Chapter 7 Chapter VII

Inspector Bland sat behind a desk in the study, and Sir George, who had met him on his arrival, had taken him to the boathouse, and followed him back into the house now.Over at the boathouse, a group of photographic figures are busy now, while figures from the fingerprinting team and medical officials have just arrived. "Is this a place for you to work?" asked Sir George. "Very well, thank you, sir." "What about the show that's going on outside? Tell them what happened, stop the show, or what?" Inspector Bland considered for a moment. "What have you done so far, Sir George?" he asked.

"Nothing was said. People out there assumed it was an accident, that's all. I don't think anyone suspected it was... er... murder." "Keep it that way for now, then," Brandon decided. "Words will travel fast enough, I daresay," he added cynically.He thought again for a moment, then asked, "How many people would you like to have for this event?" "There were a few hundred at one point," replied Sir George, "and more came pouring in all the time. People seemed to be coming from afar, and the fact that the event was a very successful one was very unfortunate."

Inspector Bland correctly deduced that Sir George's last words referred to the murder and not the success of the garden party. "Hundreds of people," he said thoughtfully, "and any one of them, I think Daguan could be the murderer." He sighed. "Difficult," said Sir George sympathetically, "but I don't see any reason for any of them to do it, and the whole thing seems rather strange—no idea who would want to murder a girl like that." "How much can you tell me about this girl? As far as I know, she is a local girl?" "Yes, her family lives in a little farmhouse near the docks, and her father works on a local farm—Paterson's, I think." He went on, "Mother's here for a garden party this afternoon. , Miss Breuys—my secretary, who can tell you all about it better than I can—Miss Breuys found the woman and took her somewhere for tea."

"Indeed," agreed the Inspector. "Sir George, I don't know much about all this. What is this girl doing at the boathouse? I know there's some 'hunting' competition—or a treasure hunt." Sir George nodded. "Yes. We all thought it was a pretty clever idea, but it doesn't seem so clever now, and I think Miss Brewys can explain all this to you more clearly than I can. I'll go to her. Come to see you, okay? Is there anything else you want to know first." "Not at present, Sir George, I may have questions for you later, there are some people I would like to meet with you, Mrs Stacey, and the man who found the body, one of which, I guess, was to design this what you call The female novelist of the 'Murder Hunt' competition."

"Yes, Mrs. Oliver. Mrs. Alfredne Oliver." The inspector raised his eyebrows slightly. "Oh—she!" he said. "The novels sell well, and I've read a lot of them myself." "She's a little troubled at the moment," said Sir George. "Natural, I suppose. I'll go and tell her you're expecting to see her, will you? I don't know where my wife is, she seems to be completely gone." , among two or three hundred people, I think—not that she can tell you much, I mean about the girl and all, who do you want to see first?" "I thought maybe I'd see your secretary, Miss Breuys, and then the girl's mother."

Sir George nodded, and left the study. Local Constable Rob Heskin opened the door for them and closed it after he appeared.Then he spoke of his own accord, evidently intending to make a footnote to some of Sir George's words. "Mrs. Stars is a bit lacking," he said, "in this." He patted his forehead. "So he said she wouldn't be much help, stupid, her." "He married a local girl?" "No, foreign girl, black, some people say, but I don't think so myself." Blonde nodded. He was silent for a while, scribbling with a pen on a piece of paper in front of him, and then he wrote a question that was obviously not on the record.

"Who did it, Haskin?" he said. Blonde thought that if anyone knew what was going on, it would be Sergeant Haskin.Heskin is a very inquisitive person, and he has a lot of knowledge about everyone and everything.He has a wretched wife, which, as a local police officer, provides him with a wealth of personal information. "Foreigners, if you ask me, it's not anyone here. The Tuckers are all right. A respectable family of nine. The eldest two daughters are monks. One boy is in the Navy and the other In National Service, another daughter works in a beauty parlor in Docklands, and there are three younger ones at home, two boys and a girl." He paused, considering. "None of them can be called bright, but Mrs. Tucker's house is well kept and clean—he's the youngest of a brother and sister, and his old father lives with her."

Blond silently accepted these Qing soldiers. As far as Heskin's style is concerned, this is the essence of Tucker's social status. "So I say the foreigners did it," Heskin continued. "One of those young men who live at the Hooch Great Garden Youth Hostel, maybe. Some of them are eccentric - and there is a lot of bad behavior, you will be surprised to say, I saw them in the bushes What you've done here! It's just as bad as what's done in a blatantly stopped car." Officer Heskin is now an expert on all "bad sexual behavior."This aspect was the main topic of conversation when he went for a beer later in the day after get off work.

Blonde said, "I don't think it's—well, that. Of course, we'll let us know when the inspection is done." "Yes, sir, that's up to him to test, but what I mean is that foreigners are never easy to understand, and they will suddenly have bad intentions." Inspector Bland sighed at the thought that it couldn't be so simple, and it was convenient for Officer Hoskins to blame the "foreigner". The door opened and the doctor walked in. "I've done my job," he said, "do you want them to take her away now? The rest of the crew have packed the kilos too."

"Sergeant Corell will take care of it," Brand said. "Well, doctor, what did you find?" "Plain and simple," said the doctor. "No complications, hanged by a clothesline, nothing more simple, no struggle before death, I don't think the kid knew what was going on beforehand." "Are there any signs of rape?" "No. Absolutely no signs of violence, rape, any conflict whatsoever." "So, compared to not pornographic crimes?" "I don't think so," went on the doctor. "I don't think she's a particularly attractive girl."

"Do boys like her?" Blonde questioned Sergeant Heskin. "I don't think they like her," said Inspector Haskin, "though they might if they liked her." "Possibly," Blonde agreed.His mind returned to the pile of comic books in the boathouse, and some words scribbled on the margins. "Johnny is on Kate.", "George Porgy kisses hiking girl in the woods".He thought there was a hint of longing and envy in it.Although, on the whole, it seems unlikely that Marlene Tucker's death had a sexual component.Although, of course, it's hard to say... there are always weird criminals, men with secret lusts, gangsters who prey on immature women especially.One of them may be here this holiday season.He almost believed it so--for he could think of no other reason for such a senseless crime.However, he thought, we're just getting started, and I'd better see what all these people have to tell me. "What about the time of death?" he asked. The doctor looked at the clock and his own watch. "It's just after five-thirty," he said. "It was about five-twenty when I saw her—she had been dead for about an hour. That is to say, roughly, between four and four-forty. After the autopsy Let me know if you find anything else." He went on: "Then you'll get a formal report from me with some long words. Now I'm going to do it, and I've got some patients to see." He left the room, and Inspector Bland told Heskin to fetch Miss Bruise.His spirits lifted a little when Miss Brewys entered the room, and he saw at once that she was a capable woman, and he would have a clear answer, exact time, and unambiguous. "Mrs. Tucker is in my sitting-room," said Miss Brewys, as she sat down. "I broke the news to her, and gave her some tea. She was very disturbed. Naturally, she wanted to see the body. But I told her better not. Mr. Tucker got off work at six and was coming over here to be with his wife. I told them to go out and wait for him and bring him over as soon as he got there. The younger ones were still in the fairgrounds and there were people Keep an eye out for them." "Excellent," said Inspector Bland approvingly, "I think I'll see what you and Mrs. Stars can tell me before I see Mrs. Tucker." "I don't know where Mrs. Stars is," said Miss Breuys displeased. "I think she might be bored with the fair and wander somewhere, but I don't think she can tell you any better than I can. What do you want to know?" "I want to know the details of this murder-seeking competition first, and how this girl, Marlene Tucker, came to participate." "It's pretty easy." Miss Brewys succinctly explained that many murder-seeking competitions are used to attract people to the garden party. The famous novelist Mrs. Oliver planned and arranged, etc., and explained the general plot. "Originally," explained Miss Bruise, "it was Mrs. Alec Leitch who was going to play the part of the victim." "Mrs. Alec Leach?" said the Inspector. Sergeant Heskin interrupted to explain. "She and Mr. Leitch rented Rhode's bungalow, the pink one next to Creek's Mill. They came here a month ago, and they rented it for two or three months." "I see. You said Mrs. Leach was going to be the victim? Why was it changed?" "Oh, one night Mrs. Leitch did a fortune-telling for all of us, and it was very good, so I decided to set up a fortune-telling booth as one of the items to attract visitors. I asked Mrs. Leitch to wear oriental clothes and act as Mrs. Julika. Fortune-telling is done for two shillings a time. I don't think there's anything illegal about it, is there, Mr. Inspector? I mean it's usually done at such garden parties?" Inspector Bland smiled. "Fortune-telling and lottery tickets are not always taken very seriously, Miss Bruise," he said. "We often have to - er - put on a show and make an example." "But usually you let people go? Well, that's how it was before. Mrs. Leitch agreed to help us that way, so we had to find someone else to use as a corpse. The local girl group helped us with the garden party, and I think someone suggested a It’s pretty good to be a girl in a girl group.” "Are you talking about suggestions, Miss Breuys?" "Honestly, I don't really know... I think it might be Mrs. Masterton, the Congressman's wife. No, maybe Captain Warburton, really, I can't be sure. Anyway, it's suggested. " "Is there any reason to pick this girl?" "No—no, I don't think so. Her family are tenant tenants on the property, and her mother, Mrs. Tucker, comes over and helps out in the kitchen sometimes. I don't know why we chose her, maybe thought of She. We asked her, and she seemed quite willing." "She really wants to do it?" "Oh, yes, I think she's flattered, she's a very imbecile girl," continued Miss Bruise, "and she can't do much. But it's very simple, and she's glad she was chosen." "What the hell is she going to do?" "She stayed in the boathouse, and when she heard someone approaching the door, she lay down on the floor and tied the rope around her neck to play dead." Miss Breuys's tone was calm and serious.The fact that the girl pretended to be dead turned out to be really dead didn't seem to have affected her emotions at the time. "Quite boring for the girl, spending the afternoon in the boathouse when she could be at the garden party," said Inspector Bland. "I suppose in a way it is," said Miss Bruyce, "but it's not quite as good as it should be. And besides, Marlene really liked being a corpse, which was a marvel to her, and she had a pile of books and newspapers." Can be entertained." "Is there anything else to eat?" said the Inspector. "I think there's a tray with a plate and cup on it." "Oh, yes, she has a big plate of cake, and a glass of raspberry juice, which I brought to her myself." Blonde looked up suddenly. "You sent it to her? When did it happen?" "About three or four o'clock." "When exactly? Do you remember?" Miss Breuys considered for a moment. "I come to think of it, judging the children's costume show, there was a bit of a delay - Mrs Stacey couldn't be found, but Mrs Folliat took her place, so that's no problem ... well, the point is - I'm almost sure - —my cake and juice was about five past four." "And you sent it to her in the boathouse yourself. When did you get there?" "Well, it's only about five minutes to get to the boathouse—about a quarter past four, I think." "And at a quarter past four was Marlene Tucker alive and well?" "Yes, of course," said Miss Bruyce, "and is very eager to know how the 'hunters' are doing. I'm afraid I can't tell her I'm too busy on the lawn, but I do know there are A lot of people attended. I know of twenty or thirty people, or many more." "When you got to the boathouse, what did you find Marlene?" "I just told you." "No, no, I didn't mean that. I mean, was she lying on the floor playing dead when you opened the door?" "Oh no," said Miss Bruise, "because I yelled when I was about to arrive, so she opened the door and I carried the tray in and set it on the table." "At a quarter past four," Blonde said, noting it down, "Marlene Tucker was alive and well, and I trust, Miss Breuys, you will realize that this is a very important point, that you The time mentioned is quite certain, right?" "I can't be absolutely sure because I didn't look at my watch, but I did look at it once not long before that, and that's as close as I can tell." She caught the point of the Inspector's words suddenly, and went on And again, "You mean shortly after that—?" "It can't be long after that, Miss Bruise." "My God!" said Miss Breuys. It was a bit of an inappropriate expression, but it accurately conveyed Miss Bruise's frustration and anxiety. "Miss Brewys, did you meet or see anyone near the boathouse on your way to or from the boathouse?" Miss Breuys thought for a moment. "No," she said, "I haven't met anyone. I might, of course, because the place is open to everyone this afternoon. But generally people stay on the lawns and the various playgrounds, and they like to hang out." The vegetable garden and the conservatory, but they didn't walk through the woods as I thought, and people like to be in groups at such events, don't you think, Mr. Inspector?" "Perhaps so," said the Inspector. "Though, I think," said Miss Brewys, suddenly remembering, "someone's in the strange room." "Strange house?" "Yes, a small white temple-like building. Just built a year or two ago, on the right side of the path to the boathouse, and someone was in it. A couple of lovers, I suspect. There was a big laugh Then one said, 'Shh--'." "You don't know who these lovers are?" "I don't know. I can't see the front of the strange house from the path. Both sides and the back are closed." The Inspector thought for a moment, but it seemed impossible to him that the lovers - whoever they were - could be of any importance.Maybe it would be good to find out who they were, because they might have seen someone going to or coming up from the boathouse. "Is there anyone else on the path? No one at all?" he insisted. "I know what you're thinking, of course," said Miss Bruys, "I can only assure you that I haven't met anyone. But, you know, I don't necessarily. I mean, if any It was the easiest thing for a person on the path not to be seen by me, just slip behind the heather. The path was lined with bushes and heather, and if anyone who wasn't supposed to be there heard Someone walks by and they can try to hide." The Inspector changed course. "Do you yourself know anything about this girl that might help us?" he asked. "I don't really know anything about her," said Miss Bruise, "I don't even think I've ever spoken to her before this. She's one of the girls I've ever seen—I vaguely Jojo remembers her when she sees her, but that's all." "And you know nothing about him—nothing that might help?" "I don't know why anyone would want to murder her," said Miss Bruys. "In fact, the way I see it, if you know what I mean, it's pretty unlikely that it's going to happen. I can only think, For some people who are psychologically unbalanced, her role as the person who killed North may induce a willingness to make her the actual victim, but even this sounds very ridiculous and far-fetched." Brand sighed. "Oh, well, I think I'd better meet that mother." Mrs. Tucker was a thin, thin-faced woman with coarse blond hair and a sharp nose.Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, but she was calm now and ready to answer the Inspector's questions. "It doesn't seem right that something like this should happen," she said. "I've seen it in the papers, but it happened to us Marlene—" "I am very sorry," said Inspector Blonde softly, "and I want you to put your mind to it and tell me if there is anyone who might have any reason to do harm to this girl?" "I've been thinking about it," said Mrs. Tucker, blowing her nose suddenly. "I've been thinking about it and thinking about it, but I can't think of anything. What Marlene used to say about the schoolteacher, and what she used to talk to Girls or boys fight, but nothing serious, no one really hates her, no one does her any harm." "She never talked to you about anything that might be her enemy or something?" "She talks a lot, Marlene, but not about that, it's all about make-up and hair-dos and what she's trying to do with her face and body. You know what girls are like. She's too young to scribble on lipstick, her daddy tells her so, and so do I. But that's what she does when she has money, buying perfume and lip balm and hiding them away." Brand nodded, there was nothing he could do to help.A teenage, kind of goofy girl with a head full of movie stars and glamour—a lot of Marlene-like girls. "What her papa's going to say, I don't know," said Mrs. Tucker. "He'll come over here any minute, expecting to have a good time. He's got a good shot at dropping coconuts, he." Suddenly she couldn't control herself and began to cry. "If you ask me," she said, "I'd say one of those bad-hearted foreigners at the hostel. Foreigners are never reliable, although most of them speak politely, and some of them wear shirts that Can't believe it, shirts with girls in what they call 'bikinis'. And they're all topless and sunbathing everywhere - it's all causing trouble. I mean it." Mrs. Tucker, still weeping, was escorted away by Officer Hoskins.It seems reassuring, Blonde, to reflect on the judgment of the natives, and perhaps over the years, that every tragic incident was blamed on generic foreigners.