破镜谋杀案12
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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Eight
I
“St. Mary Mead1, you say?” Chief-Inspector Craddock looked up sharply.
The assistant commissioner2 was a little surprised.
“Yes,” he said, “St. Mary Mead. Why? Does it—”
“Nothing really,” said Dermot Craddock.
“It’s quite a small place, I understand,” went on the other. “Though of
course there’s a great deal of building development going on there now.
Practically all the way from St. Mary Mead to Much Benham, I under-
stand. Hellingforth Studios,” he added, “are on the other side of St. Mary
Mead, towards Market Basing.” He was still looking slightly inquiring.
Dermot Craddock felt that he should perhaps explain.
“I know someone living there,” he said. “At St. Mary Mead. An old lady.
A very old lady by now. Perhaps she’s dead, I don’t know. But if not—”
The assistant commissioner took his subordinate’s point, or at any rate
he thought he did.
“Yes,” he said, “it would give you an ‘in’ in a way. One needs a bit of
local gossip. The whole thing is a curious business.”
“The County have called us in?” Dermot asked.
“Yes. I’ve got the chief constable’s letter here. They don’t seem to feel
that it’s necessarily a local affair. The largest house in the neighbourhood,
Gossington Hall, was recently sold as a residence for Marina Gregg, the
film star, and her husband. They’re shooting a film at their new studios, at
Hellingforth, in which she is starring. A fête was held in the grounds in aid
of the St. John Ambulance. The dead woman—her name is Mrs. Heather
Badcock—was the local secretary of this and had done most of the admin-
istrative work for the fête. She seems to have been a competent, sensible
person, well liked locally.”
“One of those bossy3 women?” suggested Craddock.
“Very possibly,” said the assistant commissioner. “Still in my experience,
bossy women seldom get themselves murdered. I can’t think why not.
When you come to think of it, it’s rather a pity. There was a record attend-
ance at the fête, it seems, good weather, everything running to plan. Mar-
ina Gregg and her husband held a kind of small private reception in Goss-
ington Hall. About thirty or forty people attended this. The local notables,
various people connected with the St. John Ambulance Association, sev-
eral friends of Marina Gregg herself, and a few people connected with the
studios. All very peaceful, nice and happy. But, fantastically and improb-
ably, Heather Badcock was poisoned there.”
Dermot Craddock said thoughtfully, “An odd place to choose.”
“That’s the chief constable’s point of view. If anyone wanted to poison
Heather Badcock, why choose that particular afternoon and circum-
stances? Hundreds of much simpler ways of doing it. A risky4 business any-
way, you know, to slip a dose of deadly poison into a cocktail5 in the middle
of twenty or thirty people milling about. Somebody ought to have seen
something.”
“It definitely was in the drink?”
“Yes, it was definitely in the drink. We have the particulars here. One of
those inexplicable6 names that doctors delight in, but actually a fairly com-
mon prescription7 in America.”
“In America. I see.”
“Oh, this country too. But these things are handed out much more freely
on the other side of the Atlantic. Taken in small doses, beneficial.”
“Supplied on prescription or can it be bought freely?”
“No. You have to have a prescription.”
“Yes, it’s odd,” said Dermot. “Heather Badcock have any connection with
these film people?”
“None whatever.”
“Any member of her own family at this do?”
“Her husband.”
“Her husband,” said Dermot thoughtfully.
“Yes, one always thinks that way,” agreed his superior officer, “but the
local man—Cornish, I think his name is—doesn’t seem to think there’s
anything in that, although he does report that Badcock seemed ill at ease
and nervous, but he agrees that respectable people often are like that
when interviewed by the police. They appear to have been quite a devoted8
couple.”
“In other words, the police there don’t think it’s their pigeon. Well, it
ought to be interesting. I take it I’m going down there, sir?”
“Yes. Better get there as soon as possible, Dermot. Who do you want
with you?”
Dermot considered for a moment or two.
“Tiddler, I think,” he said thoughtfully. “He’s a good man and, what’s
more, he’s a film star. That might come in useful.”
The assistant commissioner nodded. “Good luck to you,” he said.


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1 mead BotzAK     
n.蜂蜜酒
参考例句:
  • He gave me a cup of mead.他给我倒了杯蜂蜜酒。
  • He drank some mead at supper.晚饭时他喝了一些蜂蜜酒。
2 commissioner gq3zX     
n.(政府厅、局、处等部门)专员,长官,委员
参考例句:
  • The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
  • He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。
3 bossy sxdzgz     
adj.爱发号施令的,作威作福的
参考例句:
  • She turned me off with her bossy manner.她态度专橫很讨我嫌。
  • She moved out because her mother-in-law is too bossy.她的婆婆爱指使人,所以她搬出去住了。
4 risky IXVxe     
adj.有风险的,冒险的
参考例句:
  • It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险,但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
  • He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。
5 cocktail Jw8zNt     
n.鸡尾酒;餐前开胃小吃;混合物
参考例句:
  • We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
  • At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上,人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。
6 inexplicable tbCzf     
adj.无法解释的,难理解的
参考例句:
  • It is now inexplicable how that development was misinterpreted.当时对这一事态发展的错误理解究竟是怎么产生的,现在已经无法说清楚了。
  • There are many things which are inexplicable by science.有很多事科学还无法解释。
7 prescription u1vzA     
n.处方,开药;指示,规定
参考例句:
  • The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
  • The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。
8 devoted xu9zka     
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的
参考例句:
  • He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
  • We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
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