Chapter 11 Chapter Ten Strange Stories

Mademoiselle Angelle Blanche was about thirty-five years old.There was no make-up on her face, and her dark brown hair was neatly combed, but it did not match her appearance.She was wearing a simple top and skirt. Miss Angèle Blanche said that this is her first semester in Fangcao.She wasn't sure if she wanted to stay and teach another semester. "It's not pleasant to be in a school where there's murder," she said disapprovingly. Also, there are no burglar alarms anywhere in the school building - which is dangerous. "Miss Blanche, there is nothing particularly valuable here that would make a thief jealous."

Mademoiselle Blanche shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows? Some of the kids who come here to school are rich men's daughters. They probably carry valuables. The thief may know that, and he's here because he thinks it's a good place to steal." A breeze." "If a student brings something of value, it won't be in the gym." "How do you know?" said Miss France. "The students all have a little wardrobe there, don't they?" "That's just stocking them with sporting goods and stuff." "Ah, yes, people assume that. But a student might hide something in the toe of a sneaker, or wrap it in an old jersey or a scarf."

"What kind of thing, Mademoiselle Blanche?" But Mademoiselle Blanche did not know what it was. "Not even the most doting father would give his daughter the five-key necklace to bring to school," said the inspector. Mademoiselle Blanche shrugged again. "Maybe it's something of special value—say, an ancient Egyptian gem engraved with a scarab, or something some collector is willing to pay a fortune for. One student's father was a archaeologist." Kelsey smiled and said, "You know, I don't think it's going to happen, Miss Blanco." She shrugged: "Shun, well, I'm just reminding you."

"Have you ever taught in any other school in England, Miss Blanche?" "A long time ago, taught in a school in the north of England. I taught mostly in Switzerland and France, and also in Germany. I think I came to England to improve my English. I have a friend Here. She was ill and asked me to take her place, as Miss Bulstrode would be pleased to have a replacement quickly. So I came. But I don't like the place very much. I've told you I don't want to stay here any longer." "Why don't you like this place?" Kelsey pressed. "I don't like a place where shootings happen," said Mademoiselle Blanche. "And the kids here, they don't respect their teachers."

"They can't be considered children at all, can they?" "Some act like babies and some like they're twenty-five. There's everything here. They're so free-spirited. I like schools with strict rules." "Were you acquainted with Miss Springer before?" "I've never lived with her. She's not polite, so I try not to talk to her. She's bony and freckled and has a raspy voice, and it's like looking at a caricature of English women. She was always rude and rude to me, which was a nuisance." "What was she rude to you about?"

"She didn't like me coming to her gym. She seemed to think—I mean she thought—it was her gym! One day I went there on a whim. I hadn't been in it before, it was a A new building. Well designed and furnished, I was just looking around. At this point Miss Springer came up and said, 'What are you doing here? You have nothing to do here.' She told me—I, the school One of the teachers here—saying things like that! Does she think of me as anything, as a schoolboy?" "Yeah, yeah, it's really annoying," Kelsey reassured her. "Rough and rude like a pig, that's her attitude. Then she yelled, 'Don't take the key from your hand.' I was very embarrassed. I opened the door, and when I opened it, the key came out of the door. It fell off and I picked it up and forgot to put it back because she pissed me off. So she yelled at me behind my back. It seemed to her like I was trying to steal the keys. The gym is hers , I think the key is hers too."

"Seems kind of weird, doesn't it?" Kelsey said. "I mean, she'd look at this gym like that. Like it's her personal property, like she's got stuff in there so no one might find out." Yes." He used this as a preliminary test for the time being.But Angele Blanche only smiled. "Hide things in there—what can you hide in a place like that? Do you think she'd hide a love letter there? I bet no one ever wrote her a love letter! The rest of the teachers were at least polite. Check Miss Dweck is an old-fashioned woman who likes to make a fuss. Miss Vansittart, very kind, a noble lady (this sentence is originally in French), sympathetic. Miss Rich, I think she is a bit eccentric, but to Friendly people. The young teachers are lovely."

After a few more innocuous questions, Kelsey dismissed Angèle Blanche. "It's easy to get annoyed over little things," said Bond. "The French are like that." "Nevertheless, it's an interesting talk. Miss Springer doesn't like people visiting her gym-gymnasium-I don't know what it's called. Why is that?" "Perhaps she thinks the French woman is spying," Bond reminded. "Well, but why should she think that? I mean, what does it matter to her if Angel-Le-Blanche is watching her? Unless she's afraid of Angel-Le-Blanche." Come and expose."

"Is there anything left that we haven't talked about?" he continued. "Two young governesses, Miss Blake and Miss Ron, and Miss Bulstrode's secretary." Miss Blake, young and earnest, round-cheeked and amiable, taught plants and physics.She can't talk about anything useful.She saw Miss Springer seldom, and had no idea why she had been killed. Miss Ron, worthy of a degree in psychology, had her say.She said Miss Springer most likely committed suicide. Inspector Kelsey raised an eyebrow. "Why did she commit suicide? Has anything unfortunate happened to her?"

"She was picky," said Miss Roth, leaning forward, her eyes fixed eagerly on Kelsey through thick glasses. "Very critical. I think it's important. It's a A blindfold, used to cover up a feeling of inferiority." "So far," Kelsey said, "everything I've heard suggests she's a pretty confident woman." "Too confident." Miss Roth said with a straight face. "Several things she said during her lifetime can confirm my assumption." "For example……" "She has hinted that people are 'duplicate'. She mentioned that she exposed a person at the last school she taught. But the headmaster was biased and turned a deaf ear to what she found. There were several All teachers were also described by her as 'against her'."

"Do you understand what this means, Inspector?" Miss Ron leaned her upper body forward excitedly, and almost fell out of the chair.A few strands of straight black hair covered her face, "this is the beginning of a persecuted psychology." Inspector Kelsey said politely that Miss Rowan might be right in assuming that, but he couldn't accept suicide unless Miss Rowan could explain how Miss Springer had been at least four feet away from her. The local shot himself, and then made the pistol disappear without a trace. Miss Rowan pointedly countered that the psychology of police discrimination was well known. After she was gone, came Ann Shaplan. "Oh, Miss Shaplan," said Inspector Kelsey, examining her neat attire appreciatively, "can you clarify the matter a little bit?" "I'm afraid I can never tell. I have my own sitting room, and I don't see the teachers very often. The whole thing is unbelievable." "How did you see it?" "Well, in the first place, it would be Miss Springer who was killed. Suppose someone breaks into the gymnasium, and she goes out to see who it is. I think it's possible, but who's going to break into the gymnasium?" "Maybe some boys, or some young people from the local area, come and use this or that sports equipment, or just have fun." "If so, I can't help thinking that Miss Springer would say, 'Well, what are you doing here? Get out of here!' and they'd run." "Does it seem to you that Miss Springer has a particular attitude toward gymnasiums?" Ann Shaplan looked puzzled. "Attitude?" "I mean, does she see it as her own domain and hate other people going there?" "Not so far as I know. What reason would she have? The gymnasium is part of the school building." "Didn't you notice anything yourself? Don't you think she'd be mad at you if you went there—anything like that?" Ann Shaplan shook her head. "I've only been there twice myself. I haven't had time. Once or twice when Miss Bulstrode asked me to take a letter to a student. Nothing else." "Miss Springer objected to Miss Blanche's going there, don't you know?" "I don't know. I haven't heard of it. Oh, yes, I remembered. Mademoiselle Blanche got very angry about something one day, but, you know, she's an irritable person. I heard she went to She was angry at what the drawing teacher said to her in her drawing class. Of course, she really didn't have much to do—I mean Miss Blanche. She only taught one class—French, she There's plenty of time. I think—" She hesitated—"I think she might be a busybody." "Do you think it is possible that she entered the gym to check a certain wardrobe?" "Student's closet? I don't want to say she wouldn't do that. She'd probably enjoy it." "Has Miss Springer herself a wardrobe there?" "Of course there is." "I think Miss Springer would be annoyed if Miss Springer caught on the spot that Miss Blanche was looking into her wardrobe." "of course!" "Don't you know anything about Miss Springer's private life?" "I don't think anyone knows," Ann said. "I wonder if she has a private life?" "You don't have anything more to say to us, like about the gymnasium?" "Alas—" Ann hesitated. "Go ahead, Miss Shaplan, and let's talk about this." "It's nothing really," Ann said slowly, "but one of the gardeners here—not Briggs, but the young one—I saw him come out of the gym the other day, and he's all right Going in there. Of course, it might be his curiosity—or maybe he's just being lazy for a while—and one would think he was going to tighten the ropes on the tennis court. I don't think it's really an occasion. thing." "But you haven't forgotten it," Kelsey pointed out to her, "and why?" "I think--" she frowned, "supercilious. And--he's always scornful of the money the school spends on the students." "It's this attitude... I understand." "I guess it's really nothing." "Probably nothing—but I'll make a note of it anyway." After Ann Shaplan was gone, Bond said: "That's the way it goes! For God's sake, let's hope we get some information from the janitors." But they got nothing from the janitor. "It's no use asking me, lad," said Mrs. Gibbons, the cook. "I can't hear you, and I don't know anything. I slept last night, and slept very soundly. Messed around, but I didn't hear anything at all. No one woke me up and told me what happened. I didn't hear about it until this morning." She looked very angry. Kelsey raised her voice and asked a few questions aloud.But he didn't answer the question, so he got nothing. Miss Springer was only here this term, and was not quite as agreeable as her predecessor, Miss Lorimer.Miss Shapland was also new, but an agreeable young woman.Mademoiselle Blanche was like all Frenchies—she thought the other teachers were against her, and allowed young girls to play tricks on her in class. "But she's not one to shout." Mrs. Gibbons admitted, "In some of the schools I've worked at, the French teachers were unbearably yelling." Most of the workers are maids who come early and return late. Only one of the maids slept in the school, and although she could hear what was being said to her, she was equally incapable of speaking.She couldn't say what she did know.She doesn't know anything.Miss Springer's manner was somewhat haughty.As for the gymnasium, and what was there, the maid knew nothing.She'd never seen a pistol or anything like that anywhere. Miss Bulstrode interrupted the questionable conversation. "Inspector Kelsey, a student wants to speak to you," she said. Kelsey immediately raised her head alertly: "Really? She knows the situation?" "As to that, I cannot say for sure," said Miss Bulstrode. "You'd better talk to her yourself. She is one of our foreign pupils, Princess Shesta, niece of Prince Ibrahim. Perhaps She thinks she's very great, but that's a little too much. You see what I mean?" Kelsey nodded knowingly.After Miss Bulstrode had gone out, a girl came in, a dark complexion and of medium height. Her almond eyes looked gravely at Kelsey and Bond. "Are you from the police station?" "Yes," Kelsey said with a smile. "We're from the police department. Please sit down and talk, will you? Tell me what you know about Miss Springer." "Okay, let me tell you." She sat down, leaned forward, and lowered her voice as if acting in a play. "There's been a watch over this place all the time. Oh, they're sneaky, you can't see who it is, but they just stay there." She nodded seriously. Inspector Kelsey thought he understood now what Miss Bulstrode had just said.This girl is acting herself - and having fun doing it. "Then why are they spying on this school?" "It's for me! They're going to kidnap me." Whatever answer Kelsey had expected to receive, it never occurred to him.He frowned and asked: "Why did they kidnap you?" "For the ransom, of course. That way they can get my relatives to come up with a lot of money." "Oh—this—maybe," said Kelsey vaguely. "But—oh—assuming that's the case, what does it have to do with Miss Springer's death?" "She must have found out about them," Shesta said. "Maybe she told them she knew something. Maybe she threatened them. Then maybe they promised her money if she didn't tell." .And she believed it. So she ran to the gym because they said they were going to hand her the money there. And they just shot her dead." "But Miss Springer would never want such ill-gotten gains?" "Do you think it's much fun to be a teacher at school—a gym teacher?" said Shesta contemptuously. "Don't you think she's more money-minded than anyone else?" "This—well—" said Inspector Kelsey, "I don't know what to say." No one had ever raised that opinion with him before. "It's just—well—your own idea?" he said. "Hasn't Miss Springer ever said anything to you?" "Miss Springer never said anything but 'stretch your arms up and bend over,' and 'speed up,' and 'don't be lazy,'" said Shesta bitterly. 'Resistance—exactly.Well, you don't think they're going to kidnap you, it's probably just your imagination. " When Shesta heard this, she was very annoyed. "He was killed in a revolution, or at least escaped it. People know that when I grow up, he's going to marry me. So you see, I'm a man of status. Maybe by Maybe the far left here. Maybe they didn't come to kidnap me, they wanted to kill me." Inspector Kelsey looked more and more in disbelief at this. "Is this going too far?" 'Do you think there is no such thing?I said there will be.They are very, very vicious, these extreme leftists!Everyone knows this. " Kelsey was still skeptical, so she went on: "Maybe they think I know where the jewels are hidden!" "What jewelry?" "My cousin has jewels. So does his father. We've always had jewels in our house. Just in case, you know." She deliberately said it as if it meant something. Kelsey stared at her. "But what has all this to do with you—or with Miss Springer?" "But I told you! Maybe they think I know where the jewels are. So they're going to take me away and make me tell." "And do you know where the jewels are?" "Of course I don't know. The jewels disappeared from the revolution. Maybe the far left took them. But maybe it wasn't them." "Who owns the jewelry?" "Now that my cousin is dead, the jewels are mine. There is no man left in their family. His aunt, my mother, is dead. He will make the jewels mine. If he hadn't died, I would have married for him." "Is that the original arrangement?" "I must marry him. You know he's my cousin." "If you had married him, you would have had the jewels, wouldn't you?" "No, I'm going to get another batch of jewels. From Cartier Jewelers in Paris. The original jewels are still hidden just in case." Inspector Kelsey blinked to let himself appreciate the Eastern contingency. Shesta was still talking on and on. "Maybe it's a good guy, maybe it's a bad guy. A good guy will bring me the jewelry and say 'it's yours' and I'll pay him." She nodded solemnly and performed. "This little thing can really act." Kelsey thought to himself. "But if it is a bad man, he will keep the jewels for himself and then sell them. Or he will come to me and say, 'If I bring you the jewels, how will you reward me?' If If it's worth it, he'll give it to me—but if it's not worth it, he won't give it to me!" "But no one actually came and said anything to you, did they?" "No, no," Shesta admitted. Kelsey then made up his mind. "I think you also know," he said pleasantly, "the many things you said are actually nonsense." Shesta gave Kelsey a resentful look. "I'm just telling you what I know," she said sternly. "Y-well, you're fine, and I'll take your words to heart." He got up and opened the door and let her out. "I almost told the whole story," he said after returning to his seat and sitting down. "It's kidnapping again, and it's mysterious jewels! Is there anything more absurd than this!"

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