Chapter 28 Chapter 27 The Beginning of the Journey
"'Allah the Merciful!' That's what the Arabs said before they started their journey. Well! We're starting a journey now too. It's a journey back in time. Back to the strange places in the human mind."
Before that moment, I don't think I felt the so-called "Oriental charm".Frankly, all I felt was a mess everywhere.But, upon hearing M. Poirot's words, a strange sight suddenly appeared before my eyes.I think of words like and that.I think of bearded merchants, camels on their knees, porters lumbering with huge bales, and women with hair dyed deep orange kneeling by the Tigris to wash their clothes.I also heard their strange, monotonous singing that seemed to be wailing, and in the distance the sound of a water wheel that sounded like a groan.
Most of that was things I saw and heard, but didn't pay much attention to.But it seemed very different now—like a musty piece of old cloth that, when you hold it up to a bright light, suddenly discovers the rich colors of ancient embroidery.
So, I looked around our restaurant.I have a strange feeling that I thought M. Poirot was quite right—we—we are all indeed embarking on a journey.Today we gather in one room, and tomorrow we will go our separate ways.
Then I look at each of them as if I were meeting them for the first time - and for the last time - which sounds stupid, but I still feel that way.
Mr. Mercado was rubbing his hands nervously—his strange pale blue eyes with dilated pupils were watching Poirot.Mrs. McGado was watching her husband.She had a strange, alert look about her, like a tigress waiting for the moment to leap.Dr. Leidner seemed to shrink very oddly.After this last blow he was completely broken.You might almost say he wasn't in the room at all.He is in a remote place of his own.Mr. Coleman looked directly at Poirot.His mouth was parted, his eyes bulged, and he looked almost goofy.Mr. Emmott was looking down at his feet, and I couldn't see him.Mr Ritter looked puzzled.His mouth is pursed, more like a pig.Miss Riley kept looking out of the window.I don't know what she's thinking, or feeling.So I looked at Mr. Garley again.For some reason, I felt sad seeing their faces, so I looked away.We are all here now, and I do not know why, but I feel that by the time M. Poirot finishes his sentence, we will all be in very different places.
It was a strange feeling.
Poirot's words were spoken slowly, like a river flowing steadily between the two banks until it flows into the sea.
"From the very beginning, I felt that to understand the case, we should not look for external signs or clues, but to find a more real clue—that is, the more real clues of human conflicts and inner secrets.
"I can tell you that although I have what I believe to be the real answer to the murder, I have no real evidence. I know it is and must be, for there is no other way to fit every fact into Get it just right.
"This explanation, therefore, appears to me to be the most satisfactory solution that can be found."
He paused, then continued.
"I intend to start my journey from the moment I was invited to investigate this case - that is, when I understand the whole situation. I think that every case has its own type and style. The pattern of this case In my opinion, it is all transferred from Mrs. Leidner's character. I can't know why she was killed until I know what kind of person Mrs. Leidner is. Who will kill her.
"Well, that's my point of departure—how is Mrs. Leidner?
"There's another very interesting psychological point too - what is known as a strange tension among colleagues. This has been attested to by several different witnesses - several of them outsiders - So I wrote it down, because while it's hardly a sure starting point, it's something to keep in mind as I investigate.
"It seems to be generally accepted that this incident was the direct result of Mrs. Leidner's influence over her colleagues on the mission. But for some reason--which I shall tell you later--I don't think this seems entirely plausible. .
"As I said, I focused entirely on what Mrs. Leidner was like in the beginning. There are all kinds of ways of estimating what she is like. See how she reacts to some people." .This reaction varies greatly from person to person, due to differences in personality and mood. And data collected from my own observation. The scope of the latter is extremely limited. However, I do know certain facts.
"Mrs. Leidner's taste is simple and calm, belonging to the simple type. She is obviously not a woman who likes extravagance. On the other hand, some of her embroidery are very delicate and beautiful. This can show that in terms of taste , she is a very picky, very artistic person. From the books in her bedroom, I have further evaluation of her. She has brains. And, I can also imagine that she is essentially ego standard people.
"It has also been suggested to me that Mrs. Leidner is a woman preoccupied with attracting the attention of the opposite sex—that is, in fact, that she is a erotic woman. I do not believe this to be true.
"In her room, I noticed the following books on the shelves: 'Introduction to the Greeks', 'Introduction to Relativity', 'Life of Mrs Stanhope', 'Return to Matthew Sarah', 'Lynda Condon Biography', 'Crow Tree'.
"First of all, she has an interest in culture and modern science—that's a distinctly intellectual interest. Of those novels we can have 'Lynda Condon', and 'Crow Tree' two The book shows that Mrs. Leidner has sympathy and interest in independent women. But less from the latter. She sympathizes with independent women who are not hindered by men and do not fall into the trap of men. The lady's character is of great interest. 'The Life of Lynda Condon' is a delicate study of a woman who adores her own beauty. 'Crue Tree' is a study of a passionate individualist, 'Return to Matthew Sarah' is deeply sympathetic to the intellectual rather than the emotional approach to life.Then, I felt that I began to understand the dead.
"Secondly, I studied the reactions of those in the circle closest to Mrs. Leidner's. As a result, my knowledge of the deceased became more and more complete.
"From what Dr. Rayleigh and others have said, it is clear to me that Mrs. Leidner was born with not only natural beauty, but a natural charm that can cause trouble. That kind of charm sometimes combined with beauty can cause trouble, but , can produce this result alone. Wherever such women pass, they usually leave a trail of violence. They cause trouble—sometimes to others, sometimes to themselves.
"I believe that Mrs. Leidner is a woman born with a self-worship, the kind of woman who loves power more than any other. She must be the center of the universe, wherever she goes. Those around her , both men and women, had to acknowledge her authority. With some it was easy. Nurse Leatheran, for example, was generous in nature and full of a romantic imagination. She became Mrs. Leidner's immediately upon seeing her. Captive, fully appreciates this quality of hers without complaint. But Mrs. Leidner has another way of exercising her authority. Because it is so easy to conquer others, she wants to satisfy another side of her nature-but , and I want to stress this again: this is not what you might call conscious brutality, it is as natural and thoughtless as a cat catching a mouse. When she is conscious, she is benevolent in nature .She will make a special effort to do some kind and thoughtful things for others.
"Now, of course, the first question is to answer the question of the anonymous letter. Who wrote those letters? Why? I asked myself: Did Mrs. Leidner write it herself?
"To answer this question, we have to go back a long way—in fact, to Mrs. Leidner's first marriage. The very beginning of our journey is here—Ms. Leidner's Life Journey Start.
"First of all, we must recognize that the Louise Leidner of many years ago is essentially the same as the Louise Leidner of today.
"She was young then--beautiful--a haunting beauty that affects both body and soul of a man; that physical beauty alone cannot produce. And, she Essentially a self-centered person.
"Such women naturally have an aversion to the idea of marriage. They may be attracted to a man, but they would still rather be single than to be possessed by any man. They are truly the legendary 'ruthless beauties'. Nevertheless, Mrs. Leidner was in fact married. On this, I think, we may assume that her husband must have been a man of character.
"Then she found out about his treason. So Mrs. Leidner did the same thing she told Nurse Leatheran. She reported that intelligence to the American government.
"Now, I think her behavior has a psychological meaning. She told Nurse Leatheran that she was a very patriotic and idealistic person. And that psychology was the reason for her whistleblowing. But It is a well-known fact that we all easily deceive ourselves about the motives of our actions. We all instinctively choose a plausible motive. Mrs. Leidner may be confident that patriotism motivated her to act in that way. However, I personally believe that It was really the result of a desire to get rid of her husband, but she didn't admit it. She didn't like being dominated--she didn't like the feeling of belonging--in fact, she didn't like being on the back burner. So she patriotically restored her freedom.
"However, she subconsciously felt a sense of guilt tormenting herself. This also has something to do with her future destiny.
"We now turn directly to the letters. Mrs. Leidner had a great attraction to men. On a few occasions, she too was attracted to men--but, each time, a letter was involved and it was blown." .
"Who wrote those letters? Frederick Basner? Or his brother William? Or Mrs. Leidner herself?
"There are no grounds for any of these inferences. It seems to me clear that a woman of the sort Mrs. Leidner can inspire in a man to love her so much that he sleeps and sleeps and eats and sleeps. That love can become a feeling that can never be shaken off. I Think we might as well believe in such a Frederick Basner. In his mind, his wife Louise means more to him! She has betrayed him once. So he dare not approach her openly However, he made up his mind to at least do this: she must become his own, otherwise, no one would be able to possess her. He would rather let her die than let her fall into the arms of others.
"On the other hand, if Mrs. Leidner, in her heart, did not like the shackles of marriage, she might use this method to get herself out of this difficult situation. She is a huntress, and when the prey is found, It's no use anymore. Because she longed for some drama in her life, she made up a good play to satisfy this psychology-a husband who died and resurrected, and she was not allowed to announce her relationship with others. Marry! That would satisfy her deepest impulses. It would make her a romantic figure, a tragic heroine, and it would enable her not to marry again.
"It went on like this for several years. Whenever there was a possibility of marriage, there was a threatening letter.
"But now we've come to the really interesting point. Dr. Leidner has come in--but no dreadful letter. Nothing can stop her from being Mrs. Leidner. It's not until after she's married." a letter:
"We immediately ask ourselves: why?
"Let me examine my conjectures one by one.
"If those letters were really written by Mrs. Leidner herself, it would be easy to explain. Mrs. Leidner really wanted to marry Dr. Leidner, so she did marry him. But if so, why did she Did she write that kind of letter again after she got married? Was her desire for exciting things so strong that she couldn't restrain it? And, why only those two letters? After receiving those two letters, there was a year and a half No other letters were received.
"Now, let's talk about the second theory: Those letters were written by her ex-husband Frederick Basner (or his brother). Why did the threatening letter arrive after they got married? Assuming that Frederick Redrick didn't want her to marry Leidner, so why didn't he stop it? Hadn't he succeeded the first few times? Why would he resume that intimidation when the wedding had already taken place?
"The possible answer would be that for some reason he could not have protested earlier. He may have been in prison, or in a foreign country. But this answer is not satisfactory.
"Secondly there's the matter of someone trying to poison them with gas. It seems highly unlikely that an outsider did it. It could be the Leidners themselves who played that drama. We don't think That's what Dr. Leidner would have done. So, our conclusion: Mrs. Leidner planned it and followed it.
"Why? To increase stimulation?
"After this, the Leidners went abroad for eighteen months and lived a happy, quiet life, with no threatening letters to bother them. They said it was because they had succeeded in their disappearance. But this explanation is Ridiculous. It is not enough to go abroad this year. Especially in the case of the Leidners. He is the head of a museum delegation. Frederick Basner only needs to go to If you ask the museum, you can find out his correct address immediately. Even if we admit that his situation is not good enough to go abroad to chase the two of them in person, there will be no hindrance to continue writing threatening letters. And, I think A man who could never forget her like him must have done so.
"However, we didn't hear from him until two years later, when those threats resumed.
"Why rewrite those letters?
"It's a difficult question--the easiest answer, so to speak, is that Mrs. Leidner is bored and wants something more dramatic. But I'm not quite satisfied with that answer. Such a play, I thought it seemed too vulgar and rude for her critical personality.
"The only way to do that is to maintain an attitude on the question that allows for every possible controversy.
"Here are three sure possibilities: 1. Those letters were written by Mrs. Leidner herself; 2. Those letters were written by Frederick Basner or his brother William Basner: 3. Those The letter might have been originally written by Mrs. Leidner or her ex-husband, but it was now a forgery—that is, it was written by someone else who had discovered the old letters.
"Now it's time for me to think directly about those around Mrs Leidner.
"I first looked at what chance each member actually had to murder her.
"Roughly speaking, on the face of it, any one of them, by chance, could have killed her, except three.
"Dr. Leidner, there is overwhelming evidence that he never left the roof; Mr. Jaley was on duty at the ancient hill excavation site; Mr. Coleman was at Hashani.
"But, my friends, none of these alibis are as good as they appear. I can make the exception of Dr. Leidner's alibi. There is absolutely no doubt that he was on the roof until the time of the murder. It was hours and minutes before he came down.
"However, is it absolutely certain that Mr. Garret has been at the Ancient Hill excavation site all along?
"Was Mr. Coleman actually in Harshaud at the time of the murder?"
Bill Coleman blushed.He opened his mouth, then closed it again, looking around uneasily.
Mr. Jia Lei's expression did not change.
Poirot went on articulately.
"I was thinking of another man, too. I felt that this man, in the heat of the moment, might kill. Miss Riley had courage, brains, and a rather ruthless character. When Miss Riley spoke to me of that I jokingly said to her when I saw the dead woman that I wished she had an alibi. I think Miss Riley would have sensed at the time that there was at least a murderous intent in her heart, at least, she said right away. Stupid, pointless lie. She said she was playing tennis that afternoon. The next day I happened to talk to Miss Johnson and found out that Miss Riley wasn't playing tennis at all when the murder happened, she was actually in the house Nearby. I thought Miss Riley might be able to tell something useful if she had nothing to do with the murder."
He paused, and then said calmly: "Miss Riley, will you please tell me what you actually saw that afternoon?"
The girl didn't answer right away.She was still looking out the window without turning her head.When she spoke, it was a detached, measured voice.
"I rode out after lunch, to the dig-site. It was about a quarter to two when I got there."
"Did you find any friends at the dig site?"
"There doesn't seem to be anyone there except the Arab foreman."
"Didn't you see Mr. Garrett?"
"No."
"Strange," said Poirot, "that M. Willier did not see it when he went there that same afternoon."
He looked at Garret for something to say, but the latter neither moved nor said a word.
"Do you have any explanation, Mr. Jarry?"
"I went for a walk and nothing interesting happened."
"Did you go for a walk in that direction?"
"On the river below."
"Not on the way home?"
"correct."
"I suppose," said Miss Raleigh, "that you were expecting someone, and that he didn't come?"
He looked at her, but made no answer.
Poirot did not press the question further.He said to the girl again.
"Did you see anything else, miss?"
"I see, when I went to a place far away from the inspection group's house, I noticed that the inspection group's station wagon stopped on the dry river. I thought it was a bit strange, and then I saw Mr. Coleman He walked with his head down, as if he was looking for something.
"You must pay attention," said Mr. Coleman suddenly, "I—"
Poirot told him to stop with a very commanding gesture.
"Wait. Miss Riley; did you speak to him?"
"No, I don't."
"why?"
The girl said slowly: "Because he looked around in a panic and looked furtive from time to time. He looked like that-I was very uncomfortable to watch, so I turned my horse's head and walked away. I don't think he will See me. I'm not very close to him, and he's been mindful of his business."
"Listen," said Mr. Coleman, unable to restrain himself any longer, "that one, I admit, looked suspicious, but I had a good explanation. I actually accidentally threw a very funny one the other day. The cylinder was in the pocket and not in the antiquities room—then forgot about that. Later I found it was not in the pocket—I don’t know where it fell. I was scolded for the matter, and decided to look for it quietly. I figured I must have dropped it on the ground on my way to and from the excavation site. I was in the city that afternoon to get it done in a hurry, and then sent a workman to make the purchases, calling He went back early and came back to look for it. I hid the station wagon where no one would see it, and searched for it for over an hour. That's it, and I couldn't find the damn thing! Then I hopped in the car and drove Back to the inspection team."
"So you didn't tell them the truth?" asked Poirot briskly.
"This—under the circumstances, it's natural to do that, don't you think?"
"I don't think so," said Poirot.
"Oh, come on--don't make trouble--that's my motto! But you can't use that as a suspect. I didn't go into the yard at all, and you won't find anyone who said I did. .”
"That, of course, is the difficult part," said Poirot. "The servants proved that no one came in from the outside, but when I thought about it, it occurred to me that that's not really what they said. They swore that no strangers came in, but No one asked them if any members of the regiment had come in."
"Then you can ask them," Coleman said. "If they say they saw me or Jaley coming in, I'm an asshole!"
"Ah! But this raises a rather interesting question. No doubt they will notice a stranger coming in. But if a member of the regiment comes in, will they pay attention? Colleagues come and go all day long." Mr. Garrett or Mr. Coleman may have come in, I think. The servants don't remember such a thing."
"Nonsense!" said Mr. Coleman.
Poirot went on calmly: "Of the two of them, I think Mr. Garrett's comings and goings are the least likely to attract attention. Mr. Coleman drove to Harshany that morning, so they thought it He must have been driving back, so if he came back on foot, it would be noticed."
"Of course it is," Coleman said.
Richard Jarley looked up, his dark blue eyes looking straight at Poirot.
"Do you mean that I am guilty of murder, M. Poirot?" he asked.
His demeanor was calm, but there was a hint of ferocity in his voice.
Poirot bowed to him,
"So far, I've only been taking you on a journey—to the truth. I've established the fact that all of my fellow missionaries, including Nurse Leatheran, may in fact have been guilty of murder. The chances of some of them committing a crime were slim, but that was a secondary matter.
"I examined 'means' and 'opportunity', and then I considered 'motivation', and I found that each of them can make people think that there is a motive to kill!"
"Oh, Monsieur Poirot," I cried anxiously, "don't doubt me! Why, I'm a stranger. I've only just arrived."
"Well, Miss Nurse, isn't that what Mrs. Leidner is afraid of? Isn't she afraid of a stranger from outside?"
"But—but—oh, Dr. Rayleigh knows all about me! He suggested me!"
"How much does he really know about you? You told him most of it yourself. There used to be scammers posing as nurses from the hospital."
"You can write to St. Christopher's and look it up," I began.
"Please don't talk now, please? If you want to argue like this, I can't go on. I don't mean that I doubt you now. I just mean to allow all possible speculations. You may not be you A type of impersonation. You know, there are many men these days masquerading as women, and doing so successfully. Young William Basner might have been one of those."
I was about to rip him off again.Hmph, a man disguised as a woman!But he went on hastily, with a raised voice, and was so determined in his manner, that I thought it better not to say any more.
"I'm going to be frank now - so ruthless. It has to be, I'm going to expose the privacy here.
"I've checked and considered everyone's situation here. First Dr. Leidner, whose love for his wife I soon decided was the dominant force in his life, a man devastated by grief, Nurse Leatheran Miss, I've mentioned that if she's a woman in disguise, she's admirably beautiful. But I think I believe she's who she says she is--a hospital very capable nurse."
"Come on, don't make a fool of yourself." I interrupted.
"So, my attention turned to Mr. and Mrs. McGado. The two of them are obviously in a very agitated and disturbed situation. I will first consider Mrs. McGado. Does she have the ability to kill people? If yes, then , why?
"Mrs. Mercado is of weak constitution. At first glance, it seems impossible that she would have the physical strength to bring down a person like Mrs. Leidner with a heavy stone instrument. However, if Mrs. Leidner Kneeling on the ground, then, at least physically, is possible. There are ways for a woman to induce another woman to kneel. Oh, not in an emotional way! For example, a woman may be able to induce another woman to kneel. Lifting the hem of the skirt and asking another woman to fasten the pins for her, the other woman would kneel down to do so without question.
"But what about the motive? Nurse Leatheran once told me she saw Mrs. McGadoux glaring at Mrs. Leidner. McGado has apparently fallen for Mrs. Leidner's dress. But I don't think we can just be jealous Finding an answer in this regard, I am sure that Mrs. Leidner would not be interested in Mr. McGado in the slightest—and, no doubt, Mrs. McGado has noticed the fact. She may be angry with her for a while, but the talk From murder to murder, there must be something bigger to motivate her to do it. But Mrs. McGado is a motherly woman at heart. I can tell by the way she looks at her husband that she not only loves him, but also loves him. Because he could go through fire and water--and not only--she had imagined the possibility of that, and she was always wary of others, always insecure. That insecurity was for him--not for herself. When I studied Mr. McGado's I could have guessed quite easily what the trouble was, and I managed to prove my guess right, that Mr. McGado was a drug addict--he was addicted to an extreme degree.
"Now I probably don't have to tell you all that after a long period of time anesthesia has been injected, and the result is that the moral sense of the person is quite weakened.
"A man under the influence of a narcotic does things he begins to have the habit of doing that he never dreamed of doing before. There are also cases where a man commits homicide—but it's hard to say whether he should have done what he did. All responsible. Laws vary slightly from country to country on this point. The main characteristic of a drug-addicted murderer is that he is very vain about his own intelligence.
"I think Mr. McGado may have done something dishonorable in the past, perhaps a crime. His wife has always tried to hide it, but even so, his career is on the verge of death. If he ever If word got out, it would be the end of Mercado. His wife was always very worried about it. But there was Mrs. Leidner to deal with. Mrs. Leidner was very clever and loved power. She even would try to induce him to confide in her all the secrets, which suited her peculiar character, that she knew a secret which she could reveal at any moment, with immediate and unfortunate consequences.
"That, then, is the possible motive of the killings by the McGadoes. I am sure Mrs. McGadoes would have done anything to protect her husband. She and her husband had both had their chances—that It’s the ten minutes when there’s no one in the yard.”
Mrs. McGado exclaimed, "That's not the case!"
Poirot ignored her.
"Secondly, I'm thinking about Miss Johnson. Could she kill someone?
"I thought she might, she's a person with a strong will and a steely self-control, a person who's always restraining herself—the floodgates of self-control will burst someday! But if Miss Johnson commits murder, That must have something to do with Dr. Leidner. If she felt that Mrs. Leidner was really going to ruin his life, then the deep, unacknowledged jealousy in her heart would seize the opportunity. . This is a plausible motive, which can give full play to jealousy.
"Yes, Miss Johnson is clearly a murderous possibility.
"Then, there are those three young men.
"Look at Carl Ritter first. If there is one member of the expedition that could be William Basner, Rhett is the most likely man. But if he is William Basner, then he must be A talented actor! If he were himself, would he have a reason to kill someone?
"In Mrs. Leidner's opinion, Carl Rhett was too easy to conquer and was not a good prey. He would immediately prostrate himself in the ground and worship her. Mrs. Leidner despises this indiscriminate worship—and this resignation." Her poor attitude tends to bring out the worst in a woman. Mrs. Leidner's treatment of Carl Ritter was truly deliberate cruelty. She alternately laughed at him and provoked him. She used That poor thing is in a lot of pain."
Poirot stopped suddenly, and spoke kindly to the young man in a manner of speaking from the heart.
"Take this, my friend, as a lesson to you. You are a man, so behave like a man! It is against nature for a man to slavishly ingratiate himself with a woman, who has almost the same And remember, it’s better to throw the biggest dish you can reach at a woman’s head than to wag your tail like a woman every time she looks at you.”
He no longer used the manner of private conversation, but adopted his manner of lecture.
"Could Carl Ritter have stimulated her to such an extent that he would fight her and kill her? Pain has a strange effect on a man. Not sure he said it wasn't the case!
"Then there is William Coleman. His behavior, according to Miss Riley, is indeed suspicious. If he is the murderer, there can only be one reason: there is a William Basner hidden in his cheerful personality." I don't think William Coleman himself has the character of a murderer, but perhaps his fault lies in another direction. Ah, perhaps Nurse Leatheran guessed what it was?"
How exactly is that done?I believe I didn't appear to be thinking at the time.
"Actually, I didn't guess anything." I said, a little hesitant. "But if that's the case. Mr. Coleman did say it himself, he might be a first-rate forgery expert."
"That's a good point," said Poirot. "So, if he forged the letters, he would have no difficulty at all."
"Listen! Listen! Listen! This is called 'framing.'"
Poirot went on: "As to whether he was William Basner, such a thing is difficult to prove. But Mr. Coleman spoke of a guardian—not the father—then there is no solid evidence against it." my thoughts."
"Nonsense!" said Mr. Coleman. "Why do you all listen to this fellow beat me like that?"
"Mr. Emmott is the only one left of these three young men," Poirot continued. "He may also be William Basner in disguise. If he may get rid of Mr. Leidner, regardless of personal aspects What is the reason, I soon found that I could not find the answer from his mouth. His ability to keep secrets is unexpected. We have no way to stir him up or trick him into revealing his true colors. Among all the members Of all the others, he was the only one who judged Mrs. Leidner's personality most correctly and calmly. I thought he always knew what she really was—but what impression her personality made on him I had no idea. A way to find out. Mrs. Leidner herself might have been irritated by his attitude, I thought.
"I can say that among all the team members, in terms of personality and ability, I think Mr. Emmott is the most suitable to successfully complete a murder mission. Not only is his technique clever, but his timing is also very accurate."
Mr. Emmott lifted his eyes from the toes of his boots.
"Thank you," he said.
There seemed to be only a hint of amusement in his voice.
"The last two names on my list are Richard Jaley and Father Lavigne.
"According to the testimony of Nurse Leatheran and several others, Mr. Garrett and Mrs. Leidner had an animosity towards each other. Both of them tried to be polite. The other, Miss Riley, had quite a different feeling." She thought there were very different reasons for their unnatural politeness.
"It soon occurred to me that there could be no doubt that Miss Raleigh was right. I arrived at this definite conclusion by a simple method: I contrived to provoke Mr. Garrett to speak recklessly and without hesitation.一套话。那并不难。因为我不久就看出他正处于一种极紧张的状态。其实，他以前——现在也是——几乎已经完全崩溃了。一个人的痛苦已经忍受到不可再忍的程度时，他就没有多大力量抵抗。
“贾雷先生的防线几乎立刻就崩溃了。他对我说一态度很真挚，我丝毫不怀疑——他憎恨雷德纳太太。
“毫无疑问，他说的是实话。他确实恨她，但是，他为什么恨她呢？
“我已经说到一种女人具有足以惹祸的魔力。但是，男人也有那样的魔力！有一种男人能够毫不费力地使女人迷上他们。这就是现在大家称为'性感'的力量。贸雷先生充分地具备这个特点。一开始他对他的朋友兼雇主忠心耿耿，但对他的大太漠不关心。这就不合雷德纳太太的脾气。她必须支配一切。于是，她就着手使他成为她的俘虏。但是，我相信，就在这个节骨眼上，一件预料不到的事发生了。她自己，也许是有生以来的第一次——为一种势不可当的感情征服，成为一个牺牲品。她坠入情网——真正的坠入情网——爱上瑞洽德·贾雷。
“他呢——不能抗拒。这就是他一直忍受的，那种神经紧张的实在原因。他这个人让两种敌对的情感折磨得不成人样。他爱露伊思·雷德纳——是的，但是他也恨她。他恨她是因为她破坏了他对好友的忠诚。一个被迫违反自己的心意而爱上一个女人的人，他的恨已经达到举世无匹的程度。
“我这里已经找到我所需要的动机。我相信，在某一种时刻，瑞洽德·贾雷可以做的一件最自然的事就是用他最大的杏力向那迷住他的那个美丽面孔重重一击。
“我一直相信露伊思·雷德纳的命案是一种情杀案。我以为贾雷先生就是犯这种罪的理想凶手。
“现在就留下另外一个可以冠上凶手罪名的人——拉维尼神父。关于那个由窗外向内窥探的陌生人，拉维尼神父的说法和列瑟兰护士的说法有一些差别。这件事便把我的注意直接转移到那位神父身上。不同的证人提出的说明都有一些差别。但是这一次的差别很大。而且，拉维尼神父坚持那个人的特点——斜视眼_应该让我们更容易辨认那个人。
“但是不久我就觉得列瑟兰护士把那个生人形容得实际上相当确切，可是拉维尼神父的说法显然不是那样。看起来仿佛是拉维尼神父有意引我们往错误的方向想——仿佛他不希望那个人让我们捉住。
”但是，情形假若如此，他必定知道一些这个奇怪人物的事。他已经让人看到同那个人谈话。但是他们谈些什么，他的说法只是他的一面之辞。
“那个伊拉克人在列瑟兰护士和雷德纳太太看到他的时候在做些什么？想窥探窗里的情形——雷德纳太太的窗，这是她们这样想的。但是，我曾经走过去站在她们所说的地方看过。我发现那也一样可能是那古物室的窗。
“以后的那一天，发出一个警报。有人在古物室。虽然如此，没有发现丢了什么东西。我觉得很有趣的一点，就是雷德纳博士赶到的时候，他发现拉维尼神父已经先在那里。拉维尼神父说他看见那里有灯光。但是，那也只是他的一面之辞。
“我开始对于拉维尼神父感到好奇了。前几天我曾经推测拉维尼神父也许是佛瑞德瑞克巴斯纳。那时候雷德纳博士就一笑置之。他说拉维尼神父是一个著名的人物。我就提出我的意见。据我推测，佛瑞德瑞克巴斯纳有差不多二十年的时间开创一个事业。只要换个名字，到了这个时候，他可能已经成为名人。不过，我仍然以为他不会把那当中的一段岁月消磨在一个修道院。于是，一个比较简单的答案出现了。
“拉维尼神父来此以前，考察团里有人一看见他就认出是谁吗？显然没有。那么，为什么不是有人扮作那位神父呢？我发现有一封电报拍到迦太基。本来比尔德大夫打算同考察团一起来，可是突然病了。还有比偷看一封电报更容易的事吗？至于工作，考察团里没有另一个铭文专家。一个聪明人只要对铭文一知半解，就可能冒充专家混进来。到现在为止，没有多少碑文和铭文要翻译。我的印象是，拉维尼神父的见解让人觉得很特别。
“看情形，拉维尼可能是一个骗子。
“但是，他是佛瑞德瑞克吗？“不知为什么，情形似乎不是那样。实在的答案似乎要往一个不同的方向去找。
“我同拉维尼神父有过一次长谈。我是一个实践的天主教徒，所以我认识许多神父和修道院的人。我发现拉维尼神父谈话之间听起来不像真是一个神父。但是，在另一方面，我觉得在另外一个迥然不同的行业之中，他倒是一个常见的人物。我常常碰到这样的人——但是他们不是宗教团体的人，绝对不是的！
“于是，我就开始打电报。
“后来，列瑟兰护士无意之中给我一个很有价值的线索。我们正在古物室检查那些金饰品。她忽然提到一个金杯上面附着一些蜡的痕迹，我呢，我就说，'蜡吗？'拉维尼神父呢，他说'蜡？'只听到他那腔调就够了。我忽然灵机一动，马上晓得他方才在那里做些什么了。”
白罗停顿下来，直接对雷德纳博士说：
“先生，我很遗憾。我可以告诉你，那古物室的金杯、金匕首、发饰，和一些其他的东西不是你发掘出来的真品。那都是用蜡模电铸术仿制得非常聪明的铜器。我刚刚由我收到的这封口电中知道拉维尼神父不是别人，正是劳列·孟尼尔——法国警察熟悉的一个绝顶聪明的贼。他专门偷窃博物院的艺术品和其他一类的宝物。同他串通的是阿里·尤塞夫，一个半土尔其人。此人是第一流的珠宝匠。过去，罗浮官博物馆有些东西曾经让人发现到是赝品——后来他们发现到每一次都有一个著名的考古学家——以前馆长看到而认不出的人——都在访问博物馆时接触过那些赝品，但是一问到这件事，这些有名的人物都否认在馆方所说的那个时候来参观过！我们首先知道孟尼尔的事，就是在那个时候。
“我发现当你的电报到的时候，孟尼尔正在突尼西亚准备在修道院下手偷窃。拉维尼神父当时生病，不得不拒绝你的邀请。但是孟尼尔想法手弄到那个电报，掉换一封接受邀请的电报。他这样做十分安全，即使修道士们在一个报纸上看到拉维尼神父在伊拉克的消息（那种事本身就是不大可能的），他们只会觉得那是报纸消息不确实，这也是常有的。
“孟尼尔和他的同谋到了。他的同谋由外面侦查古物室情形的时候让人看到。他们的计划是由拉维尼神父用蜡印出古物的模型，再由阿里以聪明的手法制造复制品。总是有一些收藏家出高价购买真的古物，而不会问什么令人难堪的问题。拉维尼神父会负责达到以赝品掉换真品伪的目的——在夜晚做更好。
“当雷德纳太太听到他的声音发出惊呼时他在做些什么，这是没有疑问的。他能怎么办呢？他连忙编了一句谎话，说他看到古物室有灯光。
“他的话，照你们的说法，颇能让人'信以为真'。但是雷德纳太太不是傻瓜。她也许记得那个金杯上有蜡的痕迹，于是，她就由这些事实推测到正确的结论。假若她知道了，她会怎么办呢？现在不立刻表现出来，要等到以后向拉维尼神父透露一两句话暗示他，看到他的狼狈样子，引以为荣。这样做不是正合她的脾气吗？她会让他知道她已经怀疑他——但是不让他知道她知道这回事。这也许是一个危险的游戏，但是，她喜欢危险的游戏。
“也许她那个游戏玩得太久。拉维尼神父看出实情，于是不等她发现他打算怎样，便先下手为强。
“拉维尼神父是劳列·孟尼尔——一个贼。他也是——一个凶手吗？”
白罗在屋子里踱来踱去。他掏出手帕揩揩脑门上的汗，然后继续说下去。“那就是我今天早上所处的情势。当时我看出有八个明显的可能性，可是我不知道其中那一个是对的。我仍然不知道谁是凶手。
“但是谋杀是一种习惯。那个男人或者女人杀了一次，还会再杀人。
“在我的内心深处一直有一种感觉，这些人当中可能有人知情，却守口如瓶——他所看见的事会使凶手现出原形。我同列瑟兰护士到屋顶上詹森小姐站过的地方站着。她由那里可以看见院子，那个拱门，这房子北面那一边，和两个团员。她说的话与瑞特先生或者拉维尼神父有关吗？
“我几乎立刻就想出一个解释。假若一个陌生人由外面进来，那就只有乔装改扮才能办到。只有一个人的外表可能是装扮的。一个生人戴一顶硬壳太阳帽、太阳眼镜，装上黑胡子，穿上修道士穿的棉质长袍就可以进来，不会使仆人发现有陌生人进来。
“那就是詹森小姐的用意吗，或者是她知道的还更多？她发现到拉维尼神父完全是乔装改扮的吗？她知道他并不是他冒充的那个人吗？““根据我对于拉维尼神父的了解，我大有认为那个谜已经解答的感觉。劳列·孟尼尔是凶手。他为了要灭口，使她不能揭发她，才把她害死。现在他发现到另外一个人看透了他的隐密。她也得除掉。
“这样一切都可以说明了，第二个命案——拉维尼神父逃之夭夭——去掉了长袍和胡子（不用说，他和他的朋友带着很好的护照，以旅行客人的身分，穿过叙利亚，逃跑了）。还有他把那个有血迹的石磨放到詹森小姐床下那回事，都可以说明了。就像我说的，我觉得几乎满意了——但是还不十分满意。因为圆满的解答必须可以说明每一件事实——而这个解答却不能、
“例如，这种解答不能说明詹森小姐临死时为何说'那窗子——那窗子'，不能说明她为何为了那封信突然哭泣；不能说明她在屋顶上的心理状况——她为什么害怕到令人难以置信的程度？她为什么不肯告诉列瑟兰护士她当时在怀疑，或者知道什么？
“假若如此，那个人就有性命危险。
“我担心的主要是列瑟兰护士。她这个人精力旺盛、头脑活泼，而且好奇。我很担心她发现的事已经太多，恐怕会影响到自身的安全。
“的确又出了另一个命案。这是你们大家都知道的。但是遇害者不是列瑟兰护士——却是詹森小姐。
“我本来以为我已经纯粹用推理的方式得到正确的答案了。但是现在可以确定，由于詹森小姐的命案，我就可以更快地得到答案。
“首先，我们去掉了一个有嫌疑的人一一詹森小姐本人——因为我绝对不相信自杀的说法。
“现在让我们讨论一下这第二个命案的种种事实。
“第一个事实：星期天晚上，列瑟兰护士发现詹森小姐在哭，同一个晚上，詹森小姐烧掉一封信的一个片断。那上面的笔迹和那些匿名信上的一样。
“第二个事实：詹森小姐遇害的前一天晚上让列瑟兰护士看到站在屋顶上。列瑟兰护士形容她当时的情形是惊骇得令人难以相信。护士小姐问她怎么啦，她说：'我已经看出一个人如何可以由外面进来——而且谁也不会猜想到他是这样进来的。'除此以外她不肯多说。当时拉维尼神父正穿过院子出去，还有瑞特先生在摄影室的门口。
“第三个事实：詹森小姐被发现到奄奄一息，她唯一能说出来的话就是'那窗子——那窗子'。
“那些是事实。这些是我们面对着的问题：那些信的真实性如何，詹森小姐由屋顶上看到什么？她说'那窗子——那窗子'是什么意思？
“好吧，让我们先谈第二个看起来最容易解答的问题吧。
“我方才所说的那个解答符合表面上的事实，但是，不能符合心理方面的条件。
“于是，后来，我站在屋顶——心里揣摩着这三点——那些信、屋顶、窗户，于是，我看出来了——正是詹森小姐看出来的！
“这一次，我所看到的就可以说明一切！”
Notes:
Notes: