Chapter 15 Chapter Fifteen The Lighted Window

Burnaby kept stroking his chin, looking at her with a completely stiff expression.Rimbaud could have sworn that the man seemed genuinely startled; too surprised to understand what she was saying, he gazed at her as if he had never seen her before.Then he changed his joking tone before, and spoke in a calm, undisturbed tone. "I say, Rosette," said he, "be careful what you say. Do you really know what you're talking about?" "Yes, I know very well." That's when Hadley chimed in, briskly. "Half past ten? Mademoiselle Grimaud, how did you happen to see a light here? You were at your house with us!"

"Oh, no, I wasn't with you—if you think about it. Not at that time. I was in a nursing home, in a room with the doctor and my dying father. I don't know You know, the back of the sanitarium is facing the back of the house. I happened to be pretty close to the window at the time, so I noticed. I saw that there was a light in this room; and, I guess the bathroom was on, Although I'm not sure..." "How do you know where these rooms are?" Hadley asked sharply, "Haven't you never been here?" "When we came in just now, I took a good look at it." She answered the question with a calm and calm smile. For some reason, that look reminded Rimbaud of Mills. "At that time last night, I really had no idea of ​​the layout here. I only knew that Jeremy rented the suite on this floor and knew where the windows were. The curtains were not all drawn at that time, which is why I Will notice the reason for the light."

Burnaby was still watching the girl suspiciously. "Wait a minute, uh, Mr. Detective..." His shoulders drooped as if discouraged, "Rosette, are you sure you saw the right house?" "Absolutely, my dear. It's the building on the left side of the alley, and you're renting the top floor." "You said you saw me in person?" "That's not true, I said I saw the light. But you and I are the only ones who know about this suite. Besides, you invited me to this apartment yesterday and said you would come here too..." "My God!" said Burnaby, "I wonder how good you are!"

He limped awkwardly, and every time the crutches were pushed forward, the corners of his mouth would habitually move down; he sat heavily on a chair, his pale eyes still kept looking at her, The upright hair made him look a bit clever and weird. "Keep on, you're intriguing me. Yes, I'd love to see how far you have the guts to go." "You really—" Rosette's voice was vague, she turned around suddenly, but her confidence seemed to be shaken, her eyes were full of loneliness and sadness, and she was about to cry. "I want to know what I'm doing too! I... I want to know you! I said we should talk about it," she confided, turning to Hadley, "but right now, I don't know if I'm going to do it If I'm sure of him, it doesn't matter if he's really so considerate and kind, and if he's a loyal shi... shi..."

"Don't call me a 'friend'!" Burnaby snapped. "For God's sake, don't call me a 'friend.' I wish to know what you think. I wish I knew if you really thought Tell the truth yourself, or you are (forgive me for momentarily forgetting about chivalry!)—a bad woman who is lying." Unmoved, she continued what she hadn't finished saying: "Still a gentle blackmailer. Oh, he's not after the money!" She raged again. "Bad woman? Yes. Call me a bastard if you like. I admit, both roles are my— —But, why did it come to this? That's because you've sent out hints, ruining everything... If I could be sure they were hints and not just my imagination; even, if it could be confirmed that you were an honest blackmailer By……"

Hadley hastily interrupted: "Hint what?" "Oh, those hints are all about my father's past, if you must know." She clasped her hands together. "For example, the question of my parentage; for example, whether we can't find a better adjective than 'bastard. Terrible thing—involving my father—and I didn't know about it! Of course, maybe those weren't hints at all, but... somehow I kept thinking that old Dreyman was the blackmailer. However, last night , Jeremy invited me over here...why, what exactly? I thought, well, maybe it was because it was the day I usually met Boyd and Jeremy wanted to satisfy his vanity, so Picked a date with me last night? I don't want to think - know what I mean - Jeremy is going to be blackmailing me, then or now. I really like him, I can't help it, and shit The best place is here..."

"Things will work out eventually," Hadley said. "Mr. Burnaby, are you really 'hinting' at something?" A long silence ensued, during which Burnaby just stared at the palm of his hand.His head was tilted slightly, his breathing was slow and heavy, and his whole posture seemed to be in a state of indecisiveness and at a loss; so it wasn't until he raised his head that Hadley couldn't help urging him to answer. "I never meant to..." he said, "hint. Yes, yes, technically, I think I hinted, but I swear I never mean to. I never meant to—" He stared at Rosette, "Those things were said unintentionally. Maybe you care so much because it's a sensitive issue for you..." He sighed as if giving up on himself, and then shook his shoulder. towering. "But to me, it was just a fun reasoning game, that's all, I didn't even think I was prying into people's privacy. I swear I didn't expect anyone to care, let alone be overwhelmed by it. Lo Seth, if that's the only reason you're interested in me--thinking I'm a blackmailer, and even being afraid of me--well, I'm sorry I finally understand. Otherwise, what else could I do?" He bowed his head again. Looking at his hands, watching them unfold and clenched, and then slowly looking around the room. "Gentlemen, take a look at this place, especially the front room... You've probably seen it by now, so you should know the answer. Great detective - here's a poor crippled wretch, the biggest of his life." dream."

Hadley hesitated for a moment, then said: "Has this great detective found out anything about Professor Grimaud?" "No...even if there is, do you think I would be willing to tell you?" "That will depend on whether we can persuade you. Do you know that your bathroom, that is, the room where Miss Grimaud saw the light last night, has a lot of blood in it? And, do you know Do you know that Pierre Frey was murdered outside your house at nearly half past ten last night?" Rosette Grimaud screamed, and Burnaby slapped his head violently. "Foyle, killed . . . blood! No! Where? What do you mean, man?"

"Foyle rented a house in this street. We believe that someone was walking in this street when he died. Anyhow, he was shot in the street outside; the murderer, the man who murdered Professor Grimaud's man. Mr. Burnaby, can you prove your identity? Can you prove, for instance, that you are by no means the brother of Professor Foyle and Professor Grimaud?" Burnaby glared at Hadley as he staggered up from his chair. "That's unreasonable! Dude, are you crazy?" He asked calmly, "Brother! I finally understand now... No, I'm not his brother. If I were his brother, then you think, I might fall in love with you ..." He suddenly fell silent, glanced at Rosette, and then his face became quite agitated. "Of course I can prove it. I should have my birth certificate in my hand, and I... I can also provide a few witnesses who are quite familiar with my growing background, brother!"

Hadley walked to the couch and picked up the coil of rope. "What's with the rope? Is it part of your great detective training program too?" "That thing? No, what is it? I've never seen it, bro!" Rimbaud glanced at Rosette Grimaud and saw that she was crying.She stood motionless, with her hands on her sides, her face was stiff, but her eyes were filled with tears. "Besides, can you prove," Hadley pressed unrelentingly, "that you were not in this apartment last night?" Burnaby took a deep breath.Relaxed mood softened his serious face. "Yes, fortunately I can attest to it. I was in my club last night from eight o'clock--about this time, perhaps earlier--and remained till after eleven o'clock. Just left. There's a bunch of people who can testify against me. If you want me to name a few, you can ask the three poker buddies I played poker with all night. Need my alibi? I have a proof you can't find with a lantern. I'm not here myself; I didn't leave any blood, wherever you say you found it; I didn't kill Foyle, Grimaud, Or anyone." His tone grew heavier as he spoke. "Well, what do you think now?"

The chief criminal quickly shifted his position and pointed his target at Rosette. He moved so fast that even Burnaby hadn't finished listening to what he had to say. "You still insist on seeing lights here at half past ten last night?" "Yes...but, Jeremy, honestly, I didn't mean to—" "When my men arrived here this morning, the electric meter switch was cut off and the lights were not on. Even so, you still insist on your opinion?" "I... yes, facts are facts! However, what I want to say is—" "Suppose Mr. Burnaby behaved as he said last night. You said he invited you here. But is it possible that he invited you here and intends to stay at the club?" Burnaby lumbered forward and put a hand on Hadley's arm. "Don't worry! Director, let me clarify this matter. I do have this plan. This is a shameless trick, but... that's what I did. Do you need me to explain this matter?" "Okay, okay, okay!" Dr. Phil's calm and low voice stopped suddenly, and he took out a red handkerchief and blew his nose loudly, attracting everyone's attention.He ignored them, with a hint of impatience on his face. "Hadley, don't you think we're not chaotic enough now? Let me explain. As Mr. Burnaby himself said, he did it to make her suffer by sending herself to the door. Ha, please forgive me I put it bluntly, my dear lady. But it doesn't really matter, because you didn't really jump into the trap, did you? As for the light being out this morning, it's not a big deal. You see, the electricity meter is a coin-operated instrument. Someone was here last night; someone turned on the light, maybe left it on all night. See, the light goes out after the meter consumes a shilling's worth of power .It was Sommers who got here first, so where the light switch was turned, we don't know now. Damn it, Hadley, we have enough evidence to know that someone was here last night; the problem is, this person is Who?" He looked at the crowd, "Mr. Burnaby, let's just believe your statement is true; otherwise, you are the biggest fool in the world, and you actually fabricated a statement that can be easily seen through. Since, the two of you Everyone said that no one else knew about this place, so someone must have learned about it from other sources." "I can only say that it is impossible for me to reveal myself," Burnaby stroked his chin, speaking very firmly, "unless someone sees me coming here, unless..." "I'll tell you, unless I reveal this place to someone?" Rosette was furious again, biting her lower lip with her sharp teeth, "But I didn't! I——I don't know why I didn't do that," She looked very confused, "But, I never mentioned this place to anyone, believe it or not!" "Do you have the key to this room?" Dr. Phil asked. "It was there, but I lost it." "When did you lose it?" "Oh, how would I know? I wasn't particularly paying attention." She folded her arms, her head bobbing slightly, and wandered around the room. "I put the key in my handbag, and when I was coming here this morning, I didn't realize it was missing. But there's one thing I must know." She stopped, facing Burnaby. "I... I don't know if I like you or hate you. If you're playing a detective game and it's just a silly little hobby with no other purpose, then please speak up! How much do you know about my father? Tell me, I don't care. These people are the cops, and they're gonna find out sooner or later. Come on, now, stop acting, I hate your pretense! Tell me, what's up with those brothers?" "That's a good suggestion of hers, Mr. Burnaby. You painted a painting," said Hadley. "I'm going to ask you about it in a moment. How much do you know about Professor Grimaud?" Burnaby, who was standing leaning against the window in a cool manner, shrugged his shoulders.His gray eyes, the pair of black pupils the size of round nails, were moving rapidly, with a hint of sarcasm flashing.At last he spoke: "Rosette, if I knew, or had guessed, that my investigation would be interpreted by you as...well! If I had known you had been troubled by this, I would have told you what I am going to say now. Your father was once He was imprisoned in the Salt Mine Prison in Hungary, and then he escaped. It's nothing serious, is it?" "Prisoned in prison! Why?" "I heard that it was an attempt to start a revolution. The person who told me was... But I guessed it was theft. You see, I am honest enough." Hadley quickly interjected: "Where did you know about this? Dreyman told you?" "So Drayman knew, didn't he?" Burnaby's expression was stiff, his eyes narrowed into a narrow line, "Yes, I guessed it a long time ago. Hey! That's right. That's what I thought Another thing to investigate. According to the analysis of this situation, it seems to be... By the way, what do you guys know?" His emotions became agitated, "Hey, I'm not a nosy person! To prove it, let me tell you. I was involved somehow; Grimaud has been bothering me. You refer to that painting as the beginning rather than the end. The source. The whole thing was an accident—although it took me a lot of effort to convince him of me. It all happened because of that slideshow speech." "What was that scene?" "A speech on a slide film. It was raining heavily outside that night, and I plunged into the lecture hall to avoid the rain; the time was about eighteen months ago, and the location was in some remote North London Parish hall." Burnaby caressed his thumb awkwardly, and for the first time showed sincere and warm feelings on his face. "I really want to make the story romantic, but all you want is the truth. Okay! At that time, a man was talking about the country of Hungary. The projection of the slides and the atmosphere of ghostly shadows made all the believers present horrified. And yet, for me, it touched my imagination, oh my god, it touched me so deeply!" His eyes lit up. "One of the slides was like the painting I had drawn. The image itself was nothing special, but its allusion, the story of three bleak and lonely tombs standing in a plague-stricken place, gave I showed the inspiration for 'Dreamland'. The speaker said, those are the graves of vampires. Do you understand? When I got home, I showed my inspiration to the fullest. Well, I'm very happy To be honest with everyone, I never saw the shadow in the painting, it was just some kind of imaginary concept, but no one believed me. Then Grimaud saw it..." "Mr. Pettis told us," said Hadley gravely, "that the picture scared Grimaud out of his head; or rather, you describe him as scared out of his head." "Frightened out of my wits? That's right! He stood there like a mummy with his head tucked into his shoulders, his eyes fixed on it. I took that reaction as a compliment at the time. Then, I don't know how to live or die," said Burnaby, looking sideways at them all, "to say: 'You'll find a tomb inside that's about to burst open, and he's about to jump out.' Of course, then It was the vampires that haunted me at the time, but Grimaud didn't know it; the next thing he did was—I thought he was coming at me with a palette knife." Burnaby told the story succinctly.He said that Grimaud asked him about this oil painting;Afterwards, feeling the fear of being watched, Burnaby, based on the instinct of self-defense, began to investigate secretly to investigate this mystery, to explore the handwriting on Grimaud's book, the weapons and shields on the mantelpiece, and the inadvertent revelations. Words... Burnaby looked at Rosette and smiled bitterly.Then he went on to say that, three months before the murder, the professor had forced him to come down for a conversation, and after making him swear to secrecy, the professor finally revealed the whole truth to him.The so-called "truth" is actually exactly the same as the story Drayman told Hadley and Dr. Phil last night: such as the Black Death, two dead brothers, and prison break. During this time, Rosette kept looking out of the window, her face full of disbelief, half dazed and half sober; finally, as if she had let go of her heart and cried a lot, she finally cheered up . "That's it?" she yelled, panting with difficulty, "All the inside stories are just mediocre? Is this the secret that has troubled me for a long time?" "That's all, dear," returned Burnaby, folding his arms. "I told you it wasn't that serious. I didn't want the police to know about it; but you insisted—" "Hadley, be careful what you say later." Dr. Fell muttered in a low voice, and touched the criminal director's arm.He cleared his throat, "Wow! Yes, Miss Grimaud, we also think that this statement is credible." Hadley struck up a new topic. "Assuming it's true, Mr. Burnaby. Were you at the Warwick's the night Foyle first appeared?" "yes." "Oh, and then? Now that you know Grimaud's past, don't you associate it with Foyle? Especially when he mentions the three coffins?" Burnaby hesitated, then subconsciously waved his hand. "I do, to tell you the truth. I walked home with Grimaud that night--Wednesday night. I didn't say anything, but I guess he would. We sat on either side of the fireplace in his study, and he Poured himself a large glass of whiskey, which was an unusual gesture. I also noticed that his face was serious, and he was staring straight at the fireplace...” "By the way—" Dr. Phil interrupted abruptly, which made Rimbaud startled. "Where are his secrets and private documents hidden, do you know?" Burnaby turned his head abruptly and glanced at him with alertness in his eyes. "Mills should know better about this than I do," he replied (something concealed, guarded, out of sight?), "he should have a safe. As far as I know, the big desk There's a locked drawer in there where his papers are kept." "Go on." "There was a long silence between us. Whenever one of us tried to bring up a topic, there was a suffocating weight, wondering if the other was thinking the same. Anyway, it was me who broke the ice. I said: 'Who is he?' He began by making a noise, the muffled sound of a dog just before barking, and adjusted his position in the chair. Finally he said: 'I don't know. That was a long time ago.' He might be the physician; he looks like the physician."' "Doctor? You mean, the prison doctor who proved he died of the Black Death?" Hadley asked. These words made Rosette Grimaud tremble all over, and hid her face with her hands in vain.Burnaby grew increasingly uncomfortable. "Yes. Well, must I go on... Well, well! 'Come back and blackmail some money,' he said, the fat singer who sang the devil in Faust, you've seen him The way Grimaud turned around at that time was very similar to him. He put his hands on the arms of the chair, bent his elbows into hooks, and looked as if he was going to get up. Under the light of the fire, He was all hot and red, the neat beard, the elbows hanging in the air, everything was glowing red. I said, 'Okay, but what can he actually do?' You know, I was trying to get He said it. I guess it must be more serious than a political crime, otherwise how could he care after so long. He replied: 'Oh, he will not do anything, he has no guts. What will happen.'” "Since," cried Burnaby suddenly, looking around, "you want to know everything, I'll tell you all. I don't mind myself, because everyone knows it. Then Grimaud, with his crude "You want to marry my daughter, don't you?" I admitted. He said, "Fine, you'll get what you want." And started nodding and banging on the arms of the chair. I laughed Indicated...indicated that Rosette may have another love. He said: 'Bah! That brat! I'll take care of him.'" Rosette stared at Burnaby, her gaze was severe, bright, and inscrutable, and her eyelids were almost closed.Her tone of voice was so mysterious that it was impossible to discern emotions.She said: "So you've got everything sorted out, haven't you?" "Oh, my God, don't be mad! You should understand. You ask me what happened, and I'll tell you what happened. At last he confessed that no matter what happened to him, I must Close-mouthed—" "Don't you..." "To your question, my answer is: no." He turned to the others present. "So, gentlemen, that's all I can tell you. I was also baffled when he came rushing up to me asking for a painting on Friday morning. But he had asked me not to get involved before, so I Followed up." Without saying a word, Hadley shook his pen to record, and did not look up until the last page of the text.He looked at Rosette, who was leaning back on the couch with pillows under her elbows.Underneath the fur coat, she was wearing a dark dress, and her face was usually unpainted, so that her dazzling blond hair and angular square face seemed to stand out against the gaudy red and yellow couch.She stretched out her hand, her wrist still trembling. "I know, you're going to ask me what I think about this, about my father...and everything..." She stared at the ceiling, "I don't know what to say. It takes a huge load off my mind Well, it went so well that it's almost unbelievable! Because of that, I'm more worried if someone isn't telling the truth. But now, I really think differently about the old boy - he's so strong and bold, I'm glad there's such an evil side to him. So, if it's because he's a thief, it's understandable." She smiled pleasantly. "You can't blame him for wanting to keep silent, can you?" "That's not what I want to ask." Hadley said, he seemed very surprised by Rosette's frank and tolerant open mind. "What I want to know is, since you have always refused Mr. Burnaby to come to this place, why did you suddenly change your mind this morning?" "To end him, of course. And I—I wanted a drink. And then things suddenly went wrong, you know, when we found a bloodstained overcoat hanging in the closet  … " Seeing that everyone's faces changed drastically, she couldn't help but stop talking, and stepped back a bit. "Just when you found out?" Hadley asked, standing among the silent crowd. "A coat with blood stains on the inside, and the blood dripped all over the lining directly below," she replied choked up, "I, uh, didn't I mention it to you just now? Ah, that's because You guys didn't even give me a chance to talk! We walked in here and you all came at me like, like... Anyway, that's it, that coat was hanging in the hall closet. Jeremy found it , when he was about to hang up his coat." "Whose coat is it?" "No one's! It's just a no-brainer! I've never seen it before. No one in our family could fit it. It was too big for my father, and it was a frivolous tweed suit, and he Hate this style of coat; Stu Mills would be swallowed up by it, but old Dreyman would look too small. This is a new coat , it seems that it hasn't been worn yet..." "I see," Dr. Fell said, puffing out his cheeks. "You know what?" Hadley interrupted loudly. "That's great! You told Pettis you wanted blood, well, now you've got blood—an awful lot of blood—and it's all in some Outrageously homey. So what's going on in your head right now?" "I see," Dr. Phil replied, holding up his cane, "how did the blood on Dreyman's body come from last night?" "You mean, he wore that coat?" "No, it's not! Think about it carefully. Remember what your men said? He said that after the sleepy Dreyman ran downstairs recklessly, he fumbled for his hat and coat in the wardrobe. Hadley, he happened to touch the coat while the blood was still wet. No wonder he couldn't figure out how the blood got there. Is that clear enough?" "No, according to your explanation, I am even more confused! I have clarified one point, but in exchange for two big doubts. A coat that came out of nowhere! Hurry up, we have to hurry up Hurry over. If you want to go together, Miss Grimaud, and you, I'm afraid..." Dr. Phil shook his head. "Hadley, you go first. There is something I must find out now. This matter can completely reverse the case. It has become the most important key to the overall situation of this case!" "What is it?" "Pierre Frey's apartment." After Dr. Fell finished speaking, he put on his cloak and walked away.