Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen

Except for the involuntary twitch of his eyelids, the Chief Inspector's expression remained unchanged.He was surprised but did not show that Virginia knew Anthony.He stood with Lord Judham and watched the two men walk out of the garden gate.Mr. Fish was also watching. "A fine young man," said Lord Judham. "Mrs. Redford met an old friend. It's wonderful," the American murmured. "I guess they've known each other for a while?" "It seems so," said Lord Judham. "But I've never heard her mention him before. Oh, by the way, Mr. Lomax wants to talk to you. He's in the Blue Room now."

"Okay, Lord Judhan, I'll go there right away." "The Inspector had no difficulty in finding the Blue Room. He was already familiar with the disposition of the building's premises." "Ah, here you come, Inspector," said Lomax. He was pacing up and down the rug impatiently.There was another figure in the room, a large man, sitting by the fire.He was dressed in the most proper Englishman's hunting attire, but it looked odd on him.He had a fat yellow face; black eyes, like those of a cobra, mysterious and unfathomable.His big nose is very high, and the square line of his big jaw.Appear to be authoritative. "

"Score. Come in," said Romax impatiently. "Close the door behind you. This is Mr. Herman Ershastein." The Inspector General nodded respectfully. He knew everything about Mr. Herman Ershastein.Although the great financier sat silent and Lomax paced up and down talking, he knew who the real power in the room was. "We can now talk more freely," Romax said. "In front of the Marquis of Judham and Melrose, I dare not say too much. Do you understand, Inspector General? These things should not be publicized." "Ah," said the Inspector-General. "But, unfortunately, it will always spread."

For just a split second, he saw a smile on that fat yellow face.The smile came and went suddenly. "Now tell me, what do you really think of this young man--this Anthony Cade?" George went on. "You still presume he's innocent?" Battle shrugged slightly. "His words are frank. We can confirm part of what he said. On the surface, it may explain why he came here last night. Of course, I will wire to South America to investigate his history." "Then you think he's not suspected of being an accomplice?" The Inspector General raised his large square hand.

"Don't be so quick, sir, I didn't say that." "What do you think about this murder, Chief Inspector of Combat?" Ershastein asked.This is his first speech. His voice was deep and sonorous, and there was something about it that easily aroused sympathy.This factor worked in his favor in his youth. "It's too early to judge, Mr. Ershastein. I've always asked myself the first question. I haven't passed that stage yet." "Yeah what's the problem?" "Ah, it's always the same question: motivation. Who will benefit after the death of His Royal Highness Michael? We must answer this question before we can move forward."

"The revolutionary party of Herzoslav—" began George. The combat inspector general waved his hand, showing an unusually respectful attitude. . "Not the Red Hand comrades, sir. You're probably thinking of them." "But the letterhead—does it have the red hand mark on it?" "The painting is there to bring to mind the most obvious answer." George felt disrespected and a little offended. "Honestly, fighting, I don't understand why you are so sure?" "Ah, Monsieur Roankers, we all know what happened to the Red Hand comrades.

We've been watching Prince Michael since he landed in England.That kind of thing is the basic work of our criminal department.We never allow them to come within a mile of him. " "I agree with the inspector general," Ershastein said. "We have to look in other directions for answers." "You know, sir," said the Inspector, encouraged by his support of his statement, "that I do know a little about the situation. We don't know who will benefit from his death, but we do know who will benefit from it." bear the loss.". "You mean?" said Ershastein.His dark eyes were fixed on the detective.His look reminded the fight more and more of a pre-bulged cobra.

"You and Mr. Lomax, not to mention the Royalists of Hezoslav. Excuse me for using the word, sir, you are in dire straits." "Oops! Battle," interrupted George, startled. "Go on, fight," said Ershastan. "'Dire water' is a very accurate word to describe our situation. You are very clever." "You've got to have a king. You've lost your king—just like that!" His big fingers twisted together with a crackling sound. "You will have to hurry and find another king, but that will not be an easy task. Yes, it will not be easy. Your plans, I do not want to know in detail. For me, only an outline will suffice. However, I Think, is this a big deal?"

Ershastein nodded slowly. "It's a big deal." "From this I thought of another question. Who is the next heir to the Hesoslav throne? Lueshastan looked at Romax on the opposite side. The latter answered this question rather reluctantly and hesitated again and again." "That's probably... I think... yes, 80% of the time, Prince Nicholas will be the next heir to the throne." "Ah!" said the Inspector-General, "and who is Prince Nicholas?" "He's Prince Michael's cousin." "Ah!" said the Inspector-General, "I have heard all about Prince Nicholas, and especially where he is."

"We don't know much about him," Lomax said. "He was very eccentric in his youth, and was repelled by Oxford for some sort of outrage. Two years later there was a rumor that he had died in the Congo, but that was only a language. A few months ago the Royalists had instigated When news of the restoration came out, he showed up." "Really?" said the Inspector. "Where did he appear?" "In the U.S." "Oil?" The financier nodded. "What he stands for is this: If the Hezoslavs were to choose a king, they would choose him over Michael, because he favored modern and enlightened ideas. At the same time, he also reminded them that in his early days he favored democratic ideas and Republican ideals. In return for the support of a certain American corporation, he is prepared to grant them great privileges."

The Inspector-General had so completely forgotten his habit of keeping quiet that he suddenly blew out a long whistle. "I see," he murmured. "At the same time, the royalists support Prince Michael. So you feel very sure: "You will come out."But, again. Such a thing happens. " "You never think..." began George. "It's a big deal," said the inspector general. "Mr. Ershastein said so. I thought, since he called it a big business, it must be a big business." "There are always unscrupulous methods available." Eshastein said calmly. "So far, Wall Street has won. But they haven't fought me yet? Inspector General, if you want to serve your country, find the murderer of Prince Michael." "There's one thing that strikes me as very odd," put in George. "Why didn't the aide-de-camp, Captain Androsi, not come with the Prince yesterday?" "I've looked into that," said the inspector general. "It's very simple. He stayed in the city to arrange a date for Prince Michael with a lady next weekend. The baron was a little bit against the matter, thinking that at this stage, such a thing was unwise. Therefore, His Royal Highness I had to sneak here. He is, so to speak, a rather dissolute young man." "Probably so," said George proudly. "Yes, I'm afraid so." "I thought there was one thing we had to think about," said the Inspector hesitantly. "King Victor is probably in England." "King Victor?" Romax frowned, trying to remember. "French swindler, sir. We have been warned by the French Security Service." "Of course," said Lomax, "now that I think of it. The Jewel Robber. Isn't it? Ah, that's--" He paused suddenly.Ershastein was frowning and thinking by the stove, unconsciously lost in thought. Looking up now, it was too late to see the telegram from the inspector to the other man with his eyes.However, he is a sensitive person.He would feel any fluctuations in the atmosphere.Now he sensed a tense atmosphere. "You don't need me now, do you, Romax?" he asked. "Yes, thank you, old friend." "If I go back to London, will it spoil your plans, Inspector?" "I'm afraid so, sir," said the Inspector politely. "You know that if you're going, there are others going. That's not right." "is not it." The big financier left the room and closed the door behind him. "Eshastan is a great man," said George casually. "A very dignified figure," agreed the Inspector-General. George started pacing up and down again. "What you say annoys me so much," he said. "King Victor! I thought he was in prison!" "It came out a few months ago. The French police were going to follow him. However, he dodged immediately.He will, he's the most composed guy in the world. For some reason they thought he was in England now, so they let us know. " "But what is he doing in England?" "It's up to you to explain, sir," said the Inspector with a hint of meaning. "You mean... you thought... of course, at the time, you knew what happened. I can see that you did. Of course, I was not in office at the time. But I was informed by the late The Marquis of Judhan heard the whole story of that incident. What an incomparable disaster! " "A 106-carat Indian diamond from the American royal family," said the inspector-general thoughtfully. "Shut up, fight." George looked around anxiously. "I beg you, don't mention any names. Better not. If you must, call it K." The inspector general returned to his expressionless look. "You don't connect King Victor with the murder, do you? Combat?" "It's just a possibility, if that's all, sir, if you think back, you'll remember that there were four places where a... um-... a royal visitor could hide that jewel. The Chimney House was one of them. If I Remember well, King Victor.... oh..... that K. was arrested in Paris three days after he disappeared. We always hope that one day we will get a clue from him to find the jewel." "However, The Chimney Building has been searched and thoroughly inspected by the police several times." "Yes," said the Inspector wisely. "However, if you don't know where to look, it's useless to just look for it. Now, we're just imagining that this King Victor came here to look for that thing, unexpectedly met Prince Michael, and killed him gone." "It's possible," said George. "That's the most likely explanation for this murder." "I haven't thought that far ahead. It's possible, that's all." "why?" "Because of King Victor, we haven't heard that he has killed anyone." Battle said seriously. "Oh, but a man like that—a dangerous criminal..." "Criminals always behave in a certain way. It's amazing. Still, though..." "how?" "I think I'd better ask the prince's servant. I left him on purpose for last. If you don't mind, sir, let's send him here." George nodded in acquiescence.The chief inspector rang the bell to call Zhuo Dewei.After Zhuo Dewei was summoned, he left according to the instructions. Before long, he returned in the same person.The man was a tall, fair-haired man with high cheekbones, deep-set blue eyes, and an expressionless face almost comparable to that of the Inspector-General. "Boris Antaukov?" "yes." "Are you Prince Michael's personal servant?" "I am His Highness's personal servant, sir." The man spoke fluent English, though with a distinct, raspy foreign accent. "Do you know that your master was assassinated last night?" The man's only answer was a growl, a snarl like a wild animal, which startled George and drew back to the window. "Where was the last time you saw your master?" "His Royal Highness went to bed at ten-thirty. I slept in the cubicle in front of him as usual. He must have entered the room below by another door—the one outside the corridor. I didn't hear him go down. Perhaps I Drugged. What a servant I am. I was asleep when my master was awake. Damn me." George watched him intently, fascinated. "You love your master, don't you?" asked the Inspector, studying him closely. Boris' face contracted in pain.He tried his best to suppress it twice before speaking, his voice was so excited that it sounded harsh. "I can tell you, you British policeman! I'd give my life for him! Now, since he's dead and I'm alive, my heart won't rest if I don't avenge him. I'll be like a gun Hunting like a hound for the murderer. When I find him . . . Ah!" His eyes blazed.Suddenly, he pulled a large knife from under his jacket, raised it, and swung it. "I'm not going to kill him right away... Ah, no, no... First I'm going to cut his nose, cut his ears, goug his eyes, and then I'm going to put this knife in his heart!" He quickly put the knife back where it was, turned and walked out.George's eyes, which used to protrude, almost popped out of their sockets as they stared at the closed door. "Pure Hezoslavs," he murmured. The inspector stood up. "That man is either sincere or the most bluffing man!" he murmured, "If he is sincere, then when that wrong-headed fellow catches the murderer of the prince, he can only ask the Lord Show mercy!"