Chapter 8 Chapter Seven Fox and the British Couple

So far, the case is as complicated and confusing as if it is deep in the fog.No one knows the truth of the matter, and no one dares to predict who can provide powerful clues.Of course, they didn't expect to get any important clues from Mrs. Bacusta, but in order to get a thorough understanding, they still needed to ask, so the three of them went back to the hall to reorganize their thoughts. Mrs. Bacusta stood in front of these three serious men, looking a little nervous. Officer Bonn spoke first: "About what happened last night, although we already know something, I still hope you can tell us what you know."

"Last night..." Mrs. Bacusta recalled, "During dinner, my master didn't have any strange expressions, nor did he look nervous, just a little worried. After the housekeeper and I finished cooking dinner, I took Fox’s car to the Roxie Theater to watch a movie. After the show, because I couldn’t wait for Fox’s car, I had to take the train and then take a taxi back. I arrived home around twelve o’clock.” "Where are they, ma'am?" "I don't know, probably haven't come back yet." "At that time, were the lights in the house on?" "No, it's dark in the room."

"Did you notice anything wrong?" "No." "Okay," Officer Bonn smiled, "Mrs. Bacusta, you can go back now, thank you for your help." The housekeeper walked away in relief.What remained in the hall was still a cloud of fog.Still puzzled, Ellery stared silently at his fingers.Andrew Pang's name, more like a small fish, kept swimming around in his mind. Right now, the only one in doubt is Fox. "Go and talk to Fox," Prosecutor Esham suggested. So they left the hall and strode toward the sea. On the way, they passed through green lawns and early summer gardens in full bloom with roses.This is the path leading to the bay, and at the end of the garden is the forest.Walking on the boulevard, the three of them remained silent, and the breeze seemed unable to shake off their doubts.

Across the forest, the cabin sits in a clearing.A policeman is prowling outside the house. Esham went forward to knock on the door first, and a hoarse voice came from inside: "Please come in!" After the door opened, a tall and strong man stood there. Ersham asked, "Fox?" "yes." Ersham noticed that Fox's face was a little pale, obviously he was afraid of the visit of Ellery and others, so Ersham's face and tone were extremely kind. "This morning, due to time constraints, I have no chance to talk to you in detail." "Ok!" Ellery then noticed that Fox had many lead-colored spots that naturally develop from prolonged exposure to the sun.

"I heard that you were the first to discover the body?" Esham said while sitting on the only chair in the hut. "Yes." Fox said quietly. "Why didn't you go to the movies with Mrs. Bacusta and the others last night? Where did you go and what time did you come back?" Fox replied calmly: "I just want to go for a drive in the city alone, and get back here before twelve o'clock." Sergeant Bonn took a deliberate step forward now and put a hand on Fox's elastic arm. "Hey! We don't want to incriminate anyone. I hope you understand that as long as you tell us the truth, we will never make things difficult for you."

"I really mean it!" said Fox.From the way the man behaved, Ellery thought he was a well-bred man. "Okay, that's all right," Bonn went on. "So, where are you going?" "I did a lap around Fifth Avenue and a long drive on the Riverwalk through the park. The air is so fresh." The officer looked back at Esham and said, "Yeah, some fresh air, but why didn't you pick them up?" Fox shrugged: "Why should I go? They didn't tell me to pick them up." The prosecutor exchanged glances with the police officer. Ellery was taken aback now, for he saw tears welling up in the man's eyes.

Finally Ersham said, "Okay! If you insist on saying that, don't let us know that's not the case... When are you going to work here?" "It just started this year." "Do you have any ID?" "Have." Fox silently turned his back to them, walked to a wooden cabinet, and took out the certificate kept in the envelope. Prosecutor Esham opened the document and handed it to Police Officer Bonn. After looking at it, Bonn threw it on the table, not knowing what he was going to do, and strode away from the cabin. "I think this is all right." Ersham got up from his chair and said to Fox, "Fox, are the only people employed here are Stallings, Mrs. Bakusta, and you?"

"Yeah!" Fox nodded, picking up the documents on the table and putting them in envelopes. "Excuse me, Mr. Fox," Ellery said at last, "did you notice anything unusual when you came back last night?" "yes." "Okay, very good. Thank you for your cooperation, but before the matter is clear, I hope you don't leave here." After Ersham finished speaking, he walked out of the hut, and Bonn, who was outside the house, came back and stood with Ersham , just blocking Ellery who was about to go out, while Fox remained standing still. "This guy is lying." Bonn's voice was quite loud, and there was no reason why Fox couldn't hear it. "I'll find out right away after I investigate."

Ellery glared at the officer impatiently. He felt that Bonn was too unmerciful.He did not forget the tears in Fox's eyes. A group of people walked west to the bay and walked in the forest.It's not too far from Kegam Beach, so you can see the sparkling sea waves between the trees. Not long after leaving Fox's cabin, Ellery accidentally kicked a tree root because it was a very narrow path. "This is also Bratt's land." Esham explained, "That person seems to hate building fences. The house that Mr. Lin and the others are renting seems to be just across this road."

Across the path, there is still a verdant forest.In less than five minutes, the Bonn police officer saw the path leading to the west neighbor through the lush grass.Although weeds are overgrown on both sides of the road, it does not feel desolate, but full of rural taste.Especially the flowers and plants deliberately planted in it are in full bloom at this time, colorful and unique.As the path widened, they saw a low stone house standing in a clearing surrounded by trees.A couple is sitting on a bench in front of the house. When they saw Ellery and his party approaching, they immediately stood up.

"You are Mr. and Mrs. Lin, right?" Esham asked politely. "Yeah, my name is Patsy Lynn. This is my wife. Did you just come from the Bratts?" Mr. Lim was a tall, dark-haired Englishman with piercing eyes; Mrs. Lim was a fat, blond woman with a smile on her face, but she looked rather stiff, and Ersham nodded at her. Mr. Lin said politely, "Come in and sit down, okay?" "No!" Bonn said quickly, "Don't bother, we want to interrupt for a minute." "Have you heard the news?" Esham asked. Mr. Lin nodded quietly, while his wife's smile remained unchanged. "Well! It's sad that such a tragedy has happened. We were told this morning by a constable down the road." "Since then, we don't want to go there anymore," Mrs. Lin added. "I really don't want to go anymore." The husband also echoed. The conversation was temporarily suspended.At this time, Esham and Bonn exchanged glances, while the couple surnamed Lin remained motionless.The tall husband held a pipe in his hand, and the slow rise of the smoke did not make him move.Then he said again: "Everyone, I understand why you don't want to talk about it. You are from the police!" "Hmm!" Esham replied without thinking. Ellery kept watching the smile on Mrs. Lin's face.Not long after, he smiled wryly.It turned out that Ellery discovered that Mrs. Lin's smile was so stiff because Mrs. Lin had ill-fitting dentures. Mr. Lin said: "Do you want to see our passports? Do you want to investigate us?" He handed the passports to Esham and his team, and there was nothing suspicious in the passports. Mr. Lin took back his passport and said, "Do you want to know why our couple came here and why we lived here?" Esham waved his hand: "We've heard about this from Miss Bratt." The police officer took a step forward: "Last night, were you at home?" "Oh! Last night, I went to the city with my wife." Mr. Lin's voice was a little hoarse. "Are you going to New York?" Mr. Lin nodded: "Yes. We went to New York for dinner and theater performances." "When are you coming back?" "We didn't come back." Mrs. Lin replied unexpectedly, "Because it was too late, so we temporarily decided to stay in a downtown hotel." "Which hotel?" "Roosevelt." "About when?" Esham smiled strangely. "It seems to be past twelve o'clock." The husband replied, "After watching the show, we went to have a midnight snack—" Esham rubbed his eyes and changed the subject: "Are you familiar with the people around you?" "No, we like to live a quiet life. We don't know anyone except the Bratt family, Dr. Dunpaolo, and that very funny Professor Yado." The couple shook their heads together. Ellery smiled and said, "Have you ever been to Oista Island?" "And," went on Mrs. Lin, "I, like poor Mr. Bratt, stand for their removal." "I see," Esham said. "What do you think about this tragedy?" "We are also in a fog." Mr. Lin showed angry eyes. "This kind of behavior is really barbaric. If you let the Europeans know about it, you will really lose your reputation." "Yes!" Esham said awkwardly, "Okay! Thank you, let's go."