Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen

Dr. Fell and Inspector Elliott did not take the train.They didn't take the train because, when they got to Farley Park, they were told that Betty Harpertower had woken up and could see them. They didn't talk much on the way up through the orchard and up into the woods.And the conversation between these two people may also be mysterious to others.Yet it has a fatal connection to events that take place an hour or two later, when one of the most cunning murderers Dr. Fell has ever encountered is about to fall (perhaps prematurely) into a trap. The woods are very private and dark.Leaves formed thick patterns against the starry sky; Elliott's flashlight illuminated the bare dirt of the path ahead, making expanses of rich green look eerie.Two voices came from the woods, the high-pitched high-pitched voice of the inspector and the panting low-pitched voice of Dr. Phil.

"But doctor, can we prove it?" "I think so. I hope so. If I'm not mistaken, he should have all the evidence we need." "If your argument works." "Well, yes. If it works. I'm just babbling, but it should work." "Do you think there is any danger?" Elliott swung his head towards Madeleine's house, "Where is she?" Dr. Phil paused before answering, and the wild ferns rustled under their feet. "Damn, if only I knew! Difficult as it is. Consider the traits of a murderer. A scheming fellow with a mutilated head, like that robot doll; hidden under a good exterior, like that doll I used to have it. But it's definitely not like the legendary demon, who must leave this place full of corpses. This man is definitely not a demon, but a gentle murderer, boy. When I think that if this case develops according to modern criminal law If so, the number of people who would have been killed would have goosebumps.

"We know too many cases of a murderer who, after bothering to finish his main crime, went back and frantically removed all the obtrusives, like pouring olives out of a jar: the first one was insanely tricky, and the others rolled full. The tables are full, and no one pays any attention to them. The murderer is quite human, boy. Don't get me wrong, I'm not admiring the murderer's self-control and ability to resist killing. But really, Elliott, Think of how many people were put in danger from the start of this case! Betty Harpertow could have been killed. A lady we knew could have been killed too. And I was concerned for the safety of a certain man in the first place Worrying. But they're all fine. The vanity of the murderer? Or what?"

The two remained silent, walked out of the woods and down the hillside.There are only a few lights in Fanglei's mansion.They entered from the other side of the garden where the murder had taken place, and went around to the main entrance.The low-key Konos came to greet them. "Mrs. Farley has gone to her room to rest, both of you," he said. "But Dr. Jin asked me to tell the two gentlemen that he hopes you can go upstairs to find him if it is convenient." "Is Betty Harpertoll—" Elliott stopped. "Yes, Mr. Inspector. I think so." Elliott whistled through his teeth, and the two of them went upstairs, down the dimly lit corridor where the green room and the girls' ward were located.Before the two entered the room, Dr. Jin asked them to wait.

"Listen to me," said Dr. King in his usual hasty tone. "You can only stay for 5 minutes, 10 minutes at most, no more. I have to warn you. You will find her very calm, talking as if she just got back from a bus. But don't be fooled. I will give She's had a shot of morphine, and that's just part of the side effect. You'll also notice her eyes rolling a lot, and her reflexes are pretty sharp; Betty's always been very curious, so don't prod her with too many questions and nonsense. Understand? That's it. Go in." As they entered the room Mrs. Yap, the housekeeper, had slipped out.The room was spacious and all the bulbs of the old chandelier were on.In the unobtrusive bedroom, there are huge old photos of the Fang Lei family on the wall, and a group of animal porcelain dolls are displayed on the dressing table.The uncontroversial black square bed.Betty, lying on top, welcomed them weakly.

She had what one might call a "bright" face, and her hair was pulled back in a neat bun.Her pale face and slightly tired eyes were the only signs of illness on her body.She seemed very happy just to see them, and the only person or thing that seemed to make her uncomfortable was Dr. Kim.She stroked the bed curtain slowly with both hands. Dr. Phil studied her.His huge body instantly made the whole room much warmer. "Hello!" he said. "Hello, Doctor!" Betty tried to put on a cheerful look. "Do you know who we are, dear? And why we're here?" "Oh, yes. You want to know what happened to me."

"is it okay?" "I don't mind," she backed off. Her eyes locked on the foot of the bed.Dr. Jin took out his watch and put it on the dresser. "I don't know where to start. I'm going upstairs to get an apple," Betty writhed restlessly on the bed as if she had suddenly changed her mind. "No, I didn't!" she added. "you have not?" "I didn't go upstairs for apples. When I got well my sister would come and take me out of here, and I'd go to Haskin for the holidays, so that's why I told you. I didn't go upstairs for apples. I I often go up there and peek at what is hidden in the cabinet over there, which is the locked cabinet."

Her tone was unguarded, and she didn't care at all.She just told the facts as if the doctor had given her stomach medicine instead of morphine. Dr. Phil was utterly confused. "Why do you take an interest in that locked cabinet?" "Oh, everyone knows, Doctor. Someone's been using that locker." "use?" "The man sat high and held a lamp. There was a small window on the roof, something like a skylight. At night, if you were a little away from the house and there was a light in the house, you could see the light on the roof. Everybody knows it, though we shouldn't. Even Miss Dan knows it. I went up to her one night and sent Sir John a parcel to her before going through the Painted Screen woods. Come back. Miss Dan asked me if I was afraid of walking through that wood after dark. I said no, maybe I'd see the light on the roof and it would be worth it. I was only joking, because the light was always on the south side, and' The trail in the Painted Woods goes north. Miss Dan laughed and put her arm around my shoulders and asked me if I was the only one who had seen the light. I said, oh no, everyone has seen it, We've seen them all. Besides, we're interested in that gramophone-like machine, the dummy—"

Her eyes changed slightly.There was a silence. "But who is 'using' that room?" "Well, they said it was mainly Sir John. One afternoon, Agnes saw him coming down from the attic, sweating all over his face, holding what looked like a dog's whip. I said to her, if you stay in the attic, the little The door is closed tightly, so you won’t be sweating. But Agnes said he doesn’t look like that.” "Anyway, dear, can you tell us what happened yesterday? Hmm?" Doctor Jin interrupted them abruptly. "Two minutes left, boys." Betty looked surprised.

"It's okay," she replied. "I went upstairs to get apples. But this time, when I passed the little room, I found that the padlock on the door was unlocked. The lock was open, and it hung on the iron ring. The door was closed, but there was something between the door and the jamb to keep it from closing." "How do you do it?" "I just walked over to get the apples. Then I came back and I looked at the door and I ate the apples. Then I went to the apple room and finally I went back in there and thought I'd have to see what was in there this time. But I don't really want to watch it, just like before."

"why?" "Because there was a sound in there, at least I thought there was a sound. A creaking sound, like winding an old clock, but very softly." "Do you remember what time it was then, Betty?" "Can't remember, Doctor. Not sure. It was after one o'clock, maybe 1:15 or later." "What did you do next?" "I walked over quickly and opened the door without thinking it through. It turned out to be a glove that was blocking the door. You know, doctor, it was blocking the door." "Men's or women's gloves?" "I think it's for men. It had oil on it, I should say it smelled like oil. It fell on the floor. Then I went in. I saw the old machine right there, sort of sideways on me. I don't want to Take a second look at it, you've been there before, and you should understand why. But just as I stepped in, the door closed quietly, and someone outside pulled the chain on the door, and I heard the sound of the padlock snapping. That's it, I Locked in." "It's time!" Doctor Jin yelled, picking up the watch on the dressing table. Betty twisted the tassels of the bed curtain.Dr. Fell and the inspector looked at each other; the doctor's red face looked very serious. "But—are you all right, Betty?—who's in there? Who's in that little room?" "No one. Nobody but the old machine." "you sure?" "yes." "what have you done?" "I didn't do anything. I didn't dare yell at people to let me out. I was afraid I'd get fired. It wasn't that dark in there. I stood there and didn't do anything, uh, for about 15 minutes. The others did too. Didn't do anything, I mean the mechanical thing. Then I backed away, trying to get as far away from it as it started to put out its arms and hug me." If a cigar had fallen into the ashtray at this moment, Dr. Fell thought, it would be clearly audible.Elliott heard the breath coming out of his own nostrils.He said, "Did it move, Betty? Did the machine move?" "Yes, Mr. Inspector. It stretched out its arms and slid towards me, not very quickly, without moving its body, and making a sound as it moved. But that's not what I really care about. I almost I don't feel anything, because after all, I've been standing there with it for a quarter of an hour. What I care about is its eyes. Its eyes are not in the normal place, but at the hem of the clothes, where the old doll's knees are. Staring up at me. I saw those eyes rolling around. But I didn't pay much attention to it. I think I should get used to it. Then I don't remember, must have passed out or something; luckily now It's outside the door," Betty nodded towards the door, but her expression and tone didn't change at all. "I'm sleepy," she added flatly. Doctor Kim cursed under his breath. "Enough," he said. "You go out at once. Don't worry, she'll be all right; you go." "Okay," Elliott looked into Betty's closed eyes, "I think we should go." Guilty and silent, they leave the room, and Dr. Kim performs a mime as he closes the door. "I hope," he murmured, "her plain ramblings are of help to you." Dr. Fell and the inspector went straight into the dark green room without saying a word.This room is arranged as a study with a calm and elegant style, and several rectangular windows let in the starlight.They went and stood in front of one of the windows. "Have a conclusion, doctor? Although there is still a slight gap from the correct answer." "Yes, there is a conclusion." "Then we'd better go into town and—" "No," Dr. Phil paused for a long time, "I don't think it's necessary. I think we should strike while the iron is hot and conduct an experiment now. Look over there!" In spite of the darkness, the garden below was still clearly defined.They saw the white paths winding through the maze of hedges, the clearings around the pools, and the water lilies in the pools.But that's not what they paid attention to.In the dimness, someone took an item, slipped under the study window, and then circled to the south corner of the room. Dr. Fell sighed.He strode towards the center of the room, turned on the chandelier switch, and turned around quickly, with the cloak flying up. "Psychologically," he said to Elliott with mocking indifference, "it's time tonight. It's now, boy. Miss it, and we might lose all advantage. Tell you, put them Gather it all! I want to take a moment to explain how a man can be murdered in the middle of a sandy field with no one around. Then we'll just have to pray to Satan to take over. Huh?" A light cough interrupted their conversation, and Knoss walked in. "Excuse me, Doctor," he said to Dr. Phil. "Mr. Murray is here, and he wants to see you two. He says he's been looking for you two for a long time." "Oh, really?" Dr. Phil sneered.With burning eyes, the doctor tossed his cloak. "Did he say what it was for?" Konos hesitated. "No, doctor. It's—" Knoss hesitated again. "He said something was bothering him, Doctor. He wanted to see Mr. Barrow, too. And, about—" "Say it, brother! What's the matter?" "That's right, doctor, may I ask if Miss Dan has received a robot puppet?" Inspector Elliott, standing at the window, turned sharply. "Did Miss Dan receive the robot doll? What robot doll? What's going on?" "That's the one, you know, Mr. Inspector," Knoss replied, with a look of shame that bordered on lewdness. "Miss Dan called in the afternoon and asked if the robot puppet could be delivered to her house in the evening. We—er—we thought it was a strange request, but Miss Dan said a gentleman was going to visit her, and it was about that." Expert, she wants him to look at this thing." "I see," Dr. Phil said flatly. "She wants the man to see this thing." "Yes, Dr. Makeney, the gardener, fixed the wheels on it and I had it delivered on a tow truck. Makeney and Parson said she wasn't in the house at the time, so they put the stuff in the coal room .And then—Mr. Barrow came, looking anxious to see the puppet disappear, and he knew a specialist in the subject." "This witch doll is old and pretty," Dr. Fell gasped, unable to hear whether it was joy or anger. "It's good to be able to spend the rest of my life among many admirers. Again, it's good! What a perfect woman, selfless to plan everything, to warn others, to comfort others, to command others. Sometimes harsh, sometimes soft eyeballs—wow!" He paused. "So, is Mr. Murray also interested in this robot?" "No, Doctor. As far as I know he's not interested." "It's a pity. Let's go find him in the study. He must feel very comfortable there. Elliott or I will go down later." After Knoss left, he asked Elliott: "What do you think about this little commotion?" What do you think?" Elliot rubbed his chin. "I don't know. But it doesn't seem to match what we've seen. Anyway, I'll go back to Mombridge now." "I agree. Deeply agree." "Burton's coming in the car. When he comes, I'll be there in three minutes at the most. In case he doesn't—" He really didn't come.Elliott didn't know exactly which part of tonight's plan went wrong.There was no car for him in the garden garage, which happened to be locked.So Elliott had to walk to Mombridge by the wooded path.The last thing he saw before he left was to see Dr. Fell walking down the hall steps, leaning on his forked cane, stepping down the stairs, with a very rare expression on his face. Elliott told himself that there was no need to rush.It's just that when he climbed up the hill and passed through the "painting screen" forest, he found that his steps were fast.He didn't take much liking to the people around him, but he knew they were just victims--not so easily of course now--fooled by a series of ingenious deceptions, which were in fact no more elegant than the one in the attic. The mask of the double-faced door god of Nus came terrifyingly.These deceptions range from unpleasant to murder, but in the end they are just deceptions. As he quickened his pace, he shot left and right with his flashlight.Something rooted in his blood and race was churning inside him.Ever since he was a boy he had been searching for an appropriate word to describe the kind of behavior he was seeing before him.This term is "evil way". He hadn't expected anything to happen.He didn't think they would need his presence. Until he was about to walk out of the woods, he heard a gunshot.