Chapter 7 Chapter 6 Chess and Pipes

The four walked out of the hall thoughtfully, and they walked towards Brad's study. From a distance, Ellery saw a police officer stationed there, and it must have been Officer Bonn who had cordoned off the scene. At this time, a middle-aged woman in mourning came up to the four of them with a smile on her face and said, "I am Mrs. Bacusta, please come to the dining room with me for dinner." When Bonn heard that he wanted them to eat, his eyes lit up immediately: "Wow! You are really the embodiment of an angel. If you hadn't reminded me, I almost forgot my lunch."

Professor Adori shook his head and said, "I don't have the good fortune to stay here for dinner. My wife may have already prepared lunch, waiting for me to go back. Excuse me!" Adori turned around and patted Ellery on the shoulder: "Don't forget! You are my guest!" "Going back?" Ellery asked. "I'd love to talk to you more..." Professor Adori nodded: "I will drive your sports car into my garage and take out the luggage. I will wait for you at night!" So the professor bid farewell to everyone and left first. There were only three people receiving hospitality in the spacious dining room, and the others had no appetite, and they didn't seem to be at home.So the three ate in silence, while Mrs. Bakusta waited on her.

Ellery desperately lowered his head and ate hard, his head was still thinking hard, refusing to rest, shaking his head, like a globe spinning non-stop.He thought of something, but didn't say it right away.There was silence in the room. At two o'clock, the three walked out of the restaurant and returned to the study of the deceased Bratt to investigate. The study is square, and its elegant layout complements its shape, so that people can tell at a glance that it is a study owned by an educated person.The carpet is embroidered with Chinese patterns, and the bookshelves on both sides of the wall support the ceiling. In addition, there is a concert piano with beautiful keys in the corner.The lid of the piano was open, probably because Blatter forgot to put it on after he finished playing last night.In the center of the room is a round low table with magazines and smoking utensils on it, a recliner in front of the other wall, and a writing desk in front of the opposite wall with two bottles of red and black ink on the table.

Ellery approached the desk. Esham followed closely behind: "'I have checked this desk with a magnifying glass. I thought I would find some useful documents, but the result is just the opposite. There is a diary in the desk, but it only records trivial things. It has nothing to do with Blatter personally, please see for yourself! I think it may be because the first scene of the murder was in that hut, and now only chess is left." "Have you looked elsewhere?" Ellery asked. "Well, I checked everything, but I didn't find anything." Ellery kept his eyes on the round table.When he saw the smoking set on the table, he suddenly thought of the tobacco in the envelope.He immediately opened the lid of the tobacco box, grabbed some out to check, and found that the two were exactly the same, with that strange cutting method.Therefore, he said with a wry smile: "It seems that there is nothing to be found in this dirty tobacco. Look, aren't these two kinds of tobacco the same? I was so mad, I didn't expect that I dug out carefully The clue came to nothing.” Ellery tried to open the drawer of the table, and found that there were many pipes of different types and textures—some made of meerschaum, white heather, and synthetic resin. , and English-style pottery pipes.

"It seems that when Mr. Blatter likes to play chess, he likes to think quietly with a pipe in his mouth. Smoking and playing chess are hobbies that complement each other. If you can add a lazy dog ​​lying on the ground, it will be a warm picture. picture!" The Bonn police officer took out a pipe with a sea god carved in the gazebo and asked Ellery, "Is there any one exactly like this?" Ellery shook his head and said, "No. I don't think anyone needs two identical pipes! No box was found either. But you can see from the bite marks on the pipe that this guy must have been in his mouth a lot. Maybe it's A gift from someone."

Ellery closed the drawer and walked to the bench to the left.The chessboard is on the small round table opposite the bench.He looked carefully at what was before him.Everything is very elegant, and the tables and chairs can still be retracted. It seems that Blatter is very obsessed with chess games, otherwise he would not pay so much attention to chess equipment. "Nobody touches this," Ersham explained. At that time, the chessboard was open, and there was an unfinished chess game on it.The sixty-four grids are decorated with mother-of-pearl, which is very eye-catching.And near the writing table, there are nine red chess pieces.

Ellery stared at the chessboard. "Where's the chess box?" "There." Esham pointed to the empty cardboard box on the desk. Ellery looked at the wall and said, "Originally there should be twelve red chess pieces, but here are only eleven. The missing one is probably the one picked up on the gravel road." "That's right!" Esham sighed, "We searched all over the room, but we didn't see any other chess pieces, so the red piece we found must have come from here." "Hmm! That's interesting," Ellery said, looking at the side-by-side pieces.

Esham pursed his lips and said with disdain: "You really think so? Huh! I don't think you think so later! I know what you're thinking, but it's not the case. Now I'll call Bratt's housekeeper is here, wait a moment." He fixed to the door and said to the policeman, "Go and call Stallings." Ellery walked over to the desk without a word, and picked up the thick cardboard box on the table blankly.The material of the chess box is very rough. Ellery looked at the chessboard again, and murmured, "As soon as I walked into this room, I wondered why Mr. Blatt would spend so much money on such a high-end chessboard, and why would he use that inferior chessboard?" cheap stuff?"

Esham replied: "You will know this later, I just hope you won't be too surprised." When the criminal police opened the door, a tall and thin old man walked in. After introducing each other, Ersham said: "Stallings, please repeat what you told me this morning?" "Greatly," said Stallings.He is a very kind person. "Okay. Please tell us first why Mr. Blatter uses such cheap chess pieces?" "I've said it before. It's a very simple matter." Stallings lifted his eyes to the ceiling, sighed, and said, "My master, he only uses the highest quality things, whether it's a table, a chair, or even a small tea cushion, he has to choose carefully. As for the chessmen For several years, he has been using a pair of very expensive ivory chess pieces, but recently, because the doctor next door Paul Dun likes the chess set of my master, the master is planning to give it to the doctor. However, the master is not willing Give him the old one, and ask me to send it to the engraver to re-carve a set of thirty-four identical chess pieces. Since the chess pieces have not been brought back, I just use this cheap one to make up the number.” The inspector The officer nodded.

"Well! Next, please tell us what happened last night." "Okay," said Stallings again. "Last night, the master asked me to go for a walk." "Wait a minute," cried Ellery, "you mean he ordered you out last night?" "Yes, last night, after Mr. Bratt got off work, he told me, the driver, Mrs. Fox, and Mrs. Bakusta to go out." Stallings couldn't help sobbing, probably thinking of his master, "At that time Mrs., Miss, and Mr. Lincoln all went out, as if to see some performance. The master handed us ten dollars with a weary face, saying that he wanted to be alone at home tonight, so he gave us a day off; not only In this way, the master also specially allowed us to drive that car out."

"Well, I see," Ellery said. "Then, let's explain about chess." Esham reminded from the side. Stallings replied: "When I was about to leave, Mrs. Fox and Mrs. Bakusta were already waiting for me in the car. Before getting in the car, I wanted to ask if there was anything I should do on the way, so I went in again. The study. At that time, my master was playing chess alone in the study." "Play chess? Alone?" "Yes, he arranged the red and black pieces separately, and moved the little things quietly by himself--that's how he usually likes it." "Are you sure no one else was there?" "Yes. However, I don't know if I'm too sensitive or what, I always feel that the master was anxious last night." Ellery smiled. "Yes, you are very observant." Esham said anxiously, "Go ahead." Ellery cast a questioning look: "Do you remember which chair he was sitting on?" "Over there." Stallings pointed in one direction, "the chair near the wall. But after playing the red piece, he switched to the seat opposite, staring at the board, thinking all the time." Everyone listened with breathless concentration. Steward's narrative. "My master is very skilled in chess. Even though he is playing chess alone, he is quite focused. This is not a rare thing." Esham raised his eyebrows: "Didn't I tell you? From the chess case, there is no clue at all." He then sighed. "Then, where did you go?" "We took Fox's car to the city. Mrs. Bakusta and I got off at the Roxie Theater and were going to see a movie. Fox said he would pick us up after the show. As for where he went, I don't know." Officer Bonn immediately asked, "Did Fox come back to pick you up?" "No, we waited for 30 minutes, but there was no sign of him. We thought he might be unable to come because of something, so we caught the train and then took a taxi to go home." "Taxi?" The police chief said with a happy expression, "So, the taxi business at the train station last night was really good. Okay! Tell me, what time do you get home?" "It seems to be about twelve o'clock—it must have been after twelve o'clock, I don't know." "Was Fawkes home then?" "I'm sorry, I'm not very clear about this. Because he lives in a cabin near the bay, even if there is light, it will be blocked by the jungle." "Have you asked Fox?" Ellery asked Esham prosecutors. "Haven't had a chance to ask him yet." Ellery asked Stallings again: "Did Mr. Blatter mention any guests?" "No. He just said he wanted to be alone." "Has anything like this ever happened before?" "No, this is the first time." "Also," Ellery went to the table and tapped the cigarette case on it, "whose is it?" "Of course it belongs to my master." "Blatt only has this pack of tobacco?" "Yes. My master is very careful about the choice of tobacco. This is the best tobacco he chooses himself, and it is specially sent from England." Ellery couldn't help but think of Andrew Pang and caviar, Bratt and Imported cigarettes. "One more thing, officer, can you show Stallings that pipe with the head of Neptune on it, please?" Bonn handed the pipe to Stallings again, and Stallings looked at it. After a while, he nodded: "Yes, I often see it." The three of them sighed in unison. Esham asked again: "Is it Mr. Blatter's?" "That's right. But my master doesn't always take this one. He said that pipes are like people and need rest; so in his drawer, there are many kinds of pipes, but I still remember this one. A pipe, I saw it a lot a while ago, but I seldom see it these days..." Esham said impatiently: "Okay! Alright! You can go now!" So Stallings bowed stiffly to everyone and left the study. "That's all about the chess thing," said Inspector Bonn coolly, "and the pipes and the tobacco . If you still want to go to the island to investigate those lunatics, today will be a busy day!" Ellery smiled wryly, "Today? Do you think today's time is enough?" There was a knock on the door, and a policeman stood there.After Officer Bonn went up and whispered to him for two or three minutes, Bonn just nodded, and finally the officer closed the door and came back. "What happened?" Esham asked with concern. "Nothing, just came to tell me they found nothing on the ground." "Looking for what?" Ellery asked curiously. "Head!" There was a moment of silence, and the three fell into deep thought again.In the room, a sad cold wind quietly blows in through the cracks in the window.The afternoon sun flooded the entire room. In such a luxurious, noble and warm room, it is really unimaginable that the owner who owns all these has turned into a cold, stiff, headless corpse. Bonn broke the silence first: "My subordinates just told me that the body has been sent to the morgue. The train dealer at the train station has also investigated, and they want to find out who has been around here last night; because, I think Bra Te seems to be waiting for someone last night, otherwise, he would not be so eager to drive everyone out of the house, and he has never been in this situation before." Ersham seconded: "Hmm! That's pretty obvious." Ellery agrees: "Yeah! That's my guess too." "It's just that no one has provided us with any information or clues so far, and the train station master has not been able to provide a list of suspicious passengers. So, could this person be someone who lives nearby?" The police officer shrugged, "It's strange, who can How about coming and going without leaving a trace?" Esham replied: "Actually, it is also possible that this premeditated person got off the bus one or two stops before and then walked over." "Possibly a taxi," Ellery said. Bonn shook his head violently and said, "No, it's absolutely impossible. I checked early this morning, and there are no footprints or tire marks on the nearby road." Ellery pondered quietly: "There is another possibility, officer, by sea!" Bonn looked out of the window and said, "I didn't think of that, but you figured it out. From the coast of New York or Connecticut, by motorboat or something . . . Well, I'll send someone to find out." "Fleeing ones must be pursued to the end," Ellery murmured to himself. "What?" Esham stood up, "Okay! Let's get out of here, there are other clues to investigate."