命案目睹记33

时间：2025-10-20 07:27:02

（单词翻译:单击）

Fifteen
I
Inspector1 Craddock had made an appointment with Harold Crackenthorpe
at his office, and he and Sergeant2 Wetherall arrived there punctually. The
office was on the fourth floor of a big block of City offices. Inside
everything showed prosperity and the acme3 of modern business taste.
A neat young woman took his name, spoke4 in a discreet5 murmur6
through a telephone, and then, rising, showed them into Harold Cracken-
thorpe’s own private office.
Harold was sitting behind a large leather-topped desk and was looking
as impeccable and self- confident as ever. If, as the inspector’s private
knowledge led him to surmise7, he was close upon Queer Street, no trace of
it showed.
He looked up with a frank welcoming interest.
“Good morning, Inspector Craddock. I hope this means that you have
some definite news for us at last?”
“Hardly that, I am afraid, Mr. Crackenthorpe. It’s just a few more ques-
tions I’d like to ask.”
“More questions? Surely by now we have answered everything imagin-
able.”
“I dare say it feels like that to you, Mr. Crackenthorpe, but it’s just a
question of our regular routine.”
“Well, what is it this time?” He spoke impatiently.
“I should be glad if you could tell me exactly what you were doing on
the afternoon and evening of 20th December last—say between the hours
of 3 p.m. and midnight.”
Harold Crackenthorpe went an angry shade of plum red.
“That seems to be a most extraordinary question to ask me. What does it
mean, I should like to know?”
Craddock smiled gently.
“It just means that I should like to know where you were between the
hours of 3 p.m. and midnight on Friday, 20th December.”
“Why?”
“It would help to narrow things down.”
“Narrow them down? You have extra information, then?”
“We hope that we’re getting a little closer, sir.”
“I’m not at all sure that I ought to answer your question. Not, that is,
without having my solicitor8 present.”
“That, of course, is entirely9 up to you,” said Craddock. “You are not
bound to answer any questions, and you have a perfect right to have a so-
licitor present before you do so.”
“You are not—let me be quite clear—er—warning me in any way?”
“Oh, no, sir.” Inspector Craddock looked properly shocked. “Nothing of
that kind. The questions I am asking you, I am asking several other people
as well. There’s nothing directly personal about this. It’s just a matter of
necessary eliminations10.”
“Well, of course— I’m anxious to assist in any way I can. Let me see
now. Such a thing isn’t easy to answer off hand, but we’re very systematic11
here. Miss Ellis, I expect, can help.”
He spoke briefly12 into one of the telephones on his desk and almost im-
mediately13 a streamlined young woman in a well-cut black suit entered
with a notebook.
“My secretary, Miss Ellis, Inspector Craddock. Now, Miss Ellis, the in-
spector would like to know what I was doing on the afternoon and even-
ing of—what was the date?”
“Friday, 20th December.”
“Friday, 20th December. I expect you will have some record.”
“Oh, yes.” Miss Ellis left the room, returned with an office memorandum14
calendar and turned the pages.
“You were in the office on the morning of 20th December. You had a
conference with Mr. Goldie about the Cromartie merger15, you lunched with
Lord Forthville at the Berkeley—”
“Ah, it was that day, yes.”
“You returned to the office about 3 o’clock and dictated16 half a dozen let-
ters. You then left to attend Sotheby’s sale rooms where you were interes-
ted17 in some rare manuscripts which were coming up for sale that day. You
did not return to the office again, but I have a note to remind you that you
were attending the Catering18 Club dinner that evening.” She looked up in-
terrogatively.
“Thank you, Miss Ellis.”
Miss Ellis glided19 from the room.
“That is all quite clear in my mind,” said Harold. “I went to Sotheby’s
that afternoon but the items I wanted there went for too high a price. I
had tea in a small place in Jermyn Street—Russell’s, I think, it was called. I
dropped into a News Theatre for about half an hour or so, then went
home—I live at 43 Cardigan Gardens. The Catering Club dinner took place
at seven-thirty at Caterer’s Hall, and after it I returned home to bed. I
think that should answer your questions.”
“That’s all very clear, Mr. Crackenthorpe. What time was it when you re-
turned home to dress?”
“I don’t think I can remember exactly. Soon after six, I should think.”
“And after your dinner?”
“It was, I think, half past eleven when I got home.”
“Did your manservant let you in? Or perhaps Lady Alice Crackenthorpe
—”
“My wife, Lady Alice, is abroad in the South of France and has been
since early December. I let myself in with my latch20 key.”
“So there is no one who can vouch21 for your returning home when you
say you did?”
Harold gave him a cold stare.
“I dare say the servants heard me come in. I have a man and wife. But,
really, Inspector—”
“Please, Mr. Crackenthorpe, I know these kind of questions are annoy-
ing, but I have nearly finished. Do you own a car?”
“Yes, a Humber Hawk22.”
“You drive it yourself?”
“Yes. I don’t use it much except at weekends. Driving in London is quite
impossible nowadays.”
“I presume you use it when you go down to see your father and sister in
Brackhampton?”
“Not unless I am going to stay there for some length of time. If I just go
down for the night—as, for instance, to the inquest the other day—I al-
ways go by train. There is an excellent train service and it is far quicker
than going by car. The car my sister hires meets me at the station.”
“Where do you keep your car?”
“I rent a garage in the mews behind Cardigan Gardens. Any more ques-
tions?”
“I think that’s all for now,” said Inspector Craddock, smiling and rising.
“I’m very sorry for having to bother you.”
When they were outside, Sergeant Wetherall, a man who lived in a state
of dark suspicions of all and sundry23, remarked meaningly:
“He didn’t like those questions—didn’t like them at all. Put out, he was.”
“If you have not committed a murder, it naturally annoys you if it seems
someone thinks that you have,” said Inspector Craddock mildly. “It would
particularly annoy an ultra respectable man like Harold Crackenthorpe.
There’s nothing in that. What we’ve got to find out now is if anyone actu-
ally saw Harold Crackenthorpe at the sale that afternoon, and the same
applies to the tea shop place. He could easily have travelled by the 4:33,
pushed the woman out of the train and caught a train back to London in
time to appear at the dinner. In the same way he could have driven his car
down that night, moved the body to the sarcophagus and driven back
again. Make inquiries24 in the mews.”
“Yes, sir. Do you think that’s what he did do?”
“How do I know?” asked Inspector Craddock. “He’s a tall dark man. He
could have been on that train and he’s got a connection with Rutherford
Hall. He’s a possible suspect in this case. Now for Brother Alfred.”

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 inspector q6kxH     
n.检查员，监察员，视察员
参考例句：
  • The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
  • The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。
2 sergeant REQzz     
n.警官，中士
参考例句：
  • His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
  • How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？
3 acme IynzH     
n.顶点，极点
参考例句：
  • His work is considered the acme of cinematic art. 他的作品被认为是电影艺术的巅峰之作。
  • Schubert reached the acme of his skill while quite young. 舒伯特的技巧在他十分年轻时即已达到了顶峰。
4 spoke XryyC     
n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说
参考例句：
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
5 discreet xZezn     
adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的
参考例句：
  • He is very discreet in giving his opinions.发表意见他十分慎重。
  • It wasn't discreet of you to ring me up at the office.你打电话到我办公室真是太鲁莽了。
6 murmur EjtyD     
n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言
参考例句：
  • They paid the extra taxes without a murmur.他们毫无怨言地交了附加税。
  • There was a low murmur of conversation in the hall.大厅里有窃窃私语声。
7 surmise jHiz8     
v./n.猜想，推测
参考例句：
  • It turned out that my surmise was correct.结果表明我的推测没有错。
  • I surmise that he will take the job.我推测他会接受这份工作。
8 solicitor vFBzb     
n.初级律师，事务律师
参考例句：
  • The solicitor's advice gave me food for thought.律师的指点值得我深思。
  • The solicitor moved for an adjournment of the case.律师请求将这个案件的诉讼延期。
9 entirely entirely     
ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地
参考例句：
  • The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
  • His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。
10 eliminations 88316baa9d49c156158550779cf9f2e2     
n.排除( elimination的名词复数 )；除去；根除；淘汰
参考例句：
  • The eliminations came from Mitsubishi's sales and credit departments. 在冲销来自三菱的销售和信贷部门。 来自互联网
  • This is the largest batch of job eliminations in British banking industry. 这是今年以来英国银行宣布的最大规模裁员计划。 来自互联网
11 systematic SqMwo     
adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的
参考例句：
  • The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
  • The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。
12 briefly 9Styo     
adv.简单地，简短地
参考例句：
  • I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
  • He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。
13 mediately 806e80459c77df0ee0a0820a80764058     
在中间，间接
参考例句：
  • Im-mediately after a race, each swimmer has an ear pricked to test for lac-tic-acid levels. 赛后每个泳者耳朵立刻用针扎一下，验血浆乳酸浓度值。
14 memorandum aCvx4     
n.备忘录，便笺
参考例句：
  • The memorandum was dated 23 August,2008.备忘录上注明的日期是2008年8月23日。
  • The Secretary notes down the date of the meeting in her memorandum book.秘书把会议日期都写在记事本上。
15 merger vCJxG     
n.企业合并，并吞
参考例句：
  • Acceptance of the offer is the first step to a merger.对这项提议的赞同是合并的第一步。
  • Shareholders will be voting on the merger of the companies.股东们将投票表决公司合并问题。
16 dictated aa4dc65f69c81352fa034c36d66908ec     
v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布
参考例句：
  • He dictated a letter to his secretary. 他向秘书口授信稿。
  • No person of a strong character likes to be dictated to. 没有一个个性强的人愿受人使唤。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 ted 9gazhs     
vt.翻晒，撒，撒开
参考例句：
  • The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
  • She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。
18 catering WwtztU     
n. 给养
参考例句：
  • Most of our work now involves catering for weddings. 我们现在的工作多半是承办婚宴。
  • Who did the catering for your son's wedding? 你儿子的婚宴是由谁承办的？
19 glided dc24e51e27cfc17f7f45752acf858ed1     
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔
参考例句：
  • The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
  • They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
20 latch g2wxS     
n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁
参考例句：
  • She laid her hand on the latch of the door.她把手放在门闩上。
  • The repairman installed an iron latch on the door.修理工在门上安了铁门闩。
21 vouch nLszZ     
v.担保；断定；n.被担保者
参考例句：
  • They asked whether I was prepared to vouch for him.他们问我是否愿意为他作担保。
  • I can vouch for the fact that he is a good worker.我保证他是好员工。
22 hawk NeKxY     
n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员
参考例句：
  • The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
  • The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。
23 sundry CswwL     
adj.各式各样的，种种的
参考例句：
  • This cream can be used to treat sundry minor injuries.这种药膏可用来治各种轻伤。
  • We can see the rich man on sundry occasions.我们能在各种场合见到那个富豪。
24 inquiries 86a54c7f2b27c02acf9fcb16a31c4b57     
n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听
参考例句：
  • He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
  • I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

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