A day or two later Colonel Melchett and Superintendent1 Harper looked at each other across the former’s big desk.
Harper had come over to Much Benham for a consultation2.
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. Ruby3 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 shortcut4 over two fields and a footpath5 and lane which would bring herinto Danemouth near the Majestic6 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 ass7, or else—well, he is a silly ass.”
“What we want,” said Melchett, “is motive8. As it stands, he had no motive whatever for killing9 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 thoroughly10—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 vetted11 and found correct. Harmless fellows, and all able to produce alibis13 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 investigation14 to you.”
“Yes, sir. It’s been gone into—very thoroughly. We applied15 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 judgment16 morethan once. His holdings have gone steadily17 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 tangled18 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 alibi12 holds for both of them. They couldn’t have done it. Just that.”
“You’ve got a detailed19 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 frankly20 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 physiological21 what-not? You know what I mean.”
“I know that you don’t know what you’re talking about. The girl was perfectly22 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 narcotic23. 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 promising24, 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 cocktails25 and goes on and on until the air’s too thick to see through and everyone passes out. Accordingto Inspector26 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 fully27 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.
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superintendent
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| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
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consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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ruby
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| n.红宝石，红宝石色 | |
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shortcut
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| n.近路，捷径 | |
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footpath
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| n.小路，人行道 | |
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majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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vetted
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| v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的过去式和过去分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗 | |
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alibi
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| n.某人当时不在犯罪现场的申辩或证明；借口 | |
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alibis
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| 某人在别处的证据( alibi的名词复数 )； 不在犯罪现场的证人； 借口； 托辞 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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physiological
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| adj.生理学的，生理学上的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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narcotic
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| n.麻醉药，镇静剂；adj.麻醉的，催眠的 | |
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promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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cocktails
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| n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物 | |
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inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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