Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Letters

1 "Sorry to bother you again, Mrs. Haymes." "It's all right," Philippa said coldly. "Shall we go inside and talk?" "Study? Yes, if you like. There's no fire in there, and it's cold." "Never mind, it won't be long, and conversations inside are unlikely to be overheard." "Is this important?" "Not to me, Hammers is too big, it may be very important to you." "What do you mean by that?" "I think you told me, Mrs. Hymes, that your husband was killed in Italy?" "What's wrong?"

"Wouldn't it be easy to tell me the truth? He's actually a deserter from his regiment, isn't he?" He saw her turn pale, her hands clenched and loosened. She said resentfully: "Do you have to settle the old score?" "We expect people to be honest about themselves," Craddock said dryly. She didn't say anything, and then she said, "Oh?" "What do you mean by 'oh,' Mrs. Haymes?" "I mean, what are you going to do? Talk to everyone? Is it necessary? Is it fair? Can you bear it?" "Is there anyone who doesn't know yet?"

"Nobody here knows," her voice changed. "My son, he doesn't know. I don't want him to know. I never want him to know. " "Listen, then, you're taking a very big risk, Mrs. Haymes. Tell the boy when he's old enough. But it won't do him any good if he finds out the truth for himself. If you Go ahead and indoctrinate him that his father was a heroic martyr—” "I didn't, I wasn't totally dishonest, I just didn't say a word. His father was killed.After all, that's all we've learned. " "But your husband is still alive?"

"Maybe, how do I know?" "When was the last time you saw him, Mrs. Hammers?" Philippa said quickly, "I haven't seen him for many years." "You promise it's true? You didn't see him, say, two weeks ago?" "What are you implying?" "That you met Rudy Shields at the conservatory never seemed to me a possibility. But Mickey's story is so well told. I think, Mrs. Hammers, I'll see you when you get back from work that morning. That man is your husband." "I never met anyone in the conservatory." "He may be short of money, can you help him a little?"

"I tell you I haven't seen him. I haven't seen anyone in the conservatory!" "Deserts are usually desperadoes. You know, they're often involved in robbery, house robbery, and the like. And they have foreign revolvers they bring back from abroad." "I don't know where my husband is, I haven't seen him for many years." "You still insist on that in the end, Mrs. Hammers?" "I have nothing more to say." 2 Craddock finished talking with Philippa Hymes and came out feeling annoyed and annoyed. "Stubborn as a donkey," he said angrily to himself.

He was sure Philippa was lying, but he couldn't break her stubborn denial. He wished he knew more about the former captain, Hymes. The information he has is meager, with a few unsatisfactory records of service in the army, but these records do not suggest that Hymes may have degenerated into a criminal. And, anyway, Haymes had nothing to do with oiling the door. Someone in the house did it, or someone who had easy access to the house did it. He stood looking up the stairs, and suddenly he wondered what Julia was doing in the attic.An attic, he secretly said, is not a place that Julie Ji, who is exquisite by nature, is willing to set foot in.

What was she doing up there? He ran up to the second floor lightly.With no one around, he pushed open the door through which Julia had come, and climbed the narrow stairs to the attic. There are some large suitcases, small suitcases, various broken items, such as a chair with a missing leg, a broken ceramic lamp, and some old-fashioned tableware. He turned to the large suitcases and opened the lid of one. It's all clothes.Old fashioned, good quality, all women's wear.He guessed it was the dress of Miss Blacklock or her dead sister. He opened another box. It's all curtains.

He found a briefcase with some papers and letters in it.The letter was old and the paper was yellow. He looked at the outside of the box, which was marked C. L． B．typeface.He correctly deduced that the box belonged to Letitia's sister Charlotte.He opened one of the letters.The letter is written like this: ①C. L． B．Is Charlotte? L? Black Locke abbreviation. ——Annotation. Dearest Charlotte: Bell felt good enough yesterday that she wanted to go out for a picnic. Rango also had a day off.The Aswargil stock offering was a huge success.Ran'go was very happy about it.Preferred stock has exceeded par value.

He skimmed over the rest, glanced at the signature: Love your sister Letitia and picked another one. Dear Charlotte: I hope you sometimes make up your mind to meet people.You know what, you're exaggerating.The situation is not as bad as you think.Besides, people don't care about such things.Not as disfigured as you might imagine. He nods.He remembered Del Godler saying that Charlotte Blacklock had been disfigured or deformed in some way.As a result, Letitia quit her job and went home to look after her sister.These letters revealed her anxiety of love and affection for a disabled person.She wrote to her sister, apparently describing at length everything that happened around her, and took pains to tell every detail that she thought might interest her ailing sister.And Charlotte means Randall Godler. ——Annotation.

The letters have been preserved, occasionally accompanied by the odd snapshot. Craddock suddenly felt a surge of excitement: maybe he could find a clue in it.Letitia Blacklock herself may have long forgotten what was written in these letters.Here was a faithful reproduction of a picture of the past, and somewhere in it might hide a clue that would help him discern what was unknown.The same goes for photos. There might—just might— be a picture of Sonia Godler in it, and whoever took the other pictures of Sonia probably didn't know it. Inspector Craddock carefully rewrapped the letter, closed the box, and came downstairs.

Letitia Blacklock stood at the corner of the stairs below, watching him in amazement. "Were you in the attic just now? I heard footsteps, and I can't imagine who—" "Miss Blacklock, I have found some letters here, which you wrote to your sister many years ago. Will you allow me to take them back and see them?" She flushed with anger. "Do you have to do such things? What good are they to you?" “They might show me an image of Sonia Godler, her character — and maybe some hints — and events that might help solve the case.” "These are personal letters, Inspector." "I know." "I think you'll take them away...I think you have the right to do so, you can get them easily anyway. Take it - take it! But you won't find much about Sonikie in it Circumstances. She got married and left a year or two after I started working for Randall Godler." Craddock said stubbornly, "There may be something to be discovered." He added, "We must not let anything pass by. I assure you that you are in real danger of being killed." She bit her lip and said, "I see. Bonnie died—from taking the aspirin that was meant for me. It might be Patrick's next, or Julia and Philippa and Micky—anyway." A young man with a bright future. Or someone who drank the wine that was poured for me, or someone who ate the chocolate that was given to me. Oh! Take the letter--take it.Burned them after reading it.These letters mean nothing to anyone but me and Charlotte.The past is over - gone - gone forever.Nobody remembers now—” She raised her hand to hold the fake pearl choker she was wearing.Craddock thought it was extremely incongruous with her woolen jacket and skirt. She said again: "Take the letter away." 3 The inspector's visit to the vicarage was the next afternoon. It was a dark, blustery day. Miss Marple drew her chair closer to the fire and was knitting.Bunch crawled on the floor, crawling around, cutting the material into a pattern. Miss Marple leaned back, brushed her hair from her eyes, and looked expectantly at Craddock. "I don't know if it's a breach of confidentiality," said the inspector to Miss Marple, "but I'd like you to read this letter." He explained how he had found the letters in the attic. "It's a rather touching bunch of letters," he said. "Miss Blacklock did everything she could to keep her interested in life and to keep her in good health. An old-fashioned father figure, old Dr. Blacklock, a dead-brained bully through and through, utterly self-righteous, and convinced that everything he thinks and does is right. Perhaps because of his stubbornness, he has killed the adult Hundreds of patients. He must not tolerate any new ideas or methods. " "I don't know if he's to blame for that," said Miss Marple. "I've always thought that young doctors are always eager to try. To wipe out all our teeth and fill those grotesque glands with prodigious amounts of medicine." body, and gutted us bit by bit, they admitted to us that there was nothing they could do. To be honest, I prefer the old-fashioned recipe, just a bottle of black potion. Because people can pour potion down the gutter after all .” She took the letter from Craddock. "I ask you to read this letter because I think you understand this generation better than I do. I really don't understand what's going on in these people's heads," he said. Miss Marple opened the brittle and brittle letter. Dearest Charlotte: I haven't written to you for two days because we've had the most horrible family dispute.Randall's sister Sonia (remember her? She drove you out the other day. How I wish you were out more.) Sonia announces she is marrying a man named Dimitri Stamfortis .I've only seen him once.Very attractive, but I must say, not worth relying on.Rango objected vigorously, calling him a scoundrel and a liar.Bell, God bless her, just smiled and lay on the couch.Sonia, who had no expression on her face, was furious and wanted to find Lan Ge desperately.Yesterday I really thought she was going to kill him! I did my best.I talked to Sonia and then to Lang Ge, asking them to think more rationally.When they get together, they start arguing again: you can't imagine how boring it is.Lang Ge has been looking for someone to inquire, it seems that this Stamfortis is really useless. Meanwhile, business was neglected.I continued to work in the office, and in a way it was quite interesting because of Lan. Ge let me do it.He said to me yesterday: "Thank God there's a sane man in the world. You can't possibly love a scoundrel, Blackie, can you?" I said I didn't think I loved anybody.Rango said: "Let's discuss some side issues of the City of London." "You're determined to keep me honest, aren't you, Blackie?" he said one day.And I will never look back: I really don't understand how people can turn a blind eye to fakes, Ke Lan, Ge really just can't see it.He only knows what is really illegal. Bell just laughed at all of this.She thought it was nonsense to make a fuss about Sonia. "Sonia has her own money," she said, "why couldn't she marry this man if she wanted to?" I said the marriage would turn out to be a terrible mistake, and Bell said, "Marry someone you love." Men are never a mistake—not even if you regret it." She added, "I don't think Sonia wants to fall out with Randall because of money. She likes money very much." Nothing else.how is dadI wouldn't say 'Send him love'.But if you think it's good to do so, you can say so.Have you seen more people recently?Honey, you can't be sick all the time. Sonia wants you to remember her.She had just come in and was clenching and loosening her hands repeatedly, like an angry cat grinding its paws.I saw she had another fight with Rango.Of course, Sonia is very provocative, and she always has such a calm stare that you dare not look at her again. Sister loves you dearly, take heart, my dear.This iodine therapy will make a big difference.I have been consulting with others and iodine therapy does seem to work very well. Miss Letitia Marple, my dear sister, folded up the letter, and handed it back to the Inspector.Her expression is a little bit like you. "What do you think of her?" urged Craddock. "What impression do you get of her?" "Soniki's? Seeing through one's eyes, you know, it's hard... She's determined to take her share - that's for sure, I think. .and want to gain the upper hand in both worlds..." "Like an angry cat, clenching and loosening its hands over and over again," Craddock muttered, "you know, that reminds me of someone..." He frowned. "Consultation..." Miss Marple muttered to herself. "Hopefully we can get the results of those consultations," Craddock said. "Does this letter remind you of anything at St. Mary Mead?" Bunch asked, sounding indistinct because of the pin in her mouth. "I'm really not sure, my dear . . . Dr. Blacklock might be a bit like Mr. Curtis, the Wesleyan missionary. The missionary wouldn't put braces on his children. , it was God's will.' After all,' I said to him, 'you have to shave and cut your hair. It may be God's will to let your beard grow back.' He said it was two different things. Typical My lords. But it won't help us with our present problems." "We never tracked down that revolver. It didn't belong to Rudy Shields. If anyone knew Chipping Cleghorn had a revolver—" "Colonel Easterbrook has one," said Bunch, "in his collar drawer." "How do you know, Mrs. Harmon?" "Mrs. Bart told me she was our day laborer. Or to be more specific, twice a week. She said that as a gentleman in the army, he had a revolver, of course, and if a burglar came into the house, he would take it with him." You can get the gun." "When did she tell you?" "A long time ago. I think about half a year ago." "Colonel Easterbrook?" Craddock said to himself. "It's like hitting a target on a spinning wheel, isn't it?" Bunch said with a pin in his mouth, "Turn it around, and every time you hit something different." "Waiting for your advice," Craddock moaned. "Colonel Easterbrook went to the paddock one day to deliver books. He might have oiled the door at the time, too. Though he was outspoken about going there, not like Miss Hinchcliff." Miss Marple coughed lightly: "You have to forgive the times we live in, Inspector." Craddock looked at her in bewilderment. "After all," said Miss Marple, "you're a policeman, aren't you? One can't tell a policeman everything, can one?" "I don't see why they couldn't," Craddock said, "unless they wanted to hide the crime." "She meant cream," said Bunche, struggling to climb over one leg of the table and hold down a floating piece of paper. "Swap (again bird) for cream and corn, sometimes with cream—even sometimes with a bacon." "Show him Miss Blacklock's note," said Miss Marple. "It's been a while, but it reads like a first-rate mystery story." "Where did I put it? Is this the one you mean, Aunt Jane?" Miss Marple took the note and looked at it. "Yes," she said with satisfaction, "it's this one." She handed the note to the inspector. Miss Blacklock wrote: "I did some inquiries - it was on Thursday.Any time after three o'clock is fine.If you have mine, put it in the old place. Bunch spat out the pin and laughed.Miss Marple watched the expression on the Inspector's face. The vicar's wife rushed to explain: "Thursday is butter day on a nearby farm. They let whoever they like get some. Usually it's Miss Hinchcliff who knows the farmers well." , I think it's because she keeps pigs. But it's all undercover, you know, sort of like a local barter scheme. One gets the cream, and sends some cucumbers, or something like that - or something else when it's time to kill the pig.Occasionally, an animal had an accident and had to be destroyed.Sniff, you know this kind of thing.It's just that people can't speak straight to the police.Because I reckon a lot of this bartering is illegal—but no one really knows, because the legal stuff is complicated.But I figured it was Hinch who slipped into the paddock with a pound of cream and left it where it used to be.The old place, by the way, is the flour box under the sideboard. But there is no flour in it. " Craddock sighed. "I'm glad to be among you ladies," he said. "There used to be cloth coupons," said Bunch. "Usually they couldn't be bought or sold because it would be seen as dishonest. They couldn't be exchanged for money. Like Mrs. Butter, Mrs. Finch, and Mrs. Huggins Such people like not seeing other people's woolen sweaters or winter clothes, so they pay with cloth coupons instead of money." "You'd better stop talking to me," Craddock said. "It's all illegal." "Then there shouldn't be these stupid laws," said Bunch, and put the pin back in his mouth. "Of course I didn't, because Julian didn't like me doing it, so I didn't. But of course I know what it's about." A kind of despair welled up in the inspector's heart. "It all sounds so pleasant and normal," he said, "fun and simple. Yet a woman and a man have been killed, and if I don't do something concrete, another woman might be killed. I'll leave Pip and Emma aside for the moment, and I'll focus on Sonia now. I wish I knew what she looked like. There's a snapshot or two in these letters, but none of them could be her." "How do you know it can't be her? Do you know what she looked like before?" "She's small and dark, that's what Miss Blacklock said." "Really?" said Miss Marple. "That's very interesting." "There's a snapshot that reminds me vaguely of someone. It's a tall, pretty girl with her hair tied up on top of her head. I don't know who she might be. Anyway, it can't be Sonia. You think Swettenham is too Could it be dark when I was a girl?" "Not very dark," said Bench. "She has blue eyes." "I'm hoping for a picture of Dimitri Stamfortis, but I think that's a little too high..." he picked up the letter, "I'm sorry this didn't enlighten you, Miss Marple .” "Ah: but it did," said Miss Marple, "and it did tell me a lot. Read the letter again, Inspector, especially about Randall Godler's investigation of Dimitri The Stanford section." Craddock stared at her. The phone rang. Bunch got up from the ground and walked into the hall.In Victorian tradition, the telephone was there and still is. She went back to the living room and said to Craddock, "It's for you." The Inspector, slightly taken aback, went out to answer the telephone--and closed the drawing-room door behind him carefully. "Cradock? I'm Rydersdale." "Yes, Director." "I went over your report carefully. When you talked to Philippa Hymes, she affirmed that she had not seen her husband since he ran away from the army. Is that true?": "Yes. , Commissioner. She's pretty sure. But I don't think she's telling the truth." "I agree with you. Do you remember the case from ten days ago? There was a man who was run over by a lorry and taken to Milchester General Hospital with a concussion and a broken pelvis, remember? ?” "The man who pulled a child from under a wheel and got run over?" "That's the man. He didn't have any documents on him, and no one came forward to identify him. It looks like he was arrested by the police. He didn't even once": Su Xing died last night. But his identity was clarified , a deserter named Ronald Haymes, formerly a captain in South Lomme." "Husband of Philippa Haymes?" 3 "Yes. He's got old tickets to Chipping Crighorn with him, and quite a bit of money, by the way." "So he did get the money from his wife? I always thought he was the one Miki overheard talking to Philippa in the conservatory. Of course, she denied it, Chief, that the car accident preceded— " Rydersdale said what he wanted to say: "Yes. He was taken to Millchester General Hospital on the twenty-eighth, and the robbery in the paddock took place on the twenty-ninth. That's it." Any possibility of him being involved was ruled out. But of course his wife didn't know about the accident. She was silent, which was natural, he had been her husband after all. " "Quite a feat of heroism, isn't it, Chief?" Craddock said greedily. "Rescuing a child from under a wheel? Yeah, sort of. Don't think Hymes ran away from the army because of cowardice. That's history, though. A well-deserved death for a man who ruined his name." "I'm happy for her," said the inspector, "and for their son." "Yes, he needn't be too ashamed of his father. That young woman can remarry again." Craddock said slowly, "I'm thinking about that too, Chief...and this opens up the possibility of...." "Since you are at the scene, it is best for you to report the news." "I will, Chief, and I'll be on my way. Maybe I'd better wait until she's back in the paddock. The news might be quite shocking, and I'd like to talk to someone else first."