To my surprise I was told by a nurse that I had phone call and I discovered it was from the police and that the killer had struck nearby, and they wanted me there to help them investigate it, and I was surprised that it was only a few streets away, and I sensed that the incidents were connected and wanted to discover why and I rushed out the hospital, and over to where I spotted policemen and their vehicles going, and as I did I kept trying to work out how the incidents were linked.
When I got there and glanced at the body I gasped and nearly fell over, in my weakened and tired condition, and grew annoyed and felt like screaming, as I saw Marple’s body lying on the street, surrounded by police and investigators.
I wondering who the hell had done it, and had dumped him there in a pool of muck, and thought it could have occurred because of what I had done, and disturbed what ever existed there.
I was furious and I marched over and suddenly spotted all the people there standing watching me, confused, with mouths open, watching me with staring unblinking eyes, and I went silent, and when I was only feet away from the body I spotted Marple coming out of a building with a police inspector.
It was incredible how similar the man was to him and I wondered repeatedly if the killer had thought it was him, as he was doing more than anyone to catch him, and could easily have found out about it from all the publicity it had got.
The dead man had been viciously beaten to death, and I stood wondering what the hell the killer was up to anyway.
Could it have been caused by the war or it indirectly?
What was the motive? Why had all the people been killed?
There was no connection between them!
Police inspector looked annoyed at not having the case solved, and by the fact they had virtually nothing on the killer, and it looked as if they would never do it now.
Marple swiftly handed me a sheet of paper with information about the death and deaths, and I started to read it, and studied the crumpled body as someone lifted the body, and I realized that it was a reporter from the sheet of paper, and I wondered if I knew him, and I studied his face.
I examined the complexion of the frozen body, drained of blood, and from the expressions of people behind nearby windows I realized how dangerous it made the place.
I wondered if the reporter had discovered something, and knew that Marple would be investigating him and questioning people he knew trying to find what he had been doing before his death.
I attempted to work out the exact time that it could have occurred, and where I had been, and was sure it could have occurred at night, and I wondered if I should take it as a warning from what had been at the hospital. Yet I could not be sure, as all the facts added up to it not being, and nothing actually suggested it actually was.
Locals that passed in the distance could not understand what was happening, and people nearby seemed slightly shocked, and I spotted what looked like marks on the ground where the reporter had tried to crawl away in his last seconds of life.
“Who would want to shoot him?” I asked the inspector, frustrated at not seeing anything suggesting an answer, and not being able to stay silent any longer.
“What worries me more than anything,” the inspector muttered back to Marple, with confusion, “is that I don’t have a clue!”
“They’ll find something!” Marple assured him, confidently, and I realized he had to have something, and I was surprised the inspector reacted in the same way.
Chapter 17
Everything seemed to be edging into disaster, especially the war, and the killer not found, and the disturbances at the hospital and house, and what had happened in the shaft, and strange occurrences emerged, and this time seemed to gain power!
At the Home Guard headquarters I was left with the other recruits and my attempt to tell them what happened failed, and most put my memory deficiency down to drink, as they drank a lot themselves, and in the end I went along with it, and Godfrey and Clooney thought it was.
While listening to the recruits having a dispute over racing horses, on which would win, I decided to show I was not drunk after all, and in the end only laughed out loud at them, and one asked me what horse I thought was better, and I just decided to try to persuade them a horse I had heard winning before was better, which I later discovered was a different horse, with a similar name, and argued that the horse was far better than the others, and in the end most stopped listening to me.
Godfrey eventually bet me it would lose, and all the other soldiers became interested in the bet, and betting against the captain, and perhaps persuaded by my confidence in the horse.
I realized all the soldiers now had a dispute with the captain, and his methods, and rigorous training, and eventually all of them bet their horse would beat his horse, and made me the originator and head of the idea.
When the captain left they persuaded me to do everything I could to get it win against the captain’s horse, and I started to realize the situation I had just put myself in, and that the horse had to win, and in the end I bet a large sum of money, and far more than I had ever bet before.
Later that day one of the other soldiers rushed over to me and went straight up to my face and stared straight in my eyes, and moaned loudly, “Malone! The captain wants you!”
I marched after the soldier to the captain’s office, where he sharply knocked on his door, and I marched in.
Again I wondered why the hell I joined the army, and could now barely recall anything of why. It was crazy! I should have remained out of it and left the job for a more experienced recruit, and someone that did the things they wanted, which were far different than I had expected.
As I stood in front of his desk I listened to two soldiers in the distance having an argument over racing horses, on which would win, and in the end I laughed at it, and Godfrey looked up at me and stared at me.
“What do you think then?” he asked.
“They’re alright!” I replied
“Sure! The horses!” he continued.
“What for?”
“To race! I could win on the horse I bet on!”
The soldier that took me there rushed in carrying out another order, and him handed him a document, and rushed out.
“Look at this one! What a beauty! What do think, Malone?”
Godfrey pushed over a pile of photos of horses, and I examined them, and just agreed.
“Can you make good money from a good horse?” I finally asked, considering if it was an easy way to make a lot of cash, and he just nodded to agree.
After examining the horses in more detail, realizing that they were basically still all the same, I wondered how they could tell a good horse, and in the end chose what looked like the fittest horse.
He was surprised and instantly agreed.
“About that horse you and all the soldiers bet on…” he finally said silently, examining me closely, and I sensed he was going to come out with something.
“What you want to change your bet to it?” I replied smiling.
“No! I want you to make the racing horse all of you are betting on lose or not run!”
“That’s ridiculous!” I replied, nearly laughing.
“No! I want you to do it! As you’re the one who did it!”
“Did what?”
“Put me in it! You’ve put me in it again, Malone! That horse better not run or it better not win!”
“How the hell can I stop a horse running?” I moaned, thinking of a way to leave.
“Shut up! Malone! You’ll find a way!”
I could not believe it, and that I had made such a mistake over with a meaningless action, and I was not even going to bet on anything.