Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Morning on the Beach

It was almost noon on the beach below the hotel. Evelyn Hillingdon emerged from the water and lay down on the golden, warm sand.She took off her swimming cap and shook her black hair vigorously.This beach is not big. People like to gather here in the morning, and it becomes a place for everyone to socialize around eleven o'clock.To Evelyn's left, Ms. Caspialo, a very fit Venezuelan woman, reclined on a trendy basket-shaped canvas chair.Next to her, there is the old Mr. Laifel who is the most qualified at the Palme d'Or, and everyone is afraid of him three points. Only a rich disabled old man like him can have such awe.Esther Walders was watching over him.She always carried a stenographic book and pencil with her in case Mr. Rifle suddenly thought of sending an urgent business telegram.Mr. Laifel, who was wearing a swimsuit, looked extremely shriveled, with strips of dry skin hanging on his bones.Although he looked like he was on the verge of death, he was no different from eight years ago—at least that's what people on the island said.With piercing blue eyes peering from wrinkled cheeks, one of his greatest pleasures in life was to irascibly contradict anything anyone said.

Miss Marble was also on the beach.As usual, she sat knitting, listening to everyone's conversation quietly, and only occasionally spoke to others.Everyone would be amazed if she did, because usually people forget she was there!Evelyn Hillingdon looked at her dreamily and thought what a fine old cat she was. Ms. Caspialo rubbed some sunbath lotion on her long legs and hummed a little tune.The woman doesn't talk much.She looked at the bottle of suntan oil with resentment. "It's not as good as Frankie Peniot," she said sadly. "It's not available here. It's a pity." As she spoke, her eyelids drooped again.

"Would you like to go down to the bubble now, Mr. Raffles?" Esther Walders asked. "I'll be there then," said Mr. Rifle stubbornly. "It's half-past eleven," said Esther Walders. "So what?" said Mr. Rifle. "Do you think I live by the clock? Do this every hour, that after twenty minutes, and that after twenty minutes—yes!" Mrs. Esther Walders had taken care of Ryfell long enough to have her own way of dealing with him.She knew that he would have to rest for a while after taking a sea bath, so she reminded him of the time first.Better to give him ten minutes to refute her suggestion, so that he doesn't feel like she's taking her idea.

"I don't like these sandals," said Mr. Rifle, turning up his feet to look at them. "I told that jerk to Jaxon. The guy never listens to me." "I'll get you another pair, won't you, Mr. Raifel?" "No, just sit here quietly for me. I hate people being busy like a squawking old hen." Evelyn shifted in the warm sand and stretched her arms again. Miss Marple was knitting intently - or so it seemed - Stretching his feet, he quickly apologized and said: "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, Mrs Hillingdon. I kicked you." "Oh, never mind," Evelyn said, "this beach is too crowded."

"Oh, don't move, don't move. I'll move the chair back so I won't touch you again." Miss Marple shifted her seat and chirped childishly. "But it's wonderful to be here! You know, I've never been to the West Indian Islands before. I used to think I never thought I'd come to a place like this in my life, but here I am. It's all my love." My nephew is too kind to me. I suppose you know the country well, don't you, Mrs Hillingdon?" "I have been to this island once or twice, and of course I have been to other islands as well."

"Oh, yes, butterflies, and strange wild flowers, isn't it? Are you and your friends or your relations?" "Friends. Just friends." "I suppose you often travel together because you have the same interests, don't you?" "Yes. We have been traveling together for several years." "I guess you must have some very exciting and strange things happen to you sometimes?" "Not really," Wen Fulin said.Her tone was flat, a little impatient. "Exciting things seem to be happening to others all the time." She yawned. "No dangers like snakes, beasts, or wild wild men?"

"Why should I ask such a silly thing?" Miss Marple thought to herself. "Being bitten a few times at worst," Evelyn replied. "You know, poor Major Balgrave was bitten by a snake once." Miss Marple told a big lie. "yes?" "Didn't he tell you?" "There were some, I don't remember." "I suppose you must know him very well, don't you?" "Major Belgrave? No. Not at all." "He has a lot of interesting stories." "Damn old bastard," said Mr. Rifle, "and an old fool. If he took good care of himself, he wouldn't die either. "

"Why, don't say that, Mr. Ryfell," said Mrs. Wadders. "Of course I have my reasons. As long as you take good care of your body, you'll be fine anywhere. Look at me, the doctor told me I couldn't do it years ago. 'Well,' I said, 'I'm serious about my health. I have a set of rules, and I'll follow them carefully.' Well, I'm not living a good life yet." He looked proudly at the people around him. Indeed, it cannot be said that it is not a miracle that he is still alive here. "Poor Major Belgrave, he suffers from high blood pressure."

"Nonsense," said Mr. Raifel. "Yes, he has high blood pressure," said Evelyn Shillingden.Her sudden rebuttal was quite authoritative in her tone. "Who said it?" said Mr. Rifle. "Did he tell you himself?" "Someone said so." "He's so red," Miss Marple added deliberately. "It can't be seen from his face," Mr. Laifel said. "Anyway, he doesn't have high blood pressure. He told me himself." "He told you himself. How do you say that?" said Mrs. Wadders. "I mean, a sick person doesn't tell anyone directly."

"Why not? Once I saw him drink and eat his rotten farmer's juice wine, I said to him: 'You should pay attention to your diet. At your age, you should think about you. blood pressure,' he said he had nothing to worry about because his blood pressure was normal." "But he seems to be on some medicine for high blood pressure," Miss Marple rejoined the conversation. "Is it a - what is it called - a sedative?" "Ask me," Evelyn Shillingden said, "I don't think he wants to admit that there's something wrong with his body, or that there's something seriously wrong with him. not feel well."

Her words were somewhat endless.Miss Marple stared intently at the top of her dark hair for a moment. "The trouble is," said Mr. Rifle imperiously, "that people are too inquisitive about other people's diseases.They believe that anyone over the age of fifty will either die from excessive excitement, or suffer from coronary artery blood clots and other diseases.What nonsense! Since someone says that he is not sick or disaster, I think he should be fine.One should always be aware of one's own health.What time is it?A quarter to twelve?I should have been in the water for a bubble.Why don't you always remind me of this kind of thing, Yishu? " Mrs. Waders did not contradict him.She stood up and dexterously helped Mr. Raifel up.She carefully supported him by the arm, walked towards the beach together, and stepped into the water. " Ms. Caspialo opened her eyes and muttered: "The old man is so ugly. Oh, he is so ugly! He should be killed after forty, maybe thirty-five is better. Right? ?” Edward Hillingdon and Greg Dyson come and lie down on the beach together. "How's the water today, Evelyn?" "It's still not the same." "Nothing has changed, has it? Where has luck gone?" "I don't know," Evelyn said. "Miss Marple cast another attentive glance at her dark hair. "Well, let me show you a whale," Greg said.He took off the brightly colored Bermuda shirt, stretched his arms, panted and ran towards the beach, jumped into the water and quickly got up.Edward Hillingdon sat down beside his wife, and asked, "Would you like to go down again?" She gave him a slight smile, put on her swimming cap, and the two of them walked towards the beach hand in hand. Ms Caspialo's eyelids opened again. "I thought this couple was on their honeymoon at first. He was so tender and considerate to her, but I heard they've been married for eight or nine years. It's not easy, is it?" "Where is Mrs. Dyson?" said Miss Marple. "Is that lucky? Be with another man." "You—do you think so?" "Of course," said Ms. Caspialo, "that's the kind of woman she is. She's not that young. Her husband—the eyes have been elsewhere. It's provocative, and my hands are not idle for a moment. I know." "Yes," said Miss Marple, "I think you know that too." Ms. Caspialo glanced at her in surprise.Obviously, she didn't expect such a trick from Miss Marple. As for Miss Marple, her eyes were nonchalantly watching the gentle waves. "May I speak to you a few words, Mrs Kendall?" "Okay, of course," said Molly.She is sitting behind the desk in her office. Victoria Johnson, who was wearing a clean white uniform, walked in further, and mysteriously closed the door behind her. "Mrs. Kendall, I wonder if I can tell you something?" "Okay. What's the matter? Is something wrong?" "I don't know that either. It's hard to say. The dead old gentleman. The major. He died in his sleep." "Yes, yes." How is he? " "He's got a bottle of pills in his room. Doctor, he asked me." "Tell me?" "The doctor said, 'Let me see what's in the little mirror cabinet in the bathroom,' and he looked. I tell you, he saw tooth powder, indigestion tablets, aspirin, laxatives, And there's that bottle of pills called Tranquilizers." "How is it?" Molly asked again. "Well, the doctor looked at it and seemed to nod with satisfaction, but I thought about it and thought about it later. The bottle of pills wasn't there. I didn't see it in his bathroom before. Others, there were, like Tooth powder, aspirin, shaving lotion and stuff. But those pills, that bottle of tranquilizer, I never noticed." "Then you think—" Molly looked at her puzzled. "I don't know what to think," said Victoria. "It just doesn't feel right, so I thought I'd better talk to you. Maybe you could tell the doctor? Maybe something isn't right.Perhaps someone put it there, and he ate it and died. " "Well, I don't think that's possible," said Molly. Victoria shook her black head and said, "It's hard to say. People can do a lot of bad things." Molly looked out the window.This place is supposed to be heaven on earth.Sunshine, blue sea.The coral reef, the music and dancing here, is Eden, and yet even in Eden there is a shadow—the shadow of the boa constrictor, bad—what a nasty word. "I'll ask, Victoria," she said solemnly; "don't worry. The most important thing is not to spread unfounded rumors everywhere. " Just as Victoria was about to leave reluctantly, Tim Kendall entered. "What's the matter, Molly?" She hesitated at first, thinking that Victoria might tell him too, so she told him what the woman had told her. "I really don't know how this kind of nonsense came up. What kind of pills is she talking about?" "I-I don't really know, Tim. I guess it's the medicine for high blood pressure that Dr. Robertson was talking about when he came." That's the end of it, isn't it?I mean, he's got high blood pressure, so he's gotta take some medicine, right?Some people take this medicine often, and I have seen it many times. " "That's right," said Molly, still hesitantly, "but Victoria seems to think maybe he took the pill and died." "Oh dear, this is too much trouble, isn't it? You mean maybe someone changed his high blood pressure pills and poisoned him?" "It's a bit ridiculous," Molly said apologetically, "No wonder you say that. But Victoria thinks so! " "Stupid girl! We might as well ask Dr. Graham. He ought to know. It's really boring, why bother him? " "I think so too." "How does this woman think that someone has changed the pills? Is it different pills in the same bottle?" "I don't know," Molly said helplessly. "Victoria seems to think that the bottle of tranquilizer wasn't there." "Wow, that's bullshit," said Tim Kendall, "he'd have to take that pill all the time to lower his blood pressure." And with that, he walked briskly out to talk to Fernando, the head waiter. However, Molly couldn't let go of her heart for a while. After finishing her lunch, she said to her husband: "Tim, I-I thought about it for a long time-Since Victoria has been talking like this, maybe we should tell people Please ask me." "Really, my dear lady! Robertson and everyone in the area have been here, checked it out, and asked all the necessary questions." "I know, but you also know that these women will go on and on about it." "Oh, well! Well—let's ask Dr. Graham. He must know." Dr. Graham sat reading on the front veranda.As soon as the young couple entered the house, Molly began to talk.Because it was a bit confusing, Tim answered. "You may feel a little stupid," he said with a face of embarrassment, "but as far as I know, this woman somehow got a whimsy, thinking that someone put poison in that medicine bottle called jin--something. "But how could she have such a fancy?" asked Dr. Graham. "I don't know," Tim said blankly. "Changed the bottle? Did you, Molly?" "No," said Molly, "I think she's got a bottle labeled T-Sedative--" "Sedative," said the doctor. "Yes, a very common pill. He's been taking it." "Victoria says she's never seen one in his room before." "Never in his room?" said Mulam sternly. "What does she mean?" "Well, that's what she said. She said there were a lot of things in the frame of his bathroom mirror. Like tooth powder, aspirin, shaving lotion--she said a lot anyway, I think because she They all went to clean the room, so I remember it very well. But this bottle of tranquilizer—she didn’t see it until the day after the major’s death.” "That's strange," said the doctor gravely. "Is she really sure?" There was a rare seriousness in his tone that made the Kendals stare at him.They imagined the attitude of a doctor. "She told me in a very definite tone." Molly said slowly. "Maybe she's just trying to be sensational," Tim offered his opinion. "I think perhaps," said Dr. Graham, "that I should ask her myself." Victoria had another chance to state her observations, obviously unable to conceal her inner pride. "I don't want to cause trouble," she said. "I didn't put that pill bottle, and I don't know who put it." "But you think someone let it go?" Graham asked. "You think, if it wasn't there before, then of course someone let it go." "Maybe Major Balgrave's in a drawer—or in the briefcase." Victoria shook her head disapprovingly. "If he had to take it all the time, would he keep it in those places? Would he?" "No," said Graham, somewhat discouraged, "probably not. He has to take this drug several times a day. Have you never seen him take this drug, or anything else?" "Anyway, he didn't have that kind of medicine in the house before. I just thought-someone said that the medicine had something to do with his death, poisoned his blood or something, and I thought maybe his enemy put it there to kill him. his." "Don't talk nonsense, little girl," the doctor said loudly to stop her, "it's all nonsense." Victoria was suddenly taken aback. "Are you saying that this medicine is a cure, a good medicine?" She asked in disbelief. "It's a good medicine, and an indispensable good medicine," said Dr. Graham. "So don't worry about it, Victoria. You can rest assured that nothing will go wrong with that medicine. There is that kind of medicine." Sick people must use it." "In this way, I can feel relieved." Victoria said, grinning at him with her white teeth. But Dr. Graham couldn't let go of his heart.The sense of uneasiness that was only vague at first seemed real at this moment.