Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen

"Of course, Inspector, all you need is rest. Take it easy." The chief of police stood up and put on his raincoat. "You've worked yourself out of shape. There's no use to that except an early grave. It's Friday, and I can swear you haven't had a good night's sleep or a good meal all week. What a mess! You can’t take this matter so seriously. It’s not that no prisoners escaped before, and there will still be in the future.” "If it's my prisoner, it won't work." "That's just too demanding. That's all I can say. Too demanding. Everyone makes mistakes. Who would have thought there was an escape door in the bedroom?"

"I should check what's in the cupboard first." "Oh, my dear sir—" "The first door was facing me when it opened, so I could see inside. By the time he got to the second door, he distracted me from..." "I told you, you've lost your sense of objectivity! If you don't stay away from this thing, soon you'll have cupboards everywhere. You'll be what you Sergeant Williams call 'duty Crash'. You have to come back with me for dinner. No 'buts' for me! Only twenty miles." "But something might happen during this time..."

"We have a phone at home. Erica asked me to take you home. And specifically mentioned buying ice. Do you like ice? Anyway, she said she had something to show you. "Puppy?" ’ Grant smiled. "Don't know. Maybe. I see a litter of that kind of thing in Stein all year round, I guess. Your best successor is here.Good night, officer. "Good night, sir. said Williams, flushed from his evening tea. "I'm going to take Inspector Grant back to my house for dinner." "Excellent, sir. A good meal will do the Inspector good." "Here's my phone number, in case you need him."

Grant was very tired.It has been a long week of suffering.The thought of eating a meal with a relaxed group of people in a quiet room was almost like rediscovering a happier area of ​​his life that he had long forgotten.He habitually tidied up the documents on the desk. "Thank you, I'd love to bother with a dinner. Miss Erica is so kind and thinks of me." He reached for his hat. "Think hard, this Erica. She's not usually emotional. But she looks like she admires you." "I'm afraid I have a very strong rival in love." "Oh, yes, in Olympia, I remember. You know what? Grant, I don't really know how to raise a baby," he said as he walked out of the police station to drive. "Erica is my only child. She died, and I kept her with me all the time, and didn't let her go to kindergarten. Her old nanny often talked to me about this issue.

She relished getting red-faced over parenting.Later she went to school.Make sure to meet people your age, that's what education is for: learning to get along with people.She didn't like it, but she stuck with it.She is a very courageous person. "I think she's a fascinating kid. said Grant earnestly, echoing the director's prim tone and worried expression. "That's right, Grant, that's right! She's not a kid anymore. She should go out. Go to the ball. Go to town and live with her aunt a while, and see the world. But she doesn't. Just likes to stay at home, or running around.

She doesn't pay attention to dress and grooming, which other people of her age pay attention to.She's seventeen, you know?I am anxious.She drove that little car around all day.Half the time I don't know where she is. Not that she wouldn't tell me if I asked.She has always been a very honest child.But I still worry. "I don't think there's any reason to worry, sir.She has her own way of happiness.you will see.It is rare to meet a child of this age who can be so clear about what he wants to pursue. " "That's right!" said the Commissioner, "and on the run! George's coming to dinner, too,' he added."

george.Mill.My wife's cousin.Maybe you know him?Neurologist. ""I have admired his name for a long time, but I have never met him. " "It was Erica's idea. George's a nice guy, but kind of boring. I couldn't understand what he was saying most of the time.What a reaction, that sort of thing. But Erika seemed to understand his incomprehensible words.But it would be nice to have him.Anyway, he is a good person. "Sir George is indeed a nice fellow. Grant took a liking to him at first sight, and noting his narrow skull, he felt that he must have some other quality which Erica admired so much that it made up for this external deficiency. He doubtless A likable fellow with no air of arrogance or superiority at all. His ability to sympathize with Grant's frustration without making Grant want to beat him proved his worth. In fact, Grant was I turned to him for help, as if I were complaining to someone who could understand him, to whom human failure must be a commonplace thing.

It was in vain that Chief Burgoyne had forbade the Clay case from being brought up at the dinner table.Before the plate of fish was finished, everyone was already talking about Tistor with great interest, including the director himself. But Erica was not involved, sitting at the end of the table in her plain white school dining uniform, listening without saying a word.Although her nose was lightly powdered, she was not much more mature than her daytime appearance. "We couldn't even find a trace of him," Grant said in response to Mill's question. "He disappeared as soon as he left the hotel. Of course there are dozens of descriptions that are similar to him. But the results of the search turned up nothing.

We know as much now as we did on Monday.He probably slept outside the first three nights.But you know what the weather was like last night.It rained cats and dogs.It was impossible even for animals to stay outside in that weather.He must have found shelter somewhere, if he was still alive.That heavy rain was not regional.All flooded from here to Tyne.Now another day has passed, and still no clue. "Is it impossible to escape by sea?" " "Improbable. Strange, but out of a thousand fugitives, none would have chosen the sea route." "Probably because we island peoples are fed up with sea water!" Mill laughed: "So the last thing they think of is the sea. You know, Inspector, I don't know if you feel it yourself, in our past During this half-hour of conversation, you have been very clear in describing this man. And there is one thing that you have also expressed very clearly, I think; one thing that you yourself may not be aware of."

"whats the matter? " "In the back of your mind, you're actually pretty surprised that he did that. Maybe even sad. You have not believed this. "Yes, I think it's true.You would be sorry, too, Sir George. "Grant grinned."As I told you, we examined his confession from beginning to end.As far as those parts can be tested, it is true.But he could come up with a flimsy story like stealing a car!And he had lost his overcoat—the most important one! " "Oddly, I don't think the whole thing about the theft is that difficult to understand. For the past few weeks, his main thought has been to escape.

To escape the stigma of squandering one's wealth, to escape crowds (he seems to have begun to assess people's true worth), to escape the necessity of having to fend for oneself again (the idea of ​​vagrancy was, to this well-connected man, the same as stealing a car Crazy: Here again the theme of escape can be seen) and even the ambiguous situation he faces on the farm.Subconsciously, he must have been terrified of the farewell scene he would face in a day or two.At that time he was in a state of extreme emotional instability, based on his self-loathing and questioning (so what he really wanted to escape was himself). So at the moment when his willpower fell to the bottom (six o'clock in the morning), he happened to There are tools to escape from.Empty countryside, abandoned cars by the roadside.At this moment he had no idea what he was doing. By the time he regained consciousness, he was terrified, as he said.He drove back immediately without hesitation, and rushed back to the original place as fast as possible.I'm afraid he won't be able to figure out why he stole that car until the day he dies. "To you experts, stealing may soon cease to be a crime. " commented the director, with a bit of bitter helplessness. "Nice theory," Grant said to Mill. "Can you thicken up that flimsy coat story?" "Facts are flimsy, aren't they?" "Do you think this man could be innocent?" "I think so." "why? " "I have great trust in your judgment." "My judgment?" "Yes. You are surprised that this person would do this. It means that your first impression was later clouded by circumstantial evidence. "Actually, I value both logic and imagination. Fortunately, since I am a policeman. The evidence may only be circumstantial evidence, but it is very complete." "Seems a little too complete, don't you think?" "Lord Edward said so too. But no policeman would think too much evidence, Sir George." "Poor Chance!" said the Superintendent. "What happened to him was terrible. They were very much in love, I've been told. Very nice man. I didn't know him, but when I was young I had acquaintance with the family. Both Very nice people, what a pity for them!" "I came up from Dover with him on Thursday," Mill said. "I came back from Calais, France—I was in Vienna for a medical conference—and he was at Dover on a ship carrying passengers." barge train. He seemed very happy to be returning home.And show me some topaz he brought back from Galeria for his wife. It looked as if they telegraphed each other every day.Frankly, I think this impresses me even more than giving topaz. "Excuse me, Sir George.You mean Chance wasn't on the Calais ship? " "Yeah, that's right. He came back on his private yacht. The Patro. It was his brother's yacht that he lent to Edward to drive him back from Galeria. A lovely little boat. It was parked in In the port." "Then when did Lord Edward arrive at Dover?" "The night before, I believe so. It was too late to go to town." He stopped and looked at Grant with a strange expression. "It's impossible to turn Edward Chance into a suspect no matter logic or imagination." "I know." Grant calmly pried out his peach pit, completing the movement he had just heard Chance stop in midair when he changed to the connecting train. "It's not a big deal. It's the habit of the police to ask about trivial matters." But his mind was full of surprise and speculation.Chance made it plain to him that he was returning by Calais on Thursday morning.Although it is not stated explicitly, the hint is clear enough.At that time, Grant casually shared some opinions about the accommodation facilities on the new ship, and Chance replied that he had already boarded the ship that morning.Why?edward.Chance was apparently in Dover on Wednesday night, but he would not let him know.Why?What is the reason?In view of the awkward silence that followed the revelation of Chance's whereabouts in England, Grant said softly, "Miss Erica hasn't brought out the puppy, or anything else she wanted to show me." In the astonishment of everyone, Erica blushed.This was something that had never happened before, and the three men were dumbfounded. "Not a puppy," she said. "It's something you want very much. But I'm afraid you won't accept it." "Pretty much to look forward to," Grant admitted, wondering what the kid thought he wanted. He hoped she hadn't bought something for him.Hero worship is fine, but giving gifts on the spot in full view is embarrassing. "Where is it? " "In my room, wrapped up in a parcel. I was going to wait until you had finished your port wine." "Something convenient to bring into the restaurant?" her father asked. "of course." "Just ask Bert to get it." "Oh, no!" she cried, grabbing her father's hand as he was going to ring the bell. "I'll get it. Be right back." She came back with a large package of brown paper, which her father said seemed to be a gift from the Salvation Army.She opened the package and took out a man's coat, gray and black. "Here is the coat you want," she said, "but the buttons are all there." Grant took the coat mechanically and began to examine it carefully. "Where did you get it, Erica?" her father asked, tongue-tied. "I bought it for ten shillings from a stone-breaker in Pedalwood. He bought it from a bum for five shillings, and he thought it was a good deal, and he didn't want to change hands. So I had to accompany He drank a cup of cold tea, listened to what he said about the frontier regiment on the first of July, and saw the bullet marks on his shin, so he was willing to sell the coat. I must have the coat at that time, or he might sell it to Someone else, or I won’t be able to find him in the future.” "Why do you think this is Tistor's coat?" Grant asked. "Here," she said, pointing to the place where the cigarette had burned. "He told me to recognize this place." "who told you that? " "Mr Tistor." "Who?" The three said in unison. "I came across him by accident on Wednesday. I've been looking for the coat ever since. I was lucky to find it though." "Did you meet him? Where?" "A road near Marlinford." "And you didn't report the crime?" Grant's voice was serious. "No." Her voice trembled a little, but then calmed down. "Look, I didn't believe he did it in the first place. And I really like you. I thought it would be better for you if he could prove his innocence before he was actually caught. Then you can You don't have to catch him and then have to release him. Otherwise the papers will say it badly." A blank silence followed. Grant said a moment later, "Tistor wants you to find this on Wednesday?" He pushed the burnt spot forward, and the others came up from their seats to get a better look. "I can't see the traces of buttons being changed." Mill reported his observation experience. "You see this is the coat, right?" "Possibly. We can't get Tistor to try it on, but maybe Mrs. Pitts will recognize it." "But—but," stammered the Commissioner, "if it's really the coat, do you know what that means?" "Full understanding, it means starting all over again." His tired eyes, cold with disappointment, met Erica's kind gray eyes, but he refused their pity.It was too soon to think of Erica as his saviour.At present, she can only be regarded as the person who disturbed the whole pace. "I should go back," he said. "Can I borrow the phone?"