ID ermot Craddock was fraternizing with Armand Dessin of the Paris Prefecture. The two men had met on one or twooccasions and got on well together. Since Craddock spoke1 French fluently, most of their conversation was conductedin that language.
“It is an idea only,” Dessin warned him, “I have a picture here of the corps2 de ballet—that is she, the fourth fromthe left—it says anything to you, yes?”
Inspector3 Craddock said that actually it didn’t. A strangled young woman is not easy to recognize, and in thispicture all the young women concerned were heavily made up and were wearing extravagant4 bird headdresses.
“It could be,” he said. “I can’t go further than that. Who was she? What do you know about her?”
“Almost less than nothing,” said the other cheerfully. “She was not important, you see. And the Ballet Maritski—itis not important, either. It plays in suburban5 theatres and goes on tour—it has no real names, no stars, no famousballerinas. But I will take you to see Madame Joilet who runs it.”
Madame Joilet was a brisk business-like Frenchwoman with a shrewd eye, a small moustache, and a good deal ofadipose tissue.
“Me, I do not like the police!” She scowled6 at them, without camouflaging7 her dislike of the visit. “Always, if theycan, they make me embarrassments8.”
“No, no, Madame, you must not say that,” said Dessin, who was a tall thin melancholy-looking man. “When have Iever caused you embarrassments?”
“Over that little fool who drank the carbolic acid,” said Madame Joilet promptly9. “And all because she has fallen inlove with the chef d’orchestre—who does not care for women and has other tastes. Over that you made the bigbrouhaha! Which is not good for my beautiful ballet.”
“On the contrary, big box office business,” said Dessin. “And that was three years ago. You should not bear malice10.
Now about this girl, Anna Stravinska.”
“Well, what about her?” said Madame cautiously.
“Is she Russian?” asked Inspector Craddock.
“No, indeed. You mean, because of her name? But they all call themselves names like that, these girls. She was notimportant, she did not dance well, she was not particularly good-looking. Elle était assez bien, c’est tout11. She dancedwell enough for the corps de ballet—but no solos.”
“Was she French?”
“Perhaps. She had a French passport. But she told me once that she had an English husband.”
“She told you that she had an English husband? Alive—or dead?”
Madame Joilet shrugged12 her shoulders.
“Dead, or he had left her. How should I know which? These girls—there is always some trouble with men—”
“When did you last see her?”
“I take my company to London for six weeks. We play at Tor-quay, at Bournemouth, at Eastbourne, at somewhereelse I forget and at Hammersmith. Then we come back to France, but Anna—she does not come. She sends a messageonly that she leaves the company, that she goes to live with her husband’s family—some nonsense of that kind. I didnot think it is true, myself. I think it more likely that she has met a man, you understand.”
Inspector Craddock nodded. He perceived that that was what Madame Joilet would invariably think.
“And it is no loss to me. I do not care. I can get girls just as good and better to come and dance, so I shrug13 theshoulders and do not think of it anymore. Why should I? They are all the same, these girls, mad about men.”
“What date was this?”
“When we return to France? It was—yes—the Sunday before Christmas. And Anna she leaves two—or is it three—days before that? I cannot remember exactly… But the end of the week at Hammersmith we have to dance withouther—and it means rearranging things… It was very naughty of her—but these girls—the moment they meet a manthey are all the same. Only I say to everybody. ‘Zut, I do not take her back, that one!’”
“Very annoying for you.”
“Ah! Me—I do not care. No doubt she passes the Christmas holiday with some man she has picked up. It is not myaffair. I can find other girls—girls who will leap at the chance of dancing in the Ballet Maritski and who can dance aswell—or better than Anna.”
Madame Joilet paused and then asked with a sudden gleam of interest:
“Why do you want to find her? Has she come into money?”
“On the contrary,” said Inspector Craddock politely. “We think she may have been murdered.”
Madame Joilet relapsed into indifference14.
“Ca se peut! It happens. Ah, well! She was a good Catholic. She went to Mass on Sundays, and no doubt toconfession.”
“Did she ever speak to you, Madame, of a son?”
“A son? Do you mean she had a child? That, now, I should consider most unlikely. These girls, all—all of themknow a useful address to which to go. M. Dessin knows that as well as I do.”
“She may have had a child before she adopted a stage life,” said Craddock. “During the war, for instance.”
“Ah! dans la guerre. That is always possible. But if so, I know nothing about it.”
“Who amongst the other girls were her closest friends?”
“I can give you two or three names—but she was not very intimate with anyone.”
They could get nothing else useful from Madame Joilet.
Shown the compact, she said Anna had one of that kind, but so had most of the other girls. Anna had perhapsbought a fur coat in London—she did not know. “Me, I occupy myself with the rehearsals15, with the stage lighting,with all the difficulties of my business. I have not time to notice what my artists wear.”
After Madame Joilet, they interviewed the girls whose names she had given them. One or two of them had knownAnna fairly well, but they all said that she had not been one to talk much about herself, and that when she did, it was,so one girl said, mostly lies.
“She liked to pretend things—stories about having been the mistress of a Grand Duke—or of a great Englishfinancier—or how she worked for the Resistance in the war. Even a story about being a film star in Hollywood.”
Another girl said:
“I think that really she had had a very tame bourgeois16 existence. She liked to be in ballet because she thought it wasromantic, but she was not a good dancer. You understand that if she were to say, ‘My father was a draper in Amiens,’
that would not be romantic! So instead she made up things.”
“Even in London,” said the first girl, “she threw out hints about a very rich man who was going to take her on acruise round the world, because she reminded him of his dead daughter who had died in a car accident. Quelleblague!”
“She told me she was going to stay with a rich lord in Scotland,” said the second girl. “She said she would shootthe deer there.”
None of this was helpful. All that seemed to emerge from it was that Anna Stravinska was a proficient17 liar18. She wascertainly not shooting deer with a a peer in Scotland, and it seemed equally unlikely that she was on the sun deck of aliner cruising round the world. But neither was there any real reason to believe that her body had been found in asarcophagus at Rutherford Hall. The identification by the girls and Madame Joilet was very uncertain and hesitating. Itlooked something like Anna, they all agreed. But really! All swollen19 up—it might be anybody!
The only fact that was established was that on the 19th of December Anna Stravinska had decided20 not to return toFrance, and that on the 20th December a woman resembling her in appearance had travelled to Brackhampton by the4:33 train and had been strangled.
If the woman in the sarcophagus was not Anna Stravinska, where was Anna now?
To that, Madame Joilet’s answer was simple and inevitable21.
“With a man!”
And it was probably the correct answer, Craddock reflected ruefully.
One other possibility had to be considered—raised by the casual remark that Anna had once referred to having anEnglish husband.
Had that husband been Edmund Crackenthorpe?
It seemed unlikely, considering the word picture of Anna that had been given him by those who knew her. Whatwas much more probable was that Anna had at one time known the girl Martine sufficiently22 intimately to beacquainted with the necessary details. It might have been Anna who wrote that letter to Emma Crackenthorpe and, ifso, Anna would have been quite likely to have taken fright at any question of an investigation23. Perhaps she had eventhought it prudent24 to sever25 her connection with the Ballet Maritski. Again, where was she now?
And again, inevitably26, Madame Joilet’s answer seemed the most likely.
With a man….
II
Before leaving Paris, Craddock discussed with Dessin the question of the woman named Martine. Dessin was inclinedto agree with his English colleague that the matter had probably no connection with the woman found in thesarcophagus. All the same, he agreed, the matter ought to be investigated.
He assured Craddock that the S?reté would do their best to discover if there actually was any record of a marriagebetween Lieutenant27 Edmund Crackenthorpe of the 4th Southshire Regiment28 and a French girl whose Christian29 namewas Martine. Time—just prior to the fall of Dunkirk.
He warned Craddock, however, that a definite answer was doubtful. The area in question had not only beenoccupied by the Germans at almost exactly that time, but subsequently that part of France had suffered severe wardamage at the time of the invasion. Many buildings and records had been destroyed.
“But rest assured, my dear colleague, we shall do our best.”
With this, he and Craddock took leave of each other.
III
On Craddock’s return Sergeant30 Wetherall was waiting to report with gloomy relish31:
“Accommodation address, sir—that’s what 126 Elvers Crescent is. Quite respectable and all that.”
“Any identifications?”
“No, nobody could recognize the photograph as that of a woman who had called for letters, but I don’t think theywould anyway—it’s a month ago, very near, and a good many people use the place. It’s actually a boarding-house forstudents.”
“She might have stayed there under another name.”
“If so, they didn’t recognize her as the original of the photograph.”
He added:
“We circularized the hotels—nobody registering as Martine Crackenthorpe anywhere. On receipt of your call fromParis, we checked up on Anna Stravinska. She was registered with other members of the company in a cheap hotel offBrook Green. Mostly theatricals32 there. She cleared out on the night of Thursday 19th after the show. No furtherrecord.”
Craddock nodded. He suggested a line of further inquiries33—though he had little hope of success from them.
After some thought, he rang up Wimborne, Henderson and Carstairs and asked for an appointment with Mr.
Wimborne.
In due course, he was ushered34 into a particularly airless room where Mr. Wimborne was sitting behind a large old-fashioned desk covered with bundles of dusty-looking papers. Various deed boxes labelled Sir John ffouldes, dec.,Lady Derrin, George Rowbottom, Esq., ornamented35 the walls; whether as relics36 of a bygone era or as part of present-day legal affairs, the inspector did not know.
Mr. Wimborne eyed his visitor with the polite wariness37 characteristic of a family lawyer towards the police.
“What can I do for you, Inspector?”
“This letter…” Craddock pushed Martine’s letter across the table. Mr. Wimborne touched it with a distastefulfinger but did not pick it up. His colour rose very slightly and his lips tightened38.
“Quite so,” he said; “quite so! I received a letter from Miss Emma Crackenthorpe yesterday morning, informing meof her visit to Scotland Yard and of—ah—all the circumstances. I may say that I am at a loss to understand—quite at aloss—why I was not consulted about this letter at the time of its arrival! Most extraordinary! I should have beeninformed immediately….”
Inspector Craddock repeated soothingly39 such platitudes40 as seemed best calculated to reduce Mr. Wimborne to anamenable frame of mind.
“I’d no idea that there was ever any question of Edmund’s having married,” said Mr. Wimborne in an injuredvoice.
Inspector Craddock said that he supposed—in war time—and left it to trail away vaguely41.
“War time!” snapped Mr. Wimborne with waspish acerbity42. “Yes, indeed, we were in Lincoln’s Inn Fields at theoutbreak of war and there was a direct hit on the house next door, and a great number of our records were destroyed.
Not the really important documents, of course; they had been removed to the country for safety. But it caused a greatdeal of confusion. Of course, the Crackenthorpe business was in my father’s hands at that time. He died six years ago.
I dare say he may have been told about this so-called marriage of Edmund’s—but on the face of it, it looks as thoughthat marriage, even if contemplated43, never took place, and so, no doubt, my father did not consider the story of anyimportance. I must say, all this sounds very fishy44 to me. This coming forward, after all these years, and claiming amarriage and a legitimate45 son. Very fishy indeed. What proofs had she got, I’d like to know?”
“Just so,” said Craddock. “What would her position, or her son’s position be?”
“The idea was, I suppose, that she would get the Crackenthorpes to provide for her and for the boy.”
“Yes, but I meant, what would she and the son be entitled to, legally speaking—if she could prove her claim?”
“Oh, I see.” Mr. Wimborne picked up his spectacles which he had laid aside in his irritation46, and put them on,staring through them at Inspector Craddock with shrewd attention. “Well, at the moment, nothing. But if she couldprove that the boy was the son of Edmund Crackenthorpe, born in lawful47 wedlock48, then the boy would be entitled tohis share of Josiah Crackenthorpe’s trust on the death of Luther Crackenthorpe. More than that, he’d inheritRutherford Hall, since he’s the son of the eldest49 son.”
“Would anyone want to inherit the house?”
“To live in? I should say, certainly not. But that estate, my dear Inspector, is worth a considerable amount ofmoney. Very considerable. Land for industrial and building purposes. Land which is now in the heart ofBrackhampton. Oh, yes, a very considerable inheritance.”
“If Luther Crackenthorpe dies, I believe you told me that Cedric gets it?”
“He inherits the real estate—yes, as the eldest living son.”
“Cedric Crackenthorpe, I have been given to understand, is not interested in money?”
Mr. Wimborne gave Craddock a cold stare.
“Indeed? I am inclined, myself, to take statements of such a nature with what I might term a grain of salt. There aredoubtless certain unworldly people who are indifferent to money. I myself have never met one.”
Mr. Wimborne obviously derived50 a certain satisfaction from this remark.
Inspector Craddock hastened to take advantage of this ray of sunshine.
“Harold and Alfred Crackenthorpe,” he ventured, “seem to have been a good deal upset by the arrival of thisletter?”
“Well they might be,” said Mr. Wimborne. “Well they might be.”
“It would reduce their eventual51 inheritance?”
“Certainly. Edmund Crackenthorpe’s son—always presuming there is a son—would be entitled to a fifth share ofthe trust money.”
“That doesn’t really seem a very serious loss?”
Mr. Wimborne gave him a shrewd glance.
“It is a totally inadequate52 motive53 for murder, if that is what you mean.”
“But I suppose they’re both pretty hard up,” Craddock murmured.
He sustained Mr. Wimborne’s sharp glance with perfect impassivity.
“Oh! So the police have been making inquiries? Yes, Alfred is almost incessantly54 in low water. Occasionally he isvery flush of money for a short time—but it soon goes. Harold, as you seem to have discovered, is at presentsomewhat precariously55 situated56.”
“In spite of his appearance of financial prosperity?”
“Fa?ade. All fa?ade! Half these city concerns don’t even know if they’re solvent57 or not. Balance sheets can bemade to look all right to the inexpert eye. But when the assets that are listed aren’t really assets—when those assets aretrembling on the brink58 of a crash—where are you?”
“Where, presumably, Harold Crackenthorpe is, in bad need of money.”
“Well, he wouldn’t have got it by strangling his late brother’s widow,” said Mr. Wimborne. “And nobody’smurdered Luther Crackenthorpe which is the only murder that would do the family any good. So, really, Inspector, Idon’t quite see where your ideas are leading you?”
The worst of it was, Inspector Craddock thought, that he wasn’t very sure himself.
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1
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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4
extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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suburban
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| adj.城郊的，在郊区的 | |
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scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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camouflaging
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| v.隐蔽( camouflage的现在分词 )；掩盖；伪装，掩饰 | |
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8
embarrassments
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| n.尴尬( embarrassment的名词复数 )；难堪；局促不安；令人难堪或耻辱的事 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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malice
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| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
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tout
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| v.推销，招徕；兜售；吹捧，劝诱 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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shrug
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| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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14
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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rehearsals
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| n.练习( rehearsal的名词复数 )；排练；复述；重复 | |
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bourgeois
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| adj./n.追求物质享受的(人)；中产阶级分子 | |
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proficient
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| adj.熟练的，精通的；n.能手，专家 | |
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liar
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| n.说谎的人 | |
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swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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sever
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| v.切开，割开；断绝，中断 | |
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inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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theatricals
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| n.（业余性的）戏剧演出，舞台表演艺术；职业演员；戏剧的( theatrical的名词复数 )；剧场的；炫耀的；戏剧性的 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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wariness
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| n. 注意,小心 | |
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tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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soothingly
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| adv.抚慰地，安慰地；镇痛地 | |
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40
platitudes
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| n.平常的话，老生常谈，陈词滥调( platitude的名词复数 )；滥套子 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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42
acerbity
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| n.涩，酸，刻薄 | |
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contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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fishy
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| adj. 值得怀疑的 | |
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legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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47
lawful
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| adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的 | |
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48
wedlock
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| n.婚姻，已婚状态 | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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50
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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eventual
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| adj.最后的，结局的，最终的 | |
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52
inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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53
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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precariously
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| adv.不安全地；危险地；碰机会地；不稳定地 | |
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56
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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57
solvent
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| n.溶剂；adj.有偿付能力的 | |
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58
brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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