Chapter 13 Section 12 Kitchen Survey

"The guests were a little agitated, but it has subsided. According to the instructions, they were gathered in the hall. There were a total of forty-seven people, the original staff of the villa, the invited chef and bartender, August Do Nadeau and the dead Sears are not counted.", Rott's subordinates reported, "Our manpower is a little short, and the inquiry work is very slow-those guests who have to leave for various reasons, We have carried out a thorough body search and identified them with at least two other guests, or staff at the villa, and we have recorded their names and contact details just in case? Most customers said that if fingerprint comparison is required, they will try their best to cooperate."

"Good job." Inspector Roth responded, and at the same time glanced at Carl who was checking the guest list, "Is there anything else that needs to be reported?" "Well, the security guard of a villa said that he was gathering the guests who had been in the side hall according to what a detective said-they originally planned to gather them in the side hall, but after our coordination , Those two people turned to register the guest list in the side hall. It went relatively smoothly, and I have already brought the list. In addition, they said that their people have checked the video tapes of the gate and the external wall monitor, and found no Any suspicious people come in and out. Those video tapes have already been submitted to the evidence department, and the results of the verification may not come out until tomorrow."

"Okay." Rott took the list that had been deleted and edited a lot, "You go about your business and pay attention to appease the emotions of the guests. If some people are really 'clean', you can let them leave first, but Still need to pay attention to the registration list?" "Where do you place August?" Carl, who had been silent all this time, suddenly asked. "In the guest lounge, two of our people are in charge of watching him." "Is he acting emotionally unstable?" "We gave him cigarettes. He also wanted alcohol, but we didn't give him, only soda water - the mood seemed to be relatively stable, so we didn't handcuff him? One of the officers sent A senior detective with considerable negotiating experience is now trying to chat with him: on the one hand, to appease, and on the other hand, hope to get some useful clues. In addition, we have managed to obtain his fingerprints."

"Good job!" Carl praised the young police officer, and then asked, "Did you see Wenzel and his assistant?" "Didn't notice, but it doesn't seem to be in the hall." "Let them investigate those unknown new clues?" Carl said to himself, "Mr. Geiger, you should also have relevant records of gifts from guests-I handed over the bottle of Dorothy When I was there, I did see someone recording it on the sidelines." "Of course, this is all for the convenience of returning gifts. We have always been meticulous in handling these matters: if the packaging is too exquisite to make the gift unrecognizable, our people will also politely ask the gift giver. Complete and detailed—you know, interpersonal relationships require precise calculations. Frequently giving appropriate surprises can deepen friendship, and acting hastily will only make friends go away one by one?", the housekeeper explained proudly, " Management is always a science."

"Oh? Then can you fetch this complete and detailed gift list for me?" Carl was not interested in Mr. Geiger's theory at all, "That will be very useful." "I'm going now." The butler left. "Can anyone tell me if Ince is here?" Carl began to complain, "The evidence I need will be collected soon." "That is to say, the case is about to come to light, isn't it?" Roth asked the colleague of the General Administration without his own opinion, "It would be great if it is, and we can also close the team earlier?"

"I hope so?" Karl replied, taking the wing list from Roth's hand. "Now, in order to obtain eyewitnesses in time, we need to start specific inquiries according to this list." Karl looked at the list carefully, "Fortunately, there are not many names on it. Roth, I Need you to send someone to gather these guests into the wing, okay? I'll go talk to Mr. August now. Hopefully I'll be able to see everyone on the list in the wing right after that .” Rott glanced at the list and said with some embarrassment: "'A woman with long curly red hair,' is anyone called that?"

"How many guests are there in the hall?", Carl said with a smile, "don't do things too rigidly - if she is not in the hall, she is on the list of those who have left: colleagues who frisk and record the names of departing guests should I have an impression of such a description. Hurry up and go?" "Did you notice, then, that after about eight-thirty, any strange persons entered the kitchen?" asked our detective. "There should be a lot of guests coming in and out, and my hands are busy, so it's impossible to pay attention to them one by one." Chef Peter Hofmann (Peter Hofmann) recalled, "Sandwiches, small desserts, all kinds of Even if I have two assistants to help, I still don’t even have time to look up: two beginners, can’t help much?”

"Is this a bit exaggerated?" Taphne muttered. "The reception is always the busiest." Mr. Peter explained with a smile, "The owner of the villa is notoriously picky—if you hire an agent for the reception, he usually prepares these wines in advance. It’s fine to ship it directly before the start: you know, most of them are cold spots? But Mr. John must make everything fresh in order to pursue freshness-of course the price is much more expensive? Tsk, in fact, it’s nothing more than being particular about it ostentation." "Guests usually want to get some freshly made snacks when they come in and out - some items are more sought-after, such as fried shrimp, oysters, and blueberry ice cream; some customers are particularly picky eaters, or are they greedy?", The bartender Nicholas on the side said, "Of course, there are also some drunk guests who go to the wrong room, or they just intend to come here to have a look-the mood of visiting."

"Did you see any strange guests?" "Didn't pay much attention - there were too many people going in and out, and the waiters were constantly carrying things out and bringing in empty trays. My attention was all on the bottles: gin, whiskey, vermouth, Liqueur, vodka, tequila, rum, brandy? And of course ginger juice, lime juice, orange juice, soda, etc. It's tiring work, even if Mr. John Baines is all about mixing proficient, I wouldn’t want to do it myself on such an occasion: look, I only have one assistant!” Peter complained, “and also clumsy, can’t even hold a cup steadily—it’s only been a few hours , broke two goblets."

"So, what about this door?" Wenzel pointed to the door facing the entrance in the corner of the kitchen—although there was a window on the door, it was covered by short white curtains and could not be seen at all. What's out there, "Where does it lead?" "Leads to the garden. I used to go out from there in the afternoon when I was getting ready," replied Nicholas, "Mr. John emphasized that the cherries for the mix should be late Rainier from the garden - just outside the door, On both sides, there are many plants of all kinds, these days are the best time for picking."

"Have you seen any guests go out from there?" "I can't see the entrance and exit from where I stand," Nicholas walked to the special mixing table in the kitchen, "Even if I could barely see it, I wouldn't pay attention—as I said, I'm too busy. ", he turned to chef Peter, "Mr. Peter, did you see anyone?" "I don't have that kind of free time!" Peter replied, "Or did you see it?" He asked the three young assistants standing aside. They shook their heads in unison. "Look," said Peter gruffly, "if they saw it, they wouldn't remember it—these bumbling bastards!" "? Okay, so—is there something missing in the kitchen?" Wenzel continued. "A fruit knife?" whispered Nicholas's assistant, "I put it on the countertop, and now I can't find it." "Is there anything else missing?" "I don't know, there are too many things here?" "Then why only pay attention to this fruit knife?" "Because I was going to use it when cutting orange slices, but I couldn't find it after searching for a long time, so I had to use a larger knife instead?" "So, when was the last time you used it?" "It's very early? It should be in the afternoon—maybe before six o'clock? To be honest, I can't remember." The assistant said in a very embarrassed way. "? Is it the 'Gemini' card?" "Yes, all the knives in this kitchen are of this brand - they are always reliable," replied Chef Peter. "Even during the murder?" Wenzel murmured, "Did anyone notice that a guest took the knife? Maybe they'll give an excuse - after all, it's such a conspicuous thing, take a moment to recall?" "Speaking of conspicuous things," the bartender recalled, "Mr. Lucius Hessel came up to me, and he walked away with a whole bottle of brandy—and I said hello to him. You know , he is also a well-known figure in the wine world, so I know him?" "When?" "The reception just started, probably before eight o'clock?" Nicholas recalled, "He probably hasn't been here since—at least I haven't seen it." "Nobody noticed that knife?" our detective asked the bartender's assistant. "Where did you put it the last time you used it?" "Here." The young man pointed to a place on the countertop—there were countless piles of cyan-yellow lemons, oranges, cherries, and red bayberries. Besides, there were also a lot of messy small kitchen tools: Ice crushers, simple blenders, peelers, toothpick boxes, containers of various sizes, a bunch of long spoons of different sizes, and many other things that cannot be named. Lemons and oranges were placed casually on the countertop, while cherries and bayberries were stored in several rather large transparent plastic bowls. There was a large trash can under the countertop, and our detective went over to check it out: it was full of used halved lemons, broken toothpicks, useless orange heads, and balled up, soggy toilet paper? Two The bodies of the goblets were almost completely submerged in this rubbish, with only a few shiny residues to prove that they were indeed buried here. "This location is quite close to the door." Wenzel glanced at the two entrances and exits of the kitchen. "Who can easily take this knife away while picking up a small cake?" Our detective Standing next to the garden gate, he quickly walked to the location that the young man said, made a gesture of holding a knife, and then walked towards the door connecting the hall. "The whole process only takes a few seconds," he said, "and, assuming I'm the murderer: you can see that I can see the knife as soon as I open the garden door. If I'm thinking Who do you want to kill without even a moment's hesitation?" He put a cherry in that position, then picked it up, and put it symbolically in his coat pocket, "This is a very Obvious location—if coming in from the outside? Well, do these two doors make a lot of noise when they open and close?" "That?" Nicholas said with some embarrassment, "Actually, we always turn on the music when we work?" He pointed to a CD player next to the chef, "It's better to relieve stress—we Did you turn it off after learning about the accident?" "It was approved by the host of the reception." Peter quickly added. "? Music also makes people relax their vigilance." Wenzel said with a smile, "Is there anything else worth noting?" Nicholas thought for a moment, and said to the detective: "There seems to be an easy way to prove whether someone has passed through the garden gate," he said, "but I need a brighter flashlight." "I can help you find one," said Nicholas' assistant, "I'll be back soon."