Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Reappearance of the Case

1 "I'll get you a lamp and put it in front of you before I go," said Bunche. "It's dark out here. I think a storm's coming." She took the little reading lamp and put it on the other side of the table so that it would shine on Miss Marple knitting. The latter sat in a large high-backed chair. The wire was pulled from the table, and the cat Tigras jumped onto the table with one step, biting and scratching the wire desperately. "No, Tigras, don't you... It's horrible. Look, it almost gnaws through the wires and it's all broken. Do you understand? You stupid little kitten, you're going to get electrocuted like that."

"Thanks, dear," said Miss Marple, reaching for the light. "Not there. You have to flip that stupid little switch in the middle of the wire. Wait a minute, I'll take these flowers out of the way. " She picked up a bottle of Christmas roses from the other end of the table.Tigras wagged his tail, and suddenly stretched out a mischievous paw, grabbing Bunch's arm.She splashed a little water out of the vase, and it fell on the bitten wire and on Tigras, and the cat let out an angry cry and jumped off the table. Miss Marple removed the little pear-shaped switch.The place where it was bitten by the cat was soaked in water again, and now sparks flickered.

"Oh dear," said Bunch, "the fuse's blown. Now I reckon all the lights are out here." One by one, she tried the switches, "Yeah, they're all off. So, it's stupid to have everything run on the same little device. Also burned the table in one place.Mischievous Tigras—it's all his fault.Aunt Jane, what's the matter?Does it scare you? " "Nothing, dear. It's just that I happened to see something I should have discovered before..." "I'm going to change the fuse now, and then I'll get the lamp from Julian's study."

"No, honey, don't bother, you're going to miss the bus. I don't need the light anymore, I just want to sit still and think. Come on, honey, or you'll miss the bus gone." Miss Marple sat quietly for a minute or two after Bunche left.The air in the house was heavy with humidity, foreshadowing the gathering storm outside. Miss Marple moved a piece of paper in front of her. She wrote down first: Desk lamp?And draw a thick line below it. After a while, she wrote another word. Her pen moved on the paper, leaving a short and cryptic note. 2 Miss Hinchcliff and Miss Murgatroyd were arguing in the drawing room at Gravel Heights, with its low ceiling and latticed glass windows.

"It's your trouble, Murgar Troyd," said Miss Hinchcliffe, "that you won't try your best?" "But let me tell you, Hinch, I don't remember anything." "Here, look, Amy Murgatroyd, we're going to think a little constructively. So far we haven't done anything from a detection standpoint. I was wrong about the door. After all , you did not hold the door for the murderer. You are innocent, Murgar Troyd: "Miss Murgar Troyd smiled faintly. "It's really our luck to be the only silent cleaning lady at Chipping Crighorn," went on Miss Hinchcliffe. "Usually I appreciate that, but this time we made a bad one." Everyone in this place knows that the second door in the living room is used, and we've been kept in the dark until yesterday "I still don't get it—"

"It couldn't be easier. Our original assumption was spot on: You can't hold a door open and swing a flashlight and shoot someone with a revolver at the same time. Let's keep the revolver and flashlight and leave out the door. Turns out, we were wrong. What we should have left out was the revolver." "But he does have a revolver," said Miss Murgatroyd, "and I see it on the ground beside him." "After he's dead, that's true. It's all very clear: he didn't shoot that revolver—" "Then who fired it?" "That's the man we're looking for. But whoever fired the shot, the same man put two poisoned aspirins on Miss Blacklock's bedside and killed poor Dora Bonner. And it couldn't have been Rudy Shields because he was pretty hard dead. Someone who was in the parlor the night the robbery happened, and who probably was at the birthday dinner.

The only one who didn't go that day was Mrs. Harmon. " "You think someone put poisoned aspirin in there at the birthday dinner?" "Why not?" "But how can this be done?" "Well, we've all been to the toilet, haven't we?" said Miss Hinchcliff gruffly. "As that cake is sticky, I'm going to wash my hands. Little beauty Mrs. Easterbrook is in Miss Blacklock Powdering her scruffy little face in the bathroom, no?" "Hinch! You think it's her?—" "I don't know yet. If she did it, it would be too obvious. If you're going to put pills, I don't think you want to be seen in the bathroom.

Ah yes, there are many opportunities. " "The men didn't come upstairs." "There's another staircase. Besides, if a man leaves the house, you don't follow him. Go see if he's really going to the same place as you. It won't be complicated! Anyway, don't Come on with me, Murgatroyd. I'm going to start over from where the attempted murder of Letty Blacklock started. Now, first of all, keep the facts firmly in my mind, because it will all be up to you. " Miss Murgatroyd looked nervous. "Oh dear, Hinch, do you know what kind of mystery I got into?"

"It's not your brain, or the gray cells that you think of as your brain. It's the eyes. It's what you see." "But I don't see anything." "As I said just now, your trouble, Murgatroyd, is that you don't try your best. Now notice, here's what happened that night: Whoever it was that came to lay hands on Litty Blacklock, that day Must be in the house at night. He—I say him, because it's easier to scream, but there's no reason why it must be a man instead of a woman, except of course that men are filthy—well, he was given a call from the living room beforehand. The door to the outside is oiled, and the door is supposed to be nailed down, etc. Don't ask me when he did it, because it will muddy things. Actually, if I had to pick the time, I could Walk into any of Chipping Cleghorn's houses and do whatever you like for half an hour or so without anyone noticing. Just find out where the day laborer is, when the master is out, exactly where , how long to go, etc. Well done, Murgatroyd. Now I go on, he oiled the second door so that it would be silent when it opened. The arrangement was this: Lights off, door A—the main door— — Wow open it all at once.

Shake the flashlight and say the words used in robbery.Meanwhile, just as we were all dumbfounded, X--that's what it's called--sneaked through Door B into the hall in the dark, came up behind the Swiss idiot, and shot Letty Blacklock twice. , and shot the Swiss, dropping the gun.As a result, only a mind-shy person like you would think it was evidence that the Swiss shot.Then when everyone was looking for a lighter, he quickly slipped back to the living room.Understand? " "Yes, it's—it's. But who is it?" "Well, if you don't know, Murgatroyd, nobody will!"

"Me?" cried Murgatroyd in amazement, "but I don't know anything. Really don't know, Hinch! " "Activate the gray cells you call your brain. First, where is everyone when the lights go out?" "I have no idea." "No, you do. You're out of your mind, Murgatroyd. You know where you were, don't you? You were behind the door." "Yes, yes, I was behind the door. It hit my (again bird's) eye when the door opened." "Why don't you go to a podiatrist and get yourself involved with your feet? You're going to get sepsis one day. Come on, you're behind the door, I'm standing against the fireplace, and sticking out Tongue was about to drink. Litty Blacklock was at the table in the arcade, reaching for a cigarette. Patrick walked across the arcade to the little parlor to get Litty Blacklock's liquor. Agree?" "Yes, yes. I remember all that." "Very well, now someone followed Patrick through the parlour, or was about to follow him, a man. The trouble is I forgot whether it was Easterbrook or Edmund Swettenham. Do you remember?" ?” "No, I don't remember." "You can't remember! Another person went into the parlour, Philippa Haymes. I remember that well, because I remember noticing how beautiful her straight back was, and saying to myself ' That girl would be beautiful on horseback.' That's what I was thinking when I was looking at her. She went to the fireplace in the little parlour, and I don't know what she was going there for, because at that moment the lamp Went out. "That's where everybody was at the time: Patrick Simmons in the living room, Philippa Haymes, and Colonel Easterbrook or Edmund Swettenham—but who, and who? No idea. Now, Murgatroyd, watch out, one of the three is most likely to do it. Anyone who wants to go out by the far door must take a convenient position and wait for the light to come out. If this is the case, Murgatroyd, there is nothing you can do about it!" It could be seen that Miss Murgatroyd's face was beaming with joy. "On the other hand," went on Miss Hinchcliffe, "it may not be any of the three. Then it is your turn, Murgartroyd." "But how did I know the situation at that time?" "As I said just now, if you don't even know, no one will know." "But I don't know! I really don't know: I couldn't see anything 2" "Hey, you could see. You were the only one who could. You were standing behind the door, you couldn't have seen Flashlight, because the door is between you and the flashlight. You are facing the other side, in the same direction as the flashlight is shining.The rest of us were dazed by the flashlight, but you weren't. " "Yes, yes, maybe, yes, but I can't see anything, the flashlight is dangling." "What did you see? The flashlight landed on everyone's faces, right? On the table? And on the chairs?" "Yes, yes, that's right...Miss Bonner, her mouth is wide open, her eyeballs are about to pop out, staring and blinking for a while." "That's right!" said Miss Hinchcliffe with a sigh of relief. "It's hard to get you to use those gray cells of yours. And then? Go on." "But I haven't seen any more, really." "You mean you saw an empty room? No one standing there? No one sitting?" "No, of course not. Miss Bonner's eyes were wide-eyed, and Mrs. Harmon sat on the arm of a chair with her eyes shut tightly and her face covered with her hands—like a child." "Very well, this is Mrs. Harmon and Miss Bonner. Don't you understand what I want to do? The trouble is that I don't want to put my thoughts in your head. But once you exclude the people you see, So we can get to the point, is there anyone you didn't see. Got it? Also, besides the table, the chairs, the chrysanthemum, etc., there are a few people left: Juliet Simmons, Mrs. Swettenham , Mrs. Easterbrook - one of Colonel Easterbrook and Edmund Swettenham, Dora Bonner, Bunche Harmon, etc. Check them off one by one .Now, come to think of it, Murgatroyd, come to think of it, were there any of these people who weren't there?" A branch hung from the open window, and Miss Murgatroyd jumped a little with fright.She closed her eyes and said to herself... "The...flowers on the table...the big armchair...the flashlight hasn't hit you yet, Hinch—Mrs. Harmon, yes..." The phone rang hastily.Miss Hinchcliff went to the telephone. "Hello, yes, the police station?" The docile Miss Murgatroyd closed her eyes tightly, replaying the scene of the night of the 29th in her mind.Flashlight, slowly scanning one by one... a group of people... Zhou Zi... the sofa... Dora Bonner... the wall... the table with the lamp... the arcade... the revolver suddenly fired..."... . . . this is extraordinary!" said Miss Murgatroyd. "What?" cried Miss Hinchcliffe angrily into the phone. "Are there this morning? What time? To hell with calling me now? I'll send the SPCA to find you." Are you troublesome. Negligent? Is that all you can say? " She hung up the phone with a bang. "It's the dog," she said, "the Setter. At the police station this morning—since eight o'clock. Not a drop of water! And the idiots are calling now. I'll go now Take it back." She rushed out of the house, and Miss Murgatroyd shrieked after her, "But listen, Hinch, something so extraordinary ... I can't understand it." Miss Hinchcliffe had rushed out the door to the shed which served as a garage. "Wait till I get back," she cried, "I won't wait for you to come with me. You're running out in your bedroom slippers as usual! " She grabbed the car's ignition and yanked it out of the garage.Miss Murgatroyd sprang nimbly to the side of the road. "But listen, Hinch, I have to tell you—" "wait me back……" The car bumped again and sped forward.Miss Murgatroyd's voice followed the car with a high pitch of excitement: "But, Hinch, she wasn't there..." 3 The clouds above the head are getting thicker and darker.Miss Murgatroyd stood there dumbfounded, watching the passing car.At this time, the first splash of pea-sized raindrops fell. Miss Murgatroyd rushed anxiously to a clothes-line. A few hours earlier, she had hung two crewneck jumpers and a wool suit to dry. She was still talking to herself in a low voice: "It was unexpected... Oh, my dear, it's almost too late-it's almost dry..." She desperately loosened the clothespin that didn't work. Suddenly, she heard the sound of someone approaching, and turned her head quickly. Then, she smiled brightly and welcomed. "Hello, please come in, you're going to get wet." "I'll help you." "Oh, if you don't mind . "Here is your scarf. Shall I wear it around your neck?" "Ah, thank you? . . . well, maybe . . . wish I could reach this clothespin . . . " The woolen scarf was put around her neck, and then the scarf was suddenly pulled tight... Miss Murgatroyd's mouth was opened wide, but she couldn't make any sound, only a faint 'heck', as if she was choking like. And the scarf is getting tighter and tighter... 4 On the way back from the police station, Miss Hinchcliff stopped the car to pick up Miss Marple who was hurrying on the street. "Hey," she called, "you're going to get drenched and have a cup of tea with us. I saw Bunche waiting for the bus. Come back to the vicarage now, you will be lonely, come and join us.Me and Murgatroyd are recreating the case, and I can pretty much think we're close to something.Watch out for the dog, it's nervous. " "What a beautiful dog!" "Yes, it's a lovely bitch, isn't it: these idiots have left it at the police station since morning without notifying me. I gave them a slap, these lazy bastards- oh, please forgive me The word I use, I was brought up by grooms at home in Ireland." The small car bumped and turned into the small backyard of the gravel hills. As soon as the two ladies got out of the car, they were surrounded by a large group of eager (and birds) ducks. "Damn Murgar Troyd," said Miss Hinchcliffe, "she hasn't fed them corn yet." "Is corn hard to come by?" asked Miss Marple. Miss Hinchcliffe blinked. "I know most of the farmers well," she replied. After shooing away (again) the duck with a "shh-shh", she accompanied Miss Marple to the cabin. "Hope you didn't get too wet." "No, this raincoat is very nice." "If Murgatroyd ain't got a fire, I'll go get it. Hey, Murgatroyd, where's this woman? Where did the dog go in Murga Troyd 2? It's gone too. " A long and desolate howl came from outside. "Damn silly bitch," cried Miss Hinchcliff, striding to the door, "hey, Cutie--Cutie. Damn silly name, but that's what they call her apparently. We've got to give her Another name. Hi, Cutie." The setter was sniffing at something lying on the ground under a tightly stretched rope on which several garments were billowing in the wind. "Mergatroyd can't even think of taking the laundry home. Where the hell is she?" The setter sniffed what appeared to be a pile of clothes again, then turned his nose up and howled again. "What's the matter with the dog?" Miss Hinchcliff strode across the grass. Miss Marple ran after her worriedly.They both stood there in the rain, the older woman putting her arms around the younger woman's shoulders. Miss Hinchcliff stood upright, looking down at what lay on the ground, her face livid, her face twitching, her tongue sticking out.Miss Marple felt the muscles in the other's shoulders stiffen and tense. "Whoever did it, I'm going to kill the fellow," whispered Miss Hinchcliffe in a quiet voice, "if I can catch her . . . " Miss Marple asked: "Her?" Miss Hinchcliff turned an angry face on her. "Yes. I know who it is—approaching . . . one of the three possible perpetrators." She stood a moment longer, looking down at her dead friend, then turned and walked toward the house.Her voice was dry, but firm. "We've got to call the police," she said, "and I'll let you know when they get here. In a way, it's my fault that Murgatroyd is lying here. Fun... killing is not a game..." "Yes," said Miss Marple, "killing people is not a game." "You've heard about it, haven't you?" asked Miss Hinchcliff, picking up the receiver and dialing. After a brief report, she hung up the phone. "They'll be here in a minute... yes, I hear you've been involved in this before... I think Edmund Swettenham told me... you want to hear about me and Murgatroy Is De doing something?" She succinctly described the conversation she had before heading to the police station. "Just as I was leaving, you know, she called me in the back... so I knew it was a woman and not a man... wish I had waited, wish I had stopped and listened: damn it, The dog can stay there another quarter of an hour." "Don't blame yourself, my dear, it won't help. Things happen." "Yeah, yeah... I remember something knocking on the window, maybe she was out there, and then, sure, she must be walking towards... the house... when Murgatroyd and I were talking to each other Yelling, hoarse...she heard...she heard it all..." "You haven't told me what your friends have said." "Just one word! 'She wasn't there.'" She paused. "You see? There are three women we haven't ruled out: Mrs. Swettenham, Mrs. Easterbrook, and Julia Simmons. One of the three—wasn't there...she wasn't in the drawing room , for she slipped out by another door into the hall." "Yes," said Miss Marple, "I understand." "It's one of these three women. I don't know which one, but I'll find out!"' "Excuse me," Miss Marple said, "But did she—I mean Miss Murgatroyd—say what you say?" "As I said—what do you mean?" "Oh dear, how can I explain it? You say it like this: 'She's not there.' Every word is accented. You see, it can be said in three ways .'She was not present.' referring to people. Or, 'She was not present.' to clarify the original doubt. It can also be said - this is very close to the way you just said - 'she was not present...'Here clearly puts the emphasis on Put it on 'Presence'." "I don't know." Miss Hinchcliffe shook her head. "I can't remember...Damn it, how can I remember? I think, yes, she must have said, 'She wasn't there.' I thought, That's a natural way of saying it. But I don't know, does it make any difference?" "Yes," said Miss Marple thoughtfully, "I think so. Of course it is a very slight hint, but I think it is a hint after all. Yes, it should be said that there is a big difference..."