Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen

"Let's ask Goddess of Fate to show her face. Her name is Bauer." Seliman shouted, "Elsa!" Mrs. Power appeared like a genie in a magic lamp. "Elsa..." the old man said. But Mrs. Ball interrupted him, and after calling "Professor" in German, she began to falter something in English, which Ellery knew she meant to say to him at the same time. "Didn't eat lunch when it was time to eat lunch. It's time for you to rest." Mrs. Ball clenched her hands into fists and put them on her arms, looking at him, a foreigner, defiantly. "I'm very sorry, Professor."

"Sorry for what, Mr. Quinn? Elsa." The old man said softly in German, "You are insulting my guest by eavesdropping at the door. Now you want to deprive me of the few remaining waking hours, I Should I hypnotize you?" Mrs. Power turned pale and ran. "It's the only weapon I have against her," the old man said with a giggle. "I threatened to hypnotize her and send her to Moscow as a plaything in Soviet Russia. To Elsa, this has no morals, she Just the thought of Soviet Russia is terrifying. She can sleep with anti-Christians without hesitation. You just said, Mr. Quinn, that Kazalis is in fact innocent?"

"yes." The old man leaned back in his chair and smiled. "Is your conclusion based on your unique, non-scientific method of analysis, or is it an inference based on facts? And this fact must be acceptable to the court." "It's deduced from facts that anyone over the age of five can understand," retorted Ellery, "and it's its simplicity, I think, that makes it impossible to see through. Simplicity, and so many murders." , and at the same time dragging on for such a long time makes people blur the focus. Moreover, in this kind of case, as the number of victims increases, the uniqueness of each victim will inevitably be ignored and mixed with others, and finally , when all the same dead bodies are lined up together, it looks like a line of cattle for the butcher's knife. It feels like Belsen, Buchenwald, Auschwitz, Ma Photographs of executed corpses in Idanek concentration camp, there is no difference between them, only death."

"But what are the facts, Mr. Quin?" There was a hint of impatience in his tone, and a little of something else.Then, suddenly, Ellery remembered that Bella Seliman's only daughter had married a Jewish Polish doctor who had died in the Nazi concentration camp at Treblinka.Love makes death special, Ellery thought, and it's true. "Oh, the truth," he said, "it's actually as simple as elementary physics, Professor. You will tell me that you attended that international conference in Zurich at the beginning of the year? Exactly When is this year?" His two white eyebrows gathered together: "It's the end of May!"

"This conference lasted ten days in total, and the closing ceremony was held on the evening of June 3. On the evening of June 3, Kazalis from the United States read an article entitled Thesis on "Mobphobia, Nightphobia, and Failure Phobia." According to the scientific journal Zuricher, the Danish speaker ahead of Kazalis exceeded his allotted time and almost delayed It didn't end until the originally scheduled closing time. However, in honor of Kazalis who participated almost all the time-this is what the journal said in the footnote-the conference specially allowed Kazalis to read his paper. Kazalis Zalis started reading around midnight and ended a little after 2:00 a.m. Thus, this year's conference came to an end. The official closing time was 2:24 a.m. on June 4."

Ellery shrugged. "There is a six-hour time difference between Zurich and New York, so the night of June 3 in Zurich, when Kazalis begins his presentation at the conference, is 6 o'clock in the evening on June 3 in New York. Zurich is at 2:00 am on June 4th, when Kazalis is about to finish his paper, and New York time is 8:00 pm on June 3rd. Now let’s assume an absurd situation: as soon as the conference closes, even as soon as the report is over After stepping off the podium, he immediately rushed out of the meeting hall of the conference. He had already checked out of the hotel, his luggage had already been packed, and some minor issues such as visa clearance and customs clearance had already been taken care of for him. As soon as we arrived at Zurich Airport, a plane was preparing to take off for the United States to fly directly to New York (after a long speech by Dr. These factors cannot be ruled out, Kazalis has already bought the ticket for that flight), when he landed at Newark or LaGuardia Airport, there was already a motorcycle sent by the police waiting, and then at the fastest speed To clear the way for the taxi he was in... Assuming all this nonsense is true, Professor, when do you think Edward Cazalis will arrive in Manhattan? The earliest time you can imagine?"

"I know very little about the progress of aeronautics, if I use that word correctly." "Is it possible to complete this entire space jump, from the podium in Zurich to the streets of Manhattan, in three and a half to four hours, Professor Seliman?" "Obviously impossible." "That's why I called you. Then I found out that Edward Cazalis hadn't been to the airport at all since he left the conference hall that night. It's not speculation, it's fact. Because you told me you put Kazalis stayed at the hotel where you stayed in Zurich and talked all night until "sunrise"-that means at least 6 o'clock at the earliest? Let's assume it is 6 o'clock, professor, let me temporarily Infer this. Of course, I know that in Zurich, it should be later. 6 o'clock in the morning on June 4th in Zurich, which is equivalent to midnight on June 3rd in New York. You remember when I told you that the cat committed the first crime The time of the murder? When the man called Aberneth was killed?"

"Keeping dates is annoying, and besides, there are so many dates to keep." "True, so many dates, and so long ago. However, according to our coroner's examination, Abernethy was strangled to death at 'around midnight' on June 3. As I said earlier Yes, it's a very simple physical principle. Kazalis is indeed versatile, but I can't believe that he appeared in two different places thousands of miles apart at the same time." The old man exclaimed: "But, didn't you say that, this is a very basic truth! And don't your police and prosecutors see this physical impossibility?"

"In total there were nine murders and one attempted murder; judging by the time, it took almost five months. Kazalis' past obstetrical files, psychiatric medical records, the rope used to strangle people, the The circumstances of his arrest, as well as his exhaustive and unsolicited confession, now lead to the consensus view that his guilt is overwhelming. The prosecutorial authorities may have been too confident or careless, or because they judged the murders of Kazalis The likelihood of involvement was high so this was not found. Keep in mind there is no direct evidence to link Kazalis to either of the murders and the only evidence prosecutors have against him is the 10th attempted murder In this case, the evidence is indeed quite sufficient: when Cazalis was caught, he was putting a noose around the neck of the girl who borrowed the coat from Marilyn Soames, and was about to strangle him; It was a noose made of tussah silk rope, the noose of the strange cat. He is the strange cat, he can't be wrong, why bother to investigate some alibi?

"Of course, on the other hand, we also expect the defense lawyers to find out everything. If they don't find an alibi for Kazalis, of course, it is the defendant's own problem. When I left New York, he was very troublesome. , unwilling to cooperate, he completely refused any lawyer's assistance. Furthermore, the defendant's lawyer is likely to be influenced by public opinion and believe that his client is indeed guilty. "However, I suspect that the reason why the alibi has not been discovered is actually because of a more cunning motive, which is exactly the same as the psychological mechanism of the prisoner almost from the beginning. The public is generally cross-infected with a spiritual anxiety. , I hope to arrest the strange cat, take a wooden stake straight into his heart, and then completely forget about all this terrible thing. This kind of emotion has also been infected by the police. The strange cat is like a demon king. When the police really When you catch someone who fits these characteristics so well in every way..."

"You tell me who to contact, Mr. Quinn," said old Seliman in a deep, loud voice, "and I'll send a telegram to New York to tell them I've delayed Kazalis in Zurich on June 4th. Late time, until the sun is three poles." "We will arrange for you to testify in court. In addition, I will present evidence that Kazalis participated in the entire meeting in Zurich, and that June 4 is the earliest possible time for him to return to the United States. These, will Help clear his name." "But just because Kazalis couldn't do the first murder himself, does that mean he didn't kill other people? Are they satisfied with this result?" Mr. Seliman asked. "It is immature to infer from the opposite direction, Professor Seliman. Almost from the beginning, every indication was that these cases were committed by the same person, and there were very good reasons for thinking so. The name of the victim alone This is proved by the sources; by the method of selecting the dead from the origin of the names; by the same technique used in the strangulation. There is much more to prove it. And of all the evidence, the most The strong point is that the murder weapon used in the nine murders was a tussah silk rope--exotic from the East Indies, and rare and not easy to buy, so it obviously came from the same place." "And, of course, the common denominator in a string of cases of violence with psychotic features..." Mr. Seliman said. "Yes. Multiple homicides like this are often what we call a 'lone wolf' model, committed by a mentally disturbed individual alone. From that point of view, there shouldn't be a problem." "Are you sure you don't want to take a break now, Professor Seliman?" Mrs. Power said. The old man frowned and winked as he reached for the tobacco tin, and drove Mrs. Ball out. "I have vaguely seen your target, sir. But first, take my hand and lead me down. You have just solved one problem, and you are immediately faced with another problem-since Kazalis is not Strange cat, who is that strange cat?" "That's the next question," Ellery said, nodding.He was silent for a while. "I've searched the sky and the earth for answers, as best as I can, Professor," he said with a smile at last, "and there's no intention of mystification. So forgive me if I'm going slowly. "To find this answer, I re-examined Kazalis' known behavior in the case of Strange Cat in the light of what we know about his neuroses. "What the hell did Kazalis do? His modus operandi was not detected until the tenth victim. He picked Marilyn Soames as the tenth victim, and the selection method It is the same method that the cat used to search for his prey in Kazalis' former obstetrical files-I used the same method to surmise myself, and it turned out to be the same victim. So, anyone with At least any intelligent person who had some knowledge of the previous nine murders and had access to the case files could have deduced the same conclusion. "After Kazalis adopted the strange cat's method of selecting victims, what did he do next? "Unfortunately, Marilyn Soames works at home. She is very busy and has no fixed time to go out. The first task of the strange cat in every case is to get familiar with the appearance and figure of the victims. Therefore, if it is a real strange cat, after targeting Marilyn Soames, he will definitely find a way to lure her out of the house in order to study her appearance. Kazalis did the same. Therefore, He found an excuse to lure Marilyn Soames into a crowded public place where he could study her in safety. "In the next few days, Kazalis wandered around the girl's house day and night, and inspected the apartment where she lived. If it were the strange cat himself, he would do the same. In the previous cases Here, Oddcat must have done just that. "During the period when Kazalis was waiting for an opportunity, if he encountered temporary setbacks, he would show exaggerated reactions such as impatience, adaptability, and disappointment, just as people would expect from a strange cat with a mental disorder like that. "Finally, the climax came that night in October when Kazalis pounced on a girl who was the exact height and build of Marilyn Soames, who happened to be wearing a Marilyn Soames coat that day He dragged her into an alley, took out the same tussah silk rope that the strange cat had used in the previous murders, and 'began' to strangle her. "When we caught him, Kazalis admitted that he was the cat and what he had done in the nine previous murders, including the Ebernach one that happened when Kazalis was in Switzerland. case details! "Why? Why did Kazalis imitate the strange cat? Why did he admit the crimes committed by the strange cat?" The old man listened attentively. "It's clearly impossible for someone else to do something like this. Claiming to have committed an act of atrocity that was committed by someone else has happened many times over the past five months. There are more or less people like this in the case. Many mentally ill people say that they committed these horrific crimes. But Kazalis is not like this. He uses thoughts, plans, and actions to prove that he is a strange cat ; Based on his understanding and careful research on the habits, methods, and methods of the strange cat, he created a new and typical crime of the strange cat. This is not even imitation, but rather a remarkable interpretation, which involves investment in certain details and deliberate avoidance.For example, that morning Kazalis did enter the Soames estate, and while he was in the backyard, Marilyn Soames came downstairs and stood by the letter box between the inner and outer doors. For a few minutes, I read the letter over there. At that very moment Kazalis entered the hall of the public house again, and there was no one around but Kazalis and his victim; it was early morning, and the street outside was deserted.despite this.Kazalis hadn't made the slightest move to attack the girl then.why?Because if he did, then the regularity of several murders committed by the strange cat would be broken by him, because from the first to the ninth, the murders all happened after nightfall, and at that time daytime.Such attention to detail could never have occurred to a mentally disturbed man, let alone the self-restraint he displayed. "Kazalis is mentally disturbed, he is very rational, he deliberately and creatively played the role of the strange cat, even to the point of life, so he has rational motives." "So, your conclusion," Seliman asked, "was that Kazalis had no intention of killing the girl in the alley? He was just putting on a show?" "yes." "However, in this way, we have to assume that he knows that the police are following him and want to arrest him the moment he strikes." "Of course he knows, Professor, he is such a rational person. Judging from the fact that he is obviously not a strange cat, but he wants to prove that he is a strange cat, this will definitely lead to this logical question: who does he want to prove to? I As has just been pointed out, his evidence is not only his confession, but also the behavior that has been deliberately revealed for many days, including the expression of his face, and the behavior of hanging around the Soames house. The reason why a person will Pretending, if he knows someone is watching him and trying to trick him. Yes, Kazalis knows the police are following him, and he knows that every move, every smile, is watched by trained specialists , is recording. "As he wound the silk rope around the neck of Celeste Felicius, the girl he mistook for the victim, Cazalis was giving his audience a final Mu. It is particularly noteworthy that the tenth murder is the only one where the victim was able to scream out loud enough to be heard. Also, Kazalis was tied tight enough , so there was blood on the girl's neck, and yet he let her hand slip between the noose and her neck. As in the two murders, the victim was knocked unconscious first, so Celeste Felicias was able to speak and act normally again not long after being attacked, and the only damage left was her own Struggling and fear. What Kazalis would have done if we hadn't run into that alley to 'stop' him is a matter of imagination. Maybe he would have done it without fatally injuring the girl Let her scream until someone intervenes. This person may be a police detective trapped in a thick fog not far away, and this is a densely populated part of the city, so no one is afraid of being heard. "He wanted to be caught during the cat's murder, he planned how to be caught during the cat's murder, and he was successfully arrested during the cat's murder." "Obviously," murmured the old man, "we are nearing our goal." "Yes. For a rational person to bear the crime of others and is willing to bear the punishment of others, from a rational and intellectual point of view, there is only one reasonable explanation: this person is protecting another person. "Kazalis wants to conceal the true identity of the strange cat, Kazalis wants to protect the strange cat from detection, prevent him from being exposed, and prevent him from being punished. "Kazalis did this, and at the same time he was punishing himself, out of his deep-seated guilt for the strange cat and his feelings for the strange cat. "Do you agree with that statement, Professor Seliman?" The old man listened, and just said in a thought-provoking way: "I'm just a bystander on your journey, Mr. Quinn, I don't agree or disagree, I just listen." Ellery laughed and said, "Now, what do I know about the strange cat? The strange cat is someone who is emotionally involved with Kazalis, so Kazalis has a very close relationship with him; strange cat The cat is someone Kazalis strongly wants to protect. The crimes committed by the strange cat have a lot to do with the guilt of the mental function in Kazalis' heart; The reason is that he wants to find and murder the people who came to this world when Kazalis was an obstetrician and gynecologist decades ago. The last point is that the strange cat, like Kazalis, can also approach the world Those old obstetrics and gynecology case files locked in the storage room at his home." Seliman was about to put the pipe back into his mouth, but when he heard this, he stopped. "Is there anyone like that? Anyone I know?" he said. "As far as I know, there was one," said Ellery. "Only one—Mrs. Cazalis." "Mrs. Cazalis," said Ellery, "is the only person who fits the description I have just described and is still alive. "Mrs. Kazalis is the only living person who has a close relationship with Kazalis, and it is the emotional relationship between the closest people. "Ms. Kazalis is the only person who can arouse Kazalis' desire to protect. For the crimes she committed, Kazalis believes that he is very responsible... Her crimes are similar to his mental function. Feeling of guilt is closely related. "Mrs. Cazalis had a definite—and the only definite—psychic reason in favor of seeking out and killing those born into the world by her husband. "And it goes without saying that Mrs Cazalis has as easy access to his old obstetrical records as her husband." The expression on Seliman's face did not change at all, neither surprised nor admired. "I'm interested in your third point, which is what you call the 'identifiable psychopathic justification' for Mrs Cazalis's murder. How do you prove that?" "By another method which you say has no scientific precedent. Professor, I know that both of Mrs. Cazalis' children died in childbirth; I know, from what Cazalis told me, that the second After giving birth, she was barren; and I know that since then she has loved her sister's only daughter, Reynold Richardson, as if her niece had been her daughter and not her sister's; I know, Or I think Kazalis was sexually incompetent as a husband, especially during his breakdown and subsequent treatment, and to his wife he was a constant frustration The main reason. Also, she was 19 when they got married." "So, from the age of 19," Ellery said, "it seemed to me that Mrs. Cazalis had lived a depressed and tense life, and on top of that, the loss of two babies, the news that she would never be able to have another child, and the transfer The feeling of belongingness and insatiability to her niece, all of which suppressed her strong motherhood and made her temperament more complicated. She knew that Renault could never really be her daughter, Renault's mother Nervous, jealous, possessive, childish, and meddling at the same time—a source of endless trouble. Mrs Cazalis was not cheerful, and apparently she never was. So she The frustrated psychology had to be extended inward; she endured these emotions...for a long time, until she passed the age of 44, and then, she broke down. "I therefore assume, Professor Seliman, that one day Mrs. Kazalis told herself something that has since become the only reason for her to live. Once she is convinced of it , she is lost, lost in the twisted world of psychosis. Because, professor, I believe, is when the most incomprehensible thing happens. Mrs. Cazalis doesn't need to know that her husband thinks he murdered Newborn child, in fact, there is no doubt that she does not know-that is, when she lives in her senses-otherwise, their marriage could not have lasted so long under this shadow. However, I think, On her abnormal psychic level, she came to much the same conclusion. "My opinion is that in the end she told herself: My husband delivered so many live babies for other women, but when it was my turn, he gave me dead babies and my husband killed them. Since he didn't Let me have my own kids, and I won't let them have their own kids. He kills my kids, and I kill their kids." Ellery went on, "That delicious, un-Viennese coffee , can I have another drink?" "Oh." Seliman leaned forward and rang the bell.Mrs. Power appeared at the door immediately. "Elsa, we are savages, aren't we? We don't understand hospitality at all! Have some more coffee." "It's already ready." Mrs. Bauer immediately replied in German.When she came back with two fat, steaming coffee pots and clean cups and plates, she said, "You old bastard, you're looking for death." Then she stormed out, "Boom "Slam the door shut. "This is my life," said the old man.He looked at Ellery brightly. "You know what, Mr. Quinn, your reasoning is really remarkable. I can only sit here and admire it." "Really?" said Ellery, not quite getting it, but grateful for the gift that the genie of the lamp had sent him. "Because you followed a path that no one has ever traveled before, and you arrived at the right destination. "If a trained professional came to see your Mrs. Cazalis, he would say this: This woman is the quiet, submissive type, withdrawn, unsociable, reserved, somewhat suspicious And nitpicking—of course, I'm talking about her when I knew her. Her husband is handsome and successful, and his job, which is an obstetrician, is in contact with other women all the time. In their In her married life, she and her husband faced all kinds of troublesome conflicts and tensions. However, she still tried to adjust herself and adapt to life, although it seemed to be very difficult like a cripple. "She never demanded special attention, in fact, she was always in the shadow of her husband, under his control. "Then something happened in her mid-forties. She's been secretly jealous of her husband's frequent encounters with young women, all of whom are his psychopaths, for the past 20-plus years - it's a funny thing. , this is what Kazalis told me when I was in Zurich: In recent years, his patients have been almost all women - but she has never found 'evidence'. Because she has always had a tendency to schizophrenia, and, possibly There was nothing to prove it. Nevertheless, Mrs. Cazalis's schizophrenic tendencies eventually developed into a paranoia, that is, an out-and-out paranoid psychosis. "She developed the idea that her babies were killed by her husband because he didn't want her to have them. She might even think that some of the children he managed to deliver were his own." Regardless of whether she didn't think he had illegitimate children outside, she set out to get rid of them for revenge. "From the point of view of a psychiatrist, the following explanation will be given for the murderer you describe: Her psychotic symptoms are closed in her inner world, and only through the crimes she committed can they be revealed externally. The world unfolds. As you can see, Mr. Quinn, the conclusions are the same." "However, my picture," said Ellery, with a sardonic smile, "seems like a poet writing a poem, a little sentimental. I think of an artist in New York who painted this strangled murderer as a cat, I sympathize with his intuition. Wouldn't the tigress—the cat's grandmother—would be mad if she found out her little ones had been snatched from her? And, professor, isn't there a proverb?' Woman Nine lives like a cat'. Mrs Cazalis just happened to take nine lives too. She started killing them one by one until..." "until?" "Until a terrifying visitor visited Kazalis one day." "This visitor is 'the truth of the matter.'" Ellery nodded. "The truth could come in one of several ways. Maybe he stumbled across where she hid the silk rope, and then remembered that when they went to India a few years ago, she, not him, Bought these ropes. "Otherwise, maybe the names of one or two victims touched his memory, and it only took a few minutes to look through the previous files, and it was enough for him to suddenly realize. Or, he may have noticed his wife behaving strangely, so he followed her, although It was too late to prevent the tragedy from happening, but finally realized the meaning of this terrible act. "Then, he would evoke the memory of the recent period, and found that he couldn't be sure where she was on the nights when these murders happened. Besides, Kazalis has long-term insomnia, and he has to take sleeping pills on time to sleep, so he understands , which undoubtedly gave her many opportunities to carry out her plans, and the door of Kazalis' office to the street outside allowed her to enter and leave the apartment at night without being noticed by the porter. Don't ask too much; in American culture, regardless of class, 'shopping' is like a magic spell, everything needs no explanation...Maybe, Kazalis can even see how her wife is in the paranoia Cunningly calculating, skipping over several victims in order to murder her niece—the most brutal of the nine murders. Since the substitute for her dead child was no longer enough for her, she ordered Kill her—in this way, she can also design Kazalis to join the investigation of the strange cat case. Through him, she can know what the police know and think at a glance. "Anyway, as a psychiatrist, Kazalis immediately understood why she chose the rope, the symbol of the umbilical cord, to commit crimes - as if seeing the victim as a newborn baby. Male victims used blue rope , the female victim used an orange-red rope. This logic, which coincides with the way the sex of the baby is born, certainly could not escape his eyes. So, he began to trace the source of her trauma, trying to understand the origin of her paranoia ...the delivery ward where she lost her two babies was the only answer. Under normal circumstances, this would be nothing more than a clinical observation—albeit a painful one for him personally. Kazalis could follow If it would take too much pain, blame, humiliation for him to take the medical and legal process, or make the truth public, he could at least keep her from doing further harm. "However, this is not a normal situation. Because the delivery room is also the source of his renewed guilt. Perhaps, the shock of the sudden insight into the cause of his wife's mental illness brought him a sense of guilt that he thought had long since dissipated." Again. No matter how it happened, Kazalis must have found himself in the throes of neurosis again, and a thousand times stronger than before, because of the shock of the truth. No How long, because of the effects of neurosis, he came to believe that it was all his fault, and that if he hadn't 'murdered' their two babies, she wouldn't have become a psychopath. So, the guilt was his, and it should It is his own responsibility, therefore, he must bear all punishment. "So he sent his wife to the South, and entrusted her sister and brother-in-law to take care of her. Then he took the remaining silk rope from her hiding place, and put it in a place known only to him, and then he set about planning to make the Authorities thought he, Edward Cazalis, was the bogeyman New York City had been frantically trying to capture for five months. His detailed 'confession' that followed was actually the easiest part by far, as he Participated in the police case, so he knew all the clues the police knew, so he could make up a reasonable and believable crime framework based on these clues. How much of what he has done since then and since is deliberately staged, how much It is a manifestation of insanity, and I dare not speculate. "The above is my opinion, Professor Seliman," said Ellery clearly. "If there is any difference in the situation as far as you know, please tell me." He found that he was shaking, and he thought it might be that the fire had died down.The fire was hissing now, as if to call attention to its predicament. Old Seliman stood up and spent a few minutes playing Prometheus, bringing the warmth back into the study. Ellery waited. Suddenly the old man behind him muttered in a low voice: "Perhaps the wisest thing to do, Mr. Quinn, is to send that telegram now." Ellery sighed. "Can I call? It's not clear in the telegram, and if I can talk to my father, we can save a lot of time." "I'll help you dial the operator." The old man walked slowly towards the desk.Picking up the microphone, he said with mock humor, "I must be saving a lot more money speaking German—at least on the European side, Mr. Quinn—than you speaking your German." They may have hit some distant planet in outer space, not New York.They sip their coffee in silence, ears pricked up for the phone that has yet to ring. The day was coming to an end, and the study room began to become dark and blurred, and it was no longer as distinctive as before. While waiting, Mrs. Power barged in once.They were startled by her reckless movement, but she was also really surprised by their silence and the twilight that surrounded them.She tiptoed around, turned on the lights for them, and slipped out as fast as a mouse. Ellery broke the silence again with a sudden chuckle, and the old man looked up. “我忽然想到一件很荒谬的事情，赛利曼教授。从我第一次看到她以及这四个月来不论是打招呼、想到或提到她时，除了'卡扎利斯夫人'之外，我不知道还可以怎么称呼她。” “不然你要怎么叫她，”老人火爆地说，“奥菲丽亚吗？哈姆雷特那疯疯癫癫的情人吗？” “我从来不知道她的名字，现在仍是一样。我只知道卡扎利斯夫人……那个伟大男人后面的影子。不过，从她杀了她外甥女之后，她始终在那里，在边缘徘徊，是背景里的一张面孔，偶尔随口插进一句话——可是都是非常重要的话。她把我们当傻子耍，连她丈夫也包括在内。这不得不让人怀疑，教授，精神正常到底有什么好处？” 他又大笑了一声，故意显示这句话有趣，想借此起个头，无伤大雅地聊个天；但他心里其实忐忑不安。 可是，老头子只是闷闷地哼了一声。 之后，他们又各自陷入沉默。 直到电话铃声响起。 电话线路奇迹般地清楚。 “埃勒里！”奎因警官的吼叫声足以撼动整个大西洋，“你还好吧？你还在维也纳干什么？为什么不给我打电话？连个电报也不打！” “爸，我有消息要告诉你。” “消息？” “怪猫是卡扎利斯太太。”埃勒里禁不住咧嘴而笑，他觉得自己好像有虐待狂似的，很卑鄙。 他父亲的反应相当令人满意：“卡扎利斯太太。卡扎利斯太太？”不过，警官说话的口气有点儿奇怪，说不上来是什么。 “我知道这样讲对你似晴天霹雳，我现在解释不清，不过……” “儿子，我也有消息要告诉你。” “有消息要告诉我？” “卡扎利斯太太死了，她今天早上服毒自杀了，今天早上。” 埃勒里听到自己在跟赛利曼教授说：“卡扎利斯太太死了，她服毒自杀了，今天早上。” “埃勒里，你在跟谁说话？” “贝拉·赛利曼，我在他家。”埃勒里努力稳住自己。不知道什么原因，这个消息像是炸弹一样把他给震呆了，“也许这样也好，的确为卡扎利斯解决了一个痛苦的难题——” “是啊。”他的父亲说，口气仍是有点儿怪。 “爸，卡扎利斯是无辜的。不过，等我回家再告诉你细节。现在，你最好赶快联系检察官。我知道，明天早上的审判是来不及取消了，不过……” "Ellery..." "what?" “卡扎利斯也死了，他今天早上也服毒自杀了。” 卡扎利斯也死了。他今天早上也服毒自杀了。埃勒里本来以为这是正在他脑中回响的一个句子，不过，等他看到赛利曼脸上的表情时，他才惊讶地发现，原来他正在大声地重复他父亲的话。 “我们有充分的理由相信这一切是卡扎利斯计划的，他告诉她去哪里弄这些东西，要怎么做等等。她已经有好一阵子都这样神智恍惚。事情发生的时候，他俩单独待在他的牢房里还不到一分钟。她替他带了毒药来，他们两个同时吞下那致命的毒药。那毒药的药性很快，牢房的锁还来不及打开，他俩的身体就痛苦地扭成一团，6分钟之后就死了。事情就像一阵狂风卷来一样，发生得很快，卡扎利斯的律师，那时正站在……” 他父亲的声音消散在空气中，或者应该说，听起来好像是如此。埃勒里觉得自己全身绷紧，想要抓住那远去的声音，却又不真想抓住什么，除了一种捉摸不定、实心的什么东西——他从不知道那原来是属于自己的一部分，而他现在终于知道了——但它却像光一样飞快地缩小，他根本无力抓住它。 “奎因先生。奎因先生！” 好心的赛利曼，他是了解的，所以他的声音听起来才会那么激动。 “埃勒里，你还在听吗？你听不到我的声音吗？他妈的，我什么都听不……” “我马上就回家，再见。”说完，有人挂掉了电话。 埃勒里发现周围的一切都沉静得令人困惑。有很多嘈杂的声音，好像有鲍尔夫人的声音，然后又好像没有了；他身旁好像有一个男人，脸被重重地打了一拳，滚烫的熔岩沿着喉咙流下，因此像个傻子一样地哭诉。之后，埃勒里张开眼睛，发现自己正躺在一张皮沙发上，赛利曼教授像个慈祥可亲的老祖父一样弯腰俯视着他，一只手拿着白兰地，另一只手则拿着一条手帕，正轻柔地擦拭他的脸。 “不要紧，不要紧，”老人说话的声音有一种神奇的安抚效果，“长途旅行消耗体力，又睡眠不足，加上我们讲的太兴奋了，当然还有你父亲那令人震惊的消息。放轻松些，奎因先生。躺下，现在不要想，闭上眼睛。” 埃勒里听话地躺下来，什么也没有想，闭上眼睛。可是马上他又张开眼睛，说了一声“不”。 “还有什么事情要说吗？也许你可以告诉我。” 他的声音是如此的坚定，令人充满安全感，这个老人。 “我又迟了一步，”埃勒里听到自己用情绪化得可笑的声音说，“我用害死霍华德·范·霍恩的方式又害死了卡扎利斯。如果我没有那一阵子悠闲地带着那顶发亮的小桂冠飘飘欲仙，而是立刻审视卡扎利斯和九件谋杀案的关系的话，卡扎利斯今天就不会死。活着，而不是死掉，赛利曼教授，你理解吗？我又迟了一步。” 那像老祖父般慈祥的声音说：“是谁现在开始患了精神官能症了，先生？” 此时这个声音不再温柔，反倒像法官般地有威严，不过还有令人感到安全的感觉。 埃勒里说：“在范·霍恩那件事情之后，我发誓说我再也不用人的性命当赌注，但是过后我食言了。我竟然是这样的人，我真是卑鄙透了，教授。我卑鄙的个性一定是与生俱来的，要不然我怎么能食言了之后还安坐在我第二个被害者的坟头上。人家会怎么说呢？不知有多少无辜的可怜人因为我这般狡诈卑鄙而尝尽苦头？我沉醉在我的偏执狂里，长期享受事业上带来的荣耀。单是自大的妄想就谈不完了！我会对律师谈法律，跟化学家谈化学，跟弹道专家谈弹道，大言不惭地跟毕生研究指纹的专家谈指纹。对已经有30年经验的警官，我发表我至高无上的命令，告诉他们应该怎么办案；自以为是地对经验老道的精神医生大谈我不容怀疑的精神分析结果；拿破仑在我眼中不过是个男厕所里的服务生。自始至终，我就像个快乐的天使大闹宴会一样，在无辜的人群中胡作非为。” “你现在这么说，”那个声音说话了，“本身就是妄想症。” “但证实了我自己的看法，不是吗？”埃勒里听到自己的笑声，听起来真的很惹人厌恶，“我的哲学就和里的那个皇后一样，既能通融，又理直气壮。您知道这本书吧，教授？您，或者是哪个人，一定会用精神分析的方式解读过这本书。它是一部教人要谦虚的伟大著作，包含了所有人类懂得自嘲以来所有的智慧。不管事情的大小，书里面的皇后解决困难的方式永远只有一个，您记得吧，就是'把他的头给斩了！'这个口出呓语的家伙此刻正站立着。实际上他是从躺椅上跳下来的，好像赛利曼用火烧他的脚似的。而现在他站在那儿，恶狠狠地对着这个举世闻名的老人挥舞着手臂。 “好啊！好啊！我这次真的完蛋了。我会努力把我的卑鄙无耻导向与人生死不相关的事情上去。我完了，赛利曼教授。一个自以为娴熟地运用精确万能科学的痞子，他所谓辉煌的一生将就此打包堆到贮藏室去，连防虫剂都免了，因为连虫子都懒得去咬。我是否表达了我的意思？我说得够不够清楚？” 他觉得自己被那双眼睛给慑住了，动弹不得。 教授说：“坐下，先生。你强迫我要这样抬头看你，我的背可痛得很呢。” 埃勒里听到自己那个混蛋分身喃喃地说了声道歉，等他回过神来的时候，他已经坐在椅子上了，眼睛瞪着那像死尸一般一个又一个数也数不完的咖啡杯。 “我不认识你刚刚提的范·霍恩，奎因先生，不过感觉到好像他的死对你有极深刻的影响，以至于你无法面对卡扎利斯的死。然而这件事从事实来推究确是有理可循的，你没有用你清晰的脑袋好好想过，先生。 “没有合理的解释，”那从容的声音继续说，“我指的是你对卡扎利斯自杀这件事过分情绪化的反应。即使你能预先防范，你也阻止不了这一结果。我之所以这么说，是因为在这方面我的知识比你丰富。” 埃勒里开始能够在他面前把这张脸拼凑起来。那是张令人放心的脸，他听话地一动也不动地坐着。 “即使你在一开始调查这些谋杀案不到十分钟内就发现了事实的真相，卡扎利斯的下场，我猜想，恐怕还是一样的。我们来假设说，你一开始就看出卡扎利斯太太就是杀死这么多无辜者的精神凶手，她会因此被捕、接受审判、定罪，然后根据你们的法幸加以裁决，可能是承认她的精神不正常，或者是认定她在法律上仍须负责任——虽然我认为这通常很荒谬。如果是这样，你的表现可以说是非常成功，而且没有理由要责备自己。事实就是事实，而且一个对社会造成如此严重伤害的人总算被除去了。 “我要你现在想一想：如果卡扎利斯太太被缉捕到案并接受裁决，卡扎利斯会不会因此觉得责任小一些，他的负罪感会不会因此减轻呢？ “不会的。卡扎利斯的负罪感会同样的活跃，而且最后他会像现在一样了结自己的生命。自杀是一种激烈地想要自我表达的极端做法，常常是因为对自我厌恨到了极点才会出此下策。年轻人，不要把根本不是你的责任扛在自己肩上，更何况，你个人根本无从对其加以控制。即使你能改变事情的演变结果，已发生的和可能会发生的主要差别在于：卡扎利斯是死在牢房里，而不是死在他公园大道办公室里铺着昂贵地毯的地板上。” 赛利曼教授现在是一个完整的人了，非常清楚，而且离他很近。 “不管您说什么，教授，或是您怎么说，事实还是事实，我就是被卡扎利斯蒙骗了，等我发现的时候已经太晚了，只能在维也纳这里和您用口头验尸。我这次真的失败了，赛利曼教授。” “从那个角度来说……是的，奎因先生，你失败了。”老人突然身子往前弯，两手握住埃勒里的手。在那接触的一瞬间，埃勒里知道他已经到了旅途的尽头，他再也不需要四处漂泊了，“你以前就失败过，你以后还会再失败。这是人的本质和角色。 “你所选择的工作具有崇高的意义，有非常伟大的社会价值。你要继续做下去。这不只是对社会，对你本人也很重要。 “可是，在做这一件重要又有益的工作时，奎因先生，我要求你时时要记住一个伟大而且永恒的教训，这个教训给你的东西比这次你自认的失败经验更隽永。” “这个教训是什么，赛利曼教授？” 埃勒里非常专心地聆听。 “这个教训，先生，”老人一边说，一边拍拍埃勒里的手，“就写在《马泰福音》里：'神只有一个，就是他，没有别人'。”