Roger Mystery

Chapter 7 The Man Who Grows Zucchini

Chapter 7 The Man Who Grows Zucchini (2)
"I've never seen him before?"

"Yes, he hasn't been in the village for a while. But he's the son--or adopted son, to be precise--of Mr. Ackroyd, master of Finley Park."

The new neighbor waved his hand impatiently: "Of course, I should have guessed it earlier. Mr. Ackroyd mentioned him many times."

"You know Mr. Ackroyd?" I was slightly surprised.

"Mr Ackroyd and I met in London - I was working there. I also told him not to reveal my occupation here."

"That's it." This guy really can put on airs, which amused me.

But the dwarf still had that smirk on his face.

"I don't want to make a name for myself, just be a low-key person. People in the village have got my name wrong, and I don't bother to correct it."

"That's that." I didn't know what to say, so I had to agree.

"Captain Ralph Paton," said Mr. Poirot thoughtfully, "is engaged to Mr. Ackroyd's charming niece, Miss Flora."

"Who said that?" I was taken aback.

"Mr. Ackroyd, about a week ago. The marriage has satisfied him--you can see he's been looking forward to it for a long time. I guess he's put a lot of pressure on the lad, too, which isn't wise. Young." One should marry for one's own happiness—not to please one's stepfather for the sake of a possible future fortune."

This greatly exceeded my expectations.I really didn't expect Aykroyd to confide in a hairdresser, and even discussed with him about the marriage of his niece and adopted son.Although Aykroyd has always been very generous to the lower classes, he also values ​​his noble status very much.I realized that Poirot could never have been a barber.

To cover up my doubts, I blurted out without thinking: "How did you notice Ralph Paton? Just because he is handsome?"

"No, not only that - although he is indeed one of the best handsome men among the British, according to the standards of female novelists in your country, he is worthy of the level of a Greek god. No, the point is that there is something about this young man that I don't see. transparent stuff."

I couldn't help but wonder a little at the way he said that last sentence with so much meaning.As if his conclusions about the boy were based on some inside information that I was not aware of.When I was wondering, my sister called loudly in the house.

When I went back to the house, I saw Caroline wearing her hat, who had evidently just returned from the village.She cut to the chase: "I saw Mr Ackroyd."

"is it?"

"It goes without saying that I stopped him head-on. But he was in a hurry and hurried on his way."

This must be true, he was probably in the same mood when he ran into Caroline as I was when I ran into Miss Gannett earlier today—perhaps even more, since Caroline is not so easy to get rid of.

"I asked him about Ralph right away, and he was really taken aback, having no idea that the boy had slipped back into the village. And he said I must be mistaken. Me! I could be mistaken! "

"It's ridiculous," I commented, "He should have seen through your essence long ago."

"Then he told me that Ralph and Flora were engaged—"

"I know about this too." I interrupted her triumphantly.

"Who told you that?"

"Our new neighbor."

Caroline visibly wavers, like a roulette ball hovering between two numbers.Then she finally gave up her plan to entertain me.

"I told Mr. Ackroyd that Ralph lived in 'The Three Wild Boars.'"

"Caroline," I said, "has it never occurred to you how much trouble your indiscriminate gossip can cause?"

"Nonsense," retorted the sister. "People have a right to know these things, and it's my duty to share the news. Mr. Ackroyd owes me a thousand thanks."

"Okay." I replied casually, because she clearly had more to say.

"I figured he'd go straight for 'The Three Boars,' but even then he couldn't find Ralph."

"Can't find it?"

"Yes, because when I came back through the woods—"

"You have to walk through the woods to get home?" I couldn't help but interjected.

Caroline blushed.

"It's such a fine day," she cried, "I think I ought to go for a walk. It's such a beautiful autumn color in the woods at this time of year."

Caroline is not tempted by the forest scenery in any season. She always feels that in the woods, her shoes will get wet, and all kinds of nasty things will fall on her head.Needless to say, it must have been the mongoose's instinct that led her into the village grove.To whisper to a young girl while keeping out of the sight of the whole village was the only option around Kings Albert.And the grove is right next to Finley Manor.

"Well, go ahead." I urged.

"I just said that I was going home through the grove when I heard voices."

Caroline stopped.

"and then?"

"One of the voices was Ralph Paton—I recognized it right away. The other was a girl, and I didn't mean to eavesdrop, of course—"

"Of course." I couldn't hide my teasing, but it was useless for Caroline.

"Only a few words were inevitable. I barely caught what the girl said, and then Ralph sounded very angry in reply. 'My dear lady,' said he, 'you don't realize that the old chap might be a Don’t you leave Zi’er to me? After a few years, he has had enough of me and can’t add fuel to the fire. We need money very much. As long as the old guy dies, I will be rich. Although others think he is very Pensive, but he is rich. I don't want him to change his will. It's all on me, so don't worry about it.' These are his exact words, not bad. The bad luck is the At that time, I accidentally stepped on a dead branch or something, which alarmed them, and they slipped away with a low voice. Of course, I can't catch up, so I didn't see who the girl was."

"Here's the most hateful thing," I commented, "though I guess you still rushed to the 'Three Boars' in a hurry, ran into the bar in a daze, asked for a brandy, and asked the two waitresses if they They're all on duty, right?"

"That's not the barmaid," said Caroline without hesitation. "In fact, I'm almost entirely sure that she is Flora Ackroyd, except—"

"It just doesn't make sense that way." I agreed with her.

"But if it wasn't Flora, who could it be?"

My sister went through the unmarried women in the neighborhood one by one like a cannonball, and analyzed a lot of pros and cons.

Taking advantage of her pause to catch her breath, I muttered about visiting a patient and left.I'm going to take a trip to 'The Three Boars' and Ralph Paton has probably gone back.

I knew Ralph very well--I could say that I knew him best in Kings Albert Village, because I knew his mother long before he was born, so many situations that puzzled others, I did not understand. I know it well.In a sense, he is a victim of genetic inheritance.Although he did not inherit his mother's alcoholic temperament, he did have some inherent character flaws.As my friend I just met this morning said, he was handsome, six feet tall, well-proportioned, with the poise of an athlete; dark skinned, with a bronzed, handsome face like my mother's , with a charming smile on his lips from time to time.Ralph Paton was naturally the type who was effortlessly charming, extravagant, extravagant, supercilious, yet extremely likable, and his friends were loyal to him.

Is there anything I can do for this kid?I think it should be possible.

After some inquiries from the "Three Boars," I learned that Captain Peyton had just returned.I came to the door of his room and went in without saying hello.

Given what I had seen and heard, I could not help but worry a little that he would not welcome me, but I was obviously overthinking.

"Ah, it's Shepard! Nice to see you."

He came forward with open arms, a smile as bright as the sun.

"In this ghost place, I can only laugh when I see you."

I raised my eyebrows: "What's wrong with this place?"

He laughed a little annoyedly: "It's a long story, and it's not going well recently. How about a drink, doctor?"

"Thanks," I said, "have a drink, then."

He rang the bell and sank into a chair.

"Honestly," he said sullenly, "I'm in such a mess that I don't know what to do next."

"What happened?" I asked with concern.

"It's all my damn stepfather's fault."

"What did he do?"

"It's not what he's done, it's what he might do next."

The bell summoned the waiter, and Ralph ordered wine.After the man left, he arched his back in the chair, frowning.

"Is it really that serious?" I asked.

He nodded.

"I'm in big trouble this time." He said seriously.

His uncharacteristically serious tone told me he was telling the truth.Can make Ralph so serious, it can be seen that the situation is serious.

"Actually," he continued, "I can't see how the future will go...I'm even willing to trade my life for an answer."

"As long as I can help—" I stammered.

But he shook his head resolutely. "You're a good man, doctor, but I can't put you down. One person does one thing and one person does it."

He was silent for a moment, then his tone changed slightly.

"That's right - one person does things and one person is..."

(End of this chapter)

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