Let's not talk about the insignificant characters for the moment, but let's first describe what happened at the place where the crime occurred before we arrived. Of course, this is what we learned later. Only in this way can the reader fully understand the characters and the strange background related to their fate.

Birlstone is a small village on the northern edge of Sussex. There are half-brick and half-timbered old houses that have remained unchanged for hundreds of years. However, in recent years, some wealthy households have taken a fancy to the beautiful scenery and advantages here.

They moved here specifically, and their villas can be vaguely seen in the surrounding jungle. This jungle is considered by the locals to be the edge of the Wild Forest, which is close to the northern chalk foothills. The increase in population has made Birlstone quickly

It has developed from an ancient village into a modern town. Some small shops have emerged and its panorama can be clearly seen from a distance. Birlstone is located in the center of a very large rural area, the nearest important town is Tenn.

The city of Bridgewells is on the edge of Kent in the east, 10 to 12 miles away.

About half a mile away from the village, there is an ancient garden famous for its tall beech trees, known as the ancient Birlstone Manor. Going back to its origins, part of this famous building was built during the First Crusade.

During the Conquest era, the King of England gave this manor to Hugo de Campos, so Campos built a small castle in the center of the manor. However, the castle was destroyed by fire in 1543. Until the time of James I, this feudal castle

Another brick building was built on the ruins of the castle, and the blackened corner stones of the original castle were used.

The architecture of the manor still adopts the architectural style of many gables and small diamond-shaped glass windows left by its builders in the early 17th century. The two moats surrounding the entire manor were originally used to protect its martial ancestors.

Now the outer river has dried up and been used as a vegetable garden. The inner river is still there, only a few feet deep, but still 40 feet wide. It is connected to a small river and meanders endlessly, so although the water is turbid, it does not look like a trench.

The water was so dirty. The windows on the ground floor of the manor were less than a foot from the water.

There is only one suspension bridge leading to the manor. The suspension bridge has been in disrepair for a long time, and the iron chains and winches have long been rusted or even damaged. However, the new owner of the manor, with his unique energy, repaired the suspension bridge, so that it can not only be hoisted, but also can be lifted.

And it is used in daily life, hoisted up every night and put down in the morning. The old habits of the feudal era have been completely restored. Every night, the manor becomes an isolated island - this is inseparable and directly related to the case that is about to cause a sensation in the entire UK.

connect.

Before Douglas bought it, the manor had been uninhabited for a long time and was on the verge of collapse and becoming an eye-catching ruin. Now it is the home of John Douglas and his wife. In terms of character and character,

Douglas is not an ordinary person. He is about 50 years old. He looks rough in appearance. He has a gray mustache on his fat chin. His gray eyes are alert and sharp. He has a slender and strong body. Even now, he is particularly strong.

He is still the same as before. He is always amiable and cheerful, but if you look closely at his behavior, it is not difficult to find that he is a little informal, which makes people feel as if he has lived in a place far below the social class of Sussex County.

.

However, even though his well-educated neighbors always looked at him with curiosity and caution, he still quickly won the hearts of the villagers. This was because he not only generously donated money to all local welfare undertakings, but was also willing to participate in fireworks

Concerts and other grand gatherings. In addition, everyone can often be satisfied with the beautiful songs brought by his mellow tenor. His generous generosity is said to have been earned from the gold mines in California. People benefit from his

From my conversation with his wife, I learned that Douglass once lived in the United States.

Douglas's generous and amiable character made people have a good impression of him, and his fearless and risk-taking spirit made him quite popular among people. He would participate in every hunting gathering, even though he

His marksmanship was not very good, but with his determination, he not only persisted in finishing the job, but was no worse than his opponents. Once, a fire broke out in the parish priest's residence, and the local fire brigade declared that it was impossible to rescue him, but he was the only one who rushed into the fire without fear.

, rescued property, and thus distinguished himself. Because of this, Douglas, who came here not long ago, can already be said to be famous in Birlstone.

His wife is also well-liked here. According to British practice, almost no one will visit a stranger who has just arrived without being introduced by others. But she is a person who is not willing to socialize, which is very important to her.

It didn't matter to her, and she was obviously more interested in doing housework and taking care of her husband. It is said that she was a British woman, and she met Douglas in London when Douglas was a widower in London. She was considered beautiful.

A woman with a tall figure and a darker complexion, she is 20 years younger than Douglas. But the age gap has not had any impact on their happy life.

However, those who knew the inside story said that there was still some distance between them because Mrs. Douglas did not fully understand her husband's previous life. A few observant people once commented that Mrs. Douglas was late when her husband came home.

When the time comes, she will appear extremely restless and nervous. The calmer the countryside, the more she likes to spread rumors. Naturally, this weakness of Mrs. Douglas will not be easily let go by people, and after this incident, the matter has become more and more popular.

It will gradually deepen in people's memory, become more important, and have special meaning.

To be honest, there is another person who sometimes lives here - for a period of time, maybe because this person was also present when this bizarre case happened, so when people talk about it, they often mention him and let him play an important role in the whole case.

It is very prominent. This person is Cecil James Barker, a man from Halesloki, Hampstead County.

Cecil Barker was not only tall, but also agile. Everyone who lived in the main street of Birlstone Village knew him. He often visited the manor and was a very popular guest in the local area. People have no idea how Douglas lived in the past.

I don’t know, but Cecil Buck is the only one who knows. He is undoubtedly British, but he himself said that he first met Douglas in America, where the relationship between the two of them was very close.

There's no doubt about it. Buck seems to have a lot of money, but everyone knows he's still single.

In terms of age, Buck is much younger than Douglas. He cannot be more than 45 years old. He is tall, has thick black eyebrows, and piercing black eyes. He can distinguish himself among the enemies with his eyes without even using his own hands.

One way. His interest is not in horseback riding or hunting. He just likes to hang out his pipe and wander around this historic village. Otherwise, he is with his master. If the master is not here, he and his mistress spend time together in a quiet and beautiful place.

Driving around in the countryside to kill time.

Butler Ames said: "He is a gentleman, with a gentle temperament and generous gestures, but I dare not talk back to him!" Although Buck and Douglas are very close, and he is also very close to Douglas's wife, this friendship seems to be too much.

It aroused Douglas's anger for the first time, and even the servants felt that the master was very troubled by this. Buck was the third person in the family when this tragic incident happened.

As for the other residents in the old house, it is enough to mention Ames and Mrs. Allen. The housekeeper Ames is conservative, old-fashioned, elegant, and very capable. Mrs. Allen is lively, healthy, smart and happy, and she helps the hostess

After sharing part of the housework, the other six servants had nothing to do with the incident on the night of January 6th.

At 11:45 that night, the small local police station received its first alarm. The person in charge of the police station was the former Sussex security guard Wilson. At that time, Buck rushed to the door of the police station in excitement and tried his best to turn on the alarm bell.

After knocking on the door, he breathlessly reported that a tragedy had occurred inside the manor. John Douglas had been murdered. Then Buck hurried back to the manor, and only a few minutes later, the police officer followed. Wilson was notifying the county authorities of an emergency.

After the incident, I arrived at the crime scene just after 12 o'clock.

When Wilson arrived at the manor, he found that the drawbridge had been lowered at the gate and the windows were all bright. People in the whole room were panicked and in chaos. The servants were pale and crowded in the hall one by one. The butler

He looked terrified and stood at the door rubbing his hands. Only Buck looked a little calmer. He opened the door near the entrance and called the police officer to come in. At this time, Dr. Wood, a very capable doctor in the village, also arrived. The three of them

Together they entered the room where the tragedy occurred, and then the panicked housekeeper came in and closed the door to prevent the fragile maids from seeing this horrific scene.

The dead Douglas was lying on his back in the middle of the room with his arms and legs spread wide. He was only wearing a pink dressing gown with night clothes underneath. His bare feet were wearing a pair of felt slippers. The doctor knelt beside him and only used

After looking at the oil lamp on the table, I knew that he could not be saved. The deceased was seriously injured, and there was a strange weapon on his chest, which was a musket. One foot in front of the trigger, the barrel of the gun was

It was sawed off. The two triggers were tied tightly with iron wire in order to fire them at the same time, so as to cause more serious damage. It was obvious that it was a close-range shot, and all the gunpowder was sprayed into the face of the deceased, causing the head to almost shatter.

The sudden heavy responsibility fell on Wilson, which made him quite uneasy, confused, and even lost his courage. "Let's not move anything until the commander comes." He stared blankly at the terrifying head and whispered.

Cecil Buck said: "Nothing has been touched yet, and I can guarantee that what you see now is exactly the same as when I first discovered it."

The police officer took out his notebook and asked, "When did it happen?"

"It was 11:30, and I didn't even take off my clothes. When I heard the gunshot, I was sitting by the fireplace in the bedroom warming up. The gunshot wasn't very loud, and I felt like I was being muffled by something. I quickly got out.

Floor, it took less than half a minute to reach this room."

"Was the door open at the time?"

"Yes, the door was open, and unfortunate Douglas was on the ground, as you see him now. The candle in his bedroom was still lighted on the table, and it was several minutes before I lighted it."

"Who did you see then?"

There was no one there. What I heard was my wife coming downstairs, so I hurriedly ran over to stop her to prevent her from being shocked by this terrible scene. At this time, Mrs. Allen also came, and I helped her away.

.We didn’t return to the house until Ames came over.

"Really? But I heard the drawbridge wasn't lowered all night."

"Yes, it was hung up until I put it down myself."

"If so, how could the murderer escape? It seems that Mr. Douglas must have committed suicide."

"We thought so at the beginning, but..." Buck opened the curtains, revealing the long glass window that was all open, and said, "Please take a look at this!" He brought the lamp closer and illuminated the blood stains on the wooden window sill.

, like the sole of a high boot.

"Someone must have escaped from here."

"Then you think someone crossed the moat?" "That's right!"

"So, if it only took you half a minute to get to the scene, the murderer must still be in the moat at that time."

"I believe so! Oh, if only I had come to see it! But as you saw, the curtains were closed at the time, and I didn't think of it at all. Then I heard Mrs. Douglas coming downstairs, and I

We can't let her in, it's too scary!"

"It's really terrifying!" the doctor said, looking at the mangled head and the plasma spraying around it. "I have only seen similar horrific injuries in the Birlstone train collision."

"But I think..." Wilson said, he was a slow, ignorant country bumpkin, and his mind was still limited to the open window: "Mr. Buck said that someone escaped across the moat, which is quite correct.

.But another question is, if the suspension bridge was hoisted before, how did he get in?"

"Yeah, that's the problem!" Buck said. "At what time was the suspension bridge lifted?"

"It's about six o'clock," Butler Ames said.

"Also, I heard..." Wilson said, "The suspension bridge is generally hoisted when the sun goes down. In this season, the sun sets as early as 4:30, how can it be 6:00?

?”

"Because the hostess invited some guests to come over for tea," Ames replied, "and I couldn't lift the suspension bridge until the guests left, so I waited until everyone left before lifting the suspension bridge myself."

"So..." Officer Wilson said, "If someone from the outside comes in, let's assume this, then the outsider must come in before 6 o'clock, then hide, and wait until after 11 o'clock Douglas

Sir entered the room."

"It's true. Mr. Douglas goes to the estate every night to look around. The last thing he does before going to bed is to check the candlelight, so he gets to this place, and the guy is waiting for him there, and then he shoots

.The murderer dropped his musket and jumped through the window to escape. In my opinion, this is what happened, and no explanation is more consistent with the current facts than this."

At this time, the police officer found a card on the floor next to the deceased. On it was scrawled in pen writing the two capital letters VV at the beginning of the name, and the number 341 at the bottom.

"What is this?" Wilson said, holding up the card. Buck looked at the card very curiously.

"I didn't notice it before," he said, "it seems like it must have been left by the murderer."

"VV, 341? I'm confused." The police officer flipped the business card back and forth.

"What does VV stand for? Generally it's the letters at the beginning of a person's name. Did you find anything? Doctor?"

There is a hammer on the carpet in front of the fireplace. It is a large hammer that is both strong and delicate.

Buck pointed to a box of copper-tipped nails on the mantelpiece and said: "Mr. Douglas wanted to change the oil painting yesterday. I saw him standing on the chair and hanging the big painting. That's why this hammer is here."

"Then we'd better put the hammer back where it was." The police officer scratched his head blankly and said, "It seems that only other detectives with bright minds can figure out what happened. This case still needs police detectives from London.

Deal with it!" He walked slowly around the house holding the lamp.

"That's right!" He suddenly pulled the curtains excitedly and asked, "When were these curtains closed?" "Just when the lights were lit." The housekeeper said, "It was just after 4 o'clock."

"There is no doubt that someone is hiding here." The police officer lowered the light further and could see that the prints of the boots in the corner were very obvious.

"Mr. Buck, I can guarantee that your conjecture has been completely confirmed. In other words, the criminal came in when the curtains were closed and the drawbridge was still open. It should be after 4 o'clock and before 6 o'clock. He

Sneaking into the room he saw first, because no other place was suitable, he hid behind the curtain, and all the signs were obvious. It seemed that he just wanted to steal something at first, and accidentally met Mr. Douglas,

So he killed him with poisonous hands and then ran away."

"We have the same idea," Buck said, "but one thing is, we should not waste this precious time in vain. Let's search the entire village before this guy has gone far!"

The police officer thought about it again and said: "Yes, the earliest train has to leave after 6 o'clock, so it is impossible for him to escape by train. And if he walks on the road with wet legs, someone will definitely notice. So.

I can't leave here, I have to wait until someone comes to change my shift. And you, I think it's better not to leave until things are clear."

Dr. Wood took the light and began to carefully perform the autopsy.

"What is this mark?" he asked, "Does it have anything to do with the case?"

The right arm of the corpse was exposed up to the elbow. There was a strange brown mark roughly in the center of the forearm. It was a circle on the outside and a triangle on the inside. The marks were raised and very prominent on the ashen skin.

"This doesn't look like a needle tattoo." Dr. Wood looked at it carefully through his glasses and said, "I have never seen it before. This is a brand. This person was once branded like an animal. Why is that?

?”

"I don't know what this means, but in the past 10 years, I have seen this tattoo on his arm countless times." Cecil Buck thought for a while and said.

"I have also seen this tattoo." The butler also said quickly, "Many times, when my master rolled up his sleeves, I saw that tattoo. However, I have never been clear about what it actually represents."

"In this case, this mark has nothing to do with this case." Wilson said, "But it is strange enough. Everything related to this case is very strange. Hey, what is going on?"

Ames pointed to the corpse's outstretched hand in surprise and said, "They took his wedding ring!"

"What did you say?"

"Yes, it's true! Mr. Douglas always has a pure gold wedding ring on the little finger of his left hand. There is also a natural gold nugget ring on it, and a snake-shaped ring on the middle finger. Now the nugget gold ring

The ring and snake ring are still there, but the wedding ring is missing."

"Indeed," Buck confirmed.

"Did you just say that the wedding ring was underneath the nugget ring?" Wilson asked.

"Always been this way!"

"So, regardless of whether you are the murderer or not, if you want to get the wedding ring, you must first take off the gold nugget ring and then put it back on?"

"Exactly."

The responsible rural policeman shook his head and said: "Forget it, it seems that it is best to leave this case to the London police, the sooner the better. As far as I know, Inspector White Mason is very smart, and there is no such thing as him in the local area."

For cases that cannot be handled, he will come to assist us soon. But I think it is better to let London handle all this matter. No matter what, I am not afraid of losing face. It is really a good job for someone with my ability to handle such a case.
Chapter completed!