Crooked House / Скрюченный домишко. Книга для чтения на английском языке

’

�Now I wonder why that was?’

�Isn’t it rather obvious?’

�No, Charles. I don’t think it is.’

He walked up and down frowning. He had lit a cigar and the cigar had gone out. That showed me just how disturbed the old boy was.

�How much do you know about the family?’ he shot at me.

�Damn all! I know there was the old man and a lot of sons and grandchildren and in-laws. I haven’t got the ramifications[28 - ramifications (зд.)– родственные связи] clear.’ I paused and then said, �You’d better put me in the picture, Dad.

’

�Yes.’ He sat down. �Very well then—I’ll begin at the beginning—with Aristide Leonides. He arrived in England when he was twenty-four.’

�A Greek from Smyrna.’

�You do know that much?’

�Yes, but it’s about all I do know.’

The door opened and Glover came in to say that Chief Inspector Taverner was here.

�He’s in charge of the case,’ said my father. �We’d better have him in.

He’s been checking up on the family. Knows more about them than I do.’

I asked if the local police had called in the Yard.

�It’s in our jurisdiction. Swinly Dean is Greater London[29 - Greater London – Большой Лондон. Аминистративно-территориальная единица; состоит из Лондона и частей графств Мидлсекс, Эссекс, Кент, Суррей, Хартфордшир; делится на 32 района и Сити].

’ I nodded as Chief Inspector Taverner came into the room. I knew Taverner from many years back. He greeted me warmly and congratulated me on my safe return.

�I’m putting Charles in the picture,’ said the Old Man. �Correct me if I go wrong, Taverner. Leonides came to London in 188’. He started up a little restaurant in Soho. It paid. He started up another. Soon he owned seven or eight of them. They all paid hand over fist.’

�Never made any mistakes in anything he hand led,’ said Chief Inspector Taverner.

�He’d got a natural flair,’ said my father. �In the end he was behind most of the well-known restaurants in London. Then he went into the catering business in a big way.’

�He was behind a lot of other businesses as well,’ said Taverner. �Second-hand clothes trade, cheap jewellery stores, lots of things. Of course,’ he added thoughtfully, �he was always a twister.