T he inquest, when it was held, was short and disappointing. Evidence of identification was given by the husband, andthe only other evidence was medical. Heather Badcock had died as a result of four grains of hy-ethyl-dexyl-barbo-quinde-lorytate, or, let us be frank, some such name. There was no evidence to show how the drug was administered.
The inquest was adjourned1 for a fortnight.
After it was concluded, Detective-Inspector2 Frank Cornish joined Arthur Badcock.
“Could I have a word with you, Mr. Badcock?”
“Of course, of course.”
Arthur Badcock looked more like a chewed-out bit of string than ever. “I can’t understand it,” he muttered. “Isimply can’t understand it.”
“I’ve got a car here,” said Cornish. “We’ll drive back to your house, shall we? Nicer and more private there.”
“Thank you, sir. Yes, yes, I’m sure that would be much better.”
They drew up at the neat little blue-painted gate of No. 3 Arlington Close. Arthur Badcock led the way and theinspector followed him. He drew out his latchkey but before he had inserted it into the door, it was opened frominside. The woman who opened it stood back looking slightly embarrassed. Arthur Badcock looked startled.
“Mary,” he said.
“I was just getting you ready some tea, Arthur. I thought you’d need it when you came back from the inquest.”
“That’s very kind of you, I’m sure,” said Arthur Badcock gratefully. “Er—” he hesitated. “This is InspectorCornish, Mrs. Bain. She’s a neighbour of mine.”
“I see,” said Inspector Cornish.
“I’ll get another cup,” said Mrs. Bain.
She disappeared and rather doubtfully Arthur Badcock showed the inspector into the bright cretonne-coveredsitting room to the right of the hall.
“She’s very kind,” said Arthur Badcock. “Very kind always.”
“You’ve known her a long time?”
“Oh, no. Only since we came here.”
“You’ve been here two years, I believe, or is it three?”
“Just about three now,” said Arthur. “Mrs. Bain only got here six months ago,” he explained. “Her son works nearhere and so, after her husband’s death, she came down to live here and he boards with her.”
Mrs. Bain appeared at this point bringing the tray from the kitchen. She was a dark, rather intense-looking womanof about forty years of age. She had gipsy colouring that went with her dark hair and eyes. There was something alittle odd about her eyes. They had a watchful3 look. She put down the tray on the table and Inspector Cornish saidsomething pleasant and noncommittal. Something in him, some professional instinct, was on the alert. The watchfullook in the woman’s eyes, the slight start she had given when Arthur introduced him had not passed unnoticed. He wasfamiliar with that slight uneasiness in the presence of the kind of natural alarm and distrust as of those who might haveoffended unwittingly against the majesty4 of the law, but there was a second kind. And it was the second kind that hefelt sure was present here. Mrs. Bain, he thought, had had at some time some connection with the police, somethingthat had left her wary5 and ill at ease. He made a mental note to find out a little more about Mary Bain. Having setdown the tea tray, and refused to partake herself saying she had to get home, she departed.
“Seems a nice woman,” said Inspector Cornish.
“Yes, indeed. She’s very kind, a very good neighbour, a very sympathetic woman,” said Arthur Badcock.
“Was she a great friend of your wife?”
“No. No, I wouldn’t say that. They were neighbourly and on pleasant terms. Nothing special about it though.”
“I see. Now, Mr. Badcock, we want as much information as we can from you. The findings of the inquest havebeen a shock to you, I expect?”
“Oh, they have, Inspector. Of course I realized that you must think something was wrong and I almost thought somyself because Heather has always been such a healthy woman. Practically never a day’s illness. I said to myself,‘There must be something wrong.’ But it seems so incredible, if you understand what I mean, Inspector. Really quiteincredible. What is this stuff—this Bi-ethyl-hex—” He came to a stop.
“There is an easier name for it,” said the inspector. “It’s sold under a trade name, the trade name of Calmo. Evercome across it?”
Arthur Badcock shook his head, perplexed6.
“It’s more used in America than here,” said the inspector. “They prescribe it very freely over there, I understand.”
“What’s it for?”
“It induces, or so I understand, a happy and tranquil7 state of mind,” said Cornish. “It’s prescribed for those understrain; suffering anxiety, depression, melancholy8, sleeplessness9 and a good many other things. The properly prescribeddose is not dangerous, but overdoses are not to be advised. It would seem that your wife took something like six timesthe ordinary dose.”
Badcock stared. “Heather never took anything like that in her life,” he said. “I’m sure of it. She wasn’t one fortaking medicines anyway. She was never depressed10 or worried. She was one of the most cheerful women you couldpossibly imagine.”
The inspector nodded. “I see. And no doctor had prescribed anything of this kind for her?”
“No. Certainly not. I’m sure of that.”
“Who was her doctor?”
“She was on Dr. Sim’s panel, but I don’t think she’s been to him once since we’ve been here.”
Inspector Cornish said thoughtfully, “So she doesn’t seem the kind of woman to have been likely to need such athing, or to have taken it?”
“She didn’t, Inspector, I’m sure she didn’t. She must have taken it by a mistake of some kind.”
“It’s a very difficult mistake to imagine,” said Inspector Cornish. “What did she have to eat and drink thatafternoon?”
“Well, let me see. For lunch—”
“You needn’t go back as far as lunch,” said Cornish. “Given in such quantity the drug would act quickly andsuddenly. Tea. Go back to tea.”
“Well, we went into the marquee in the grounds. It was a terrible scrum in there, but we managed in the end to geta bun each and a cup of tea. We finished it as quickly as possible because it was very hot in the marquee and we cameout again.”
“And that’s all she had, a bun and a cup of tea there?”
“That’s right, sir.”
“And after that you went into the house. Is that right?”
“Yes. The young lady came and said that Miss Marina Gregg would be very pleased to see my wife if she wouldlike to come into the house. Of course my wife was delighted. She had been talking about Marina Gregg for days.
Everybody was excited. Oh well, you know that, Inspector, as well as anyone does.”
“Yes, indeed,” said Cornish. “My wife was excited, too. Why, from all around people were paying their shilling togo in and see Gossington Hall and what had been done there, and hoped to catch a glimpse of Marina Gregg herself.”
“The young lady took us into the house,” said Arthur Badcock, “and up the stairs. That’s where the party was. Onthe landing up there. But it looked quite different from what it used to look like, so I understand. It was more like aroom, a sort of big hollowed out place with chairs and tables with drinks on them. There were about ten or twelvepeople there, I suppose.”
Inspector Cornish nodded. “And you were received there—by whom?”
“By Miss Marina Gregg herself. Her husband was with her. I’ve forgotten his name now.”
“Jason Rudd,” said Inspector Cornish.
“Oh, yes, not that I noticed him at first. Well, anyway, Miss Gregg greeted Heather very nicely and seemed verypleased to see her, and Heather was talking and telling a story of how she’d once met Miss Gregg years ago in theWest Indies and everything seemed as right as rain.”
“Everything seemed as right as rain,” echoed the inspector. “And then?”
“And then Miss Gregg said what would we have? And Miss Gregg’s husband, Mr. Rudd, got Heather a kind ofcocktail, a dickery or something like that.”
“A daiquiri.”
“That’s right, sir. He brought two. One for her and one for Miss Gregg.”
“And you, what did you have?”
“I had a sherry.”
“I see. And you three stood there drinking together?”
“Well, not quite like that. You see there were more people coming up the stairs. There was the mayor, for one, andsome other people—an American gentleman and lady, I think—so we moved off a bit.”
“And your wife drank her daiquiri then?”
“Well, no, not then, she didn’t.”
“Well, if she didn’t drink it then, when did she drink it?”
Arthur Badcock stood frowning in remembrance. “I think—she set it down on one of the tables. She saw somefriends there. I think it was someone to do with the St. John Ambulance who’d driven over there from Much Benhamor somewhere like that. Anyway they got to talking together.”
“And when did she drink her drink?”
Arthur Badcock again frowned. “It was a little after that,” he said. “It was getting rather more crowded by then.
Somebody jogged Heather’s elbow and her glass got spilt.”
“What’s that?” Inspector Cornish looked up sharply. “Her glass was spilt?”
“Yes, that’s how I remember it… She’d picked it up and I think she took a little sip11 and made rather a face. Shedidn’t really like cocktails12, you know, but all the same she wasn’t going to be downed by that. Anyway, as she stoodthere, somebody jogged her elbow and the glass spilled over. It went down her dress and I think it went on MissGregg’s dress too. Miss Gregg couldn’t have been nicer. She said it didn’t matter at all and it would make no stain andshe gave Heather her handkerchief to wipe up Heather’s dress, and then she passed over the drink she was holding andsaid, ‘Have this, I haven’t touched it yet.’”
“She handed over her own drink, did she?” said the inspector. “You’re quite sure of that?”
Arthur Badcock paused a moment while he thought. “Yes, I’m quite sure of that,” he said.
“And your wife took the drink?”
“Well, she didn’t want to at first, sir. She said ‘Oh no, I couldn’t do that’ and Miss Gregg laughed and said, ‘I’vehad far too much to drink already.’”
“And so your wife took that glass and did what with it?”
“She turned away a little and drank it, rather quickly, I think. And then we walked a little way along the corridorlooking at some of the pictures and the curtains. Lovely curtain stuff it was, like nothing we’d seen before. Then I meta pal13 of mine, Councillor Allcock, and I was just passing the time of day with him when I looked round and sawHeather was sitting on a chair looking rather odd, so I came to her and said, ‘What’s the matter?’ She said she felt alittle queer.”
“What kind of queerness?”
“I don’t know, sir. I didn’t have time. Her voice sounded very queer and thick and her head was rolling a little. Allof a sudden she made a great half gasp14 and her head fell forward. She was dead, sir, dead.”
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1
adjourned
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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5
wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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sleeplessness
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| n.失眠，警觉 | |
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depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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11
sip
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| v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量 | |
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12
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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13
pal
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| n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友 | |
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14
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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