Chapter 8 Chapter VIII Circumstance Evidence

"Oh, dark, dark, dark!" Now everyone's interest has reached the highest point.Even if the tragic tragedy cannot be completely solved, the mystery will soon be unveiled, but I just want to escape from here, and I don't want to know anything.That doesn't mean I'm afraid the woman will betray herself.Her icy determination is now unshakable, and her deadpan expression is enough to ensure that she cannot dig her own grave.However, if Mary's suspicion of her cousin was not only based on hatred but had to do with what she knew, if that pretty face was really just a mask and Eleanor was really what her cousin said--as Her own behavior reveals it—then, how can I sit and watch this bright white rose evolve into a giant python that symbolizes deceit and crime!However, this is only an illusion derived from uncertainty.Even so, I saw the expressions on the faces of many people around me reflect my personal feelings, and no one in the crowd seemed to get up and leave.It is impossible for me to leave.

The blond Mary impresses the coroner with her pleasing appearance, and as for the apparent threat she poses to Eleanor, the coroner is the only one in the room who is unaffected.He shouted at the top of his voice as usual, and turned his head to face the witnesses. Although his expression showed respect, he still carried an undeniable sternness.He said: "It is said that Miss Leavenworth, you have lived in Mr. Leavenworth's house since you were a child, haven't you?" "From the age of ten." She replied quietly. Hearing her voice for the first time took me by surprise.Because it sounds so much like her cousin, but not so much.If I were to compare, the tone of voice was similar, but her voice lacked the emotional character of her cousin, and it reached the ear without vibrating or echoing at the end of the sentence.

"It is said that from that time on, he treated you like his own daughter, didn't he?" "Yes, sir, like a daughter. He was more than a father to both of us." "As far as I know, you and Miss Mary Leavenworth are cousins. When did she come into the family?" "She came in at the same time as me. Our parents died in the same accident. If it weren't for our uncle who helped us, we two orphans would have ended up on the streets. But he..." She paused for a moment, resolute His lips began to tremble slightly, "But he is really kind-hearted. He not only adopted us, but also gave us the two things we lost, that is, father and family."

"You said he was your father, and also your cousin's father. You said he adopted you. The implication is that he not only allows you to enjoy the luxurious life in front of you, but also makes you understand that you should be happy after he dies. Enjoy the same comforts, don't you? In short, does he have any intention of leaving you any property?" "No, sir. He let me know from the beginning that in his will all the property went to my cousin." "Miss Leavenworth, your cousin is no closer to him than you are to him. Has he never told you the reason for his partiality?"

"No, his property is divided as he pleases, sir." Her answers so far have been straightforward and satisfying.Everyone had confidence in her, and the doubts that had been surrounding her name gradually dissipated.Her answer was calm and without emotional fluctuations. Not only the jury, but even I, who had many reasons to distrust her, now feel that the reasons for doubting her are no longer tenable, because her answer clearly points out her lack of confidence. motive for killing. At this point the coroner went on: "If your uncle has been as good to you as you say, you must have had a deep affection for him, have you not?"

"Yes, sir." The corners of her mouth suddenly showed a firm arc. "You must have been greatly shocked by his misfortune?" "Very, very shocked." "I heard that when you first saw his body, the shock was so severe that you passed out, didn't you?" "It's that serious, yes." "However, you seem to be prepared, don't you?" "Prepare?" "The servant said you were quite restless when you found out that your uncle hadn't come down to breakfast." "Servant!" Her tongue seemed to be on the roof of her mouth, and she was almost speechless.

"It is said that when you came back from his room you were very pale." He will use these questions to attack, which means that even if he doesn't really doubt her, he can't help but have some doubts.Was she beginning to understand this?After seeing her in the upstairs room, I was so impressed that I had never seen her so restless.However, if she senses any distrust of her from the outside world, she doesn't show it.She tried her best to remain calm and answered with a calm demeanor. "There is nothing strange about this. Uncle lives a very regular life, and any slight change in his habits will cause us to worry."

"So, you notice something's wrong?" "To some extent yes." "Miss Leavenworth, who usually cleans your uncle's room?" "It's me, sir." "In that case, you're sure he has a little table with a drawer in his room, aren't you?" "Yes, sir." "How long ago did you last move this drawer?" "Yesterday." She could hear her trembling. "What time is it?" "Towards noon, I think." "The pistol he used to keep in the drawer, was it there?" "As far as I guess I was there, I didn't pay attention."

"Did you lock the drawer when you closed it?" "locked." "Did you take the key?" "No, sir." "Miss Leavenworth, you may have seen it, the pistol is before you now. Would you like to see it?" He raised the pistol aloft and handed it to Eleanor. If he had intended to frighten her with a sudden movement, he had done it beautifully, for she screamed at the sight of the murder weapon, but quickly controlled it. "Oh no, no!" she groaned and covered her face with her hands. "Miss Leavenworth, I order you to take a closer look at this pistol," demanded the coroner, "when it was found, all magazines were loaded."

Her pained expression faded quickly. "Oh, well..." She didn't finish speaking, and put her hand on the pistol. The coroner looked at her without blinking, and went on: "I tell you, this gun has been fired recently, and the barrel was cleaned by someone who forgot to clean the chamber, Miss Leavenworth." She didn't scream this time, but gradually showed a desperate and helpless expression, as if she was about to fall to the ground, but she pulled herself together again, raised her head in a calm and majestic posture that I had never seen before, and said loudly: "Very good ,So what?"

The coroner put down the pistol, and the men and women at the scene looked at each other, and no one knew what to do next.I heard trembling sighs from beside me, and when I turned around, it was Mary looking at my cousin.Her cheeks were flushed with shock, as if she knew that everyone—including herself—had noticed something suspicious about this lady and hoped she could explain it clearly. The coroner finally managed to speak up and continued: "Miss Leavenworth, I have presented evidence, but you ask me what. Your question makes me have to say this: the person who murdered with this pistol was not a thief, nor a thief. Not a paid killer. If it was, why the trouble of cleaning, reloading, and locking the pistol in a drawer?" She didn't answer.But I saw Mr. Gritz nod his head emphatically in his own unique way. The coroner's tone became more serious, and continued: "Outsiders are not familiar with Mr. Leavenworth's room, and it is impossible to come and go freely, let alone enter his room in the middle of the night, get the pistol from the drawer, cross his room, and approach him. So close, and he didn't even look back. From the doctor's testimony, we don't believe he ever did." His insinuations are creepy.We see Eleanor showing signs of retreat, while the look of anger is left to her cousin.Mary took a quick look around her, fidgeting in her seat with righteous indignation.But Eleanor turned her head slightly, signaling her to be calm, and replied in a calm and cautious voice. "Sir, you cannot be sure of the circumstances of the murder. If my uncle had fired yesterday for some personal reason, it is not improbable that it would have had the same result, led to the same conclusion." "Miss Leavenworth," continued the coroner, "we have removed the bullet from your uncle's head!" "what!" "The bullet in the magazine in the drawer of the small table matches this bullet, and it is the model used in this pistol." Her head fell forward and fell into her hands, her eyes were staring at the floor, and she couldn't lift her spirits.The coroner saw it, and his tone became more serious. "Miss Leavenworth," said he, "I will now ask you about last night. Where were you last night?" "Alone, in my room." "However, you saw your uncle or cousin during this time?" "No, sir. I haven't seen anyone since dinner—except Thomas," she went on after a short pause. "Why did you see him?" "A gentleman came to visit, and he sent a visitor's card." "Please tell me the name of this gentleman." "Mr. Lee Roy Robbins on the card." The evidence seemed trivial, but the sudden reaction of the woman next to me made me remember the name. "Miss Leavenworth, do you have the habit of opening the door when you are in the room?" She was a little surprised at first, but soon suppressed it. "I'm not in the habit of it. No, sir." "Why did you leave the door open last night?" "Because I feel hot." "Is there no other reason?" "I can't think of any other reason." "Did you close the door afterwards?" "Before going to bed." "Before or after the servant went upstairs?" "after." "Did you hear Mr. Harwell leave the study and go upstairs?" "Yes, sir." "After that, how long did your door stay open?" "I, I... a few minutes, I can't tell." She hurried on. "Can't tell? Why? Can't you remember?" "I forget how long it took me to close the door after Mr. Harwell went upstairs." "Was it more than ten minutes?" "Have." "More than twenty minutes?" "Maybe." Her face was extremely pale, and her body trembled violently. "Miss Leavenworth, the evidence shows that your uncle died shortly after Harwell's departure. If your door had been left open, you should have heard someone entering his room, or a shot being fired. Be clear, Did you hear anything at all?" "I heard nothing. No, sir." "Did you hear any noise?" "I didn't hear the gunfire either." "Miss Leavenworth, please forgive me for asking. Did you hear anything?" "I heard the door shut." "Which door?" "The door to the study." "when?" "I don't know." She clasped her hands hysterically, "I can't tell. Why do you keep asking?" I got up quickly.She wobbled and almost fainted.But before I reached out to help her, she straightened up and regained her composure. "I'm sorry," she said, "I lost my temper this morning, please say it again." She steadied herself and turned to the coroner. "What you were asking about..." "I ask you," his voice became sharp and high-pitched.It was obvious that her behavior was not comfortable at this time, "When did you hear the study door close?" "I'm not sure of the exact time, but it should be after Mr. Harwell went upstairs and before I shut my door." "Did you hear the gunfire?" "No, sir." The coroner took a quick glance at the jury when one of them looked away. "Miss Leavenworth, we heard that the servant Hannah went to your room in the middle of the night to beg for medicine. Is this true?" "No, sir." "When did you learn about her mysterious disappearance in the middle of the night?" "Before breakfast today. Molly asked me in the lobby if I saw Hannah. I felt something was wrong, so I naturally asked her why. After chatting for a while, we came to an obvious conclusion: she's gone." "What did you think when you found out she was gone?" "I don't know what to think." "Is there no suspicion at all that she has done something wrong?" "No, sir." "You don't think of your uncle's murder?" "I didn't know there was a murder at the time." "and after?" "Oh, it might have occurred to me that she might know a thing or two. I can't tell." "Can you tell us about this maid's past?" "I don't know her any better than my cousin." "I don't know why she was sad last night?" Her cheeks flushed with anger.Was she angry because of the tone of his question, or the question itself? "No, sir! She never told me her secret." "So you can't tell us where she is?" "Of course there is no way." "Miss Leavenworth, we must ask one more question. We have heard that you ordered the removal of my uncle's body to the next room." She bowed her head. "Don't you know that no one should tamper with the body of the deceased without the presence of relevant professionals?" "I didn't think about it carefully at the time, sir. I just followed my instincts." "So, you stayed at the table where he was murdered, and didn't follow the past to see where the body was placed. This is also based on intuition?" He continued, "Or, you are more concerned about the person who was taken away by you. that piece of paper, without noticing the circumstances?" "Paper?" She raised her head firmly, "Who said I took a piece of paper from the table?" "Someone swore to see you stooping over a pile of papers on a table. Others testified that they met you in the hall a few minutes later as you were pocketing the papers. From this we can draw conclusions, Leavenworth. Miss Z." The statement hit home and we thought she was going to be irritated, but her haughty lips didn't budge. "You have to make inferences, and you have to prove the facts." That's a brilliant answer, so we're not too surprised to see the coroner look a bit embarrassed.However, the coroner quickly recovered and said: "Miss Leavenworth, I must ask you again, did you take anything from the table?" She crossed her arms. "I refuse to answer that question," she said quietly. "I'm sorry," he went on, "but you have to answer." The corners of her mouth curled into a firmer arc. "After you find any suspicious paper on me, I will explain to you how I got it." Her reluctance to cooperate seemed to confuse the coroner. "Do you understand the responsibility of refusing to answer?" She looks down. "Yes, I know, sir." Mr. Gritz raised his hand and gently turned the tassels of the curtains. "Are you still insisting on not answering?" She firmly refused. The coroner made no further inquiries. At this time, everyone could see clearly that Eleanor not only wanted to defend herself, but also fully understood her situation and was ready to fight.Even though her cousin had remained calm just now, she was beginning to show agitation now, as if it was one thing for her to accuse Eleanor herself, and another thing to watch the suspicious expressions of the people around her. "Miss Leavenworth," continued the coroner, changing the tone of the attack, "you can come and go from your uncle's room at ease, don't you?" "Yes, sir." "Or can you enter his room in the middle of the night, go to the other side, and stand beside him, without disturbing him or even making him look back?" "Yes." Her hands rubbed together painfully. "Miss Leavenworth, the key to the study is missing." She made no reply. "It has been testified that before the murder was discovered, you entered the study alone. Can you tell us that the key was locked?" "no." "are you sure?" "Sure." "Well, is there anything special about the size or shape of this key?" This question caused her sudden fear. She tried her best to suppress it, and unconsciously looked around at the group of servants behind her. "It's a little different from other keys," she admitted at last. "Why is it different?" "The key handle is broken." "Ah, everyone, the key handle is broken!" The coroner looked at the jury, emphatically speaking. Mr. Gritz seemed to have taken the clue, for he gave another quick nod. "Miss Leavenworth, so you can recognize the key if you see it?" She looked at the coroner in horror, as if she thought he had the key.Since he had no key in his hand, she took courage and answered quite easily: "It should be possible, sir." The coroner seemed satisfied with her answer, and at the end of the interrogation, Mr. Gritz quietly stepped forward and touched him on the arm. "Wait a minute," Gritz said. He stooped and whispered something in the coroner's ear.Then he returned to his original standing position, his right hand resting on his breast pocket, his eyes fixed on the chandelier. I could barely breathe.Was what he had said to the coroner the passage he had overheard in the hall above?However, I took one look at the coroner and believed that Gritz did not disclose such important information.The coroner looked not only tired, but also a little unhappy. "Miss Leavenworth?" He turned to her. "You claim that you did not enter your uncle's room last night. Are you sure?" "Sure." He glanced at Mr. Gritz.Gritz took out a handkerchief with unknown stains from his breast pocket. "That is very strange. Someone found your handkerchief in the room this morning." Eleanor exclaimed.And Mary's face also became stiff, showing a desperate expression.Eleanor closed her lips tightly, and replied coldly: "I don't think there's anything strange about it. I was in the room this morning." "Did it fall in the morning?" A tired blush flashed across her face.She didn't answer. "A stain like that?" he continued. "I don't know what kind of stain it is. What is it? Let me see." "I'll show you later. Now what we want to know is, how did the handkerchief get into your uncle's room?" "There are many possibilities. I may have dropped it a few days ago. I told you I was in the habit of going in and out of his room. But first let me see if it's my handkerchief." She held out her hand. "I think so. It is said that the corner of the handkerchief has your initials embroidered on it." he said, while Mr. Gritz passed her the handkerchief. Then she made a terrified sound and interrupted him. "This dirt! What is it? It looks like..." "It's like stains," said the coroner. "If you've wiped a gun, you must know where those stains came from, Miss Leavenworth." She let go abruptly, and the handkerchief fell to the floor in front of her, and she just stood and stared at it. "I don't know anything, folks," she said, "it's my handkerchief, but..." She didn't finish the sentence for some reason, but went on repeating, "Really, folks, I don't know anything. !" That concludes her testimony. Chef Kate is back on the scene to answer when was the last time she washed the handkerchief. "Well, sir, is it this handkerchief? Oh, it was washed one day this week, sir." He said with a reproachful look at the lady. "Day of the week?" "Oh, Miss Eleanor, if only I could forget. The handkerchief is of a unique pattern here. I washed it the day before yesterday." "When did it get hot?" "Yesterday morning." She hesitated to speak. "When did you send it to her room?" The cook covers his head with an apron. "It was delivered yesterday afternoon, just before dinner, with the other clothes. Miss Eleanor, there is really nothing I can do!" she whispered, "I'm telling the truth." Eleanor frowned.This somewhat contradictory evidence affected her deeply.After a while, the coroner asked the witness to step back, turned to her, and asked her if she had any other explanations or additions.She raised her hands almost convulsively, shook her head slowly, and suddenly fainted quietly on the seat. There was of course chaos, and I noticed that Mary didn't come over to see her cousin, but Molly and Kate came over to give first aid.After a while, they took her out of the room.As they left, I saw a tall man follow them out. Then the room was silent, but the silence was soon broken by someone speaking.A diminutive juror got up and offered to call it a day.The coroner seemed to agree, announcing that the inquest would resume tomorrow at three o'clock, in the hope that all jurors would be present. Then everyone hurried away, and in a few minutes Miss Leavenworth, Mr. Gritz, and myself were alone in the room.