破镜谋杀案26

时间：2025-11-25 09:20:33

（单词翻译:单击）

II
Nobody could have been more ready to talk than Donald McNeil. He was
an amiable1 red- headed young man. He greeted Dermot Craddock with
pleasure and curiosity.
“How are you getting along,” he asked cheerfully, “got any little special
titbit for me?”
“Not as yet. Later perhaps.”
“Stalling as usual. You’re all the same. Affable oysters2! Haven’t you
come to the stage yet of inviting3 someone to come and ‘assist you in your
inquiries’?”
“I’ve come to you,” said Dermot Craddock with a grin.
“Is there a nasty double entendre in that remark? Are you really suspi-
cious that I murdered Heather Badcock and do you think I did it in mis-
take for Marina Gregg or that I meant to murder Heather Badcock and do
you think I did it in mistake for Marina Gregg or that I meant to murder
Heather Badcock all the time?”
“I haven’t suggested anything,” said Craddock.
“No, no, you wouldn’t do that, would you? You’d be very correct. All
right. Let’s go into it. I was there. I had opportunity but had I any motive4?
Ah, that’s what you’d like to know. What was my motive?”
“I haven’t been able to find one so far,” said Craddock.
“That’s very gratifying. I feel safer.”
“I’m just interested in what you may have seen that day.”
“You’ve had that already. The local police had that straight away. It’s hu-
miliating. There I was on the scene of a murder. I practically saw the
murder committed, must have done, and yet I’ve no idea who did it. I’m
ashamed to confess that the first I knew about it was seeing the poor, dear
woman sitting on a chair gasping5 for breath and then pegging7 out. Of
course it made a very good eyewitness8 account. It was a good scoop9 for me
—and all that. But I’ll confess to you that I feel humiliated10 that I don’t
know more. I ought to know more. And you can’t kid me that the dose was
meant for Heather Badcock. She was a nice woman who talked too much,
but nobody gets murdered for that — unless of course they give away
secrets. But I don’t think anybody would ever have told Heather Badcock a
secret. She wasn’t the kind of woman who’d have been interested in other
people’s secrets. My view of her is of a woman who invariably talked
about herself.”
“That seems to be the generally accepted view,” agreed Craddock.
“So we come to the famous Marina Gregg. I’m sure there are lots of won-
derful motives11 for murdering Marina. Envy and jealousy12 and love tangles13
—all the stuff of drama. But who did it? Someone with a screw loose, I pre-
sume. There! You’ve had my valuable opinion. Is that what you wanted?”
“Not that alone. I understand that you arrived and came up the stairs
about the same time as the vicar and the mayor.”
“Quite correct. But that wasn’t the first time I’d arrived. I’d been there
earlier.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Yes. I was on a kind of roving commission, you know, going here and
there. I had a photographer with me. I’d gone down to take a few local
shots of the mayor arriving and throwing a hoopla and putting in a peg6 for
buried treasure and that kind of thing. Then I went back up again, not so
much on the job as to get a drink or two. The drink was good.”
“I see. Now can you remember who else was on the staircase when you
went up?”
“Margot Bence from London was there with her camera.”
“You know her well?”
“Oh I just run against her quite often. She’s a clever girl, who makes a
success of her stuff. She takes all the fashionable things— First Nights,
Gala Performances — specializes in photographs from unusual angles.
Arty! She was in a corner of the half landing very well placed for taking
anyone who came up and for taking the greetings going on at the top. Lola
Brewster was just ahead of me on the stairs. Didn’t know her at first. She’s
got a new rust-red hairdo. The very latest Fiji Islander type. Last time I
saw her it was lank14 waves falling round her face and chin in a nice shade
of auburn. There was a big dark man with her, American. I don’t know
who he was but he looked important.”
“Did you look at Marina Gregg herself at all as you were coming up?”
“Yes, of course I did.”
“She didn’t look upset or as though she’d had a shock or was
frightened?”
“It’s odd you should say that. I did think for a moment or two she was
going to faint.”
“I see,” said Craddock thoughtfully. “Thanks. There’s nothing else you’d
like to tell me?”
McNeil gave him a wide innocent stare.
“What could there be?”
“I don’t trust you,” said Craddock.
“But you seem quite sure I didn’t do it. Disappointing. Suppose I turn out
to be her first husband. Nobody knows who he was except that he was so
insignicant that even his name’s been forgotten.”
Dermot grinned.
“Married from your prep school?” he asked. “Or possibly in rompers! I
must hurry. I’ve got a train to catch.”

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 amiable hxAzZ     
adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的
参考例句：
  • She was a very kind and amiable old woman.她是个善良和气的老太太。
  • We have a very amiable companionship.我们之间存在一种友好的关系。
2 oysters 713202a391facaf27aab568d95bdc68f     
牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • We don't have oysters tonight, but the crayfish are very good. 我们今晚没有牡蛎供应。但小龙虾是非常好。
  • She carried a piping hot grill of oysters and bacon. 她端出一盘滚烫的烤牡蛎和咸肉。
3 inviting CqIzNp     
adj.诱人的，引人注目的
参考例句：
  • An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
  • The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。
4 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。
5 gasping gasping     
adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词
参考例句：
  • He was gasping for breath. 他在喘气。
  • "Did you need a drink?""Yes, I'm gasping!” “你要喝点什么吗？”“我巴不得能喝点！”
6 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。
7 pegging e0267dc579cdee0424847f2cd6cd6cb6     
n.外汇钉住，固定证券价格v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的现在分词 )；使固定在某水平
参考例句：
  • To write a novel,one must keep pegging away at it consistently. 要写小说，必须不断辛勤劳动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • She was pegging the clothes out on the line to dry. 她正在把衣服夹在晒衣绳上晾干。 来自辞典例句
8 eyewitness VlVxj     
n.目击者，见证人
参考例句：
  • The police questioned several eyewitness to the murder.警察询问了谋杀案的几位目击者。
  • He was the only eyewitness of the robbery.他是那起抢劫案的唯一目击者。
9 scoop QD1zn     
n.铲子，舀取，独家新闻；v.汲取，舀取，抢先登出
参考例句：
  • In the morning he must get his boy to scoop it out.早上一定得叫佣人把它剜出来。
  • Uh,one scoop of coffee and one scoop of chocolate for me.我要一勺咖啡的和一勺巧克力的。
10 humiliated 97211aab9c3dcd4f7c74e1101d555362     
感到羞愧的
参考例句：
  • Parents are humiliated if their children behave badly when guests are present. 子女在客人面前举止失当，父母也失体面。
  • He was ashamed and bitterly humiliated. 他感到羞耻，丢尽了面子。
11 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。
12 jealousy WaRz6     
n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌
参考例句：
  • Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
  • I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。
13 tangles 10e8ecf716bf751c5077f8b603b10006     
（使）缠结， （使）乱作一团( tangle的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
  • Long hair tangles easily. 长头发容易打结。
  • Tangles like this still interrupted their intercourse. 像这类纠缠不清的误会仍然妨碍着他们的交情。
14 lank f9hzd     
adj.瘦削的；稀疏的
参考例句：
  • He rose to lank height and grasped Billy McMahan's hand.他瘦削的身躯站了起来，紧紧地握住比利·麦默恩的手。
  • The old man has lank hair.那位老人头发稀疏

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