Chapter 9 Chapter 8 The Murderer

At the Hearst St. Cyprian police station, Sergeant Green, the night watchman, yawned.The phone rang, and he picked up the receiver.In an instant, his expression completely changed.He began to write quickly in his note pad. "Go on. Meadows? Uh-what's the name? Please spell it out. S-P-R-I-N-G-is that the G in greengage?-E-R. Springer. Okay, okay .Please be careful not to spoil the scene. We have someone to get to you in a minute." So he acted quickly and methodically according to the prescribed steps. "Meadows?" asked Inspector Kelsey, when it was his turn to speak. "That's the girls' school, isn't it? Who was that killed?"

"It seems to be Miss Springer, the gym teacher." 'Death of the French Gym Teacher,' Kelsey said thoughtfully, "sounds like the title of a thriller on a train station newsstand. " "What kind of person do you think might have killed her?" said the sergeant. "It doesn't seem natural." "Why don't physical education teachers have love lives," said Inspector Kelsey. "Where did they say the body was found?" "In the gym. I see that's a fashionable name for a gym." "Probably," said Kelsey. "A gym teacher was killed in the gym. Sounds like a crime in sports, doesn't it? Did you say she was shot at?" Killed?"

"yes." "Did they find the pistol?" "No." "Interesting," Inspector Kelsey said.He gathered his men together and set off to carry out the task. The front door of Green Meadows was open, and a beam of light shone through it.Inspector Kelsey was here personally received by Miss Bulstrode.He knew who she was, but he didn't know her personally. In fact, most people in the surrounding area treated her like this.Miss Bulstrode was composed even in this disturbing and bewildering moment, and she was in control of the situation and her subordinates. "Inspector Kelsey, miss," said the inspector, introducing himself.

"Inspector Kelsey, do you want to go over there first to see the gymnasium, or do you want to hear the story first?" "I've got the doctor," Kelsey said. "If you'd like to show him and two of my men where the body is, I'd like to speak to you first." "Of course. Please go to my living room. Miss Ron, please show the doctor and the other two." She went on, "I sent a teacher there to protect the scene." "Thank you, miss." Kelsey followed Miss Bulstrode into her living room. "Who found the body?" "Miss Johnson, Housemaster. Miss Johnson got up to nurse a schoolgirl with an earache and saw that the curtains were not drawn properly. As she was going to draw the curtains, she noticed a light was on in the gymnasium. Is it there at one o'clock in the morning?" There should be lights on," said Miss Bulstrode dryly.

"Exactly," Kelsey said. "Where's Miss Johnson now?" "If you want to see her, she's at school." "I'll talk to her in a moment. Please go on, miss." "Miss Johnson went to wake the other teacher, Miss Chadwick. They decided to go out and check. They were going out the side door when they heard a shot and they ran as fast as they could for the gymnasium. Once there—" The inspector interrupted her. , but you may wish to tell me a little about the victim first. " "Her name is Grace Springer." "Has she been with you for a long time?"

"No, she just came this term. The previous physical education teacher has left to teach in Australia." "What did you know then about this Miss Springer?" "Her certificates are excellent," said Miss Bulstrode. "Before this, you didn't know her personally, did you?" "Yes" "Do you know the cause of this tragedy? Even if you know something very vaguely, please tell me. Is she depressed? Is there any unlucky entanglement?" Miss Bulstrode shook her head and said: 'Oh nothing. ’ She went on: ‘I may say that this seems to me to be an extremely improbable event.She is not that kind of woman. "

"You're going to be surprised," said Inspector Kelsey cryptically. "I'll get Miss Johnson now, will I?" "Okay. After listening to her, I'll go to the gym—or—what's your name?—gym." "It's a newly completed addition to the school this year," said Miss Bulstrode. "The tennis rackets and hockey sticks are in the gymnasium, and there's a room for old bathing suits." "Is there any reason why Miss Springer should be in the gymnasium at night?" "Not at all," said Miss Bulstrode unequivocally. "Very well, Miss Bulstrode. Now I want to speak to Miss Johnson."

Miss Bulstrode went out, and led the matron back into the drawing-room.Miss Johnson had been given a good deal of brandy after the discovery of the body, so that she became a little garrulous. "This is Inspector Kelsey," said Miss Bulstrode. "Calm down, Elspeth, and tell him what happened." "It's terrible," said Miss Johnson. "It's terrible! I've never seen anything like it in my life. Never! I really can't believe it. Miss Springer should be murdered!" Inspector Kelsey was a perceptive man.If he heard a remark that he thought was out of the ordinary or worthy of investigation, he would go out of his way to pursue it.

"Miss Springer was killed. You seem to think that very strange, don't you?" "Very muscular. You can imagine, she's like the kind of woman who could take on a burglar, or even two, single-handed." "Thief? Uh," said Inspector Kelsey. "Is there anything worth stealing in the gym?" "Oh, no, I really don't see what could be stolen. Of course there's bathing suits and sports equipment." "Only a stealthy thief would take something like that," Kelsey agreed. "By the way, did the gymnasium door get smashed?"

"Oh, to be honest, I never thought of going to see it," said Miss Johnson. "I mean, the door was open when we got there..." "The door wasn't broken open," said Miss Bulstrode. _ "I see," said Kelsey, "it's opened with a key." He looked at Miss Johnson and said, "Is everybody adore Miss Springer?" "Oh, really, I can't say .I mean, anyway, she's dead now." "So you don't like her," said Kelsey sharply, ignoring that Miss Johnson was a delicate person. "I don't think anyone would like her very much," said Miss Johnson. "She's bossy, you know. She's a bit of an embarrassment, but I think she's very capable and serious about her work. Don't you, Bulls?" Miss Trode?"

"Yes," said Miss Bulstrode. Kelsey pulled the conversation back from the diversion to the main topic: "Okay, Miss Johnson, let us listen to you talk about what just happened." "One of our pupils, Keith, had an earache, and a fit woke her up during the night, and she came running to me. I went and got some medicine. When I put her to bed, I saw the curtains were only half drawn, I think if her window doesn't open at night, then it's better not to open the window this night, because there is a little wind blowing from that direction. Of course, all the students always sleep with the windows open. Sometimes foreign children will Give us trouble, but I always insist-" "That's quite irrelevant now," said Miss Bulstrode. "Our health general doesn't interest Inspector Kelsey." "Yes, yes, of course not," said Miss Johnson. "Oh, I said when I went to shut the window, it was a real surprise to me to see lights in the gymnasium. I could see them all, yes. .The light seems to be moving." "You're saying it's not a twisted light, but a flashlight, isn't it?" "Yes, yes, that must have been the light from the flashlight. And then I thought, 'My God, what would anyone be doing there at this time of night?' Of course I wasn't thinking of burglars, and as you said, it's absurd to think that." .” "What's on your mind?" Kelsey asked. Miss Johnson glanced at Miss Bulstrode, and then replied: "Smack, really, I don't know what I was thinking in particular. I mean, uh-uh, really, I mean, I wouldn't think of--" Miss Bulstrode interrupted her: "I suppose, Miss Johnson thinks, it might be one of our pupils going there for a tryst," she said. "Is that so, Elspeth?" Miss Johnson gasped, "Well, yes, I did think so. Perhaps one of our Italian pupils. Foreign girls are much more precocious than English girls." "There's no prejudice," said Miss Bulstrode. "There have been many English students here who have tried to have inappropriate trysts. It's only natural for you to think so, and I might have thought so too." .” "Go on," said Inspector Kelsey. "So," went on Miss Johnson, "I thought it best to go and wake Miss Chadwick, and ask her to come with me and see what the matter is." "Why Miss Chadwick?" asked Kelsey. "Is there any particular reason for choosing this teacher?" "Oh, that's because I don't want to disturb Miss Bulstrode," said Miss Johnson. "You may not know that Miss Chadwick has been here for many years and has a lot of experience." "Well, you went to Miss Chadwick and woke her up anyway, didn't you?" Kelsey said. "Yes. She gave us permission to go over there right away. We couldn't wait to get dressed and do anything, so we went out the side door in nothing but a sweater and jacket. Just as we hit the path , we heard a gunshot coming from the gymnasium. So we ran down the path as fast as we could. We were stupid, forgot to bring a flashlight, and couldn't see where we were going. We stumbled and fell once or two, but Almost there. The gymnasium doors were open, we turned the lights on and—" Kelsey cut her off. "So, when you got there, there were no lights? No torch lights, no lights, no lights?" "Yes, it was dark in the gym. We turned on the lights and we saw her lying there. She—" "That's all right," Inspector Kelsey said kindly. "You don't need to go into details about her. I'll be there in a minute to see for myself. Did you meet anyone on your way there?" "No" "Didn't you hear someone running away?" "No. We heard nothing." "Did anyone else in the school hear the gunfire?" Kelsey asked, looking at Miss Bulstrode. She shook her head and said, "No. As far as I know, no. Nobody ever said they heard a gunshot. The gym is some distance away, and I doubt people could have heard it." "Maybe you can hear it from the room on the gymnasium side of the school building?" "I don't think it's likely, unless someone is looking out for such a sound. I don't think it's going to be enough to wake a man out of his sleep." "Well, thank you," Inspector Kelsey said. "I'm going to the gym now." "I would like to go with you," said Miss Bulstrode. "Would you like me to go too?" asked Miss Johnson. "If you want me to, I'll go. I mean it's no good avoiding things, isn't it? I always think that whatever happens, you have to face it..." "Thank you," said Inspector Kelsey. "No, Miss Johnson. I don't want to burden you any more." "It's terrible," said Miss Johnson. "I told her that she didn't really know everything, though she might think she knew everything. I was trained, after all, in how to deal with infirm or sick students. I know far more than she does—much more than she did in life, though I have no doubt that Miss Springer knows all about parallel bars and vaulting and tennis coaching. But, oh dear, now that I think of What happened, I wish I had said less of what I said last night. I think that's how one always thinks after something terrible has happened. Really, I do blame myself." "Sit here, my dear," said Miss Bulstrode, helping her to sit on the sofa, "sit here and rest, and forget about all the old arguments between you two. If we all agreed on everything, life would be boring." Miss Johnson shook her head and sat down, then yawned.Miss Bulstrode followed Kelsey into the hall. "I've made her drink a lot of brandy," she said apologetically, "and made her chatter a little, but she's not confused, don't you see?" "Not confused," Kelsey said. "She made it pretty clear what happened." Miss Bulstrode led the way to the side door. "Did Miss Johnson and Miss Chadwick go out this way?" "Yes. You see, this road leads directly to that path, and along the path through the mountain rhododendron bushes is the gymnasium." The Inspector carried a powerful torch, and he and Miss Bulstrode were presently in the gymnasium, which was brightly lit. "It's not a bad building," Kelsey said, looking at the gymnasium. "We spent a lot of money," said Miss Bulstrode, "but we can afford it," she added serenely. The door of the gymnasium was open, and it was quite spacious inside. There were many small wardrobes in the gymnasium, with the names of various girls written on it.At one end of the gymnasium is a rack of tennis rackets and La Crosse bulbs.There is a side door leading to the shower room and changing room.Kelsey paused at the door, not rushing in.The two men under him have been busy for a while.A photographer had just finished taking the picture, and the man who was looking at the fingerprints looked up and said to Kelsey: "We haven't checked this end yet." Kelsey walked over to the medical examiner who was kneeling next to the body.The medical examiner looked up as Kelsey approached him. "The killer shot her about four feet away," he said. "The bullet went through her heart. She must have died shortly thereafter." "Was it from in front of her?" "Yes" "How long has it been?" "Estimated about an hour." Kelsey nodded.He paced and turned away, his eyes fixed on Miss Chadwick's tall figure.She has a stern expression, like a housekeeping dog, standing with her back to the wall.Kelsey was sizing her up: about fifty-five years old, full forehead, tousled gray hair, stubborn but not overly nervous about the money note in her mouth.He thought that a woman like this may be ignored in daily life when she cares, but she is a trustworthy person in a critical moment. "Miss Chadwick?" he asked. "Yes" "You came out with Miss Johnson to find the body, didn't you?" "Yes. She was just like now, dead." "What time?" 'Miss Johnson reminded me to look at my watch, and I saw it was twelve fifty. " Kelsey nodded.This agrees with Miss Johnson's time. He looked down at the dead man as he thought.Her green and red hair was cut short.His face was covered with freckles, and his chin was prominently protruding.Thin, athletic build, in a chunky dark sweater and tweed skirt.He wore thick-soled leather boots and no socks. "Is there any trace of the murder weapon?" Kelsey asked. One of his men shook his head and said, "Not at all, Inspector." "What's with the lights?" "There's a flashlight in the corner over there." "Are there any fingerprints on it?" "Yes. It belonged to the deceased." "So the flashlight is hers," Kelsey mused. "She came here with a flashlight—why?"At the same time it seemed to be asking Miss Bulstrode and Miss Chadwick.In the end, he seemed to specifically ask the latter two: "Do you know anything about it?" Miss Chadwick shook her head and said: "Not at all. I suppose she might have left something here--forgot to take it from here in the afternoon or evening, and come out to get it back. But in the middle of the night It seems unlikely to come and get it." "If she came to get it in the middle of the night, it must be something important," Kelsey said. He looked around, and nothing seemed to have been touched, only the tennis racket stand at the other end seemed to have been pulled out violently, and a few rackets were scattered on the floor. "Of course," said Miss Chadwick. "It is also possible that she saw the light first, as Miss Johnson did later, and ran out to check it out. I think that is the most likely case." "I think you're right," Kelsey said, "just one small question: Is she going to come out alone?" 'Hah. said Miss Chadwick without hesitation. Kelsey reminded her, "Miss Johnson came to your place to wake you up." "I know," said Miss Chadwick, "if I saw the light, I would do the same. I would go and wake Miss Bulstrode, or Miss Vansittart, or somebody. Miss Pringer wouldn't, she wouldn't care—indeed, she'd rather be single-handed with an intruder who came in." "One more thing," said the Inspector, "you and Miss Johnson came out by the side door. Was the side door unlocked?" "Yes, it's not locked." "That may be the lock that Miss Springer opened." "It seemed the logical conclusion," said Miss Chadwick. "So let's say," said Kelsey, "Miss Springer sees out in the gym—the gym—whatever you call it—there's a light here, and she comes out to see who's in here, who's shot her murderer." He turned and walked towards Miss Bulstrode, who was standing motionless in the doorway. "You see this idea, right?" "I don't see it quite right," said Miss Bulstrode. "I agree with the first part of your statement. We can say that Miss Springer saw a light here, and then she ran out alone to check. It's quite possible. Yes. But to say that the man she'd alarmed here would have shot her—seems quite improbable to me. If an idler who had nothing to do with the place came here, it's more likely that he would Run away, or try to run away. Why would a man come to this place with a gun at this time of night? It's absurd, indeed, absurd! There's nothing worth stealing here, and certainly nothing worth killing for. s things." "Do you think it more likely that Miss Springer interrupted some kind of engagement?" "That's the natural and most likely explanation," said Miss Bulstrode, "but it doesn't explain the murder, does it? My students don't carry pistols with them, and they might It also seemed quite unlikely that the young man who was going to meet would be carrying a pistol." Kelsey agrees with this. "At most he has a little dagger," said he. "There is another supposition," he went on, "that Miss Springer came here to meet a man—" Miss Chadwick burst into giggles. "Oh, no," she said. "Not Miss Springer." "I don't necessarily mean a co-ed," said the Inspector gravely. "I mean the murder was premeditated. Someone was going to kill Miss Springer. They tried to get her here and put her out there. Killed with one shot."

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