Chapter 22 Chapter Twenty Two

At a corner of the rock garden, Roger and Clemency walked toward us, animatedly.Roger's tweed suit suits him better than his city suit.He looked eager, excited, and Clemency frowned. "Hey, you two," said Roger, "at last! I thought they'd never arrest that stinky woman. What the hell they were waiting for, I don't know. Well, they've got her now, and With her pathetic boyfriend - I hope they hang them both." Clemency frowned even tighter.she says: "Don't be so uncivilized, Roger." "Uncivilized? Bah! Deliberate, cold-blooded poisoning of a helpless old man who trusted her──And when I was glad that the murderer was arrested and was about to get retribution, you said I was uncivilized! Let me tell you, I am willing strangle that woman with your own hands."

He added another sentence: "She was with you when the police came, wasn't she? How did she react?" "Horror," said Sophia in a low voice. "She was petrified." "It deserves it." "Don't gloat," said Clemency. "Oh, I know, my dearest, but you can't understand, it's not your father. I love my father, don't you understand? I love him dearly!" "I should know by now," said Clemency. Roger half-jokingly said to her: "You have no imagination, Clemency. If it was I who was poisoned—" I saw the quick drooping of her eyelids, her half-closed fist.She said sharply, "Don't say such things, even as a joke."

"Never mind, honey, we'll be away from all this soon." We walked towards the house, Roger and Sophia in front, Clemency and I in the rear.she says: "I think now—they'll probably let us go?" "Are you in such a hurry to go?" I asked. "I can't take it anymore." I looked at her in surprise.She smiled a little hopelessly, nodded and looked back at me at the same time. "Can't you see, Charlie, I've been fighting, fighting for my happiness, for Roger's happiness, and I've been so afraid that the family would persuade him to stay in England, that we'd go on entangled with them, Tightly tied by the cords of affection. I'm afraid Sophia will provide him with an income and he'll stay in England because he thinks it's more comfortable and elegant for me. Roger's problem is he doesn't listen to people Yes, he had his own ideas--never the right ones. He didn't understand anything. And he was a very Leonides man who thought that a woman's happiness consisted of being closely associated with comfort and money. Together. But I will fight for my happiness - I will. I will let Roger go and give him a life that suits him and doesn't make him feel like a failure. I want him all to myself - stay away All of them..."

She spoke in a low, rapid voice, with a recklessness that surprised me.I hadn't understood how pushy she was, or how reckless and possessive her feelings for Roger were. It reminds me of that weird quote from Edith Haviland."This side is blind worship," she said in a peculiar tone, and I don't know if she was thinking of Clemency. I think Roger loved his father more than he loved anyone else, not even his wife, though he loved her dearly.For the first time I understood how eager Clemency was to possess her husband.I understood that love for Roger was the purpose of her whole life, that he was her child, her husband, and her lover.

A car pulls up to the front door and pulls up. "Hey," I said. "Josephine is back." Josephine and Magda got out of the car.Josephine had a bandage on his head, but otherwise looked perfectly fine. As soon as she got out of the car, she said: "I want to see my goldfish." He walked towards us and the goldfish pond at the same time. "Honey," cried Magda, "you'd better go in and lie down first. Have some tonic soup." "Don't make a fuss, Ma," Josephy said. "I'm pretty good and I hate tonic." Magda seemed hesitant.I knew that Josephine could have been discharged from the hospital a few days ago, but it was just a hint from Taverner that kept her there.He no longer risked any threat to Josephine's safety and did not release her from the hospital until the person he believed to be the suspect was securely locked up.

I said to Magda: "Perhaps the fresh air will do her good. I'll keep an eye on her." I followed Josephine before she reached the goldfish pond. "All sorts of things happened while you were away," I said. Josephine did not answer, she stared at the fish pond with myopic eyes. "I can't see Ferdinand," she said. "Which one is Ferdinand?" "The one with the four tails." "That kind of goldfish is a bit ridiculous. I like the golden and bright one." "That was rather ordinary." "I don't like white very much, like the one that was bitten by a bug."

Josephine glanced at me contemptuously. "It's a rare fish, and it's expensive—much more than goldfish." "Don't you want to hear what happened, Josephine?" "I think I know." "Did you know that another will was discovered, and your grandfather left all his property to Sophia?" Josephine nodded annoyed. "Mother told me, anyway, I already knew." "You mean you heard about it in the hospital?" "No, I mean I know Grandpa left his fortune to Sophia, I've heard him tell her." "Overheard again?"

"Yes. I like to hear people talk." "This is really a shameful thing. Remember, people who eavesdrop cannot hear anything that is good for them." Josephine gave me a strange look. "I heard him say something to her about me, if you mean that." She added: "Lanny always gets mad when I catch me eavesdropping outside the door, and she says that's not a lady's thing to do." "She was quite right." "Bah," said Josephine. "Nobody's a lady these days, the radio question-answerers say, and they say it's pedantic." She pronounced the last two words carefully.

I change the subject. "You came back a little late and missed a big event," I said. "Inspector Taverner has Brenda and Lawrence under arrest." I expected Josephine, in her young detective nature, to be disturbed by the news, but she just repeated in her weary voice: "Yes, I know that." "You can't possibly know what just happened." "The car passed us on the road, and Inspector Taverner and the suede detective were in the car with Brenda and Lawrence, so of course I knew they must be under arrest. I hope He gave them proper warning. You gotta do it, you know."

I assured her that Taverner was playing by the book. "I had to tell him about the letters," I said apologetically. "I found them behind the sink. I was going to ask you to tell him, but you got knocked out." Josephine's hand carefully stroked her head. "I shouldn't have survived," she said triumphantly. "I told you it was about time for the second murder. It's not smart to hide the letter in the sink room. I saw Lawrence coming out of there one day and I guessed it right away, I mean, He's not the type to fix a faucet or a pipe or a fuse, so I knew he must be hiding something."

"But I thought—" I broke off, and Edith Haviland's authoritative voice cried out: "Josephine, come here right away." Josephine sighed. "It's another fuss," she said. "I'd better go, though. If Aunt Edith calls you, you'll have to." She ran across the lawn and I followed slowly. After a few brief conversations, Josephine went into the room.I was on the balcony with Edith Haviland. She looked exactly like her age this morning.I was taken aback by the painful, tired lines on her face.She looked exhausted, like a lost battle.She saw the concerned expression on my face and squeezed out a smile. "The kid didn't seem to take much notice of her adventure," she said. "We'll have to take good care of her in the future. But—I don't think it's necessary now?" She sighed and said: "I'm glad it's over, but it's a sight to behold. If you're arrested for murder, at least you can always show some dignity. I can't stand people like Brenda who cry and break down. No way. Lawrence Brown looks like a cornered rabbit." A hazy instinct of pity rose in my heart. "Poor guy," I said. "Yes—poor thing. She probably knows how to take care of herself, I suppose? I mean get the right lawyer—and all that." It was odd, I thought, that while they all disliked Brenda, they cared about her deliberately and wanted her to have every possible defense. Edith Haviland went on: "How long is this going? How long is this whole thing going to be?" I said I don't know very well.They will first be tried in police court and then presumably transferred to criminal court.Three or four months, I reckon -- and if convicted, appealable. "Do you think they'll be found guilty?" she asked. "I don't know. I don't know how much evidence the police have. Some letters." "Love letter? So, they are lovers?" "They love each other." Her face became more gloomy. "I'm not too happy about it, Charlie. I don't like Brenda, and in the past, I disliked her so much that I said some harsh things about her. But now—I really feel that I want her to have a chance— Any chance possible. Aristide would have hoped so if he was alive. I feel it is my duty to try - to give Brenda a fair trial. "And Lawrence?" "Oh, Laurence!" she shrugged impatiently. "Men must fend for themselves. But Aristides will never forgive us if—" She paused. Then she said: "It's almost lunch time, we'd better go over." I explained to her that I was going up to London. "Go in your car?" "yes." "Hmm. I don't know if you'd like to take me with you. I think we're free to move about now." "Of course I would, but I'm sure Magda and Sophia will go after lunch. You'll be more comfortable going with them than in my little two-seater." "I don't want to go with them. You take me there and don't talk anymore." I was taken aback, but I did as she asked.On the way into town, we didn't talk much.I asked where she was going to get off. "Harry Street." (Note: The place where famous doctors live in London) I feel a little uneasy, but I don't want to say anything.She continued: "No, it's too early. Drop me off at Chowpenham's, where I can have lunch before I go to Harley Street." "I hope—" I started, then stopped. "That's why I don't want to go with Magda, she's too dramatic and too fussy." "I'm sorry," I said. "You don't have to be sorry. I've had a good life, a very good life," she said with a sudden grin. "And I haven't had enough yet."