命案目睹记34

时间：2025-10-20 07:27:04

（单词翻译:单击）

II
Alfred Crackenthorpe had a flat in West Hampstead, in a big modern
building of slightly jerry-built type with a large courtyard in which the
owners of flats parked their cars with a certain lack of consideration for
others.
The flat was the modern built-in type, evidently rented furnished. It had
a long plywood table that led down from the wall, a divan1 bed, and vari-
ous chairs of improbable proportions.
Alfred Crackenthorpe met them with engaging friendliness2 but was, the
inspector3 thought, nervous.
“I’m intrigued,” he said. “Can I offer you a drink, Inspector Craddock?”
He held up various bottles invitingly4.
“No, thank you, Mr. Crackenthorpe.”
“As bad as that?” He laughed at his own little joke, then asked what it
was all about.
Inspector Craddock said his little piece.
“What was I doing on the afternoon and evening of 20th December.
How should I know? Why, that’s—what—over three weeks ago.”
“Your brother Harold has been able to tell us very exactly.”
“Brother Harold, perhaps. Not Brother Alfred.” He added with a touch of
something—envious malice5 possibly: “Harold is the successful member of
the family — busy, useful, fully6 employed — a time for everything, and
everything at that time. Even if he were to commit a—murder, shall we
say?—it would be carefully timed and exact.”
“Any particular reason for using that example?”
“Oh, no. It just came into my mind—as a supreme7 absurdity8.”
“Now about yourself.”
Alfred spread out his hands.
“It’s as I tell you—I’ve no memory for times or places. If you were to say
Christmas Day now—then I should be able to answer you—there’s a peg9 to
hang it on. I know where I was Christmas Day. We spend that with my
father at Brackhampton. I really don’t know why. He grumbles10 at the ex-
pense of having us—and would grumble11 that we never came near him if
we didn’t come. We really do it to please my sister.”
“And you did it this year?”
“Yes.”
“But unfortunately your father was taken ill, was he not?”
Craddock was pursuing a sideline deliberately12, led by the kind of in-
stinct that often came to him in his profession.
“He was taken ill. Living like a sparrow in that glorious cause of eco-
nomy, sudden full eating and drinking had its effect.”
“That was all it was, was it?”
“Of course. What else?”
“I gathered that his doctor was—worried.”
“Ah, that old fool Quimper,” Alfred spoke13 quickly and scornfully. “It’s no
use listening to him, Inspector. He’s an alarmist of the worst kind.”
“Indeed? He seemed a rather sensible kind of man to me.”
“He’s a complete fool. Father’s not really an invalid14, there’s nothing
wrong with his heart, but he takes in Quimper completely. Naturally,
when father really felt ill, he made a terrific fuss, and had Quimper going
and coming, asking questions, going into everything he’d eaten and drunk.
The whole thing was ridiculous!” Alfred spoke with unusual heat.
Craddock was silent for a moment or two, rather effectively. Alfred fid-
geted, shot him a quick glance, and then said petulantly15:
“Well, what is all this? Why do you want to know where I was on a par-
ticular Friday, three or four weeks ago?”
“So you do remember that it was a Friday?”
“I thought you said so.”
“Perhaps I did,” said Inspector Craddock. “At any rate, Friday 20th is the
day I am asking about.”
“Why?”
“A routine inquiry16.”
“That’s nonsense. Have you found out something more about this wo-
man? About where she came from?”
“Our information is not yet complete.”
Alfred gave him a sharp glance.
“I hope you’re not being led aside by this wild theory of Emma’s that she
might have been my brother Edmund’s widow. That’s complete non-
sense.”
“This— Martine, did not at any rate apply to you?”
“To me? Good lord, no! That would have been a laugh.”
“She would be more likely, you think, to go to your brother Harold?”
“Much more likely. His name’s frequently in the papers. He’s well off.
Trying a touch there wouldn’t surprise me. Not that she’d have got any-
thing. Harold’s as tight-fisted as the old man himself. Emma, of course, is
the soft-hearted one of the family, and she was Edmund’s favourite sister.
All the same, Emma isn’t credulous17. She was quite alive to the possibility
of this woman being phoney. She had it all laid on for the entire family to
be there—and a hard-headed solicitor18 as well.”
“Very wise,” said Craddock. “Was there a definite date fixed19 for this
meeting?”
“It was to be soon after Christmas — the weekend of the 27th…” he
stopped.
“Ah,” said Craddock pleasantly. “So I see some dates have a meaning to
you.”
“I’ve told you—no definite date was fixed.”
“But you talked about it—when?”
“I really can’t remember.”
“And you can’t tell me what you yourself were doing on Friday, 20th
December?”
“Sorry—my mind’s an absolute blank.”
“You don’t keep an engagement book?”
“Can’t stand the things.”
“The Friday before Christmas—it shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“I played golf one day with a likely prospect20.” Alfred shook his head.
“No, that was the week before. I probably just mooched around. I spend a
lot of my time doing that. I find one’s business gets done in bars more than
anywhere else.”
“Perhaps the people here, or some of your friends, may be able to help?”
“Maybe. I’ll ask them. Do what I can.”
Alfred seemed more sure of himself now.
“I can’t tell you what I was doing that day,” he said; “but I can tell you
what I wasn’t doing. I wasn’t murdering anyone in the Long Barn.”
“Why should you say that, Mr. Crackenthorpe?”
“Come now, my dear Inspector. You’re investigating this murder, aren’t
you? And when you begin to ask ‘Where were you on such and such a day
at such and such a time?’ you’re narrowing down things. I’d very much
like to know why you’ve hit on Friday the 20th between—what? Lunch-
time and midnight? It couldn’t be medical evidence, not after all this time.
Did somebody see the deceased sneaking21 into the barn that afternoon?
She went in and she never came out, etc.? Is that it?”
The sharp black eyes were watching him narrowly, but Inspector Crad-
dock was far too old a hand to react to that sort of thing.
“I’m afraid we’ll have to let you guess about that,” he said pleasantly.
“The police are so secretive.”
“Not only the police. I think, Mr. Crackenthorpe, you could remember
what you were doing on that Friday if you tried. Of course you may have
reasons for not wishing to remember—”
“You won’t catch me that way, Inspector. It’s very suspicious, of course,
very suspicious, indeed, that I can’t remember—but there it is! Wait a
minute now—I went to Leeds that week—stayed at a hotel close to the
Town Hall—can’t remember its name—but you’d find it easy enough. That
might have been on the Friday.”
“We’ll check up,” said the inspector unemotionally.
He rose. “I’m sorry you couldn’t have been more cooperative, Mr. Crack-
enthorpe.”
“Most unfortunate for me! There’s Cedric with a safe alibi22 in Ibiza, and
Harold, no doubt, checked with business appointments and public dinners
every hour—and here am I with no alibi at all. Very sad. And all so silly.
I’ve already told you I don’t murder people. And why should I murder an
unknown woman, anyway? What for? Even if the corpse23 is the corpse of
Edmund’s widow, why should any of us wish to do away with her? Now if
she’d been married to Harold in the war, and had suddenly reappeared—
then it might have been awkward for the respectable Harold—bigamy and
all that. But Edmund! Why we’d all have enjoyed making Father stump24 up
a bit to give her an allowance and send the boy to a decent school. Father
would have been wild, but he couldn’t in decency25 refuse to do something.
Won’t you have a drink before you go, Inspector? Sure? Too bad I haven’t
been able to help you.”

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 divan L8Byv     
n.长沙发；（波斯或其他东方诗人的）诗集
参考例句：
  • Lord Henry stretched himself out on the divan and laughed.亨利勋爵伸手摊脚地躺在沙发椅上，笑着。
  • She noticed that Muffat was sitting resignedly on a narrow divan-bed.她看见莫法正垂头丧气地坐在一张不宽的坐床上。
2 friendliness nsHz8c     
n.友谊，亲切，亲密
参考例句：
  • Behind the mask of friendliness,I know he really dislikes me.在友善的面具后面，我知道他其实并不喜欢我。
  • His manner was a blend of friendliness and respect.他的态度友善且毕恭毕敬。
3 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。
4 invitingly 83e809d5e50549c03786860d565c9824     
adv. 动人地
参考例句：
  • Her lips pouted invitingly. 她挑逗地撮起双唇。
  • The smooth road sloped invitingly before her. 平展的山路诱人地倾斜在她面前。
5 malice P8LzW     
n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋
参考例句：
  • I detected a suggestion of malice in his remarks.我觉察出他说的话略带恶意。
  • There was a strong current of malice in many of his portraits.他的许多肖像画中都透着一股强烈的怨恨。
6 fully Gfuzd     
adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地
参考例句：
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
7 supreme PHqzc     
adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的
参考例句：
  • It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
  • He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
8 absurdity dIQyU     
n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论
参考例句：
  • The proposal borders upon the absurdity.这提议近乎荒谬。
  • The absurdity of the situation made everyone laugh.情况的荒谬可笑使每个人都笑了。
9 peg p3Fzi     
n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定
参考例句：
  • Hang your overcoat on the peg in the hall.把你的大衣挂在门厅的挂衣钩上。
  • He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet.他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。
10 grumbles a99c97d620c517b5490044953d545cb1     
抱怨( grumble的第三人称单数 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声
参考例句：
  • He grumbles at his lot instead of resolutely facing his difficulties. 他不是果敢地去面对困难，而是抱怨自己运气不佳。
  • I'm sick of your unending grumbles. 我对你的不断埋怨感到厌烦。
11 grumble 6emzH     
vi.抱怨；咕哝；n.抱怨，牢骚；咕哝，隆隆声
参考例句：
  • I don't want to hear another grumble from you.我不愿再听到你的抱怨。
  • He could do nothing but grumble over the situation.他除了埋怨局势之外别无他法。
12 deliberately Gulzvq     
adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地
参考例句：
  • The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
  • They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。
13 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。
14 invalid V4Oxh     
n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的
参考例句：
  • He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
  • A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。
15 petulantly 6a54991724c557a3ccaeff187356e1c6     
参考例句：
  • \"No; nor will she miss now,\" cries The Vengeance, petulantly. “不会的，现在也不会错过，”复仇女神气冲冲地说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
16 inquiry nbgzF     
n.打听，询问，调查，查问
参考例句：
  • Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
  • The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。
17 credulous Oacy2     
adj.轻信的，易信的
参考例句：
  • You must be credulous if she fooled you with that story.连她那种话都能把你骗倒，你一定是太容易相信别人了。
  • Credulous attitude will only make you take anything for granted.轻信的态度只会使你想当然。
18 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。
19 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的
参考例句：
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。
20 prospect P01zn     
n.前景，前途；景色，视野
参考例句：
  • This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
  • The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。
21 sneaking iibzMu     
a.秘密的，不公开的
参考例句：
  • She had always had a sneaking affection for him. 以前她一直暗暗倾心于他。
  • She ducked the interviewers by sneaking out the back door. 她从后门偷偷溜走，躲开采访者。
22 alibi bVSzb     
n.某人当时不在犯罪现场的申辩或证明；借口
参考例句：
  • Do you have any proof to substantiate your alibi? 你有证据表明你当时不在犯罪现场吗？
  • The police are suspicious of his alibi because he already has a record.警方对他不在场的辩解表示怀疑，因为他已有前科。
23 corpse JYiz4     
n.尸体，死尸
参考例句：
  • What she saw was just an unfeeling corpse.她见到的只是一具全无感觉的尸体。
  • The corpse was preserved from decay by embalming.尸体用香料涂抹以防腐烂。
24 stump hGbzY     
n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走
参考例句：
  • He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。
  • He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。
25 decency Jxzxs     
n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重
参考例句：
  • His sense of decency and fair play made him refuse the offer.他的正直感和公平竞争意识使他拒绝了这一提议。
  • Your behaviour is an affront to public decency.你的行为有伤风化。

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