Back at Gull's Point, the two police officers received Williams' and Jones' reports.
Nothing of a suspicious or suggestive nature had been found in any of the bedrooms. The servants were clamouring to be allowed to get on with the housework. Should he give them the word?
"Might as well, I suppose," said Battle. "I'll just have a stroll myself first through the two upper floors. Rooms that haven't been done very often tell you something about their occupants that's useful to know."Sergeant1 Jones put down a small cardboard box on the table.
"From Mr. Nevile Strange's dark blue coat," he announced. "The red hairs were on the cuff2, blonde hairs on the inside of the collar and the right shoulder."Battle took out the two long red hairs and the half-dozen blonde ones and looked at them. He said, with a faint twinkle in his eye: "Convenient. One blonde, one red-head and one brunette in this house. So we know where we are at once. Red hair on the cuff, blonde on the collar; Mr. Nevile Strange does seem to be a bit of a Bluebeard. His arm round one wife and the other one's head on his shoulder.""The blood on the sleeve has gone for analysis, sir. They'll ring us up as soon as they get the result."Leach3 nodded.
"What about the servants?"
"I followed your instructions, sir. None of them is under notice to leave, or seems likely to have borne a grudge4 against the old lady. She was strict, but well liked. In any case, the management of the servants lay with Miss Aldin. She seems to have been popular with them.""Thought she was an efficient woman the moment I laid eyes on her," said Battle. "If she's our murderess, she won't be easy to hang."Jones looked startled.
"But those prints on that niblick, sir, were -""I know -I know," said Battle. "The singularly obliging Mr. Strange's. There's a general belief that athletes aren't overburdened by brains (not at all true by the way), but I can't believe Nevile Strange is a complete moron5. What about those senna pods of the maid's?""They were always on the shelf in the servants' bathroom on the second floor. She used to put 'em in to soak midday, and they stood there until the evening, when she went to bed.""So that absolutely anybody could get at them! Anybody inside the house, that is to say."Leach said with conviction: "It's an inside job, all right!""Yes, I think so. Not that this is one of those closed circle crimes. It isn't. Anyone who had a key could have opened the front door and walked in. Nevile Strange had that key last night - but it would probably be a simple matter to have got one cut, or an old hand could do it with a bit of wire. But I don't see any outsider knowing about the bell and that Barrett took senna at night! That's local, inside knowledge!""Come along, Jim, my boy. Let's go up and see this bathroom and all the rest of it."They started on the top floor. First came a box-room full of old broken furniture and junk of all kinds.
"I haven't looked through this, sir," said Jones. "I didn't know -""What you were looking for? Quite right. Only waste of time. From the dust on the floor nobody has been in here for at least six months."The servants' rooms were all on this floor, also two unoccupied bedrooms with a bathroom, and Battle looked into each room and gave it a cursory7 glance, noticing that Alice, the pop-eyed housemaid, slept with her window shut; that Emma, the thin one, had a great many relations, photographs of whom were crowded on her chest of drawers, and that Hurstall had one or two pieces of good, though cracked, Dresden and Crown Derby porcelain8.
The cook's room was severely9 neat and the kitchen-maid's chaotically10 untidy. Battle passed on into the bathroom, which was the room nearest to the head of the stairs. Williams pointed11 out the long shelf over the wash-basin, on which stood tooth glasses and brushes, various unguents and bottles of salts and hair lotion12. A packet of senna pods stood open at one end.
"No prints on the glass or packet?"
"Only the maid's own. I got hers from her room.""He didn't need to handle the glass," said Leach. "He'd only have to drop the stuff in."Battle went down the stairs, followed by Leach. Halfway13 down this top flight was a rather awkwardly placed window. A pole with a hook on the end stood in a corner.
"You draw down the top sash with that," explained Leach. "But there's a burglar screw. The window can be drawn14 down only so far. Too narrow for anyone to get in that way.""I wasn't thinking of anyone getting in," said Battle. His eyes were thoughtful.
He went in the first bedroom on the next floor, which was Audrey Strange's. It was neat and fresh, ivory brushes on the dressing-table - no clothes lying about. Battle looked into the wardrobe. Two plain coats and skirts, a couple of evening dresses, one or two summer frocks. The dresses were cheap, the tailor-mades well cut and expensive, but not new.
Battle nodded. He stood at the writing table a minute or two, fiddling15 with the pen tray on the left of the blotter.
Williams said: "Nothing of any interest on the blotting16 paper or in the waste-paper basket.""Your word's good enough," said Battle. "Nothing to be seen here." They went on to the other rooms.
Thomas Royde's was untidy, with the clothes lying about. Pipes and pipe ash on the tables and beside the bed, where a copy of Kipling's Kim lay half open.
"Used to native servants clearing up after him," said Battle. "Likes reading old favourites. Conservative type."Mary Aldin's room was small but comfortable. Battle looked at the travel books on the shelves and the old-fashioned dented17 silver brushes. The furnishings and colouring in the room were more modern than the rest of the house.
"She's not so conservative," said Battle. "No photographs, either. Not one who lives in the past."There were three or four empty rooms, all well kept and dusted ready for occupation, and a couple of bathrooms. Then came Lady Tressilian's big double room. After that, reached by going down three little steps, came the two rooms and bathroom occupied by the Stranges.
Battle did not waste much time in Nevile's room. He glanced out of the open casement18 window, below which the rocks fell sheer to the sea. The view was to the west, towards Stark19 Head, which rose, wild and forbidding, out of the water.
"Gets the afternoon sun," he murmured. "But rather a grim morning outlook. Nasty smell of seaweed at low tide, too. And that headland has got a grim look. Don't wonder it attracts suicides!"He passed into the larger room, the door of which had been unlocked.
Here everything was in wild confusion. Clothes lay about in heaps - filmy underwear, stockings, jumpers tried on and discarded - a patterned summer frock thrown sprawling20 over the back of a chair. Battle looked inside the wardrobe. It was full of furs, evening dresses, shorts, tennis frocks, playsuits.
Battle shut me doors again almost reverently21.
"Expensive tastes," he remarked. "She must cost her husband a lot of money." Leach said darkly: "Perhaps that's why -" He left the sentence unfinished.
"Why he needed a hundred - or rather fifty thousand pounds? Maybe. We'd better see, I think, what he has to say about it."They went down to the library. Williams was despatched to tell the servants they could get on with the housework. The family were free to return to their rooms if they wished. They were to be informed of that fact and also that Inspector22 Leach would like an interview with each of them separately, starting with Mr. Nevile Strange.
When Williams had gone out of the room, Battle and Leach established themselves behind a massive Victorian table. A young policeman with notebook sat in the corner of the room, his pencil poised23.
Battle said: "You carry on for a start, Jim. Make it impressive." As the other nodded his head. Battle rubbed his chin and frowned.
"I wish I knew what keeps putting Hercule Poirot into my head." "You mean that old chap - the Belgian - comic little guy?""Comic, my foot," said Superintendent24 Battle. "About as dangerous as a black mamba and a she-leopard - that's what he is when he starts making a mountebank25 of himself! I wish he was here - this sort of thing would be right up his street.""In what way?"
"Psychology26," said Battle. "Real psychology - not the half-baked stuff people hand out who know nothing about it." His memory dwelt resentfully on Miss Amphrey and his daughter Sylvia. "No - the real, genuine article - knowing just what makes the wheels go round. Keep a murderer talking - that's one of his lines. Says everyone is bound to speak what's true sooner or later - because in the end it's easier than telling lies. And so they make some little slip they don't think matters - and that's when you get them.""So you're going to give Nevile Strange plenty of rope?"Battle gave an absent-minded assent27. Then he added, in some annoyance28 and perplexity: "But what's really worrying me is - what put Hercule Poirot into my head? Upstairs - that's where it was. Now what did I see that reminded me of that little guy?"The conversation was put to an end by the arrival of Nevile Strange.
He looked pale and worried, but much less nervous than he had done at the breakfast table. Battle eyed him keenly. Incredible that a man who knew - and he must know if he were capable of any thought processes at all - that he had left his fingerprints29 on the instrument of the crime - and who had since had his fingerprints taken by the police - should show neither intense nervousness nor elaborate brazening of it out.
Nevile Strange looked quite natural - shocked, worried, grieved - and just slightly and healthily nervous.
Jim Leach was speaking in his pleasant West Country voice. "We would like you to answer certain questions, Mr. Strange. Both as to your movements last night and in reference to particular facts. At the same time I must caution you that you are not bound to answer these questions unless you like, and that if you prefer to do so you may have your solicitor30 present."He leaned back to observe the effect of this. Nevile Strange looked, quite plainly, bewildered.
"He hasn't the least idea what we're getting at, or else he's a damned good actor," Leach thought to himself. Aloud he said, as Nevile did not answer: "Well, Mr. Strange?"Nevile said: "Of course, ask me anything you like.""You realise," said Battle pleasantly, "that anything you say will be taken down in writing and may subsequently be used in a court of law in evidence."A flash of temper showed on Strange's face. He said sharply: "Are you threatening me?""No, no, Mr. Strange. Warning you."
Nevile shrugged31 his shoulders.
"I suppose all this is part of your routine. Go ahead.""You are ready to make a statement?"
"If that's what you call it."
"Then will you tell us exactly what you did last night. From dinner onwards, shall we say?""Certainly. After dinner we went into the drawing-room. We had coffee. We listened to the wireless32 - the news and so on. Then I decided33 to go across to Easterhead Bay Hotel and look up a chap who is staying there - a friend of mine.""That friend's name is?" "Latimer. Edward Latimer." "An intimate friend?""Oh, so-so. We've seen a good deal of him since he's been down here. He's been over to lunch and dinner and we've been over there."Battle said: "Rather late, wasn't it, to go off to Easterhead Bay?" "Oh, it's a gay spot - they keep it up till all hours." "But this is rather an early-to-bed household, isn't it?""Yes, on the whole. However, I took the latchkey with me. Nobody had to sit up.""Your wife didn't think of going with you?"There was a slight change, a stiffening34 in Nevile's tone as he said: "No, she had a headache. She'd already gone up to bed.""Please go on, Mr. Strange." "I was just going up to change -"Leach interrupted: "Excuse me, Mr. Strange. Change into what? Into evening dress, or out of evening dress?""Neither. I was wearing a blue suit - my best, as it happened, and as it was raining a bit and I proposed to take the ferry and walk the other side - it's about half a mile, as you know - I changed into an older suit - a grey pin-stripe, if you want me to go into every detail.""We do like- to get things clear," said Leach humbly35. "Please go on.""I was going upstairs, as I say, when Barrett came and told me Lady Tressilian wanted to see me, so I went along and had a - a jaw36 with her for a bit."Battle said gently: "You were the last person to see her alive, I think, Mr. Strange?"Nevile flushed.
"Yes - yes -I suppose I was. She was quite all right then.""How long were you with her?"
"About twenty minutes to half an hour, I should think, then I went to my room, changed my suit and hurried off. I took the latchkey with me.""What time was that?"
"About half-past ten, I should think. I hurried down the hill, just caught the ferry starting and went across to the Easterhead side. I found Latimer at the hotel, we had a drink or two and a game of billiards37. The time passed so quickly that I found I'd lost the last ferry back. It goes at one-thirty. So Latimer very decently got out his car and drove me back. That, as you know, means going all the way round by Saltington - sixteen miles. We left the hotel at two o'clock and got back here somewhere around half-past, I should say. I thanked Ted6 Latimer, asked him in for a drink, but he said he'd rather get straight back, so I let myself in and went straight up to bed. I didn't see or hear anything amiss. The house seemed all asleep and peaceful. Then this morning I heard that girl screaming and -"Leach stopped him.
"Quite, quite. Now to go back a little - to your conversation with Lady Tressilian -was she quite normal in her manner?""Oh, absolutely."
"What did you talk about?"
"Oh, one thing and another."
"Amicably?"
Nevile flushed.
"Certainly."
"You didn't, for instance," went on Leach smoothly38, "have a violent quarrel?"Nevile did not answer at once. Leach said: "You had better tell the truth, you know. I'll tell you frankly39 some of your conversation was overheard."Nevile said shortly: "We had a bit of a disagreement. It was nothing.""What was the subject of the disagreement?"With an effort Nevile recovered his temper. He smiled.
"Frankly," he said, "she ticked me off. That often happened. If she disapproved40 of anyone she let them have it straight from the shoulder. She was old-fashioned, you see, and she was inclined to be down on modern ways and modern lines of thought - divorce - all that. We had an argument and I may have got a bit heated, but we parted on perfectly41 friendly terms - agreeing to differ." He added, with some heat: "I certainly didn't bash her over the head because I lost my temper over an argument - if that's what you think!"Leach glanced at Battle. Battle leaned forward ponderously42 across the table. He said: "You recognised that niblick as your property this morning. Have you any explanation for the fact that your fingerprints were found upon it?"Nevile stared. He said sharply: "I - but of course they would be - it's my club - I've often handled it.""Any explanation, I mean, for the fact that your fingerprints show that you were the last person to have handled it."Nevile sat quite still. The colour had gone out of his face.
"That's not true," he said at last. "It can't be. Somebody could have handled it after me - someone wearing gloves.""No, Mr. Strange - nobody could have handled it in the sense you mean - by raising it to strike - without blurring43 your own marks."There was a pause - a very long pause.
"Oh, God," said Nevile convulsively, and gave a long shudder44. He put his hands over his eyes. The two policemen watched him.
Then he took away his hands. He sat up straight.
"It isn't true," he said quietly. "It simply isn't true. You think I killed her, but I didn't. I swear I didn't. There's some horrible mistake.""You've no explanation to offer about these fingerprints?""How can I have? I'm dumbfounded."
"Have you any explanation for the fact that the sleeves and cuffs45 of your dark blue suit are stained with blood.""Blood ? " It was a horror-struck whisper. "It couldn't be!" "You didn't, for instance, cut yourself -" "No. No, of course I didn't." They waited a little while.
Nevile Strange, his forehead creased46, seemed to be thinking. He looked up at them at last with frightened, horror-stricken eyes.
"It's fantastic!" he said. "Simply fantastic. It's none of it true." "Facts are true enough," said Superintendent Battle.
"But why should I do such a thing? It's unthinkable - unbelievable! I've known Camilla all my life."Leach coughed.
"I believe you told us yourself, Mr. Strange, that you come into a good deal of money upon Lady Tressilian's death?""You think, that's why - But I don't want money! I don't need it!" "That," said Leach, with his little cough, "is what you say, Mr. Strange." Nevile sprang up.
"Look here, that's something I can prove. That I didn't need money. Let me ring up my bank manager - you can talk to him yourself."The call was put through. The line was clear and in a very few minutes they were through to London. Nevile spoke47: "That you, Ronaldson? Nevile Strange speaking. You know my voice. Look here, will you give the police - they're here now - all the information they want about my affairs - yes - yes, please."Leach took the phone. He spoke quietly. It went on, question and answer. He replaced the phone at last. "Well," said Nevile eagerly.
Leach said impassively: "You have a substantial credit balance, and the bank have charge of all your investments and report them to be in a favourable48 condition.""So, you see, it's true what I said!"
"It seems so - but, again, Mr. Strange, you may have commitments, debts -payment of blackmail49 - reasons for requiring money of which we do not know.""But I haven't! I assure you I haven't. You won't find anything of that kind."Superintendent Battle shifted his heavy shoulders. He spoke in a kind, fatherly voice.
"We've sufficient evidence, as I'm sure you'll agree, Mr. Strange, to ask for a warrant for your arrest. We haven't done so - as yet. We're giving you the benefit of the doubt, you see."Nevile said bitterly: "You mean, don't you, that you've made up your minds I did it, but you want to get at the motive50, so as to clinch51 the case against me?"Battle was silent. Leach looked at the ceiling.
Nevile said desperately52: "It's like some awful dream. There's nothing I can say or do. It's like - like being in a trap and you can't get out."
Superintendent Battle stirred. An intelligent gleam showed between his half-closed lids.
"That's very nicely put," he said. "Very nicely put indeed. It gives me an idea ..."
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1
sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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cuff
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| n.袖口；手铐；护腕；vt.用手铐铐；上袖口 | |
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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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grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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moron
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| n.极蠢之人，低能儿 | |
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ted
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| vt.翻晒，撒，撒开 | |
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cursory
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| adj.粗略的；草率的；匆促的 | |
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porcelain
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| n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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chaotically
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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lotion
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| n.洗剂 | |
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halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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15
fiddling
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| 微小的 | |
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blotting
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| 吸墨水纸 | |
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dented
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| v.使产生凹痕( dent的过去式和过去分词 )；损害；伤害；挫伤（信心、名誉等） | |
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casement
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| n.竖铰链窗；窗扉 | |
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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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sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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reverently
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| adv.虔诚地 | |
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inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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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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mountebank
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| n.江湖郎中；骗子 | |
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psychology
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| n.心理，心理学，心理状态 | |
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assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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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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solicitor
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| n.初级律师，事务律师 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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stiffening
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| n. (使衣服等)变硬的材料, 硬化 动词stiffen的现在分词形式 | |
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humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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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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billiards
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| n.台球 | |
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smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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disapproved
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| v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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ponderously
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blurring
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| n.模糊，斑点甚多，（图像的）混乱v.（使）变模糊( blur的现在分词 )；（使）难以区分 | |
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shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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45
cuffs
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| n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 ) | |
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46
creased
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| （使…）起折痕，弄皱( crease的过去式和过去分词 )； （皮肤）皱起，使起皱纹； 皱皱巴巴 | |
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47
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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48
favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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blackmail
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| n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓 | |
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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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51
clinch
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| v.敲弯，钉牢；确定；扭住对方 [参]clench | |
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52
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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