Chapter 25 Chapter 24 A Report of Futility

The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment; The slimmer the hope and the deeper the despair, the higher the chance of realization. I'm just waiting to decide on one thing before I can put the case in his hands without reservation.When I told Mr. Gritz that, I meant waiting to be proven correct in my assumptions.My hypothesis is that Henry Claflin boarded at the same hotel as Eleanor Leavenworth last summer. So when I flipped through R's Hotel Association register the next morning, I relied on sheer force of will to endure.It did not take me long, however, to find Claflin's name, registered within half a page of Mr. Leavenworth and his two nieces.My suspicions were finally confirmed, and no matter what my mood was, I knew I had clues to the answers to my conundrums.

I hastened to the telegraph office and delivered a letter to the person Mr. Gritz had promised to communicate with me.Then he wrote back that he couldn't see me before three o'clock, so I went to Mr. Monell's.Monell is our Live in R client.He happened to be at home, and we talked for two hours, and though I tried to look relaxed and interested in what he had to say, I was weighed down with disappointment and anxious about the case at hand. When I arrived at the station, the train was just arriving.Only one passenger is going to R.He was an energetic young man, whose appearance was very different from the Q described by Gritz, so I immediately decided that he was not the one I was looking for, and turned away disappointed.That's when he approached me and handed me a card with just a "?" printed on it.At the time I couldn't believe that the most successful and cunning informant of Mr. Gritz's was right in front of me.It was only when I stared into his eyes, seeing the eager, joyful light in them, that my doubts disappeared, and I followed his bow in greeting.I said, "You're punctual. I appreciate punctuality."

He nodded slightly again. "As you please. Punctuality is the most effortless of virtues for the striving man. What are your orders, sir? The next train arrives in ten minutes, and there is not much time left." "Communication train? What are we going to do on the train?" "I thought you might want to take the train, sir. Mr. Brown, he—" he winked pointedly, "he always comes home with his luggage when he sees me coming. But it's your case, and I can't Ask more." "I hope to make the most sensible decision under the current circumstances."

"According to what you said, go home quickly, the sooner the better." He nodded hastily for the third time, being too businesslike and too decisive. "If I leave, you must understand that your news must be given to me first. You are under my command and temporarily not under the jurisdiction of others. Be sure to keep silent until I let you speak." "Yes, sir. When I work for Brown's, I don't work for Smith & Jones. You can rest easy." "Very well, here are my instructions for you." He looked at the note I handed him with a serious attitude, then went to the waiting room and threw it into the stove, whispering:

"Just in case something unexpected happens." "but--" "Oh, don't worry. I won't forget. I have a good memory, sir. You don't need a pen and paper with me." He said with a short laugh. "I may not be in touch with you until a day or two later." .” After saying that, he bowed and walked quickly to the street. At this time, the train just entered the station from the west. My instructions to Q are as follows: 1. Find out the date when the two Miss Leavenworth came to R last year, and who accompanied them.What did you do after you arrived, and who did you get closest to most often.And the date they left, it is best to collect their daily habits and so on.

2. To conduct the same investigation on Mr. Henry Claflin.He also lodged at the same location and may have been a friend of the woman mentioned above. 3. Find the name of a person who fits the following criteria: Clergyman, Methodist, died about December last year, lived less than twenty miles near R in July 1875. 4. In addition, please find out who was employed by the above-mentioned personnel at that time, including their names and current whereabouts. During the investigation, due to my naturally quick temper, I was constantly restless.I have never felt such a difficult time. It only took two days from the time I came back from R until I received the following letter.

gentlemen: 1. The person you mentioned arrived in R. on July 3, 1875.A group of four people in total.Two ladies, their uncle, and a maid named Hannah.Uncle stayed for three days, then went to Massachusetts for two weeks.During this period the two ladies were seen, not for long, nor to the point of whispering, with the gentleman you know, but the gentleman suddenly left R two days after his uncle's return.On July 19th, the two ladies had social activities as usual, whether it was a picnic or a car ride, and they also went to the ballroom. M (Mary) is the most popular. E (Eleanor) has a dignified expression, and the closer the day of leaving, the more depressed she looks.Looking back now, her attitude has always been very strange, and her cousin has always been reluctant to approach her.

However, according to one of the hotel maids, she was the gentlest lady in the whole world.There is no specific reason for this view.Uncle, ladies, and servants left R. on August 7, 1875, and returned to New York. 2. HC (Henry Claflin) arrived in R on July 6, 1875, accompanied by the van der Fu couple and their friends.I left on July 19th and stayed for a total of two weeks.Not much is known about him.Others remembered that he was a handsome gentleman who was very close to the two Miss L (Leavenworth), but the others were not clear. 3. In F, a small town sixteen or seventeen miles away from R, a Methodist pastor named Samuel Stebbins died last July on January 7 this year.

4. The name of the person employed by Stebbins was Timothy Cook.He didn't return to F until two days ago.You can see him if you need to. "Aha!" I exclaimed when I saw this, in a mixture of surprise and joy, "now there is a clue worth pursuing!" I sat down and wrote this reply: Desperate to find TC (Timothy Cook).Also, please find evidence that HC and EL got married at Mr. S (Stebbins) in July and August last year. The next morning I received the following telegram: TC arrived immediately.Remember the wedding.Will be there for you at two o'clock in the afternoon.

At three o'clock that same day, I stood before Mr. Gritz. "I'll report to you," I said. A smile flickered across his face, and for the first time he looked softly at his bandaged fingers.It must be very helpful to bandage the fingers like this. "I'm ready," he said. "Mr. Gritz," I began, "do you remember the conclusion we came to when we first met in this house?" "I do remember the conclusion you came to." "Okay well," I admit a little sheepishly, "let's say I've come to the conclusion. The conclusion is: if we can find out who Eleanor Leavenworth feels she owes, we should be able to find out." The murderer of her uncle."

"Do you think you've found it?" "yes." His eyes moved slightly closer to my face. "Yeah, great! Go ahead." "When I first decided to clarify the suspicion of Eleanor Leavenworth," I went on, "I had a hunch that this person must be her beloved. But I didn't expect that he turned out to be her husband." Mr. Gritz's gaze shot to the ceiling like lightning. "What?!" he exclaimed, frowning. "Eleanor Leavenworth's beloved was her husband," I repeated, "and Mr. Claflin was to her." "How did you find out?" Mr. Gritz asked, with disappointment and dissatisfaction in his tone. "I'm not going to say much. The question is not how I know it, but how I can confirm it. I've put together the pieces of the lives of these two people, and if you look at it, you'll agree with me. "I held the following before his eyes. During the two weeks from July 6th to July 19th, 1875, Henry Claflin in London and Eleanor Leavenworth in New York stayed at the same hotel.The evidence is the register of the Lodge Association in R, New York. Not only are they tenants of the same hotel, but they also have more or less contacts with each other.The evidence is that the current employee of Hotel R has confirmed this matter, and this employee was also working in Hotel R at that time. On the nineteenth of July, Mr. Claflin left R. abruptly.His departure was not surprising, for Mr. Leavenworth, who was well known to have an extreme distaste for the British, had just returned to his hotel from a trip away. July 30th.Mr Claflin was seen in Mr Stebbins' drawing room.Stebbins was the Methodist minister of F. The F is sixteen miles beyond the R.Mr. Claflin married a stunning beauty in R.This was confirmed by Timothy Cook.He was Mr. Stebbins' gardener, acted as a temporary witness to the marriage, and signed what was supposed to be a marriage certificate. July 31st.Mr. Claflin was on the steam liner bound for Liverpool.The date was confirmed by the newspaper. September.At her uncle's house in New York, Eleanor Leavenworth's routine was the same as usual, but her face was pale and she was out of her mind all day long.It was confirmed by the servant who served her at that time.Mr. Claflin, who was in London, eagerly awaited mail from America, but received no letters.He furnished the room tastefully, as if for a lady.Confirmed by a London source. November.Miss Leavenworth still lived with her uncle.She has not made her marriage public.Mr. Claflin was in London, looking restless, about to close the lady's room.The confirmer is the same as above. January 17, 1876.Mr. Claflin returned to America and checked into the Hoffman Hotel in New York. March 1 or 2.Mr. Leavenworth received a letter signed by Henry Claflin, complaining about one of Leavenworth's nieces, and complaining that she was not kind to others.At this time, there was obvious discord in the family. March 4th.Mr. Claflin came to Mr. Leavenworth's house under a false name, hoping to see Eleanor Leavenworth.Confirmed by Thomas. "March 4th?" Mr. Gritz exclaimed at this moment. "It was the night of the murder." "That's right. It was Mr. Claflin who called on Mr. Lee Roy Robbins that night." "March 19th. Mary Leavenworth admitted in conversation with me that there was indeed a scandalous affair in the house. Just as she was about to reveal it, Mr. Claflin came in. After he left, she Declared that he didn't want to talk about it again." Mr. Gritz slowly pushed the paper away. "From these facts, do you deduce that Eleanor Leavenworth is Mr. Claflin's wife?" "yes." "And as his wife—" "She will naturally conceal all evidence against him." "You've been assuming that Claflin himself did something bad?" "of course?" "The hypothesis you are proposing to prove is this?" "It's up to you and me to prove this hypothesis." A strange gleam appeared on Mr. Gritz's face which had been absent-minded. "So you found no further evidence against Mr. Claflin?" "The facts I have just presented regarding the victim's obstruction of the marriage between the person involved and her husband, who has not yet been publicly acknowledged, should be taken as evidence." "There is no definite evidence that he is the murderer of Mr. Leavenworth?" I have to admit that I really don't have conclusive evidence in my hands. "However, I can prove that there was a motive, and I can prove that it is not only possible, but sufficient to show that he was indeed in the haunted house at the time of the murder." "Ah, you can!" exclaimed Mr. Gritz, waking from his contemplation. "His motive for killing was personal gain. Mr. Leavenworth would not allow Eleanor to recognize him as a marriage partner, so he must be removed soon." "This is still too flimsy!" "The motive for murder is sometimes inherently tenuous." "The motive in this case is not weak. This murder case shows many signs of careful planning. It must not have been ad hoc, but was driven by extremely strong desire or greed." "Greed?" "When a rich man is killed, you must take greed into consideration, because greed is the most common fanaticism of human beings. "But--" "You say Mr. Claflin was there at the time of the murder. Let me hear your reasons." I have repeated Thomas the butler's statement concerning the fact that Mr. Claflin came to visit Miss Leavenworth that night, but there is no evidence that he did leave when he should have. "That is indeed worth noting," concluded Mr. Gritz. "His account is of no value as direct evidence, but it may be of considerable value as corroboration." Then he went on, in a more grave tone. , "Mr. Raymond, do you know the direction you have been working hard on, which will only aggravate Eleanor Leavenworth's suspicion instead of alleviating her grievances?" I could only scream because I was suddenly overwhelmed. "You exposed her as sneaky, cunning, unprincipled, ready to betray the closest people to her—her uncle and husband." "Your statement is too drastic." I said, because the characteristics of Eleanor he described were completely different from my previous cognition. "It was your own conclusions that led me to say that." I sat silent while he murmured, "Things were against her in the first place, and if now the assumption of her marriage to Mr. Claflin If it is established, it will be even more detrimental to her." "Wait a minute," I protested, unable to give up hope without defense, "you don't believe, and can't believe, that noble-looking Eleanor would commit such a monstrous crime?" "I don't believe it," he said slowly. "You knew I didn't believe she could do it. I believe Eleanor Leavenworth is innocent." "Do you believe it? In your opinion?" I exclaimed. He said that Eleanor was guilty just now, and now he believes in Eleanor's innocence. " Mr. Gritz replied quietly. "It's about proving your assumptions wrong."