Knjiga Na Engleskom - Za Ucenje

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Chapter one

Missing The Queen's Head

Detective Inspector Rod Eliot was watching the rainrunning down his office window. He looked at his watch.6.30. Ti e to leave the ountain of papers on his desk andgo to The !ueen"s Head pu# across the road.

"$ut onl% one #eer&" he told hi self. "I don"t want to #e

stopped #% so e 'unior police an for drunk driving. ThenI"ll have to go ho e to an e pt% house."

(ust as he was leaving the office& the phone rang. Heturned #ack auto aticall% and picked it up. He half hoped it

ight #e his wife.

")orr% to distur# %ou& sir&" said Detective Consta#le(a ie $owen. "$ut we"ve got a #it of a pro#le ."

")o have I&" said Eliot. "I shouldn"t #e here. *sk Inspector +err%on."

")orr%& sir&" said $owen& "#ut Inspector +err%on hasn"t

arrived %et. He phoned to sa% his car is stuck in a traffic 'ain Hackne%. He pro#a#l% won"t #e here for at least an hour&"Eliot hit the top of his desk angril%.

The lights fro The !ueen"s Head looked so inviting.$ut in the street #elow people were crowded into shopdoorwa%s& tr%ing to escape fro the rain. The water pouredonto the street and was thrown up again #% the lines of cars

oving slowl% awa% fro the centre of ,ondon.

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"*ll right& $owen&" he said. "-ou"d #etter tell e a#out itthen. hat is it/"

" e"ve 'ust had a report of a death& sir. *nd there"s agun."

This was the last thing Eliot wanted to hear. He had#een in a #ad ood all da%. He usuall% liked rida% #ecauseof the weekend ahead& when he could spend ti e with hiswife )all% and eight1%ear1old son +ick%. +ick% was cra2%a#out foot#all& and Eliot alwa%s took hi to watch est

Ha on )aturda%s when the% pla%ed at ho e. This weekendwould #e different& though. Eliot had to work& and )all% hadtaken +ick% to her parents" house in $righton for two nights.He had argued with her that orning. ")top shouting&" shehad said. "-ou"re 'ust angr% #ecause %ou don"t want us to goawa%. h% can"t %ou ad it it/"

)he was right& #ut knowing this onl% ade hi oreangr%. He had left the house without sa%ing good#%e to her.

He had tried to ring several ti es to sa% sorr%& #ut therewas no answer. ow she would #e at her parents" house. *ndshe could not speak to hi openl% there #ecause the% would

#e listening."I knew this would #e a #ad da% fro the o ent I

woke up&" he told $owen. "*ll right. e"ll have to go. hereis it/"

"$lackheath& I" afraid& sir."

Eliot sighed. $lackheath was onl% si4 kilo etres froew Cross police station. $ut at this ti e on a rida% night

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there was so uch traffic that the 'ourne% could take over anhour.

Eliot could not think of a worse wa% of spendingrida% evening& especiall% as he had to #e in his office earl%

ne4t orning. h% did ever%one tr% to leave ,ondon at thesa e ti e/ 5ne da% the whole cit% would #e stuck in one#ig traffic 'a . *lread% the traffic oved ore slowl% thanit had a hundred %ears ago. It was adness.

"+eet e downstairs in ten inutes& $owen&" he said.

"5h& and there"ll have to #e edical reports. Check thatso eone"s told a doctor and the pathologist." Eliot turnedawa% fro the window. ell& at least )all% and +ick%weren"t waiting for hi at ho e. He had #etter phone thenow. It ight #e his last chance this evening. )all%"s father picked up the phone. "Hello Rod. it% %ou can"t #e here. The

weather"s #eautiful. How"s the 'o#/"Eliot ade hi self chat politel% for a few inutes and

then asked to speak to )all%.

"I" afraid she"s not here&" her father said. ")he"s taken+ick% for a walk. He couldn"t wait to see the sea. *n%

essage for her/" Eliot couldn"t #elieve his #ad luck."(ust sa% I" pleased the%"ve arrived safel%&" he said.

"*nd give her % love. I"ll ring again to orrow."

He put down the phone and took one last look at The!ueen"s Head. The traffic see ed hardl% to have oved.

ell& at least he could get $owen to drive.

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Chapter twoThe colour of death

The car went forward a few etres& and then stoppedagain. *t first $owen had switched on the #lue light andsiren so that other drivers would let the pass. $ut there wasno space for the to get through& and the% had al ostcaused two accidents. The% were nearl% in $lackheath now.The rain had stopped #ut the traffic see ed to #e gettingworse.

$lackheath 7illage is one of the prettiest and greenestparts of south east ,ondon. Its narrow streets are on a hillwith pleasant views& unusual houses and an% restaurants.,arge areas of grass separate the village fro the ain road.Here children pla% and lovers wander& and fa ilies walk with their dogs.

To orrow night there would #e crowds& as it wasove #er 8& 9u% awkes Da%. Thousands of people would

co e to the $lackheath firework show if the% weren"t havingparties in their own gardens. )o e of these parties see edto have started alread%. The sk% was full of the sounds and

colours of fireworks e4ploding a#ove their heads. Eliotthought a#out his son with a sudden pain. +ick% would #e

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so e4cited to orrow. Eliot would have loved to #ring hihere. He ade hi self think a#out his work instead.

" hat do %ou know a#out this death/" he asked $owen.

" ot uch& sir. It"s a white an in his thirties."

"I suppose we"ll find out ore when we arrive. If weever do arrive& $owen&" added Eliot i patientl%.

")orr%& sir. I" doing % #est&" said $owen.

Eliot wondered how $owen would feel a#out seeing

the dead #od%. It was never eas%& even for hi self after allthese %ears& though he had #eco e uch harder. $owen wastwent%1eight& ten %ears %ounger than Eliot& and had workedwith hi since first 'oining the police. His parents were richand he had #een to Ca #ridge :niversit%.

This had worried Eliot at first. $ut $owen was honestand intelligent and a good police an. Eliot now had a highopinion of hi & though he did not often show it. $ut therewas one thing a#out $owen which Eliot could notunderstand; he was alwa%s falling in love with the wrongwo en. The% were either arried& or not interested in hi &or totall% cra2%. Recentl% he had started asking Eliot for advice when the% were in the car together.

"*ll that education& and he can"t get a girlfriend. hat awaste

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*t last the% turned off the ain road and stoppedoutside a s all #ut #eautiful eighteenth centur% house at theend of a =uiet street. ,ights were shining fro all thewindows. Eliot got out and stretched his legs. or all% he

would have looked forward to seeing the inside of such alovel% #uilding.

* %oung police an opened the door. He looked pale&and see ed ver% pleased to see the .

"Evening& sir. Evening& sir&" he said& looking at each of

the . "+% na e"s Drewitt. The& er& #od%"s through here."The% followed hi through a hall with a deep red

ersian carpet& past so e #eautiful wooden stairs and into asitting roo at the #ack. * fire was #urning in the fireplace&and la ps on low ta#les threw a war light over the curtainsand walls and anti=ue furniture. *n open piano stood #% thewindow& with usic on it and a half filled glass of red wine.

Eliot"s attention was caught #% a dark shape on the wall#eside one of the ar chairs. It was the sa e colour as thecarpet in the hall. *t first it see ed the onl% ugl% thing in theroo . $ut then Eliot looked down at the chair. He =uickl%

looked awa% again. It was a an"s #od%. $ut he onl% knew itwas a an fro its shape and the clothes it wore. otenough of the face re ained to show what se4 it had #een. Itsat in a chair with its #ack to the window. * gun la% #eside iton the floor.

Eliot ade hi self look again. The hands were long&with thin& well1shaped fingers. iano1pla%ing hands. Therewas a thick gold ring on the third finger of the right hand. )o

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he wasn"t arried& though he could #e divorced. His clotheslooked e4pensive& as %ou would e4pect in a house like this.

In the few seconds it took for these thoughts to crossEliot"s ind& $owen had taken out his note#ook and started

=uestioning Drewitt."$owen"s #eco ing as hard as e&" Eliot thought. " ot

like %oung Drewitt there. He"s as white as a sheet."

"*n% idea who he is/" $owen asked Drewitt.

Drewitt was o#viousl% having difficult% speaking." ell& sir&" he said at last& "the house #elongs to a +r *le4

orle%. His neigh#ours called us. +r and +rs Crowther.The% live ne4t door. He nor all% had tea with the on

rida%s& and the% got worried when he didn"t co e thisafternoon as he"d #een feeling ill. He didn"t answer his

door#ell& so the% got into the #ack garden and saw hithrough the window. The doctor"s alread% #een and gone&sir."

"-es&" said $owen. "He wouldn"t have needed to sta%long. *n%one can see the an"s dead."

" e"ll have a word with the Crowthers later&" Eliot said."I"d #etter wait here till the pathologist arrives. $owen& wh%don"t %ou talk to the other neigh#ours. )ee if the% can tell usan%thing interesting."

There was a ring at the door#ell. Two ore police enca e in and started taking photographs of the dead #od%& #utit was another hal