Chapter 9 Chapter IX Three Alibis

At this point Harding stood up.His large eyes—"bull's eyes," as Eliot calls them after a string of animal metaphors—look panicked.He kept his good-natured expression, and his respect for authority was undiminished; but his hairy hands trembled slightly. "I'm filming!" he protested. "Look, here's the camera. Don't you hear it moving? Don't you—" And he laughed, charmingly.He seemed to want someone to laugh with him, and was annoyed that no one laughed with him. "I see," he looked into the distance, "I read a story once." "Really, you're going to say it now?" Professor Ingram asked.

"Yes," said Harding gravely, "somebody had an alibi because they swear they heard him tap the typewriter all the time. The truth is, he had a mechanism that made the typing sound, and no one else was there. Big bastard ! Do you think there is something that will help you operate a movie camera?" "That's ridiculous," Marjorie cried, as if she had seen the devil. "I saw you. I knew you were there. Is that what you think, Inspector?" Elliot grinned: "Miss Wells, I didn't say anything, it was the professor who said it. Similarly, we might consider this, even if it's just to clear up doubts." He spoke sympathetically, "But here Very dark, isn't it?"

Professor Ingram replied before everyone else: "It was dark for about twenty seconds, until Chesney opened the double doors. Afterwards, the camera used a light bulb to project enough light on the wall of the study, so it cannot be said to be completely dark here. The outline of the object is very Clear, I think my companions will tell you so." "Wait a minute, sir, how are you sitting?" Professor Ingram stood up, and carefully arranged the three easy chairs in rows about three feet apart.The chair faced the double doors from eight or nine feet away, so the distance from the chair to Marcus Chesney was about fifteen feet.

"Chesney arranged the chairs before we arrived," Professor Ingram explained. "We didn't move them. I'm sitting here, at the right end closest to the lights." He put his hand on the back of the chair. In the middle, Harding sits at the other end." Elliott studies the position, and then he turns to Harding: "What are you doing sitting on the left?" He asks, "Don't you get a better shot from the middle? From the left you can't get a shot of Nemo coming in through the French window. " Harding rubbed his forehead: "I ask you, how do I know what's going to happen?" He said, "Mr. Chesney didn't explain what we were going to see. He just said, 'Sit there'; I hope you don't think I would argue with him. I dare not. I sit—or rather I stand here, and I think I can see clearly."

"Hey, what's the point of arguing about that?" Marjorie said. "Of course he's here, and I see him walking around filming. And I'm here, aren't I?" "Yes," said Professor Ingram gently, "I can feel you." "Really?" said Harding. Professor Ingram's face became menacing: "Young man, I feel her presence. I hear her breathing. I can touch her as soon as I reach out. Yes, she is dressed in black; but you should have noticed her too." Her skin was white, and her hands and face were as white as the front of your shirt in the dark." Clearing his throat, he turned to Elliott, "What I want to tell you, Inspector, is that I could swear they Neither of them left the room. Harding was always in the corner of my eye. Marjorie was within arm's reach. Now, can they do the same to me..."

He leaned towards Marjorie politely but strongly.Elliott thought his manner was that of a doctor taking a patient's pulse, his face quiet and focused. "Of course you're here," Marjorie called. "Are you sure?" Eliot asked. "I'm absolutely sure. I saw his shirt and his bald head," she said solemnly, "and—oh, I saw everything! I heard him breathe too. Haven't you ever been to a seance? If someone left Don't you know?" "What do you say, Mr. Harding?" Harding hesitated for a moment: "Honestly, my eyes are fixed on the camera most of the time. So I don't have much chance to look around. Wait," he slapped his left palm with his right fist, with a relieved expression on his face, "Ah! I speak slowly. Just after this guy in the top hat walks out of the camera, I look up, back up, and turn off the camera. As I back up I hit a chair, and I look around," he turns his wrist, "I Can see Marjorie, I can see her eyes twinkle. I can't describe it exactly, but you know what I mean. Of course I know she's been there because I hear her say 'no' and I see her." He grinned and lightened the room. "You can be sure she's neither five-nine nor six-foot. What else could we possibly suspect?"

"Did you see me?" asked Professor Ingram. "Huh?" Harding said, his eyes resting on Marjorie. "I said, did you see me?" "Oh, of course. I think you're leaning over your watch. You're right there." Harding regained his energy, as if he were about to strutting, thumbs in his vest.But Elliott felt he was still groping in the fog, that the case was a psychological maze, and yet he wanted to believe that these people were telling the truth. Professor Ingram explained: "You see three fairly credible alibi. None of us could have committed this crime. You have to base your case on that. Of course, you can choose to doubt our claims; then we will Prove it to you - rebuilding the scene! We sit here in a row like we did before, then turn off the lights and turn on the floodlights for photography in the den. You see, no one can leave without being seen This room."

"I'm afraid you can't, sir, unless you have another photographic bulb," said Elliott. "The bulb has burned out. Besides!" "But..." Marjorie exclaimed.She shut her mouth and stared at the closed door with puzzled eyes. "Besides," continued Elliott, "you may not be the only ones who have an alibi. I want to ask you something, Miss Wells. You just said you were sure the clock in the study was correct, and you How can you be so sure?" "Can you say it again?" Elliott repeated the question. "Because the clock is broken," Marjorie answered, recovering, "well, I mean, the adjusting hand is broken, so you can't move it; and since we've got it, it's been an accurate clock." , there was never an error."

Professor Ingram chuckled softly. "I see. When did it fail, Miss Wells?" "Yesterday morning, the maid Pamela broke Uncle Marcus's study while she was tidying it up. While she was winding up, she held a pair of iron candlesticks in the other hand, and accidentally let the candlestick hit the regulator pin. The hitch knocked it off. I thought Uncle Marcus would be angry. We were only allowed to tidy up his study once a week. All his papers were there, especially a manuscript he was working on that we couldn't touch. But he didn't .” "nothing?" "Not angry. Not even. On the contrary. He walked up to the clock. I said we'd take the clock to Symonds Clock Repair in town to have it fixed. He stared at the clock for a minute and suddenly laughed out loud. He said, no, no, never mind This clock, it keeps the exact time now, it cannot be changed, and it looks interesting. (It was an eight-day clock, and it was wound up at that time--Bammer School Note) He also said that Pamela was a good girl, in her Parents will be filial to their parents when they are old. I remember it very clearly."

Elliott thought, why is Chesney standing in front of the clock and suddenly laughing out loud?But he has no time to think.Coincidentally, Major Crowe appeared at the door leading to the corridor. "Can I speak to you, Inspector?" His voice was odd. Eliot went out and closed the door behind him.It was a wide hallway, paneled in pale oak, with a wide staircase, and a floorboard shining brightly at the edge of the carpet.A floor lamp was on, casting a circle of light around the edge of the stairs and also illuminating the telephone on the small table. Major Crowe kept a gentle face, but his eyes looked evil.He nodded to the phone. "I just spoke to Billy Ellsworth," he said.

"Billy Ellsworth? Who is he?" "That's his wife giving birth tonight. Joe Chesney's out patient. I know it's late, but I thought Ellsworth might still be celebrating with friends. He was, so I spoke to him. I didn't say much, I just said congratulations, and I hope he didn't realize why I called him at two o'clock in the morning to say congratulations." Major Crowe took a deep breath, "Well, if the clock in the study is accurate, Joe Chesney has an unassailable alibi." Elliott said nothing.He had expected-- "The little one was born at eleven fifteen. Afterwards, Chesney sat down and chatted with Ellsworth and his friends until nearly twelve o'clock. When he left, they all looked at their watches. When Ellsworth Ellsworth saw him to the door, just as the church clock struck twelve; Ellsworth stood on the steps and made a speech about the coming of the good day. So the time of the doctor's departure was certain. Ellsworth lived in Thord The other side of Perry Cross. There's no way Joe Chesney got back here when the murders happened. What do you think?" "They all have alibis, sir," Elliott told the major. "Oh?" "Yes, sir," said Elliott, "that's very strange."