Chapter 15 Section 8 Gardener

It rained all night on the 29th, and Sunday morning was getting a bit gray as a result. I didn't sleep much last night - I seemed to spend the whole night waiting for dawn to break.After yesterday, some unexplainable doubts about the case suddenly seemed to be only one step away-the excitement even made me close my eyes: although I also know that solving these doubts and Doesn't mean getting any closer to the hidden murderer. But? In any case, I can't lie down anymore. After a quick wash in the guest room bathroom, I checked my watch—five was still a few minutes away. I left the guest room and went down the corridor to the kitchen: according to Miss Gabbette, there was a side door leading directly to the garden of the villa.

The side door was unlocked, so I opened it and came to the courtyard on the left side of the villa. Compared with the financial resources of the Hofer family, this courtyard is not too big—in the semicircular space, antique Byzantine stone bricks and bamboo benches are chicly arranged.The winter jasmine flowers around seemed a little neglected, blooming disorderly and disorderly, under the pale and dim light of this morning, they looked cold and even a little scary. I walked across the courtyard to the garden gate on the other side. Unfortunately, the old iron gate, simply decorated with black cast iron strips and a simple spiral pattern, is locked quite tightly-our gardener is also dutiful on weekend nights.

It seemed that I had to go around the main entrance. wait!Wait, who is that? Through the huge gaps between those spiral patterns, I could easily see somewhere farther away on the other side of the iron gate-there was a figure moving there, but I couldn't see clearly what it was doing. That, without a doubt, is our gardener Raymond. I tried to make him discover me - so I called out in his direction: "Raymond—" Sunday morning was fairly quiet.Even though I've kept my voice down as much as possible—this shout is still too much for the quiet of the morning.At any rate, Raymond heard my voice—I saw him seem to look this way, and then approached.

No!This is not Raymond, this is still a child!A girl around six or seven years old with brown hair. She came over very slowly—it seemed that the day was getting brighter at this time. Anyway, when there was only this iron gate between her and me, the night had completely faded away, and it was replaced by after the rain Unique, a depressing gray. "Who are you, sir?" Holding a small tin bucket, she asked me in a doubtful and timid voice. I looked inside the keg, half full of what appeared to be some fresh weeds. "Do you raise rabbits?" I didn't answer the question raised by the little girl in front of me.

The little girl bit her lower lip and lowered her head not to look at me. "Actually, did I learn from you when I was young?" I knelt down and looked at her. "? 'If friends with long ears don't like to eat, then please feed them the new grass that is moistened with dew before seeing the first ray of sunshine.'", I began to sing softly this song that I don't know when it came from nursery rhyme. The girl still didn't look at me, but she took up the next sentence with a soft voice: "? 'If your friends with long ears are unwell, please feed them the new grass that is covered with raindrops just after the dark clouds have dissipated.'"

At the end, although she didn't look at me, she couldn't help but smile slightly—this is such a lovely child! "'But please—'" I draw out my voice on purpose to let her know I'm waiting for her. "'But please remember to wipe off the pools of rainwater and dew that gathered on the leaves-otherwise, friends with long ears will have a stomachache~`'" She laughed out loud, looking at me with amber pupils, the wariness and timidity just now disappeared with the laughter. "I'm Wenzel, Miss Gabbett asked me to come to Mr. Raymond. But this door..."

I pulled the iron gate in front of me, showing a helpless expression. "Sir, you wait here. Shall I call Papa?" The little girl turned around and ran towards the other end of the garden.After a while, her figure disappeared among the dense winter jasmine together with the swinging keg. But she never came back.I was a little impatient, but I couldn't leave first, so I leaned against the iron gate and lit a Marlboro. Think about it, the relationship between Raymond and Eliza was not mentioned in the file eight years ago-of course, the question "whether Eliza has a lover" will be involved: Does this mean that Did everyone in the villa know nothing about the relationship between Eliza and Raymond at that time?

Or maybe a few of them know it, but deliberately conceal it-the reason is nothing more than the disparity in identities and classes between the two: a rich family's daughter falls in love with a gardener's son, which will be regarded by the parents of a rich family as a crime in any era. The plague-like scandal happened in the Hofer family's mansion at the moment "unfortunately", and no one needs to remind - everyone knows that if you want to keep your job in this mansion, such a thing must be reported to the outside world. Keep your mouth shut. The reality was that, contrary to the way rich people most often handle such situations, Raymond was not fired.Naturally, there could be many reasons, such as the fear that the young gardener would be suspected by the police after they kept their mouths shut (I must say, if this is true, then such fear seems a bit exaggerated—— —A trivial matter such as dismissal of employees probably won’t attract anyone’s attention); or Mr. Rügenmann himself doesn’t know it, and the facts are only in the hands of a few people who manage internal affairs (such as the housekeeper Rhodes)—— They warned the gardener, and with the sudden death of Eliza, they were even more reluctant to mention it; in the end, it was more likely that no one discovered the relationship between them-this is compared to my previous For the two cases listed, at least there will be no such obvious loopholes:

We might as well assume it: if someone in the villa knew about the relationship between Raymond and Eliza.So, when Eliza's corpse dressed in costumes appeared on the White Swan Bridge, what would those people who knew the secret think of first? Eliza secretly dated Raymond, but was actually killed by Raymond! Raymond was not included in the list of important suspects-apparently, the relationship between the two who became so important because of Eliza's murder was not informed to the police: without other conditions, this For the first two cases I just mentioned, it's an obvious loophole.

Whether it is the housekeeper Rhodes or Mr. Rügenmann, after Miss Eliza was killed, the necessity of concealing the facts about Raymond's matter can no longer occupy the whole incident according to common sense, compared with arresting the murderer. dominant. In other words, if they knew about it and did not report it, they would still let a person who was probably the mastermind or accomplice in the murder of Miss Eliza continue to work in the villa. Brutal killings are also ignored - this point is undoubtedly very illogical. Or was there some sort of agreement between them and Raymond?

I have to say, this case is much more complicated than I imagined! At this moment, the sound of a key turning suddenly came from the lockhole behind him.I looked back, but it was still the little girl just now—she put the keg aside, and was tiptoeing to open the door for me: the position of the door lock was still a bit too high compared to her short body. "Dad is applying medicine to Mom, and he asked me to open the door for you." The girl said very seriously. "Oh, okay? Well, may I know your name?" "Echo Phaethon?" "It's a nice name!", I praised - the name is really nice. "Thank you!", Xiao'e Kou smiled a little embarrassedly, and at the same time opened the iron door, "Oh, I don't know anything, that matter? I can't help much." After listening to my brief explanation of my visit, Raymond Falton dealt with me in a silent manner: he skillfully rubbed his hands on the back of the woman on the sickbed—it was a beautiful and pale woman, whose breathing was too weak to see not see.Her body swayed from side to side with the strength of Raymond's hand, as if her whole body was pulled by a thin thread.When Raymond changed the water, he laid her down on the bed—she didn't even move, like a corpse. "? Please remember carefully, maybe you can think of something - the night of March 17 eight years ago." I didn't mention the matter of Eliza's diary, which should be regarded as a last resort-from his words and demeanor, Raymond seems to have suffered a great mental blow, so I don't want to For him to face those memories all at once—Kanpur's example: that's obviously quite dangerous. In fact, I can't rule out the possibility that Raymond is Romeo the Scythe at the moment - so I can't even mention the diaries written on colored paper that I found. "Oh, I went to bed early that day and didn't know anything?" Raymond glanced out the window - Eko was there, feeding two little rabbits with freshly picked grass. It seems that if I don’t reveal something, he won’t seriously answer my question—now I am faced with a choice: should I tell Raymond about the diary so that he can help me investigate the case; or Leave this hut and go find new clues by yourself. This is obviously a dilemma: if I choose the former, it means that I actively ignore the possibility that Raymond may be the murderer or at least have reached a "tacit agreement" with the murderer; The clues that are easy to get point to (although there are other possibilities, I can bypass Raymond to get the clues I need-of course, it is much more troublesome than asking him directly, and it may not even get a satisfactory result).In the absence of any other clues to assist me in my judgment, I must say that neither is actually a good choice: it's almost a "heads and tails" coin game - which I don't like. If that's the case, it's better to try other methods—after all, Raymond doesn't know what I'm thinking, and playing psychological warfare with him may be effective, and you don't have to pay too much for making wrong choices. Of course, there is still a compromise between "disclose all" and "not disclose at all"-for example, "disclose part", if handled well, it may also achieve the desired effect. "Mr. Raymond—" I put on a very serious tone, "Or do you think that the police are looking for you this time just for routine interrogation?" Raymond looked at me, as if puzzled by my sudden change of attitude. "You're not a major suspect in this case, are you?" "Oh, huh?" Raymond nodded. "The fact you think is probably no longer true—we have some new clues?" I took out a Marlboro, but didn't order it—I looked around Raymond's hut, glanced at Xiao Eko who was still playing with the rabbits outside the window, and then turned my gaze back to Raymond . Raymond seemed to hesitate for a moment—he put the freshly wrought towel aside, straightened the woman lying on her side on the bed, and covered her with a blanket.Then, he wiped his face with the towel, and threw the towel back into the sink: "? I don't know what, Mr. Police Officer." Raymond insisted with some embarrassment: his voice trembled, his breathing was short of breath, and he deliberately avoided my gaze—of course, these actions may not be as good as I described Obvious: an uninformed person would probably not care; but the truth is, we know that Raymond is lying at the moment - so when he tells the lie we expect, the insincerity caused Guilty and timidity were revealed in such an exaggerated manner. "You may think about it, Mr. Raymond—" I lit the cigarette, "but if you choose to remain silent, you will undoubtedly pay a price for it—and the price may be greater than your imagination." I seemed to be saying it casually. The gardener shook his head and said nothing. I didn't say anything anymore, but just kept smoking-I had pushed my "dilemma" on Raymond, although the content of the choice was slightly different, but the same: it was not so difficult to make a decision. easy. The smoke burned out in a while, but Raymond still didn't make any sound.I didn't say anything, stood up, and pretended to want to go out. It's certainly just a small step in the psychological warfare we're doing - I wouldn't really walk out like that.In fact, if Raymond continues to choose silence, I will also have a corresponding strategy to deal with it: at this point in the preparations for the interrogation, the initiative is completely in our hands. Before I could move a step, Raymond suddenly grabbed my wrist—his palms were already covered with sweat, which made me feel a little wet and cold: "How can I believe it? I mean, how do I know you're not trying to trick me, Mr. Police Officer?" After realizing that his actions were out of control, Raymond withdrew his hand in a panic, and said the above with trepidation If so—I must say, this question is quite straightforward and clever. I sat down again with a blank expression, took out the small memo, opened it, and handed him the three diaries written on colored paper by Eliza: "Recently, we have re-examined the evidence at Otto's Royal Girls' School and found these diaries - photocopied versions have been submitted to the relevant departments. If you can't provide some additional clues?, Mr. Raymond, you should understand me meaning—that’s why I’m here, and I want to help you.” Sometimes, not speaking does not mean not disclosing information - Raymond's behavior just now has proved that he is 80% unlikely to be the murderer, but he knows some secrets that have been deliberately concealed: or to be more precise - the agreement .Of course, Raymond knew that if the police knew about his relationship with Eliza, he would immediately become the most important suspect in this case: the motive for killing the lovers, and the motive for turning into a serial murder case (Raymond did not commit suicide three times a year) been under police surveillance for months), the psychologists in the police station can naturally find a bunch of them. If "Romeo the Scythe" chooses not to commit any more crimes this year, then if Raymond chooses to continue to "keep silent", according to the "facts" I described to him, he will most likely be treated as a scapegoat and the case will be closed— This is very "good" for the police, the media and the public. Of course Raymond would have thought of this (he may have thought about it countless times): as the direct person involved, coupled with the fact that it has been too long, he may not be able to objectively judge the consequences he will bear after the incident is exposed—— Under the pressure of years of tight-lipped secrecy, it was not surprising that he thought he would be immediately gassed to death (the death penalty, of course, does not actually exist in this state). Even if Raymond is the murderer, the facts are in front of us at this moment, and of course it is inevitable—this is naturally the most trouble-free possibility. However, if the whole case is really that simple, I feel a little disappointed: although I His right hand is ready to draw his pistol at any time. Raymond looked at the diaries—the old lover's handwriting was all too familiar to him.Maybe he never knew about these diaries, but the things written in the diaries were all real things that happened to them at that time.He held these colored papers tightly in his hands, and read them out in a low voice over and over again, as if he had gone back to the past and was silently watching the scene between a young gardener and a rich daughter as a third party. Scenes of stories that happened When he looked at me again, I read a kind of calmness like relief from his eyes-I knew he had made the right decision. My psychological tactics seem to be successful again: if I just show him these diaries and ask him "what happened at that time", he will of course know that I really don't know anything-the actual combat mystery of psychological warfare, It is how to use the limited chips to maximize the effect (not only for Raymond in front of him, but also for Transkei and Miss Gabet). "? So, what do you want to ask?" Raymond rubbed his hands, looked at me and said. "Well, please recount what happened that day in as much detail as possible, so I can make sure that it is different from what we know." I took out my small notepad and prepared to start recording. "? That day, I had an appointment with Eliza to go out at night." "Going to the masquerade party, isn't it?" I interjected, pretending to be careless - and this was also to convince him that we already knew a lot of facts: he still didn't know how much we knew, so he didn't dare to casually Lied and concealed. "Well, about eight o'clock in the evening, after Mr. Rhodes checked the garden door, I went back to that door—you know, the door you came in, and opened it." "That way, you can sneak out of the garden without being noticed - you've done this many times, haven't you?", I added. "That's right? Then I went back to this hut. After eating something, I started to make myself up." Raymond glanced out the window—Eko was having a good time. "I wanted to scare Eliza, so I started early - I planned to dress up as a cactus: dress up, prick, wipe face? You know, it takes time to get dressed like that." I nodded, signaling him to continue. "At nearly half past nine, my outfit was almost done. When I was about to paint my face, someone knocked on my door." "? I was very nervous—it's impossible for anyone to come to my cabin at this time. I had an appointment with Eliza at ten o'clock sharp, and when she came to see me, she would knock on the window— —Is that our code?" "? I quickly took off the suit I was wearing and stuffed it under the bed; I covered the oil paint and other makeup props with newspapers casually. I pretended to have just woken up and opened the door." Speaking of this, Raymond paused, as if hesitating for something. He looked at me, but with a nonchalant expression on my face, I motioned him to continue talking—in fact, I was also very curious about who was visiting at this moment. "? It turned out to be Mr. Rhodes. He sat down as soon as he entered the door, and took out his pipe and shredded tobacco. It seemed that he was planning to reprimand me again." "Worried about being the same as the last day of February that year, weren't you?", I interrupted again. Raymond looked at me in amazement—he seemed a little in disbelief that I could be so clear about such details: I must say that the useful things provided in Eliza's diary are actually quite a lot . "Well, that's Mr. Rhodes' habit. I was in a hurry—you know that. But he just sat there, lighting his own pipe, without saying a word, and Don't look at me much." "I was in a hurry, so I carefully asked him what he wanted to do with me so late." "He didn't answer me, but asked me back—'Do you know what you're doing wrong, Mr. Raymond Falton?'" "He usually calls me 'Raymond', so at that time, my intuition would also tell me that Mr. Rhodes must have discovered something very bad-in fact, I also guessed what he meant. It’s about me and Eliza, but? People are lucky: I gave vague answers like ‘often forgetting to lock the door’ and ‘careless at work’ in an attempt to get away with it.” "Hearing this, Mr. Rhodes suddenly slapped the table hard—he was obviously dissatisfied with my answer. What's worse, the newspaper that I hastily covered with the oil paint slipped off: those things were He saw it all." "? Fortunately, Mr. Rhodes doesn't seem to know what these things are for. However, I was sure at the time: Mr. Rhodes must have known about our affairs. Mr. Police Officer, I was really messed up at the time It's terrible, I almost forgot how to talk; I don't dare to think about dating anymore." "Afterwards, Mr. Rhodes talked a lot—I don't know how he made things clear,? I just listened obediently, neither arguing nor talking—I didn't even dare to talk too much. That's enough. Anyway, I remember the last thing he said to me was 'Mr. Raymond Falton, you won't have to work here any more from next month. We'll settle the rest of your salary with you later.' '——This sentence is the only one I heard in its entirety, so I was particularly impressed." "It was past ten o'clock when Mr. Rhode left. But it wasn't too late. I could have informed Eliza so that she wouldn't have to wait for me. But my mood was really bad at that time Well, I turned off the light early, lay in bed thinking about a lot of things, and I don’t know when I fell asleep in a daze——the matter of the masquerade party has long since been thrown out of the sky?” I have to say that this passage from Raymond reveals a very big secret: "When did my colleagues find you here?" "Probably two days after the incident happened, the two of them just asked a few questions casually - I managed it easily according to what Mr. Rhodes explained before?" "You made a deal with him, didn't you?" "? Well, he was the one who told me about Elise—I nearly passed out when he asked me, 'You're the murderer, aren't you?'" "? I was very young, you know? I never had anything like this, I cried? Swear to Mr. Rhodes that I didn't do it. I begged him, cursed and cursed with all the vicious words I could think of Looking at myself—self-esteem, hope, future, love...all shattered at that moment, no one can understand my feelings at that time?" Raymond covered his mouth, tears slid down his cheeks . "?Mr. Rhodes finally believed that I was not the murderer, but he asked me to swear not to tell anyone about me and Eliza's affairs-of course, it was also for my own good. The answer, besides that, he wants me to get married right away, so as not to be suspected on this issue." "But I know I killed Eliza, I, if I'd told her then, she wouldn't have died at all—even if I never saw her again?, that?, that always Is it better than this?" Raymond's tears couldn't stop dripping down - he tried hard to control himself and not let himself cry out. Finally, he had to wipe his face vigorously with a towel.After calming down a bit, he adjusted his breathing and told me in an unusually firm tone: "Mr. Officer, I have been waiting for such a day for a long time? After so many years, I dare not tell anyone the truth for my own life? I am so selfish. Mr. Officer, if I can catch the killer That bastard who killed Eliza, whatever you want me to do,? I know it's late, but?, I'll do it. Even if it takes my life,? Let them take it! I'm done! I enough!!" Raymond's loud words made Xiao Eko feel strange, she put the rabbits aside, walked over, and looked in from the window with difficulty. Raymond wiped his face with a towel in a panic, and then smiled at Xiao'e Kou outside the window——that smile was full of the kindness and kindness of a father's love, as if nothing had happened Same thing. I think Raymond is not a criminal anymore—a father who can smile like this must not be a murderer who commits crimes every year: I don’t know if this judgment is too subjective—maybe I’m really not suitable to go Be a cop. Through the window, the sun shines into the cabin.The gray depression of the morning seems to disappear without a trace in just an instant