Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen

Entering the Apple Grove House, the servant asked Hercule Poirot to sit in the living room and told him that Mrs. Drake would be there soon. As they passed through the hall Poirot heard women chattering, which he supposed to be coming from the dining room. Poirot went to the window and looked out at the neat and beautiful garden.Well laid out and well managed.The asters are still in full bloom, the chrysanthemums are also a scene full of vitality, and there are even one or two roses proudly looking forward to the gradual approach of winter. Poirot could not see any contribution from the horticulturist here. Everything followed the tradition, but it was cultivated quite well.He wondered if Mrs. Drake was a little annoying to Mitchell, and Garfield couldn't stand it.He laid out all kinds of bait, but all in vain, it was obvious at a glance that this was just a well-kept suburban garden.

The door opened. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, M. Poirot," said Mrs. Drake. The chirping sound outside the hall gradually weakened, and people kept leaving. "It's about holding a Christmas celebration in the church." Mrs. Drake explained, "The members of the organizing committee have a meeting with me to discuss how to arrange it. This kind of meeting will never end once it starts. Someone always proposes Opposition, or good ideas, and good ideas often don't work at all." Her tone was slightly indignant, and Poirot could well imagine that Mrs. Drake would relentlessly point out the absurdity of something, from Spence's sister's words and other people's hints, and through various Along the way, he learns that Rowena Drake is dictatorial, that she is expected to lead the way, and that she is unappreciated.He could also imagine that, despite her duties, she would not be favored by her elderly relatives of her character, and he had heard that Mrs. Llewellyn Smythe had moved here to leave her nephew. The niece and daughter-in-law were nearer, so that although they did not live in the same house, the niece and daughter-in-law had already made plans to take care of the old lady's daily life, and it is likely that Mrs. Llewellyn Smythe was also very grateful to Rowena Dray in her heart. Ke, but at the same time, undoubtedly extremely dissatisfied with her arbitrariness.

Hearing the hall door close at last, Rowena Drake said: "Well, it's all gone at last, what do you want from me? Or about that dreadful party? I wish I hadn't held it at home." That party was all right. But the other houses don't seem right, and is Mrs. Oliver staying at Judith Butler's?" "Yes, I think she's going back to London in a day or two. You haven't seen her before?" "No. But I enjoy looking at her work." "Yes, she is recognized as a first-rate writer," said Poirot. "Well, she's a first-rate writer, no doubt about it. She's interesting herself, and she has her own opinion—meaning she probably knows who did it?"

"I don't think she knows. How about you, ma'am?" "I've already told you that I have no idea." "You may just say so, but in fact—maybe you already have, maybe you don't—how to say, it's just an outline, it's a valuable opinion, it's not mature yet, your guess may be It's true." "Why do you think so?" She eyed him curiously. "Did you see something? A very small and insignificant thing, but the more you think about it, the more you realize that maybe it's not as meaningless as you thought it was at the beginning."

"Mr. Poirot, you must be referring to something. An accident?" "Hey, I admit it because someone mentioned it to me." "Sure enough, who is it?" "A Miss Whitaker, a primary school teacher." "Oh, so it's her, Elizabeth Whittaker. Math teacher at Elm Elementary, isn't that her? I remember she was there at the party. Did she see anything?" "Not so much what she saw as what she thought you might have seen." Mrs. Drake shook her head in surprise. "What might I have seen? I can't think of it now," said Mrs. Drake, "but who knows."

"It has to do with vases," said Poirot. "A vase full of flowers." "A vase of flowers?" Rowena Drake asked in bewilderment, and then her brow relaxed. "Oh, yes. I remember. Yes, there's a table full of The chrysanthemums and branches in the vase. It was a beautiful glass vase. I received it as a gift when I got married. Some of the leaves were drooping and some of the flowers were wilted. I remember I found it when I walked through the hall—that It was about the end of the party, and I don't remember exactly—I wondered to myself how it could have happened, so I went upstairs and put my hand in, and it turned out that some idiot forgot to add water after setting it up. Annoyed, I went into the bathroom with a vase to fill the water. What can I see in the bathroom? There is no one in it. I know it very well. I can’t rule out that during the party—two older girls and boys have been there, taking In American parlance, it’s called cuddling and making out. But when I went in with the vase, there was absolutely no one there.”

"No, no, that's not what I meant," said Poirot, "but I hear that something unexpected has happened. The vase has slipped from your hand, rolled down the drawing-room and broke." "Oh, yes," Rowena said, "it fell to pieces, and I panicked, because as I said, the vase was a gift from someone when I got married, and it was of high quality. Problem. I was so stupid that my fingers slipped and the vase fell out of my hands and shattered on the hall floor. Elizabeth Whittaker happened to be standing there. She helped me pick up the pieces and sweep the glass away To one side, for fear that someone would step on it, we swept it into the corner next to the big clock and cleaned it up after the party.”

She studied Poirot. "Is this the unexpected thing you said?" she asked. "Yes," replied Poirot. "I suppose Miss Whittaker wonders why you have dropped the vase. She thinks you have been frightened." "I was frightened?" Rowena Drake looked at Poirot, frowned and thought for a while, "No, I don't think I was frightened at all, sometimes things fall by accident, for example When it comes to doing the laundry. I think it’s because I’m so tired. I’m exhausted, I’m getting ready for the party, I’m hosting the party, I’m so busy. It’s going really well, I think it’s because—ah, tired There is no way, if you are not sure, you will do stupid things."

"Are you sure that nothing frightened you? Like seeing something you didn't expect?" "See what? Where? Downstairs in the hall? I didn't see a thing in the hall. Everyone was playing chestnuts. The hall was empty, yes, only Miss Whittaker was there, but until I barely noticed her until she came to help me." "Did you see anyone coming out of the study?" "The study... I understand what you mean, yes, I should be able to see it." She paused for a while, then stared at Poirot and said: "I didn't see anyone come out of the study," she said, "never..."

He didn't believe it, the more she said that, the more he doubted him, she didn't tell the truth, in fact she saw someone, or saw the door opened a crack, or glimpsed the person in the study, but she denied it very much Simply, he wanted to know why she was so straightforward?Was it because she didn't want to connect that man with the murder?Could it be that she cared deeply about the man—or, more likely, that she wanted to protect the man, who was probably underage and she didn't think he knew what a terrible thing he had done. He thought she was an honest woman though powerful, a woman like her who was often in administration, presided over a committee or a charity, cared about things that were good for the public, and at the same time they put too much emphasis on excusable circumstances, often Find all kinds of excuses for young criminals, such as underage boys or girls with mental retardation. They may already be the object of discipline, but they often win their sympathy. If you see such people coming out of the study, He felt that she probably wanted to protect them out of instinct. The children who commit crimes nowadays are generally very young, and it is unknown at what age. 7-year old? 9 years old?They are usually tried in juvenile courts. It seems difficult to figure out how to prevent juvenile delinquency, and they are often given many excuses, such as family breakdown and poor parental care.But it was Rowena Drake who spoke up for them the most, and found every excuse for them, and they were always so harsh and critical.

Poirot himself disapproved of their approach.His first thought was always justice.He had always been skeptical of compassion—that is, too much of it.From his experiences in Belgium and this country, he feels that the misuse of mercy often leads to catastrophe. If justice is put first and then mercy, many innocent victims will not die in vain. "I see," said Poirot, "I see." "Do you think Miss Whitaker saw someone go into the study?" Mrs. Drake reminded. Poirot asked with great interest: "Oh, you think it's possible?" "I just think there is such a possibility. For example, five minutes or more ago, she saw someone enter the study. When I accidentally smashed the vase, she might have thought I had caught a glimpse of that person. Maybe I saw him clearly." Who is it? It is possible that she is unwilling to say who she thinks that person is because she didn't see it clearly, for fear of causing misunderstanding, maybe what she saw was a child or the back of a young man." "Ma'am, do you think the person she saw was just a child, or that he is underage? Do you think the perpetrator of the case we are looking for is very likely to be this kind of person?" She thought for a while before saying: "Yes, I do think so, but I haven't figured it out yet. It seems to me that cases these days are often about young people. No one knows what they are doing. Some just want revenge, some want to Destroy everything. Even those who smash phone boxes, puncture car tires, and all kinds of sabotage, they do it out of hatred-not necessarily hating a person, but hating the whole world, the disease of the times, so Seeing a child drowned at a party for no reason or something, people naturally think that the person who did it has not been fully responsible for his actions, do you also feel-feel that in this case A possibility?" "The police agree with you—at least they did, I think." "Oh, they will find out. The police in our area are very capable. They have handled several cases very well. They work hard and never give up easily. They can probably solve this case, but it may take a while. It took a while to collect evidence." "Madam, it is quite difficult to collect evidence in this case." "Yes, that is, when my husband was killed—he had a bad leg—he was crossing the road, and a car drove up behind him and knocked him to the ground. The perpetrator was never found. Maybe you don't know, I My husband is suffering from polio. He suffered from polio six years ago. He was partially paralyzed. He has improved a little, but his legs are still inconvenient. The car was flying towards him and he couldn't dodge it. I even felt that the responsibility was all on me, he He never let me follow him when he went out, nor let anyone help him, because he hates being served by him, and neither can his wife. And he is always very careful when crossing the road, but once an accident happens, I still deeply blame myself." "Did the accident happen after your aunt passed away?", "No, she died not long after. People often say that misfortunes never come singly, do I think so?" "Yes, indeed," said Hercule Poirot, who asked again: "Did the police not find the vehicle?" "I remember it was a Grasshopper VII, you know one in every three cars on the road is a Grasshopper VII - or so it was, they told me it was one of the best sellers on the market , they believe it was stolen from a car park in Manchester. The owner, surnamed Waterhouse, was an old Manchester businessman with a seed business. He was clearly not the perpetrator. The car was undoubtedly stolen by irresponsible young men Yes, these irresponsible young men, or rather ruthless young men, are being punished too lightly these days." "Should be in prison for a few more years. It's just a fine, and the fine is paid by their relatives who dote on them. It's completely useless." "We can't forget," Rowena Drake said, "their age is critical. If you don't keep them in school, you can't expect them to do anything good in life." "The holy cause of education." Hercule Poirot said, "I heard this statement from the authority of the academic circles. I think everyone should pay attention to education." "Education is not a panacea, say, for a child whose family is broken." "Do you think there should be other punishments for them than prison?" "Take the appropriate remedy," Rowena Drake said firmly. "So you can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, come on? You don't believe the adage that every man's fate is fastened around his neck'?" Mrs. Drake looked puzzled and slightly displeased. "It's an Islamic motto," said Poirot, and Mrs. Drake didn't seem to care. She replied: "We don't want to copy the views of the Middle East or say utopias." "We have to accept the facts," said Poirot. "Modern biologists—Western biologists point out—" He hesitated for a moment, then went on, "The root of a person's actions lies in his genetic makeup, which means that a person Killing people at the age of twenty-four actually started to show signs of killing at the age of two, three, or four, or in other words, mathematicians and musical geniuses are different from others since childhood." "We're not talking about murder," Mrs. Drake said. "My husband died in a car accident, caused by a reckless and irresponsible person. Whether the perpetrator was a child or a young person, there is hope that this will eventually be accepted. It is a belief that people should think more about others, and it is absolutely unacceptable to inadvertently kill others, even if it is not intentional, it is just a negligent crime.” "So you're sure the perpetrator didn't do it on purpose?" "I should have suspected it," said Mrs. Drake, a little surprised. "The police don't seem to have really considered the possibility. I really haven't thought about it. It's just an accident. A tragic accident that changed The lives of many, including my own." "You say we are not discussing murder," said Poirot, "but the case of Joyce is what we are discussing, and it was not an accident at all. Her head was deliberately pushed into the water by hands, and she was not released until she was drowned." Open, premeditated murder." "I know, I know. It's too dreadful. I don't even want to think about it. I don't want to mention it." She stood up and paced up and down, but Poirot ignored her and continued: "We are still faced with a choice, and we have to find out the motive for committing the crime." "I don't think there seems to be much motivation in this type of case." "You mean the murderer is seriously insane and even takes pleasure in killing? Just want to kill minors?" "This kind of thing is not unheard of. The real reason is difficult to find out, and even psychiatrists are not conclusive." "You're not going to accept a simple explanation?" She was puzzled and asked Guangsi? " "The murderer is not insane. It is not the kind of case that psychiatrists are talking about. It is possible that the murderer just wants to gain a sense of security." "Security? Oh, you mean—" "Just that day, hours before, the kid was boasting that she had witnessed someone kill someone." "Joyce," said Mrs. Drake calmly, "what a silly girl, I'm afraid she often tells lies." "Everyone else says so," replied Hercule Poirot. "You see, I am beginning to believe that since everyone says so, it must be so." He sighed. He stood up, and his attitude changed. "I'm sorry, ma'am, for bringing so many sad things before you, which have nothing to do with me. But according to Miss Whittaker—" "Why don't you talk to her anymore?" "You mean—" "She is a teacher. She has a much better understanding of the potentialities (as you say) of the children she teaches than I do." After a while she said: "And Miss Emlyn." "Headmaster?" Poirot was surprised. "Yeah, she's very judgmental, I mean, she's downright a psychologist. You say I might know who killed Joyce—or maybe it's just an immature opinion, I don't—but Em Miss Lin may know." "really interesting……" "I'm not saying she has evidence, not that she just knows, and she can tell you—but I don't think she can." "I feel now," said Poirot, "that I still have a long way to go. Some people know—but don't want to tell me." He looked thoughtfully at Rowena Drake. "Your aunt used to have a foreign girl serving her?" "You seem to have heard every word of the local gossip." She said blankly, "Yes, there was one. Auntie left suddenly within a few days of her death." "It doesn't seem to be for no reason." "I don't know if saying this counts as slandering her—but God suspects that she seems to have forged a rider in my aunt's will—maybe someone forged it for her." "Who?" "She was very familiar with a young man who worked in an office in Manchester. He had forged documents before and went to court. Because of the disappearance of the girl, the case has never been tried. She realized that the probate was not passed. There will be a lawsuit, so she left and never heard from again." "It is said that she too was born into a broken family," said Poirot. Rowena Drake glared at him hard, but he smiled. "Thank you for telling me so much, ma'am," he said. After leaving Mrs. Drake's house, Poirot saw a path beside the main road, and the sign said "Cemetery Road", and he walked along the path.After walking for about ten minutes, the cemetery appeared in front of his eyes. Obviously, the cemetery was built only ten years ago, and it may be a supporting facility after the development of the Woodley residential area.The size of the church is medium, with a history of two to three hundred years. The yard is not big, and it is already full of burials.So a new cemetery was built between the two fields, with a path leading to the church. In Poirot's eyes, the new cemetery was orderly, and the inscriptions on the marble or granite slabs were just right; There are some shrubs and flowers, and there are no old-style epitaphs.Ancient players would not have much interest in this place, neat and clean, expressing the grief of relatives. He stopped and looked at several tombs that had been repaired two or three years ago. One of the erected tombstones read "Rowena, Arabella, Drake's husband Hugo, Edmond, Drake's tomb, So it was on March 20, 19..." The epitaph is: He gave sleep to his dear Poirot, remembering Rowena Drake brimming with life, could not help thinking that the dead Mr. Drake might only find a moment of peace in sleep. An alabaster vase, half buried in the earth, with flowers in it, approached Poirot, an elderly gardener, apparently employed to guard the graves of wealthy citizens who had left this world, Putting aside the hoe and broom, he tried to have a few words with Poirot. "First time here," he said, "isn't it, sir?" "Exactly," said Poirot, "we have never met, and none of these dead people knew each other." "Ah, yes," he went on, "look over there in the corner, the dead man is a good man, Mr. Drake, and he's crippled. He's got polio, they say, though the sick Often it's not babies, adults get it too, both men and women, my wife had an aunt who got it in Spain, she went on a trip there and took a bath in a certain river. Later people Said it was water infection, but I think they're just guessing. The doctors don't agree with that, but, it's different now, they vaccinate children and things like that, and it's much less common than it used to be. Hey, he Not a bad guy, didn't complain a word, though he's sick of being lame, and he's been a great athlete, used to play on the village baseball team. He's got a great game, he's done a lot of work, well, nice guy." "He died in a car accident, didn't he?" "Yes. Crossing the road, it was almost late at night, a car drove by, and the two young men in the car had their beards growing to their ears. I heard what they said, and they ran away without even stopping. , without even looking at it, dumped the car in a parking lot twenty miles away, it wasn't their own car, it was stolen from a parking lot somewhere, alas, it's terrible, there are so many accidents these days. The police are always helpless. His wife is very good to him, it's too much of a blow to her, she comes here to see him almost every week, brings flowers and puts them here, well, they are very affectionate. She can't stay here How long has it been?" "Really? Doesn't she have a nice house?" "Well, yes, she does a lot of things in the village, you know, women's associations, tea parties, and various group activities, she always presides over them. Some people think she has too much control and is a bit bossy. Some people say that she is arbitrary and meddling. But the pastor trusts her. She has charisma. She is indispensable for women’s gatherings and so on. She also organizes trips and excursions. It’s true. I don’t like to tell my wife, but I often You don't think women are any more lovable when they're into these wholesome activities. They're pretty darn proficient, telling you what to do and what not to do, and no freedom at all. There's just not much freedom these days." "You think Mrs. Drake is leaving here?" "I wouldn't be surprised if she left here to spend time abroad. They love being abroad and they used to go on holidays." "Why is she leaving?" A cheerful smile appeared on the old man's face in an instant. "Well, what should I say, she's done all she can do here. In the scriptures, she needs to plant another vineyard. She needs more social work. There's not much to do here. She's done. She's done it, she's even overdone it (some people think), that's it." "She needs a new piece of land to work?" suggested Poirot. "You're right. It's better to live somewhere else, where you can do a lot of work and scare a lot of people. Here she's got us pretty much done, so what else is there to do?" "Perhaps so," replied Poirot. "Even her husband doesn't need to take care of her anymore. She has taken care of him for several years, which can be regarded as a goal in life. With this matter, and doing some activities outside, she can be busy all day long. People like her I just like to be busy. It’s even more regrettable that she doesn’t have children, so I think she can start from scratch in another place.” "You are right. Where is she going?" "I don't know for sure, but one of those summer resorts--or Spain, or Portugal, or Greece--I've heard her talk about the Greek islands, where Mrs. Butler visited." Poirot smiled. "The Isles of Greece," he murmured, and then he asked: "Do you like her?" "Mrs. Drake? I can't say I really like her. She's a nice person. She does her duty to her neighbors, but at the same time she always wants to make her neighbors think she's authoritative. People don't like this kind of person very much. Show me how to do it." Pruning roses, and I'm pretty good at it. I'm always advised to plant new vegetables, and I think cabbage is good enough, and I love cabbage." Poirot smiled and said, "I have to go. Can you tell me where Nicholas, Ranson and Desmond live, and where Holland lives?" "Passing the church, the third building on the left is where they live and board at Mrs. Bland's house and go to Manchester Polytechnic University every day. They should be home now." He glanced at Poirot with interest. "You think so too? Some people already think so." "No, I don't have any ideas right now. But they were there - that's all." He hadn't gone far before he thought to himself: "I've seen almost all the people present."