Chapter 17 Chapter Seventeen

The autopsy was done before noon the next day. This kind of autopsy was completely unlike the situation described in sensational novels. During the autopsy, all interesting details were strictly suppressed and not published.This, even George Lomax felt full. meaning.The Combat Inspector General and coroner are coordinated by the local police department to minimize the number of inquests. The process of the test, so that the people present will not be bored. . As soon as the autopsy was over, Anthony left The Chimney House without making a sound. His departure was one of the joys of Bill Eversley's day.George Lomax is always afraid of leaking important secrets and endangering the reputation of his ministry, so he has been very difficult to serve recently.Miss Oscar and Bill were constantly on hand, and every practical and important job was done by Miss Oscar.Bill's part was running errands, delivering letters, translating telegrams, and listening to George's back and forth for an hour at a time. .

This is the dream of a hero who saves the beauty. He dreams that there are burning logs all around him. He plays the hero who saves the beauty in the fire.He fled from the top floor with Virginia in his arms. She was unconscious. He put her on the grass and went to find a box of sandwiches.It was important that he found the box of sandwiches. George had a box of sandwiches, but instead of giving Bill he dictated the message, and now they were in church prayer room and Virginia could come and marry him any minute. Oh, outrageous!He was in pajamas, and he had to go home at once to find suitable clothes.He hurried out and jumped into the car.However, the car cannot start.There is no fuel in the tank!He is desperate now.Later, suddenly a bus stopped in front of him.Virginia got out of the car on the arm of the bald Baron.His attitude was cold, but still cute, and he was dressed in elegant gray clothes.She came over and shook his shoulder playfully. "Bill," she said. "Oh, Bill."

She shook harder. "Bill," she said. "Wake up, heh, wake up!" Bill awoke dazedly in his bedroom in The Chimney House. However, he was still half in the dream.Virginia was leaning over, repeating the same words to him, only in reverse. "Wake up, Bill, oh, wake up! Bill!" "Hello!" Bill said, sitting up. "What's the matter?" Virginia sighed in relief. "Thank goodness, I thought you'd never wake up again, I've been shaking you, are you fully awake now?" "I suppose so," Bill said uncertainly. "You big man," Virginia said. "I finally shook you awake, my arm hurts!"

"The insult is inexplicable," Bill said gravely. "Let me tell you, Virginia, that I think your conduct is very unbecoming of your station, and nothing like a pure young widow." "Don't be silly, Bill. Something's happening now." "What kind of thing?" "Strange thing, in the chamber, I thought I heard a bang somewhere, so I went downstairs to have a look, and then I saw a light in the chamber. I walked down the aisle without making a sound , peeping through the crack of the door. I can't see very well, but the little bit I see is so queer that I want to see better.

But then, I suddenly felt that I needed a kind, tall, and strong man beside me to strengthen my courage.You were the sweetest, tallest, strongest man I could have ever thought of.So I've come here to wake you up quietly.However, I called you for a long time before I woke up. " "Oh," Bill said. "So what do you want me to do now? Get up and deal with the thieves?" Virginia frowned. "I'm not sure they're thieves yet. That's a strange situation, Bill. But let's not waste time, let's get up." Bill obediently got out of bed. "Wait till I get a pair of boots—a big pair of spiked boots. No matter how tall and strong I am, I'm not going to go barefoot against a hard-nosed bandit."

"I like your pajamas, Bill," said Virginia dreamily. "Bright without being tacky." "While we were talking about that," said Bill, putting on another pair of boots, "I like that thing you're wearing. Isn't that a dressing gown?" "It's a nightgown," said Virginia. "I'm glad you lived such a pure life, Bill." "I don't have one," Bill said angrily. . "You've just shown yourself. You're nice, Bill, and I like you. I think tomorrow morning—about ten o'clock—is a perfect time—because of that.

The time won't go too far to arouse emotion—I might even kiss you. " "I always thought things like that were done on a whim," Bill said. "We have other important things to do," Virginia said. "If you don't wear a gas mask and chain mail, we'll go, okay?" "I'm ready," Bill said. He put on a rich satin gown and carried a poking iron rod. "It's a traditional weapon," he said. "Come on," Virginia said, "be quiet." They came out of the room without a sound, down the passage, and up the wide double staircase.Virginia frowned when they came to the bottom of the stairs.

"You can't keep quiet about those boots, can you, Bill?" "Nails are always nails," Bill said, "I'm doing the best I can." "You'll have to take your boots off," Virginia said firmly. Bill groaned. "You can hold it in your hand, and I'll see if you can see what's going on in the chamber. Bill, it's incredible. Why would a thief break a man in armor into pieces?" "This—they can't easily take it whole, so it's unpacked in pieces and put in boxes." Virginia shook her head, dissatisfied with his explanation.

"Why are they stealing an old suit of armor? Why? There's so much treasure in Chimney House, and it's easier to take. Why don't they steal it?" Bill shook his head. "How many are there?" he asked, gripping the iron rod more tightly. "I can't see clearly, you know how small the keyhole is, and they only have a flashlight." "I think they're gone by now," Bill said hopefully. He sat at the bottom of the stairs and took off his boots.Then, holding the boot in one hand, he walked silently along the south road leading to the meeting hall.They stopped at the great oak door, and it was silent inside.But, suddenly, Virginia pressed his arm.He nodded, and a flash of light could be seen through the keyhole, fleeting.

Bill knelt down and peered through the keyhole.However, what he saw was very unclear, and the scene inside was obviously taking place on the left, completely out of his line of sight.Occasionally there was a muffled clanging sound, and one could vaguely realize that the trespassing thief was still messing with the armored figure.Bill remembered. Two people, they were standing together by that wall, under the portrait of Holbain. The light from the flashlight was clearly aimed at the work they were doing, so that the rest of the room appeared almost pitch black.Once, a figure passed Bill's vision, but there was not enough light to make out what it looked like.It might be a man, it might be a woman.After a while, the figure passed his sight again, and the muffled jingling sound could be heard again.Presently there was another sound, a vague, knuckle-clacking sound on wood.

Bill crouched suddenly. "What's going on?" Virginia asked in a low voice. "Nothing, it's useless like this. We can't see anything, and we can't guess what they're doing. I have to go in and deal with them." He put on his boots and stood up. "Now, Virginia, listen to me, we're going to push the door open as gently as possible. Do you know where the light switch is? " "Yes, it's right next to the door." "I think they're just two people, maybe just one." "I'm going to wait until I'm fully inside the house. Then, when I say, 'Open,' you turn the switch. Do you understand?" "Fully understand." "Don't scream, don't faint or anything, I will never allow anyone to hurt you." "My hero!" whispered Virginia. Bill was unsure about spying on her expression in the dark.He heard a vague sound, it might be a whimper, or it might be a laugh.Then, holding the iron rod tightly, he stood up.He felt refreshed enough to handle the situation. He turned the handle slightly, and it swung open, and the door swung slightly inward.Bill felt that Virginia was following him closely, and they walked into the chamber together silently. At the other end of the chamber, the flashlight was pointed at the portrait of Holban, which reflected the silhouette of a man.The man was standing on a chair, tapping lightly on the panels on the wall.Of course, his back was facing them, but a big black shadow loomed. What more they might have seen, we don't know, because, at that moment, the nails on Bill's boots rattled on the parquet floor.The man turned around abruptly, shining the flashlight all over them, dazzled by the sudden bright light. Bill didn't hesitate. "Go!" he yelled at Virginia, and lunged at the man.At the same time, she flicked the light switch as he wished. The hall was supposed to be brightly lit suddenly, but the lights didn't come on, and as a result, there was only the sound of an electric door being opened with a snap, and the room was still completely dark. Virginia heard Bill yelling curses, and in an instant, the room was filled with the sound of gasping and punching each other.The flashlight had fallen to the ground, so it went out.In the darkness, but heard the sound of desperate struggle.But Virginia knew nothing about who had the upper hand, and who was really fighting.No one else in the room except the one who knocked on the panels?Maybe there will be, but what they have seen is only a moment. Virginia felt stunned, she hardly knew what to do, she was afraid to try to join the fray.That would only get in Bill's way, not help him.The only way she can think of now is to stand at the door, so that if anyone wants to escape, they cannot leave this room.At the same time, she ignored Bill's clear instructions and shouted loudly and kept calling for help. . She heard the doors of the upstairs rooms open, and suddenly the lights in the vestibule and the grand staircase came on.As long as Bill can block that person and wait until backup arrives. At that instant there was a final, terrible commotion in the room.They must have bumped into a figure clad in aluminum armor, because the figure suddenly fell to the ground with a deafening sound.Virginia vaguely saw a figure running towards the window, and at the same time heard Bill cursing while struggling to get up from the fragments of the armor. It was the first time she left her post and ran desperately to chase the man at the window. But the window was already bolted, and the intruder need not stop to grope: With the latch.He jumped out, ran two lanes, and turned the corner.Virginia followed behind.She is still young, flexible and strong.She ran to the bend in South Road, not a few seconds behind the sleeper she was chasing. But just at that juncture she ran into a man who appeared through the little side door, and it turned out to be Mr. Hirham Fish. "Why! It's a lady," he exclaimed in surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mrs. Redford! I took you for a villain trying to get away with it." "He just ran across here," cried Virginia breathlessly. "Can't we mention him?" But even when she said that, she knew it was too late.Now, that person must have run to Diyuan, and it was a dark night with no moon. She had no choice but to go back to the meeting room, and Mr. Fish walked with her beside her, using it at the same time. He comforted her in a monotonous tone, telling her about his habit of telling her about ordinary thieves, and he seemed to have a lot of experience with that kind of people. Lord Judhan, Bundo, and some terrified servants stood at the door of the chamber. "What's going on here?" Bundo asked. "Is it a thief? What are you and Mr. Fish doing, Virginia? A midnight walk?" Virginia told her the story of that night. "How exciting!" said Bundo. "Usually homicides and burglaries don't both happen on the same weekend. What's the matter with the lights here? They're fine everywhere else." The unthinkable was finally explained.It turned out that the light bulbs in the room were removed and placed in a row by the wall.That dignified-looking Zhuo Dewei climbed the small ladder to install the light bulb, so that the house that had been raided was illuminated again, and he was a man who looked dignified even in civilian clothes. "If I'm right," said Lord Judham sadly, looking around. "This room has recently become a center of violence." There was some truth in what he said, everything that could be knocked over in this room was overturned.The floor was littered with fragments of chairs, broken china, and pieces of aluminum armor. "How many are there?" Bundo asked. "There appears to be a violent struggle here." "I think there's only one," said Virginia.But even when she said this, she hesitated a little.Only one person--one--had escaped through the window.But, as she ran after him, she had a vague impression of a rustling somewhere near.If so, another person may have run from the door.Even so, that rustling sound might have been her own imagination. Suddenly Bill appeared at the window, out of breath and loudly. "Damn that guy!" he exclaimed angrily. "He escaped. I searched everywhere, but there was no ghost." "Cheer up, Bill," Virginia said. "Hope you have better luck next time." "Then," said the Marquess of Judham, "what do you think I should do now? Go back to bed. I can't go to Inspector Badgeworthy at this late hour of the night. You know what happens to you, Drew. What must be done. You will be in charge of the cooking, okay?" "Yes, my lord." The Marquis of Judhan sighed in relief, and was about to go back to his room to rest. "That fellow, Ershastan, he slept soundly," he said, a little jealously. "We must have thought that there was such a commotion here that he would wake him up and run down." He looked at Mr. Fish opposite. "Oh, so you still have time to get dressed." He added. "Yes, I put on some clothes in a hurry," the American admitted. "You are very clever," said Lord Judham. "Wear pajamas, it's too cold." He yawned, and everyone was a little listless, so they went back to their room to rest.