The «Canary» Murder Case / Смерть Канарейки. Книга для чтения на английском языке

“We’ve got ways,” he said through his teeth, “of getting damn interesting conversation outa people who haven’t no great reputation for repartee.”

Vance sighed. “How the Four Hundred needs you, my Sergeant!”

Markham looked at his watch.

“I’ve got pressing work at the office,” he said, “and all this talk isn’t getting us anywhere.” He put his hand on Heath’s shoulder. “I leave you to go ahead. This afternoon I’ll have these people brought down to my office for another questioning—maybe I can jog their memories a bit.

… You’ve got some line of investigation planned?”

“The usual routine,” replied Heath drearily. “I’ll go through Odell’s papers, and I’ll have three or four of my men check up on her.”

“You’d better get after the Yellow Taxicab Company right away,” Markham suggested. “Find out, if you can, who the man was who left here at half past eleven last night, and where he went.”

“Do you imagine for one moment,” asked Vance, “that if this man knew anything about the murder, he would have stopped in the hall and asked the operator to call a taxi for him?”

“Oh, I don’t look for much in that direction.

” Markham’s tone was almost listless. “But the girl may have said something to him that’ll give us a lead.”

Vance shook his head facetiously. “O welcome pure-ey’d Faith, white-handed Hope, thou hovering angel, girt with golden wings!”

Markham was in no mood for chaffing. He turned to Heath, and spoke with forced cheeriness.

“Call me up later this afternoon. I may get some new evidence out of the outfit we’ve just interviewed.

… And,” he added, “be sure to put a man on guard here. I want this apartment kept just as it is until we see a little more light.”

“I’ll attend to that,” Heath assured him.

Markham and Vance and I went out and entered the car. A few minutes later we were winding rapidly across town through Central Park.

“Recall our recent conversazione[40 - conversazione (итал.) —беседа, разговор] about footprints in the snow?” asked Vance, as we emerged into Fifth Avenue and headed south.

Markham nodded abstractedly.

“As I remember,” mused Vance, “in the hypothetical case you presented there were not only footprints but a dozen or more witnesses—including a youthful prodigy—who saw a figure of some kind cross the hibernal landscape. … Grau, teurer Freund, ist alle Theorie![41 - Grau, teurer Freund, ist alle Theorie! (нем.) – Теория сера, мой друг! (цитата из трагедии Гете «Фауст», часть I, сцена IV.