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4. The Royal Spa Hotel
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Four
T HE R OYAL S PA H OTEL
IG eorge Rydesdale, Chief Constable1 of Middleshire, was a quiet man. Of medium height, with shrewd eyes underrather bushy brows, he was in the habit of listening rather than talking. Then, in his unemotional voice, he would givea brief order—and the order was obeyed.
He was listening now to Detective-Inspector2 Dermot Craddock. Craddock was now officially in charge of the case.
Rydesdale had recalled him last night from Liverpool where he had been sent to make certain inquiries3 in connectionwith another case. Rydesdale had a good opinion of Craddock. He not only had brains and imagination, he had also,which Rydesdale appreciated even more, the self-discipline to go slow, to check and examine each fact, and to keep anopen mind until the very end of a case.
“Constable Legg took the call, sir,” Craddock was saying. “He seems to have acted very well, with promptitudeand presence of mind. And it can’t have been easy. About a dozen people all trying to talk at once, including one ofthose Mittel Europas who go off at the deep end at the mere4 sight of a policeman. Made sure she was going to belocked up, and fairly screamed the place down.”
“Deceased has been identified?”
“Yes, sir. Rudi Scherz. Swiss Nationality. Employed at the Royal Spa Hotel, Medenham Wells, as a receptionist. Ifyou agree, sir, I thought I’d take the Royal Spa Hotel first, and go out to Chipping Cleghorn afterwards. SergeantFletcher is out there now. He’ll see the bus people and then go on to the house.”
Rydesdale nodded approval.
The door opened, and the Chief Constable looked up.
“Come in, Henry,” he said. “We’ve got something here that’s a little out of the ordinary.”
Sir Henry Clithering, ex-Commissioner of Scotland Yard, came in with slightly raised eyebrows6. He was a tall,distinguished-looking elderly man.
“It may appeal to even your blasé palate,” went on Rydesdale.
“I was never blasé,” said Sir Henry indignantly.
“The latest idea,” said Rydesdale, “is to advertise one’s murders beforehand. Show Sir Henry that advertisement,Craddock.”
“The North Benham News and Chipping Cleghorn Gazette,” said Sir Henry. “Quite a mouthful.” He read the halfinch of print indicated by Craddock’s finger. “H’m, yes, somewhat unusual.”
“Any line on who inserted this advertisement?” asked Rydesdale.
“By the description, sir, it was handed in by Rudi Scherz himself—on Wednesday.”
“Nobody questioned it? The person who accepted it didn’t think it odd?”
“The adenoidal blonde who receives the advertisements is quite incapable7 of thinking, I should say, sir. She justcounted the words and took the money.”
“What was the idea?” asked Sir Henry.
“Get a lot of the locals curious,” suggested Rydesdale. “Get them all together at a particular place at a particulartime, then hold them up and relieve them of their spare cash and valuables. As an idea, it’s not without originality8.”
“What sort of a place is Chipping Cleghorn?” asked Sir Henry.
“A large sprawling9 picturesque10 village. Butcher, baker11, grocer, quite a good antique shop—two tea shops. Self-consciously a beauty spot. Caters12 for the motoring tourist. Also highly residential13. Cottages formerly14 lived in byagricultural labourers now converted and lived in by elderly spinsters and retired15 couples. A certain amount ofbuilding done round about in Victorian times.”
“I know,” said Sir Henry. “Nice old Pussies16 and retired Colonels. Yes, if they noticed that advertisement they’d allcome sniffing17 round at 6:30 to see what was up. Lord, I wish I had my own particular old Pussy18 here. Wouldn’t shelike to get her nice ladylike teeth into this. Right up her street it would be.”
“Who’s your own particular Pussy, Henry? An aunt?”
“No,” Sir Henry sighed. “She’s no relation.” He said reverently19: “She’s just the finest detective God ever made.
Natural genius cultivated in a suitable soil.”
He turned upon Craddock.
“Don’t you despise the old Pussies in this village of yours, my boy,” he said. “In case this turns out to be a high-powered mystery, which I don’t suppose for a moment it will, remember that an elderly unmarried woman who knitsand gardens is streets ahead of any detective sergeant5. She can tell you what might have happened and what ought tohave happened and even what actually did happen! And she can tell you why it happened!”
“I’ll bear that in mind, sir,” said Detective-Inspector Craddock in his most formal manner, and nobody would haveguessed that Dermot Eric Craddock was actually Sir Henry’s godson and was on easy and intimate terms with hisgodfather.
Rydesdale gave a quick outline of the case to his friend.
“They’d all turn up at 6:30, I grant you that,” he said. “But would that Swiss fellow know they would? And anotherthing, would they be likely to have much loot on them to be worth the taking?”
“A couple of old-fashioned brooches, a string of seed pearls—a little loose change, perhaps a note or two—notmore,” said Sir Henry, thoughtfully. “Did this Miss Blacklock keep much money in the house?”
“She says not, sir. Five pounds odd, I understand.”
“Mere chicken feed,” said Rydesdale.
“What you’re getting at,” said Sir Henry, “is that this fellow liked to playact—it wasn’t the loot, it was the fun ofplaying and acting20 the hold-up. Cinema stuff? Eh? It’s quite possible. How did he manage to shoot himself?”
Rydesdale drew a paper towards him.
“Preliminary medical report. The revolver was discharged at close range—singeing … h’m … nothing to showwhether accident or suicide. Could have been done deliberately21, or he could have tripped and fallen and the revolverwhich he was holding close to him could have gone off … Probably the latter.” He looked at Craddock. “You’ll haveto question the witnesses very carefully and make them say exactly what they saw.”
Detective-Inspector Craddock said sadly: “They’ll all have seen something different.”
“It’s always interested me,” said Sir Henry, “what people do see at a moment of intense excitement and nervousstrain. What they do see and, even more interesting, what they don’t see.”
“Where’s the report on the revolver?”
“Foreign make—(fairly common on the Continent)—Scherz did not hold a permit for it—and did not declare it oncoming into England.”
“Bad lad,” said Sir Henry.
“Unsatisfactory character all round. Well, Craddock, go and see what you can find out about him at the Royal SpaHotel.”
II
At the Royal Spa Hotel, Inspector Craddock was taken straight to the Manager’s office.
The Manager, Mr. Rowlandson, a tall florid man with a hearty22 manner, greeted Inspector Craddock with expansivegeniality.
“Glad to help you in any way we can, Inspector,” he said. “Really a most surprising business. I’d never havecredited it—never. Scherz seemed a very ordinary, pleasant young chap—not at all my idea of a hold-up man.”
“How long has he been with you, Mr. Rowlandson?”
“I was looking that up just before you came. A little over three months. Quite good credentials23, the usual permits,etc.”
“And you found him satisfactory?”
Without seeming to do so, Craddock marked the infinitesimal pause before Rowlandson replied.
“Quite satisfactory.”
Craddock made use of a technique he had found efficacious before now.
“No, no, Mr. Rowlandson,” he said, gently shaking his head. “That’s not really quite the case, is it?”
“We-ll—” The Manager seemed slightly taken aback.
“Come now, there was something wrong. What was it?”
“That’s just it. I don’t know.”
“But you thought there was something wrong?”
“Well—yes—I did … But I’ve nothing really to go upon. I shouldn’t like my conjectures24 to be written down andquoted against me.”
Craddock smiled pleasantly.
“I know just what you mean. You needn’t worry. But I’ve got to get some idea of what this fellow, Scherz, waslike. You suspected him of—what?”
Rowlandson said, rather reluctantly:
“Well, there was trouble, once or twice, about the bills. Items charged that oughtn’t to have been there.”
“You mean you suspected that he charged up certain items which didn’t appear in the hotel records, and that hepocketed the difference when the bill was paid?”
“Something like that … Put it at the best, there was gross carelessness on his part. Once or twice quite a big sumwas involved. Frankly25, I got our accountant to go over his books suspecting that he was—well, a wrong ’un, butthough there were various mistakes and a good deal of slipshod method, the actual cash was quite correct. So I cameto the conclusion that I must be mistaken.”
“Supposing you hadn’t been wrong? Supposing Scherz had been helping26 himself to various small sums here andthere, he could have covered himself, I suppose, by making good the money?”
“Yes, if he had the money. But people who help themselves to ‘small sums’ as you put it—are usually hard up forthose sums and spend them offhand27.”
“So, if he wanted money to replace missing sums, he would have had to get money—by a hold-up or othermeans?”
“Yes. I wonder if this is his first attempt….”
“Might be. It was certainly a very amateurish28 one. Is there anyone else he could have got money from? Anywomen in his life?”
“One of the waitresses in the Grill29. Her name’s Myrna Harris.”
“I’d better have a talk with her.”
III
Myrna Harris was a pretty girl with a glorious head of red hair and a pert nose.
She was alarmed and wary30, and deeply conscious of the indignity31 of being interviewed by the police.
“I don’t know a thing about it, sir. Not a thing,” she protested. “If I’d known what he was like I’d never have goneout with Rudi at all. Naturally, seeing as he worked in Reception here, I thought he was all right. Naturally I did. WhatI say is the hotel ought to be more careful when they employ people—especially foreigners. Because you never knowwhere you are with foreigners. I suppose he might have been in with one of these gangs you read about?”
“We think,” said Craddock, “that he was working quite on his own.”
“Fancy—and him so quiet and respectable. You’d never think. Though there have been things missed—now Icome to think of it. A diamond brooch—and a little gold locket, I believe. But I never dreamed that it could have beenRudi.”
“I’m sure you didn’t,” said Craddock. “Anyone might have been taken in. You knew him fairly well?”
“I don’t know that I’d say well.”
“But you were friendly?”
“Oh, we were friendly—that’s all, just friendly. Nothing serious at all. I’m always on my guard with foreigners,anyway. They’ve often got a way with them, but you never know, do you? Some of those Poles during the war! Andeven some of the Americans! Never let on they’re married men until it’s too late. Rudi talked big and all that—but Ialways took it with a grain of salt.”
Craddock seized on the phrase.
“Talked big, did he? That’s very interesting, Miss Harris. I can see you’re going to be a lot of help to us. In whatway did he talk big?”
“Well, about how rich his people were in Switzerland—and how important. But that didn’t go with his being asshort of money as he was. He always said that because of the money regulation he couldn’t get money fromSwitzerland over here. That might be, I suppose, but his things weren’t expensive. His clothes, I mean. They weren’treally class. I think, too, that a lot of the stories he used to tell me were so much hot air. About climbing in the Alps,and saving people’s lives on the edge of a glacier32. Why, he turned quite giddy just going along the edge of Boulter’sGorge. Alps, indeed!”
“You went out with him a good deal?”
“Yes—well—yes, I did. He had awfully33 good manners and he knew how to—to look after a girl. The best seats atthe pictures always. And even flowers he’d buy me, sometimes. And he was just a lovely dancer—lovely.”
“Did he mention this Miss Blacklock to you at all?”
“She comes in and lunches here sometimes, doesn’t she? And she’s stayed here once. No, I don’t think Rudi evermentioned her. I didn’t know he knew her.”
“Did he mention Chipping Cleghorn?”
He thought a faintly wary look came into Myrna Harris’s eyes but he couldn’t be sure.
“I don’t think so … I think he did once ask about buses—what time they went—but I can’t remember if that wasChipping Cleghorn or somewhere else. It wasn’t just lately.”
He couldn’t get more out of her. Rudi Scherz had seemed just as usual. She hadn’t seen him the evening before.
She’d no idea—no idea at all—she stressed the point, that Rudi Scherz was a crook34.
And probably, Craddock thought, that was quite true.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 constable wppzG     
n.(英国)警察,警官
参考例句:
  • The constable conducted the suspect to the police station.警官把嫌疑犯带到派出所。
  • The constable kept his temper,and would not be provoked.那警察压制着自己的怒气,不肯冒起火来。
2 inspector q6kxH     
n.检查员,监察员,视察员
参考例句:
  • The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
  • The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。
3 inquiries 86a54c7f2b27c02acf9fcb16a31c4b57     
n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 );疑问;探究;打听
参考例句:
  • He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释,等候进一步调查。
  • I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
4 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
参考例句:
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
5 sergeant REQzz     
n.警官,中士
参考例句:
  • His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
  • How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹?
6 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
  • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
7 incapable w9ZxK     
adj.无能力的,不能做某事的
参考例句:
  • He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
  • Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。
8 originality JJJxm     
n.创造力,独创性;新颖
参考例句:
  • The name of the game in pop music is originality.流行音乐的本质是独创性。
  • He displayed an originality amounting almost to genius.他显示出近乎天才的创造性。
9 sprawling 3ff3e560ffc2f12f222ef624d5807902     
adj.蔓生的,不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 );蔓延;杂乱无序地拓展;四肢伸展坐着(或躺着)
参考例句:
  • He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
  • a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇
10 picturesque qlSzeJ     
adj.美丽如画的,(语言)生动的,绘声绘色的
参考例句:
  • You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
  • That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。
11 baker wyTz62     
n.面包师
参考例句:
  • The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
  • The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。
12 caters 65442608bd5622774e5b19fcdde933ff     
提供饮食及服务( cater的第三人称单数 ); 满足需要,适合
参考例句:
  • That shop caters exclusively to the weaker sex. 那家商店专供妇女需要的商品。
  • The boutique caters for a rather select clientele. 这家精品店为特定的顾客群服务。
13 residential kkrzY3     
adj.提供住宿的;居住的;住宅的
参考例句:
  • The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
  • The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。
14 formerly ni3x9     
adv.从前,以前
参考例句:
  • We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
  • This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。
15 retired Njhzyv     
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
参考例句:
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
16 pussies 9c98ba30644d0cf18e1b64aa3bf72b06     
n.(粗俚) 女阴( pussy的名词复数 );(总称)(作为性对象的)女人;(主要北美使用,非正式)软弱的;小猫咪
参考例句:
  • Not one of these pussies has been washed in weeks. 这帮娘儿们几个星期都没洗过澡了。 来自电影对白
  • See there's three kinds of people: dicks pussies and assholes. 哥们,世上有三种人:小弟弟、小妹妹,还有屁股眼。 来自互联网
17 sniffing 50b6416c50a7d3793e6172a8514a0576     
n.探查法v.以鼻吸气,嗅,闻( sniff的现在分词 );抽鼻子(尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气);抱怨,不以为然地说
参考例句:
  • We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了,一个劲地抽鼻子,打喷嚏。
  • They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了,呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
18 pussy x0dzA     
n.(儿语)小猫,猫咪
参考例句:
  • Why can't they leave my pussy alone?为什么他们就不能离我小猫咪远一点?
  • The baby was playing with his pussy.孩子正和他的猫嬉戏。
19 reverently FjPzwr     
adv.虔诚地
参考例句:
  • He gazed reverently at the handiwork. 他满怀敬意地凝视着这件手工艺品。
  • Pork gazed at it reverently and slowly delight spread over his face. 波克怀着愉快的心情看着这只表,脸上慢慢显出十分崇敬的神色。
20 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
21 deliberately Gulzvq     
adv.审慎地;蓄意地;故意地
参考例句:
  • The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
  • They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。
22 hearty Od1zn     
adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的
参考例句:
  • After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了,他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
  • We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。
23 credentials credentials     
n.证明,资格,证明书,证件
参考例句:
  • He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
  • Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。
24 conjectures 8334e6a27f5847550b061d064fa92c00     
推测,猜想( conjecture的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • That's weighing remote military conjectures against the certain deaths of innocent people. 那不过是牵强附会的军事假设,而现在的事实却是无辜者正在惨遭杀害,这怎能同日而语!
  • I was right in my conjectures. 我所猜测的都应验了。
25 frankly fsXzcf     
adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说
参考例句:
  • To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说,我一点也不赞成这个主意。
  • Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说,我不反对改革。
26 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
27 offhand IIUxa     
adj.临时,无准备的;随便,马虎的
参考例句:
  • I can't answer your request offhand.我不能随便答复你的要求。
  • I wouldn't want to say what I thought about it offhand.我不愿意随便说我关于这事的想法。
28 amateurish AoSy6     
n.业余爱好的,不熟练的
参考例句:
  • The concert was rather an amateurish affair.这场音乐会颇有些外行客串的味道。
  • The paintings looked amateurish.这些画作看起来只具备业余水准。
29 grill wQ8zb     
n.烤架,铁格子,烤肉;v.烧,烤,严加盘问
参考例句:
  • Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。
  • I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。
30 wary JMEzk     
adj.谨慎的,机警的,小心的
参考例句:
  • He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
  • Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头,突然警惕起来。
31 indignity 6bkzp     
n.侮辱,伤害尊严,轻蔑
参考例句:
  • For more than a year we have suffered the indignity.在一年多的时间里,我们丢尽了丑。
  • She was subjected to indignity and humiliation.她受到侮辱和羞辱。
32 glacier YeQzw     
n.冰川,冰河
参考例句:
  • The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
  • The upper surface of glacier is riven by crevasses.冰川的上表面已裂成冰隙。
33 awfully MPkym     
adv.可怕地,非常地,极端地
参考例句:
  • Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
  • I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。
34 crook NnuyV     
v.使弯曲;n.小偷,骗子,贼;弯曲(处)
参考例句:
  • He demanded an apology from me for calling him a crook.我骂他骗子,他要我向他认错。
  • She was cradling a small parcel in the crook of her elbow.她用手臂挎着一个小包裹。


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