Chapter 27 27

.27. Inspector Neil said: "Impossible." He leaned back in his chair and looked at Miss Marple with fascination. As Miss Marple said, he was not surprised.His words deny its possibility, not its probability.Lance Fortescu fit the bill: Miss Marple was right.But Inspector Neil couldn't figure out how the answer could be Lance. Miss Marple leaned forward in her chair, expressing her opinion as softly and skillfully as someone explaining simple arithmetic to a child. "You know, he's always been like that. I mean, he's always been a badass. Bad as hell, but always charming, especially to women.He was quick-witted and willing to take risks.He was always taking risks, and because of his charisma, people believed the best in him rather than the worst.In summer he came home to visit his father.I don't believe his father wrote to him, telling him to come home -- unless you have proof of it. "

She stopped questioningly. Neil shook his head.He said, "No, I have no proof that the old man called him back. All I have is a letter that looks like Lance wrote to the old man when he got back to Africa.But he had no trouble slipping the false letter into the pile of papers in his father's study on the day of his arrival. " Miss Marple nodded and said, "He's very clever. As I said, he might have come in on a plane and tried to reconcile with his father, but Mr. Fortescue wouldn't. You see, Lance was recently married, and he'd been relying on a A small income to live on--money must have been obtained in all sorts of dishonest ways--and now that money is not enough.

He loved Patty very much - Patty was a sweet and lovely girl - wanted to live a high and stable life with her - not to change again and again.From his point of view, it costs a lot of money.He must have heard about the black thrush when he came to Yew House, maybe it was his father or Adele.He deduced that McCanzie's daughter was in the house, and had an idea that she could be the scapegoat for the murder. You have to understand that when he realized that he could not control his father's will, he must think that he must kill his father.He might find that his father wasn't—well, not very healthy—and he feared he'd be totally bankrupt by the time he died. "

"He did know the state of his father's health," the inspector said. "Ah—that makes a lot of sense. Maybe his father's name was Rex (meaning 'King'), and the black thrush incident reminded him of that nursery rhyme. He could make the whole case a madman murder— —connected with the MacKenzie family's vengeance. You know, he thinks he can get rid of Adele and the hundred thousand pounds that flowed out of the company. But there must be a third character, which is the nursery rhyme 'The maid drying the laundry in the garden' - I guess that's when he remembered the whole evil plan.

He could take advantage of a naive accomplice and gag her before she spilled the beans. Now he had a true alibi for the first murder.The rest is easy.He got here from the station just before five o'clock, just as Glady was carrying the second tray into the hall.He went to the side door and saw her, waved to her, strangled her, and dragged her body to the clothesline in the corner, which only took three or four minutes.Then he rang the front door bell and was ushered in to have tea with his family.After tea he went upstairs to Miss Lambsburton.He slipped downstairs into the drawing room and found Adele drinking her last cup of tea by herself, sitting on the sofa next to her, talking to her while trying to get the cyanide into her cup.You know, it's not that hard.A small white crystal, like a sugar cube.He might reach over to the candy box, take out a piece, and drop it plainly into her teacup.He would laugh and say:

'Look, I put sugar in your teacup. ' She said she didn't care, and drank it after stirring it.Simple and bold.Yes, he is a cheeky fellow. " Inspector Neil said slowly: "Probably—yes. But I don't see—really, Miss Marple, I don't understand—what benefit he got. Even if old Fortescue survived and the company collapsed, and Lance was only a minority shareholder, how could Three murders planned for it? I don't think so. I really don't think so." Miss Marple admitted: "It's a little difficulty. Yes, I agree with you. It does create quite a bit of difficulty. I think..." She looked at the Inspector hesitatingly: "I think—I'm not sure about the finances. Ignorant question - but I suppose the Black Thrush Mine is really worthless?"

Neil was lost in thought.The impressions of various fragments were clamped together in his mind: Lance had voluntarily taken a speculative or worthless stake from Percival; today he was in London, and had bid Percival parting from the "Black Thrush Mine" and its bad luck.A gold mine, a worthless gold mine—perhaps the mine wasn't worthless.But it seems unlikely.It was unlikely that old Rex Fortescu was wrong about such a thing, and it could certainly be a recent mineral.Where is that mine?Lance said it was in West Africa.But someone else—Miss Lambsburton, I suppose—said East Africa.Did Lance deliberately deceive people by talking about West Africa instead of East Africa?Miss Lambsburton was old and forgetful, but perhaps it was she, not Lance, who was right.Lance has just returned from East Africa.Maybe he had the latest information?

Turning the camera in his mind, the inspector remembered another scene.He sat on the train and read The Times: "Uranium Found in Tanganygo".What if the uranium mine is on the former site of the "Black Thrush Mine"?Then the truth will be revealed.Lance was in that place and got the news that if there were uranium mines there, he could make a lot of money, a lot of money! He sighed and looked at Miss Marple. He asked bitterly: "What do you think? Is there a way for me to find out the evidence?" Miss Marple nodded encouragingly, as an aunt encourages a bright little nephew who is about to take an exam.

She said, "You can prove it. Inspector Neil, you're a very, very smart man. I've seen it from the beginning. Now that you know who the killer is, you should be able to find evidence. Like that guy from the summer camp can identify him. Photo. It will be difficult for him to explain why he is living there for a week under the pseudonym Albert Evans." Yes, thought Inspector Neal: Lance Fortescue was clever and outrageous—but he was the rough type, and he took too many risks. "I'll get him!" thought Neil, then looked suspiciously at Miss Marple again. "It's all hypothetical, you know," he said.

"Yes—but you're pretty sure of it, aren't you?" "I suppose so. After all, I've seen people like him before." The old woman nodded. "Yes—it's important—for that reason, I'm sure." Neil looked at her playfully. "Because you are familiar with gangsters." "Oh no--of course not. It's because of Patty--a sweet girl--the kind of girl who always marry a bad girl--that's what I noticed about him in the first place." The Inspector said, "I may be sure of it in my heart, but there's a lot more to tell—like Ruby McCanzie. I swear—"

Miss Marple interrupted: "You're right. But you're thinking of the wrong person. Go talk to Mrs. Percy." Inspector Neal said, "Mrs. Fortescue, would you give me your maiden name?" "Oh!" Jennifer gasped.She seemed panicked. Inspector Neil said, "Ma'am, you needn't be nervous. But you'd better tell the truth. I said your maiden name was Ruby McCanzie. I guess I was right?" "My--well, oh, never--oh, God--well, why not?" said Mrs. Percival Fortescue. Inspector Neal said, "It's nothing wrong. I spoke to the court at Pinewood Sanitarium the other day." Jennifer said, "She's mad at me. Now I never go to see her, it just upsets her. Poor Mummy, she's crazy about Daddy, you know." "She raised you and instilled in you exaggerated ideas of revenge?" Jennifer said: "Yes, she repeatedly asked us to swear by the Bible: never forget this revenge, and one day I will kill him. Later, I went to the hospital for nursing training, and gradually found that her mental state was not very normal. " "Mrs. Fortescue, you must want revenge yourself?" "Oh, of course. Rex Fortescu killed my father! I'm not saying he actually killed him with a gun or a knife. But I believe he left him alone. It's the same, isn't it? " "Morally it's the same - yes." Jennifer said: "So I wanted justice. A friend came to care for his son and I talked her out of her job and recommended me to replace her. I don't know what I'm going to do... Inspector, I don't, I really don't, It was never my intention to kill Mr. Fortescue. I contemplated nursing his son to death in a bad manner. But that's not something you can do when you're a nurse. In fact, I put my heart and soul into helping Val get through it. Then he liked me and proposed to me, and I thought to myself: 'This is the most logical way to get revenge'. I mean, marry Mr. Fortescue's eldest son and get back the money he swindled from my father, I think It's smarter that way." Inspector Neal said: "Yes, yes, that's smarter." He added: "I suppose you put the black thrushes on the table and in the pie?" Mrs. Percival blushed. "Yes, I suppose I'm really stupid . . . but Mr. Fortescue was talking about a fool the other day, and boasting how he cheated—better than he did. Oh, he did it all legally. I said to myself Intended to frighten him. He was really frightened! Frightfully flustered." She added anxiously: "But I didn't do anything else! Not really, Inspector. You wouldn't—you wouldn't think I murder?" Inspector Neil smiled. He said, "No, I don't think so anymore. Yes, have you sent any money to Miss Douf lately?" Jennifer's jaw dropped. "how do you know?" "We know a lot," said Inspector Neil, and he said to himself, "There's a lot more to guess." Jennifer speaks quickly. "She came to me and said you accused her of being Ruby McCanzie. She said if I could get five hundred pounds she wouldn't point out your mistakes and keep you thinking that way. She also said that if you knew I was Ruby McCanzie, I would be a suspect in the murder of Mr. Fortescue and my stepmother.I had a hard time getting the money because I couldn't tell Percival.He doesn't know my background.I had to sell my engagement ring and a beautiful necklace Mr. Fortescue had given me. " Inspector Neal said, "Don't worry, Mrs. Percival. We can probably get your money back for you." The next day Inspector Neil had another appointment with Miss Mary Douf. He said: "Miss Douf, I wonder if you would hand over a check for five hundred pounds payable to Mrs. Percival Fortescue." He was relieved to see Mary Douf lose her composure at last. "I guess the idiot told you," she said. "Yes, Miss Dou Fu, extortion is a very serious crime." "Inspector, it's not blackmail. I don't think I'll be charged with blackmail. I'm just doing Mrs. Percival a special favor. " "Okay, Miss Dou Fu, if you give me that check, we'll forget it." Mary Douf fetched her checkbook and took out her pen. She sighed, "It's annoying. Money is so tight right now." "I suppose you're going to be looking for another job soon?" "Yes, the work turned out not as planned. Very unfortunate from my point of view." Inspector Neil agreed. "Yeah, that puts you in a rather difficult position, isn't it? I mean, we might look up your past at any moment." Mary Douf regained her composure and raised her coat of arms. "Inspector, I assure you that my past is unassailable." Inspector Neal agreed happily, "Yes, that's right, Miss Douf, we're not charging you with anything. But it just so happens that the three places where you worked were burglarized about three months after you left. The burglars seemed Knows where the mink coats, jewelry, etc. are kept. Weird coincidence, isn't it?" "Inspector, a coincidence may happen." Neil said, "Oh, yes, but it can't happen too many times, Miss Douf. I daresay we may meet again in the future. " Mary Douf said, "I hope—Inspector Neil, I don't mean to be rude—but I hope we don't see each other again."