Chapter 15 Chapter Fourteen

1 In a quiet room of the hotel, Edwards listened respectfully to Sir Henry Clithering. "Edwards, I would like to ask you some questions. But first I would like you to make my position clear. I was a High Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and have retired to my home. After this tragedy, your master put I have come, and he wants me to use my skills and experience to find out the truth of the matter." Sir Henry stopped short. Edwards looked at the other person's face with dim and intelligent eyes, and he lowered his head and said, "That's true." "In all police cases it is necessary to conceal many circumstances for a variety of reasons - because of the family scandal involved, because it is not considered relevant to the case, because it would cause embarrassment and trouble to the person concerned."

Edwards continued: "Indeed it is, Sir Henry." "Edwards, I think you now understand very well what we have to do. The dead girl is going to be Mr. Jefferson's adopted daughter. There are two people who have a motive to prevent this from happening. Those are Mr. Gaskell and Jefferson. lady." The valet's eyes flickered for a moment.He said: "Sir, I wonder if they are now under police suspicion?" "They're not in danger of being arrested, if that's what you want to know. But the police certainly suspect them and will continue to do so until things are fully cleared up."

"They're in bad shape, sir." "Very bad. To ascertain the truth requires knowing all the facts pertaining to the case, and many facts must come from the reactions, words, and actions of Mr. Jefferson and his family. How they felt, behaved, and what they said. Edward Here, what I am asking you now is the internal situation--the internal situation that only you may know. You know your master's emotions, and by observing them you may know the reasons for them. I am not in the capacity of a policeman. , but to put these questions to you as a friend of Mr. Jefferson. That is, if I think that what you have told me is irrelevant to the case, I will not tell the police."

he stops.Edwards whispered: "I see what you mean, sir. You want me to speak very frankly--of things that should not normally be said--and things, pardon me, sir, that you would never have dreamed of. " Sir Henry said: "You are very clever, Edwards. That is what I mean." Edwards was silent for a while, and then he said: "Of course, I know Mr. Jefferson very well by now. I have been with him for many years. I have seen him 'calm', and I have seen him 'not cool'. Sir, sometimes I ask myself if it is any good for a man to struggle against fate as Mr. Jefferson did. He paid dearly for it, sir. If he backs down sometimes, and is a wretched, lonely, down-and-out old man—then, It might be better for him in the end. But he's too proud to do it: he's going to keep fighting—that's his motto.

"But it would cause a lot of nervous reactions, Sir Henry. He seems to be a mild-tempered man. But I have seen him fly into a fit of rage. Deceit makes him angry, sir. . . . " "Edwards, do you have any particular reason for saying this?" "Yes, sir. Did you ask me to confess?" "That's right." "Well, Sir Henry, that woman doesn't seem to me to be worthy of Mr. Jefferson's affection at all. Frankly speaking, she is nothing special, and she doesn't care about Mr. Jefferson at all. The affection and gratitude are all nonsense, all She put it on. I don't mean she meant it--but she was nowhere near what Mr. Jefferson thought. It's funny, sir, because Mr. Jefferson is a shrewd man, and he doesn't often get fooled. But, once A man's judgment fails when it comes to young women. You know, he's been looking to little Mrs. Jefferson for his spiritual solace, but things have changed a lot this summer. He notices it, and he's very distressed. See, he likes her. As for Mr Mark, he never liked it very much."

Sir Henry put in: "But he kept him with him?" "Yes, but it was because of Miss Rosamund, that is, Mrs Gaskell. She was his darling. He loved her. Mr. Mark was Miss Rosamund's husband. He always regarded him that way." .” "Supposing Mr. Mark married someone else?" "Mr. Jefferson will be very angry, sir." Sir Henry raised his eyebrows. "Would that be the case?" "He won't show it, but that's how it will be." "What if Mrs. Jefferson remarries?" "Mr. Jefferson wouldn't like it either, sir."

"Go on, Edwards." "I mean, Mr. Jefferson is infatuated with this young woman. I've seen it happen to men around me. It's overwhelming. They want to protect her, to be her shield, to do favors on her—and ten Nine times the girl can take good care of herself and be self-serving." "So you think Ruby Keene is a schemer?" "Here, sir. She's young and inexperienced. But, so to speak, she has what it takes to be a very shrewd conspirator when she pulls out all the stops! In five more years, she'll be one of those gamers." Master!" Sir Henry said: "I'm glad you could say what you think of her. It's valuable. Do you remember Mr. Jefferson discussing it with his family?"

"No discussion, sir. Mr. Jefferson announced his thoughts, and no objection was allowed. That is, he kept Mr. Mark outspoken. Mrs. Jefferson said nothing - she was a quiet lady - she just advised him not to rush into anything. " Sir Henry nodded. "Is there anything else? What about the girl's attitude?" The valet's displeasure was palpable."I should say she was delighted," he said. "Ah—joyful, is that so? Edwards, you have reason to believe," he searched for a word Edwards could accept—"believe—and—does she have another love?"

"Mr. Jefferson is not proposing, sir. He is going to adopt her." "How about removing the word 'other' in this question?" The valet said slowly: "There is an incident, sir. I just happened upon it." "Excellent. Come on." "Perhaps that doesn't mean anything, sir. The young woman happened to open her handbag one day, and a photograph slipped out of it. Mr. Jefferson snatched it up, and said, 'Hello, kitten, hello, Who's this, eh?' "It's a snapshot of a young man, sir, a dark-skinned young man with rather disheveled hair and a disheveled tie.

"Miss Keene pretended to be ignorant of the matter. She said: 'I don't know, Jeffy. Not at all. I don't know how it got in my bag. I didn't put it there!'" Mr. Jefferson was not quite a fool.This explanation is not sufficient.He looked angry, his brows were furrowed, and he said gruffly, 'Come on, kitten, come on.You know exactly who he is. ' "She changed immediately, sir. She looked terrified. She said: 'Now I recognize it. He comes to the restaurant sometimes and I dance with him. I don't know his name. It must be the idiot Someday Stuffed the picture in my bag. These boys do stupid things!' She threw her head back, giggled, and let it go. But it wasn't quite the story, was it? I I don't think Mr. Jefferson quite believed it. Once or twice after this he looked at her sharply. Sometimes, when she came in from outside, he asked where she had been."

Sir Henry said: "Did you see the man in that picture at the hotel?" "No, sir. I seldom go downstairs in public." Sir Henry nodded.He asked a few more questions, but Edwards had nothing more to tell him. 2 At Danemouth police station, Superintendent Harper is questioning Jesse Davies, Florence Small, Beatrice Hennick, Mary Price and Lillian ridgeway. These girls are about the same age, but with a slight difference in intelligence.They were the daughters of the county, the farmer, and the shopkeeper.Everyone told the same story—Pamela Reeves, as usual, said she was going to Woolworth and caught a later bus home, and said nothing to anyone else. There was an elderly woman sitting in the corner of Superintendent Harper's office.The girls barely noticed her.If they saw it, they might wonder who she was. She was certainly not a policewoman.They might guess that she was a witness here to be cross-examined like they were. At last the girl was led out.Superintendent Harper wiped his forehead, then turned to Miss Marple.His gaze was questioning, and there was no hope in it. But Miss Marple said flatly: "I want to talk to Florence Small." The superintendent raised his eyebrows, he nodded, and rang the bell.A policeman appeared. Harper said, "Florence Small." The girl was brought in again by the policeman just now.She was the daughter of a wealthy farmer--tall, fair-haired, with a very ugly mouth and frightened brown eyes.She fondled her hands, nervously. Superintendent Harper looked at Miss Marple, who nodded. The superintendent got up and said, "The lady wants to ask you a few questions." He went out, closing the door behind him. Florence glanced uneasily at Miss Marple, very much like one of her father's cows. Miss Marple said, "Sit down, Florence." Florence Small sat down obediently.Unconsciously, she suddenly felt more comfortable, less uncomfortable than before. The strange and terrifying atmosphere of the police station was gone, replaced by more familiar orders from someone who was used to giving orders.Miss Marple said: "Florence, do you understand? It is very important to know all about Pamela's activities on the day she died." Florence whispered that she understood very well. "I trust you will try to help us?" When Florence affirmed, her eyes grew alert. "It is a very serious offense to conceal any lead." The girl's fingers twisted nervously around her knees.She swallowed once or twice. Miss Marple went on: "I can forgive you for the fact that contact with the police will naturally alarm you. You also fear that you might be blamed for not speaking up sooner.There may also be fear of being blamed for not stopping Pamela at the time.But you have to be a brave girl and tell the whole story.If you don't report it now, the problem is really very serious -- very serious -- perjury actually.And this, you know, will land you in jail. " "I—I don't—" Miss Marple snapped: "Listen, Florence, don't hesitate: tell me everything! Pamela isn't going to Woolworth, is she?" Florence's dry tongue licked her lips, and she looked at Miss Marple imploringly like a beast waiting to be slaughtered. "Something to do with the movies, isn't it?" asked Miss Marple. A look of great relief and awe flashed across Florence's face.Her inhibitions were gone."Oh, yes," she gasped. "I think so," said Miss Marple. "Now please give me all the details." Florence gushed, "Oh! I've been worried. You know, I swore to Pamela never to say a word to anyone. Then when she was found in that burnt-out car - oh: so horrible, I think I'm going to die - I feel like it's all my fault. I should have stopped her. Just never thought, not at all, that something could be wrong. Then someone came to me that day Is she exactly the same as usual, I blurt 'yes' without even thinking about it. Since I didn't say anything at the time, I don't know what else to say afterwards. And, after all, I don't know anything— Really—except what Pamela told me." "What did Pamela tell you?" "We were walking down the path to the bus stop - on the way to the rally. She asked if I could keep it a secret and I said 'yes'. She made me swear never to. After the rally she was going to Dain Mouth audition! She met a film producer - just back from Hollywood. He needed a certain type of actor and said Pamela was exactly what he was looking for. He warned her not to count on it though. He said You can only tell by seeing a person on camera. Maybe not at all. He said it was a Bergner type of role that needed a very young person. The story is about a schoolgirl swapping with a satirical artist got a position and had great success in her career. Pamela had acted in school and was great. The producer said he could see she could act, but she had to go through some intensive training. He told her to make films It's not all about eating, drinking and having fun, the work will be very hard, ask her if she can bear it?" Florence paused for breath.Miss Marple felt very uncomfortable listening to this fluent reprint of countless novels and plays.Pamela Reeves, like most girls, has been warned not to talk to strangers - but the allure of the movie defies that advice. "He's absolutely serious about it," Florence went on, "and he said he'd make her sign a contract if she auditioned, and that since she's young and inexperienced, she should get a lawyer to look at it before signing. , but don't say he said it. He asked her if she would have trouble with her parents, and Pam said there might be trouble, and he said: 'Of course, it's not always easy for someone as young as you to come out . But I think if I can make them understand that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they will agree. ’ But in any case he said it would not be necessary to discuss these issues until after the results of the auditions.Don't be disappointed if it doesn't work out.He told her about Hollywood and Vivien Leigh--how she had taken London overnight--how these big hits came about. He himself joined Limeville Film Studios after returning from America, which he said was to revitalize the British film industry. " Miss Marple nodded. Florence continued: "Everything was sorted out. Pam went to Danemouth after the meeting, met him at his hotel and he took her to the studio (he said they were in Danemouth) There is a small studio). After the audition, she can take the bus home. She can say that she went shopping. He will tell her the result of the audition in a few days. If it is satisfactory, their boss Hamsta Mr. Te would come to her home to talk to her parents. "These sounded so good! I'm so envious! Pamela walked through the rally without making a fuss - we always say she never has that face on her face. Later, the locals said she was going to Wool via Danemouth Worth just winked at me. "I watched her start down the path." Florence began to cry. "I should have stopped her. I should have stopped her. I should have thought it was impossible. I should have told someone. God, I wish I were dead!" "It's okay, it's okay." Miss Marple patted her shoulder lightly. "It doesn't matter. No one will blame you. You are right to tell me. " It took her a few minutes to cheer the boy up. Five minutes later she told Superintendent Harper what had happened.The latter's expression was very serious. "Cunning fellow!" he said, "for God's sake, I've caught him this time. That's made all the difference." "Yes, that's right." Harper squinted at her. "Aren't you surprised?" "I've guessed something of that sort." Superintendent Harper said curiously: "What drew your attention to this girl? She looked terribly frightening, and in my opinion, there was no way to filter through them." Miss Marple said softly, "You haven't had as many liar girls as I have. If you remember, Florence was looking at you, standing stiffly, moving her feet like everyone else. But you Didn't watch her when she went out. I saw right away that she was hiding something. Liars almost always relax too quickly. My little maid Janet did that. She would explain convincingly that the rest of the cake was The rat ate it, but the smug smile on her face when she went out gave her away." "Thank you very much," Harper said. He added thoughtfully, "Limeville Studios, is it?" Miss Marple said nothing.She stood up. "I'm afraid I'll have to leave at once," she said. "I'm very glad to be able to help you." "Are you going back to the hotel?" "Yes—to pack. I must get back to St. Mary Mead as soon as possible. I have a lot to do there."