Chapter 9 Chapter Nine Lover, Rival, Situation

Mrs. Buntry knelt on the ground and looked towards the hedge beside the road. She happened to see the black-haired secretary coming out of the telephone box next to the station by the road. She was slightly surprised. "Good morning, Miss Zielinski," she greeted kindly. Startled, Ira Zielinski replied quickly, "I'm going to call, our phone is broken today." Mrs. Buntry was even more surprised. She couldn't figure out why Ira was so busy explaining her actions. Mrs. Buntry watched her leave, walked into the room, picked up the phone receiver, and dialed a number.A voice spoke quickly, with an American accent. "Gaudodin. I'm Hayley Preston. What can I do for you?"

"I wondered if I could help you a little bit, if your phone's broken—" His startled voice interrupted her: "Our phone is broken? There's nothing wrong with it!" "That may be my mistake," said Mrs. Buntry. She put down the receiver, waited, and dialed again. "Is that Jane? I'm Dali. Oh, that's weird. The secretary was on the phone from a public phone booth by the side of the road, and went on to explain to me that the phone at Goldstein was broken, but I called there and it didn't work." No--" "Indeed," said Miss Marple, reflecting on it, "that's very problematic. Obviously, she doesn't want anyone to hear—"

While Mrs. Buntry was on the phone with her girlfriend, Demer caught up with Mire.Donal Miray, an affable, red-haired young man, greeted Dermot with pleasure and curiosity when he saw him. "What's the matter?" he asked jokingly, "Did you find any news for me?" "Not yet, maybe in the future, didn't you go to the studio to find someone to help you investigate?" "I was looking for you." Dermot said with a smile. "This is a pun. You really suspect that I murdered Hitt Bakerk. You think it's Marina Gray I'm going to murder?"

"I didn't mean that," Dermot said. "Okay, let's get back to business, I was there, I had a good chance, but what was my motivation? Well, that's what you want to know, where is my motivation?" "I haven't found it yet," Dermot said. "I'm only interested in what you saw that day." "I've already said that I was also at the scene of the accident. I can provide exclusive news, but I have to admit that this is all I know. No one would kill Baker's woman." "Everyone seems to think so," agreed Dermot. "I know you arrived at the same time as the priest and the mayor, and went upstairs together."

"That's right. But that wasn't the first time I arrived. I arrived earlier. A photographer followed me. I went down to take pictures when the mayor arrived, and then I went upstairs again after a while to have a drink or two." "I see. Who else did you see on the stairs when you went up?" "Margaret Benz came from London with her camera." "You know her well?" "Oh, she and I have a lot of conflicts, she's a smart girl, she takes good pictures, she's accompanied by a tall, dark man, I don't know him, but he seems like a big shot look."

"Did you see Marina when you went upstairs, Gray?" "Of course I did." "Does she look sad or surprised or frightened?" "It's odd you'd say that. For a while I thought she was going to pass out." "I see," Dermot thought, "thank you, is there anything else you want to tell me?" Gray's eyes widened, staring at him innocently. Knowing that he had nothing to ask, Dermot returned to Scotland Yard.A pile of documents piled up on the desk in the police station.He cast a long look at its door, then turned to the back and asked, "Where does Laura Brest live?"

"Stay in Room 1800, Suite 1800, Sherway Hotel, she is waiting for you." "Where is Adavik Foyne?" "He lives in room 190 on the first floor of the Roches Hotel. She is waiting for you." "Okay." He picked up a few foreign cables and read them, put them in his pocket when he was done, and couldn't help laughing to himself as he read the last one. "Aunt Jane, don't think I haven't done my duty." He walked out the door towards the Sherway Hotel. Laura Brest came out of her suite to welcome him warmly.He looked at her carefully, and she had an intoxicating beauty that was not at all typical of Marino Gray.She brushed her hair and pursed her lips. Her originally soft lips were now full of teasing. Her brown eyes were painted with blue eyeshadow. She blinked lightly and said:

"Are you going to ask me a bunch of scary questions?" "Miss Brest, I hope it's not so dreadful." "You really think someone is going to poison Marina. Who would want to kill her? She's the kind of person everyone loves." "including you?" "I've always loved Marina." "Well, Miss Brest, weren't you in a little trouble about eleven or two years ago?" "Oh, that," Laura went on, "Rob and I used to have a lot of fights, and I was upset and nervous. We both went out of control, and Marina fell madly in love with him, making him Fascinated."

"Are you very upset? As far as I know you threatened to shoot Marina Gray, or something of that sort." "Oh, it's because we were arguing so much," Laura said. "I lost my mind." "Miss Brest, according to reliable sources, you exclaimed, 'That goblin won't get her way, if I don't shoot her now, I'll wait a few years, no matter how long I'll wait .Unless justice is done,'" "Oh, I never said that." Lola smiled. "Miss Brest, I believe you did." "People exaggerate," she said with a charming smile. "I was crazy then," she murmured. "A man's mad would say that. But you don't think I waited fourteen years to come to England to see Marina, and poisoned her cup in three minutes?"

Dermot didn't really think so, it seemed impossible to him, saying: "Miss Brest, I'm just telling you that there have been such threats in the past, and Marina was terrified when she saw someone that day. Naturally, the person everyone thinks of is you." "But Marina dear was very glad to see me! She kissed me and kept saying how wonderful it was. Oh, really, Inspector, I think you are so stupid." "Do you have any idea who might have murdered it?" "Let me tell you, no one wants to murder Marina, which makes these people think it's worth the trouble. I don't know how she has the means. You'd better stop thinking that anyone is going to kill her."

"Unfortunately I can't because the facts are in front of me," Dermot said. "What do you mean by 'the facts are in sight'? Nobody killed Marina, did they?" "No, but there is such an attempt." "Oh, it's because she's always had some outrageous, bad love affairs and hasn't had any kids." "Hasn't she adopted children?" said Dermot, recalling Miss Marple's eager words. "I believe she had adopted, but it wasn't very successful. She always did it impulsively, and then she didn't want it." "What about the kids she adopted?" "I don't know. There was no news after a while, and she threw them off like something." So far, the next location is Suite 190 of the Rochester Hotel. "Oh, Chief Inspector—" Amerwick Finn looked down at the card in his hand, "what can I do for you?" "I hope you don't mind if I ask you some questions." "Not at all. About Marchbingham? No—was it really called Goldstein? I feel I still can't figure out Jason Luther's motives for buying that place. There's a whole bunch of A good Georgian house, even a Queen Anne house, is a Victorian mansion in Highfield, and I really doubt it has any appeal." "Oh, there's something appealing about that to some people, just that Victorian poise." "Stable? Oh, maybe you have a point. Marina longs for stability, and maybe this place can satisfy her." "Mr. Foyne, do you know her well?" Adavik Foyne shrugged. Dermot looked at him, dark, muscular, with alert eyes under thick spectacles, thick jaw and cheeks.Adavek Foyne continued: "I guess that Mrs. Who was poisoned by mistake, and was actually going to poison Marina, wasn't she?" "Yes, that's right. The poison was in Marina Gray's glass, and Mrs Baecock broke hers, and Marina handed her hers." "Oh, there's no evidence for that. I can't imagine who would try to poison Marina, especially if Lynette Brown was there." "Lynette Brown?" Dermot was at a loss. Adavik Foyn smiled. "If Marina can't fulfill the contract, the role can't be played-Lynette will get the role, then she will get a lot of money, but even then, I still can't imagine her sending someone to secretly poison. Incredible." "It seems a bit unpredictable." Dermot said indifferently. "It's hard to imagine what a woman will do when she has ambition," said Adavek Foyne. "I tell you, maybe the murderer didn't want to kill her, but just wanted to scare her." Dermot shook his head. "That dose is not difficult to control." "Everyone is always taking the wrong dose." "That's your opinion." "Oh, no, no, it's just a suggestion, not an opinion. I'm just an innocent bystander." "Was Marina Gray surprised to see you?" "Yes. She was surprised." He smiled happily. "She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw me come upstairs, but she welcomed me warmly." "Haven't you seen her for a long time?" "About four or five years." "You were good friends for a while before this, weren't you?" "Inspector Cleder, do you mean anything special by saying that?" There was some change in the tone of his words, with a taste of indifference and threat.Dermot suddenly felt that this man was hostile and unfeeling. "Mr. Fein, I have to investigate the past relationship between the people present that day and Marina Gray. According to the news I got from chatting, I know that you and Marina Gray are very deeply in love." Adavek Finn shrugged. "It's said—always said! I think you read it from a movie magazine." "In fact she told some of her friends that she was afraid of you." "Really? How childish." "You think she needn't be afraid of you?" "Of course. Whatever my personal disappointment, I always forget it at once." "You know a lot about the film industry." "I have a monetary interest in it." "Your judgment is well worth considering. Can you give any clues as to who might hate Marina Gray and want to get rid of her?" "Probably a dozen," Adavek Finn said, "I mean if they don't do it themselves, there's a whole bunch of people who started it." "You were there that day, talking to her, who do you think might have poisoned Marina Gray in the short time between your arrival at the meeting and the death of Hitt Bakerk?" "I don't want to say it," said Adavik Furban. "You mean you know what's on your mind?" "I mean I don't have much to say on that subject. That's all I can tell you, Chief Inspector Cledar."