Four
On the following day I went down to Three Gables with Taverner.
My position was a curious one. It was, to say the least of it, quite unor-thodox. But the Old Man has never been highly orthodox.
I had a certain standing¹. I had worked with the Special Branch at theYard during the early days of the war.
This, of course, was entirely² different—but my earlier performances hadgiven me, so to speak, a certain official standing.
My father said:
“If we’re ever going to solve this case, we’ve got to get some inside dope.
We’ve got to know all about the people in that house. We’ve got to knowthem from the inside—not the outside. You’re the man who can get thatfor us.”
I didn’t like that. I threw my cigarette end into the grate as I said:
“I’m a police spy? Is that it? I’m to get the inside dope from Sophiawhom I love and who both loves and trusts me, or so I believe.”
The Old Man became quite irritable³. He said sharply:
“For heaven’s sake don’t take the commonplace view. To begin with, youdon’t believe, do you, that your young woman murdered her grand-father?”
“Of course not. The idea’s absolutely absurd.”
“Very well—we don’t think so either. She’s been away for some years,she has always been on perfectly⁴ amicable⁵ terms with him. She has a verygenerous income and he would have been, I should say, delighted to hearof her engagement to you and would probably have made a handsomemarriage settlement on her. We don’t suspect her. Why should we? Butyou can make quite sure of one thing. If this thing isn’t cleared up, thatgirl won’t marry you. From what you’ve told me I’m fairly sure of that.
And mark this, it’s the kind of crime that may never be cleared up. We maybe reasonably sure that the wife and her young man were in cahoots overit—but proving it will be another matter. There’s not even a case to put upto the DPP so far. And unless we get definite evidence against her, there’llalways be a nasty doubt. You see that, don’t you?”
Yes, I saw that.

分享到：