Chapter 18 Chapter Seventeen

An hour and a half later.Detective Inspector Hardcastle sat down behind his desk, stealing a cup of coffee, but his face was tense. "I'm sorry, sir, Pierce wanted to speak to you." Hardcastle stood up. "Pierce? Oh, well, let him in." A nervous-looking young policeman enters. " "Excuse me, sir. I thought maybe I should tell you." "Yes? Tell me what?" "It happened after the inquest, sir. I was on duty at the gate, and this girl—the murdered girl—came up and spoke to me." "She talked to you? What?" "She wants to talk to you."

Hardcastle sat up abruptly. " "She wanted to talk to me? Did she say why?" "No, sir, I'm sorry—if I had... I asked her if she wanted to leave a message or ask her to come to the station later. You know, you were busy talking to the chief of police and the coroner, and I Think--." "Damn!" said Hardcastle softly, "why don't you ask her to wait till I'm done?" "I'm sorry, sir." The young man said with a deep red face. "I didn't think of it at the time. I thought it might not be something important. I think she thought it was nothing important. She said she was just a little confused."

"Perplexed?" said Hardcastle, without speaking again for a moment, turning his mind to some facts.When he got to Mrs. Lorton's house, it was the girl he passed on the road, the girl who wanted to see Sheila Webb.The girl met her on the road and hesitated for a moment, as if she couldn't decide whether to stop me or not.She has something on her mind.Yes, that's what it is.There must be some doubts in her mind.He had miscalculated, he was not astute, he was not vigilant enough, he had only calculated to know more about Sheila Wilbur's background, and he had ignored such an important clue.Why is this girl confused?why?Today, that question may never be answered.

"Go on, Pierce," he said, "and tell me all you remember." He's a reasonable guy after all, "You never know that's an important thing back then." He knew it was useless to take out his anger and frustration on the young man.How could this young man know?Maintaining discipline was part of his training, and he would not allow others to disturb his superiors at inappropriate places and at inappropriate times.It would be different if the girl said it was something important or urgent, but she didn't.He remembered the first time he saw her in their agency, she was that kind of girl, slow to respond, and seemed to have no confidence in her own thinking.

"Do you remember exactly what happened and everything she said, Pierce?" he asked— Pierce still looked at him with eager gratitude: "Oh, sir, after everyone left, she walked towards me with a hesitant attitude, looking around, as if looking for someone. Sir, I don't think it's you. It was someone else. Then came up to me and asked me to speak to the officer, and she said it was the officer who testified. So, as I said, I saw you and the chief were busy, so I explained to her that you have something to do, Ask her if she wants to leave a message, or come to see you at the bureau later. I think she said, 'That's fine.' I said, is there anything special..."

"What did she say?" Hardcastle leaned forward. "She said it's nothing, she just thought it was a bit strange, I don't know how she would say that." "She doesn't understand how she can say that?" Hardcastle repeated. "That's right, sir. I'm not sure about the woo used on her, probably." "I don't understand how what she said could be true. She frowned and looked confused. But when I asked her, she said it wasn't really important." The girl said it wasn't really important.The same girl was found hanged in a phone booth not long after...  

"Was anyone else around when she was talking to you?" he asked. "Well, you know, crowds of people came out one after another, and there were a lot of people who came to attend the interrogation. After the murder was reported by the newspapers, it caused quite a commotion." "You don't remember that there was anyone in particular--a witness in court, for instance?" "I'm afraid not, sir." "Well," said Hardcastle, "it's no use. Now, Pierce, if you remember anything, come and see me." The Inspector struggled to contain rising anger and self-blame.that girl.That girl who looks like a bunny knows something.No, probably not "knowing," but she must have seen something, heard something, that confused her, and after the interrogation, she was even more confused.What would that be?Something to do with testimony?Probably related to Sheila Webb's testimony?She had been at Aunt Sheila's house two days before.If there is anything, she can talk to Shera in the office?Why did she want to meet her privately?What did she know about Sheila that confused her?She wanted to explain to Sheila—but she wanted it in private, in the presence of the other girls, it seemed.It must be so.

He sent Pierce away, and then gave some instructions to Clayton to stay. "What do you think of the girl in Wilbraham Lane?" asked Constable Clay. "I've been thinking about it just now," said Hardcastle. "It's quite possible that she was murdered out of curiosity—she wanted to see what the place was like. There's nothing unusual about that—" Half the people in Crowding want to see the same." "It's hard to say." Police Officer Clay said feelingly. "On the other hand, however," said Hardcastle slowly, "she may have been there in order to see the people who lived there . . . "

After Constable Clay went up again, Hardcastle wrote down the two numbers in his legal pad. "Twenty," he wrote, followed by a question mark.Then "Nineteen?" and "Eighteen?" He wrote the names of each family.Heim, Pebmarsh, Waterhouse. Hardcastle looked at all three possibilities. He was the first to study number twenty.The murder weapon was found there.It seems more likely that the knife was thrown from the garden of the 19th - but can't know for sure.It could also have been thrown under the bushes by the owner of Number Twenty himself.When asked the question, Mrs. Heim's response was nothing but aggrieved. "It's abominable that someone throws a knife at my cat like that!" Is there any connection between Ina Brant and Mrs. Haym?

Inspector Hardcastle's decision was no.He went on thinking about Miss Pebmarsh. Could it be that Ina Brant came to Wilbraham Lane to visit Miss Pebmarsh?Pemarsh has testified in court.Could Yi Na have doubts about her testimony?But her doubts existed before the interrogation meeting.Did she already know something else about Miss Pebmarsh?She had learned, for example, that there was some connection between Miss Pebmarsh and Sheila Webb?Then it is confirmed what was said to Pierce: "What she said was not true." "Conjecture, it's all just conjecture," he thought angrily.

What about number eighteen?It was Miss Watermons who found the body.Detective Inspector Hardcastle was particularly prejudiced against the person who found the body.The person who finds the body avoids the danger of being identified as a murderer—he avoids the danger of arranging an alibi, and his fingerprints are often overlooked by investigators.He was safe in every way—on one condition, that there was still no apparent motive, and Miss Waterhouse had no apparent motive in the murder of little Ina.Miss Waterhouse did not testify, but she may have attended.Could it be that Ina had any reason to know, or believe, that Miss Watermons called Miss Pebmarsh and asked to send a shorthand typist to No. 19? Still speculation, more speculation. And, of course, Sheila Chengberg herself... Hardcastle's hand reached for the phone.He called the hotel where Colin Lamb was staying. "I'm Hardcastle—when are you having lunch with Sheila Wyper today?" Clinton paused before answering: "How do you know we have dinner together?" "Just a guess. Did it, didn't it?" "Shouldn't Russia have dinner with her?" "Of course. I was just asking you about the time. Did you go straight to dinner after leaving the inquest?" "No. She's going out to sell something first. We'll meet at a Chinese restaurant on Market Street at one o'clock." "I see." Hardcastle looked down at his notepad.Ina Brant died between half-past twelve and one. "Do you want to know what we eat?" "Don't get angry, I just want to know the correct time for record." "So that's it, that's it." After a while, Hardcastle wanted to ease the atmosphere and said, "If you have nothing to do tonight?" The other party stepped in. "I'm leaving. I'm packing. I got word that I'm going abroad." "When will you be back?" "Hard to say. At least a week - maybe longer - and maybe never!" "That's too bad—isn't it?" "I don't know." Colin said and hung up the phone.