Chapter 4 4

4. Mary Douf was halfway down the stairs when she stopped to look out the large window in the stairwell.A car was just approaching the door and two people got out of it.The taller one stood with his back to the house for a while, surveying the surrounding environment.Mary Douf weighed the two men thoughtfully.One was Inspector Neil, and the other must have been his subordinate. She turned her eyes away from the window and looked at the floor-to-ceiling mirror hanging on the wall at the corner of the stairs... The person in the mirror was petite and dignified, wearing gray woolen clothes, and the neckline and cuffs were spotlessly white.Her dark hair was parted in the middle, pulled back in two shiny waves, and joined in a knot at the nape of her neck... She wore a light rose lipstick.

Mary Douf was quite satisfied with her appearance.With a smile on her lips, she walked down the stairs. Inspector Neil surveyed the house and thought to himself: This house is called "Xiaozhu", hum! "Yew Xiaozhu"!Rich people can really put on a show!In his place Inspector Neil would have called the house "The Mansion." He knew what "Xiaozhu" was.He had been brought up in a porter's cottage! The twenty-nine-bedroom Palladium mansion in Haddington Park was now taken over by the National Trust, and his cottage was by the park gate.Small and charming from the outside, the house was dank and uncomfortable inside, with nothing but the most primitive sanitary facilities.Thankfully Inspector Neil's parents saw nothing wrong with the circumstances.They had no rent to pay, and nothing to do except open and close the gates when necessary, and there were always plenty of rabbits to cook, and an occasional pheasant.

Mrs. Neal had never enjoyed electric irons, slow oxidizers, ventilated cupboards, hot and cold running water, lights that could be turned on at the flick of a finger, and so on.Neil's family used oil lamps in winter and went to bed as soon as it got dark in summer.They are a healthy and happy family, but everything is outdated. When Inspector Neil heard the word "Xiaozhu", childhood memories came to mind.But this place, this fake "yew hut" is a mansion built by rich people and pretended to be a "small country place".It wasn't quite the country in Neil's sense of the country.The house was a solid red brick building, not too high, and a long stretch, with gabled walls and a large number of iron-framed windows.The gardens are very artificial - there are many rose beds, pergolas and pools, and many trimmed yew hedges to match the name of the house.

There are a lot of yews here, and it is not difficult at all for anyone who wants to obtain the raw materials of "Tacine".Behind the rose trellis on the right is the original nature—there is a big yew tree reminiscent of a church cemetery, and its branches are supported by wooden fences—like a prophet of the forest world.The Inspector thought to himself: That tree was there long before the country was full of newly built red-brick houses.Long before golf courses were designed, and fashionable architects walked around with wealthy clients, explaining the merits of each building, the tree existed.Since the old tree was a valuable antique, they kept it and incorporated it into the new garden, perhaps hence the name of the charming house - "Yew House".The berries might have been plucked from that tree—Inspector Neil cut through unhelpful thoughts.Gotta get back to work, he rang the doorbell.

A middle-aged man immediately came to answer the door. His appearance was similar to what Inspector Neil had imagined when he listened to the phone. He looked smart, with dishonest eyes and unsteady hands. Inspector Neil announced the identities of himself and his subordinates, and was a little panicked when he saw the look in the head waiter's eyes... Neil didn't pay attention.This may have nothing to do with the news of Rex Fortescue's death, it may just be an involuntary reaction. "Is Mrs. Fortescue back?" "Not yet, my lord." "Master Percival Fortescue didn't come back either? Where's Miss Fortescue?"

"Not yet, my lord." "Then I want to see Miss Doufu, please." The other party turned his head slightly. "Miss Douf is here—going downstairs." Miss Douf walked down the wide stairs calmly, and Inspector Neil took a look at her.This time the portrait he had in mind did not match the reality.He heard the word "housekeeper" and unconsciously imagined her as a fat, imposing woman in black with jingling keys. What the Inspector didn't expect was a petite and slender woman in a soft dove-colored dress with a white neckline and cuffs, neat waves and a Mona Lisa smile on her lips.Everything seemed a little unreal somehow, as if this woman, not yet thirty, was playing a role.Instead of playing the housekeeper, he thought he would play Mary Douf ("Doufu" means "pigeon").

Her appearance is arranged according to her name. She greeted him calmly. "Inspector Neil?" "Yes, this is Sergeant Hay. As I told you on the phone, Mr. Fortescue died at St. Yode's at 12:43. Probably because of something he ate for breakfast this morning. Lethal. So I want someone to take Sergeant Hay into the kitchen and investigate what's for breakfast." She looked at him thoughtfully, then nodded. "Of course," she said, turning to the disturbed-looking butler nearby. "Crump, please take Sergeant Hay out. If he wants to see anything, just show him."

The two left together.Mary Douf said to Neal, "Come in here, please?" She opened a door and led the way in.It was a nondescript suite, clearly marked "Smoking Room," etc., with paneling, rich upholstery, large velvet chairs, and a fitting set of sports pictures on the walls. "Please sit down." He sat down and Mary Douf sat across from him.He finds out that she chooses the position toward the light.It was unusual for a woman to like this, and even more unusual if she had something to hide.But Mary Douf may have nothing to hide. She said, "Unfortunately no one in the family can be reached. Mrs. Fortescue will be back any minute. So is Mrs. Val. I have called several places for Master Percival Fortescue."

"Thank you, Miss Doufu." "You say Mr. Fortescue died of something for breakfast? You mean food poisoning?" "Maybe." He looked at her. She said calmly: "It seems unlikely. I had bacon, hard-boiled eggs, coffee, toast and marmalade for breakfast today. There was cold ham on the side table, but that ham was cut yesterday and there was no It doesn't feel right to people. No fish served, no sausages—nothing of that sort." "I see that you know very well what is served on the table." "Naturally. I ordered the food. Yesterday's dinner—"

Inspector Neil interrupted her: "No, it can't be about yesterday's dinner." "I think food poisoning sometimes goes on for twenty-four hours." "Impossible this time... Could you please tell me exactly what Mr. Fortescue ate and drank before going out this morning?" "He had morning tea brought to the room at eight o'clock. Breakfast was at a quarter past nine. I told you Mr. Fortescue had hard-boiled eggs and bacon and coffee and toast and marmalade. " "What about the cereal?" "No, he doesn't like cereal." "Sugar in coffee - is it lumps or granules?"

"Clumpy. But Mr. Fortescue has no sugar in his coffee." "He's not used to taking medicine in the morning? Salts? Tonics? Digestives?" "No, not that kind of thing." "Did you have breakfast with him?" "No. I don't dine with their family." "Who's at the breakfast table?" "Mrs. Fortescue, Miss Fortescue, and Mrs. Val Fortescue. Of course, Master Percival Fortescue is not at home." "Mrs Fortescue and Miss Fortescue eat the same thing for breakfast?" "Mrs. Fortescue only drinks coffee and orange juice and toast. Miss Val and Miss Fortescue always eat a big breakfast. They eat hard-boiled eggs and cold ham and maybe cereal. Miss Val It's tea, not coffee." Inspector Neil thought for a moment.The odds are at least narrowed.Only three people accompanied the deceased to breakfast: one was his wife, one was his daughter, and the other was his daughter-in-law.Maybe one of them was waiting for an opportunity to add a little taciline to his coffee.The bitterness of the coffee will mask the bitterness of the "tassine".Of course, there was morning tea, but Bernsdorff had mentioned that the poison could be smelled in the tea.Or maybe he wasn't sensitive enough early in the morning... He looked up and found Mary Douf looking at him. She said: "Inspector, I find it strange that you ask about tonics and medicines. It means that there is something wrong with the medicines, or that someone has added something to them. Neither of these things can be called food poisoning." Neal stared at her intently. "I didn't — definitively say — that Mr. Fortescue died of food poisoning." "Some kind of poison. In fact—poisoning." She softly repeated the phrase "poison...". It seemed that she was neither frightened nor panicked, just curious.Her attitude seemed to be asking for a sample of a new experience. In fact, she contemplated this for a moment: "I've never been involved in a poisoning case before." Neil told her indifferently: "It's not pleasant." "No—I don't think it's pleasant..." She thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled and raised her eyes to look at him. She said, "I didn't do it. But I think everyone would say so!" "Miss Dou Fu, do you know who did it?" She shrugged. "Honestly, he's a horrible man. Anybody could do it." "Miss Doufu, people don't get poisoned for being 'hateful'. There are usually quite specific motives." "Yes, of course." She was thoughtful. "Would you like to tell me about the people who live here?" She looked up at him.He found that the other party's eyes were calm and calm, as if he thought it was amused, and he couldn't help being startled. "You don't want me to give a statement, do you? No, it can't be, your sergeant is busy disturbing the servants. I don't want my words to be read in court - but I'm willing to speak - informally. That's what' Unpublished'?" "Miss Dou Fu, please tell me. You have seen it, and I have no witnesses." She leaned back, swaying one slender foot, and narrowed her eyes. "Let me start by stating that I am not loyal to my employer's family. I work for them because they are paid well, and I insist on being paid well." "I'm a little surprised to find you on such an errand. With your wits and education—" "Should I be locked up in an office? Or in some department with records? Dear Inspector Neil, I'm doing a great job. The rich will pay anything to be free from domestic worries. Find and hire a team of Manual work is boring. Writing letters to agencies, placing advertisements, visiting people, arranging interviews, and finally making it all run smoothly—requires considerable ability that many people cannot do. " "What if you recruit people and they run out? I've heard that." Mary smiled. "I can make the bed, clean the room, cook and serve the meal when I need to; no one will see anything unusual. Of course I don't advertise it. It invites all sorts of whims. But I can get through any time. Small difficulties. Difficulties don't happen very often. I only work for very rich people who pay very high wages for their comfort. I pay well so I can find the best stuff. " "Like the butler?" She glanced at him with amusement and admiration. "There's always this problem with couples. Crump stays because of Mrs. Crump, a rare and good cook. She's a gem, and we'll put up with a lot of inconvenience; just keep her. Our Buddha Mr. Tescu likes to eat. No one in the family has any scruples, they are very rich.Cream, eggs, cream... Mrs. Crump ordered whatever she wanted.As for Crump, he just passed.He was good with the silverware, and he wasn't bad at the table.I held the key to the cellar, kept an eye on the whiskey and gin, and supervised his work. " Inspector Neal raised his eyebrows. "Amazing Miss Zhuge Liang." "I found that one must know how to do everything, and then—never have to. You want to know my impression of this family." "If you have no objection, please speak." "They're all pretty damned actually. The late Mr. Fortescue was a watchful liar. He used to brag about his smart business. He was rude and bossy; he was a real rascal. Mrs. Fortescue, Adele." Son - was his second wife, about thirty years younger than he was. He knew her in Brighton. She was a former manicurist, trying to make a lot of money. She was beautiful - a real hottie , you know what I mean." Inspector Neal was shocked, but tried not to show it.He felt that a girl like Mary Douf shouldn't say such things. The young lady continued to talk with a calm expression. "Adele married him for his money, of course, and his son Percival and daughter Ellen are absolutely mad. They treat her badly, but she doesn't care or even see it. She knows it's necessary There's an old man backing me up. Oh, God, I'm using the wrong tense again. I haven't really realized he's dead yet..." "Shall we listen to his son's information?" "Percival? His wife called him Val. Percival was a smooth-talking hypocrite. He was serious and cunning; he was afraid of his father, always intimidated, and he was always intimidated, but he happened to achieve his goals. He was not like his father." Same, he is stingy with money. Saving is one of his hobbies. This is the reason why he has been slow to find a house by himself. He lives in the apartment here and saves a lot of money." "Where's his wife?" "Jennifer is mellow and suave, and seems silly. But I'm not sure. She was a hospital nurse before the marriage—nursing Percival during his pneumonia, leading to a romantic end. The old man was disappointed in the marriage, he's a snob Damn, hope Percival makes what he calls a 'good marriage'. He despises poor young Mistress Val and puts her down on purpose. She hates—I think she hates him very much. Her main interests are shopping and movies; The tragedy is that the husband refuses to give her more money." "Where's the daughter?" "Ellen? I feel bad for Ellen. She's not bad, like a school girl who never grows up. She's good at games, and she's good with Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts. Some time ago, she had a relationship with a young teacher who was dissatisfied with reality, but her father found out that the young man had communist ideas, so he severely pursued their relationship. " "She doesn't have the courage to resist?" "She did. The young man had a change of heart. I think it was money again. Ellen isn't very charming, poor dear. " "What about the other son?" "I've never met him. Everyone says he's charming and a big bad guy. There have been minor problems with forged checks in the past.He lives in East Africa. " "Discord with father." "Yes, Mr. Fortescue has made him a minority shareholder in the firm, so he can't be dismissed for a small amount of money, but he hasn't had any contact with him for many years. When anyone mentions Lance, he says:' Don't tell me about that rascal, he's not my son.' Yet—” "Well, Miss Doufu?" Mary said slowly: "I wouldn't be surprised, though, if old Fortescue plans to call him back." "Why do you think so?" "About a month ago, old Fortescu had a big fight with Percival--he found out Percival did something behind his back--I don't know what--and he was half mad. Percival Not a good boy all of a sudden. He's not what he used to be lately." "Mr. Fortescue is not the same as before?" "No, I mean Percival. He seems to be half dead worried." "And the servants? You've mentioned the Crumps. Who else?" "Grady Martin was the parlormaid, and now they like to call themselves maids. She cleaned the downstairs room, set the table, cleared the dishes, and helped Crump serve the food. A very serious girl, but unfortunately she is smart like an idiot.Suffering from adenoma. " Neil nodded. "The housemaid is Ellen Curtis. She is old, mean, and has a bad temper, but she has a good service record. She is a first-class housemaid. Others are outsiders—women who do odd jobs occasionally." "Only these people live here?" "And old Miss Lambsburton." "Who is she?" "Mr. Fortescue's aunt—the sister of his ex-wife, who was much older than him, and her sister was many years older—is now in her seventies. She has a Own room - cooks and does housework by herself, only one maid cleans the house. She is not in the right mind and always hated her brother-in-law, but she came during her sister's life, and she stayed here after her death .Mr. Fortescue doesn't give a damn about her. She's a weirdo, they call her Aunt Effie." "Nothing else?" "there is none left." "Now it's time to talk about you, Miss Doufu." "You want to know the details? I'm an orphan. I took a secretarial course at the St. Three different employers. Every time I feel bored after working in one place for a year or a year and a half, I change places. I have been coming to 'Yew Xiaozhu' for just over a year.I will type out the name and address of my former employer, attach my letter of introduction to the sergeant—his surname is Haiyi, right?Is that all right? " "Excellent, Miss Douf." Neil was silent for a moment, imagining Miss Douf messing with Mr. Fortescue's breakfast.His mind moved further and he imagined her picking yew nuts and putting them in a small basket.He sighed back to reality. "Now I'd like to see that girl—er... Gretty—and then Ellen the housemaid." He stood up and said, "By the way, Miss Douf, can you tell me about Fortescue Why does sir put grains in his pocket?" "Grains?" She stared at him, obviously genuinely surprised. "Yes——Grain. Miss Doufu, do you remember anything?" "absolutely not." "Who manages his clothes?" "Crump." "I see. Do Mr. Fortescue and Mrs. Fortescue share the same bedroom?" "Yes. Of course, he has his own dressing room and bathroom, and she has..." Mary looked down at her watch. "I think she'll be back soon." Inspector Neal rose to his feet.He said in a melodious voice: "Miss Douf, do you know? There are three golf courses nearby, but I have been unable to find Mrs. Fortescue on one of them. I find it strange." "Inspector, if she's not playing ball at all, it shouldn't be surprising." Mary's tone was flat.The Inspector snapped: "You told me she was playing golf." "She brought golf clubs and announced she was going to play. She was driving her own car, of course." He realized that there was something in the words and kept staring at her. "Who does she play with? Do you know?" "I think it might be Mr. Vivian Dubose." Neil just said "I see". "I'll ask Gretty to come in and see you. She'll probably be scared to death." Mary paused at the door, and then said: "I advise you not to take what I tell you too seriously. I am a man of evil intentions." she walks out.Inspector Neil looked at the closed door, secretly wondering. Whether she speaks out of malice or not, her words must have a suggestive effect.If Rex Fortescue had been deliberately poisoned—and almost certainly was—then the "Yew House" arrangement seemed promising.There seemed to be many motives.