登陆注册
5269400000025

第25章 CHAPTER VII THE FACE AT THE GATE(6)

The woman looked at him as if hypnotised and answered almost in a whisper: "I saw you Tuesday morning for the first time, Tuesday morning when the family were going away. Then I saw you pass through our street twice again that same day. This morning you went past the garden gate and now I find you here. What-what is it you want of us?""I will tell you what I want, Mrs. Bernauer, but first I want to speak to you alone. Mr. Franz doesn't mind leaving us for a while, does he?""But why?" said the old man hesitatingly. He didn't understand at all what was going on and he would much rather have remained.

"Because I came here for the special purpose of speaking to Mrs.

Bernauer," replied Muller calmly.

"Then you didn't come on account of the dog?""No, I didn't come on account of the dog."

"Then you - you lied to me?"

"Partly."

"And you're no veterinary?"

"No - I can help your dog, but I am not a veterinary and never have been.""What are you then?"

"I will tell Mrs. Bernauer who and what I am when you are outside - outside in the courtyard there. You can walk about in the garden if you want to, or else go and get some simple purgative for this dog. That is all he needs; he has been over-fed."Franz was quite bewildered. These new developments promised to be interesting and he was torn between his desire to know more, and his doubts as to the propriety of leaving the housekeeper with this queer stranger. He hesitated until the woman herself motioned to him to go. He went out into the hall, then into the courtyard, watched by the two in the room who stood silently in the window until they saw the butler pass down into the garden. Then they looked at each other.

"You belong to the police?" asked Adele Bernauer finally with a deep sigh.

"That was a good guess," replied Muller with an ironic smile, adding: "All who have any reason to fear us are very quick in recognising us.""What do you mean by that?" she exclaimed with a start. "What are you thinking of?""I am thinking about the same thing that you are thinking of - that I have proved you are thinking of - the same thing that drove you out into the street yesterday and this morning to buy the papers.

These papers print news which is interesting many people just now, and some people a great deals. I am thinking of the same thing that was evidently in your thoughts as you peered out of the garden gate this morning, although you would not come out into the street.

I know that you do not read even one newspaper regularly. I know also that yesterday and today you bought a great many papers, apparently to get every possible detail about a certain subject.

Do you deny this?"

She did not deny it, she did not answer at all. She sank down on a chair, her wide staring eyes looking straight ahead of her, and trembling so that the old chair cracked underneath her weight. But this condition did not last long. The woman had herself well under control. Muller's coming, or something else, perhaps, may have overwhelmed her for a moment, but she soon regained her usual self-possession.

"Still you have not told me what you want here," she began coldly, and as he did not answer she continued: "I have a feeling that you are watching us. I had this feeling when I saw you the first time and noticed then - pardon my frankness - that you stared at us sharply while we were saying goodbye to our master and mistress.

Then I saw you pass twice again through the street and look up at our windows. This morning I find you at our garden gate and now - you will pardon me if I tell the exact truth - now you have wormed yourself in here under false pretenses because you have no right whatever to force an entrance into this house. And I ask you again, what do you want here?"Muller was embarrassed. That did not happen very often. Also it did not happen very often that he was in the wrong as he was now.

The woman was absolutely right. He had wormed himself into the house under false pretenses to follow up the new clue which almost unconsciously as yet was leading him on with a stronger and stronger attraction. He could not have explained it and he certainly was not ready to say anything about it at police headquarters, even at the risk of being obliged to continue to enter this mysterious house under false pretenses and to be told that he was doing so. Of course this sort of thing was necessary in his business, it was the only way in which he could follow up the criminals.

But there was something in this woman's words that cut into a sensitive spot and drove the blood to his cheeks. There was something in the bearing and manner of this one-time nurse that impressed him, although he was not a man to be lightly impressed.

同类推荐
  • 巡台退思录

    巡台退思录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 费隐禅师语录

    费隐禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 行营杂录

    行营杂录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说诸法勇王经

    佛说诸法勇王经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 古音王传

    古音王传

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 冷宫拽妃

    冷宫拽妃

    吃货必看,闺蜜色芒红文《美厨王妃》:http://wkkk.net/a/494688/【正剧版】她本是广告界的宠儿,所有广告公司趋之若鹜的首席设计师。落水丧命魂归异世,俯身在一个和亲嫔妃身上,遇见那一抹千年不化的冰霜。他宠她,疼她,爱她,让她宠冠后宫,风华无限。他也虐她,冷她,践踏她,让她卑如尘埃,人见人打。三入冷宫,三出冷宫,生杀予夺,在他手里,命格贵贱,全依他说了算数。可那异世芳魂,却不甘于命运作弄。看她如何乱他后宫,撩他心弦,勾他兄弟,诱他侍卫,握他皇权,结他仇敌,即便他以万里江山为聘,也难博红颜一笑!【抽风版】敢情她千里迢迢去北京旅游,就是为了用小命证实一下这场暴雨有多猛烈。死后重生,作为一个被弱国进献的和亲嫔妃,她连皇帝的脚趾头都没碰到,就被直接丢进了冷宫。丢进来就算了,尼玛为毛中途把她接出去享受了几天好日子,又给丢进来。再丢进来就算了,尼玛为毛又要把她接出去游山玩水几天,然后——又又给丢进来。所谓事不过三,被三次打入冷宫,姐也是有脾气的:皇帝,受死吧!大乱后宫,挑唆惠妃打贤妃,贤妃罚柳嫔,柳嫔骂绿嫔,绿嫔……闹你后宫个鸡犬不宁。顺便勾搭你的侍卫,引诱你的兄弟,偷你玉玺,打你老母,插你妹妹,帮你仇敌……子曰:唯女子与小人为难养也后人补充曰:宁惹小人,不惹女人。别惹她,不然,小心姐排山倒海葵花点穴手!
  • 经济法(第二版)

    经济法(第二版)

    合伙企业是指自然人、法人和其他组织依照本法在中国境内设立的普通合伙企业和有限合伙企业。《合伙企业法》于2006年修订,修订后的《合伙企业法》扩大了合伙人的范围,允许自然人、法人和其他组织设立合伙企业,并扩大了合伙企业的种类,分为普通合伙企业、特殊的普通合伙企业、有限合伙企业。
  • 如意轮菩萨观门义注秘诀

    如意轮菩萨观门义注秘诀

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 心想事成的富足之道

    心想事成的富足之道

    本书是参与了新思潮运动的美国作家奥里森·斯韦特·马登的最后一本著作。新思潮运动的核心思想就是人生的成功是从拥有积极的心理态度开始的。这种积极的心理态度展现在积极的行动乃至最后取得的积极结果之上。《心想事成的富足之道》一书以震撼人心的方式阐述了这种思想。
  • 书目答问

    书目答问

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 最牛寻宝人

    最牛寻宝人

    【推荐新书《我为美食狂》,非此马甲,请站内搜索或搜索作者:老三家老三】
  • 跑路媽咪

    跑路媽咪

    甜心系列一之《总裁的杀手甜心》"你是坠入人间的天使,是上天赐予我最珍贵的礼物。"男人用迷惑的眼神看着她,她为了这句话,脸红了。怀抱自己发誓要守护一生一世的爱人,男人相信爱情可以永永远远。她嘟着嘴,"如果我是一个杀手呢?"甜心系列二之《总裁的女佣甜心》"亲爱的,为什么家里又要招聘女佣了?"她好奇地看着招聘广告。"因为我舍不得你累着啊。"他真的不想半夜起来偷偷搞卫生了…"可是你招聘了女佣,我做什么啊?""做我一生的妻子就好。"甜心系列三之《狼少的通缉军火妻》"老大,大嫂炸了后院的网球场…"某人走进办公室,晃了晃手机。"再建一个让她炸。""老大,大嫂抢了我们对面的银行…"某人跑进办公室窗边,指着被抢的银行。"下次存多点钱让她抢。""老大,大嫂在挖黑泽家的祖墓…"某人直接坐在办公室,打着内线电话。"你去看看少什么赶紧让人搬进去,省得她不开心。"【跑路妈咪简介】怀孕有什么大不了的,路痴又怎么样?!结婚前她跑,结婚中她跑,结婚后她也跑!好吧,她承认,她不仅爱吃,还喜欢跑路。谁让她家那位那么爱管她,她就是要跑!不就跑个路嘛,亲爱的,你也不要摆着个晚娘脸啊。她是中央情报局的精英,却是生活上的小白痴。方向感烂得可以,就连自个家门也只是有个熟悉感。他是鹰帮的老大,温文尔雅,别的女人一概看不上,专情于他家的小白痴,这项独宠居然还被嫌弃?★★"能告诉我,你在干什么吗?"低沉的嗓音带着慵懒的邪魅,夜影辰倚靠大树,微笑地看着正对着自家围墙指手画脚的小未婚妻。"我…我迷路了…"一脸作贼心虚,冥甜动作一僵,对着墙壁就是一脚。★★
  • 52栋(连载3)

    52栋(连载3)

    天未亮,母亲就起床了。尽管她蹑手蹑脚,尽管她压低声音,但我还是被惊醒了,其实,我不是被惊醒的,我压根就没有睡着,或者说没有睡深。我整整一夜都没有睡踏实。夜间陪母亲说话,一直到夜深。迷迷糊糊入睡后,又不停地做梦,梦见自己骑马远行,母亲舍不得我,拉住我不让走,我的马似乎通人性,明明是从52栋出发的,明明往前走了,明明走远了,但最后的目的地居然还是52栋。就这样迷迷糊糊、懵懵懂懂之间,母亲起床了,而我,刚好骑着马又一次来到了52栋。
  • 琵琶录

    琵琶录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 魔女成长的日记

    魔女成长的日记

    对帝国感到失望的寒伊决定离开帝国,前往绝境森林中独自生活,五年的时间,他在绝境森林内建立起了属于自己的庄园,过着愉快的隐世生活,他本以为自己会一直一个人个生活下去,直到有一天,他在外出采集食材时,遭遇了一头黑色野兽,以及一名即将被黑色野兽吃掉的小女孩,在救下那名小女孩后,寒伊才得知她原来是一名魔女......本书是日常文,是日常文,是日常文,重要的事情说三遍,不过也会写一些战斗的情节。本书将会以两个视角来写,一个是作者视角,一个是主角视角,希望大家能够有一个全新的阅读体验!