Chapter 12 11

(eleven) Both Ryan Bateson and Colin Macna testify to the bet and the poisoning claims.Sharpe kept Colin Macna after everyone else had gone. "I don't want to cause pain in your heart, Mr. Macna. I can understand the pain that your fiancée was poisoned on the night of your engagement." "That goes without saying," said Colin Macna calmly. "You don't have to take into account my feelings. If you want to ask any questions that you think might help you, just ask." "After careful consideration, you believe that Celia Austin's behavior has a psychological origin?"

"There is absolutely no doubt about it. If you want me to elaborate on this aspect of the theory..." "No," said Inspector Sharpe hastily, "I believe what you say like a psychology student." "Her childhood was particularly unfortunate. It made her emotionally closed..." "Indeed" Inspector Sharpe was anxious to avoid hearing another tale of an unhappy childhood.Nigel's story is pretty adequate. "Have you been attracted to her for some time?" "I wouldn't say exactly like you," said Colin, considering the matter honestly. "Sometimes this kind of thing surprises you, and all of a sudden you get it. Like, subconsciously, no doubt. I was attracted, but I didn't know the fact. Since I had no intention of marrying early, no doubt, I developed a considerable resistance to the idea in my mind."

"Yes, that's it. Is Celia Austin happy to be engaged to you? I mean, she shows no doubts? Not sure? Doesn't she feel there's something she should tell you?" "She told me completely frankly all that she had done. There was no trouble in her heart." "So you plan to get married—when?" "It will be quite some time. I can't afford to support my wife just yet." "Does Celia have any enemies here. Is there anyone who doesn't like her?" "I hardly believe she had any enemies. I've given that a lot of thought. Celia is well liked here. Personally, I don't think her death was personal at all."

"What do you mean by 'personal vendetta'?" "I don't want to go into details at the moment. It's just a vague idea of ​​mine, and I don't know it myself." After what he said, the inspector couldn't persuade him any further. The last two students to be interviewed are Sally Finch and Elizabeth Johnston.The Inspector begins with Sally Finch.Sally was a charming girl with tousled red hair and intelligent eyes.After the routine questioning, Sally Finch suddenly took the initiative. "Do you know what I'm up to, Mr. Inspector? I want to tell you what I'm thinking. My own thoughts. There's nothing quite right about this house. Something's really wrong. I'm sure of that."

"You mean, because Celia Austin was poisoned?" "No, I mean before that. I've felt that way for a while. I don't like some of the things that's been going on. I don't like the rucksack thing being cut, and I don't like Vali Ray's silk scarf is cut to pieces. I don't like Black Beth's notes being splashed with ink. I'm going to get out of here. I'm still going to do it, which means I'll go as soon as you give us permission." "You mean you're afraid of something, Miss Finch?" "Yes, I'm afraid. There's something or someone here that's pretty brutal. This whole place isn't what it seems—well, how should I put it?—it seems. No, Mr. Inspector, I Not communists. I can see that's what you're saying. I don't mean communists. Maybe not even criminals. I don't know. But I bet you anything, that horrible old lady knows it all .”

"What old lady? You mean Mrs. Hubbard?" "No. Not Mama Hubbard. She's a sweet one. I mean Nicoletis. The old fox." "That's interesting, Miss Finch. Could you be more specific? About Mrs. Nicoletis." Sally shook her head. "No. That's exactly what I can't do. All I can tell you is that she gives me the creeps every time I pass her. Strange things are going on here, Mr. Inspector." "I wish you could be more precise." "Me too. You'd think I was imagining it. Oh, maybe, but there are others who feel the same way. Akinbumble does. He's freaked out. I'm sure Black Bess is too, but she won't say it." And I think, Monsieur Inspector, Celia knows something too."

"Know something?" "Yes, know something? But she said something, on her last day. Everything came out about something. She confessed to herself that part of what she did, but she seemed to imply that she knew something Something else, something about someone. I think that's why she was killed." "However, if there is such an important matter..." Sally interrupted him. "I don't think she knows how big it is. She's not smart, you know. She's pretty blunt. She knows something, but she doesn't know what she knows is dangerous. Anyway, that's just my own guess .”

"I understand. Thank you... Now, tell me, the last time you saw Celia Austin was in the saloon after dinner that night, right?" "Yes. At least, actually, I saw her after that." "Where? In her room?" "No. She was going out the front door just as I was coming out of the saloon to go upstairs." "Out the front door? You mean, out of the house?" "yes." "That's surprising. No one else has said that." "Perhaps they didn't know. She did say good-night, and said she was going to bed, and if I hadn't seen her I would have thought she had gone to bed."

"Actually, she went upstairs, put on her coat, and left the house. Right?" Sally nodded. "And I think she's out to meet someone." "I see. Someone from outside. Or perhaps one of the students here?" "Well, I guess one of the students here. You know, if she wants to talk to someone privately, there's nowhere in the house. That person might suggest to her to go out and meet somewhere outside .” "Do you know why she came in again?" "have no idea." "Will Geronimo know? The manservant?" "If she comes in after eleven o'clock then he'll know, because the doors are locked then. Anyone can get in with their own key before that time."

"Do you know the exact time when she left the house?" "I think it was about—a little after ten, but not much more." "I understand. Thank you, Miss Finch, for what you told me." The last person the Inspector interviewed was Elizabeth Joneston.The girl's quietness and competence immediately impressed him deeply.She answered his questions with intelligence and determination, then waited for him to continue. "Celier Austin vehemently protests that she was not the one who destroyed your papers, Miss Johnston. Do you believe her?" "I don't think Celia did it."

"You don't know who did it?" "The obvious answer is Nigel Chapman. But it seems a little too obvious to me. Nigel is smart. He doesn't use his own ink." "If not Nigel, then who?" "That's hard to say. But I think Celia knows who it is—or at least guesses who it is." "Did she ever tell you?" "Not so clear, but she came to my room the night she died, before dinner. She went and told me that although she was responsible for the thefts, she didn't spoil my work. I told her I Accept her pledge. I asked her if she knew who did it." "Then what did she say?" "She said," Elizabeth paused for a moment, as if to make sure of the precision of what she was about to say. "She said, 'I can't actually be sure because I don't understand why ... it could have been an accident ... I'm sure whoever did it, she must have been very unhappy afterwards and really wanted to come clean.' Celia continued, 'There are some things I don't understand, like the light bulb when the police came that day.'" Sharp interjected. "What's the matter with the police and the light bulb?" "I don't know, Celia just said, 'I didn't have the light bulb.' And she said, 'I wonder if it has something to do with the passport?' I said, 'What passport are you talking about?' And she said, 'I think someone might be using a fake passport.'” The Inspector was silent for a while. There finally seemed to be some vague type taking shape.a passport. "What else did she say?" he asked. "Nothing more. She just said: 'I'll find out more tomorrow.'' "She said that, didn't she? It's a very meaningful sentence." "yes." The Inspector was silent again, thinking carefully. Something about a passport—a police visit... He had gone through the files before coming to Hickory Road.The dormitories where foreign students live are under strict surveillance.Twenty-six Hickory Road has a good record.There have been some little things here, barren, unsuggestive.A student from West Africa was wanted by the police for living off women; the student had only lived on Hickory Road for a few days before going elsewhere, was referred by the police, and then deported.There was also a routine inspection of the halls and boarding houses in order to find a young Asian to speak out about the murder of a publisher's wife near Cambridge University.The matter was clarified after the young man voluntarily went to the Hal Police Station and brought him to justice.Another time was to investigate a student who was distributing reactionary leaflets.These events all happened some time ago, and it is impossible to have any connection with Celia Austin's death. He sighed, and looked up to see Elizabeth Johnston's bright dark eyes looking at him. On a whim, he said, "Tell me, Miss Joneston, do you have a feeling—an impression—that there is something wrong with this place?" She looked surprised. "What—is something wrong?" "I can't really tell. I'm thinking of something Sally Finch told me." "Oh—Sally Finch!" There was something in her tone that he couldn't understand.Interested, he went on: "Miss Finch seems to me to be a good observer, shrewd and down-to-earth. She was very insistent that there was something wrong--something odd about the place--though she found it difficult to say exactly what. Elizabeth suddenly said: "That's her American way of thinking. They're all the same, these Americans, nervous, restless, skeptical of anything ridiculous! Look at their stupid witch hunts, their hysterical spies, their Unshakable ideas about communism. Sally Finch is a quintessential American." The Inspector's interest rises, and it turns out that Elizabeth Johnston doesn't like Sally Finch.Why?Because Sally is American?Is there any personal reason Elizabeth Johnston doesn't like the glamorous redhead?Maybe it's just purely female jealousy? He made up his mind to try it out by a trick which he sometimes found to work well.He said smoothly: "As you probably know, in a building like this there is a wide range of intelligence. Some people - most of them, we just ask them the facts. But when we meet someone with a high level of intelligence Human time—" He pauses.This is flattery.Will she respond? After a brief pause, she responded: "I think I see what you mean. The intellectual level here, as you say, is not very high. Nigel Chapman has a certain wit, but his mind is shallow, and Ryan Bateson is a hard worker. Valerie Hobbs has a good intellect, but she has a commercial eye, and she's too lazy to use her mind for something worthwhile. What you want is someone with cool Man of objective, trained mind." "For example you, Miss Johnston." She accepted the compliment without objection.He knew, with some interest, that she was a young woman who, behind her modesty and pleasant demeanor, concealed a pride in her individual qualities. "I agree with what you said of your schoolmates, Miss Joneston. Chapman was bright but childish. Valerie Hobhouse had brains but a playful attitude towards life. You, as you say, have A trained mind. So I value your opinion—a wise man's." For a moment he feared that he had gone too far, but he needn't have worried. "There is nothing wrong with this place, Mr. Inspector. Ignore what Sally Finch says. This is a well-run, dignified school, and I'm sure you won't find any trace of subversive activity here." Inspector Sharpe was a little surprised. “I’m not actually thinking about subversive activity.” "Oh—so—" She was a little taken aback. "I'm linking what Celia said about the passport. But looking unbiased, and weighing all the evidence, it seems to me fairly certain that the cause of Celia's death was a personal— —Some sort of sexual entanglement, maybe. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the dormitory, and nothing to do with what happened here. I'm sure, nothing happened here. If there was, I'd be aware of it , my perception is very sharp." "I see. Well, thank you, Miss Johnston." Elizabeth Joneston went out.Inspector Sharpe sat staring at the closed door in a daze, and it took Sergeant Kopp to speak to him twice before he woke up. "Ah?" "That's all I said, sir." "Well, what did we get? Very little. But I'm telling you, Kopp. I'm coming tomorrow with a search warrant. We're going to pretend it's all right now, and they'll think it's all over. But this place Something is going on. Tomorrow I'll turn the whole thing over here - not easy when you don't know what to look for, but chances are I'll find something that will give us a clue, the one just out is a very interesting one girl, she has a Napoleonic ego, and I very much doubt she knows anything."