Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen Looking Back

After an overnight train ride, Inspector Craddock alighted at a small station in the Scottish Highlands, and for a moment it struck him as strange that wealthy Mrs Godler, a handicapped woman, could choose to live in a fashionable London You can live in a manor in Hampshire, or in a villa in the south of France, but you choose to live in your hometown in far away Scotland.She must have cut off many friends and entertainment here.It must have been a lonely life—or was she ill and blind, so indifferent or indifferent to her surroundings? A car waited to pick him up, a huge old Daimler with an elderly driver.It was a sunny morning and the Inspector was enjoying the twenty-mile drive, though again surprised at the choice of a penchant for isolation.

A tentative remark opened the driver's mouth and gave him a general idea of ​​why, "This is her home as a girl. Well, she's the last of the family. She's here with Mr. Godler. Lives happier than anywhere else, though he can't come here very often from London. But whenever he can, they're as happy as a pair of children." The gray walls of the ancient mansion gradually came into view, and Craddock felt that time was stepping back step by step. ' An old butler received him, and after he had washed and shaved he was led into a room where a fire was burning brightly, where he had breakfast.

After breakfast, a middle-aged woman in a protective suit came in and introduced herself as McLand hushi, her demeanor was elegant and confident. "My patient is ready for you, Mr. Craddock. She is looking forward to seeing you." "I'll try not to excite her," Craddock promised. "I'd better warn you what happens, and you'll find that Mrs. Godler looks quite normal. She'll talk, and like to talk, and then—suddenly—her energy will break down. To Leave at once and have me called. You will see that she is almost entirely on the effects of morphine. Most of the time she is in a heavy sleep.

In order to receive you, I have given her a shot of stimulant.As the effects of the stimulant wore off, she would return to a semi-comatose state too" "I understand very well, Miss McClelland.I would like to ask you to tell me about Mrs. Godler's exact state of health. I wonder if it would be right for you? " "Well, Mr. Craddock, she's a dying person. Her life lasts only a few weeks. You might wonder if she should have passed away so many years ago, but it's true. Supporting Mrs. Godler Da survived because she had a strong desire and love to be alive. It sounds equally strange that someone who has lived with a disability for many years has not set foot outside the house for fifteen years, but it is also true. Godler Da Tai has never been a strong woman, but her desire to live has always been so amazing." She added with a smile, "You will find that she is still a very charming woman."

Craddock was shown into a large bedroom with a fire in it, and an old lady lying on a tented bed. Although she was only seven or eight years older than Letitia Blacklock, her frail body made her look older than she really was. Her hair was white and neatly combed, and a light blue wool felt was wrapped around her neck and shoulders.There were painful lines carved on that face, but there was also sweetness in it.Oddly, there was a glint in her eclipsed blue eyes that Craddock could only describe as mischievous. "Well, that's interesting," she said. "I don't get calls from the police very often. I hear that Letitia Blacklock wasn't hurt much in that attack? My dear Blackie?" Sample?"

"She is well, Mrs. Godler. She greets you." "I haven't seen her for a long time...for many years, just to send a card at Christmas. She came back to England after Charlotte died and I asked her to live here, but she said, after all this time It hurts to see old people, and maybe she's right... Blackie is a very sensible woman. I had an old friend from school come to see me about a year ago, but, huh!" She smiled. "We're sick of each other. By the time we're done asking each other, 'Remember?', there's nothing else to say. It's embarrassing."

Craddock was content to let her keep talking before asking questions.In fact, he wanted to go back to the past.Want to feel the so-called family atmosphere of the Godlers and Blacklocks. "I suppose," Bell asked shrewdly, "that you want to know about money? Randall made a will to leave money to Blackie when I die. Of course, Randall never dreamed of that." I'll outlive him. He's a big, strong man who hasn't been sick for a day. I'm always sick and in pain, complaining about this pain and that pain all day long. The doctor comes every day, and sees In my case, I have a long face."

"I don't think complaining is the right word, Mrs. Godler." The old lady burst out laughing. "And I don't mean complaining when I say complaining. I've never felt too sorry for myself. But I'm so weak that it's taken for granted that I should go first. It didn't turn out that way. No, it didn't." "Why, exactly, does your husband do with his money like that?" "You mean why did he leave the money to Blackie? Not for any reason you might imagine." The flicker became more and more apparent. "What brains do you cops have! Randall never did not love her, and she did not love him. Letitia, you know, actually has the mind of a man. She has no woman's affection and weakness. I believe she has never been in love with any man.

She had never been particularly beautiful, nor did she dress well.She puts on a little makeup to respect fashion, but the purpose is not to dress up more beautifully. she went on, with pity in her aged voice: "She never knew the joys of being a woman. " Craddock looked with interest at the frail little figure on the big bed.Belle Godler, he realized, had been, and still was, enjoying being a woman.She blinked at him. "I always thought," she said, "that being a man must be boring." Then she said thoughtfully: "I think Randall sees Blackie primarily as a younger brother. He relies on her judgment, which is always excellent. You know, she made him Get out of trouble more than once."

"She told me she saved him once with money?" "Well, yes, but I mean more than that. After all these years, the truth can be told. Randall can't tell right from wrong, he's dull, the poor darling doesn't know what shrewdness is, What is treachery. Blackie saved him from going astray.One thing about Letitia Blacklock was that she was absolutely upright, and she would never do anything dishonest. She has a great character, you know.I have always admired her.Her sisters had a hard time when they were girls. Their father, a country doctor--dull and narrow-minded--was the tyrant of the family.Letitia ran away from home and went to England to train as a licensed accountant.Her younger sister is somewhat disabled, probably deformed somewhere, so she never sees people and stays at home.So when the old man died, Letitia gave up everything and went home to look after her sister.Randall was mad at her—but it didn't help.Once Letitia decides that something is her responsibility, she will never turn back, and you can't move her no matter what. "

"How long before your husband died?" "Two or three years, I think. Randall made a will before she went, and it hasn't been changed. He said to me, 'We have no children.' Our little boy, you know, died when he was two years old. 'When you and I are gone, it'd be better for Blackie to take the money. She's going to make a big difference.' —bring so much fun—it's not just about the money—it's the risk, the risk, and the thrill of it. Blackie loves it all, too. She has the same sense of adventure and the same judgment. Poor baby, she Never have I experienced the mundane pleasures of falling in love with someone, leading men around, testing them - starting a family, having children, enjoying the real joys of life." This woman suffered from chronic diseases all her life, her only child died, her husband died, she lived a lonely widow life, and for many years she was a hopeless and seriously ill patient, but with true pity and blind contempt, she All this made Craddock feel very strange. She nodded at him. "I know what you're thinking. But I have everything that makes life worth living--I may have had it all--but I had it. I was beautiful and happy as a girl, and I married my The person I love deeply, he never stopped loving me... Speaking of the child, he is dead, but I spent two precious years with him... I have suffered a lot physically—but It is because of the pain that you know how to enjoy the wonderful joy when the pain stops. Besides, people have always been kind to me... I'm a lucky woman, really. " Craddock found a hole in what she had said earlier. "Just now you said, Mrs. Godler, that your husband left the money to Miss Blacklock because he had no other heirs. But that's not strictly speaking the case, is it? He also has a sister. " "Ah, Sonia. But they had a fight years ago, and it was all over." "He disagrees with her marriage?" "Yes, she was married to a man called—what was his last name—" "Stanfortis." "That's him, Dimitri Stanfordis. Randall always said he was: a liar. The two men never liked each other in the first place. But Sonia was madly in love with him, and all she wanted was to Marry him. But I really don't see why she shouldn't. It's just weird how men think about things like that. Sonia wasn't a little girl anymore—it was twenty-five, and she didn't know what she was doing.He's a liar, dare I say it—I mean he's a real, real liar.I believe he has a criminal record - Randall always suspected he was using a name that wasn't his real name.Sonicki knows all this.question. Yes—and Randall disagreed, of course—Dimitri was a very attractive man, and he loved Sonia as much as Sonia loved him. Randall insists that he married her for the money—but that's not true.Soniki is very pretty, you know, and ambitious.If the marriage ended badly, if Dimitri treated her badly, or cheated on her, she would walk away to cut the damage.She is a rich woman who can live as she pleases. " "Has this gap not been eliminated since then?" "No. Randall and Soniki never got along. She resented him for trying to stop the marriage. She said: 'Very well, you are so unreasonable!This is the last time you'll hear me! "'"this is not the truth? " Bell smiled. "One day, eighteen months after that happened, I got a letter from her. I remember it was from Budapest, but she didn't leave an address. She asked me to tell Randall that she was very happy. Yes, and with twins." "She told you their names?" Bell smiled again. "She said they were born just after noon—she was going to name them Pip and Emma. Of course the two names could be a joke." "You haven't heard from her since?" "Yes. She said that she and her husband were going to live in the United States with their baby. Then I never heard anything..." "I suppose you don't happen to still have that letter?" "I'm afraid so... I gave Randall my conviction and he just muttered, 'Someday she's going to regret marrying that guy.' That's all he said about it. We actually Already forgot about her. She walked out of our lives..." "And yet Mr. Godler left the fortune to her children, in case Miss Blacklock should go before you?" "Oh, that was my idea. When she told me about the will, I said to him, 'What if Blackie dies before me?' He was surprised. I said, 'Oh, I know that Blakey Kee was as strong as a bull, and I'm a weakling - but you know there's always such a thing as accidents, and besides, creaky doors last forever outlive the strongest man.—Annotation.)' He said: 'There's nobody—not one.' I said: 'And Sonia.' He said right away: 'Let that fellow Possessing my money? No—no way!' I said: 'Give it to her children, then. Pip and Emma, ​​and there may be several by now.' One was added." "Since then," said Craddock slowly, "you have not heard from your sister-in-law and her child?" "No—they might be dead, or—anywhere." They might be in Chipping Crighorth, Craddock thought. Bel Godler seemed to have read his mind, and her eyes showed surprise.She said, "Don't let them hurt Blackie. Blackie's a good man—very good—you'll stop her from—" Her voice suddenly disappeared.Craddock saw gray shadows suddenly appear around the corners of her mouth and in her eyes. "You are tired," he said, "I must go." She nodded. "Call Mike in," she whispered, "and take care of Blackie . . . nothing happens to her . . . take care of her . . . " "I'm going to do my best, Mrs. Godler." He got up, and walked toward the door. Her voice, faint as a thread, drifted behind him... "It won't be long—before I die—she's in danger—and watch Sister McLand pass him on his way out. He said uneasily: "Hope I didn't do her any harm. " "Oh, I don't think so, Mr. Craddock. I told you she would get tired all of a sudden." Later he asked hushi: "The only thing I didn't have time to ask Mrs. Godler is if she has any pictures from the past? If so, I think..." She interrupted him: "I'm afraid there is no such thing anymore. All her personal papers and belongings were kept at the London mansion when the war first began. Mrs. Godler was very ill at the time. Everything that was kept there later Got hit by the Blitz. Mrs. Goedler is very angry at the loss of so many personal mementos and family papers. I'm afraid there is nothing like that left here." That's how it turned out, Craddock thought. Yet he felt the trip had not been in vain.Pip and Emma, ​​the ghosts of the twins, aren't really ghosts. "Here's a brother and sister raised somewhere in Europe," thought Craddock. "Sonia Godler was a rich woman when she married, and money isn't money in Europe. In wartime, money Strange things were brought in. So were the two young men, sons and daughters of the man with the ex-con. Suppose they came to England almost penniless, what would they do?Find whereabouts of all wealthy relatives. Their uncle, a wealthy man with a lot of money, has passed away to the west.So the first thing they have to do is look for the will, to see if by chance the money was left to them or to their mother.So they went to the lawyer's office, and learned what the will was, and then, perhaps, they learned that Miss Letitia Blacklock was still alive.Then they asked about Randall Godler's cowardice.She was an invalid, living in Scotland, and they also learned that she was not going to live long.If this Letitia Blacklock died before her, they'd get a huge fortune. What should I do next? " Craddock thought: "They're not going to Scotland. They're going to find out where Letitia Blacklock lives now. And go there—but not as she really is. . . . They'll go together—or separately. go? Emma... I should like to know... Pip and Emma, ​​if either, or both, aren't at Chipping Crighorn, I'll eat my hat..."