Whose Body? Dorothy L. Sayers (english books to improve english txt) đ
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- Author: Dorothy L. Sayers
Book online «Whose Body? Dorothy L. Sayers (english books to improve english txt) đ». Author Dorothy L. Sayers
âLucy, donât leave me.â
âNo, dear.â
A space cleared at the table. The lamplight on the Duchessâs white hair.
âOh, yesâ âoh, yes! No, noâ âI couldnât be mistaken. Thereâs that funny little kink in it. Iâve seen it hundreds of times. Oh, Lucyâ âReuben!â
âOnly a moment more, Lady Levy. The moleâ ââ
âIâ âI think soâ âoh, yes, that is the very place.â
âYes. And the scarâ âwas it three-cornered, just above the elbow?â
âYes, oh, yes.â
âIs this it?â
âYesâ âyesâ ââ
âI must ask you definitely, Lady Levy. Do you, from these three marks identify the body as that of your husband?â
âOh! I must, mustnât I? Nobody else could have them just the same in just those places? It is my husband. It is Reuben. Ohâ ââ
âThank you, Lady Levy. You have been very brave and very helpful.â
âButâ âI donât understand yet. How did he come here? Who did this dreadful thing?â
âHush, dear,â said the Duchess; âthe man is going to be punished.â
âOh, butâ âhow cruel! Poor Reuben! Who could have wanted to hurt him? Can I see his face?â
âNo, dear,â said the Duchess. âThat isnât possible. Come awayâ âyou mustnât distress the doctors and people.â
âNoâ ânoâ âtheyâve all been so kind. Oh, Lucy!â
âWeâll go home, dear. You donât want us any more, Dr. Grimbold?â
âNo, Duchess, thank you. We are very grateful to you and to Lady Levy for coming.â
There was a pause, while the two women went out, Parker, collected and helpful, escorting them to their waiting car. Then Dr. Grimbold again:
âI think Lord Peter Wimsey ought to seeâ âthe correctness of his deductionsâ âLord Peterâ âvery painfulâ âyou may wish to seeâ âyes, I was uneasy at the inquestâ âyesâ âLady Levyâ âremarkably clear evidenceâ âyesâ âmost shocking caseâ âah, hereâs Mr. Parkerâ âyou and Lord Peter Wimsey entirely justifiedâ âdo I really understandâ â? Really? I can hardly believe itâ âso distinguished a manâ âas you say, when a great brain turns to crimeâ âyesâ âlook here! Marvellous workâ âmarvellousâ âsomewhat obscured by this time, of courseâ âbut the most beautiful sectionsâ âhere, you see, the left hemisphereâ âand hereâ âthrough the corpus striatumâ âhere againâ âthe very track of the damage done by the blowâ âwonderfulâ âguessed itâ âsaw the effect of the blow as he struck it, you knowâ âah, I should like to see his brain, Mr. Parkerâ âand to think thatâ âheavens, Lord Peter, you donât know what a blow you have struck at the whole professionâ âthe whole civilized world! Oh, my dear sir! Can you ask me? My lips are sealed of courseâ âall our lips are sealed.â
The way back through the burial ground. Fog again, and the squeal of wet gravel.
âAre your men ready, Charles?â
âThey have gone. I sent them off when I saw Lady Levy to the car.â
âWho is with them?â
âSugg.â
âSugg?â
âYesâ âpoor devil. Theyâve had him up on the mat at headquarters for bungling the case. All that evidence of Thippsâs about the night club was corroborated, you know. That girl he gave the gin-and-bitters to was caught, and came and identified him, and they decided their case wasnât good enough, and let Thipps and the Horrocks girl go. Then they told Sugg he had overstepped his duty and ought to have been more careful. So he ought, but he canât help being a fool. I was sorry for him. It may do him some good to be in at the death. After all, Peter, you and I had special advantages.â
âYes. Well, it doesnât matter. Whoever goes wonât get there in time. Suggâs as good as another.â
But Suggâ âan experience rare in his careerâ âwas in time.
Parker and Lord Peter were at 110 Piccadilly. Lord Peter was playing Bach and Parker was reading Origen when Sugg was announced.
âWeâve got our man, sir,â said he.
âGood God!â said Peter. âAlive?â
âWe were just in time, my lord. We rang the bell and marched straight up past his man to the library. He was sitting there doing some writing. When we came in, he made a grab for his hypodermic, but we were too quick for him, my lord. We didnât mean to let him slip through our hands, having got so far. We searched him thoroughly and marched him off.â
âHe is actually in gaol, then?â
âOh, yesâ âsafe enoughâ âwith two warders to see he doesnât make away with himself.â
âYou surprise me, Inspector. Have a drink.â
âThank you, my lord. I may say that Iâm very grateful to youâ âthis case was turning out a pretty bad egg for me. If I was rude to your lordshipâ ââ
âOh, itâs all right, Inspector,â said Lord Peter, hastily. âI donât see how you could possibly have worked it out. I had the good luck to know something about it from other sources.â
âThatâs what Freke says.â Already the great surgeon was a common criminal in the inspectorâs eyesâ âa mere surname. âHe was writing a full confession when we got hold of him, addressed to your lordship. The police will have to have it, of course, but seeing itâs written for you, I brought it along for you to see first. Here it is.â
He handed Lord Peter a bulky document.
âThanks,â said Peter. âLike to hear it, Charles?â
âRather.â
Accordingly Lord Peter read it aloud.
XIIIDear Lord Peterâ âWhen I was a young man I used to play chess with an old friend of my fatherâs. He was a very bad, and a very slow, player, and he could never see when a checkmate was inevitable, but insisted on playing every move out. I never had any patience with that kind of attitude, and I will freely admit now that the game is yours. I must either stay at home and be
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