Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven

The Marquis of Judham was very afraid that George would seek advice from him, so he spent the whole morning visiting the farm.He didn't go home until he was hungry and lost.At the same time, he also thought that the most troublesome things should be over now. He sneaked in through a small side door.From there, he slipped cunningly into his den.He was complacent, thinking that no one would notice when he came in.No, he was wrong about this.Nothing could escape the watchful Zhuo Dewei from his eyes.He appeared at the door. "My lord, please forgive me." "What's the matter, Zhuo Dewei."

"My lord, Mr. Romax is very anxious to see you, and I hope you will come to the library for a talk as soon as you come back." Zhuo Dewei expressed in this subtle way of wording: He can say that the Marquis of Judhan has not returned, and if he doesn't want to say that, there is nothing he can do. Lord Judhan sighed, then stood up. "I suppose I'll have to see them sooner or later. Are they all in the library, you mean?" "Yes, my lord." Lord Judham sighed again, and walked across the wide courtyard of his ancestral house to the door of the library.The door is locked.He turned the handle and it clicked.Then the lock was unlocked inside, and the door opened a crack; George Lomax's face was revealed, peering out, suspiciously.When he saw who it was, the expression on his face changed.

"Oh, Judham, come in. We wondered how you were." Lord Judham murmured that he was going around the farm on some errands, such as some tenants' houses being repaired, and walked sideways to say he was sorry.There were two other people in the room.One is Colonel Melrose, the local police chief, and the other is a middle-aged man with a strong physique.His face was expressionless and imposing. "The Combat Inspector was here half an hour ago," said George. "He went over with Inspector Badgworthy, and Dr. Cartley. He wants us to explain a few things now." After the Marquis of Jadham greeted Melrose and shook hands with the Chief Inspector of Combat after his introduction, they all sat down.

"I don't need to say much more about the fight," said George. "The case must be kept a secret." The Chief Inspector nodded with a casual attitude, which Marquis Judhan liked very much. "That's all right, Mr. Lomax. But don't hide anything from us. I heard the dead man was the Earl of Stanislaw—at least, people here know him by that name. Is that a real name?" "no." "What's his real name?" "Your Royal Highness Michael of Hesoslav." Zhan Zhan's eyes widened slightly.Other than that, he has no expression.

"May I ask, what is his purpose here? Just for fun?" "There is another purpose, the Chief Inspector of Combat. Naturally, this must be strictly kept secret." "Yes, yes, Mr. Lomax." "Colonel Melrose, okay?" Lomax said. "certainly." "Well, then. Prince Michael is here for a special purpose, and that is to meet Mr. Herman Ershastein. They will arrange a loan under certain conditions." "That is?" "I don't know the details. It hasn't been agreed yet. However, if Prince Michael takes the throne, he guarantees some kind of oil purchase privileges to those companies that Mr. Ershastan is interested in. The British government is ready to support Prince Michael's succession, because He has already shown his friendliness to Britain."

"Well," said the Inspector-General of Combat, "I think I don't want to ask any more questions than that. Besides, the Prince needs money, Mr. Ershastan needs oil, and the British Government is ready to make a great gesture of mercy. There is only one Question. Is there anyone else who would like to get the privilege to buy oil?" "I think an American consortium has expressed to His Highness Michael that he wants to buy oil." One was rejected by him, wasn't it? " However, no matter how the other party tried to tell the truth, George refused to reveal it.

"Prince Michael's sympathetic attitude is entirely due to pro-British tendencies." The Inspector General of Combat did not pursue this further. "Marquis Jadham, I heard that what happened yesterday is this; you go to the city to fetch Prince Michael and accompany him here. His Royal Highness is attended by a valet, a Hezoslav lady named Boris Antyukov. His Royal Highness's military attaché, Captain Androssi, remained in the city. The prince was very tired when he arrived, and went to rest in a room specially reserved for him. Dinner was held there, and he did not share with the people in the mansion. Anyone else meet. Am I right?"

"Exactly." "A maid found the body at about 7.40am this morning. Dr. Cartley examined the body.He discovered that the deceased had been killed by a bullet from a pistol.No pistol was found, and no one in the building appeared to have heard the shots.On the other hand, the dead man's watch broke when he fell to the ground.From this, it can be judged that the crime was not bad, and it was committed at a quarter to twelve.Now tell me, what time did you go to bed last night? "We went to bed early. For some reason, last night's party didn't seem to be going well. You'll probably see what I mean, Inspector. We were about ten-thirty Just go upstairs."

"Thank you. Marquis Judham, now I want you to describe the people who live in the mansion." "But, sorry, I thought the murderer came in from the outside?" The Chief Inspector of Combat smiled. "Probably, probably. But I still want to know who's in the house. Quite routine. You know that." "Well. There's the Prince, his valet, and Mr. Herman Ershastan. You know what happened to them. Then there's Mr. Eversley..." "He's in my Ministry." Yes." George solemnly interjected. "He understands the real purpose of Prince Michael coming here, right?"

"No, it's not," said George seriously. "There is no objection. He knows that something is brewing, but I don't think it is necessary to treat him as a confidant." "Oh, I see. Go on, will you, Lord Judham?" "I'll think about it. And Mr. Hirham Fish." "Who is Mr. Hirham Fisher?" "Mr. Fish is an American. He has a letter of introduction from Mr. Lucas Goth—you've heard of Lucia Goth, haven't you?" The combat inspector general smiled and said he had heard of it.Who hasn't heard the name of Lucas C. Gott?

"He especially wanted to see the first editions of my classics by collection. Mister Goth's collection! Certainly unrivaled.However, I have some treasures of my own.This Mr. Fish was also a fan of it.Mr. Romax suggested to me to invite one or two more people this weekend to make the matter more natural, so I took this opportunity. Mr. Fish will be invited over.Now I have introduced the men in the building clearly. As for the wives and girls, there's only Mrs. Redford--I think she brought a maid or something.Also my daughter, and of course the little ones with their nurses and governesses, and all the servants. " Lord Jadham stopped talking and took a deep breath. "Thank you." The man said deeply. "It's just a matter of routine, but it's necessary." "I think there is no doubt about it," said George with difficulty. "The murderer came in through the window?" The Chief Inspector of Combat hesitated before answering, very slowly. "There are footprints leading to the window, and there are footprints going down. Outside the base circle, a car stopped at 11:40 last night. At twelve o'clock, a young man arrived at the Happy Board by car. The Player's Inn, where he had a room. He put his boots out and asked them to wipe them. They were so wet and muddy, as if he had walked in the grassy mansion. " George leaned forward eagerly. "Can't those boots compare with those footprints?" "Compare" means "how?" "Totally Suitable." "That's sure," cried George. "We've found the murderer. This young man—by the way, what's his name?" "He's registered at the hotel as Antony Cade." "This Anthony Cade must be tracked down immediately and brought to justice." "You don't have to make him," said the Chief Inspector of Combat. "why?" "Because he still lives there." "what?" "Strange, isn't it?" Colonel Ross looked at him eagerly. "What's going on in your heart? Say it?" "I'm just, it's weird, that's all. The young man could have run away in a hurry. But he didn't run away in a hurry. He stayed and gave us a lot of convenience, comparable to footprints." "So, what do you think is going on?" "I don't know what to think. It's a very disturbing mood." "In your imagination—" Colonel Melrose began, then paused, for there was a discreet knock at the door. George stood up and went to the door.Zhuo Dewei was unhappy in his heart, thinking that he would have to knock on the door in such a servile manner to get in, but he stood at the door very seriously on the outside, and said to his master: "Excuse me, my lord. A gentleman has urgent and important business to see you. It is said that it is connected with this morning's tragedy." "What's his name?" Zhan Zhan asked suddenly. "His name is Mr. Anthony Cade, Inspector General. But he says his name means nothing to anyone." However, this name seems to have special meaning to all four people present.They all sat up straight, with varying degrees of surprise. Lord Judham began to giggle. "I'm really starting to find it funny. Zhuo Dewei, invite him in. Invite him in immediately."