They were in the Chief Constable1's office - three men with grave, worried faces.
Major Mitchell said with a sigh: "Well, I suppose there's nothing to be done but arrest him?"Leach2 said quietly: "Looks like it, sir."Mitchell looked across at Superintendent3 Battle.
"Cheer up. Battle," he said kindly4. "Your best friend isn't dead."Superintendent Battle sighed.
"I don't like it," he said.
"I don't think any of us like it," said Mitchell. "But we've ample evidence, I think, to apply for a warrant.""More than ample," said Battle.
"In fact, if we don't apply for one, anybody might ask why the dickens not?"Battle nodded an unhappy head.
"Let's go over it," said the Chief Constable. "You've got motive5 - Strange and his wife come into a considerable sum of money at the old lady's death. He's the last person known to have seen her alive - he was heard quarrelling with her. The suit he wore that night had bloodstains on it; of course, most damning of all, his fingerprints6 were found on the actual weapon - and no one else's.""And yet, sir," said Battle, "you don't like it, either.""I'm damned if I do."
"What is it exactly you don't like about it, sir?"Major Mitchell rubbed his nose. "Makes the fellow out a bit too much of a fool, perhaps?" he suggested.
"And yet, sir, they do behave like fools sometimes." "Oh, I know -I know. Where would we be if they didn't?" Battle said to Leach: "What don't you like about it, Jim?" Leach stirred unhappily.
"I've always liked Mr. Strange. Seen him on and off down here for years. He's a nice gentleman - and he's a sportsman.""I don't see," said Battle slowly, "why a good tennis player shouldn't be a murderer as well. There's nothing against it." He paused. "What I don't like is the niblick.""The niblick?" asked Mitchell, slightly puzzled.
"Yes, sir, or, alternatively, the bell. The bell or the niblick - not both."He went on in his slow, careful voice.
"What do we think actually happened? Did Mr. Strange go to her room, have a quarrel, lose his temper, and hit her over the head with a niblick. If so, and it was unpremeditated, how did he happen to have a niblick with him? It's not the sort of thing you carry about with you in the evenings.""He might nave7 been practising swings - something like that.""He might - but nobody says so. Nobody saw him doing it. The last time anybody saw him with a niblick in his hand was about a week previously8 when he was practising sand shots down on the sands. As I look at it, you see, you can't have it both ways. Either there was a quarrel and he lost his temper - and, mind you, I've seen him on the courts, and in one of these tournament matches these tennis stars are all het up and a mass of nerves, and if their tempers fray9 easily it's going to show. I've never seen Mr. Strange ruffled10. I should say he's got an excellent control over his temper - better than most - and yet we're suggesting that he goes berserk and hits a frail11 old lady over the head.""There's another alternative, Battle," said the Chief Constable.
"I know, sir. The theory that it was premeditated. He wanted the old lady's money. That fits in with the bell - which entailed12 the doping of the maid - but it doesn't fit in with the niblick and the quarrel! If he'd made up his mind to do her in, he'd be very careful not to quarrel with her. He could dope the maid, creep into her room in the night - crack her over the head and stage a nice little robbery, wiping the niblick and putting it carefully back where it belonged! It's all wrong, sir - it's a mixture of cold premeditation and unpremeditated violence -and the two don't mix!""There's something in what you say. Battle - but - what's the alternative?" "It's the niblick that takes my fancy, sir.""Nobody could have hit her over the head with that niblick without disturbing Nevile's prints - that's quite certain.""In that case," said Battle, "she was hit over the head with something else." Major Mitchell drew a deep breath. "That's rather a wild assumption, isn't it?""I think it's common sense, sir. Either Strange hit her with that niblick or nobody did. I plump for nobody. In that case that niblick was put there deliberately13 and blood and hair smeared14 on it. Dr. Lazenby doesn't like the niblick much - had to accept it because it was the obvious thing and because he couldn't say definitely that it hadn't been used."Major Mitchell leaned back in his chair.
"Go on. Battle," he said. "I'm giving you a free hand. What's the next step?""Take away the niblick," said Battle, "and what is left? First, motive. Had Nevile Strange really got a motive for doing away with Lady Tressilian? He inherited money - a lot depends, to my mind, on whether he needed that money. He says not. I'd suggest we verify that. Find out the state of his finances. If he's in a hole financially, and needs money, then the case against him is very much strengthened. If, on the other hand, he was speaking the truth and his finances are in a good state, why, then -""Well, what then?"
"Why, then, we might have a look at the motives15 of the other people in the house.""You think, then, that Nevile Strange was framed?" Superintendent Battle screwed up his eyes.
"There's a phrase I read somewhere that tickled16 my fancy. Something about a fine Italian hand. That's what I seem to see in this business. Ostensibly it's a blunt, brutal17, straightforward18 crime, but it seems to me I catch glimpses of something else - of a fine Italian hand at work behind the scenes ..."There was a long pause while the Chief Constable looked at Battle. "You may be right," he said at last. "Dash it all, there's something funny about the business. What's your idea, now, of our plan of campaign?"Battle stroked his square jaw19.
"Well, sir," he said. "I'm always in favour of going about things the obvious way. Everything's been set to make us suspicious of Mr. Nevile Strange. Let's go on being suspicious of him. Needn't go so far as actually to arrest him, but hint at it, question him, put the wind up him - and observe everybody's reactions generally. Verify his statements, go over his movements that night with a toothcomb. In fact, show our hand as plainly as may be.""Quite Machiavellian," said Major Mitchell with a twinkle. "Imitation of a heavy-handed policeman by star actor Battle."The Superintendent smiled.
"I always like doing what's expected of me, sir. This time I mean to be a bit slow about it - take my time. I want to do some nosing about. Being suspicious of Mr. Nevile Strange is a very good excuse for nosing about. I've an idea, you know, that something rather odd has been going on in that house.""Looking for the sex angle?"
"If you like to put it that way, sir."
"Handle it your own way, Battle. You and Leach carry on between you.""Thank you, sir." Battle stood up. "Nothing suggestive from the solicitors20?""No. I rang them up. I know Trelawny fairly well. He's sending me a copy of Sir Matthew's will, and also of Lady Tressilian's. She had about five hundred a year of her own - invested in gilt-edged securities. She left a legacy21 to Barrett and a small one to Hurstall, the rest to Mary Aldin.""That's three we might keep an eye on," said Battle. Mitchell looked amused. "Suspicious fellow, aren't you?""No use letting oneself be hypnotised by fifty thousand pounds," said Battle stolidly22. "Many a murder has been done for less than fifty pounds. It depends on how much you want the money. Barrett got a legacy - and maybe she took the precaution to dope herself so as to avert23 suspicion.""She very nearly passed out. Lazenby hasn't let us question her yet.""Overdid24 it out of ignorance, perhaps. Then Hurstall may have been in bad need of cash for all we know. And Miss Aldin, if she's no money of her own, might have fancied a bit of life on a nice little income before she's too old to enjoy it."The Chief Constable looked doubtful.
"Well," he said, "it's up to you two. Get on with the job."
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1
constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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leach
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| v.分离，过滤掉；n.过滤；过滤器 | |
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superintendent
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| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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fingerprints
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| n.指纹( fingerprint的名词复数 )v.指纹( fingerprint的第三人称单数 ) | |
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nave
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| n.教堂的中部；本堂 | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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fray
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| v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗 | |
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10
ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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12
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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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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smeared
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| 弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上 | |
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motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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16
tickled
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| （使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐 | |
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17
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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straightforward
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| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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20
solicitors
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| 初级律师( solicitor的名词复数 ) | |
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21
legacy
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| n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西 | |
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22
stolidly
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| adv.迟钝地，神经麻木地 | |
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23
avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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overdid
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| v.做得过分( overdo的过去式 )；太夸张；把…煮得太久；（工作等）过度 | |
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