登陆注册
15465800000035

第35章 Chapter Fourteen(1)

ROCCO ANSWERS SOME QUESTIONSROCCO turned round with the swiftness of a startled tiger, and gave Theodore Racksole one long piercing glance.

'D--n!' said Rocco, with as pure an Anglo-Saxon accent and intonation as Racksole himself could have accomplished.

The most extraordinary thing about the situation was that at this juncture Theodore Racksole did not know what to say. He was so dumbfounded by the affair, and especially by Rocco's absolute and sublime calm, that both speech and thought failed him.

'I give in,' said Rocco. 'From the moment you entered this cursed hotel I was afraid of you. I told Jules I was afraid of you. I knew there would be trouble with a man of your kidney, and I was right;confound it! I tell you I give in. I know when I'm beaten. I've got no revolver and no weapons of any kind. I surrender. Do what you like.'

And with that Rocco sat down on a chair. It was magnificently done. Only a truly great man could have done it. Rocco actually kept his dignity.

For answer, Racksole walked slowly into the vast apartment, seized a chair, and, dragging it up to Rocco's chair, sat down opposite to him. Thus they faced each other, their knees almost touching, both in evening dress. On Rocco's right hand was the bed, with the corpse of Reginald Dimmock. On Racksole's right hand, and a little behind him, was the marble washstand, still littered with Rocco's implements. The electric light shone on Rocco's left cheek, leaving the other side of his face in shadow.

Racksole tapped him on the knee twice.

'So you're another Englishman masquerading as a foreigner in my hotel,'

Racksole remarked, by way of commencing the interrogation.

'I'm not,' answered Rocco quietly. 'I'm a citizen of the United States.'

'The deuce you are!' Racksole exclaimed.

'Yes, I was born at West Orange, New Jersey, New York State. Icall myself an Italian because it was in Italy that I first made a name as a chef - at Rome. It is better for a great chef like me to be a foreigner. Imagine a great chef named Elihu P. Rucker. You can't imagine it. I changed my nationality for the same reason that my friend and colleague, Jules, otherwise Mr Jackson, changed his.'

'So Jules is your friend and colleague, is he?'

'He was, but from this moment he is no longer. I began to disapprove of his methods no less than a week ago, and my disapproval will now take active form.'

'Will it?' said Racksole. 'I calculate it just won't, Mr Elihu P.

Rucker, citizen of the United States. Before you are very much older you'll be in the kind hands of the police, and your activities, in no matter what direction, will come to an abrupt conclusion.'

'It is possible,' sighed Rocco.

'In the meantime, I'll ask you one or two questions for my own private satisfaction. You've acknowledged that the game is up, and you may as well answer them with as much candour as you feel yourself capable of. See?'

'I see,' replied Rocco calmly, 'but I guess I can't answer all questions.

I'll do what I can.'

'Well,' said Racksole, clearing his throat, 'what's the scheme all about? Tell me in a word.'

'Not in a thousand words. It isn't my secret, you know.'

'Why was poor little Dimmock poisoned?' The millionaire's voice softened as he looked for an instant at the corpse of the unfortunate young man.

'I don't know,' said Rocco. 'I don't mind informing you that Iobjected to that part of the business. I wasn't made aware of it till after it was done, and then I tell you it got my dander up considerable.'

'You mean to say you don't know why Dimmock was done to death?'

'I mean to say I couldn't see the sense of it. Of course he - er - died, because he sort of cried off the scheme, having previously taken a share of it. I don't mind saying that much, because you probably guessed it for yourself. But I solemnly state that I have a conscientious objection to murder.'

'Then it was murder?'

'It was a kind of murder,' Rocco admitted. Who did it?'

'Unfair question,' said Rocco.

'Who else is in this precious scheme besides Jules and yourself?'

'Don't know, on my honour.'

'Well, then, tell me this. What have you been doing to Dimmock's body?'

'How long were you in that bathroom?' Rocco parried with sublime impudence.

'Don't question me, Mr Rucker,' said Theodore Racksole. 'I feel very much inclined to break your back across my knee. Therefore Iadvise you not to irritate me. What have you been doing to Dimmock's body?'

'I've been embalming it.'

'Em - balming it.'

'Certainly; Richardson's system of arterial fluid injection, as improved by myself. You weren't aware that I included the art of embalming among my accomplishments. Nevertheless, it is so.'

'But why?' asked Racksole, more mystified than ever. 'Why should you trouble to embalm the poor chap's corpse?'

'Can't you see? Doesn't it strike you? That corpse has to be taken care of.

It contains, or rather, it did contain, very serious evidence against some person or persons unknown to the police. It may be necessary to move it about from place to place. A corpse can't be hidden for long; a corpse betrays itself. One couldn't throw it in the Thames, for it would have been found inside twelve hours. One couldn't bury it - it wasn't safe. The only thing was to keep it handy and movable, ready for emergencies. I needn't inform you that, without embalming, you can't keep a corpse handy and movable for more than four or five days. It's the kind of thing that won't keep. And so it was suggested that I should embalm it, and I did.

Mind you, I still objected to the murder, but I couldn't go back on a colleague, you understand. You do understand that, don't you?

Well, here you are, and here it is, and that's all.'

Rocco leaned back in his chair as though he had said everything that ought to be said. He closed his eyes to indicate that so far as he was concerned the conversation was also closed. Theodore Racksole stood up.

'I hope,' said Rocco, suddenly opening his eyes, 'I hope you'll call in the police without any delay. It's getting late, and I don't like going without my night's rest.'

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 别让观念和习惯误了你

    别让观念和习惯误了你

    本书就像一面镜子,让你清晰地发现身上种种以前视而不见的错误观念和不良习惯,教你跨越人生的障碍,重新定位你的生活,找到一把打开成功之门的金钥匙。
  • 废柴逆袭:妖孽冷王的冰山妃

    废柴逆袭:妖孽冷王的冰山妃

    她,一个从21世纪穿越到君家四少爷的杀手。他,一个东风国尊贵的五皇子;她,讨厌任何男人。他,从不接近女色;她,待他冰冷。他,待她温柔。“小浅儿,我永远不会利用你,永远不会负了你。”她,渐渐信任他。他,却骗了他。她,爱上了他。他,却利用她。他被挟持,她为他找五大神器,走上了变强之路。再见他时,他已站在与自己对立的位置。他,终究是负了她。战场上,她边哭边笑,如一个疯子。“南宫幽冥,你做了和韩溪一样的蠢事,你就不怕我也做一样的事?”说罢,便纵身跳下悬崖……
  • 柯南同人之红色暗流年

    柯南同人之红色暗流年

    安寂年从来没有想过自己会穿越,或者不如说,穿越到一个动画的世界,成为一个动画中没有的人物,高木涉的妹妹高木梅。如同一般的爱凑热闹的观众,安寂年也喜滋滋地去凑了一把柯南的热闹。可惜,她不拥有死亡体质,从来没有碰到过死亡事件,当然,她本身也没啥推理能力。安寂年也从来不会想到,自己会变得那么外露,喜欢上一个看起来阴冷的男人,果然,是世界玄幻了吗?
  • 我人生中的转折的

    我人生中的转折的

    这是关于婚姻的短片小说第一次写小说写的不好请谅解
  • 风雷仙医

    风雷仙医

    二十二年前的一次灭门惨案,到底给东方玉带来了怎样的厄运。
  • 天池之雪女

    天池之雪女

    人生就像是一盘棋,以为自己是下棋的人,到头来只是盘中子。
  • 超级小能手

    超级小能手

    我是超级小能手,连御姐,萝莉,校花,美女明星......通通都不怕,我还怕啥?
  • 我的韩国明星老婆

    我的韩国明星老婆

    因为一纸遗嘱,程峰跟韩国明星韩泫娜‘结婚’了!程峰本以为可以跟这个性感尤物白天么么哒,晚上啪啪啪,过上没羞没躁的生活,谁不知脑里被植入‘经理人’系统,只有不断赚取人气值,才能够兑换【异能胶囊】!于是……明星老婆在外面登台唱歌,程峰就埋头写歌,《后来》《小幸运》在热歌榜榜首,居高不下。明星老婆接戏拍剧,程峰就咬着笔头写剧本,《那些年》、《初恋这件小事》被搬上大荧幕,斩获过亿票房。韩泫娜:“老公,你喜欢的菜我都烧好啦,我来喂你吃。”程峰:“等等,等我码好这一章上传到网站,现在书迷群情汹涌,说要把我关进小黑屋了。”这是程峰没节操的文艺人生。
  • 领导干部信息化基础

    领导干部信息化基础

    本书共分6章,分别介绍了计算机网络综述;信息化的三个主要领域,即电子政务(政府信息化)、企业信息化和电子商务;PowerPoint 2000中文演示文稿等内容。
  • 或许仅此而已

    或许仅此而已

    不要以为这是个小说,虽然它是个小说。。。。。。本作品为中篇小说集,全部原创。或许,你将从中找到你的影子,或许你也将收获自己的感动。或许,剧情与你想象的一样,或许,你也有过类似的经历。或许,仅此而已。