Chapter 21 Chapter 20 Green Iron Box

Curley Grant's dressing room was little more than a pantry, complete with table, vanity mirror, wardrobe and a chair.There was an ordinary green tin box on the table.The lid of the iron box was open, and there was nothing inside. Officer Quinn was unusually alert to this.When leaving the performance venue, the director and the mayor's representative once called him aside to "talk".The two official representatives then withdrew.Facing the mess in front of him, Officer Quinn felt anxious. "You mean, did you put the money in this box?" Officer Quinn asked irritably.

Curley nodded repeatedly and said, "During the dinner in the sports field in the afternoon, my father's lawyer, Mr. Comerford, handed it to me. Maybe you have heard about it. Later, I ran back quickly and put the money in this iron box. It was in the box, and it was locked. The box was placed in this drawer. When I came back, I found that the drawer had been pulled open, and the box was thrown on the table just like it is now." "When was the last time you saw money in the box?" Officer Quinn asked anxiously. "That's when I sent the money in in the afternoon."

"Did you come again later?" "No. Because I have nothing else to do. I just put on my costume this afternoon." "Did you lock the door when you left?" Curley looked embarrassed: "It's not locked. I never lock the door! I know those people, they are my friends, and they can't do that kind of dirty thing to me." "You have to know, this is New York," Quinn Bell said mockingly, "it can't be full of your friends. My God, who would change it, leave ten thousand dollars in the unlocked room You deserve to throw it all away!" After finishing speaking, he grabbed the iron box and looked it over carefully.

Ellery Quinn was dumbfounded.The reoccurrence of the murder, the disappearance of the murder weapon, and now the theft of Curley--and this theft in particular--made him completely stupefied, with his mouth half-opened stupidly, as if he had been hit on the head. A heavy hammer.A series of unexpected events seemed to mess up his fine thinking. However, professional habits and stubbornness brought him back again, and the light of reason shone in his eyes again.He stepped forward quickly to observe the box over his father's shoulder. It's actually a very common money box.The cover is opened from the top, and there are two hinges on the rear side to link the cover and the box.But unlike the common money box with an open front, this box has lock noses and clasps on both sides.When the cover is closed, a lock can be hung on each side, which is equivalent to a double insurance.

Now the lock noses on both sides of the iron box have been torn away from the box, and the two locks are hanging intact on the lock noses connected to the buckle.The box was forced open with brute force, and the lock itself was undamaged.The thief must have grabbed the locks and tore them from the case, complete with the clasp and nose.Judging from the twisted state of the buckle and lock nose, they are all pulled back strongly. Officer Quinn put down the iron box and asked in a low voice to Officer Willie, "Did you search all the dressing rooms when you searched for weapons just now?"

"Yes, officer." "Okay, now lead someone to search these rooms again - not for guns, but for change. Did you find anyone with ten thousand yuan bills on you during the body search tonight?" "No one's pocket is that big," said Willie sarcastically. "Okay, darling, I don't want to hear anyone report that the bill can't be found like the gun, and search those dressing rooms immediately!" Officer Willie left silently.Ellery leaned against the closet and pondered, the confusion and daze in his heart were replaced by new thoughts. "You're wasting your time," said Curley angrily. "You won't find my money in those rooms, and it won't take you long."

Officer Quinn ignored him and waited there quietly.Kit sat alone, his arms resting on his knees, staring blankly at the floor. But soon, the tall body of Officer Willie appeared at the door with a triumphant expression on his face.He threw something towards the table from a long distance, and it landed on the table with a thud. Everyone was stunned when they saw it.It was a wad of yellow bills tied with rubber bands. "Ha!" Police Officer Quinn exclaimed in relief: "Finally figured out a riddle! Where did you find it, Thomas?" "One of the powder rooms in this row."

"Come with me," said Officer Quinn.A group of people followed him silently, all with strange and excited eyes, only Ellery seemed indifferent. Officer Willie stopped before an open door. "Right here," he said, "this is the room." He pointed to a narrow desk with drawers hanging out, filled with all kinds of insignificant odds and ends, like men's things, "The money was found in this unlocked drawer. It just lay there. That damned guy didn't even bother to lock the stolen money," said Willie mockingly. "Hmph," said Sergeant Quinn, "Grant, whose room is this?"

Curley burst out laughing, Quinn and his son looked at him puzzled, even the gloomy Grant couldn't help bursting out a few funny laughs, but Kit just shook his head in confusion. "There were no burglars at all," said Curley, suppressing a laugh. "You've lost." "Losing? What do you mean?" "This is Woody's room!" "Woody!" said Officer Quinn, startled. "That makes sense: One-armed Woody stole the money and got killed before he could spend it... Isn't that weird? I just can't figure it out." I know... killing and stealing are two different things! My God, it's all messed up!" He hummed and shook his head, "Come here, Grant, the money you can be sure to find is what your lawyer gave you Is it the bundle from your son?"

The old artist took the banknotes and looked at them. There were ten banknotes in total: "It looks the same. I'm not sure. Comerford didn't bring any money from Cheyenne. I kept it in the bank, and the cash was given by Mas Mine—saved me the trouble of going to the bank again. I gave him a check from my bank." "Thomas, go get Thomas." The officer soon returned with a weary Mass.Mars looked at the bills carefully: "I'll tell you in a minute." He said slowly, "I always keep a lot of cash in the safe upstairs, and I keep a record of their serial numbers. ..." He fumbled in the wallet for a while, "Here it is! Check it with the banknotes." He read the numbers on the banknotes one by one, with a loud voice.Grant nodded in approval each time.

"Very well!" said Inspector Quinn. "I mean—unbelievable. It's getting more complicated. Mr. Curley Grant, take your money; for God's sake don't lose it." OK, okay?" In the early morning, when it was almost dawn, Quinn and his son returned to their apartment at No. 87 Central Avenue side by side.Dijuna was already asleep and they did not disturb him.Officer Quinn went into the kitchen, brought out some hot coffee, and the two of them sat and drank in silence.Then Ellery started pacing up and down the living room floor, and Officer Quinn sat pale in front of the fireplace.It passed like this for a long time, until the sun shone in, and there were movements of cars, horses and pedestrians on the road downstairs. There is no road at the end of the deep tunnel... Everyone in the stadium has been searched, and every inch of the field has been searched.Still no results.The pistol disappeared without a trace, and the murderer was like a magician. After shooting the bullet into Woody's body, he said a spell and waved his hand, and the murder weapon flew away. Officer Quinn sat motionless, and Ellery continued to walk up and down.No one seemed to have anything to say. Then, gradually, a look of relief came over Ellery's tired face, as if his alertness and wisdom had finally escaped from the numbness of the shock, and he began to mutter to himself, even occasionally Laughing to myself. Di Juna got up and threw both father and son to bed to sleep.