Chapter 10 Section 10

Miss Marple sat upright, smiling admiringly at Inspector Dermock Craddock.Behind her are some china dogs and presents from Margot. "I'm so glad," she said, "that they'll send you on this case, and I hope they will." "As soon as I got your letter," said Craddock, "I showed it directly to the Deputy Commissioner. As it happened, he had just received a letter from the Brahamton Police asking us to investigate the case. They seemed to think that This is not a murder involving only local residents, I had to report about you to the Deputy Commissioner, he was very interested. He said he heard someone talking about you, I think it was from my uncle."

"My dear Sir Henry," whispered Miss Marple affectionately. "He asked me to tell him what happened in the little paddock. Do you want to hear what he said afterwards?" "If you won't break your promise, please tell me." "He said: 'Ah, this seems to be a very absurd thing. It is something that some old women have imagined. But, unexpectedly, it turns out that they are right. Since you know such an old lady , then, I'll send you on the case.' So here I come. Now, my dear Miss Marple, where do we begin? This is not an official visit, as you can probably appreciate, I don't have a entourage with me. I think it's better for you and me to talk casually first."

Miss Marple smiled at him. "I am sure," she said, "that no one who knows you merely from business dealings would have thought that you would be so human, and more handsome than ever, and do not be ashamed. Now, tell me, so far, What did you hear?" "I think I have everything. I have your friend Mrs. McGillicuddy's original report to the St. Mary's Ranch Police, and the ticket collector's corroboration of her report. I have also seen her write The note to the Brackhamton station master has been duly investigated in all respects. But your uncanny way of guessing outsmarts them all."

"Not a conjecture," said Miss Marple. "I have the great convenience that I know Esper McGillicuddy, and other people do not know her as well as I do. There is no apparent proof of what she said. If No one reported a woman missing, so, naturally, they thought it was just an old woman imagining things like that. Yes, old women often imagine things, but, Esper McGeely Not so with Ketty." "Not Esbeth McGillicuddy," agreed the Inspector. "You know what? I'm looking forward to meeting her. I hope she hasn't gone to Ceylon, and by the way we've arranged to She met there."

"My own reasoning program is actually not creative." Miss Marble said, "I learned it all from Mark Twain's novels, like the boy who found the horse. I just imagined: If I were a horse, I would Go somewhere. So I go there, and there the horse is." "Think about it, what would you do if you were a cruel, cruel murderer?" said Craddock, looking thoughtfully at Miss Marple's rosy, old, fragile face. "Really, your mind—" "Like a sink, that's what my nephew used to say," Miss Marple nodded agreeingly, "but I always told him that a sink is a necessary household item, and is actually very sanitary. "

"Can you go a step further? Put yourself in his shoes, where would you be if you were him?" Miss Marple sighed. "I wish I could. I don't know--not at all. But the murderer must have lived at Loserzin Lodge, and knew the place like the back of his hand." "I agree with you. However, in that case, the scope will be wider. There will be many women who work here and there. People from the Women's Association, and the air raid guards they used to rest there, they all Knowing the 'Long Warehouse', the sarcophagus, where the key is, and the overall layout of the place, the local people know it far and wide, and anyone who lives nearby will think that it is a good place to hide a corpse."

"Yes, indeed, I understand your difficulties well." Craddock said: "If we can't identify the body, it's all for naught." "That's also very difficult." "Ah, we—at the end of the day—we always get our way, and we scrutinize all missing reports of women of that age and appearance, and there isn't a single particular case that fits our criteria. The coroner thought she was about thirty-five." , in good health, probably married, had at least one child, her fur coat was a bargain, bought in a shop in London where several had been sold in the last three months Hundreds of those leather coats. Sixty per cent of them were sold to blonde women, and not a single saleswoman could recognize who was in the photo of the dead man, or remember the man who bought that coat just before Christmas break Most of the rest of her clothes are foreign made, mostly bought in Paris, and don't have an English Laundry mark on them, we're in touch with Paris and they're checking for us. Of course, sooner or later someone will come out and report a It's only a matter of time before a relative, or a hostess woman goes missing."

"Won't the compact help us understand the case?" "Unfortunately it doesn't help. It's the kind of thing that the shops on the Rue de Reverly sell a lot. Let me tell you something, you know? You should take it to the police as soon as you find it, or, more correctly Say, Miss Esborough ought to do that." Miss Marple shook her head. "But at that time, there was no question of murder." She pointed out this point, "If a young lady finds an old powder box with no special value in the haystack, she will not immediately hand it over to the police station. ?” Miss Marple paused, and then said resolutely, “I think it would be much better to find the body first.”

Inspector Craddock aroused great interest in her words. "You always seem to have no doubts that the body will be found, don't you?" "I'm sure it will be found. Lucy Esborough is a very able and intelligent fellow." "I admit that she is! She literally terrifies me. She's so capable that no man would dare marry that girl!" "You know? I wouldn't say that. Of course, to marry her, there must be a man of special ability." Miss Marple meditated on the matter for a moment. "How is she doing at Rosezin Villa now?" "As far as I've seen, they depended entirely on him. It's no exaggeration to say—they depended on her hands for their sustenance. By the way, she has nothing to do with you. No idea, we kept it from them."

"She has nothing to do with me now. She has done everything I asked her to do." "So, if she wants to quit that job, she can resign and leave that place at any time?" "yes." "However, she still stayed and continued to do it, why?" "She gave me no reason, she was a very clever girl, I think she probably became interested. " "What about the question? Or about the family?" "Perhaps," said Miss Marple, "it is difficult to separate the two things." "Do you have any special ideas?" "Oh, no—ah, no."

"I thought you already had." Miss Marple shook her head. Democracy Craddock sighed. "Then—to use a police jargon, 'thorough investigation'. A policeman's job is very monotonous." "I believe that you will find out the result." "Do you have any advice for me? Any more inspiration, guess what?" "I'm thinking of something like a traveling theater company," said Miss Marple vaguely. "A tour, from A to B. Maybe you won't meet many friends and relatives, but I'm afraid it won't be among many young women. Can't find the person I'm looking for." "Yes, maybe there is some truth in what you said, we will pay special attention to investigate from that angle." Then, he added, "What are you laughing at?" "I wonder," said Miss Marple, "the look on Esper McGillicuddy's face when he heard we found the body." "Ah," said Mrs. McGillicuddy, "ah!" For a moment she couldn't think of anything to say.She looked at the young man sitting opposite him, with polite words and elegant manners.He had come to visit with his papers in hand, and then she looked at the photograph he had handed her. "Yes, that's her," she said, "yes, that's her. Poor! I'm so glad you've found her body. They don't believe a word I say! Police, railroad, or whatever." .It is very irritating that people do not believe what you say. In any case, no one can say that I have not done everything in my power." The polite young man said something of sympathy and understanding. "Where did you say you found that corpse?" "In a storehouse at a house called Loserzin Lodge, just outside of Brackhamton." "I've never heard of it. How could it be in that place? I really don't understand." The young man did not answer. "I think it was Jane Marple who found out. You have to trust Jane." "The body," said the young man, consulting the blotter, "was found by a Miss Lucy Esborough." "Never heard of the man either," said Mrs. McGillicuddy. "I still think Miss Jane Marple had something to do with it." "Anyway, Mrs. McGillicuddy, are you absolutely sure that the woman in this photograph is the one you saw on the train?" "Yes, I definitely recognize that woman who was about to be strangled." "Now, can you describe the characteristics of the man?" "He's tall," Mrs. McGillicuddy said. "anything else?" "Brown hair." "anything else?" "That's all I can tell you," said Mrs. McGillicuddy. "His back was turned to me, and I didn't see his face." "Will you recognize him when you see him now?" "Of course not! His back was toward me, and I didn't see his face." "Have you no idea how old he is?" "Yeah—I mean, really don't know. I don't know how old he is. But, I'm almost sure he's not very young. His shoulders look—this—was thick—don't know you Do you understand what I mean?" The young man nodded. "Thirty and over, I can't be more sure. Do you understand? I'm not really looking at him. I'm looking at her—neck in his hands, her face—screaming." Qing...you know, I still dream of her like that." "It must have been a very painful experience." The young man said sympathetically. He closed the notebook and said, "When are you going back to England?" "In three weeks' time, I don't need to go back now, do I?" He immediately reassured her. "Ah, yes. You can't help at the moment. Of course, if we catch the murderer..." Thus ended his words. The postman brought Miss Marple's letter to her friend.The handwriting is very sloppy, and there are many lines under the words.Mrs. McGillicuddy was easy to read, having long been accustomed to the handwriting.Miss Marple told her friend the whole story in its entirety.Her friend was very satisfied after reading it verbatim and greedily. She and Jen had shown them that they were not talking nonsense.