Tommy and Tuppence were closeted with the Chief in his private room.
His commendation had been warm and sincere.
“You have succeeded admirably. Thanks to you we have laid our handson no less than five very interesting personages, and from them we havereceived much valuable information. Meanwhile I learn from a creditablesource that headquarters in Moscow have taken alarm at the failure oftheir agents to report. I think that in spite of all our precautions they havebegun to suspect that all is not well at what I may call the distributingcentre—the office of Mr. Theodore Blunt—the International Detective Bur-eau.”
“Well,” said Tommy, “I suppose they were bound to tumble to it sometime or other, sir.”
“As you say, it was only to be expected. But I am a little worried—aboutMrs. Tommy.”
“I can look after her all right, sir,” said Tommy, at exactly the sameminute as Tuppence said, “I can take care of myself.”
“H’m,” said Mr. Carter. “Excessive self-confidence was always a charac-teristic of you two. Whether your immunity1 is entirely2 due to your ownsuperhuman cleverness, or whether a small percentage of luck creeps in,I’m not prepared to say. But luck changes, you know. However, I won’t ar-gue the point. From my extensive knowledge of Mrs. Tommy, I suppose it’squite useless to ask her to keep out of the limelight for the next week ortwo?”
Tuppence shook her head very energetically.
“Then all I can do is to give you all the information that I can. We havereason to believe that a special agent has been despatched from Moscowto this country. We don’t know what name he is travelling under, we don’tknow when he will arrive. But we do know something about him. He is aman who gave us great trouble in the war, an ubiquitous kind of fellowwho turned up all over the place where we least wanted him. He is a Rus-sian by birth, and an accomplished3 linguist—so much so that he can passas half a dozen other nationalities, including our own. He is also a pastmaster in the art of disguise. And he has brains. It was he who devised theNo. 16 code.
“When and how he will turn up, I do not know. But I am fairly certainthat he will turn up. We do know this—he was not personally acquaintedwith the real Mr. Theodore Blunt. I think that he will turn up at your of-fice, on the pretext4 of a case which he will wish you to take up, and will tryyou with the pass words. The first, as you know, is the mention of thenumber sixteen—which is replied to by a sentence containing the samenumber. The second, which we have only just learnt, is an inquiry5 as towhether you have ever crossed the Channel. The answer to that is: ‘I wasin Berlin on the 13th of last month.’ As far as we know that is all. I wouldsuggest that you reply correctly, and so endeavour to gain his confidence.
Sustain the fiction if you possibly can. But even if he appears to be com-pletely deceived, remain on your guard. Our friend is particularly astute,and can play a double game as well, or better, than you can. But in eithercase I hope to get him through you. From this day forward I am adoptingspecial precautions. A dictaphone was installed last night in your office, sothat one of my men in the room below will be able to hear everything thatpasses in your office. In this way I shall be immediately informed if any-thing arises, and can take the necessary steps to safeguard you and yourwife whilst securing the man I am after.”
After a few more instructions, and a general discussion of tactics, thetwo young people departed and made their way as rapidly as possible tothe offices of Blunt’s Brilliant Detectives.
“It’s late,” said Tommy, looking at his watch. “Just on twelve o’clock.
We’ve been a long time with the Chief. I hope we haven’t missed a particu-larly spicy6 case.”
“On the whole,” said Tuppence, “we’ve not done badly. I was tabulatingresults the other day. We’ve solved four baffling murder mysteries, roun-ded up a gang of counterfeiters, ditto gang of smugglers—”
“Actually two gangs,” interpolated Tommy. “So we have! I’m glad ofthat. ‘Gangs’ sounds so professional.”
Tuppence continued, ticking off the items on her fingers.
“One jewel robbery, two escapes from violent death, one case of missinglady reducing her figure, one young girl befriended, an alibi7 successfullyexploded, and alas8! one case where we made utter fools of ourselves. Onthe whole, jolly good! We’re very clever, I think.”
“You would think so,” said Tommy. “You always do. Now I have a secretfeeling that once or twice we’ve been rather lucky.”
“Nonsense,” said Tuppence. “All done by the little grey cells.”
“Well, I was damned lucky once,” said Tommy. “The day that Albert didhis lasso act! But you speak, Tuppence, as though it was all over?”
“So it is,” said Tuppence. She lowered her voice impressively. “This isour last case. When they have laid the superspy by the heels, the great de-tectives intend to retire and take to beekeeping or vegetable marrowgrowing. It’s always done.”
“Tired of it, eh?”
“Ye-es, I think I am. Besides, we’re so successful now—the luck mightchange.”
“Who’s talking about luck now?” asked Tommy triumphantly9.
At that moment they turned in at the doorway10 of the block of buildingsin which the International Detective Bureau had its offices, and Tuppencedid not reply.
Albert was on duty in the outer office, employing his leisure in balan-cing, or endeavouring to balance, the office ruler upon his nose.
With a stern frown of reproof11, the great Mr. Blunt passed into his ownprivate office. Divesting12 himself of his overcoat and hat, he opened thecupboard, on the shelves of which reposed14 his classic library of the greatdetectives of fiction.
“The choice narrows,” murmured Tommy. “On whom shall I model my-self today?”
Tuppence’s voice, with an unusual note in it, made him turn sharply.
“Tommy,” she said, “what day of the month is it?”
“Let me see—the eleventh—why?”
“Look at the calendar.”
Hanging on the wall was one of those calendars from which you tear aleaf every day. It bore the legend of Sunday the 16th. Today was Monday.
“By Jove, that’s odd. Albert must have torn off too many. Careless littledevil.”
“I don’t believe he did,” said Tuppence. “But we’ll ask him.”
Albert, summoned and questioned, seemed very astonished. He sworehe had only torn off two leaves, those of Saturday and Sunday. His state-ment was presently supported, for whereas the two leaves torn off by Al-bert were found in the grate, the succeeding ones were lying neatly15 in thewastepaper basket.
“A neat and methodical criminal,” said Tommy. “Who’s been here thismorning, Albert? A client of any kind?”
“Just one, sir.”
“What was he like?”
“It was a she. A hospital nurse. Very upset and anxious to see you. Saidshe’d wait until you came. I put her in ‘Clerks’ because it was warmer.”
“And from there she could walk in here, of course, without your seeingher. How long has she been gone?”
“About half an hour, sir. Said she’d call again this afternoon. A nicemotherly-looking body.”
“A nice motherly—oh, get out, Albert.”
Albert withdrew, injured.
“Queer start, that,” said Tommy. “It seems a little purposeless. Puts us onour guard. I suppose there isn’t a bomb concealed16 in the fireplace or any-thing of that kind?”
He reassured17 himself on that point, then he seated himself at the deskand addressed Tuppence.
“Mon ami,” he said, “we are here faced with a matter of the utmost grav-ity. You recall, do you not, the man who was No. 4. Him whom I crushedlike an egg shell in the Dolomites—with the aid of high explosives, bien en-tendu. But he was not really dead—ah, no, they are never really dead,these supercriminals. This is the man—but even more so, if I may put it.
He is the 4 squared—in other words, he is now the No. 16. You compre-hend, my friend?”
“Perfectly,” said Tuppence. “You are the great Hercule Poirot.”
“Exactly. No moustaches, but lots of grey cells.”
“I’ve a feeling,” said Tuppence, “that this particular adventure will becalled the ‘Triumph of Hastings.’ ”
“Never,” said Tommy. “It isn’t done. Once the idiot friend, always theidiot friend. There’s an etiquette18 in these matters. By the way, mon ami,can you not part your hair in the middle instead of one side? The presenteffect is unsymmetrical and deplorable.”
The buzzer19 rang sharply on Tommy’s desk. He returned the signal, andAlbert appeared bearing a card.
“Prince Vladiroffsky,” read Tommy, in a low voice. He looked at Tup-pence. “I wonder—Show him in, Albert.”
The man who entered was of middle-height, graceful20 in bearing, with afair beard, and apparently21 about thirty-five years of age.
“Mr. Blunt?” he inquired. His English was perfect. “You have been mosthighly recommended to me. Will you take up a case for me?”
“If you will give me the details—?”
“Certainly. It concerns the daughter of a friend of mine—a girl of six-teen. We are anxious for no scandal—you understand.”
“My dear sir,” said Tommy, “this business has been running successfullyfor sixteen years owing to our strict attention to that particular principle.”
He fancied he saw a sudden gleam in the other’s eye. If so, it passed asquickly as it came.
“You have branches, I believe, on the other side of the Channel?”
“Oh, yes. As a matter of fact,” he brought out the word with great delib-eration. “I myself was in Berlin on the 13th of last month.”
“In that case,” said the stranger, “it is hardly necessary to keep up thelittle fiction. The daughter of my friend can be conveniently dismissed.
You know who I am—at any rate I see you have had warning of my com-ing.”
He nodded towards the calendar on the wall.
“Quite so,” said Tommy.
“My friends—I have come over here to investigate matters. What hasbeen happening?”
“Treachery,” said Tuppence, no longer able to remain quiescent22.
The Russian shifted his attention to her, and raised his eyebrows23.
“Ah ha, that is so, is it? I thought as much. Was it Sergius?”
“We think so,” said Tuppence unblushingly.
“It would not surprise me. But you yourselves, you are under no suspi-cion?”
“I do not think so. We handle a good deal of bona fide business, you see,”
explained Tommy.
The Russian nodded.
“That is wise. All the same, I think it would be better if I did not comehere again. For the moment I am staying at the Blitz. I will take Marise—this is Marise, I suppose?”
Tuppence nodded.
“What is she known as here?”
“Oh, Miss Robinson.”
“Very well, Miss Robinson, you will return with me to the Blitz andlunch with me there. We will all meet at headquarters at three o’clock. Isthat clear?” He looked at Tommy.
“Perfectly clear,” replied Tommy, wondering where on earth headquar-ters might be.
But he guessed that it was just those headquarters that Mr. Carter wasso anxious to discover.
Tuppence rose and slipped on her long black coat with its leopardskincollar. Then, demurely24, she declared herself ready to accompany thePrince.
They went out together, and Tommy was left behind, a prey25 to conflict-ing emotions.
Supposing something had gone wrong with the dictaphone? Supposingthe mysterious hospital nurse had somehow or other learnt of its installa-tion, and had rendered it useless.
He seized the telephone and called a certain number. There was a mo-ment’s delay, and then a well-known voice spoke26.
“Quite O.K. Come round to the Blitz at once.”
Five minutes later Tommy and Mr. Carter met in the Palm Court of theBlitz. The latter was crisp and reassuring27.
“You’ve done excellently. The Prince and the little lady are at lunch inthe restaurant. I’ve got two of my men in there as waiters. Whether hesuspects, or whether he doesn’t—and I’m fairly sure he doesn’t—we’ve gothim on toast. There are two men posted upstairs to watch his suite28, andmore outside ready to follow wherever they go. Don’t be worried aboutyour wife. She’ll be kept in sight the whole time. I’m not going to run anyrisks.”
Occasionally one of the Secret Service men came to report progress. Thefirst time it was a waiter, who took their orders for cocktails29, the secondtime it was a fashionable vacant-faced young man.
“They’re coming out,” said Mr. Carter. “We’ll retire behind this pillar incase they sit down here, but I fancy he’ll take her up to his suite. Ah, yes, Ithought so.”
From their post of vantage, Tommy saw the Russian and Tuppence crossthe hall and enter the lift.
The minutes passed, and Tommy began to fidget.
“Do you think, sir. I mean, alone in that suite—”
“One of my men’s inside—behind the sofa. Don’t worry, man.”
A waiter crossed the hall and came up to Mr. Carter.
“Got the signal they were coming up, sir—but they haven’t come. Is it allright?”
“What?” Mr. Carter spun30 round. “I saw them go into the lift myself.
Just,” he glanced up at the clock—“four and a half minutes ago. And theyhaven’t shown up. .?.?.”
He hurried across to the lift which had just at that minute come downagain, and spoke to the uniformed attendant.
“You took up a gentleman with a fair beard and a young lady a fewminutes ago to the second floor.”
“Not the second floor, sir. Third floor the gentleman asked for.”
“Oh!” The Chief jumped in, motioning Tommy to accompany him. “Takeus up to the third floor, please.”
“I don’t understand this,” he murmured in a low voice. “But keep calm.
Every exit from the hotel is watched, and I’ve got a man on the third flooras well—on every floor, in fact. I was taking no chances.”
The lift door opened on the third floor and they sprang out, hurryingdown the corridor. Half way along it, a man dressed as a waiter came tomeet them.
“It’s all right, Chief. They’re in No. 318.”
Carter breathed a sigh of relief.
“That’s all right. No other exit?”
“It’s a suite, but there are only these two doors into the corridor, and toget out from any of these rooms, they’d have to pass us to get to the stair-case or the lifts.”
“That’s all right then. Just telephone down and find out who is supposedto occupy this suite.”
The waiter returned in a minute or two.
“Mrs. Cortlandt Van Snyder of Detroit.”
Mr. Carter became very thoughtful.
“I wonder now. Is this Mrs. VanSnyder an accomplice31, or is she—”
He left the sentence unfinished.
“Hear any noise from inside?” he asked abruptly32.
“Not a thing. But the doors fit well. One couldn’t hope to hear much.”
Mr. Carter made up his mind suddenly.
“I don’t like this business. We’re going in. Got the master key?”
“Of course, sir.”
“Call up Evans and Clydesly.”
Reinforced by the other two men, they advanced towards the door of thesuite. It opened noiselessly when the first man inserted his key.
They found themselves in a small hall. To the right was the open door ofa bathroom, and in front of them was the sitting room. On the left was aclosed door and from behind it a faint sound—rather like an asthmaticpug—could be heard. Mr. Carter pushed the door open and entered.
The room was a bedroom, with a big double bed, ornately covered witha bedspread of rose and gold. On it, bound hand and foot, with her mouthsecured by a gag and her eyes almost starting out of her head with painand rage, was a middle-aged33 fashionably-dressed woman.
On a brief order from Mr. Carter, the other men had covered the wholesuite. Only Tommy and his Chief had entered the bedroom. As he leantover the bed and strove to unfasten the knots, Carter’s eyes went rovinground the room in perplexity. Save for an immense quantity of trulyAmerican luggage, the room was empty. There was no sign of the Russianor Tuppence.
In another minute the waiter came hurrying in, and reported that theother rooms were also empty. Tommy went to the window, only to drawback and shake his head. There was no balcony—nothing but a sheer dropto the street below.
“Certain it was this room they entered?” asked Carter peremptorily34.
“Sure. Besides—” The man indicated the woman on the bed.
With the aid of a pen-knife, Carter parted the scarf that was half chokingher and it was at once clear that whatever her sufferings they had not de-prived Mrs. Cortlandt Van Snyder of the use of her tongue.
When she had exhausted35 her first indignation, Mr. Carter spoke mildly.
“Would you mind telling me exactly what happened—from the begin-ning?”
“I guess I’ll sue the hotel for this. It’s a perfect outrage36. I was just lookingfor my bottle of ‘Killagrippe,’ when a man sprung on me from behind andbroke a little glass bottle right under my nose, and before I could get mybreath I was all in. When I came to I was lying here, all trussed up, andgoodness knows what’s happened to my jewels. He’s gotten the lot, Iguess.”
“Your jewels are quite safe, I fancy,” said Mr. Carter drily. He wheeledround and picked up something from the floor. “You were standing37 justwhere I am when he sprang upon you?”
“That’s so,” assented38 Mrs. Van Snyder.
It was a fragment of thin glass that Mr. Carter had picked up. He sniffedit and handed it to Tommy.
“Ethyl chloride,” he murmured. “Instant anaesthetic. But it only keepsone under for a moment or two. Surely he must still have been in theroom when you came to, Mrs. Van Snyder?”
“Isn’t that just what I’m telling you? Oh! it drove me half crazy to seehim getting away and me not able to move or do anything at all.”
“Getting away?” said Mr. Carter sharply. “Which way?”
“Through that door.” She pointed39 to one in the opposite wall. “He had agirl with him, but she seemed kind of limp as though she’d had a dose ofthe same dope.”
Carter looked a question at his henchman.
“Leads into the next suite, sir. But double doors—supposed to be boltedon each side.”
Mr. Carter examined the door carefully. Then he straightened himselfup and turned towards the bed.
“Mrs. Van Snyder,” he said quietly, “do you still persist in your assertionthat the man went out this way?”
“Why, certainly he did. Why shouldn’t he?”
“Because the door happens to be bolted on this side,” said Mr. Carterdryly. He rattled40 the handle as he spoke.
A look of the utmost astonishment41 spread over Mrs. Van Snyder’s face.
“Unless someone bolted the door behind him,” said Mr. Carter, “he can-not have gone out that way.”
He turned to Evans, who had just entered the room.
“Sure they’re not anywhere in this suite? Any other communicatingdoors?”
“No, sir, and I’m quite sure.”
Carter turned his gaze this way and that about the room. He opened thebig hanging wardrobe, looked under the bed, up the chimney and behindall the curtains. Finally, struck by a sudden idea, and disregarding Mrs.
Van Snyder’s shrill42 protests, he opened the large wardrobe trunk and rum-maged swiftly in the interior.
Suddenly Tommy, who had been examining the communicating door,gave an exclamation43.
“Come here, sir, look at this. They did go this way.”
The bolt had been very cleverly filed through, so close to the socket44 thatthe join was hardly perceptible.
“The door won’t open because it’s locked on the other side,” explainedTommy.
In another minute they were out in the corridor again and the waiterwas opening the door of the adjoining suite with his pass key. This suitewas untenanted. When they came to the communicating door, they sawthat the same plan had been adopted. The bolt had been filed through, andthe door was locked, the key having been removed. But nowhere in thesuite was there any sign of Tuppence or the fair- bearded Russian andthere was no other communicating door, only the one on the corridor.
“But I’d have seen them come out,” protested the waiter. “I couldn’thave helped seeing them. I can take my oath they never did.”
“Damn it all,” cried Tommy. “They can’t have vanished into thin air!”
Carter was calm again now, his keen brain working.
“Telephone down and find out who had this suite last and when.”
Evans who had come with them, leaving Clydesly on guard in the othersuite, obeyed. Presently he raised his head from the telephone.
“An invalid45 French lad, M. Paul de Vareze. He had a hospital nurse withhim. They left this morning.”
An exclamation burst from the other Secret Service man, the waiter. Hehad gone deathly pale.
“The invalid boy—the hospital nurse,” he stammered46. “I—they passedme in the passage. I never dreamed—I had seen them so often before.”
“Are you sure they were the same?” cried Mr. Carter. “Are you sure,man? You looked at them well?”
The man shook his head.
“I hardly glanced at them. I was waiting, you understand, on the alertfor the others, the man with the fair beard and the girl.”
“Of course,” said Mr. Carter, with a groan47. “They counted on that.”
With a sudden exclamation, Tommy stooped down and pulled some-thing from under the sofa. It was a small rolled- up bundle of black.
Tommy unrolled it and several articles fell out. The outside wrapper wasthe long black coat Tuppence had worn that day. Inside was her walkingdress, her hat and a long fair beard.”
“It’s clear enough now,” he said bitterly. “They’ve got her — got Tup-pence. That Russian devil has given us the slip. The hospital nurse and theboy were accomplices48. They stayed here for a day or two to get the hotelpeople accustomed to their presence. The man must have realised at lunchthat he was trapped and proceeded to carry out his plan. Probably hecounted on the room next door being empty since it was when he fixed49 thebolts. Anyway he managed to silence both the woman next door and Tup-pence, brought her in here, dressed her in boy’s clothes, altered his ownappearance, and walked out bold as brass50. The clothes must have beenhidden ready. But I don’t quite see how he managed Tuppence’s acquies-cence.”
“I can see,” said Mr. Carter. He picked up a little shining piece of steelfrom the carpet. “That’s a fragment of a hypodermic needle. She wasdoped.”
“My God!” groaned51 Tommy. “And he’s got clear away.”
“We don’t know that,” said Carter quickly. “Remember every exit iswatched.”
“For a man and a girl. Not for a hospital nurse and an invalid boy.
They’ll have left the hotel by now.”
Such, on inquiry, proved to be the case. The nurse and her patient haddriven away in a taxi some five minutes earlier.
“Look here, Beresford,” said Mr. Carter, “for God’s sake pull yourself to-gether. You know that I won’t leave a stone unturned to find that girl. I’mgoing back to my office at once and in less than five minutes every re-source of the department will be at work. We’ll get them yet.”
“Will you, sir? He’s a clever devil, that Russian. Look at the cunning ofthis coup52 of his. But I know you’ll do your best. Only—pray God it’s not toolate. They’ve got it in for us badly.”
He left the Blitz Hotel and walked blindly along the street, hardly know-ing where he was going. He felt completely paralysed. Where to search?
What to do?
He went into the Green Park, and dropped down upon a seat. He hardlynoticed when someone else sat down at the opposite end, and was quitestartled to hear a well-known voice.
“If you please, sir, if I might make so bold—”
Tommy looked up.
“Hullo, Albert,” he said dully.
“I know all about it, sir—but don’t take on so.”
“Don’t take on—” He gave a short laugh. “Easily said, isn’t it?”
“Ah, but think, sir. Blunt’s Brilliant Detectives! Never beaten. And ifyou’ll excuse my saying so I happened to overhear what you and the Mis-sus was ragging about this morning. Mr. Poirot, and his little grey cells.
Well, sir, why not use your little grey cells, and see what you can do.”
“It’s easier to use your little grey cells in fiction than it is in fact, myboy.”
“Well,” said Albert stoutly53, “I don’t believe anybody could put the Missusout, for good and all. You know what she is, sir, just like one of those rub-ber bones you buy for little dorgs—guaranteed indestructible.”
“Albert,” said Tommy, “you cheer me.”
“Then what about using your little grey cells, sir?”
“You’re a persistent54 lad, Albert. Playing the fool has served us prettywell up to now. We’ll try it again. Let us arrange our facts neatly, and withmethod. At ten minutes past two exactly, our quarry55 enters the lift. Fiveminutes later we speak to the lift man, and having heard what he says wealso go up to the third floor. At say, nineteen minutes past two we enterthe suite of Mrs. Van Snyder. And now, what significant fact strikes us?”
There was a pause, no significant fact striking either of them.
“There wasn’t such a thing as a trunk in the room, was there?” asked Al-bert, his eyes lighting56 suddenly.
“Mon ami,” said Tommy, “you do not understand the psychology57 of anAmerican woman who has just returned from Paris. There were, I shouldsay, about nineteen trunks in the room.”
“What I meantersay is, a trunk’s a handy thing if you’ve got a dead bodyabout you want to get rid of—not that she is dead, for a minute.”
“We searched the only two there were big enough to contain a body.
What is the next fact in chronological58 order?”
“You’ve missed one out—when the Missus and the bloke dressed up as ahospital nurse passed the waiter in the passage.”
“It must have been just before we came up in the lift,” said Tommy.
“They must have had a narrow escape of meeting us face to face. Prettyquick work, that. I—”
He stopped.
“What is it, sir?”
“Be silent, mon ami. I have the kind of little idea—colossal, stupendous—that always comes sooner or later to Hercule Poirot. But if so—if that’s it—Oh, Lord, I hope I’m in time.”
He raced out of the Park, Albert hard on his heels, inquiring breathlesslyas he ran, “What’s up, sir? I don’t understand.”
“That’s all right,” said Tommy. “You’re not supposed to. Hastings neverdid. If your grey cells weren’t of a very inferior order to mine, what fun doyou think I should get out of this game? I’m talking damned rot—but Ican’t help it. You’re a good lad, Albert. You know what Tuppence is worth—she’s worth a dozen of you and me.”
Thus talking breathlessly as he ran, Tommy reentered the portals of theBlitz. He caught sight of Evans, and drew him aside with a few hurriedwords. The two men entered the lift, Albert with them.
“Third floor,” said Tommy.
At the door of No. 318 they paused. Evans had a pass key, and used itforthwith. Without a word of warning, they walked straight into Mrs. VanSnyder’s bedroom. The lady was still lying on the bed, but was now ar-rayed in a becoming negligee. She stared at them in surprise.
“Pardon my failure to knock,” said Tommy pleasantly. “But I want mywife. Do you mind getting off that bed?”
“I guess you’ve gone plumb59 crazy,” cried Mrs. Van Snyder.
Tommy surveyed her thoughtfully, his head on one side.
“Very artistic,” he pronounced, “but it won’t do. We looked under thebed—but not in it. I remember using that hiding place myself when young.
Horizontally across the bed, underneath60 the bolster61. And that nice ward-robe trunk all ready to take away the body in later. But we were a bit tooquick for you just now. You’d had time to dope Tuppence, put her underthe bolster, and be gagged and bound by your accomplices next door, andI’ll admit we swallowed your story all right for the moment. But when onecame to think it out—with order and method—impossible to drug a girl,dress her in boys’ clothes, gag and bind62 another woman, and change one’sown appearance—all in five minutes. Simply a physical impossibility. Thehospital nurse and the boy were to be a decoy. We were to follow thattrail, and Mrs. Van Snyder was to be pitied as a victim. Just help the ladyoff the bed, will you, Evans? You have your automatic? Good.”
Protesting shrilly63, Mrs. Van Snyder was hauled from her place of repose13.
Tommy tore off the coverings and the bolster.
There, lying horizontally across the top of the bed was Tuppence, hereyes closed, and her face waxen. For a moment Tommy felt a suddendread, then he saw the slight rise and fall of her breast. She was drugged—not dead.
He turned to Albert and Evans.
“And now, Messieurs,” he said dramatically, “the final coup!”
With a swift, unexpected gesture he seized Mrs. Van Snyder by her elab-orately dressed hair. It came off in his hand.
“As I thought,” said Tommy. “No. 16!”
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immunity
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entirely
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accomplished
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pretext
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inquiry
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spicy
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alibi
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alas
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triumphantly
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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reproof
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| n.斥责，责备 | |
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divesting
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| v.剥夺( divest的现在分词 )；脱去（衣服）；2。从…取去…；1。（给某人）脱衣服 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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reposed
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| v.将（手臂等）靠在某人（某物）上( repose的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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etiquette
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| n.礼仪，礼节；规矩 | |
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buzzer
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| n.蜂鸣器；汽笛 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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quiescent
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| adj.静止的，不活动的，寂静的 | |
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eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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demurely
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| adv.装成端庄地，认真地 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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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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reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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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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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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accomplice
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| n.从犯，帮凶，同谋 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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peremptorily
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| adv.紧急地，不容分说地，专横地 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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socket
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| n.窝，穴，孔，插座，插口 | |
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invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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accomplices
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| 从犯，帮凶，同谋( accomplice的名词复数 ) | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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coup
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| n.政变；突然而成功的行动 | |
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stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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quarry
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| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
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lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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psychology
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| n.心理，心理学，心理状态 | |
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chronological
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| adj.按年月顺序排列的，年代学的 | |
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plumb
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| adv.精确地，完全地；v.了解意义，测水深 | |
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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bolster
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| n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励 | |
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bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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shrilly
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| 尖声的； 光亮的，耀眼的 | |
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