Chapter 9 Chapter 9 The Mystery of the Door

1 "I'm sorry to bother you again, Miss Blacklock—" "Ah, that's all right. I think the inquiry has been suspended for a week. You want more evidence?" Inspector Craddock nodded. "In the first place, Miss Blacklock, Rudy Shields is not the son of the owner of the Alpine Hotel in Montero. He started his career as an orderly at a hospital in Bern.Many patients there lost small pieces of jewelry.He worked as an entertainer at a winter sports base under another name.His specialty here is duplicating two bills in a restaurant, with items missing in one but showing up in the other.The difference naturally went into his pocket.After that, he went into a department store in Zurich.While he was there, the store suffered above-average damage from merchandise being stolen.It seems likely that the merchandise was not all stolen by the customer. "

"So he actually used to take a free hand on innocuous things, then?" said Miss Blacklock dryly. "Then I'm right in thinking I haven't seen him before?" "You're very good—no doubt you were pointed out to him at the Royal Pleasure Hotel, and he pretended to recognize you. The Swiss police made him unable to stay in his own country, so he used Came here with a beautifully forged set of papers and got a job at the Royal Pleasure Hotel." "Pretty good hunting grounds," said Miss Blacklock dryly. "It's so expensive that only the very well-to-do stay there. Some of them don't care about the bill, I suppose."

"Yes," said Craddock, "there's a prospect of a rewarding return there." Miss Blacklock frowned. "I get it all," she said, "but why come to Chipping Cleghorn? Why does he think we've got anything better than the rich Royal Pleasure Hotel?" "You still insist on your original testimony that there was nothing particularly valuable in the house?" "Of course not. If there is, I should know. I can assure you, Inspector, we have no undiscovered Rembrandts or the like." "Then your friend Miss Bonner is right, doesn't he? He's come to attack you."

"Isn't it, Litty, how did I tell you 2" "Hey, bullshit, Bonnie." "But is that really nonsense?" asked Craddock, "I think you know it in your heart." Miss Blacklock glared at him viciously. "Let's make this clear. You really believe that the young man is here—and by posting a notice in advance, so that half the village will show up at the same time at a certain time—" "But that's not what he meant," interposed Miss Bonner impatiently. "It might have been a dire warning to you, Litty—that's how I felt when I read the notice." The - 'murder notice' - is creepy in my bones - if all goes according to plan, he'll shoot you and get away. So who knows who did it?"

"There is some truth in that," said Miss Blacklock, "but—" "I knew that ad was no joke, Litty. I said so. And look at Midge—she's scared to death, too!" "Ah," said Craddock, "speaking of Meshech, I would like to know more about this young woman." "Her work permit and other documents are in order." "I don't doubt that," Craddock said stiffly. "Shields' papers look all right." "But why did Rudy Shields have to murder me? You're not going to explain that, Inspector Craddock." "There might be someone behind Shields," Craddock said greedily. "Have you thought about that?"

He said it insinuatingly, though it crossed his mind that if Miss Marple's reasoning was true, then the literal meaning of the sentence was also true.In any case, this remark did not impress Miss Blacklock much, and she still looked suspicious. "The question remains," she said, "why on earth would someone murder me?" "I ask you to give me the answer to this question, Miss Blacklock." "But I can't answer that! That's obvious. I have no enemies. As far as I know, I've always been on good terms with my neighbors. I don't know the secret of other people's crimes. The whole idea is ridiculous! If you're implying Mickey It would be equally absurd to be involved in it. Miss Bonner told you just now that Mickey was terrified when she saw the advertisement in the paper. In fact, she just wanted to pack up and walk away."

"It could also be a clever play on her part to get you. She probably knows you'll insist on her staying." "Of course, if you decide that's the case, then you can find the answer to any question. But I can assure you that if Micky hates me for no reason, she can find a way to put something in my food." Poisonous. But I'm sure she wouldn't do such a mess. "The whole idea is absurd. I believe you cops have anti-foreigner syndrome. Mickey may be a liar, but she's not a cold-blooded killer. If you think it is necessary, go and extract a confession from her.But if she leaves in a fit of rage, or shuts herself in the room and howls, then I'm looking forward to you cooking dinner.Mrs. Harmon is bringing an old lady who lives with her to tea this afternoon, and I'd like Mickey to make a little cake—but I reckon you'll make her very angry.Can you doubt others? "

2 Craddock came out into the kitchen.He asked the question again, and got the same answer. Yes, she locked the front door shortly after four.No, she didn't do it all the time, but that afternoon she was nervous about "that dreadful reason."The side door was not securely locked, because Miss Blacklock and Miss Bonner went out there to shut up the ducks and feed (the birds), and Mrs Haymes usually came in after her work. "Mrs. Hymes says she locked the door when she came in at five-thirty." "Oh, it's her you believe in—oh, yes, you believe her..." "You think we shouldn't trust her?"

"What does it matter what I think? You won't believe me." "If you'd give us a chance. You think Mrs. Haymes didn't lock that door?" "I think she left it unlocked on purpose." "What do you mean?" Craddock asked. "That young man, he didn't do it alone. No, he knew where to come in, and he knew the door would be left for him when he came in—oh, it's very convenient to open!" "what do you want to say in the end?" "What's the use of what I say? You won't listen. You'll say I'm a lying poor refugee. You'll say a fair-haired English lady, oh no, she can't lie--she's so real The Englishman - so honest. So you believe her instead of me. But I can tell you.

Ah yes, I can tell you: "She bangs the pan on the stove. Craddock couldn't make up his mind whether to take her words seriously, since what she had to say might be nothing more than a spout of vicious words. "We value everything we hear," he said. "I won't tell you anything. Why should I? You're all the same. You persecute poor refugees and look down on refugees. If I tell you that a week ago that young man came to ask Miss Blacklock for money and she let him go, And let him go angrily, as you say--if I told you I heard him talking to Mrs. Haymes--yes, out in the conservatory--you'd just say I was making up stories! "

You might as well be making up a story, Craddock thought.But he said aloud: "You can't hear talking in the conservatory." "That's where you're wrong," said Micky sharply, gaining the upper hand. "I went out to pick nettles--it's a nice vegetable. They don't think so, but I cook it and don't tell 'em .I heard them talking there. He said to her 'But where can I hide?' She said 'I'll show you.' - and then she said 'A quarter past six.' And I thought:' Why, that's how it is! That's what you do, my little lady! Meet the man when you're done. You bring him into the house.' Miss Blacklock, I thought, she doesn't like this. , she'll throw you out. I'll watch, I think, listen, then I'll tell Miss Blacklock. But now I know I was wrong. It wasn't love she planned with him, it was Robbery and murder. But then you're gonna say I'm making up a story. You're gonna say wicked Mickey, and I'm going to put her in a cell." Craddock wondered.She may be making up a story, but she may not be. He asked cautiously, "Can you guarantee that it was this Rudy Shields who was talking to her?" "Of course I can. I saw him cross the road to the warming house as he was leaving. Soon," said Midge defiantly, "I went out to see if there were any nice green nettles." In October, the Inspector wondered, would there be nettles that were tender and green and good?But Craddock admired Micky's hastily concocted an excuse to cover up what was undoubtedly eavesdropping. "Is that all you heard?" "That Miss Bonner, the one with the long nose, called and called me. Mickey!Mickey!So I had to go.Oh, she's so irritating, always trying to get in the way of everything.Said to teach me how to cook.Hmph, she cooks!All the dishes she cooks are tasteless, tasteless, tasteless: ""Why didn't you tell me this last time? asked Craddock sharply. "Because I didn't remember that time—I didn't—it was only later that I said to myself that it was planned—with her." "Are you sure it's Mrs. Haymes?" "Oh, yes, I'm sure of it. Oh, yes, I'm quite sure of it. She's a thief, that Mrs. Haymes. A thief and an accomplice to robbers. She's got a job in the garden, and she's paid a lot. Not enough for this sweet lady, not enough. So rob Miss Blacklock who treats her kindly. Oh, she's bad, bad, bad, that fellow!" "Suppose," said the Inspector, watching her closely, "somebody says you were seen talking to Rudy Shields?" "If someone says they saw me talking to him, it's a lie, a lie, a lie," she said dismissively. "It's easy to lie behind someone's back, but in England you have to prove it's true. It's Miss Blacklock told me that's true, isn't it? I haven't spoken to murderers and thieves, and no British policeman can say I did. You keep talking, talking, talking, and How do I make lunch? Get out of my kitchen, please. I'm going to make my sauce." Craddock went obediently.His suspicions about Mickey wavered a little.She told the story of Philippa Hymes very convincingly.It's also possible that Mi-chiu lied (he thinks she was), but he imagined there might be a grain of truth in the story.He decided to talk to Philippa about it.When he had questioned her last time, he had thought her a quiet, well-bred young woman, and had not suspected her. He walked absently across the hall, trying to open the wrong door.Miss Bonner was coming down the stairs.Hastily corrected him. "Not the door," she said. "That door won't open. It should be the one on the left. Confusing, isn't it? So many doors." "That's a lot," Craddock said, looking around the narrow hall. Miss Bonner kindly explained to him one by one: "This door leads to the cloakroom, then the cloakroom door, and then the dining-room door—that's the one over there. Here is the dull door you want to go through, then the main door of the dining room, then the door of the china cabinet and the door of the small conservatory, and at the end is the side door.It's very confusing, especially since these two roads are so close together, I often get them wrong.We actually used to have a table against the door, but then we moved the table against the wall. " Craddock noticed almost mechanically that a thin line ran horizontally across the plank of the door he was trying to open just now.Only then did he realize that it was the mark of the original table.There was a slight wave in his mind, and he asked, "Move? How long ago?" "Let me see, just recently—ten days or two weeks ago." "Why move away?" "I can't really remember, maybe it has something to do with the flowers. I think Philippa got a big vase—she made a beautiful arrangement—all autumn colors, technical school, and big, You tend to catch your hair when you walk by, so Philippa said: 'Why don't you move the table? Flowers look much better against a bare wall than against a door.' But we had to put the Killington at Waterloo." Not a painting I particularly like. Later we hung it to the foot of the building. " "So this isn't actually a dead door?" Craddock asked, looking at the door. "Oh, yes, a trap door, if that's what you mean. It's the door to the small parlour, but when the two parlors are one, there's no need to open two doors, so this one is dead. " "Latched?" Craddock tried to push again lightly. "Do you mean nailed? Or locked?" "Ah, locked, I think, and bolted." He saw the latch at the top of the door and tried it.The latch slid back easily - easily... "When was the last time this door was opened?" "Oh, many, many years ago, I think. It hasn't been opened since I got here, I don't remember." "You don't know where the key is?" "There are a lot of keys in the drawer in the hall. They should probably be in there." Craddock followed her, leaning on a drawer to look.Inside the drawer were all sorts of rusty old-fashioned keys.He scanned them all, picked out a handful that looked different, and returned to the door.The key fit the lock and turned freely. He pushed, and the door slid open without a sound. "Oh, look out," cried Miss Bonner, "there may be something in there against the door. We never open. " "Really?" asked the inspector. His face became ugly at this moment.He said earnestly: "The door has only recently been opened, Miss Bonner, and the door and hinges have been oiled." She stared at him dumbfounded. "But who would do that?" she asked. "That's what I intend to find out," said Craddock coldly.He mused—"X that came in from outside? No—X was here—in this room—X was in the living room that night..."