Chapter 13 third scene

Tuesday, June 7, was a great day for the New York press.There are two events worth reporting—the first is the funeral of Emily Hayter, who was slain, and the second is the reading of her will. Mrs. Hatter's body was taken from the morgue, sent to a funeral company to be made up, and then hurried to its final resting place.It all happened between Monday night and Tuesday morning, when the funeral caravan was on its way to the Long Island cemetery before 10:30 on Tuesday morning.As expected, the Heite family seemed not to be moved by the solemnity of the funeral ceremony. Their somewhat abnormal outlook on life and death prevented them from shedding tears, nor did they show the usual expressions of mourning.With the exception of Barbara, they suspect each other and quarrel all the way to Long Island.The two children refused to stay at home. For them, it was like a picnic in the countryside. They were constantly scolded by their mothers along the way. By the time the group arrived at the cemetery, Martha Height was hot and tired annoyed.

Mr. Jerry Lane was rightfully present at the funeral.He handed over the job of guarding the fort to the Inspector and Prosecutor Bruno who stayed behind at the Heite Mansion, while he himself devoted himself to observing the Heite family.Wren was a quiet spectator, and the more he observed the Hatters, their history, their identities, their actions, their manners, their speech, and their differences, the more fascinated he became. A group of reporters followed the convoy, and all of them rushed to the cemetery. In a blink of an eye, only the camera clicked. The young men who were writing and sweating were desperately trying to get close to the Heite family. The latter started from the gate of the cemetery. , until they reached the red clay grave where Mrs. Hatter's body was buried, they were surrounded and protected by a ring of police.

Drunk, Conrad Hayt stumbled from one group to another, cursing, shouting, giving orders... Finally, Barbara took him by the arm and carried him away. It was a bizarre funeral.The poetess' intellectual circle of friends, old and new, was here, not so much to pay homage to the dead as to pay tribute to the living, and the graves were surrounded by famous men and women. On the other hand, the guests belonging to Jill Height were a group of lone dog-like men, old and young, all well-dressed. What they cared about was not the funeral, but how to attract Jill's eyes and make them happy. A kiss.

This day, as mentioned earlier, is a great day for the press.No one paid any attention to Edgar Peary, the Abcourts, or the maid.They were busy taking pictures of Louisa Kabian and her nurse Miss Smith.The correspondent described Louisa's "tragic emptiness" face, "her pathetic dismay", and "when the dirt began to fall on her mother's coffin", she shed tears, as if she could hear " The sound of a sack of earth filling hit her heart." Mr. Jerry Lane looked on with a kindly but penetrating expression, like a doctor listening to a patient's heartbeat.

A group of people followed the Heite family back to the urban area.The tension in Hayt's convoy was growing—a rattling excitement that had nothing to do with the solitary coffin left on Long Island.Chester Bigelow was mysterious all morning. Conrad pretended to be drunk and tried to probe him, but Bigelow, who was intoxicated by the focus of everyone's attention, just shook his head, "Unless it is officially read, I won't say a word." Can't say, Mr. Hatter." Conrad's partner, John Gurley, looking haggard that day, roughly pulled Conrad away. Captain Trevitt, who was dressed in black to attend the funeral, got off the car at the gate of Hett Mansion, helped Louisa onto the sidewalk, pressed her hand, and turned to go back to his own house next door. Chester Bigelow unexpectedly Calling him to stay, the surprised old man walked back to Luisa.Gurley came uninvited, his eyes following Jill's figure, with a resolute look on his face.

Half an hour after returning home, the young and lively paralegal summoned everyone to gather in the library.Ren, who was standing aside with Inspector Sam and Bruno, watched the group enter the room intently.The child had been sent to play in the garden, under the care of a rather reluctant detective; Martha Heit sat upright, her hands in her lap; Beside Sha Kabian's chair. Ren observed the other people who came one after another, and was more impressed by their abnormal characteristics than he was at this moment.The Hatters all looked pretty healthy in appearance, they were all tall and strong, except in fact that only Martha—not really Hatter's blood relatives—and Louisa—who were both of the same height—were The shortest of the bunch.And yet Wren goes into every detail—their tense demeanor, the slightly wild eyes of Jill and Conrad, Barbara's strangely detailed intellectual performance—the inexplicable ruthlessness of the first two, and their attitude toward being The overtly high interest in the will of the murdered mother ... is at odds with the semi-outsiders - Martha the repressed and Louisa the living dead.

Bigelow's opening remarks were crisp and clear: "I don't want anyone to intervene. Please note that this will is quite special in some respects. Please do not make any comments until I have finished reading it."—there was silence—" Before reading the will, let me explain that all distributions of the estate are based on the estimated assets of about one million yuan remaining after deducting statutory fees. In fact, the remaining assets will exceed one million yuan, but in order to simplify the estate Distribution, this roughly agreed number is necessary, and you will understand it later.”

He took a lengthy document from the assistant solicitor, shrugged his shoulders, and began to read aloud Emily Hitter's last words with dignity. From the very first sentence, the will casts an ominous omen. After first confirming that she was sane when she made the will, Mrs. Hatter then explained in a cold tone that the main purpose behind all the clauses was to ensure that her daughter, Louisa Kabian, would receive With proper care, this is assuming Louisa Kabian was alive when the will was read. Barbara Haight, the eldest child of Emily and York Hayte, was the prime candidate to be entrusted with future caregiving duties for a helpless woman.Assuming that Barbara agrees to accept the responsibility to care for Louisa's physical, mental and moral health during the remaining years of her natural life, the estate would be distributed as follows:

Louisa (in trusteeship with Barbara)... 300,000 yuan Barbara (own inheritance)...three hundred thousand dollars Conrad... 300,000 yuan Jier... 100,000 yuan According to the above arrangement, Barbara has the trusteeship of the property inherited by Louisa.If Louisa dies, the entrusted estate will be shared equally by the three Heite children, each with 100,000 yuan.Louisa's death in no way affects the original distribution of Barbara, Conrad or Jill's estate. Bigelow paused to catch his breath, and Jill, distorted with exasperation, screamed, "Excellent! Why did she give..."

The lawyer panicked, but he straightened his face immediately and interrupted Jill: "Please, Miss Hatter, please! Please don't interrupt. This way we can press on—ah—this will have a big impact." She sneered After throwing himself into his seat and looking around, Bigelow breathed a sigh of relief and continued to read. The will went on to say that, assuming Barbara refused to accept responsibility for Louisa's care, Conrad would be called upon to bear the burden, according to seniority.In this case—that is, assuming Barbara refuses and Conrad agrees—the distribution of the estate is as follows:

Louisa (handed over to Conrad trusteeship)... 300,000 yuan Conrad (own inheritance) ... three hundred thousand dollars Jier... 100,000 yuan Barbara (due to refusal)...fifty thousand The remaining $250,000 from the estate—subtracted from Barbara Hayter's share of her inheritance—was used to set up a home called the Louisa Kabian Home for the Deaf and Blind. mechanism.What follows is a long list of details about the establishment of this institution. And, under this arrangement, if Louisa died, her three hundred thousand dollars would be split between Conrad and Jill, with Conrad getting two hundred thousand, Jill getting a hundred thousand, and Barbara Not a penny... A short silence ensued, and all eyes turned to the poetess.She sat easily, her eyes fixed on Chester Bigelow's lips, the expression on her face unchanged.Conrad stared at her in horror. "Look at this picture," Bruno whispered to Ryan. Although Bruno's voice was so low that even Sam who was standing next to him couldn't hear him, Ryan read the meaning from his lips, and Ryan responded with a sad Smile, "A person's true colors are often revealed when the will is read. Look at that Het, there is murder in his eyes. No matter how things turn out, Mr. Wren, there will be competition. I'm pretty sure it's crazy. will." Bigelow licked his lower lip and read on.Assuming that Conrad also refuses to accept the responsibility of caring for Louisa, the distribution of the estate is as follows: Barbara (due to refusal)...fifty thousand Conrad (due to refusal)...fifty thousand Jier (same as before) ... 100,000 yuan Louisa Kabian Home for the Deaf and Blind (same as before)... 250,000 yuan Louisa... half a million dollars There were exclamations one after another.Five hundred thousand yuan!They all took a sneak peek at the possible heir to the fortune; all they saw was a fat little woman staring quietly at the wall. Bigelow's voice turned them back.What is he saying? ... the half a million dollars given to Louisa, as stated above, shall be placed in the trust of Captain Eli Trewitt, who, as far as I know, would be willing to accept responsibility for the care of my unfortunate daughter Louisa Kabian .In return for his labors, I also bequeathed fifty thousand dollars to Captain Trevitt himself, assuming both Barbara and Conrad refuse, and Captain Trevitt agrees to take care of Louisa.My daughter Jill must have no objection. In this last case, the lawyer went on to say that in the event of Louisa's death, one hundred thousand of Louisa's half-million inheritance should be given to Jill as her additional inheritance, and the remaining four hundred thousand would go to the Home for the Deaf and Blind The 250,000 yuan fund established... The surrounding atmosphere was so heavy that Bigelow hurriedly continued to read the rest of the will without raising his head.Whatever else the case may be, the lawyer read in a somewhat shaky voice, awarding Mr. and Mrs. George Abcau $2,500 for their faithful service.Nurse Miss Angela Smith was awarded $2,500 for her faithful service.Assuming that Miss Angela Smith consents to continue to be Louisa Kabian's nurse and companion after the testator's death, a fund shall be established from which the nurse shall be paid seventy-five dollars a week for the duration of this period. Yuan salary.Finally, give the maid Virginia five hundred dollars... Bigelow put down the will and sat down. His assistant got up and distributed copies of the will, and the heirs accepted them in silence. For several minutes no one spoke.Conrad Hitter turned the document between his fingers, staring blankly at the printed words.Jill's beautiful red lips were distorted with rage, and her beautiful eyes slid slyly towards Louisa Kabian.Miss Smith quickly moved closer to Louisa. Then Conrad let out a roar.He jumped out of his chair, slammed the will on the floor, and trampled on it in a fit of hysterical frenzy.Hissing inarticulately, flushing, he leaned menacingly towards Chester Bigelow, and the lawyer stood up alertly.Sam rushed over, grasping the enraged man's arm with fingers as hard as granite. "Stupid!" he yelled, "be more restrained!" The red tide receded into pink, and the pink faded into black hair.Conrad shook his head slowly, like a dazed man trying to regain his senses, his rage gradually subsided, reason returned to his eyes, he turned to his sister Barbara and asked softly: "Are you—are you going to— How is she, Barbara?" Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.Barbara got up without answering, walked past her brother without seeing her, bent down to Louisa, patted the deaf, dumb, and blind woman on the cheek, and said in her sweet, deep voice, "Please Let me go," and left. Conrad stared at her back, dumbfounded.Then it was Jill's turn to explode, and she made the most of it: "So cruel to me!" she screamed, "Damn my mother!" Like a cat, she leapt up in front of Louisa's seat, " You are an indescribably disgusting thing!" She spit, turned and ran out of the library. Martha Hitter sat watching the Hatters quietly and contemptuously.Nervously, Miss Smith was putting together the Braille squares for Louisa, who was translating the will's message verbatim with metal blocks. After Bigelow and his assistant were left in the room, Bruno asked Ryan, "What do you think of them now?" "They're not only crazy, Mr. Bruno, they're vicious. So vicious, in fact," Wren went on quietly, "I doubt they're to blame." "What do you mean by that?" "I mean, there's an element of evil in their blood, no doubt an inherent weakness in their blood, and that evil must come from Mrs. Hatter--look at Louisa Cabian, she's The most unfortunate victims." "Victim and victor at the same time," said Bruno darkly. "Whatever the case may be, she has nothing to lose. Helpless woman with a fortune, Mr. Wren." "That's a lot," growled the inspector. "She's going to be watched like the American printing press." Bigelow was locking his suitcase while his assistant cleared the table.Wren asked, "Mr. Bigelow, how long ago was this will made?" "Mrs. Hatter asked me to draw up this new will the day after the body of York Hatter was found in the bay." "What were the terms of the old will?" "York Height inherits the entire estate. The only condition is that he must take care of Louisa Kabian for the rest of his life. As for him, he can distribute the estate according to his own wishes." Bigelow lifted his suitcase, "Compared to This, the original will is much simpler. She is very confident that if Louisa outlives her husband, he will make proper arrangements for Louisa's future." "Does the whole family know the contents of this first will?" "Oh, everything! Mrs Hatter also told me that if Louisa dies before she dies, she will divide the will equally between Barbara, Jill and Conrad." "Thank you." Relieved, Bigelow hurried out of the library, followed by his assistant like a puppy. "Louisa, Louisa," Sam said wearily, "always Louisa. She's the stormy eye of the whole mess, and if we're not careful she'll be wiped out." "What is your opinion on the case, Mr. Lane?" the prosecutor asked casually. "Sam told me that you said yesterday that you would give us some opinions today." Mr. Jerry Lane held his cane tightly, and made a small arc in front of his eyes: "However—after thinking about it, I would rather not say it at this time. I can't think here—here The atmosphere is so bad." The inspector made a very impolite sound, and his anger was on the verge of explosion. "I'm sorry, Inspector. I'm beginning to feel a lot like Hector in Troy and Crete—you know, Shakespeare's 'clumsy conclusion', as Shakespeare himself puts it—but the Not his own bad play!—The story of the man being deceived in Troy, Hector says: 'A measure of doubt is the mark of wisdom.' I'm afraid I must reflect on his words today." He sighed, " I'm going back to Mount Hamlet to resolve my suspicions, if I can... How long are you going to besiege this unhappy city of Troy, Inspector?" "Until I get a good Trojan horse," Sam replies unexpectedly in rather literate resentment, "I know what to do. One point: I found a clue." "real?" "Perry." Ren narrowed his eyes: "Piri? How about Perry?" "Not yet, but—" Sam went on slyly, "could be quite a bit soon. Mr. Edgar Peary—I bet a dollar that's not his real name—falsified the introduction letter for a position—that's my lead!" Ren seemed troubled by these words, and the prosecutor quickly stepped forward. "If that lead is solid, Sam," he said, "we can sue him on it, you know." "Not so soon, Barbara came forward to defend him--said she was the one who planned it, because Conrad wanted a prestigious letter of introduction, and Peary couldn't get it back, nonsense! But we gotta get it for now. She said it, and the funny thing is—he couldn't produce any letters of introduction, my God, and he didn't say a word about his previous life." "So you're investigating him," Wren said slowly. "Well, that's clever, Inspector. Apparently you think Miss Hatter knows as much about him as we do." "Obviously," Sam grinned, "nice girl, kind hearted, but I think she likes that guy—people can do anything when they're in love." The prosecutor mused: "So you've given up on the Conrad theory?" Sam shrugged. "Nothing to let go. Those shoe prints on the carpet upstairs—too light, unless he was some woman's accomplice, and the woman's cheek thing... fuck it, I'll investigate first Peary, I think I can have news for you tomorrow." "That would be great, Inspector," Ryan buttoned up his linen coat. "Perhaps you'd better come to Hamlet Hill tomorrow afternoon. You can tell me all about Peary, and I..." "Going all that way to get there?" Sam muttered. "We'll come," said the prosecutor quickly. "Excellent. Of course you're not letting your guard down, are you, Inspector? Keep an eye on the house, especially the laboratory." "And I'll keep the poison specialist Dr. Schelling sent to guard the kitchen," Sam said grimly. "Yeah, I know all about that. Sometimes, Mr. Wren, I feel like you don't—" No matter what the inspector, who was unhappy at the moment, wanted to say, Mr. Jerry Lane couldn't hear him, because after smiling and beckoning, Lane turned around and left. Sam wrenched his knuckles in disappointment.It's no use talking to a man who's deaf when he turns his back.