Chapter 2 Chapter two

I think there is nothing more deplorable than the wretchedness of old age. My poor old friend, I have had several images of him in my mind until now.Now I will only describe the differences from the past.Because of his arthritis, he cannot help himself in daily activities, and no matter where he wants to go, he has to be taken care of by a wheelchair.The once chubby body was now covered with a layer of skin and a bone, turning into a thin, weak and short man.The face is also covered with wrinkles.Sure enough, the beard and hair were still so black, but because I couldn't bear to hurt his heart, I had no choice but to say nothing, but frankly speaking, this is a different concept. When the ground is pitiful.I was once amazed to learn that Poirot's hair was helped by a bottle of hair dye.However, there is only a very obvious unnaturalness. Others just think that they may be wearing a wig, and just put a pinch of cosmetics on the upper lip to make the child happy.

Only the eyes have not changed.It was shining brightly, but now... By the way, it is indeed moist because of being moved. "Oh! Hastings, Hastings!" When I bowed to him, Poirot embraced me as warmly as ever. "Hastings!" He leaned back in the chair again, tilted his head slightly, and looked at me carefully. "Well, it hasn't changed a bit--no hunchback, still broad shoulders, old and strong. You're just as handsome as you were, my friend. Those ladies haven't dumped you yet, have they?" "Could it be... anyway... Poirot." "No, listen carefully, it's kind of a test - a young lady accosts, yes, very softly - and that's it! Girls say 'poor old man' behind their backs, 'Will How can you not be as considerate to him as possible? There is nothing you can do about it.' But what about you? Hastings—you're still young, and you don't need to despair. Yes! Just twirl your beard, Keep your chest up, and you're done. Really, you don't look as clumsy as you thought you were."

I couldn't help laughing. "I can't do anything about you, Poirot, what about you?" "Me?" Poirot said with a frown, "I look like a dead man. It's a corpse. I can't walk, and I'm still bent over. Fortunately, I can eat by myself, but nothing else. Everything is like a baby." It seems that I have to rely on others. I have someone to hug me to bed; someone to take a bath and change my clothes. All in all, it’s not very interesting. Fortunately, although the outside is tattered, the stomach is still full.” "It's absolutely correct, the outside is empty and the center is strong. The heart is still healthy."

"Heart? Probably. But I don't mean the heart, but the mind. Hey, I mean the stomach, but I mean the mind! My mind is quite flexible." It was clear to me that his mind, at least, had not degenerated on the modest side. "Did you enjoy your stay?" Poirot shrugged and said, "I have nothing to complain about. Of course, this is not the Regent Hotel. By the way, the room I was taken into for the first time was very small and the furniture was not very good. That's why I changed here." , the rent is the same. The second is the problem of food, which can be said to be the culmination of the worst British food! The British seem to like to eat malt cabbage, but it is very big and hard to eat. As for the potato, if it is not boiled If it is overcooked, it is boiled to pieces. And when it comes to vegetables, alas! It is even more insipid, no matter what kind of dish, there is hardly any salt or pepper—" Poirot interrupted, allowing the eloquent silence.

"It looks bad." "It's not that I'm a whiner," said Poirot, going on to enumerate his many grievances. "And the so-called modern stuff, look at that bathroom, there are taps everywhere, guess what comes out of there? Oh! It's lukewarm water, my friend, and it's just lukewarm. And that Thin and sticky towels!" "It's really unbearable to look back on that year!" I said bitterly.I remember that in the bathroom of Stiles House, there was a large mahogany bathtub in the center of the bathroom. When the hot water faucet was turned on, hot steam filled the room.Besides, there were large bath towels, and the antique wash-stand must have had a polished brass jug filled with scalding hot water.

"However, you can't complain." Poirot said again: "I have a good reason to suffer here obediently." I couldn't help but startled. "Poirot, are you... troubled by money? The stock market plummeted due to the war, and..." Poirot immediately dismissed my fears. "No, not for the money. You see I don't care about money at all. Almost a rich man. I didn't move here to save a few bucks." "That's good. However, I always feel as if I can understand your mood. When a person is getting old, he always hopes to bring back the mood of the year. Take me as an example, come back to this land, In a certain sense, I always feel uncomfortable, but for example, the thoughts and sighs that I have completely forgotten the past, but they come up in waves. Do you feel the same about this? "

"Not at all, not at all." "However, it was a colorful era." I said sadly. "You may say that quite freely, but, Hastings, it was a time of sorrow and misery when I first set foot on the grounds of St Mary Stiles. Wounded, driven out My hometown, expelled from the country, is nothing more than a refugee living in a foreign country, not happy or unhappy. At that time, I never thought that England would become my second home, and I would live and work here in peace and contentment.” "I've forgotten about that." "That's right. One person always likes to put his own feelings on another person. Hastings is happy...everyone is happy!"

"No, where is it..." I said with a smile. "However, in any case, it cannot be true." Poirot continued: "Anyone will look back on the past and say with tears, 'Ah-ah, the happy time. I was also young at that time. But, in fact, you are not as happy as you imagined. You have just been badly wounded. Anxious about not being able to go back to the front line again. And you have been miserable in the sanitarium, too depressed to use To describe it in words, as far as I can remember, you fell in love with two children at the same time, and you are in a situation where you can't extricate yourself."

I blushed and smiled. "You have a good memory, Poirot." "No, I still remember that you once talked to yourself, said some unpleasant things, and sighed sullenly because of those two beautiful ladies." "Do you remember what you said at that time? 'These two ladies are not suitable for you! But take heart, my friend! Maybe there will be a time to chase the murderer together. In this case, maybe... '" I broke off.Because when Poirot and I traveled to France to investigate a murder, we actually met another woman there...   Poirot patted my arm lightly.

"I know, Hastings, I know. The wound was healed at that time. However, you can't always be so depressed. I hope you can let go of everything in the past and focus on the future." I showed a dull expression. "Set your sights on the future? Are you saying there is a future worth looking at?" "But...hey, there is a job waiting for you." "Work? Where?" "Right here." I stared at Poirot with wide eyes. "You asked me why I came here just now. However, you don't seem to realize that I haven't answered this question. So, I will answer you. I came here after a murder suspect."

I looked at Poirot with increasing astonishment, and at that moment I thought he was making fun of me. "Are you serious about what you say?" "It's true. Otherwise, why call you here in such a hurry? My limbs are useless, but my brain is not, as I told you just now, and it has not weakened in the slightest. My principles, no matter whether they are old or not It has not changed. Sitting here without moving and thinking. It’s just that, I can do it now—no, that’s the only thing I can do now. In terms of combat operations, I have to appoint Hastings. A character you could have wished for." "So, you're telling the whole truth?" I couldn't help but hold my breath. "Of course it is true. You and I are going to hunt down the murderer together again, Hastings." It took me a while to realize that Poirot was serious. Although what Poirot said was far from reality, there was no reason to doubt his judgment. "I finally got you to understand. When you first heard what I said, you didn't suspect that I was suffering from cerebral neuromalacia, did you?" Poirot said with a smile on his face. "No, there's no such thing." I said in a panic, "I just didn't expect it to be here." "Do you think so?" "Yeah, because I haven't met all the people here..." "Who have you met already?" "Mr. and Mrs. Laittrell, a man named Norton, seems to be a quiet fellow. And that Pod Carrington--I have a very good impression of this man." Poirot nodded and said: "I tell you, Hastings, that you've seen all the other lodgers, and you're still the same as you are now, and you think it's unexpected." "Who else is there?" "The Franklin family—Dr. Franklin and his wife, the nurse who accompanied the lady. And the daughter Judith, and the man named Aragon, a womanizer. In addition, there is a thirty-year-old Miss Kelu on the left and right. They are all kind people." "You said one of them was the murderer?" "Yes, one of them is the murderer!" "But why, why do you want to guess like this?" The things I want to ask are mixed together, and I can't ask for a clue. "Don't panic, Hastings. Let's start from the beginning. Excuse me, please pass me the little box on the table. Yes, yes, and the key, yes, the one—" Poirot opened the briefcase and produced the typewritten papers and clippings. "Please study these things when you have time, Hastings. Don't rush to read those newspaper clippings. These are reports of various tragic cases, but these reports are sometimes incorrect, and sometimes they can be used as reference clues. Why don't you take a look at this summary I compiled first. Maybe it can help you grasp the gist of the case." I took it with great interest. Case A Yesherington Renate Yesarington.Have bad habits - drug use, drinking.Weird, colored sadistic character.His wife is young and beautiful.Unfortunately, life with her husband is not happy.Yesherington died.The cause of death was believed to be food poisoning.The doctor refused to accept it.According to the results of the test, it was judged to be caused by arsenic poisoning.There is herbicide at home, but it was purchased a long time ago.Mrs Yesherington was arrested and charged with homicide.Earlier, she had a very close relationship with a certain civil servant who returned from India, although there was not enough evidence to prove that there was an ambiguous relationship.But there is no denying the deep sympathy between the two.Later, the young man got engaged to a woman he met on his way back to duty.When this news reached Mrs. Yeserington, it was suspicious whether her husband was alive or not.According to her confession, it was before her husband died.The evidence against her was that there were no other suspects.And it is impossible to imagine that it was an accidental death, etc., which are mostly conditional evidence.Because of the character of the husband, and the mistreatment the wife had suffered, much sympathy in the court centered on her.The judge summed up the main points in her favour, emphasizing the need to go beyond reasonable doubts and make a judgment carefully. Mrs Yesherington was found not guilty.But public opinion still believes that she should be punished by law.From then on, she was treated with cold eyes by her relatives and friends, and her life was difficult.Two years later, he died from taking too many sleeping pills.In coroner's jury, make a verdict of accidental death. Case B Miss Sharplow Middle-aged spinster.Ill, and become quite unpleasant because of the great suffering.Taken care of by niece Frieda Gulei.Miss Sharplow died of a morphine overdose.Frieda Gu Lei admitted her negligence and confessed at the police station that she couldn't bear to see her aunt suffering too much and hoped to alleviate her pain, so she gave more morphine than usual.Sheriff's authorities believe that his actions were not negligent, but clearly planned murder.However, due to insufficient evidence, he was not prosecuted. Case C Edward Riggs farmer.His wife was once suspected of having an affair with the tenant Binn Gureg.The bodies of Greg Gu and Mrs. Riggs were found shot dead.The murder weapon was determined to be Riggs' gun.Riggs surrendered. He confessed at the police station that he may have committed the murder, but he said he had no memory.He was allegedly in a state of insanity at the time.In the first trial, he was sentenced to death, but later his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Case D Delico Bradley Falling in love with a girl.When Mrs. Bradley learned of this, she once declared that she wanted to kill her husband.Later, Bradley was poisoned by drinking beer and died of potassium cyanate poisoning.Mrs. Bradley was arrested and charged with homicide.Later forced to confess.He was eventually sentenced to death. Case E Marsh Lizfett An old man tyrant. There are four daughters, all entertainment is not allowed, and even pocket money is not taken away.Returning home one night, he was killed in front of the side door, and died of a fatal blow to the head.After the search by the police station, the eldest daughter Margaret surrendered to the police station and confessed to killing her father.According to her confession, in order to let the three younger sisters live a happy life, she committed the murder.The sisters inherited a large inheritance.Margaret Lizfett was judged to be insane and was housed in a psychiatric hospital, where she died shortly thereafter. I looked at it carefully, and I became more and more confused.Putting the report down, I looked at Poirot suspiciously. "What do you think, friend." "I remember the Bradley case," I said slowly. "I read the papers. The lady was very pretty." Poirot nodded. "However, I want to ask you. What happened to these five cases?" "Before I tell you. Would like to hear how you feel." I'm a little embarrassed. "What you showed me was a simple report of five murder cases. The places where the crimes took place and the social status and background of the people involved are all different. Besides, these five murder cases have nothing in common. That is to say , One is murder because of jealousy, one is an unfortunate wife who kills to get rid of the shackles of her husband, one is motivated by money, and the other is that the suspect has no will to escape punishment, so his purpose can be said to be not self-interested, And there is another one that is obviously very cruel, probably a drunken murderer. That's it." At this point, I paused, and asked Poirot in a tone of lack of confidence: "Is there anything I have overlooked? Common points?" "No, no, what you summed up is correct. There is only one thing that can be mentioned but not mentioned. That is to say, there is actually no doubt about any one of these five cases." "I can't figure it out!" "For example, Mrs. Yesherington was acquitted. Despite this, society insisted that she did it. The same is true for Frieda Goodley, although she was not openly treated as a murderer, but no one can imagine. Who else would have done it besides her. Although Riggs has no memory of killing his wife and concubine, there is no possibility that anyone else could have done it. Margaret Lizfeld confessed. Hastings, you have to listen clearly, no matter in any case, there is only one suspect beyond doubt." I frowned. "Yes, that's true... But, I don't understand what conclusions can be drawn from this point." "Don't worry, listen carefully, because I'm going to tell you facts that you don't know. For example, Hastings, if any of the cases I have summarized has nothing to do with the case, but is common to all five cases. What do you think of the elements?" "what do you mean……?" Poirot said slowly: "I think we should be cautious about what we say, Hastings. What do you think of me saying this? For example, here is a character—let's say this character is X. Then X in five cases In any of these cases, there was no apparent motive to kill the victim. In one case, as far as I could ascertain, X was actually in a place two hundred miles away from the scene when the murder occurred. Nevertheless, the fact remains. That is to say, X was on close terms with Yesherington. X lived for some time in the same village as Riggs, and X and Mrs. Bradley were acquaintances. I I have seen the close-up photos of X and Frieda Gu Lei walking side by side, and X was nearby when Marcus Lizfeld died! In your opinion, what is the wisdom of this fact?" I stared at Poirot and said slowly: "Well, I think there are too many doubts. If there are two or three, it can be explained as an accidental coincidence, but here there are as many as five. This is It cannot be resolved by chance. It is really unimaginable, but these individual murders must be related in some way." "So, you think the same as me?" "If the character X is the real murderer, that's right." "So, Hastings, you want to come with me to find out. What I want to say is... No, X lives in this house." "Here? Right at Styles House?" "Exactly, it's at Stiles Village! Based on this fact, what can you speculate theoretically?" I knew how to answer, and I said, "So, what do you want to say?" Poirot said solemnly: "Soon there will be a murder here—right here."