I
It was chilly1 on the water and Kay hugged the little fur jacket she was wearing closer round her.
The launch chugged down the river below Gull's Point, and then swung round into the little bay that divided Gull's Point from the frowning mass of Stark2 Head.
Once or twice a question began to be asked, but each time Superintendent3 Battle held up a large hand rather like a cardboard ham, intimating that the time had not come yet. So the silence was unbroken save for the rushing of the water past them. Kay and Ted4 stood together looking down into the water. Nevile was slumped5 down, his legs stuck out. Mary Aldin and Thomas Royde sat up in the bows. And one and all glanced from time to time curiously6 at the tall, aloof7 figure of MacWhirter by the stern. He looked at none of them, but stood with his back turned and his shoulders hunched8 up.
Not until they were under the frowning shadow of Stark Head did Battle throttle9 down the engine and begin to speak his piece. He spoke10 without self-consciousness and in a tone that was more reflective than anything else.
"This has been a very odd case - one of the oddest I've ever known, and I'd like to say something on the subject of murder generally. What I'm going to say is not original - actually I overheard young Mr. Daniels, the K.C., say something of the kind, and I wouldn't be surprised if he'd got it from someone else - he'd a trick of doing that!
"It's this! When you read the account of a murder - or, say, a fiction story based on murder - you usually begin with the murder itself. That's all wrong. The murder begins a long time beforehand. A murder is the culmination11 of a lot of different circumstances, all converging12 at a given moment at a given point. People are brought into it from different parts of the globe and for unforeseen reasons. Mr. Royde is here from Malaya. Mr. MacWhirter is here because he wanted to revisit a spot where he once tried to commit suicide. The murder itself is the end of the story. It's Zero Hour!"He paused. "It's Zero Hour now."
Five faces were turned to him - only five, for MacWhirter did not turn his head. Five puzzled faces.
Mary Aldin said: "You mean that Lady Tressilian's death was the culmination of a long train of circumstances?""No, Miss Aldin, not Lady Tressilian's death. Lady Tressilian's death was only incidental to the main object of the murderer. The murder I am talking of is the murder of Audrey Strange."He listened to the sharp indrawing of breath. He wondered if, suddenly, someone was afraid ...
"This crime was planned quite a long time ago - probably as early as last winter. It was planned down to the smallest detail. It had one object, and one object only: that Audrey Strange should be hanged by the neck till she was dead ...""It was very cunningly planned by someone who thought themselves very clever. Murderers are usually vain. There was first the superficial unsatisfactory evidence against Nevile Strange which we were meant to see through. But, having been presented with one lot of faked evidence, it was not considered likely that we should consider a second edition of the same thing. And yet, if you come to look at it, all the evidence against Audrey Strange could be faked. The weapon taken from her fireplace, her gloves - the left-hand glove dipped in blood - hidden in the ivy13 outside her window. The powder she uses dusted on the inside of a coat collar, and a few hairs placed there, too. Her own fingerprint14, occurring quite naturally on a roll of adhesive15 plaster taken from her room. Even the left-handed nature of the blow.""And there was the final damning evidence of Mrs. Strange herself -I don't believe there's one of you (except the one who knows) who can credit her innocence16 after the way she behaved when we took her into custody17. Practically admitted her guilt18, didn't she? I mightn't have believed in her being innocent myself if it hadn't been for a private experience of my own ... Struck me right between the eyes, it did, when I saw and heard her - because, you see, I'd known another girl who did that very same thing, who admitted guilt when she wasn't guilty - and Audrey Strange was looking at me with that other girl's eyes ...""I'd got to do my duty. I knew that. We police officers have to act on evidence -not on what we feel and think. But I can tell you that at that minute I prayed for a miracle - because I didn't see that anything but a miracle was going to help that poor lady.""Well, I got my miracle. Got it right away!""'Mr. MacWhirter, here, turned up with his story."He paused.
"Mr. MacWhirter, will you repeat what you told me up at the house?"MacWhirter turned. He spoke in short, sharp sentences that carried conviction just because of their conciseness19.
He told of his rescue from the cliff the preceding January and of his wish to revisit the scene. He went on: "I went up there on Monday night. I stood there lost in my own thoughts. It must have been, I suppose, in the neighbourhood of eleven o'clock. I looked across at that house on the point - Gull's Point, as I know it now to be."He paused and then went on: "There was a rope hanging from a window of that house into the sea. I saw a man climbing up that rope ..."Just a moment elapsed before they took it in. Mary Aldin cried out: "Then it was an outsider after all? It was nothing to do with any of us. It was an ordinary burglar!""Not quite so fast," said Battle. "It was someone who came from the other side of the river, yes, since he swam across. But someone in the house had to have the rope ready for him, therefore someone inside must have been concerned."He went on slowly: "And we know of someone who was on the other side of the river that night - someone who wasn't seen between ten-thirty and a quarter-past eleven, and who might have been swimming over and back. Someone who might have had a friend on this side of the water."He added: "Eh, Mr. Latimer?"
Ted took a step backward. He cried out shrilly20: "But I can't swim! Everybody knows I can't swim. Kay, tell them I can't swim.""Of course Ted can't swim!" Kay cried. "Is that so?" asked Battle pleasantly.
He moved along the boat as Ted moved in the other direction. There was some clumsy movement and a splash.
"Dear me," said Superintendent Battle in deep concern. "Mr. Latimer's gone overboard."His hand closed like a vice21 on Nevile's arm as the latter was preparing to jump in after him.
"No, no, Mr. Strange. No need for you to get yourself wet. There are two of my men handy - fishing in the dinghy there." He peered over the side of the boat. "It's quite true," he said with interest. "He can't swim. It's all right. They've got him. I'll apologise presently, but, really, there's only one way to make quite sure that a person can't swim and that's to throw them in and watch. You see, Mr. Strange, I like to be thorough. I had to eliminate Mr. Latimer first. Mr. Royde, here, has got a groggy22 arm; he couldn't do any rope-climbing."Battle's voice took on a purring quality.
"So that brings us to you, doesn't it, Mr. Strange? A good athlete, a mountain climber, a swimmer, and all that. You went over on the 10.30 ferry all right, but no one can swear to seeing you at the Easterhead Hotel until a quarter-past eleven in spite of your story of having been looking for Mr. Latimer then."Nevile jerked his arm away. He threw back his head and laughed. "You suggest that I swam across the river and climbed op a rope -" "Which you had left ready hanging from your window," said Battle.
"Killed Lady Tressilian and swam back again? Why should I do such a fantastic thing? And who laid all those clues against me? I suppose I laid them against myself?""Exactly," said Battle. "And not half a bad idea, either." "And why should I want to kill Camilla Tressilian?""You didn't," said Battle. "But you did want to hang the woman who left you for another man. You're a bit unhinged mentally, you know. Have been ever since you were a child - I've looked up that old bow and arrow case, by the way. Anyone who does you an injury has to be punished - and death doesn't seem to you an excessive penalty for them to pay. Death by itself wasn't enough for Audrey - your Audrey whom you loved - oh, yes, you loved her all right, before your love turned to hate. You had to think of some special kind of death, some long-drawn-out specialised death. And when you'd thought of it, the fact that it entailed23 the killing24 of a woman who had been something like a mother to you didn't worry you in the least ..."Nevile said, and his voice was quite gentle: "All lies! All lies! And I'm not mad. I'm not mad."Battle said contemptuously: "Flicked25 you on the raw, didn't she, when she went off and left you for another man? Hurt your vanity? To think she should walk out on you. You salved your pride by pretending to the world at large that you'd left her and you married another girl who was in love with you just to bolster26 up that belief. But underneath27 you planned what you'd do to Audrey. You couldn't think of anything worse than this - to get her hanged. A fine idea - pity you hadn't the brains to carry it out better!"Nevile's tweed-coated shoulders moved, a queer, wriggling28 movement.
Battle went on: "Childish - all that niblick stuff! Those crude trails pointing to you! Audrey must have known what you were after! She must have laughed up her sleeve! Thinking I didn't suspect you! You murderers are funny little fellows! So puffed29 up. Always thinking you've been clever and resourceful and really being quite pitifully childish ..."It was a strange, queer scream that came from Nevile.
"It was a clever idea - it was. You'd never have guessed. Never! Not if it hadn't been for this interfering30 jackanapes, this pompous31 Scotch32 fool. I'd thought out every detail - every detail! I can't help what went wrong. How was I to know Royde knew the truth about Audrey and Adrian? Audrey and Adrian ... Curse Audrey - she shall hang - you've got to hang her -I want her to die afraid - to die - to die ... I hate her. I tell you I want her to die ..."The high, whinnying voice died away. Nevile slumped down and began to cry quietly.
"Oh, God," said Mary Aldin. She was white to the lips.
Battle said gently, in a low voice: "I'm sorry, but I had to push him over the edge ... There was precious little evidence, you know."Nevile was still whimpering. His voice was like a child's.
"I want her to be hanged. I do want her to be hanged ..."Mary Aldin shuddered33 and turned to Thomas Royde.
He took her hands in his.
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收听单词发音
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1
chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
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stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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3
superintendent
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| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
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4
ted
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| vt.翻晒，撒，撒开 | |
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5
slumped
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| 大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下] | |
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6
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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aloof
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| adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的 | |
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8
hunched
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| （常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦）耸肩弓身的，伏首前倾的 | |
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throttle
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| n.节流阀，节气阀，喉咙；v.扼喉咙，使窒息，压 | |
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10
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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11
culmination
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| n.顶点；最高潮 | |
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converging
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| adj.收敛[缩]的，会聚的，趋同的v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的现在分词 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集 | |
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13
ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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14
fingerprint
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| n.指纹；vt.取...的指纹 | |
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15
adhesive
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| n.粘合剂；adj.可粘着的，粘性的 | |
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innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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18
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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conciseness
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| n.简洁，简短 | |
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shrilly
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| 尖声的； 光亮的，耀眼的 | |
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vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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22
groggy
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| adj.体弱的；不稳的 | |
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23
entailed
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| 使…成为必要( entail的过去式和过去分词 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需 | |
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24
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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25
flicked
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| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
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26
bolster
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| n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励 | |
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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28
wriggling
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的现在分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等）；蠕蠕 | |
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29
puffed
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| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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30
interfering
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| adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词 | |
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pompous
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的 | |
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32
scotch
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| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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33
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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