命案目睹记43
时间：2025-10-20 07:29:48
（单词翻译:单击）
II
At Rutherford Hall there had been a gathering of the Crackenthorpe fam-
ily. Harold and Alfred had come down from London and very soon voices
were raised and tempers were running high.
On her own initiative, Lucy mixed cocktails in a jug with ice and then
took them towards the library. The voices sounded clearly in the hall, and
indicated that a good deal of acrimony was being directed towards Emma.
“Entirely your fault, Emma,” Harold’s bass voice rang out angrily. “How
you could be so shortsighted and foolish beats me. If you hadn’t taken that
letter to Scotland Yard—and started all this—”
Alfred’s high- pitched voice said: “You must have been out of your
senses!”
“Now don’t bully her,” said Cedric. “What’s done is done. Much more
fishy if they’d identified the woman as the missing Martine and we’d all
kept mum about having heard from her.”
“It’s all very well for you, Cedric,” said Harold angrily. “You were out of
the country on the 20th which seems to be the day they are inquiring
about. But it’s very embarrassing for Alfred and myself. Fortunately, I can
remember where I was that afternoon and what I was doing.”
“I bet you can,” said Alfred. “If you’d arranged a murder, Harold, you’d
arrange your alibi very carefully, I’m sure.”
“I gather you are not so fortunate,” said Harold coldly.
“That depends,” said Alfred. “Anything’s better than presenting a cast-
iron alibi to the police if it isn’t really cast-iron. They’re so clever at break-
ing these things down.”
“If you are insinuating that I killed the woman—”
“Oh, do stop, all of you,” cried Emma. “Of course none of you killed the
woman.”
“And just for your information, I wasn’t out of England on the 20th,” said
Cedric. “And the police are wise to it! So we’re all under suspicion.”
“If it hadn’t been for Emma—”
“Oh, don’t begin again, Harold,” cried Emma.
Dr. Quimper came out of the study where he had been closeted with old
Mr. Crackenthorpe. His eye fell on the jug in Lucy’s hand.
“What’s this? A celebration?”
“More in the nature of oil on troubled waters. They’re at it hammer and
tongs in there.”
“Recriminations?”
“Mostly abusing Emma.”
Dr. Quimper’s eyebrows rose.
“Indeed?” He took the jug from Lucy’s hand, opened the library door
and went in.
“Good evening.”
“Ah, Dr. Quimper, I should like a word with you.” It was Harold’s voice,
raised and irritable. “I should like to know what you meant by interfering
in a private and family matter, and telling my sister to go to Scotland Yard
about it.”
Dr. Quimper said calmly:
“Miss Crackenthorpe asked my advice. I gave it to her. In my opinion
she did perfectly right.”
“You dare to say—”
“Girl!”
It was old Mr. Crackenthorpe’s familiar salutation. He was peering out
of the study door just behind Lucy.
Lucy turned rather reluctantly.
“Yes, Mr. Crackenthorpe?”
“What are you giving us for dinner tonight? I want curry. You make a
very good curry. It’s ages since we’ve had curry.”
“The boys don’t care much for curry, you see.”
“The boys—the boys. What do the boys matter? I’m the one who mat-
ters. And, anyway, the boys have gone—good riddance. I want a nice hot
curry, do you hear?”
“All right, Mr. Crackenthorpe, you shall have it.”
“That’s right. You’re a good girl, Lucy. You look after me and I’ll look
after you.”
Lucy went back to the kitchen. Abandoning the fricassée of chicken
which she had planned, she began to assemble the preparations for curry.
The front door banged and from the window she saw Dr. Quimper stride
angrily from the house to his car and drive away.
Lucy sighed. She missed the boys. And in a way she missed Bryan, too.
Oh, well. She sat down and began to peel mushrooms.
At any rate she’d give the family a rattling good dinner.
Feed the brutes!
©2005-2010英文阅读网