命案目睹记35

时间：2025-10-20 07:27:05

（单词翻译:单击）

III
“Sir, listen, do you know what?”
Inspector1 Craddock looked at his excited sergeant2.
“Yes, Wetherall, what is it?”
“I’ve placed him, sir. That chap. All the time I was trying to fix it and
suddenly it came. He was mixed up in that tinned food business with
Dicky Rogers. Never got anything on him—too cagey for that. And he’s
been in with one or more of the Soho lot. Watches and that Italian sover-
eign business.”
Of course! Craddock realized now why Alfred’s face had seemed vaguely3
familiar from the first. It had all been small-time stuff—never anything
that could be proved. Alfred had always been on the outskirts4 of the
racket with a plausible5 innocent reason for having been mixed up in it at
all. But the police had been quite sure that a small steady profit came his
way.
“That throws rather a light on things,” Craddock said.
“Think he did it?”
“I shouldn’t have said he was the type to do murder. But it explains
other things—the reason why he couldn’t come up with an alibi6.”
“Yes, that looked bad for him.”
“Not really,” said Craddock. “It’s quite a clever line—just to say firmly
you can’t remember. Lots of people can’t remember what they did and
where they were even a week ago. It’s especially useful if you don’t partic-
ularly want to call attention to the way you spend your time—interesting
rendezvous7 at lorry pull-ups with the Dicky Rogers crowd, for instance.”
“So you think he’s all right?”
“I’m not prepared to think anyone’s all right just yet,” said Inspector
Craddock. “You’ve got to work on it, Wetherall.”
Back at his desk, Craddock sat frowning, and making little notes on the
pad in front of him.
Murderer (he wrote)… A tall dark man!!!
Victim?… Could have been Martine, Edmund
Crackenthorpe’s girlfriend or widow.
Or
Could have been Anna Stravinska. Went out of circulation
at appropriate time, right age and appearance, clothing,
etc. No connections with Rutherford Hall as far as is
known. Could be Harold’s first wife! Bigamy!
” ” first mistress. Blackmail8!
If connection with Alfred, might be blackmail. Had know-
ledge9 that could have sent him to gaol10? If Cedric—might
have had connections with him abroad— Paris? Balear-
ics?
Or
Victim could be Anna S. posing as Martine
or
Victim is unknown woman killed by unknown murderer!
“And most probably the latter,” said Craddock aloud.
He reflected gloomily on the situation. You couldn’t get far with a case
until you had the motive11. All the motives12 suggested so far seemed either
inadequate13 or far fetched.
Now if only it had been the murder of old Mr. Crackenthorpe… Plenty of
motive there….
Something stirred in his memory….
He made further notes on his pad.
Ask Dr. Q. about Christmas illness.
Cedric—alibi.
Consult Miss M. for the latest gossip.

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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 vaguely BfuzOy     
adv.含糊地，暖昧地
参考例句：
  • He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。
  • He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面，对一切都视而不见。
4 outskirts gmDz7W     
n.郊外，郊区
参考例句：
  • Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
  • They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。
5 plausible hBCyy     
adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的
参考例句：
  • His story sounded plausible.他说的那番话似乎是真实的。
  • Her story sounded perfectly plausible.她的说辞听起来言之有理。
6 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。
7 rendezvous XBfzj     
n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇
参考例句：
  • She made the rendezvous with only minutes to spare.她还差几分钟时才来赴约。
  • I have a rendezvous with Peter at a restaurant on the harbour.我和彼得在海港的一个餐馆有个约会。
8 blackmail rRXyl     
n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓
参考例句：
  • She demanded ＄1000 blackmail from him.她向他敲诈了1000美元。
  • The journalist used blackmail to make the lawyer give him the documents.记者讹诈那名律师交给他文件。
9 ledge o1Mxk     
n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁
参考例句：
  • They paid out the line to lower him to the ledge.他们放出绳子使他降到那块岩石的突出部分。
  • Suddenly he struck his toe on a rocky ledge and fell.突然他的脚趾绊在一块突出的岩石上，摔倒了。
10 gaol Qh8xK     
n.(jail)监狱；(不加冠词)监禁；vt.使…坐牢
参考例句：
  • He was released from the gaol.他被释放出狱。
  • The man spent several years in gaol for robbery.这男人因犯抢劫罪而坐了几年牢。
11 motive GFzxz     
n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的
参考例句：
  • The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
  • He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。
12 motives 6c25d038886898b20441190abe240957     
n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
  • His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。
13 inadequate 2kzyk     
adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的
参考例句：
  • The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
  • She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

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