Chapter 10 Chapter 10 The Christmas Murders

"I protested," said Mr. Henry Cressering, blinking slightly, looking at the company, and Colonel Bantry, with his legs stretched out, was frowning at the mantelpiece like a Slack soldiers on parade.His wife was quietly scanning the catalog of some bulbs that had just arrived.Dr. Lloyd stared at Jenny Hellier with undisguised admiration.The beautiful actress gazed thoughtfully at her glossy pink nails.Only the elderly spinster Miss Marple sat upright, her natural blue eyes blinking and meeting Mr Henry's in response. "Protest?" she whispered. "A very serious protest. There are six of us, half men and half women, and I'm protesting on behalf of the downtrodden male citizens here. We've told three stories tonight, all three Men speak separately, and I protest that the ladies are not doing their part."

"Oh!" said Mrs. Bantry indignantly, "we have done what we have to do. With our wits we listen, we judge, and that's all a woman can do, and don't expect to put ourselves in the lead. The center of attention." "Excellent excuse," said Sir Henry, "but a good precedent if it doesn't work. Go ahead, therefore." "You mean me?" said Mrs. Bantry, "but I really have nothing to tell. I've never had any bloodshed or unsolvable mysteries around me." "I don't insist on a murder," Sir Henry continued, "but I'm sure one of you three ladies will have a case she thinks is the best. Now, Miss Marple, here's What about the 'strange accident that happened to the maid' or the 'mystery of the motherhood'? Don't let us down on St. Mary Mead."

Miss Marple shook her head and said: "There is nothing that interests you, Sir Henry. We are often puzzled by things, such as the inexplicable disappearance of Mrs. So-and-so's bag of shrimps I mentioned earlier, and so on, you will not be impressed." Interesting, because they are all trivial things, even though these small things can reflect human nature." "You have taught us to value humanity," said Sir Henry seriously. "How are you, Miss Hellier?" asked Colonel Bantry. "You must have had some interesting experiences." "Yes, there must be," said Dr. Lloyd.

"Me?" said Jenny, "do you want me to tell you what happened to me?" "Or your friend's," corrected Sir Henry. "Oh!" Jenny mumbled, "I don't think anything happened to me, I mean the kind you're referring to. Flowers, and notes of all sorts, of course, but those are just men's games, aren't they?" ?” She paused, lost in thought. "I reckon we'd better hear about the shrimp legend!" said Sir Henry. "Please, Miss Marple." "You can be joking, Sir Henry, the shrimp business is just a casual one. But I do recall an incident—at least not a trivial one, a tragedy in fact, in which I myself was partly involved. ...I never regret what I did, no, not at all, it's just a pity it didn't happen in St Mary Mead."

"It disappoints me a little," said Sir Henry, "but I will try to accept it, and we both know you can be counted on." His demeanor made Miss Marple blush. "I wish I could tell the story in its entirety," she said apprehensively, "I'm afraid it's incoherent, people don't realize when they digress, and it's hard for me to remember the sequence of events. , please bear with me if I have made a mistake in the narrative, it was a long time ago." "As I said, the tragedy happened not in St. Mary Mead, but in a school." "You mean it happened on the seaplane?" Jenny asked, eyes wide.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, my dear," said Mrs. Bantry, explaining to her both meanings of the word.Then her husband broke in and said: "Damn place. Terrible. Get up early in the morning and drink the dirty water. Old women sit around and gossiping. God, when I think of..." "Come, Arthur," said Mrs. Bantry gently, "you can't be the best in the world." "It's a lot of old women sitting around talking scandals," grumbled Colonel Bantry. "Yes," said Miss Marple, "myself..." "Dear Miss Marple," cried the Colonel, with a flustered expression, "I don't mean at all . . . "

Miss Marple blushed a little, and stopped him with a small gesture: "But that's the way it is, Mr. Colonel Bantry, and what I want to tell you is exactly what you just said. Let me clear my head, yes, as you said, they got together to talk about some rehearsal I heard, they do talk about this kind of thing. Everyone looks down on them, especially young people. My nephew, who wrote the book, is also a very bright young man, and once criticized this in harsher terms. to say that they take away people's morals for no reason, and so on and so forth. But what I'm trying to say is that none of the young people stop criticizing and use their brains to think. They don't really understand It's a matter of how much of the gossip is true. If they had done some serious research, I think they would have found that nine times out of ten the gossip was true. That's what really pissed off."

"Encouraging speculation," said Sir Henry. "No, it's not guesswork, not at all, it's a matter of practice and experience. I once heard of a researcher of ancient Egyptian antiquities who would tell you if you gave him one of those wonderful little beetles. Whether it was from B.C. or a Birmingham imitation, he could never tell what the pattern was, but he could recognize it, and he had been dealing with these things all his life. "It's this ambiguity that I'm trying to convey. These 'excess women', as my nephew calls them, have plenty of time, they're mostly interested in people, and in that regard, they're becoming ' Experts'. Today's young people don't have to be subject to so many restrictions like we were young. They are free to talk about any topic, but their minds are frighteningly simple. They are gullible, and if someone is going to warn them, even lightly Whisper, and they'll tell you that your mind is outdated, that the place where these old ladies congregate is like a sink."

"Then," said Sir Henry, "is there anything wrong with the sink?" "Yes," said Miss Marple a little excitedly. "It's an essential part of any house, although not as romantic as a bedroom. I have to admit, I'm a bit emotional, and so are other people. Those mindless, thoughtless comments are deeply I know that gentlemen have no interest in domestic affairs, but I must say something about my maid Ethel, a good-looking girl with all manners of manners. Knowing that she's one of those girls with Anne Webb and poor Brut, when the time comes, everything that's mine, everything that's yours, becomes hers for her. I put her in that month Dismissed, wrote her a letter of recommendation, said she was honest and dignified, but privately I warned old Mrs. Edward not to take her. My nephew Raymond was greatly indignant at this, saying he had never heard of such Abominable thing, yes, abominable. Later, she went to Miss Ashton again, and I don't think it's my duty to remind the lady. Guess what? All the lace was cut out of the underwear, and the two diamond brooches were Take it away, and the maid left her house in the dark. After that, I never heard from her again."

Miss Marple stopped, took a deep breath, and then continued: "You're going to say that this has nothing to do with what happened at Keston Spa, but it does in a sense. That just goes to show why, from the first time I saw Sanders, You know why he wants to get rid of her too much." "Oh?" said Sir Henry, leaning forward.Miss Marple turned to him with a serene countenance. "As I said, Sir Henry, I have no doubts that he is going to dump her. Sanders is a big, handsome, rosy-cheeked, spirited man who gets along with everyone around him. His wife is not as agreeable as he is. Yes. I know he's going to get rid of her."

"Dear Miss Marple..." "Yeah, yeah, that's what my nephew Raymond West said, too, and he said I was being superstitious. But I can't forget Walter Horsley, Greenman's boss, on the way home with Mrs. Da fell into the river, but he took Tai Tai's life insurance. To this day, there are two other people who have not been brought into the French Open. One lives in the same class as me, and went to Switzerland with Da Da to spend the summer. , they want to climb the mountain, I warned the big lady not to go, the poor thing didn't yell at me like usual, just smiled 'she thinks an oldie like me would think that about her husband Harry , it's ridiculous. Then, by accident, Harry married another woman. But what can I do? I know what's going on, but I have no proof." "Oh: Miss Marple," cried Mrs. Bantry, "you won't say, my dear, that sort of thing is common and common. Gentlemen are easily tempted, though they are strong. It's much easier to make it look like an accident. As I said before, the first time I saw Mr. Saunders, I knew what kind of man he was. It happened on a tram and it was crowded , I had to go to the upper floor. When the three of us stood up and were about to get off the bus, Mr. Saunders lost his footing and fell to his head. Hold her." "It must have been an accident." "Of course it was an accident, nothing looks more like an accident than this, but Sanders told me once, he served on the merchant marine, don't tell me, he can't do it on a pitching ship. People who lose their balance will not be able to stand firmly on the tram that even an old woman like me can stand on." "To a certain extent, we would consider this to be your imagination, Miss Marple, with elements of fiction." The old girl nodded. "I trust my own judgment. Then one day, an accident while crossing the road convinced me of it, and now, I ask you, what should I do, Sir Henry? There is a contented, happy Married women are murdered right away." "My dear lady, you surprise me." "That's because, like most people these days, you haven't faced reality. You'd rather think it's impossible, but I know it is. It is useless to warn the woman. I can see that she is devoted to her husband. I can only gather as much information about them as possible. As the saying goes, you will have enough time for needlework by the fire Yes. Mrs. Saunders (her name is Gladys), not very talkative, they seem to have just married, said he was going to get an inheritance. But they were living very poorly at that time, in fact , they lived on her meager wages. She complained that she had no access to the family finances, as if someone somewhere was controlling everything. I later found out that the money that belonged to her had been taken by her. It was left to others in the form of a will. At the same time as they got married, they each made a will that was beneficial to each other. It was very touching. Of course, it is a daily burden to turn a playboy back .Actually they needed money at the time. They lived on the top floor with the servants' rooms, which is dangerous in case of fire. If there is a fire, the emergency exit is outside their window. I asked her carefully, the room Whether there is a balcony outside, that is where the danger lies. On the balcony, you only need to push it lightly. "I promise not to go to the balcony. I said it was a revelation from a dream, and she firmly remembered that sometimes superstitions work well. She was a pretty girl, a little pale, with untwisted curly hair." Shoulder length. But she was very gullible, and told her husband exactly what I said. Once or twice, I found him looking at me strangely. He is not the type to be easily coaxed, he knew I'm also on the tram. "I'm worried, very worried, and I don't know how to catch him by the tail. In the nursing home I can prevent accidents by hinting at him, and I can do it with my suspicions, but that can only delay it at best." His plan. He can't be allowed to do that. I'm starting to believe that only the police can stop him. He has to be trapped anyway. If I can lure him to kill in the way I choose, his mask will be destroyed. Rip it off. Then she has to face reality, even though it was a big blow to her." "You astonish me," said Dr. Lloyd. "What trick did you use?" "Don't worry, I have found a good way," said Miss Marple, "but the man is much smarter than I thought. He didn't wait any longer. He was sure I was suspicious, and before I fully He did it before it was done. He knew that an accident would attract my suspicion. So he changed the plan to a murder." Everyone was a little breathless, Miss Marple nodded and bit her lips stubbornly. "I'm afraid I'm rambling. I should have told you what happened. I've been heartbroken and I could have prevented it. But God knows I did." "There was a sense of what I thought was an eerie dread in the air, like something was pressing on top of us and we were suffocating, something ominous. I have to start with George, the hall porter. He had been in the nursing home for years and knew everyone. He started with bronchitis, developed pneumonia, and died on the fourth day of his illness. Everyone was hit. It was just before Christmas The festival was only four days long. Then another lady, a good girl, got septicemia and died within twenty-four hours. "I was sitting in the drawing-room with Miss Trollope and old Mrs. Carpenter, and Mrs. Carpenter, who was a superstitious one, was delighted to talk about it." "Mark my words," she said, "it's not over yet. There's a saying that misfortunes never come singly. I've proved it more than once. Someone will die. You don't have to doubt it, and it won't be too long, and it won't be too long." There will be a third person who will die, and misfortunes never come singly!' "After the last sentence, she nodded and rattled her knitting needles. I looked up just in time to see Sanders standing in the doorway, and for a moment he was in a daze, the expression on his face couldn't be more clear Well, on the day I die I'll think Mrs. Carpenter's horrible words got into his head, and I can see his brain racing." Can I bring back some Christmas items for the ladies? ' he asked, 'I'm going to Keston now. ' he came in with his amiable smile. "He stuck among us for a minute or two, talking and laughing, and then he left us. As I said, I was worried all the time, so I asked bluntly: "'Anyone know where Mrs. Sanders is?' "Mrs. Trollope went to her friends, and the Mortimers went to a card game. My mind was relieved for a moment, but I was still worried and uncertain what to do. About half an hour later I left Going back to my room, I met Dr. Coles, who was my doctor, and he was coming down the stairs as I was going upstairs, and I was going to talk to him about my rheumatism, so I asked him to come to my room. He and I mentioned poor girl Mary's death, and the manager didn't want it to be publicized, and the doctor told me not to. I didn't tell him, of course, that for an hour or so after Mary's death, our conversation was all about Mary. Yes. Such things cannot be covered. A man of his experience should understand that, but the doctor is a simple, unsuspecting man, who only believes what he wants to believe. A minute later, he This credulity alarmed me. He said that as he was leaving, Mr. Saunders asked him to see his wife, who seemed to have just had some discomfort, like indigestion or something. "But that same day, Mrs. Saunders told me her digestive system was fine, and she thanked God for that. "See? My suspicions about this man increased a hundredfold. He was paving the way for some kind of action. What action? Before I could decide whether to tell the doctor what I thought, he left me Even if I told him, I don't know where to start. I just stepped out the door, and this Sanders just came down the stairs, dressed to go out, and asked me again if I needed him from the city. Bring me something back. All I could do was greet him. I went straight to the lounge and ordered a cup of tea. I think it was half past five. "Now I would like to set out what happened next. I remained in the drawing room until a quarter to seven. At this moment Mr. Saunders entered, accompanied by two gentlemen, all three walking briskly." Sanders left his friend and came over to where Mrs. Trollope and I were sitting and said he bought his wife a Christmas present and wanted our opinion. Bag for dresses. "Look! Ladies," said he, "I'm just a rough sailor, and I don't know anything about this kind of stuff. I've got them to send me three to choose from, and I want to hear from you experts." "We told him we would be happy to oblige. He asked if he would please us to go upstairs, as he was too big to run into it if he took it down. So we went upstairs with him. What ensued I will never forget it, and I still feel the pain in my little finger. "Mr Saunders opened the bedroom door and turned on the light, who saw it first... "Mrs Saunders fell to the ground, head down, dead. "I ran to her first, knelt down, took her hand and felt her pulse, but it was useless, her arm was cold and straight. There was a stuffed animal next to the head. Sandy socks—the weapon that knocked her down, Miss Trollope, the fool, leaned against the door, moaning over and over again. Saunders yelled 'my wife, my wife... ...' rushed at her. I wouldn't let him touch her, and I knew then that he did it. He must have been trying to take something away or hide it. "'Don't touch, don't touch anything,' said I. 'Mr. Saunders, please calm down. Miss Trollope, please go downstairs and bring me the manager.' "I stayed in the house, kneeling over the body, and I couldn't leave Saunders alone with her, but I have to admit, if he's acting, he's acting well. He looks like that Dazed, bewildered, completely terrified. "The manager was on the scene in a short while. He did a quick search of the room. He then kicked us all out and locked the door. He took the key himself, and then, he went to call the police. We seemed to be waiting The police hadn't come in a century, and we found out later that there was a problem with the telephone line, and the manager had to send a courier to the police station. The sanitarium was far from the city, on the edge of the wilderness. Mrs. Carpenter carefully sent We inquired about the situation, and she was particularly proud that the prophecy of "misfortunes never come singly" was fulfilled so quickly. It was said that Sanders walked aimlessly towards the garden of the nursing home, moaning with his hands in his hands, showing his grief. "Finally the police came and went upstairs with the manager and Mr. Saunders. Later they asked me to go up too. I went upstairs and the inspector was sitting at a desk writing something. He was a watchman. Looks very smart, I like him. "'Miss Jane Marple?' he asked. "'yes.' "'I hear you were there when the body was found.' "I said I was there and described the situation to him. "I think the poor man was in a bit of a fog after talking to Sanders and Emily Trollope. Well now, at last he's found someone who can answer his questions coherently. Human. My mother taught me that a well-bred woman should be able to control her emotions in public at all times, even though she makes concessions in private." "An admirable maxim," whispered Sir Henry. "When I had told all I knew, the Inspector said: "Thank you, ma'am, I have to ask you to take another look at the body. Is she still in the same place, has it been moved, is it in the same place as you first saw it?" "I explained to him that I didn't let Saunders move the body, and he nodded that I was right. "Mr. Sanders seems to have taken a big hit," he said. "'It seems so,' I replied. "I don't think I emphasized the word 'looks', but the Inspector looked at me with a piercing look. "So we can be sure the body is where it was, untouched?" he said. "'Except the hat,' I replied. "The inspector looked up alertly. "'What do you mean? What's the matter with the hat?' "I told him the hat was on Gladys's head, and now it's on her head. I thought it was the police, but the inspector was absolutely sure it wasn't them, they didn't touch anything. , what, he frowned, looking at the face-down corpse. Gladys was dressed in the clothes she was going out in, a dark red tweed coat with a fur collar, and that cheap red felt hat lay quietly on her back. side. "The inspector stood there quite a while in silence, frowning, when suddenly he remembered something. "'Can you recall, ma'am, whether the deceased had earrings in his ears, or was in the habit of wearing earrings?' "Fortunately, I have the habit of observing things carefully. I remember a pair of pearls shining under the brim of my hat. Although I didn't pay special attention to the pair of earrings at the time, I can give you a positive answer. "'That's right. The lady's jewelry box was robbed, I know, she didn't have anything of much value, and the ring was taken off her finger. The murderer must have forgotten the earring, so he was found in the murder. Then came back and took off the earring, a cold-blooded guy. Oh! 'Maybe...' He looked around, and then said slowly: 'He may be hiding in this room, always in the room.' "I disagreed with his conclusions, and I explained to him that I had checked under the bed myself, and the manager had also opened the wardrobe, and there was no other place to hide in this room except these two. The wardrobe The small cupboard for hats in the middle was locked, but it was only a shallow partition, and there was no way to hide people. "The inspector kept nodding his head as I made these observations. "'I agree with you, ma'am. I said he'd come back, a very cold-blooded fellow.' "'But the manager locked the door and held the key in his hand.' "'That doesn't mean much, balconies and fire escapes are the thief's shortest way in and out. Perhaps your intrusion forced him to slip through the window. After you all left, he returned to continue his business.' "'Are you sure it was the thief?' I said. "He said without expression: "'It looks like it, doesn't it?' "I was relieved by that tone of his. I don't think he's treating Sanders as just a widower. "I admit, I'm a bit 'stubborn' as my neighbours, the French, say. I know this man Saunders wants his wife dead, I just imagine things will happen to me What a strange coincidence. I could never be wrong about Sanders. He was a villain. The fake sadness he feigned never fooled me for a moment. I still remember how I felt. , he was startled, bewildered, and acted like it was all real, you know what I mean. After talking to the Inspector, a strange thought crept into my head: If this terrible thing is Sanders Shit, I can't think of any convincing reason for him to go back to the scene of the accident and take his wife's earrings? It's not a smart move, and Sanders is a very sane guy, that is That's why I think he's dangerous." Miss Marple glanced over her audience one by one. "Perhaps, you can all guess what my conclusion is? What happens in this world is always independent of people's will. I trust my judgment so much, it is this stubbornness that makes me so critical of everything else I turned a blind eye, but the result was completely beyond my expectations, and it turned out that Sanders did not do it..." Bantry let out a startled gasp, and Miss Marple turned to her and said: "I know, darling, when I started telling this story, it didn't turn out what you hoped for, and it didn't turn out what I hoped, but facts are facts. If it turns out that someone is wrong, he has to admit it and start over. Let's start. In my heart, Sanders is the murderer, and nothing will change my opinion. "I think everybody wants to hear what the facts say by now, don't they? Mrs. Saunders had been playing cards all afternoon with friends, including the Mortimers. She left them at about a quarter past six." .It's a quarter of an hour's walk from her friend's house to the nursing home, or less if you walk fast. She'll be there by half past six. Nobody saw her come in, so she probably came straight in through the side door. In her room, she changed, and the fawn coat and skirt she was wearing to play cards was hanging in the closet. When she was knocked out, it was obvious that she was going out. They said she didn't It was unknown who had knocked her down. The sandbag was indeed a very effective weapon. From this, it seemed that the murderer was hiding in the room, perhaps in one of the large wardrobes she had not opened. "Now look at Sanders' whereabouts. As I said, he went out at five-thirty or a little later, and made some purchases in a few stores. About six o'clock, he went into the 'box. Landspar' Hotel, where he met two friends with whom he later returned to the Sanitarium. They played pool and drank whiskey and soda. One was Hitchcock, The other was called Spender, and they had been together after six o'clock that afternoon, and they went back to the sanitarium together. Then he left them and came to me and Miss Trollope, it was a quarter to seven, and by this time her wife had died. "I've personally spoken to those two friends of his. I don't like them, they're rude and uneducated, but one thing's for sure, they're telling the whole truth and they said that Sanders didn't leave them that day. "There is a small episode that I want to bring up, that is, in the process of playing cards, there was a call to Mrs. Sanders. A man named Littleworth wanted to talk to her. After listening to the call, it seemed that there was something wrong. She was excited and excited about it, she made a mistake or two in the game, and she left early, after they had planned to play a few more hands. "Ask Mr Saunders if he knew his wife had a friend named Littleworth, and he said he'd never heard of the name. In my opinion, that just confirms his too-big mentality, She didn't know who this person named Littleworth was. After listening to the call, her face flushed slightly, with a smile that couldn't be hidden. Therefore, no matter who called, he must Didn't say his real name, right? "Anyway, that's a problem, and it's kind of flimsy to think of this as a general theft case. Another theory is that Mrs. Saunders is going out to meet someone, and that person came through the fire escape. Entered her room first? Did they quarrel? Maybe he killed her ruthlessly?" Miss Marple stopped. "Then," said Sir Henry, "what is the answer?" "I think some of you can guess." "I'm not good at riddles," said Mrs. Bantry. "It's a pity there's so much evidence that Saunders wasn't there, but once you believe it, there's nothing to doubt." Jenny Helier shook her pretty head and asked: "Why is the hat chest locked?" "My dear, you're very clever," said Miss Marple cheerfully. "I wonder too, but the answer is simple. Inside are a pair of embroidered slippers and a box of handkerchiefs, which the poor girl gave her husband for Christmas. She embroidered it herself, which is why she locked the cabinet and found the key in her handbag." "Oh," said Jenny, "then it doesn't make any sense." "Not really," said Miss Marple. "It's the only thing that makes sense, and that's what gives the murderer a run for his money." Everyone stared at the old lady. "I haven't figured this out for two days," said Miss Marple. "I thought about it, and suddenly it all became clear. I went to the Inspector at once and asked him to make an experiment, which he agreed to." "What did you ask him to try?" "I asked him to put the hat from the ground on the dead man's head to see if it would fit. Of course it couldn't. It wasn't her hat." Mrs. Bantry opened her eyes wide. "But it was on her head in the first place, right?" "Then it wasn't on her head..." Miss Marple paused to let her words penetrate the others' minds, and then went on: "We always thought that body lying there was Gladys Sanders, and no one looked at her face, she was face down, remember? The hat covered the head and the face again. " "But she was killed?" "Yeah, that was later. Gladys Sanders was alive and well when we called the police." "You mean, someone pretending to be her? But when you touch her..." "A dead body, all right," said Miss Marple quietly. "What the hell," said Colonel Bantry, "isn't likely to find a body anywhere. What do they do with the... first body?" "Moving her back," said Miss Marple, "is a damned idea, but it's a brilliant one, and our conversation in the drawing-room gave him the idea. Why not use the dead body of poor maid Mary? Remember the Sanders' room was on the top floor, with the servants' rooms? Mary's room was only two doors away from theirs. The undertaker wouldn't arrive until after dark, and he had timed it out. He He brought the body along the balcony. At five o'clock, it was already dark, and he dressed her in her wife's clothes, and put on the red coat that was too big for her. After that, he found his wife The hat cupboard was locked. The only thing he could do was to find one of Mary's own hats, and no one would notice it. He put the sandbag beside her, and left the room, letting We all saw it to prove that he was not there when the crime happened. "He called his wife and said he was Littleworth, and I don't know what he said to her. As I said before, she was a gullible girl and he asked her to leave the game early. But it didn't Instead of going straight back to the nursing home, he asked her to meet him in the garden near the fire escape at seven o'clock. He might have told her that he wanted to surprise him. "He went back to the sanatorium with his friends and arranged for me and Miss Trollope to discover the murder with him. He had pretended to try to turn the body over, but I would of course stop me. Then it was sent to find The police, he staggered towards the garden of the nursing home. "No one asked him if he had any alibi after the body was found. He met his wife in the garden. Tell her to go down the fire escape and they went back to his room together. Maybe he talked to her about the house. There was a dead body in there, and she leaned over to see what was going on, and he immediately picked up the sandbag and slammed it down on her... Oh God! It makes me sick even thinking about it now. And then he went Take off her dress and skirt. Hang it in the closet, then take off the clothes from the other body and put them on her. "But the hat wouldn't fit, and Mary's hair was short, and Gladys, as I said, had long, shoulder-length curly hair. He had to put the hat next to the body, and hope no one would notice it. .and then take Mary's body back to her own room, and get everything in order again." “这真有点难以置信。”劳埃德大夫说，“警察有可能很快就会到的。” “还记得线路坏了这回事吗？”马普尔小姐说，“是他计划的一部分。他不能让警察马上就赶到现场，况且警察来了之后，先到经理办公室去与经理谈了一会儿，然后才到楼上去的，这是最糟糕的，本来完全有机会，有人会觉察到一具死了二小时的尸体与一具刚死半小时的尸体的差别的。然而，警督却指望能从首先发现尸体的外行人那儿找到线索。” 劳埃德大夫点了点头说： “凶杀应该是在七点差一刻左右进行的，我推测应该是七点或者是七点过几分的时候，警察就赶到了。法医验尸的时间最早也是七点半钟，他也许就无法察觉了。” “我应该是知情人，”马普尔小姐说，“我在摸那可怜的姑娘的脉搏时，它是冰凉的，而后来，警督却说凶案就发生在他们来之前不久，我当时没反应过来。” “我认为你发现的东西已经够多的了，马普尔小姐。这案子是我在任之前的事了，我还从未听人说起过，后来怎样了？” “桑德斯被处以绞刑。”马普尔小姐说得很干脆，“案子破得很漂亮，我从不后悔我参与了把这恶棍送上断头台的行动。我丝毫也没有当今人们对死刑的那种人道主义的态度。” 她绷紧的脸舒展开来。 “我经常为未能挽救那姑娘的生命深感内疚。但谁会愿意听一位老太太匆匆做出的结论呢？哎，谁知道呢？也许在她活得快活的时候死去，比幻象破灭后艰难地打发日子更好些。那是一个突如其来的不幸，她爱那恶魔，相信他，她从来也没看破他的真面目。” “那么，”珍妮·赫利尔说，“她一直过得开心，很开心罗？我希望……”她没往下说。马普尔小姐看着这位著名的、漂亮的、成功的珍妮·赫利尔，轻轻地点了点头。 “我知道，亲爱的，”她说这话的时候语气温柔，“我知道。” 中苏丹新娘的名字，以一夜复一夜地给苏丹讲述有趣的故事而免于一死。