命案目睹记14
时间：2025-10-20 07:18:05
（单词翻译:单击）
III
After leading the police to the Long Barn, and giving a brief account of her
actions, Lucy had retired into the background, but she was under no illu-
sion that the police had finished with her.
She had just finished preparing potatoes for chips that evening when
word was brought to her that Inspector Bacon required her presence. Put-
ting aside the large bowl of cold water and salt in which the chips were re-
posing, Lucy followed the policeman to where the inspector awaited her.
She sat down and awaited his questions composedly.
She gave her name—and her address in London, and added of her own
accord:
“I will give you some names and addresses of references if you want to
know all about me.”
The names were very good ones. An Admiral of the Fleet, the Provost of
an Oxford College, and a Dame of the British Empire. In spite of himself
Inspector Bacon was impressed.
“Now, Miss Eyelesbarrow, you went into the Long Barn to find some
paint. Is that right? And after having found the paint you got a crowbar,
forced up the lid of this sarcophagus and found the body. What were you
looking for in the sarcophagus?”
“I was looking for a body,” said Lucy.
“You were looking for a body—and you found one! Doesn’t that seem to
you a very extraordinary story?”
“Oh, yes, it is an extraordinary story. Perhaps you will let me explain it
to you.”
“I certainly think you had better do so.”
Lucy gave him a precise recital of the events which had led up to her
sensational discovery.
The inspector summed it up in an outraged voice.
“You were engaged by an elderly lady to obtain a post here and to
search the house and grounds for a dead body? Is that right?”
“Yes.”
“Who is this elderly lady?”
“Miss Jane Marple. She is at present living at 4 Madison Road.”
The inspector wrote it down.
“You expect me to believe this story?”
Lucy said gently:
“Not, perhaps, until after you have interviewed Miss Marple and got her
confirmation of it.”
“I shall interview her all right. She must be cracked.”
Lucy forbore to point out that to be proved right is not really a proof of
mental incapacity. Instead she said:
“What are you proposing to tell Miss Crackenthorpe? About me, I
mean?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Well, as far as Miss Marple is concerned I’ve done my job, I’ve found the
body she wanted found. But I’m still engaged by Miss Crackenthorpe, and
there are two hungry boys in the house and probably some more of the
family will soon be coming down after all this upset. She needs domestic
help. If you go and tell her that I only took this post in order to hunt for
dead bodies she’ll probably throw me out. Otherwise I can get on with my
job and be useful.”
The inspector looked hard at her.
“I’m not saying anything to anyone at present,” he said. “I haven’t veri-
fied your statement yet. For all I know you may be making the whole thing
up.”
Lucy rose.
“Thank you. Then I’ll go back to the kitchen and get on with things.”
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