
His glance was inquiring, but not hopeful.
Miss Marple, however, spoke crisply.
“I’d like to speak to Florence Small.”
The Superintendent’s eyebrows rose, but he nodded and touched a bell. A constable appeared.
Harper said: “Florence Small.”
The girl reappeared, ushered in by the constable. She was the daughter of a well-to-do farmer—a tall girl with fairhair, a rather foolish mouth, and frightened brown eyes. She was twisting her hands and looked nervous.
Superintendent Harper looked at Miss Marple, who nodded.
The Superintendent got up. He said:
“This lady will ask you some questions.”
He went out, closing the door behind him.
Florence shot an uneasy glance at Miss Marple. Her eyes looked rather like one of her father’s calves.
Miss Marple said: “Sit down, Florence.”
Florence Small sat down obediently. Unrecognized by herself, she felt suddenly more at home, less uneasy. Theunfamiliar and terrorizing atmosphere of a police station was replaced by something more familiar, the accustomedtone of command of somebody whose business it was to give orders. Miss Marple said:
“You understand, Florence, that it’s of the utmost importance that everything about poor Pamela’s doings on theday of her death should be known?”
Florence murmured that she quite understood.
“And I’m sure you want to do your best to help?”
Florence’s eyes were wary as she said, of course she did.
“To keep back any piece of information is a very serious offence,” said Miss Marple.
The girl’s fingers twisted nervously in her lap. She swallowed once or twice.
“I can make allowances,” went on Miss Marple, “for the fact that you are naturally alarmed at being brought intocontact with the police. You are afraid, too, that you may be blamed for not having spoken sooner. Possibly you areafraid that you may also be blamed for not stopping Pamela at the time. But you’ve got to be a brave girl and make aclean breast of things. If you refuse to tell what you know now, it will be a very serious matter indeed—very serious—practically perjury, and for that, as you know, you can be sent to prison.”
“I—I don’t—”
Miss Marple said sharply:
“Now don’t prevaricate, Florence! Tell me all about it at once! Pamela wasn’t going to Woolworth’s, was she?”
Florence licked her lips with a dry tongue and gazed imploringly at Miss Marple like a beast about to beslaughtered.
“Something to do with the films, wasn’t it?” asked Miss Marple.
A look of intense relief mingled with awe passed over Florence’s face. Her inhibitions left her. She gasped:
“Oh, yes!”
“I thought so,” said Miss Marple. “Now I want all the details, please.”
Words poured from Florence in a gush.
“Oh! I’ve been ever so worried. I promised Pam, you see, I’d never say a word to a soul. And then when she wasfound all burnt up in that car—oh! it was horrible and I thought I should die—I felt it was all my fault. I ought to havestopped her. Only I never thought, not for a minute, that it wasn’t all right. And then I was asked if she’d been quite asusual that day and I said ‘Yes’ before I’d had time to think. And not having said anything then I didn’t see how I couldsay anything later. And, after all, I didn’t know anything—not really—only what Pam told me.”
“What did Pam tell you?”
“It was as we were walking up the lane to the bus—on the way to the rally. She asked me if I could keep a secret,and I said ‘Yes,’ and she made me swear not to tell. She was going into Danemouth for a film test after the rally!
She’d met a film producer—just back from Hollywood, he was. He wanted a certain type, and he told Pam she wasjust what he was looking for. He warned her, though, not to build on it. You couldn’t tell, he said, not until you saw aperson photographed. It might be no good at all. It was a kind of Bergner part, he said. You had to have someone quiteyoung for it. A schoolgirl, it was, who changes places with a revue artist and has a wonderful career. Pam’s acted inplays at school and she’s awfully good. He said he could see she could act, but she’d have to have some intensivetraining. It wouldn’t be all beer and skittles, he told her, it would be damned hard work. Did she think she could stickit?”
Florence Small stopped for breath. Miss Marple felt rather sick as she listened to the glib rehash of countless novelsand screen stories. Pamela Reeves, like most other girls, would have been warned against talking to strangers—but theglamour of the films would obliterate all that.
“He was absolutely businesslike about it all,” continued Florence. “Said if the test was successful she’d have acontract, and he said that as she was young and inexperienced she ought to let a lawyer look at it before she signed it.
But she wasn’t to pass on that he’d said that. He asked her if she’d have trouble with her parents, and Pam said sheprobably would, and he said: ‘Well, of course, that’s always a difficulty with anyone as young as you are, but I think ifit was put to them that this was a wonderful chance that wouldn’t happen once in a million times, they’d see reason.’
But, anyway, he said, it wasn’t any good going into that until they knew the result of the test. She mustn’t bedisappointed if it failed. He told her about Hollywood and about Vivien Leigh—how she’d suddenly taken London bystorm—and how these sensational leaps into fame did happen. He himself had come back from America to work withthe Lemville Studios and put some pep into the English film companies.”
Miss Marple nodded.
Florence went on:
“So it was all arranged. Pam was to go into Danemouth after the rally and meet him at his hotel and he’d take heralong to the studios (they’d got a small testing studio in Danemouth, he told her). She’d have her test and she couldcatch the bus home afterwards. She could say she’d been shopping, and he’d let her know the result of the test in a fewdays, and if it was favourable Mr. Harmsteiter, the boss, would come along and talk to her parents.
“Well, of course, it sounded too wonderful! I was green with envy! Pam got through the rally without turning a hair—we always call her a regular poker face. Then, when she said she was going into Danemouth to Woolworth’s shejust winked at me.
“I saw her start off down the footpath.” Florence began to cry. “I ought to have stopped her. I ought to havestopped her. I ought to have known a thing like that couldn’t be true. I ought to have told someone. Oh dear, I wish Iwas dead!”
“There, there.” Miss Marple patted her on the shoulder. “It’s quite all right. No one will blame you. You’ve donethe right thing in telling me.”
She devoted some minutes to cheering the child up.
Five minutes later she was telling the story to Superintendent Harper. The latter looked very grim.
“The clever devil!” he said. “By God, I’ll cook his goose for him. This puts rather a different aspect on things.”
“Yes, it does.”
Harper looked at her sideways.
“It doesn’t surprise you?”
“I expected something of the kind.”
Superintendent Harper said curiously:
“What put you on to this particular girl? They all looked scared to death and there wasn’t a pin to choose betweenthem as far as I could see.”
Miss Marple said gently:
“You haven’t had as much experience with girls telling lies as I have. Florence looked at you very straight, if youremember, and stood very rigid and just fidgeted with her feet like the others. But you didn’t watch her as she went outof the door. I knew at once then that she’d got something to hide. They nearly always relax too soon. My little maidJanet always did. She’d explain quite convincingly that the mice had eaten the end of a cake and give herself away bysmirking as she left the room.”
“I’m very grateful to you,” said Harper.
He added thoughtfully: “Lemville Studios, eh?”
Miss Marple said nothing. She rose to her feet.
“I’m afraid,” she said, “I must hurry away. So glad to have been able to help you.”
“Are you going back to the hotel?”
“Yes—to pack up. I must go back to St. Mary Mead as soon as possible. There’s a lot for me to do there.”
第十四章
第十四章
1在一间安静的酒店房间里，爱德华兹谦恭地听着亨利•克利瑟林爵士说话。
“我有几个问题要问你，爱德华兹，不过我想先让你知道我的立场。我曾经是苏格兰场的行政长官，现在退休了。你的主人在这场悲剧发生后把我请到这儿来，请求我以我的技能和经验查清真相。”
亨利爵士停下来。
爱德华兹那双精明的眼睛看着对方的脸，黯淡下来，低下头说：“是这样，亨利爵士。”
“在警方查办的所有案件中，一些信息会被隐瞒，原因有很多——涉及家庭丑闻，与案情无关，可能让相关人士感到尴尬。”
爱德华兹又说：
“是这样，亨利爵士。”
“爱德华兹，我想现在你已经清楚这个案子的关键之处。那个女孩死前即将成为杰弗逊先生的养女。有两个人不想看到此事发生，加斯克尔先生和杰弗逊夫人。”
贴身男仆的眼睛闪过一丝微光。他说：“他们被警方定为嫌疑人了吗，先生？”
“他们没有被逮捕的危险，如果你指的是这个。但是警方一定在怀疑他们，而且不会停止怀疑，直到事情完全查清楚。”
“他们的处境不妙，先生。”
“非常不妙。要查明真相，就需要掌握所有与本案有关的事实，这其中有很多必须从杰弗逊先生和他家人的反应、言辞和动作来判断。他们的感觉如何？表现怎样？以及说了哪些话？爱德华兹，现在我要向你询问的是内部情况——只有你才可能知道的内部情况。你了解你主人的情绪，通过对这些情绪的观察，你也许会知道造成某种情绪的原因。我现在不是作为一名警察，而是作为杰弗逊先生的朋友向你提这些问题。也就是说，如果我认为你告诉我的信息与本案无关，我就不会告诉警方。”
他停了下来。爱德华兹小声说：
“我明白你的意思，先生。你要我坦白地说——说一些通常不应该说的事情——而那些事情，请原谅，先生，你做梦也想不到。”
亨利爵士说：
“你是个聪明人，爱德华兹。我就是这个意思。”
爱德华兹沉默了一两分钟，开口了。
“当然，现在我已经非常了解杰弗逊先生了。我跟随他多年，不仅见过正常的他，也见过不在状态的他。有时候，先生，我不禁会问自己，像杰弗逊先生那样与命运抗争是否对人有益。他为此付出了可怕的代价，先生。如果他有时候能退缩一下，做一个苦闷、孤独、潦倒的老人——或许到头来对他更好。但他太骄傲了！他会继续抗争——这是他的座右铭。”
“可是亨利爵士，这样做会导致很多紧张反应。他看上去是个脾气温和的绅士。可我见过他盛怒之下的风暴。会激怒他的事情之一，先生，就是欺骗……”
“你说这个有什么特别的原因吗，爱德华兹？”
“是的，先生。你刚才不是让我坦言相告吗？”
“正是。”
“好吧，既然这样，亨利爵士，我认为那个年轻女人根本不值得杰弗逊先生如此钟爱。
坦率地说，她其实非常普通，而且根本不在乎杰弗逊先生。那些所谓的仰慕和感激全是装出来的。我并不是说她有什么恶意——但她完全不是杰弗逊先生所想的那样。这很有意思，先生，杰弗逊先生是个精明的人，很少被人欺骗。然而，一涉及年轻的女人，男人就失去了判断力。你知道，他一直依赖小杰弗逊夫人的同情，可今年夏天，事情发生了很大的变化。这一点他注意到了，因此非常难过。你知道，他喜欢她，而从来不怎么喜欢马克先生。”
亨利爵士插话道：
“但一直把他留在身边？”
“是的，不过那是为了罗莎蒙德小姐，也就是加斯克尔夫人。她是他的掌上明珠。他钟爱她。马克先生是罗莎蒙德小姐的丈夫。他一直是这样认为的。”
“如果马克先生和别人结婚呢？”
“杰弗逊先生会非常生气的，先生。”
亨利爵士抬起眉毛。“是吗？”
“他不会表现出来，但肯定会这样。”
“如果杰弗逊夫人再婚呢？”
“杰弗逊先生同样也不会高兴，先生。”
“请说下去，爱德华兹。”
“我是说，杰弗逊先生迷上了这个年轻女人。我见过周围的很多男人出这种事。就像疾病一样来势汹汹。他们想保护她，做她的盾牌，施予她恩惠——而那些女孩十有八九能好好照顾自己，并且很善于抓住机会。”
“那么，你认为鲁比•基恩是个阴谋家？”
“呃，先生，她没什么经验，又很年轻，但如果她使出自己的手段，便具备了一个高明的阴谋家的潜质！再过五年，她会精通这种游戏！”
亨利爵士说：
“我很高兴你能说出对她的看法，很有帮助。你记得杰弗逊先生和他的家人谈过这件事吗？”
“几乎没谈什么，先生。杰弗逊先生宣布了他的想法，不容任何反对意见。也就是说，不让一向口无遮拦的马克先生开口。杰弗逊夫人没说什么——她是位淑女——只是劝他不要匆忙决定任何事。”
亨利爵士点点头。
“还有吗？那女孩的态度如何？”
这位贴身男仆流露出明显的厌恶，说：
“要我说，她可是很高兴。”
“啊——很高兴，是这样吗？爱德华兹，你有理由相信，”他努力寻找一个对爱德华兹来说比较恰当的表达方式，“她——呃——另有所爱吗？”
“杰弗逊先生不是求婚，先生。他打算收养她。”
“如果去掉这个问题里的‘另’字，答案是什么呢？”
贴身男仆慢吞吞地说：“确实有件事，先生。我碰巧看见了。”
“太好了。快说说。”
“这件事可能根本没什么，先生。有一天，那个年轻女人正好打开手提包，从里面掉出一张小照片。杰弗逊先生一把抓了过去，说：‘嘿，丫头，这是谁，嗯？’”
“那是一张快照，先生，上面是一个皮肤黝黑的年轻人，头发凌乱，领带歪歪扭扭的。”
“基恩小姐假装毫不知情。她说：‘我不知道，杰夫。完全不明白。我也不知道它怎么会跑到我的包里。不是我放进去的！’”
“当然了，杰弗逊先生还没有完全糊涂。这个解释根本站不住脚。他看上去很生气，眉头皱了起来，语气生硬地说：‘行了，丫头，行了。你很清楚这是谁。’”
“她立刻改变了策略，先生。她变得似乎很害怕，说：‘现在我认出来了。这个人有时候会来酒店，我和他跳过舞。我不知道他的名字。肯定是这个白痴某天把照片塞进了我的包里。这些男孩真是愚蠢！’她把头往后一仰，咯咯笑了起来，这件事就这么过去了。但是这个故事编得很拙劣，是不是？我认为杰弗逊先生根本没相信。这件事之后，有一两次，他用犀利的眼神看着她。有时候，她从外面回来，他会问她去了哪里。”
亨利爵士说：“你在酒店里见过那张照片上的人吗？”
“没有，先生。当然，我也很少到楼下的公共场所去。”
亨利爵士点点头。他又问了几个问题，不过爱德华兹没有什么可以说的了。
2在丹尼茅斯的警察局，哈珀警司正在对杰西•戴维斯、弗洛伦丝•斯莫尔、比亚特丽丝•亨尼克、玛丽•普赖斯和丽莲•里奇卫进行询问。
这几个女孩年龄相近，智力稍有差异。她们有的来自郡里，有的是农民或店主的女儿。每个人讲的经过都一样——帕米拉•里夫斯和往常一样，只跟她们说了要去伍尔沃思，之后乘晚班公共汽车回家。
哈珀警司办公室的角落里坐着一位年长的女士。女孩们几乎没有注意到她。如果注意到的话，或许会想她究竟是谁。她肯定不是女警。她们可能会认为她和她们一样，也是来这里接受询问的证人。
最后一个女孩被领了出去。哈珀警司擦了擦额头，转身看看马普尔小姐。他的目光是在询问，但并没抱多少希望。
然而，马普尔小姐干脆地说：
“我要和弗洛伦丝•斯莫尔谈谈。”
警司的眉毛抬了起来，他点点头，按了一下铃。一个警员出现了。
哈珀说：“弗洛伦丝•斯莫尔。”
刚才那个警员领着女孩进来。她是个富有农场主的女儿——高个子、金发，长着一张愚蠢的嘴，褐色的眼睛流露出惧色。她双手相互绞着，神情紧张。
哈珀警司看看马普尔小姐，后者点点头。
警司站起身，说：
“这位女士有几个问题要问你。”
说完他走了出去，随手关上门。
弗洛伦丝紧张地看了马普尔小姐一眼，她的眼睛就像她父亲养的一头牛的眼睛。
马普尔小姐说：“坐下，弗洛伦丝。”
弗洛伦丝•斯莫尔顺从地坐下。不知不觉地，她突然感觉自在多了，不那么紧张了。警察局里陌生而恐怖的气氛不见了，取而代之的是从某个惯于发号施令的人嘴里发出的、令她更为熟悉的命令。马普尔小姐说：
“要知道，弗洛伦丝，弄清帕米拉在死亡当天的所有活动非常重要，你明白吗？”
弗洛伦丝小声说她明白。
“我想你会尽力帮助我们？”
在表示同意的同时，弗洛伦丝的眼神也变得警觉起来。
“隐瞒任何信息都是非常严重的违法行为。”马普尔小姐说。
女孩的手指在膝盖上紧张地互相绞着。她吞了一两次口水。
“我会酌情考虑，”马普尔小姐继续说，“因为被带来与警方接触，你自然会感到惊慌。
你还担心由于没有及早说出实情而可能会受到责备。也许你还担心由于当时没有阻止帕米拉而受到责备。但你必须做个勇敢的女孩，如实讲出来。如果你现在不说，问题确实会非常严重——真的非常严重——实际上是伪证罪。而这个，你知道，会让你进监狱的。”
“我——我不——”
马普尔小姐严厉地说：
“现在，不要再吞吞吐吐了，弗洛伦丝！立刻把事情都告诉我！帕米拉不是去伍尔沃思，对不对？”
弗洛伦丝用干燥的舌头舔着嘴唇，她像一只屠宰场的困兽一样哀求地看着马普尔小姐。
“是和电影有关的事，对不对？”马普尔小姐问。
弗洛伦丝的脸上掠过一丝放松和敬畏。压制她的力量完全消失了。她喘着气说：
“哦，是的。”
“我想是这样。”马普尔小姐说，“现在请把所有的细节告诉我。”
弗洛伦丝开始了滔滔不绝的讲述。
“哦！我一直在担心。你知道，我对帕米拉发过誓，决不对任何人说一个字。后来，在那辆烧毁的汽车里发现了她——哦！真是太可怕了，我想我要死了——我觉得都是我的错。我当时应该阻止她的。我根本没有想到有什么不对劲儿，完全没有。后来，有人问我那天她是否和平常一样，我想也没想就说‘是的’。因为当时我什么也没说，所以后来也不知道还能说什么。而且，毕竟我什么也不知道——真的——除了帕姆告诉我的那些。”
“帕姆跟你说了什么？”
“当时我们正走在通往公共汽车站的小路上——往集会走的时候。她问我能不能保密，我说‘能’，她又让我发誓决不说出去。集会后她要去丹尼茅斯试镜！她认识了一个电影制片人——刚从好莱坞回来。他需要某种类型的演员，还说帕姆正是他要找的人。不过他也说了，这事儿说不准。他说，一切只有看试镜的情况才能决定。可能根本不行。他说是个伯格纳之类的角色，需要一个非常年轻的人来扮演。故事讲的是一个女学生和一位很成功的讽刺剧艺术家调换了角色。帕姆在学校演过戏，而且演得很棒。他说他能看出来她会演戏，但还要接受一些强化训练。他告诉她，拍电影可不是喝啤酒玩游戏，工作会非常辛苦。问她能坚持吗。”
弗洛伦丝停下来喘了口气。马普尔小姐听着这个无数小说和剧本的翻版故事，感到一阵恶心。帕米拉•里夫斯和大多数女孩一样，都被警告过不要和陌生人交谈——但电影的魅力使这些忠告瞬间消失得无影无踪。
“那人看上去非常专业。”弗洛伦丝继续说，“他说如果试镜成功，她会得到一份合约，还说由于她太年轻、没有经验，所以应该在签字前请个律师看看，但不要说是他讲的。他问她父母那里会不会有问题，帕姆说或许会有麻烦，他说：‘当然，像你这么年轻的人总是不容易的。不过我想如果知道了这是千载难逢的机会，他们会同意的。’但是，他说现在谈这些没有意义，一切都要看试镜结果。如果没选上也不要失望。他跟她谈起了好莱坞和费雯丽——她如何一夜间征服了伦敦——这种一举成名的事是如何发生的。他本人从美国回来后进入了莱姆维尔电影制片厂，他说要为英国的电影业注入活力。”
马普尔小姐点点头。
弗洛伦丝继续说：
“于是一切都安排好了。集会结束后，帕姆去丹尼茅斯，在他住的酒店见面，然后他带她去制片厂（他说他们在丹尼茅斯有一个小试镜室）。试镜结束后她就乘公共汽车回家，她可以声称是去购物了。几天后他会通知她试镜的结果，如果他们的老板哈姆斯塔特先生觉得满意，会亲自到她家跟她父母谈。”
“这听上去简直太棒了！我嫉妒得眼睛都红了！帕姆不动声色地参加完集会——我们总是说她长着一张扑克牌高手的脸。后来，她说她要经丹尼茅斯去伍尔沃思时，向我眨了眨眼。”
“我看着她沿着小路出发了。”弗洛伦丝哭了出来，“我应该阻止她的。我应该去阻止她的。我应该想到这种事不可能是真的。我应该告诉什么人的。天哪，但愿我死了！”
“好了，好了。”马普尔小姐轻轻拍着她的肩膀，“没关系。不会有人怪你的。你把这些告诉我是对的。”
她花了几分钟使那孩子高兴起来。
五分钟后，她把事情经过告诉了哈珀警司。后者的表情非常严肃。
“狡猾的家伙！”他说，“上帝知道，我绝不会让他逃脱。这下案情有了很大的变化。”
“是的，是这样。”
哈珀斜眼看着她。
“你不觉得惊讶？”
“我估计是这类的事。”
哈珀警司好奇地说：
“你为什么会注意到这个女孩？她们看上去都很害怕，在我看来，根本无从辨别。”
马普尔小姐温和地说：
“你跟撒谎女孩接触的经验没有我的多。如果你记得的话，弗洛伦丝当时直勾勾地看着你，僵硬地站着，脚和其他人一样动来动去。但是你没有留意她出去时的样子。我立刻看出她有所隐瞒。这样的人总是放松得太快。我的小女佣詹妮特就是这样。她会言之凿凿地说剩下的蛋糕被老鼠吃了，可出门时脸上得意的表情让她露了马脚。”
“非常感谢你。”哈珀说。
他又若有所思地补充道：“莱姆维尔制片厂，嗯？”
马普尔小姐一言不发地站起身。
“抱歉，”她说，“我得赶紧走了，非常高兴能为你提供帮助。”
“你要回酒店吗？”
“是的——收拾行李。我必须尽快赶回圣玛丽米德。在那里有很多事等着我去处理。”
Chapter Fifteen
Fifteen
IM iss Marple passed out through the french windows of her drawing room, tripped down her neat garden path,through a garden gate, in through the vicarage garden gate, across the vicarage garden, and up to the drawing roomwindow, where she tapped gently on the pane.
The vicar was busy in his study composing his Sunday sermon, but the vicar’s wife, who was young and pretty,was admiring the progress of her offspring across the hearthrug.
“Can I come in, Griselda?”
“Oh, do, Miss Marple. Just look at David! He gets so angry because he can only crawl in reverse. He wants to getto something and the more he tries the more he goes backwards into the coal box!”
“He’s looking very bonny, Griselda.”
“He’s not bad, is he?” said the young mother, endeavouring to assume an indifferent manner. “Of course I don’tbother with him much. All the books say a child should be left alone as much as possible.”
“Very wise, dear,” said Miss Marple. “Ahem, I came to ask if there was anything special you are collecting for atthe moment.”
The vicar’s wife turned somewhat astonished eyes upon her.
“Oh, heaps of things,” she said cheerfully. “There always are.”
She ticked them off on her fingers.
“There’s the Nave Restoration Fund, and St. Giles’s Mission, and our Sale of Work next Wednesday, and theUnmarried Mothers, and a Boy Scouts’ Outing, and the Needlework Guild, and the Bishop’s Appeal for Deep SeaFishermen.”
“Any of them will do,” said Miss Marple. “I thought I might make a little round—with a book, you know—if youwould authorize me to do so.”
“Are you up to something? I believe you are. Of course I authorize you. Make it the Sale of Work; it would belovely to get some real money instead of those awful sachets and comic pen-wipers and depressing children’s frocksand dusters all done up to look like dolls.
“I suppose,” continued Griselda, accompanying her guest to the window, “you wouldn’t like to tell me what it’s allabout?”
“Later, my dear,” said Miss Marple, hurrying off.
With a sigh the young mother returned to the hearthrug and, by way of carrying out her principles of stern neglect,butted her son three times in the stomach so that he caught hold of her hair and pulled it with gleeful yells. Then theyrolled over and over in a grand rough-and-tumble until the door opened and the vicarage maid announced to the mostinfluential parishioner (who didn’t like children):
“Missus is in here.”
Whereupon Griselda sat up and tried to look dignified and more what a vicar’s wife should be.
II
Miss Marple, clasping a small black book with pencilled entries in it, walked briskly along the village street until shecame to the crossroads. Here she turned to the left and walked past the Blue Boar until she came to Chatsworth, alias“Mr. Booker’s new house.”
She turned in at the gate, walked up to the front door and knocked briskly.
The door was opened by the blonde young woman named Dinah Lee. She was less carefully made-up than usual,and in fact looked slightly dirty. She was wearing grey slacks and an emerald jumper.
“Good morning,” said Miss Marple briskly and cheerfully. “May I just come in for a minute?”
She pressed forward as she spoke, so that Dinah Lee, who was somewhat taken aback at the call, had no time tomake up her mind.
“Thank you so much,” said Miss Marple, beaming amiably at her and sitting down rather gingerly on a “period”
bamboo chair.
“Quite warm for the time of year, is it not?” went on Miss Marple, still exuding geniality.
“Yes, rather. Oh, quite,” said Miss Lee.
At a loss how to deal with the situation, she opened a box and offered it to her guest. “Er—have a cigarette?”
“Thank you so much, but I don’t smoke. I just called, you know, to see if I could enlist your help for our Sale ofWork next week.”
“Sale of Work?” said Dinah Lee, as one who repeats a phrase in a foreign language.
“At the vicarage,” said Miss Marple. “Next Wednesday.”
“Oh!” Miss Lee’s mouth fell open. “I’m afraid I couldn’t—”
“Not even a small subscription—half a crown perhaps?”
Miss Marple exhibited her little book.
“Oh—er—well, yes, I dare say I could manage that.”
The girl looked relieved and turned to hunt in her handbag.
Miss Marple’s sharp eyes were looking round the room.
She said:
“I see you’ve no hearthrug in front of the fire.”
Dinah Lee turned round and stared at her. She could not but be aware of the very keen scrutiny the old lady wasgiving her, but it aroused in her no other emotion than slight annoyance. Miss Marple recognized that. She said:
“It’s rather dangerous, you know. Sparks fly out and mark the carpet.”
“Funny old Tabby,” thought Dinah, but she said quite amiably if somewhat vaguely:
“There used to be one. I don’t know where it’s got to.”
“I suppose,” said Miss Marple, “it was the fluffy, woolly kind?”
“Sheep,” said Dinah. “That’s what it looked like.”
She was amused now. An eccentric old bean, this.
She held out a half crown. “Here you are,” she said.
“Oh, thank you, my dear.”
Miss Marple took it and opened the little book.
“Er—what name shall I write down?”
Dinah’s eyes grew suddenly hard and contemptuous.
“Nosey old cat,” she thought, “that’s all she came for—prying around for scandal!”
She said clearly and with malicious pleasure:
“Miss Dinah Lee.”
Miss Marple looked at her steadily.
She said:
“This is Mr. Basil Blake’s cottage, isn’t it?”
“Yes, and I’m Miss Dinah Lee!”
Her voice rang out challengingly, her head went back, her blue eyes flashed.
Very steadily Miss Marple looked at her. She said:
“Will you allow me to give you some advice, even though you may consider it impertinent?”
“I shall consider it impertinent. You had better say nothing.”
“Nevertheless,” said Miss Marple, “I am going to speak. I want to advise you, very strongly, not to continue usingyour maiden name in the village.”
Dinah stared at her. She said:
“What—what do you mean?”
Miss Marple said earnestly:
“In a very short time you may need all the sympathy and goodwill you can find. It will be important to yourhusband, too, that he shall be thought well of. There is a prejudice in old-fashioned country districts against peopleliving together who are not married. It has amused you both, I dare say, to pretend that that is what you are doing. Itkept people away, so that you weren’t bothered with what I expect you would call ‘old frumps.’ Nevertheless, oldfrumps have their uses.”
Dinah demanded:
“How did you know we are married?”
Miss Marple smiled a deprecating smile.
“Oh, my dear,” she said.
Dinah persisted.
“No, but how did you know? You didn’t—you didn’t go to Somerset House?”
A momentary flicker showed in Miss Marple’s eyes.
“Somerset House? Oh, no. But it was quite easy to guess. Everything, you know, gets round in a village. The—er—the kind of quarrels you have—typical of early days of marriage. Quite—quite unlike an illicit relationship. It hasbeen said, you know (and, I think, quite truly), that you can only really get under anybody’s skin if you are married tothem. When there is no—no legal bond, people are much more careful, they have to keep assuring themselves howhappy and halcyon everything is. They have, you see, to justify themselves. They dare not quarrel! Married people, Ihave noticed, quite enjoy their battles and the—er—appropriate reconciliations.”
She paused, twinkling benignly.
“Well, I—” Dinah stopped and laughed. She sat down and lit a cigarette. “You’re absolutely marvellous!” she said.
Then she went on:
“But why do you want us to own up and admit to respectability?”
Miss Marple’s face was grave. She said:
“Because, any minute now, your husband may be arrested for murder.”
III
For several moments Dinah stared at her. Then she said incredulously:
“Basil? Murder? Are you joking?”
“No, indeed. Haven’t you seen the papers?”
Dinah caught her breath.
“You mean—that girl at the Majestic Hotel. Do you mean they suspect Basil of killing her?”
“Yes.”
“But it’s nonsense!”
There was the whir of a car outside, the bang of a gate. Basil Blake flung open the door and came in, carrying somebottles. He said:
“Got the gin and the vermouth. Did you—?”
He stopped and turned incredulous eyes on the prim, erect visitor.
Dinah burst out breathlessly:
“Is she mad? She says you’re going to be arrested for the murder of that girl Ruby Keene.”
“Oh, God!” said Basil Blake. The bottles dropped from his arms on to the sofa. He reeled to a chair and droppeddown in it and buried his face in his hands. He repeated: “Oh, my God! Oh, my God!”
Dinah darted over to him. She caught his shoulders.
“Basil, look at me! It isn’t true! I know it isn’t true! I don’t believe it for a moment!”
His hand went up and gripped hers.
“Bless you, darling.”
“But why should they think—You didn’t even know her, did you?”
“Oh, yes, he knew her,” said Miss Marple.
Basil said fiercely:
“Be quiet, you old hag. Listen, Dinah darling, I hardly knew her at all. Just ran across her once or twice at theMajestic. That’s all, I swear that’s all.”
Dinah said, bewildered:
“I don’t understand. Why should anyone suspect you, then?”
Basil groaned. He put his hands over his eyes and rocked to and fro.
Miss Marple said:
“What did you do with the hearthrug?”
His reply came mechanically:
“I put it in the dustbin.”
Miss Marple clucked her tongue vexedly.
“That was stupid—very stupid. People don’t put good hearthrugs in dustbins. It had spangles in it from her dress, Isuppose?”
“Yes, I couldn’t get them out.”
Dinah cried: “But what are you both talking about?”
Basil said sullenly:
“Ask her. She seems to know all about it.”
“I’ll tell you what I think happened, if you like,” said Miss Marple. “You can correct me, Mr. Blake, if I go wrong.
I think that after having had a violent quarrel with your wife at a party and after having had, perhaps, rather too much—er—to drink, you drove down here. I don’t know what time you arrived—”
Basil Blake said sullenly:
“About two in the morning. I meant to go up to town first, then when I got to the suburbs I changed my mind. Ithought Dinah might come down here after me. So I drove down here. The place was all dark. I opened the door andturned on the light and I saw—and I saw—”
He gulped and stopped. Miss Marple went on:
“You saw a girl lying on the hearthrug—a girl in a white evening dress—strangled. I don’t know whether yourecognized her then—”
Basil Blake shook his head violently.
“I couldn’t look at her after the first glance—her face was all blue—swollen. She’d been dead some time and shewas there—in my room!”
He shuddered.
Miss Marple said gently:
“You weren’t, of course, quite yourself. You were in a fuddled state and your nerves are not good. You were, Ithink, panic-stricken. You didn’t know what to do—”
“I thought Dinah might turn up any minute. And she’d find me there with a dead body—a girl’s dead body—andshe’d think I’d killed her. Then I got an idea—it seemed, I don’t know why, a good idea at the time—I thought: I’llput her in old Bantry’s library. Damned pompous old stick, always looking down his nose, sneering at me as artisticand effeminate. Serve the pompous old brute right, I thought. He’ll look a fool when a dead lovely is found on hishearthrug.” He added, with a pathetic eagerness to explain: “I was a bit drunk, you know, at the time. It really seemedpositively amusing to me. Old Bantry with a dead blonde.”
“Yes, yes,” said Miss Marple. “Little Tommy Bond had very much the same idea. Rather a sensitive boy with aninferiority complex, he said teacher was always picking on him. He put a frog in the clock and it jumped out at her.
“You were just the same,” went on Miss Marple, “only of course, bodies are more serious matters than frogs.”
Basil groaned again.
“By the morning I’d sobered up. I realized what I’d done. I was scared stiff. And then the police came here—another damned pompous ass of a Chief Constable. I was scared of him—and the only way I could hide it was bybeing abominably rude. In the middle of it all Dinah drove up.”
Dinah looked out of the window.
She said:
“There’s a car driving up now … there are men in it.”
“The police, I think,” said Miss Marple.
Basil Blake got up. Suddenly he became quite calm and resolute. He even smiled. He said:
“So I’m for it, am I? All right, Dinah sweet, keep your head. Get on to old Sims—he’s the family lawyer—and goto Mother and tell her everything about our marriage. She won’t bite. And don’t worry. I didn’t do it. So it’s bound tobe all right, see, sweetheart?”
There was a tap on the cottage door. Basil called “Come in.” Inspector Slack entered with another man. He said:
“Mr. Basil Blake?”
“Yes.”
“I have a warrant here for your arrest on the charge of murdering Ruby Keene on the night of September 21st last. Iwarn you that anything you say may be used at your trial. You will please accompany me now. Full facilities will begiven you for communicating with your solicitor.”
Basil nodded.
He looked at Dinah, but did not touch her. He said:
“So long, Dinah.”
“Cool customer,” thought Inspector Slack.
He acknowledged the presence of Miss Marple with a half bow and a “Good morning,” and thought to himself:
“Smart old Pussy, she’s on to it! Good job we’ve got that hearthrug. That and finding out from the car-park man atthe studio that he left that party at eleven instead of midnight. Don’t think those friends of his meant to commitperjury. They were bottled and Blake told ’em firmly the next day it was twelve o’clock when he left and theybelieved him. Well, his goose is cooked good and proper! Mental, I expect! Broadmoor, not hanging. First the Reeveskid, probably strangled her, drove her out to the quarry, walked back into Danemouth, picked up his own car in someside lane, drove to this party, then back to Danemouth, brought Ruby Keene out here, strangled her, put her in oldBantry’s library, then probably got the wind up about the car in the quarry, drove there, set it on fire, and got backhere. Mad—sex and blood lust—lucky this girl’s escaped. What they call recurring mania, I expect.”
Alone with Miss Marple, Dinah Blake turned to her. She said:
“I don’t know who you are, but you’ve got to understand this—Basil didn’t do it.”
Miss Marple said:
“I know he didn’t. I know who did do it. But it’s not going to be easy to prove. I’ve an idea that something you said—just now—may help. It gave me an idea—the connection I’d been trying to find—now what was it?”
第十五章
第十五章
1马普尔小姐从客厅的落地窗里走出来，轻快地走过自家修剪整齐的花园小路，穿过花园的一道门，走进教区牧师家的花园，穿过花园走到客厅窗前，轻轻地叩响玻璃窗格。
牧师正在书房里忙着为星期日的布道作准备，他年轻漂亮的妻子正骄傲地看着在炉前地毯上玩耍的儿子。
“我能进来吗，格里塞尔达？”
“哦，进来吧，马普尔小姐。你看看大卫！他正在生气，因为他只会倒着爬。他想拿东西，结果越努力越往后退，最后进了煤箱！”
“他长得很结实，格里塞尔达。”
“他还不错，是吗？”年轻的母亲努力表现出无所谓的态度，“当然我也不常带他，所有的书上都说要尽量让孩子独处。”
“这很明智，亲爱的。”马普尔小姐说，“嗯，我来是想问问目前你是否在为什么特别的事情募捐。”
牧师的妻子有些吃惊地看着她。
“哦，很多。”她愉快地说，“总是有的。”
她掰着手指数起来：
“有教堂中殿修复基金，圣贾尔斯布道团，下周三的义卖，未婚母亲，男童子军郊游，缝纫协会，还有主教号召为深海渔民的募捐。”
“任何活动都行。”马普尔小姐说，“我想我可能会来转转——带个笔记本，你知道的——如果你同意的话。”
“你有什么事吗？我想一定有。我当然同意。那就做义卖吧，能得到一些实实在在的钱是最好的，而不是那些奇怪的香袋、可笑的擦笔布，还有被弄得像玩具娃娃似的儿童外套和风衣，真是让人沮丧。”
“我在想，”格里塞尔达陪客人走到窗前，接着说，“你不打算告诉我这是怎么回事吗？”
“不是现在，亲爱的。”马普尔小姐说完便匆匆离开了。
年轻的母亲叹了口气，回到壁炉前的地毯上，依照坚决不理会孩子的原则，她用头顶撞了儿子的小肚子三次，结果儿子抓住她的头发，一边拽一边兴奋地大叫。之后他们便纠缠着滚来滚去，直到门开了，女佣对教区里最有影响力的居民宣布（他不喜欢孩子）：
“夫人在这里。”
格里塞尔达坐起来，努力表现得庄重优雅，让自己看上去更像一个牧师的妻子。
2马普尔小姐手里捏着一个黑色的小本子，上面有用铅笔做的记录。她迅速穿过村子里的街道，来到十字路口，接着向左拐，经过蓝野猪旅店，最后来到查茨沃思，就是“布克先生的新房子”。
她进了院子大门，走上前去，迅速敲了几下前门。
开门的是那个名叫黛娜•李的年轻金发女人。今天她的妆容不像平时那么精致，事实上看起来简直脏兮兮的。她身穿灰色宽松裤和翠绿色无袖套衫。
“早上好。”马普尔小姐心情愉快地说，“我可以进来一下吗？”
说话的同时她的身体往前探着，这样黛娜•李即使对她的忽然来访很是吃惊，也没有时间作出决定。
“非常感谢。”马普尔小姐说，并报以亲切的微笑，然后轻轻地在一把仿古竹椅上坐下。
“这时候就这么暖和了，是吗？”马普尔小姐说，态度仍然亲切友好。
“是的，很暖和。哦，相当暖和。”李小姐说。
她不知该如何应对目前的情形，于是打开一个烟盒递给客人。“呃——抽烟吗？”
“非常感谢，不过我不抽烟。你知道，我来拜访是想请你为我们下星期的义卖活动提供帮助。”
“义卖活动？”黛娜•李说，仿佛在重复一句外语。
“在教区牧师家里，”马普尔小姐说，“下星期三。”
“哦！”李小姐微微张开嘴，“恐怕我——”
“很少的捐助都不行——哪怕半克朗？”
马普尔小姐拿出她那个小本子。
那女人看起来松了一口气，转过身开始在手提包里翻找。
马普尔小姐敏锐的目光打量着房间。
她说：
“我看到你的壁炉前没有地毯。”
黛娜•李转过头盯着她。她意识到这个妇人在仔细观察她，不过这只是让她略微有些不快。马普尔小姐发现了她的情绪，说道：
“这很危险，你知道。火星飞出来会烧坏房间的地毯。”
“滑稽的老小姐。”黛娜想，她含糊却不失友好地说：
“以前有一块的，我不知道弄到哪里去了。”
“我想，”马普尔小姐说，“是那种很蓬松的、毛茸茸的？”
“羊，”黛娜说，“看上去像只羊。”
现在她又被逗乐了，真是个奇怪的老家伙。
她拿出一枚半克朗硬币。“给你。”她说。
“哦，谢谢你，亲爱的。”
马普尔小姐接过硬币，打开那个小本子。
“呃——我该如何写名字？”
黛娜的眼神突然变得冷漠而轻蔑。
“爱管闲事的老悍妇。”她想，“她来这里就是为了探听丑闻！”
她吐字清晰，带着恶意的快乐，说：
“黛娜•李小姐。”
马普尔小姐镇定地看着她。
她说：
“这是巴兹尔•布莱克的房子，对吗？”
“对，不过我是黛娜•李小姐！”
她的声音很挑衅，说完头往后一仰，蓝色的眼睛闪着光。
马普尔小姐非常镇定地看着她，说：
“你能允许我给你点儿忠告吗——即使你觉得这很不礼貌？”
“我认为这很不礼貌。你最好什么也不要说。”
“不过，”马普尔小姐说，“我还是要说。我建议——强烈地建议——你不要继续在村里使用你婚前的姓。”
黛娜盯着她，说：
“你——你这是什么意思？”
马普尔小姐真诚地说：
“你也许很快便会需要你所能找到的一切同情和祝福。而且，人们对你丈夫抱有良好的看法对他很重要。在落伍的乡下地方，人们对未婚同居带有偏见。我想，你们俩正在扮演这样的角色，并且乐在其中。这样会让别人远离你们，让你们免受‘老古董’的打扰。然而，老古董自有他们的用处。”
黛娜问：
“你怎么知道我们已经结婚了？”
马普尔小姐面带责备的微笑。
“哦，亲爱的。”她说。
黛娜没有放弃：
“不，可你是怎么知道的？你该不会是去了——去了萨默塞特教堂？”
马普尔小姐的眼睛闪了一下。
“萨默塞特教堂？哦，没有。不过这很容易猜到。你知道，在村里什么事情也瞒不住。
你们之间的那种争吵是结婚初期的特点，根本——根本不像不合法的关系。你知道，人们常说——而且我认为非常正确——只有和他结婚后，你才能真正激怒他。如果没有——没有合法的契约，人们通常会非常谨慎，他们要不断让自己相信一切都那么幸福、美好。他们不敢吵架！至于结了婚的人，我注意到他们对吵架和此后的和解乐此不疲。”
她停下来，目光柔和。
“哦，我——”黛娜没说下去，笑了。她坐下来点燃了一支烟。
她继续说：
“可是你为什么要我们坦白承认，服从传统？”
马普尔小姐神情严肃，她说：
“因为，现在你的丈夫随时都有可能因谋杀罪而被捕。”
3黛娜盯着看了她一会儿，语气仿佛不敢相信：
“巴兹尔？谋杀？你是开玩笑吧？”
“不，是真的。你没有看报纸吗？”
黛娜喘了口气。
“你指的是——堂皇酒店的那个女孩。你是在说他们怀疑巴兹尔杀了她？”
“是的。”
“简直胡说八道！”
外面传来汽车引擎的声音和摔门的砰砰声，门开了，巴兹尔•布莱克走进来，手里抱着几个瓶子。他说：
“买了杜松子酒和苦艾酒。你——”
他停下来，不敢相信自己看到了那位腰板笔直、一本正经的来访者。
黛娜几乎都喘不过气来了，大声喊道：
“她是不是疯了？她说你将会因为谋杀了鲁比•基恩而被捕。”
“哦，上帝！”巴兹尔•布莱克叫道。瓶子从他手里滑落到沙发上。他摇摇晃晃地走到一把椅子前，跌坐进去，同时把脸埋进双手，嘴里不停地说：“哦，上帝！哦，上帝！”
黛娜冲向他，抓住他的肩膀。
“巴兹尔，看着我！这不是真的！我知道不是真的！我一点儿都不相信！”他举起手握住了她的手。
“谢谢你，亲爱的。”
“可是他们为什么认为——你甚至不认识她。对吧？”
“哦，不，他认识她。”马普尔小姐说。
巴兹尔暴怒地说：
“闭嘴，你这个丑陋的老巫婆。听着，黛娜我亲爱的，我和她根本谈不上认识。只是在堂皇酒店遇到过一两次。就这样，我发誓，就是这样。”
黛娜迷惑不解地说：
“我不明白。那别人为什么要怀疑你？”
马普尔小姐说：
“炉前地毯是怎么处理的？”
他麻木地回答：
“我把它扔进了垃圾箱。”
马普尔小姐生气地发出咯咯声。
“愚蠢——真是太愚蠢了。人们从不把好的炉前地毯放进垃圾箱。我猜上面有从她衣服上掉下来的金属饰片？”
“是的，我弄不下来。”
黛娜叫道：“你们两个在说什么？”
巴兹尔阴郁地说：
“问她吧。她好像什么都知道。”
“如果你愿意，我可以告诉你我推测到的事。”马普尔小姐说，“如果我说得不对，布莱克先生，你可以纠正我。我想，那天在派对上，你和妻子大吵一架，再加上太多的——呃——酒精，你开车回到这里。我不知道你什么时候到家的——”
巴兹尔•布莱克生气地说：
“大约凌晨两点。我本打算先进城，但开到郊区时我改变了主意。我想黛娜或许会随后过来，于是我就开车到了这里。这个地方漆黑一片，我开了门，打开灯，我看见——看见——”
他大口吸着气，说不下去了。马普尔小姐接着说：
“你看见一个女孩躺在炉前地毯上——身穿白色晚礼服的女孩——已经被勒死了。我不知道你当时有没有认出她来——”
巴兹尔•布莱克一个劲儿地摇头。
“我只看了一眼，就再也不敢看了——她的脸发蓝——还肿起来了。她已经死了有一段时间了，就在那儿——在我的房间里！”
他说着哆嗦了一下。
马普尔小姐温和地说：
“当然，你当时彻底混乱了。你喝多了，平时胆子也不大。我想——你吓坏了，不知道该怎么办——”
“我想，黛娜随时会出现。到时她会发现我和一具尸体在一起，一具女孩的尸体，她会认为是我杀了她。然后我想到了一个主意——不知为什么，当时这主意看起来不错——我想：我把她放进老班特里的藏书室。那个该死的老顽固，总是那么傲慢，嘲笑我的艺术家气质，说我太过女性化。我想，这个自负的老家伙是活该。家里炉前地毯上出现了一个漂亮女人的尸体，到时候他一定会傻眼。”他情绪激昂，急于解释，接着，又补充说，“你知道，当时我有点儿醉了，觉得这件事实在太有趣——老班特里和一个金发女人的尸体。”
“是的，是的。”马普尔小姐说，“小汤米•邦德也有过类似的主意。这个小男孩很敏感，有点儿自卑。他说老师总是在挑他的错。后来，他往钟里放了一只青蛙，青蛙从里面朝老师扑过来。”
“你和他一样，”马普尔小姐说，“当然，只是尸体比青蛙严重得多。”
巴兹尔又开始呻吟。
“早上我清醒了之后，意识到自己究竟干了什么。我吓坏了。后来，警方来人了——又一头自负的该死的蠢驴，警察局局长。我很害怕他——唯一的掩饰方法就是表现得极为粗暴无礼。正在和他们交涉时，黛娜开车回来了。”
这时黛娜向窗外望去。
她说：
“有辆车开过来了……里面有几个男人。”
“我想是警察。”马普尔小姐说。
巴兹尔•布莱克站起来。突然间，他变得那么平静、果断。他甚至笑了。他说：
“这么说，轮到我了，是不是？没关系，黛娜宝贝，冷静。和老西姆斯联系——他是我们的家庭律师——然后去我母亲那里，把我们已经结婚的事告诉她。她不会咬你的。不要担心。不是我干的。所以肯定会没事的，明白吗？宝贝？”
屋外传来了敲门声。巴兹尔喊道：“进来。”斯莱克警督和另一个人走了进来，他说：
“是巴兹尔•布莱克先生吗？”
“是。”
“我这里有一张对你的逮捕令。你被指控于九月二十一号晚上谋杀了鲁比•基恩。我提醒你，你说的任何话都有可能成为呈堂证供。现在你要跟我走。我们会给你提供一切设施，方便让你和你的律师取得联系。”
巴兹尔点点头。
他看着黛娜，但是没有碰她。他说：
“再见，黛娜。”
“冷血动物。”斯莱克警督想。
他对马普尔小姐微微一欠身，说了声“早上好”，心里暗想：
“这个聪明的老悍妇，她已经知道了！我们找到了那张炉前地毯，还算干得漂亮。而且，我们从制片厂停车场的人那里得知他是十一点离开派对的，不是午夜。我们认为他的朋友不是故意作伪证。他们都喝醉了，而布莱克第二天肯定地说自己是十二点离开的，他们就相信了他。哦，这一回他成了煮熟的鸭子，飞不了了！我认为他精神有问题！不能用绞刑，只能关在布罗德穆尔。先是里夫斯那个孩子。他可能是先勒死她，然后开车把尸体运到采石场，之后步行回到戴恩茅斯，从某条偏僻小路上取回自己的车，赶去参加派对，然后再回到丹尼茅斯，把鲁比•基恩带到这里，把她勒死后放进了老班特里的藏书室，后来可能又担心采石场的那辆车，于是开车回到那里，一把火把那辆车给烧了，再返回这里。
这个疯子——对性和鲜血有强烈的欲望——幸运的是，这个女孩逃脱了。我想是他们会称之为复发性狂躁症。”
最后，屋里只剩下马普尔小姐，黛娜•布莱克转向她说：
“我不知道你是谁，但是你必须弄明白——不是布莱克干的。”
马普尔小姐说：
“我知道这不是他干的，而且我知道到底是谁干的。但是要证明此事并不容易。我有个想法，你提到的一件事——就在刚才——可能有帮助。它让我有了一个想法——关于我一直在努力寻找的那个联系——嗯，那是什么来着？”
Chapter Sixteen
Sixteen
I“I ’m home, Arthur!” declared Mrs. Bantry, announcing the fact like a Royal Proclamation as she flung open thestudy door.
Colonel Bantry immediately jumped up, kissed his wife, and declared heartily: “Well, well, that’s splendid!”
The words were unimpeachable, the manner very well done, but an affectionate wife of as many years’ standing asMrs. Bantry was not deceived. She said immediately:
“Is anything the matter?”
“No, of course not, Dolly. What should be the matter?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Mrs. Bantry vaguely. “Things are so queer, aren’t they?”
She threw off her coat as she spoke and Colonel Bantry picked it up as carefully and laid it across the back of thesofa.
All exactly as usual—yet not as usual. Her husband, Mrs. Bantry thought, seemed to have shrunk. He lookedthinner, stooped more; they were pouches under his eyes and those eyes were not ready to meet hers.
He went on to say, still with that affectation of cheerfulness:
“Well, how did you enjoy your time at Danemouth?”
“Oh! it was great fun. You ought to have come, Arthur.”
“Couldn’t get away, my dear. Lot of things to attend to here.”
“Still, I think the change would have done you good. And you like the Jeffersons?”
“Yes, yes, poor fellow. Nice chap. All very sad.”
“What have you been doing with yourself since I’ve been away?”
“Oh, nothing much. Been over the farms, you know. Agreed that Anderson shall have a new roof—can’t patch itup any longer.”
“How did the Radfordshire Council meeting go?”
“I—well—as a matter of fact I didn’t go.”
“Didn’t go? But you were taking the chair?”
“Well, as a matter of fact, Dolly—seems there was some mistake about that. Asked me if I’d mind if Thompsontook it instead.”
“I see,” said Mrs. Bantry.
She peeled off a glove and threw it deliberately into the wastepaper basket. Her husband went to retrieve it, and shestopped him, saying sharply:
“Leave it. I hate gloves.”
Colonel Bantry glanced at her uneasily.
Mrs. Bantry said sternly:
“Did you go to dinner with the Duffs on Thursday?”
“Oh, that! It was put off. Their cook was ill.”
“Stupid people,” said Mrs. Bantry. She went on: “Did you go to the Naylors’ yesterday?”
“I rang up and said I didn’t feel up to it, hoped they’d excuse me. They quite understood.”
“They did, did they?” said Mrs. Bantry grimly.
She sat down by the desk and absentmindedly picked up a pair of gardening scissors. With them she cut off thefingers, one by one, of her second glove.
“What are you doing, Dolly?”
“Feeling destructive,” said Mrs. Bantry.
She got up. “Where shall we sit after dinner, Arthur? In the library?”
“Well—er—I don’t think so—eh? Very nice in here—or the drawing room.”
“I think,” said Mrs. Bantry, “that we’ll sit in the library!”
Her steady eye met his. Colonel Bantry drew himself up to his full height. A sparkle came into his eye.
He said:
“You’re right, my dear. We’ll sit in the library!”
II
Mrs. Bantry put down the telephone receiver with a sigh of annoyance. She had rung up twice, and each time theanswer had been the same: Miss Marple was out.
Of a naturally impatient nature, Mrs. Bantry was never one to acquiesce in defeat. She rang up in rapid successionthe vicarage, Mrs. Price Ridley, Miss Hartnell, Miss Wetherby, and, as a last resource, the fishmonger who, by reasonof his advantageous geographical position, usually knew where everybody was in the village.
The fishmonger was sorry, but he had not seen Miss Marple at all in the village that morning. She had not been herusual round.
“Where can the woman be?” demanded Mrs. Bantry impatiently aloud.
There was a deferential cough behind her. The discreet Lorrimer murmured:
“You were requiring Miss Marple, madam? I have just observed her approaching the house.”
Mrs. Bantry rushed to the front door, flung it open, and greeted Miss Marple breathlessly:
“I’ve been trying to get you everywhere. Where have you been?” She glanced over her shoulder. Lorrimer haddiscreetly vanished. “Everything’s too awful! People are beginning to cold-shoulder Arthur. He looks years older. Wemust do something, Jane. You must do something!”
Miss Marple said:
“You needn’t worry, Dolly,” in a rather peculiar voice.
Colonel Bantry appeared from the study door.
“Ah, Miss Marple. Good morning. Glad you’ve come. My wife’s been ringing you up like a lunatic.”
“I thought I’d better bring you the news,” said Miss Marple, as she followed Mrs. Bantry into the study.
“News?”
“Basil Blake has just been arrested for the murder of Ruby Keene.”
“Basil Blake?” cried the Colonel.
“But he didn’t do it,” said Miss Marple.
Colonel Bantry took no notice of this statement. It is doubtful if he even heard it.
“Do you mean to say he strangled that girl and then brought her along and put her in my library?”
“He put her in your library,” said Miss Marple. “But he didn’t kill her.”
“Nonsense! If he put her in my library, of course he killed her! The two things go together.”
“Not necessarily. He found her dead in his own cottage.”
“A likely story,” said the Colonel derisively. “If you find a body, why, you ring up the police—naturally—if you’rean honest man.”
“Ah,” said Miss Marple, “but we haven’t all got such iron nerves as you have, Colonel Bantry. You belong to theold school. This younger generation is different.”
“Got no stamina,” said the Colonel, repeating a well-worn opinion of his.
“Some of them,” said Miss Marple, “have been through a bad time. I’ve heard a good deal about Basil. He didA.R.P. work, you know, when he was only eighteen. He went into a burning house and brought out four children, oneafter another. He went back for a dog, although they told him it wasn’t safe. The building fell in on him. They got himout, but his chest was badly crushed and he had to lie in plaster for nearly a year and was ill for a long time after that.
That’s when he got interested in designing.”
“Oh!” The Colonel coughed and blew his nose. “I—er—never knew that.”
“He doesn’t talk about it,” said Miss Marple.
“Er—quite right. Proper spirit. Must be more in the young chap than I thought. Always thought he’d shirked thewar, you know. Shows you ought to be careful in jumping to conclusions.”
Colonel Bantry looked ashamed.
“But, all the same”—his indignation revived—“what did he mean trying to fasten a murder on me?”
“I don’t think he saw it like that,” said Miss Marple. “He thought of it more as a—as a joke. You see, he was ratherunder the influence of alcohol at the time.”
“Bottled, was he?” said Colonel Bantry, with an Englishman’s sympathy for alcoholic excess. “Oh, well, can’tjudge a fellow by what he does when he’s drunk. When I was at Cambridge, I remember I put a certain utensil—well,well, never mind. Deuce of a row there was about it.”
He chuckled, then checked himself sternly. He looked piercingly at Miss Marple with eyes that were shrewd andappraising. He said: “You don’t think he did the murder, eh?”
“I’m sure he didn’t.”
“And you think you know who did?”
Miss Marple nodded.
Mrs. Bantry, like an ecstatic Greek chorus, said: “Isn’t she wonderful?” to an unhearing world.
“Well, who was it?”
Miss Marple said:
“I was going to ask you to help me. I think, if we went up to Somerset House we should have a very good idea.”
第十六章
第十六章
1“我回来了，阿瑟！”班特里太太推开书房的门，像在宣布王室公告一样大喊着。
班特里上校立刻跳了起来，亲吻着他的妻子，由衷地说：
“哦，哦，真是太好了！”
他的话无懈可击，举止也很完美，但依然瞒不了与他夫妻多年、对他满心爱意的班特里太太。她立刻说：
“怎么了？”
“没有，当然没事，多莉。会有什么事？”
“哦，我不知道。”班特里太太含糊地说，“一切都变得很古怪，是不是？”
她一边说话，一边扔下外衣，班特里上校小心拾起来，放在沙发背上。
一切都和以前完全一样——然而又不一样。班特里太太觉得她丈夫似乎缩小了。他看上去瘦了，腰也弯了，眼睛下面出现了眼袋，目光躲闪着不愿正视她。
他强颜欢笑地说：
“嗯，你在丹尼茅斯玩得好吗？”
“哦！太有意思了。你应该一起去的，亚瑟。”
“我走不开，亲爱的。这里有很多事情要做。”
“不过，我还是觉得换个环境对你有好处。你喜欢杰弗逊一家吗？”
“是的，是的，可怜的家伙。是一个好人。真是太令人伤感了。”
“我不在的时候你做了些什么？”
“哦，没什么。去了农场，你知道的。同意给安德森换个新屋顶——现在的不能修了。”
“拉德福郡政会进行得如何？”
“我——呃——其实没去。”
“没去？可你是会议主席啊！”
“嗯，事实是，多莉——这里面似乎出了点儿差错。他们问我是否介意换成汤普森先生。”
“我明白了。”班特里太太说。
她摘下一只手套，故意把它扔进废纸篓。她丈夫要过去捡，被她拦住了。她厉声说道：
“别捡。我讨厌手套。”
班特里上校忧虑地看了她一眼。
她严厉地问：
“星期四你和达夫一家一起吃晚饭了吗？”
“哦，那个！推迟了。他们的厨师病了。”
“愚蠢的家伙。”班特里太太说，她接着又问，“昨天你去内勒家了吗？”
“我打电话说我去不了，希望他们见谅。他们非常理解。”
“他们理解，是吗？”班特里太太冷冷地说。
她在书桌旁坐下，心不在焉地拿起一把园艺剪刀，把另一只手套的手指一个一个地剪下来。
“你在干什么，多莉？”
“我心情很糟。”班特里太太说。
她站起身来。“晚饭后我们去哪儿坐，亚瑟？藏书室吗？”
“这个——呃——我觉得不好——你说呢？这里很不错——或者休息室。”
“我觉得，”班特里太太说，“我们应该坐在藏书室里！”
她镇定地看着他的眼睛。班特里上校挺起后背，眼里闪着光。
他说：
“你说得对，亲爱的。我们就去藏书室！”
2班特里太太放下电话，气恼地长叹一声。她已经打过两次了，每次得到的回答都一样：马普尔小姐出去了。
班特里太太天生性子急，决不认输。她又急切地分别给牧师寓所、普赖斯•里德雷夫人、哈特内尔小姐、韦瑟比小姐打了电话，最后没办法，她又拨通了鱼贩子的电话，由于其地理位置，他通常知道村里每个人的去处。
鱼贩子表示抱歉，说今天早上他根本没在村里看见马普尔小姐。她没有按往常的日程出行。
“这个女人会在哪里？”班特里太太不耐烦地大声说。
背后传来一声礼貌的咳嗽。一向小心谨慎的洛里默轻声问：
“你是在找马普尔小姐吗，夫人？我看见她正往家里来。”
班特里太太奔向前门，猛地推开门，上气不接下气地跟马普尔小姐打招呼：
“我到处找你。你去哪儿了？”她回头看了一眼，洛里默不知什么时候已经离开了，“一切都变得很糟！人们开始疏远亚瑟。他看上去老了好几岁。简，我们必须采取行动。你必须采取行动！”
马普尔小姐说：
“多莉，不用担心。”她的声音听起来很古怪。
班特里上校出现在书房门口。
“啊，马普尔小姐，早上好。很高兴你来了。我妻子像疯子一样打电话找你。”
“我觉得我最好还是亲自告诉你这个消息。”马普尔小姐说着，跟在班特里太太后面走进书房。
“消息？”
“巴兹尔•布莱克已经因谋杀鲁比•基恩小姐而被逮捕了。”
“巴兹尔•布莱克？”上校喊了出来。
“但不是他干的。”马普尔小姐说。
班特里上校根本没有留意这句话。他甚至可能没听到。
“你是说，他勒死了那个女孩，然后把她搬过来，放在了我的藏书室里？”
“他把她放在你的藏书室里，”马普尔小姐说，“但没有杀她。”
“胡扯！如果是他把她放进了我的藏书室，那当然是他杀的！这两件事是联系在一起的。”
“不一定。他发现她死在他自己的家里。”
“真会编故事。”上校用嘲讽的语气说道，“如果你发现了一具尸体，然后呢？你自然会打电话报警，当然，如果你是个诚实的人。”
“啊，”马普尔小姐说，“可并不是每个人都能像你那么勇敢，班特里上校。你遵从传统，而年青一代则不一样。”
“不够坚强。”上校说，这是他重复了无数遍的理论。
“他们中有的非常不易。”马普尔小姐说，“我听说过不少关于巴兹尔的事。他做过突袭预防工作，你知道，当时他只有十八岁。他冲进一幢燃烧的房子，把四个孩子一个一个地救出来。虽然别人告诉他这很危险，但他还是又回去救一条狗。房子塌了，把他压在了下面。人们把他救了出来，但他的胸部受到严重挤压，不得不打着石膏卧床将近一年，之后他又病了很长时间。就是从这个时候起，他开始对设计产生了兴趣。”
“哦！”上校咳嗽一声，擤了擤鼻子，“我——呃——从来不知道这些。”
“他从不谈这些事。”马普尔小姐说。
“呃——这样做很好。人品正派。年轻人之中一定还有更多这样的人，比我想象得多。
以前我总认为他是在逃避战争，你知道。这说明以后下结论应该谨慎。”
班特里上校看起来有些惭愧。
“可是，尽管如此，”他又气愤起来，“他怎么能把谋杀的罪名安在我身上？”
“我觉得他其实不是这样想的。”马普尔小姐说，“他更觉得这是一个——玩笑。你看，他当时酒还没醒。”
“他喝醉了，嗯？”班特里上校说，口气里带着英国人对饮酒过量者特有的同情，“哦，这样，不能用一个人喝醉时的行为来评判他。记得在剑桥的时候，我把一样东西放在——好了，好了，不提了。当时还引起了不小的口角。”
他笑了起来，然后又板起了脸。他盯着马普尔小姐，目光精明锐利。他说：“你认为他不是凶手，嗯？”
“我肯定他不是。”
“那么你知道是谁干的？”
马普尔小姐点点头。
班特里太太就像一个狂喜的希腊合唱队队员，对着一个聋子的世界说：“她难道不是很了不起吗？”
“那么，凶手是谁？”
马普尔小姐说：
“我正要请你帮忙。我想，如果去萨默塞特教堂，我们应该会有一个令人满意的答案。”
Chapter Seventeen
Seventeen
IS ir Henry’s face was very grave.
He said:
“I don’t like it.”
“I am aware,” said Miss Marple, “that it isn’t what you call orthodox. But it is so important, isn’t it, to be quite sure—‘to make assurance doubly sure,’ as Shakespeare has it. I think, if Mr. Jefferson would agree—?”
“What about Harper? Is he to be in on this?”
“It might be awkward for him to know too much. But there might be a hint from you. To watch certain persons—have them trailed, you know.”
Sir Henry said slowly:
“Yes, that would meet the case….”
II
Superintendent Harper looked piercingly at Sir Henry Clithering.
“Let’s get this quite clear, sir. You’re giving me a hint?”
Sir Henry said:
“I’m informing you of what my friend has just informed me—he didn’t tell me in confidence—that he proposes tovisit a solicitor in Danemouth tomorrow for the purpose of making a new will.”
The Superintendent’s bushy eyebrows drew downwards over his steady eyes. He said:
“Does Mr. Conway Jefferson propose to inform his son-in-law and daughter-in-law of that fact?”
“He intends to tell them about it this evening.”
“I see.”
The Superintendent tapped his desk with a penholder.
He repeated again: “I see….”
Then the piercing eyes bored once more into the eyes of the other man. Harper said:
“So you’re not satisfied with the case against Basil Blake?”
“Are you?”
The Superintendent’s moustaches quivered. He said:
“Is Miss Marple?”
The two men looked at each other.
Then Harper said:
“You can leave it to me. I’ll have men detailed. There will be no funny business, I can promise you that.”
Sir Henry said:
“There is one more thing. You’d better see this.”
He unfolded a slip of paper and pushed it across the table.
This time the Superintendent’s calm deserted him. He whistled:
“So that’s it, is it? That puts an entirely different complexion on the matter. How did you come to dig up this?”
“Women,” said Sir Henry, “are eternally interested in marriages.”
“Especially,” said the Superintendent, “elderly single women.”
III
Conway Jefferson looked up as his friend entered.
His grim face relaxed into a smile.
He said:
“Well, I told ’em. They took it very well.”
“What did you say?”
“Told ’em that, as Ruby was dead, I felt that the fifty thousand I’d originally left her should go to something that Icould associate with her memory. It was to endow a hostel for young girls working as professional dancers in London.
Damned silly way to leave your money—surprised they swallowed it. As though I’d do a thing like that!”
He added meditatively:
“You know, I made a fool of myself over that girl. Must be turning into a silly old man. I can see it now. She was apretty kid—but most of what I saw in her I put there myself. I pretended she was another Rosamund. Same colouring,you know. But not the same heart or mind. Hand me that paper—rather an interesting bridge problem.”
IV
Sir Henry went downstairs. He asked a question of the porter.
“Mr. Gaskell, sir? He’s just gone off in his car. Had to go to London.”
“Oh! I see. Is Mrs. Jefferson about?”
“Mrs. Jefferson, sir, has just gone up to bed.”
Sir Henry looked into the lounge and through to the ballroom. In the lounge Hugo McLean was doing a crosswordpuzzle and frowning a good deal over it. In the ballroom Josie was smiling valiantly into the face of a stout, perspiringman as her nimble feet avoided his destructive tread. The stout man was clearly enjoying his dance. Raymond,graceful and weary, was dancing with an anaemic-looking girl with adenoids, dull brown hair, and an expensive andexceedingly unbecoming dress.
Sir Henry said under his breath:
“And so to bed,” and went upstairs.
VIt was three o’clock. The wind had fallen, the moon was shining over the quiet sea.
In Conway Jefferson’s room there was no sound except his own heavy breathing as he lay, half propped up onpillows.
There was no breeze to stir the curtains at the window, but they stirred … For a moment they parted, and a figurewas silhouetted against the moonlight. Then they fell back into place. Everything was quiet again, but there wassomeone else inside the room.
Nearer and nearer to the bed the intruder stole. The deep breathing on the pillow did not relax.
There was no sound, or hardly any sound. A finger and thumb were ready to pick up a fold of skin, in the otherhand the hypodermic was ready.
And then, suddenly, out of the shadows a hand came and closed over the hand that held the needle, the other armheld the figure in an iron grasp.
An unemotional voice, the voice of the law, said:
“No, you don’t. I want that needle!”
The light switched on and from his pillows Conway Jefferson looked grimly at the murderer of Ruby Keene.
第十七章
第十七章
1亨利爵士神情严肃。
他说：
“我不喜欢这样做。”
“我知道，”马普尔小姐说，“这不是你所说的合法程序。但是确认这一点十分重要，莎士比亚说过，‘确定无疑’。我想，如果杰弗逊先生能同意——”
“那哈珀呢？他会参与吗？”
“他可能不方便知道太多。不过你或许可以暗示他一下。监视某些人——跟踪他们，你知道的。”
亨利爵士慢悠悠地说：
“是的，这才符合案情……”
2哈珀警司目光犀利地看着亨利•克利瑟林爵士。
“我们先把这点弄清楚，先生。你在向我暗示什么吗？”
亨利爵士说：
“我是在让你知道我的朋友刚刚告诉我的事情——他说得并不确定——他明天要去丹尼茅斯拜访一位律师，重新立一份遗嘱。”
警司浓密的眉毛紧紧地纠结在一起，目光沉着稳定，他说：
“康韦•杰弗逊先生打算把这件事告诉他的女婿和儿媳吗？”
“他打算今天晚上告诉他们。”
“我明白了。”
警司用笔架敲打着桌面。
他重复了一遍：“我明白了……”
他那双锐利的眼睛再次看着对方，说：
“这么说，你们对巴兹尔•布莱克是嫌疑人这个结果不满意？”
“你满意吗？”
警司唇上的胡须微微颤动，他说：
“马普尔小姐满意吗？”
两个人对视着。
哈珀说：
“这件事交给我吧。我会派人查清楚。我向你保证，这绝不是开玩笑的事。”
亨利爵士说：
“还有一件事。你最好看看这个。”
他展开一张纸，从桌面上推过去。
这一次，警司的镇定完全消失了。他吹了声口哨：
“是这么一回事吗？那整个情况就完全不同了。你们是怎么挖到这种信息的？”
“女人，”亨利爵士说，“永远对婚姻感兴趣。”
警司说：“特别是上了年纪的单身女人。”
3他的朋友进来时，康韦•杰弗逊抬起头。
那张严肃的脸放松下来，露出微笑。
他说：
“呃，我告诉他们了。他们表现得很好。”
“你是怎么说的？”
“我说，现在鲁比已经死了，我觉得应该把原来要留给她的五万英镑用于纪念她。我打算把这笔钱捐给伦敦一家专为年轻的职业女舞者服务的旅舍。用这种方式赠予真是该死的愚蠢——让我惊讶的是他们居然接受了。好像我一贯如此似的！”
他想了想，又补充道：
“你知道，我在那个女孩的问题上愚弄了自己。肯定成了一个愚蠢的老头。现在我明白了。她是个漂亮的孩子——但是我对她的看法大都是我自己想象出来的。我觉得她是另一个罗莎蒙德。你知道，同样颜色的皮肤、头发和眼睛，但是心思或想法不同。把那张报纸递给我——有一道很有意思的桥牌题目。”
4亨利爵士走到楼下。他问了行李员一个问题。
“加斯克尔先生吗？他刚才开车走了。去伦敦。”
“哦！我知道了。杰弗逊夫人在吗？”
“杰弗逊夫人刚刚休息，先生。”
亨利爵士朝大厅望去，然后又看向舞厅。大厅里，雨果•麦克莱恩正皱着眉头做填字游戏。舞厅里，乔西在和一位身材矮胖、大汗淋漓的男人跳舞，只见她一边勇敢地看着对方的脸微笑，一边双脚灵活地躲避对方野蛮的踩踏。那胖男人显然很享受。优雅而疲惫的雷蒙德在和一个无精打采的女孩跳舞，她褐色的头发暗淡无光，穿着一件昂贵但显然不合身的衣服。
亨利爵士低声说：
“上床休息吧。”然后便朝楼上走去。
5三点钟。风停了，月光照着平静的海面。
康韦•杰弗逊的房间里寂静无声，他半靠在枕头上，呼吸粗重。
没有微风掀动窗帘，不过窗帘动了……有一刻，它被分开了，月光下有一个人的剪影。然后窗帘又恢复原状。一切又安静下来，可是房间里多了一个人。
潜入者离床边越来越近。从枕头上传来的粗重的呼吸声还在继续。
没有声音，或者说几乎没有任何声音。一个手指和拇指伸出来准备捏起皮肤，另一只手上的皮下注射器已准备就绪。
接着，黑暗中突然伸出一只手抓住了拿着注射器的那只手，另一只手像铁钳一样紧紧抓住了那个潜入者。
一个没有感情的声音——法律的声音——在说：
“不，不许这样做。把注射器给我！”
灯亮了，康韦•杰弗逊躺在枕头上，冷眼看着杀害鲁比•基恩的凶手。
Chapter Eighteen
Eighteen
IS ir Henry Clithering said:
“Speaking as Watson, I want to know your methods, Miss Marple.”
Superintendent Harper said:
“I’d like to know what put you on to it first.”
Colonel Melchett said:
“You’ve done it again, by Jove! I want to hear all about it from the beginning.”
Miss Marple smoothed the puce silk of her best evening gown. She flushed and smiled and looked very self-conscious.
She said: “I’m afraid you’ll think my ‘methods,’ as Sir Henry calls them, are terribly amateurish. The truth is, yousee, that most people—and I don’t exclude policemen—are far too trusting for this wicked world. They believe what istold them. I never do. I’m afraid I always like to prove a thing for myself.”
“That is the scientific attitude,” said Sir Henry.
“In this case,” continued Miss Marple, “certain things were taken for granted from the first—instead of justconfining oneself to the facts. The facts, as I noted them, were that the victim was quite young and that she bit hernails and that her teeth stuck out a little—as young girls’ so often do if not corrected in time with a plate—(andchildren are very naughty about their plates and taking them out when their elders aren’t looking).
“But that is wandering from the point. Where was I? Oh, yes, looking down at the dead girl and feeling sorry,because it is always sad to see a young life cut short, and thinking that whoever had done it was a very wicked person.
Of course it was all very confusing her being found in Colonel Bantry’s library, altogether too like a book to be true.
In fact, it made the wrong pattern. It wasn’t, you see, meant, which confused us a lot. The real idea had been to plantthe body on poor young Basil Blake (a much more likely person), and his action in putting it in the Colonel’s librarydelayed things considerably, and must have been a source of great annoyance to the real murderer.
“Originally, you see, Mr. Blake would have been the first object of suspicion. They’d have made inquiries atDanemouth, found he knew the girl, then found he had tied himself up with another girl, and they’d have assumed thatRuby came to blackmail him, or something like that, and that he’d strangled her in a fit of rage. Just an ordinary,sordid, what I call nightclub type of crime!
“But that, of course, all went wrong, and interest became focused much too soon on the Jefferson family—to thegreat annoyance of a certain person.
“As I’ve told you, I’ve got a very suspicious mind. My nephew Raymond tells me (in fun, of course, and quiteaffectionately) that I have a mind like a sink. He says that most Victorians have. All I can say is that the Victoriansknew a good deal about human nature.
“As I say, having this rather insanitary—or surely sanitary?—mind, I looked at once at the money angle of it. Twopeople stood to benefit by this girl’s death—you couldn’t get away from that. Fifty thousand pounds is a lot of money—especially when you are in financial difficulties, as both these people were. Of course they both seemed very nice,agreeable people—they didn’t seem likely people—but one never can tell, can one?
“Mrs. Jefferson, for instance—everyone liked her. But it did seem clear that she had become very restless thatsummer, and that she was tired of the life she led, completely dependent on her father-in-law. She knew, because thedoctor had told her, that he couldn’t live long—so that was all right—to put it callously—or it would have been allright if Ruby Keene hadn’t come along. Mrs. Jefferson was passionately devoted to her son, and some women have acurious idea that crimes committed for the sake of their offspring are almost morally justified. I have come across thatattitude once or twice in the village. ‘Well, ’twas all for Daisy, you see, miss,’ they say, and seem to think that thatmakes doubtful conduct quite all right. Very lax thinking.
“Mr. Mark Gaskell, of course, was a much more likely starter, if I may use such a sporting expression. He was agambler and had not, I fancied, a very high moral code. But, for certain reasons, I was of the opinion that a womanwas concerned in this crime.
“As I say, with my eye on motive, the money angle seemed very suggestive. It was annoying, therefore, to find thatboth these people had alibis for the time when Ruby Keene, according to the medical evidence, had met her death.
“But soon afterwards there came the discovery of the burnt-out car with Pamela Reeves’s body in it, and then thewhole thing leaped to the eye. The alibis, of course, were worthless.
“I now had two halves of the case, and both quite convincing, but they did not fit. There must be a connection, but Icould not find it. The one person whom I knew to be concerned in the crime hadn’t got a motive.
“It was stupid of me,” said Miss Marple meditatively. “If it hadn’t been for Dinah Lee I shouldn’t have thought ofit—the most obvious thing in the world. Somerset House! Marriage! It wasn’t a question of only Mr. Gaskell or Mrs.
Jefferson—there were the further possibilities of marriage. If either of those two was married, or even was likely tomarry, then the other party to the marriage contract was involved too. Raymond, for instance, might think he had apretty good chance of marrying a rich wife. He had been very assiduous to Mrs. Jefferson, and it was his charm, Ithink, that awoke her from her long widowhood. She had been quite content just being a daughter to Mr. Jefferson—like Ruth and Naomi—only Naomi, if you remember, took a lot of trouble to arrange a suitable marriage for Ruth.
“Besides Raymond there was Mr. McLean. She liked him very much and it seemed highly possible that she wouldmarry him in the end. He wasn’t well off—and he was not far from Danemouth on the night in question. So it seemed,didn’t it,” said Miss Marple, “as though anyone might have done it?”
“But, of course, really, in my mind, I knew. You couldn’t get away, could you, from those bitten nails?”
“Nails?” said Sir Henry. “But she tore her nail and cut the others.”
“Nonsense,” said Miss Marple. “Bitten nails and close cut nails are quite different! Nobody could mistake themwho knew anything about girl’s nails—very ugly, bitten nails, as I always tell the girls in my class. Those nails, yousee, were a fact. And they could only mean one thing. The body in Colonel Bantry’s library wasn’t Ruby Keene at all.
“And that brings you straight to the one person who must be concerned. Josie! Josie identified the body. She knew,she must have known, that it wasn’t Ruby Keene’s body. She said it was. She was puzzled, completely puzzled, atfinding that body where it was. She practically betrayed that fact. Why? Because she knew, none better, where it oughtto have been found! In Basil Blake’s cottage. Who directed our attention to Basil? Josie, by saying to Raymond thatRuby might have been with the film man. And before that, by slipping a snapshot of him into Ruby’s handbag. Whocherished such bitter anger against the dead girl that she couldn’t hide it even when she looked down at her dead?
Josie! Josie, who was shrewd, practical, hard as nails, and all out for money.
“That is what I meant about believing too readily. Nobody thought of disbelieving Josie’s statement that the bodywas Ruby Keene’s. Simply because it didn’t seem at the time that she could have any motive for lying. Motive wasalways the difficulty—Josie was clearly involved, but Ruby’s death seemed, if anything, contrary to her interests. Itwas not till Dinah Lee mentioned Somerset House that I got the connection.
“Marriage! If Josie and Mark Gaskell were actually married—then the whole thing was clear. As we know now,Mark and Josie were married a year ago. They were keeping it dark until Mr. Jefferson died.
“It was really quite interesting, you know, tracing out the course of events—seeing exactly how the plan hadworked out. Complicated and yet simple. First of all the selection of the poor child, Pamela, the approach to her fromthe film angle. A screen test—of course the poor child couldn’t resist it. Not when it was put up to her as plausibly asMark Gaskell put it. She comes to the hotel, he is waiting for her, he takes her in by the side door and introduces her toJosie—one of their makeup experts! That poor child, it makes me quite sick to think of it! Sitting in Josie’s bathroomwhile Josie bleaches her hair and makes up her face and varnishes her fingernails and toenails. During all this, the drugwas given. In an ice cream soda, very likely. She goes off into a coma. I imagine that they put her into one of theempty rooms opposite—they were only cleaned once a week, remember.
“After dinner Mark Gaskell went out in his car—to the seafront, he said. That is when he took Pamela’s body to thecottage dressed in one of Ruby’s old dresses and arranged it on the hearthrug. She was still unconscious, but not dead,when he strangled her with the belt of the frock … Not nice, no—but I hope and pray she knew nothing about it.
Really, I feel quite pleased to think of him being hanged … That must have been just after ten o’clock. Then he droveback at top speed and found the others in the lounge where Ruby Keene, still alive, was dancing her exhibition dancewith Raymond.
“I should imagine that Josie had given Ruby instructions beforehand. Ruby was accustomed to doing what Josietold her. She was to change, go into Josie’s room and wait. She, too, was drugged, probably in after-dinner coffee. Shewas yawning, remember, when she talked to young Bartlett.
“Josie came up later to ‘look for her’—but nobody but Josie went into Josie’s room. She probably finished the girloff then—with an injection, perhaps, or a blow on the back of the head. She went down, danced with Raymond,debated with the Jeffersons where Ruby could be, and finally went to bed. In the early hours of the morning shedressed the girl in Pamela’s clothes, carried the body down the side stairs—she was a strong muscular young woman—fetched George Bartlett’s car, drove two miles to the quarry, poured petrol over the car and set it alight. Then shewalked back to the hotel, probably timing her arrival there for eight or nine o’clock—up early in her anxiety aboutRuby!”
“An intricate plot,” said Colonel Melchett.
“Not more intricate than the steps of a dance,” said Miss Marple.
“I suppose not.”
“She was very thorough,” said Miss Marple. “She even foresaw the discrepancy of the nails. That’s why shemanaged to break one of Ruby’s nails on her shawl. It made an excuse for pretending that Ruby had clipped her nailsclose.”
Harper said: “Yes, she thought of everything. And the only real proof you had, Miss Marple, was a schoolgirl’sbitten nails.”
“More than that,” said Miss Marple. “People will talk too much. Mark Gaskell talked too much. He was speakingof Ruby and he said ‘her teeth ran down her throat.’ But the dead girl in Colonel Bantry’s library had teeth that stuckout.”
Conway Jefferson said rather grimly:
“And was the last dramatic finale your idea, Miss Marple?”
Miss Marple confessed. “Well, it was, as a matter of fact. It’s so nice to be sure, isn’t it?”
“Sure is the word,” said Conway Jefferson grimly.
“You see,” said Miss Marple, “once Mark and Josie knew that you were going to make a new will, they’d have todo something. They’d already committed two murders on account of the money. So they might as well commit a third.
Mark, of course, must be absolutely clear, so he went off to London and established an alibi by dining at a restaurantwith friends and going on to a night club. Josie was to do the work. They still wanted Ruby’s death to be put down toBasil’s account, so Mr. Jefferson’s death must be thought due to his heart failing. There was digitalin, so theSuperintendent tells me, in the syringe. Any doctor would think death from heart trouble quite natural in thecircumstances. Josie had loosened one of the stone balls on the balcony and she was going to let it crash downafterwards. His death would be put down to the shock of the noise.”
Melchett said: “Ingenious devil.”
Sir Henry said: “So the third death you spoke of was to be Conway Jefferson?”
Miss Marple shook her head.
“Oh no—I meant Basil Blake. They’d have got him hanged if they could.”
“Or shut up in Broadmoor,” said Sir Henry.
Conway Jefferson grunted. He said:
“Always knew Rosamund had married a rotter. Tried not to admit it to myself. She was damned fond of him. Fondof a murderer! Well, he’ll hang as well as the woman. I’m glad he went to pieces and gave the show away.”
Miss Marple said:
“She was always the strong character. It was her plan throughout. The irony of it is that she got the girl down hereherself, never dreaming that she would take Mr. Jefferson’s fancy and ruin all her own prospects.”
Jefferson said:
“Poor lass. Poor little Ruby….”
Adelaide Jefferson and Hugo McLean came in. Adelaide looked almost beautiful tonight. She came up to ConwayJefferson and laid a hand on his shoulder. She said, with a little catch in her breath:
“I want to tell you something, Jeff. At once. I’m going to marry Hugo.”
Conway Jefferson looked up at her for a moment. He said gruffly:
“About time you married again. Congratulations to you both. By the way, Addie, I’m making a new willtomorrow.”
She nodded. “Oh yes, I know.”
Jefferson said:
“No, you don’t. I’m settling ten thousand pounds on you. Everything else I have goes to Peter when I die. Howdoes that suit you, my girl?”
“Oh, Jeff!” Her voice broke. “You’re wonderful!”
“He’s a nice lad. I’d like to see a good deal of him—in the time I’ve got left.”
“Oh, you shall!”
“Got a great feeling for crime, Peter has,” said Conway Jefferson meditatively. “Not only has he got the fingernailof the murdered girl—one of the murdered girls, anyway—but he was lucky enough to have a bit of Josie’s shawlcaught in with the nail. So he’s got a souvenir of the murderess too! That makes him very happy!”
II
Hugo and Adelaide passed by the ballroom. Raymond came up to them.
Adelaide said, rather quickly:
“I must tell you my news. We’re going to be married.”
The smile on Raymond’s face was perfect—a brave, pensive smile.
“I hope,” he said, ignoring Hugo and gazing into her eyes, “that you will be very, very happy….”
They passed on and Raymond stood looking after them.
“A nice woman,” he said to himself. “A very nice woman. And she would have had money too. The trouble I tookto mug up that bit about the Devonshire Starrs … Oh well, my luck’s out. Dance, dance, little gentleman!”
And Raymond returned to the ballroom.
第十八章
第十八章
1亨利•克利瑟林爵士说：
“作为华生，马普尔小姐，我想知道你用的是什么方法。”
哈珀警司说：
“我想知道是什么让你开始关注此事。”
梅尔切特上校说：
“天哪，这次你又成功了！我想知道这件事完整的来龙去脉。”
马普尔小姐抚平了她那件最好的深褐色丝绸晚礼服。她脸颊发红，微微笑着，看上去有些不自然。
她说：“恐怕你们会觉得我的‘方法’——亨利爵士是这么说的——非常业余。而你知道，真实情况是，大多数人——我并没有排除警察——过于信任这个邪恶的世界。他们相信自己听到的话。我从不这样。恐怕我总是会亲自验证每件事。”
“这是科学的态度。”亨利爵士说。
“在这起案件中，”马普尔小姐继续说，“有些事从一开始就被认为是理所当然的——而不是依据事实。根据我的观察，事实是受害人非常年轻，有咬指甲的习惯，牙齿有点儿往外突，年轻的女孩如果不及时矫正牙齿就会这样——小孩子很淘气，会趁大人不留意时把牙套取下来。”
“扯远了。刚才说到哪儿了？哦，对，看着那个死去的女孩，我心里很难过。眼看着一个年轻的生命夭折总是令人伤心的，无论凶手是谁，那一定是一个邪恶的人。当然，她是在班特里上校的藏书室里被发现的，这也确实让人困惑不解，简直就是书里的情节成真了。其实，这事从头到尾都弄错了。要知道，事情原来不是这样设计的，因此让我们更加困惑。凶手的真正意图是嫁祸可怜的巴兹尔•布莱克——一个看起来更有可能犯罪的人，而巴兹尔却把尸体搬到了上校的藏书室，对事情进展造成了相当大的延误，真正的凶手对此一定非常恼火。”
“你看，布莱克先生本来会成为第一个怀疑对象。警方会在丹尼茅斯进行询问，发现他认识那个女孩，然后发现他还和另外一个女孩关系密切，警方会因此认为鲁比去勒索了他，或是类似的事，他一怒之下将她勒死。最后这只会是一起普通的、令人不齿的，我称之为夜总会类型的犯罪！”
“不过，当然，一切都错了，警方的兴趣很快转移到杰弗逊一家身上——这使某个人非常生气。”
“正如我告诉你的，我这个人疑心很重。我的外甥雷蒙德说——当然是开玩笑，而且是善意的——我的心就像个水槽。他说维多利亚时代的人大都这样。我能说的只是维多利亚时代的人非常了解人性。”
“如我所说，怀着如此不健康的——或者说是完全健康的——心理，我立刻从金钱的角度看待这件事。这个女孩的死会让两个人受益——这一点不能忽视。五万英镑不是个小数目——特别是对于有财务困难的人，而这两个人正有这种麻烦。当然，这两人看起来似乎都非常善良，待人友好，不像是干那种事的人——不过谁也说不准，是不是？”
“比如杰弗逊夫人——每个人都喜欢她。可那个夏天她的确变得非常躁动不安，厌倦了这种完全依靠公公的生活方式。因为医生告诉过她，所以她知道他来日不多，于是她还能忍受——说得无情一点儿——或者说如果鲁比•基恩没有出现，或许也没事。杰弗逊夫人非常爱她的儿子，而且有些女人会有些奇怪的想法，比如觉得为了儿女所犯的罪行在道德上几乎可以说是合理的。我在乡下就遇到过一两次，她们说：‘好了，这全都是为了戴西，你知道的，小姐。’她们似乎认为这能使令人怀疑的行为变得合情合理。这是非常不严肃的想法。”
“当然，如果可以用一个体育名词来形容，马克•加斯克尔先生是个起跑线上的赛跑选手。他是个赌徒，而且我想，也没有很高的道德标准。不过，出于某些原因，我觉得这个案子一定牵涉到一个女人。”
“我说过，在我看来，金钱似乎是最有可能的动机。然而医学证据表明鲁比•基恩死时这两个人都不在现场，这一点实在恼人。”
“但是，不久之后，在一辆被烧毁的汽车里发现了帕米拉•里夫斯的尸体，于是整件事也就迎刃而解。当然，不在场证据完全没有价值。”
“现在我把这个案子分为两部分，两者都很令人信服，却无法联系在一起。其中有某种联系，但我就是找不到。我知道的唯一与犯罪有关的嫌疑人没有动机。”
“我真是愚蠢，”马普尔小姐若有所思，“要不是黛娜•李，我根本想不到——其实这是世界上最明显不过的事。萨默塞特教堂！结婚！这不仅仅是加斯克尔先生或杰弗逊夫人的问题——结婚意味着进一步的可能性。如果这两个人中的一个结婚了，或者甚至说可能会结婚，那么也要把婚约的另一方考虑在内。比如说，雷蒙德可能认为自己有机会娶一个富有的女人为妻。他对杰弗逊夫人殷勤有加，而我认为，正是他的魅力将她从长期守寡的状态中唤醒。她一直满足于做杰弗逊先生的女儿——就像露丝和娜奥米——不过，如果你们记得的话，娜奥米费了百般周折为露丝安排了一桩合适的婚姻。”
“除了雷蒙德，还有麦克莱恩先生。她很喜欢他，而且最终似乎很可能会跟他结婚。他并不富有——而且出事那天晚上他就在离丹尼茅斯不远的地方。所以，看起来每个人都有可能作案，是不是？”
“不过，我心里很明白。我们不能忽视那些被咬过的指甲，是不是？”
“指甲？”亨利爵士说，“可是她只是断了一个，然后把其余的剪掉了。”
“完全不是这样，”马普尔小姐说，“咬过的指甲和剪短的指甲完全不一样！任何对女孩的指甲稍有所了解的人都不会弄错——咬过的指甲很难看，我总是对课上的女孩们这样说。要知道，那些指甲就是事实。它们说明了一个问题。班特里上校藏书室里的尸体根本就不是鲁比•基恩。”
“这一点立刻把你引向那个与之有关的人。乔西！乔西辨认过尸体。她知道——她一定知道——那不是鲁比•基恩的尸体。然而她说是。她很困惑，完全想不通尸体怎么会在那里。她其实已经泄露了秘密。为什么？因为她知道，清楚地知道，尸体本应该在哪里！在巴兹尔•布莱克的小屋。是谁把我们的注意力引向巴兹尔？是乔西，她告诉雷蒙德，说鲁比可能和那个拍电影的家伙在一起。在这之前，她悄悄往鲁比的手提包里塞了一张巴兹尔的快照。谁会对这女孩怀有这么深的恨意，甚至看到她死了都掩盖不住？乔西！乔西，精明、实际、冷酷无情，所做的一切都是为了钱。”
“这就是我刚才说的太容易相信别人。乔西说尸体是鲁比•基恩，没有人对此表示怀疑，这只是因为她当时没有撒谎的动机。动机一直是个难题——这件事显然与乔西有关，但无论如何鲁比的死似乎都和她的利益相悖。直到黛娜•李提起萨默塞特教堂，我才找到我要找的那个联系。”
“婚姻！乔西和马克•加斯克尔其实已经结婚了——于是一切就清楚了。现在我们已经知道，马克和乔西一年前就结婚了。他们一直没让这个秘密见光，打算等到杰弗逊先生去世。”
“你们看，追查事情的原委非常有意思——可以确切地看到这个计划是如何实施的。既复杂又简单。首先选中那个可怜的孩子帕米拉，从电影入手，接近她。试镜——那可怜的孩子当然无法抗拒，尤其是在马克•加斯克尔的花言巧语下更加难以拒绝。她来到酒店时他正等着她，他从侧门把她领进去，介绍给乔西——他们的一个专业化妆师！可怜的孩子，一想到这个我就难受！她坐在乔西的卫生间里，让她把自己的头发颜色漂浅，给脸上化妆，手指甲和脚指甲都涂上了指甲油。在这个过程中，她还被下了药。很可能是放在冰淇淋苏打水里。她陷入了昏迷。我估计他们把她放到了对面的一个空房间里——那些房间每星期只打扫一次，如果没记错的话。”
“晚饭后，马克•加斯克尔开车出去了——他说是去了滨海区。其实是把套上鲁比旧裙子的帕米拉的尸体运到了巴兹尔的小屋，并放在炉前地毯上。当他用连衣裙带子勒她时，她还没有意识，但还活着……太可怕了——我希望、我祈祷当时她完全没有感觉。真的，想到绞死加斯克尔就让人高兴……当时一定是刚过十点钟。然后他开车以最快的速度返回酒店，在休息厅里找到那群人，这个时候鲁比•基恩还活着，正在和雷蒙德表演。”
“我想乔西事先已经为鲁比做了指导。鲁比也习惯对乔西言听计从。按计划，她要去乔西的房间换衣服，然后等着。她也被下了药，很可能是放在晚饭后的咖啡里。记得吧，她和小巴特列特谈话时一直在打哈欠。”
“乔西后来上楼去‘找她’——可除了乔西，没有别人进过乔西的房间。她可能就是那个时候将鲁比处理掉的——也许是注射，也可能是敲击后脑。她走下楼，和雷蒙德一起跳舞，然后和杰弗逊一家讨论鲁比可能去的地方，最后上床睡觉。凌晨时分，她给鲁比穿上帕米拉的衣服，把尸体从侧楼梯运下去——她是个力气很大的年轻女人，再取来乔治•巴特列特的车，开了两英里到达采石场，在车上浇上汽油，点着。之后步行回到酒店，可能之前就算好会在八九点钟到达——让人以为她由于担心鲁比而起了个大早！”
“非常复杂的情节。”梅尔切特上校说。
“并不比舞步更复杂。”马普尔小姐说。
“我想是吧。”
“她考虑得非常细致周到。”马普尔小姐说，“她甚至想到了她们的指甲不同。这就是她设法用自己的披肩弄断了鲁比一个指甲的原因，这样就有借口说服鲁比把其余的指甲都剪短了。”
哈珀说：“是的，她什么都想到了。马普尔小姐，你真正的证据只有那个女学生啃过的指甲。”
“不止这些。”马普尔小姐说，“有的人话太多。马克•加斯克尔就是这样。谈到鲁比时，他说‘她的牙齿参差不齐。’但是，班特里上校藏书室里那具女尸的牙齿是向外突的。”
康韦•杰弗逊表情严肃地说：
“最后那戏剧性的结尾是你的主意吗，马普尔小姐？”
马普尔小姐承认了。“哦，确实是的。确认一下不是很好吗？”
“当然好。”康韦•杰弗逊沉着脸说。
“你看，”马普尔小姐说，“马克和乔西一旦知道你打算重新立遗嘱，就一定会采取行动。他们已经为了钱杀死了两个人，所以并不介意杀第三个。当然，马克必须是清白的，所以他去了伦敦，先在一家饭店和朋友吃饭，然后又去了夜总会，这样便有了不在场证据。乔西去做这件事。他们还想把鲁比的死继续嫁祸给巴兹尔，所以杰弗逊先生的死因必须被鉴定为心脏衰竭。警司说，注射器里有洋地黄苷。任何医生都会认为在这种身体状况下，心脏衰竭而死是很自然的事。乔西已经弄松了阳台上的一块圆石，准备事后把它推下去。这样他的死便会被认为是受到响声惊吓所致。”
梅尔切特说：“诡计多端的魔鬼。”
亨利爵士说：“那么，你之前说的第三起死亡指的是康韦•杰弗逊？”
马普尔小姐摇摇头。
“哦，不——我指的是巴兹尔•布莱克。如果可以，他们早就绞死他了。”
“或者关在布罗德穆尔。”亨利爵士说。
康韦•杰弗逊哼了一声，说：
“我一直知道罗莎蒙德嫁给了一个无赖，只是不愿意承认。她非常喜欢他。喜欢一个凶手！好了，他和那个女人都会被绞死。我很高兴他可以消失了。”
马普尔小姐说：
“她的性格一直很强硬。这件事从头到尾都是她策划的。具有讽刺意味的是，鲁比是她自己找来的，可她做梦也没有想到鲁比会得到杰弗逊先生的喜爱，进而让她的希望破灭。”
杰弗逊说：
“可怜的姑娘。可怜的小鲁比……”
艾黛莱德•杰弗逊和雨果•麦克莱恩走了进来。今晚艾黛莱德看上去很美。她走近康韦•杰弗逊，把一只手放在他肩上，说话时有点儿气喘：
“我想告诉你一件事，杰夫。现在就说。我打算和雨果结婚。”
康韦•杰弗逊抬头看了她一会儿，然后语气生硬地说：
“你是该再婚了。祝贺你们。顺便说一句，艾迪，明天我要重新立一份遗嘱。”
她点点头。“哦，是的，我知道。”
杰弗逊说：
“不，你不知道。我打算给你留一万英镑，我死后其余的钱都留给彼得。你觉得可以吗，我的女孩？”
“哦，杰夫！”她脱口而出，“你真是太好了！”
“他是个好孩子。我很希望常常看到他——在我余下的日子里。”
“哦，你会的！”
“彼得对犯罪事件的预感很强。”康韦•杰弗逊思考着，“他不仅有那个被杀害的女孩的指甲——总之是其中一个被杀害的女孩——还幸运地弄到了一点儿乔西折断那片指甲的披肩。所以他还有女杀人犯的纪念品！这让他非常高兴！”
2雨果和艾黛莱德穿过舞厅。雷蒙德走上前去。
艾黛莱德迅速地说：
“我必须告诉你一个消息。我们就要结婚了。”
雷蒙德脸上的微笑无懈可击——一种勇敢、深沉的微笑。
他没理会雨果，而是盯着她的眼睛，说：
“祝愿你非常、非常幸福……”
他们离开后，雷蒙德站在原地看着他们的背影。
“一个好女人，”他自言自语，“非常好的女人。而且她还会有钱。我花心思恶补的那点儿有关德文郡斯塔尔家族的事……哦，算了，我的运气走了。跳吧，跳吧，你这个小人物！”
雷蒙德走出了舞厅。