Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen: The Mystery of the Skull

In order to compensate for possible injustices during the proceedings, the legal procedure of the ancient institution of the coroner's court was preserved.The court of inquiry will be held in a rectangular room adjacent to the tavern, which in the past has been used by the villagers for their more important gatherings. After a slow lunch and a lazy cigarette, I arrived at the courtroom.I was the first to arrive. The jury had already sworn in and went to the morgue to see the remains and other evidence.So, to pass the time, I began to look at the furnishings in this room, and imagine what kind of people usually come here.On the wall directly in front of me is a wooden dart board with two darts stuck on it. Maybe Robin Hood in the village will often come here to play two; Very fond of; and the big box, which contained wigs, bright and tacky robes and wooden spears, swords, and fake scepters made of gold paper and other very childish props, which seemed to hold some mysterious worship activities used from time to time.

Just as I was getting bored with these decorations and gradually turned my attention to the rows of photos on the wall, other spectators and witnesses came in one after another.I sat down in a comfortable chair, only slightly less comfortable than the coroner's chair.As soon as he was seated, the coroner entered together with the jury.They were followed by Inspector Berger, a sergeant, two plainclothes officers, and finally the precinct medical examiner. The coroner sat down in the chair and opened his book.The jurors also sat down one after another on several benches on one side of the conference table.

I looked curiously at the twelve "fair people". They were all typical representatives of British businessmen, quiet, focused and dignified.But a short man caught my attention: he had a huge head and a mess of bristling hair, and after glancing at the knees of his shiny trousers, I decided he was the village shoemaker.Next to him was the broad-shouldered foreman of the jury, who I assumed was a blacksmith.On the other side was a rough-looking red-faced man with a muscular build that suggested he might be a butcher. "Gentlemen," announced the coroner, "this court will discuss two issues. The first is that of identity: you have seen the body, who is he? Second, when, how, and when did he die?" The reason. First, on the issue of identity, let us start with the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the body."

Then the shoemaker stood up, holding up his dirty hands. "I have a question, Chairman," he said.The other jurors looked at him strangely, and some even parted their lips and laughed. "You said," he went on, "that we have seen the body. What I want to say is that what we have seen is not a body, but a pile of bones." "Oh, well, let's call it remains, what do you think?" said the coroner. "I think this is no problem." The shoemaker sat down. "Good." The coroner went on to preside over the meeting.He began calling witnesses, the first being the workers who had found the bones in the water mustard fields.

"When was that water mustard field last cleared, do you know?" the coroner asked the witness after he had finished his account of what had happened. "It was two years before Mr. Tapp sold the land. I was also asked to clean it up in May. I cleaned it very carefully, and I didn't find any bones at that time." "Any questions, folks?" asked the coroner, looking at the jury. The shoemaker asked the witness with an angry face: "When you found those bones, were you looking for human bones?" "Me?" cried the witness, "what am I looking for in human bones?"

"Don't hide it," said the shoemaker gravely, "and answer my question: yes or no." "No, of course not." The juror shook his huge and comical head, as if to say, don't pursue it now, and will never forgive you next time.The inquiry is still ongoing, but there have been no surprises or unexpected episodes since.Then the sergeant began to narrate the process of discovering the right arm in Dujuankeng. "Is this discovery entirely a coincidence?" asked the coroner. "No. We have been instructed by Scotland Yard to search all ponds."

The coroner did not wish to pursue the matter any further, but our Mr. Shoemaker was evidently having something to say!I expect that when Inspector Berger is questioned, there will be a very heated debate.The inspector seemed to agree with me, for I caught him giving the shoemaker a hard look.Then it was his turn to play, and the shoemaker was too excited to sit still. Half the bodies found at Staples Pond in Loughton were the result of the Inspector's own efforts.However, he did not take the credit for it at all, and only said that this discovery was the result of a natural process after Dujuan Pit.

"Has someone told you to search this particular place?" asked the coroner. "No, no one ever said that to me," Berger replied. "Then I ask you," said the shoemaker, pointing to the Inspector, "that some of these skeletons have been found at Sidka, some at St Mary's Clay, and some at Lee. They are all in Kent. The strange thing is that you went to Epping Forest in Essex to search, and you found it!" "We're doing a comprehensive search of all similar ponds," Berger replied. "That's right," the shoemaker grinned grimly, "That's right, you found so many skeletons in Kent, at least twenty miles away from here, with the Thames River in between, but you ran right here Is it not surprising that you came, and as if you had been notified, went directly to Staples Pond to salvage it, and what's more, you did find it?"

"It would be really strange if we ran straight to that place and didn't salvage anything!" There was a roar of laughter from the jury box, and a wide grin from the shoemaker; and before he could pursue the inquiry, the coroner intervened: "It's a vague question," he said. "Please don't make trouble with the police." "I think," said the shoemaker, "that he must have known the bones were there." "The witness has said that he has no special connection." The coroner said, gesturing for the questioning to continue. After the discovery process of all the bones was described one by one, the police forensic doctor went to the witness stand and took an oath; the jurors straightened up, as if they were looking forward to it.I also turned a page in my notebook.

"Have you examined all the bones currently in the morgue? Can you report them in this court?" asked the coroner. "yes." "Can you tell us what exactly we found?" "I found that the bones were all human bones, and they all belonged to the same person. These bones were almost a complete skeleton, except that the skull, left ring finger, kneecap and leg bones were missing." "Do you know why the finger bones are missing?" "I don't know. It doesn't seem to be caused by deformity or surgery. I think it should have been removed after death."

"Can you give us a general description of the deceased's condition before his death?" "He should be an old man, about sixty years old, five feet eight and a half inches tall, very muscular, well-maintained. No disease, except for the old problem of rheumatic gout in the right hip joint. " "What cause of death can you guess?" "It cannot be speculated, there was no serious injury or external force. However, the skull has not been found, and the cause of death cannot be speculated." "Have you discovered anything else?" "Yes. I was very surprised that the person who dismembered the corpse seemed to have a very good knowledge of anatomy. Because the dismemberment method of this corpse is very professional. For example, the bones of the neck are intact, and the top of the spine The annulus of the anatomy is very complete, and people who don't understand anatomy are likely to break it. In addition, the scapula and clavicle are still connected to the two arm bones, which are exactly the same as dissecting human specimens. The murderer's technique is very skilled. From Judging from these anatomical traces, almost all the divisions are at the joints, and the technique is very delicate, and there are no traces of scratches on all the bones." "Who do you think can have such a skill?" "It could only be a surgeon or a medical student, and a butcher." "Do you think the man who dismembered the body was a surgeon or a medical student?" "Yes, and possibly a butcher. Anyway, someone very good at it." "I object to that statement, Chairman," said the shoemaker at this moment, standing up again. "What statement?" asked the coroner. "It's an insult to a legitimate profession!" said the shoemaker passionately. "I don't understand," said the coroner. "Dr. Sumers was implying that the murderer was a butcher. There were several butchers among us." "Leave me alone," cried the butcher. "I will defend you," said the shoemaker, "I hope—" "Oh, shut up, Pope!" The jury president spoke, and while he was talking, he held the shoemaker's back skirt with his big hairy hand, and with a "boom", the shoemaker was pulled off his seat. But, despite being seated, Mr. Pope went on: "I hope the investigating court will consider my protest." "The objection is invalid," said the coroner. "In the meantime, I forbid you to continue to interfere with witnesses." "I'm doing it for my friends, and people in the right business—" Pope said aloud. But then the butcher turned around and shouted in his broken brass voice: "Stop crying like a mouse, Pope!" "Quiet, gentlemen!" declared the coroner gravely. "Stop. This is a serious occasion, and the responsibilities of each of you are great. Please realize that." The scene immediately fell silent.After a while, the butcher's hoarse voice sounded: "It's really a cat crying for a mouse—fake mercy!" The coroner gave him a savage look, then turned to the witnesses and continued the questioning. "Doctor, can you tell us the approximate time of death?" asked the coroner. "According to my observation, it has been at least a year and a half, or even longer. As for the exact time, it is difficult to judge with the naked eye alone. Because there is nothing on those bones, I mean a little muscle or bone on the bones." There is nothing else, and in this way, it can remain the same for many years." "The gentleman who found the bones said they must not be more than two years old. What do you think?" "Yes, I totally agree with that statement." "Also, doctor, this is very important, just looking at these bones, can you identify the identity of the deceased?" "Unrecognizable," said Dr. Sumers, "I have found no evidence of the identity of the deceased." "We have a missing person file here," said the coroner. "Male, fifty-nine years of age, five feet eight inches tall, in good health, of very athletic build, with an old Porter's fracture on the left ankle. You have just Do the skeletons seen fit these descriptions?" "Yes, at first glance it appears to be a good fit. Almost a perfect fit." "In this way, it is possible that this skeleton is the remains of the missing person?" "It's possible, but there's still not enough evidence to prove it. Apart from this fracture, many older people fit those descriptions." "There's not that broken part in those skeletons?" "Not yet. The old Porter's fracture was in the fibula. I haven't found that bone so far, so I can't prove it. The left foot of the deceased is very normal. Generally speaking, if there is no fracture, it will be That's normal." "You calculated the deceased's height to be about five feet eight and a half inches. Is that not true?" "No. I'm just assuming. Because the deceased's arm bone is complete, although the leg bone has not been found, but I deduced it from the arm bone, although it can also be deduced from the leg bone. The length of the deceased's thigh bone is A foot seven and five-eighths." "In this way, the height of the deceased is likely to be higher than what you speculated?" "It's like this, about five feet eight inches to five feet nine inches." "Thank you very much. My questions are over, doctor. Any other questions from the jury?" Pope looked timidly at the solemn jury table, and couldn't control himself and started asking questions: "Well, I want to say something about the fingers," said the shoemaker. "You say they were cut off after death?" "That is what I thought." "Can you tell us why the murderer cut off his finger?" "Sorry, I can't find out." "Doctor Sumers, I think you must know something." The coroner spoke again: "Doctors are only responsible for questioning and answering their own evidence, and any personal speculation and criticism can refuse to answer. Please don't ask these questions again." "But, Chairman," retorted Pope, "what we want to know is why that finger was cut off. There must be a reason, right? I want to ask, Chairman, what is that finger of the missing man?" How about it?" "That was not mentioned in the report," said the coroner. "Perhaps Inspector Berger can explain that," Pope said. "As I say," said the coroner, "we shouldn't ask the police too many questions. If they want us to know, they'll tell us." "Oh, yes," said the shoemaker, "you try to hide the truth, and I can't help it. I just wonder how we can make a verdict if we don't know the truth?" By this time all the inquests had been concluded, and the coroner began to conclude, turning to the jury, saying: "Men and jurors, you have heard the testimony of all the witnesses. I am afraid you have discovered that the testimony of the witnesses cannot answer our two core questions. All we know now is that the deceased was an old man. Sixty years old, about 5'8" to 5'9", died about a year and a half to two years ago. That's all we know. From the bodies themselves, we can only guess at some of the deceased However, it is impossible to draw accurate and specific conclusions about the situation before his death. As for the identity and cause of death of the deceased, we do not know anything. Therefore, we have to adjourn the court temporarily, and the court will not be held until new physical evidence is discovered. During the court session, I will let you know again.” At this time, there was a commotion in the silent court, and everyone was whispering.Taking advantage of this opportunity, I sneaked out.At the door I met Dr. Sumers, whose carriage was waiting. "Are you going back to town?" he asked. "Yes," I answered, "if I catch the train in time." "Take my carriage! I'll take you to the 5:00 p.m. train. You won't be able to catch up on foot." I accepted his offer, and the carriage sped off in the direction of the station. "That Pope guy is really troublesome!" Dr. Sumers said. "A weirdo, a socialist, a labor party, a seditionist, a guy who doesn't like it in any way, and who is afraid of chaos." "That's right," I agreed, "that's the sort of guy he is. The coroner's got a big head for a jury of that sort." "It's hard to say," Sumas said with a smile. "He still eased the atmosphere. Besides, you have to understand that these people are still useful, and some of the questions he raised are quite sharp." "Inspector Berger seems to be running out of reason." "You're quite right," Summarth laughed. "Berger hates him so much. I think the Inspector's eyes flickered when he was answering questions." "Do you think he really has any special channels?" "It depends on what the 'special channel' is. The police don't fully believe in the theory. If they hadn't already had sufficient evidence, they would not have launched such a large-scale investigation. The Berlingham father and daughter are fine now Right? I saw them when they lived here." I was thinking how to answer this question when we arrived at the train station.The train just pulled into the station.We said goodbye in a hurry, and I said thank you, and jumped out of the carriage and went into the station. On the way back I went back to my notes again, trying to make sense of the matter, but in vain.Then I guessed again, wondering what Thorndike would think of the evidence I found this time, and whether he would be satisfied with the materials I collected.Thinking all the way, I came to Temple Law School, and I hurried upstairs to my friend's office. But, I was very disappointed, the house was empty, only Peter was alone.He stood at the door of the laboratory in a white apron, holding a pair of flat-nosed pliers. "The doctor has gone to Bristol, and he has an urgent case to attend to," he explained. "Dr. Reeves has gone with him, and he should be back in a day or two. A note for you." He took out a piece of paper from under the bookshelf and handed it to me.It was a note from Thorndike. He said he left suddenly, apologized to me, and said that I should just hand over the notebook to Peter. "It may be of interest to you," he added, "that the probate court will hear their case the day after tomorrow. Of course, I won't be there, and neither will Reeves. So I hope you I can keep my eyes open to pay attention to the trial process, because some details may be missed by Marchmont's assistant and have not been recorded. I have Dr. Payne on call at any time to replace you, so that you can attend the trial without any worries." I was simply flattered and very grateful to Thorndike for his trust in me, and the sense of loss just now completely disappeared.I pocketed the note, handed it to Peter, bade him good night, and returned to Fett Lane.