Chapter 9 9. Marionettes

Chapter One The police were standing on the corner of Twenty-fourth Street and a dark alley where the elevated railroad was passing.It was two o'clock in the morning: the pre-dawn darkness was thick, damp, and uncomfortable. A man in a long overcoat, with a hat pulled down, and something in his hand came hurriedly out of a dark alley.The police came forward, amiable but with the confidence of dutiful duty.The timing, the notoriety of the alley, the haste of the pedestrians, and the heavy loads they were carrying all naturally constituted a suspicious situation requiring police intervention to ascertain.

The suspicious person stopped immediately, pushed back his hat, and the face illuminated by the flickering street lamp was calm and composed, with a rather long nose and dark eyes that did not evade.Without taking off his gloves, he reached into his coat pocket and produced a business card, which he handed to the policeman.The police looked at the shaking lights and saw that Charles M.D. was printed on the business card.Spencer.james.Streets and numbers, in a solid and respectable neighborhood, do not allow for curiosity, let alone suspicion.The policeman glanced down and saw what the doctor was carrying: a beautiful medicine chest with black leather and silver buckles; the business card was further confirmed.

Please, sir.The police took a step back, and their tone was a bit too kind, and the higher-ups should be extra careful.Recently, there have been many cases of door picking and road robbery.It's bad enough to be out on a night like this.Not cold; but slimy. Dr. James nodded politely, said a few words to echo the police's evaluation of the weather, and continued to walk in a hurry.All three patrolmen that night thought his business card and his pompous medicine box were proof that he was a decent man and doing decent work.If any of these policemen felt he should check the cards the next day (as long as he didn't go too early, since Dr. James had no early-to-bed and early-to-rise habits), he would find the physician's name on a beautiful doorplate, beautifully furnished. There is indeed a well-dressed doctor himself in the clinic, and the neighbors are willing to testify that the doctor has been abiding by the law, taking care of the family, and the business is thriving for two years.

So it would be a surprise if any of these vigilantes could see the contents of that apparently innocent medicine chest.As soon as the bag is opened, the first thing that appears in front of you is a newly invented set of exquisite tools for safe experts.Those tools are specially designed, specially made short and powerful crowbars, a set of oddly shaped keys, and high-strength blue steel drills and punches that can punch holes in cold cast steel as easily as a mouse chews cheese. A leech was attached to the smooth safe door, and the pincers of the combination lock were pulled out as neatly as a dentist pulling out a tooth. In the small patch pocket in the medicine bag, there was a bottle of four ounces of nitroglycerin, half used.Below the tool was a pile of crumpled bills and handfuls of gold coins, totaling eight hundred and thirty dollars.

Dr. James was known in his very limited circle of friends as a great Greek.Half of this peculiar title is a compliment to his calm gentleman style; illegal activities. The other members of this lean coterie are Skitser.Morgan, Jim.Decker and Leopold.Pretsfield.Decker was the specialist in safes, and Pretzfield was the city jeweler who handled the diamonds and other jewelry that the three-man team had brought in.They are all good people who talk about friendship and loyalty, tight-lipped, and loyal. The partners felt that they were not satisfied with the harvest that night, and could only barely compensate them for the effort they expended.An old-fashioned double-side-bolt safe of a well-funded old cloth dealer should have more than $2,500 in deposits on a Saturday night.But they only found this amount, and the three divided the money equally on the spot according to the usual practice.They were expecting ten or twelve thousand dollars.However, one of the firm's shareholder owners is a little too old-fashioned.After dark, he took most of the cash home in a shirt box.

Dr. James continued down the deserted Twenty-fourth Street.The theater-goers, who often gather in this area, are also already in bed.The drizzle formed small pools among the paving stones, and when illuminated by the arc lights, thousands of small sparkling spots were reflected.The steamy cold wind blows from the gap between the houses in gusts. The doctor had just approached the corner of a tall brick building when the front door of this distinctive residence slammed open, and a muttering, kicking black woman descended the steps onto the sidewalk.She was talking, probably talking to herself about the kind of recourse people of her race always resort to when they are alone in peril.She was talkative, unscrupulous, loyal, and insubordinate, like the old Southern servant; her appearance indicated this, corpulent, neat, aproned, and turbaned.

The figure, which suddenly emerged from the silent house, had just come down the steps as Dr. James walked towards him.The function of her brain switched from pronunciation to vision, she stopped muttering, and her pair of goldfish eyes fixed on the medicine box in the doctor's hand. Thank goodness!Seeing the medicine chest, she blurted out, Are you a doctor, sir? Yes, I am a doctor.Doctor James stopped and said. Then for heaven's sake go and see Mr. Chandler.I don't know if he was sick or what, he seemed to be dead.Miss Amy sent me to the doctor.God knows where old Cindy will find the doctor if you don't come, sir.If the old master knows what's going on here, there will be a good show, and the husband will shoot a gun, count his steps on the ground, and fight with a pistol.that lamb, poor miss amy

If you want to find a doctor, just lead the way ahead.Dr. James stepped up the steps and said, I'm not going to accompany you to find someone to listen to you. The Negro woman led him in and up a flight of thickly carpeted stairs.They passed two dimly lit halls.In the second hall, the out-of-breath guide turned the corner, stopped at a door, and opened it. I've got the doctor here, Miss Amy. Dr. James entered the room and bowed slightly to a young lady standing by the bed.He put the medicine box on the chair, took off his overcoat, put it on the back of the medicine box and the chair, and walked towards the bed calmly.

Lying on the bed was a man, still in the same posture when he fell down, dressed in gorgeous fashion, his shoes had been taken off; his whole body was relaxed, motionless as if dead. Dr. James seemed to exude an aura of serenity, composure, and strength, like rain after a long drought to the weak and disappointed among his clients.There was something about his demeanor in the sickroom that particularly captivated the women.That is not the connivance and flattery of fashionable doctors to patients, but the calm and self-confidence, the courage to overwhelm fate, and the attitude of respect, protection and dedication to people.There was a limpid appeal in his firm, bright brown eyes; an amiable countenance well suited to the role of confidant and comforter, a cool, almost priestly tranquility with an underlying majesty.Sometimes when he went to the doctor, women would tell him where they hid diamonds at night to prevent them from being stolen, even though they met him for the first time.

Dr. James was very experienced, and without moving his eyes, he estimated the grade and quality of the furniture in the room, and at the same time he appraised the appearance of the young lady.She is thin and in her early twenties, and her appearance has a kind of charming beauty, but now it is covered with haze.This was not so much caused by accidental misfortune as by long-standing and fixed complaints.There was a bruised and purple contusion on one side of her forehead, and the doctor judged from experience that the injury would not last more than six hours. Dr. James reached out to feel the patient's pulse.His almost talking eyes questioned the young woman.

I'm Mrs. Chandler.She replied, with the vague crying sound and accent of a southerner, about ten minutes before you came, my husband suddenly fell ill.He had had a few heart attacks before, quite dangerously.The late-night attire of the patient prompted her to explain further that he had been away late; going to a dinner party, I think. Chapter two Dr. James now turned his attention to the patient.No matter what kind of professional activity he pursued, he was always absorbed in cases or transactions. The patient is about thirty years old.His countenance was daring and dissolute, but still decent, and his faults were made up for by an expression of optimism and humor.His clothes smelled of spilled wine. The doctor unbuttoned his shirt and cut the front of his shirt from collar to waist with a knife.After clearing the obstacles, he put his ear to the patient's heart and listened carefully. Mitral regurgitation?He said softly as he stood up straight.Sentence ends with an insecure rising intonation.He leaned over and listened for a long time again; this time he said in a confirmed tone: mitral valve insufficiency. Madame, the tone of his speech has soothed people's worries many times, and it is possible that when he slowly turned his head towards the lady, she was pale, fainted, and fell into the arms of the black old woman. Poor little lamb!Poor little lamb!Aunt Cindy's precious child was killed by them!May God be angry and punish those who led her astray and broke her angelic heart and brought her to this point Elevate her feet.Dr. James went up to help the fainted person. Where is her room?She must be carried to bed. here sir.The black old woman swung her hooded head toward a door which was Miss Amy's room. They carried her into the room and put her on the bed.Her pulse was weak but regular.She was unconscious and fell into a deep sleep from a coma. She was exhausted.The doctor said sleep was good for her.When she wakes up, give her a glass of hot water with an egg in it, if she can drink it.What's with the bruise on her forehead? Hit it, sir.That poor little lamb fell down, sir, the old woman's erratic racial character made her go into a fit, and old Cindy wouldn't lie for the devil.He did it, sir.May God let his hand rot away Oh, damn it!Cindy promised her sweet little lamb she would never tell.Miss Amy has a bruise on the head, sir. Dr. James walked over to a delicate light stand and dimmed the light. You are here serving your wife, he ordered, be quiet and let her sleep.If she wakes up, give her wine with warm water.If she's not doing well, you come and tell me.It's a little weird. There are many strange things here.Just as the black woman was about to speak, the doctor, uncharacteristically, ordered her to keep quiet as if to appease a hysterical patient.He went back to another room and gently closed the door.The person on the bed didn't move, but his eyes were opened.His lips moved as if he wanted to say something.Dr. James lowered his head and heard only faint money!money! Can you hear what I'm saying?The doctor lowered his voice, but spoke very clearly. The patient nodded slightly. I am a doctor, invited by your wife.They told me you were Mr. Chandler.You are seriously ill, so don't get excited or panic. The patient's eyes seemed to beckon him.The doctor bent down to listen to the still faint voices. The money is 20,000 yuan. where is the moneyIs it in the bank? His eyes expressed denial, telling her that his voice was getting weaker and weaker, and his eyes scanned the room for the 20,000 yuan, her money. Have you hidden your money somewhere?Dr. James's voice is as eager as a seraphine, trying to get the secret out of the mouth of the gradually delirious man, in this room? He felt a flicker of agreement in those dimming eyes.The pulse that he could touch with his fingertips was as thin as a silk thread. The instincts of Dr. James's other profession arose in his head and heart.He was swift in his work, and immediately resolved to find out what had happened to the money, even though he knew that it would certainly cost someone his life. He took a small blank prescription pad from his pocket and, following standard routine, wrote a prescription that suited the patient's needs.He went to the door of the back room, softly called the black woman out, gave her the prescription, and told her to go to the pharmacy to fill it. After she left muttering, the doctor went to the bed where Mrs. Chandler lay.She is still sleeping; her pulse is better than before; her forehead is not hot except for the bruised and inflamed area, and it is slightly moist.She can sleep for hours when no one disturbs her.He found the key to the house and locked the door behind him when he came out. Dr. James looked at his watch.He had half an hour at his disposal, because the old woman couldn't get home for half an hour after she went to dispense medicine.He found a pitcher and tumbler, opened the medicine cabinet, and pulled out a vial of nitroglycerin, which his handcrank brethren simply called oil. He poured a drop of the pale yellow thick liquid into the wine glass, then took out the syringe with the silver sleeve, and fixed the needle.He carefully pumped water several times according to the scale on the glass tube, diluting the drop of nitroglycerin into a solution nearly half a wine glass. Two hours earlier that night, Dr. James had injected the same syringe with undiluted fluid into the hole he had drilled in the lock of a safe, and a muffled explosion had knocked out the mechanism that controlled the deadbolt.Now he intends to use the same method to shock a man's main mechanical stimulation of his heart for money. Same method, but different appearance.The former is reckless and brutish, a giant by virtue of raw drive, the latter a flatterer but with equally deadly arms disguised in velvet and lace.For the liquid the physician carefully draws from the wine glass with a syringe has become glyceryl trinitrate, the most potent cardiotonic known to medical science.Two ounces could break a thick iron door of a safe; he would now use a drip of five-fiftieths to permanently freeze the complex organs of a living man. 【Note】Measuring drop: the smallest unit of liquid volume, American system ∥○. ○616ml, imperial system ∥○. ○ Fifty-nine ml. But not immediately still.This does not meet his requirements.The first is to rapidly increase the vitality of the body; to give a powerful boost to every organ and function.The heart responds bravely to the fatal spur; the blood in the veins returns to the heart more quickly.Dr. James knew very well that such a heart attack is as provocative as a rifle bullet, with immediate death.When the blood flow increases suddenly under the action of Thieves Oil, the arteries with originally blocked lumens will be quickly and completely blocked, and the fountain of life will stop flowing. The doctor unbuttoned the clothes on the chest of the unconscious Chandler, and skillfully injected the liquid in the syringe into the precordial muscle.He was clean and tidy in both trades. After the injection, he carefully dried the needle and rethreaded the thin copper wire that kept the needle open. Three minutes later, Chandler opened his eyes and began to speak, faintly but clearly, and asked who had rescued him.Dr. James explained again how he had come here. Where is my wife?the patient asked. She fell asleep due to overwork and worry.The doctor said I would not wake her unless no need.Chandler is short of breath, and her speech is often broken, and she will not be kind to you to bother her because of me. Dr. James dragged a chair over to the bed.There is no time to waste, so hurry up and talk. You were going to say something to me about money, he said a few minutes ago in the low, candid tone of another profession.I don't expect you to confide in me, but it is my duty to advise you that anxiety is not good for your recovery.If you have something on your mind, I remember you mentioned the 20,000 yuan, you might as well say it, it can reduce your mental burden. Chandler couldn't move his head, but his eyes turned in the direction of the speaker. Did I mention where is the money? No.The doctor replied, I only inferred from your vague words that you were very concerned about its safety.if money is in this room Dr. James fell silent.Did he see a hint of enlightenment and suspicion on the patient's teasing face?Does he seem a little impatient?Did he slip up?What Chandler said afterwards restored his confidence. Where else could it be hidden, he said breathlessly, but the safe. He pointed his eyes to a corner of the room, and the doctor saw a small iron safe half-hidden under the curtain. He stood up and grabbed the patient's wrist.His pulse was great, but with ominous intervals. Raise your arms.Doctor James ordered. You know I can't move, doctor. The doctor quickly approached the door leading to the corridor, opened it, and listened for sounds outside.There was silence.He stopped insinuating, walked straight to the front of the safe, and took a look.The safe was old in style and simple in design, and it could only guard against servants with dirty hands and feet.In terms of his skills, this can only be regarded as a toy, which is equivalent to a paste of straw and cardboard.The money can be said to have arrived.He could use the clamps to pull out the dial, drill through the tumblers, and open the safe door in less than two minutes.Another way, maybe just a minute. He knelt on the ground, put his ear to the safe door, and slowly turned the dial.As he expected, only one combination code was used to lock the door.His keen ears heard a soft click as the dial turned; he loosened the handle with a combination.He opened the safe door. There was nothing in the safe, not even a scrap of paper could be seen in the empty iron grid. Dr. James stood up and went back to the bed. The dying man's brow was dripping with sweat, but there was a mocking sneer at the corners of his mouth and eyes. Never in my life, he said with difficulty, medicine combined with theft!It's not bad for you to earn a living by taking a second job, isn't it, my dear doctor? The situation was embarrassing, and Dr. James's shrewdness had never been tested more severely than this.The victim's outrageous sense of humor lands him in situations that are both ridiculous and insecure, yet he retains his dignity and his sanity.He took out his watch and waited for the man to die. You were too eager for that money.But your dear doctor can't do anything about it.It's safe.very safe.It's all in the hands of the bookies.Twenty thousand Amy's money.I took it to a horse race and lost everything.I am a prodigal son, Mr. Thief, I am sorry for the doctor, but I lost in a fair way.I've never seen such an unqualified villain as you Doctor sorry Mr Thief.Is it against the professional ethics of your thieves to apologize to the victim and give the patient a glass of water? Dr. James poured him a glass of water.He could barely swallow.The drug reaction came in bursts, getting stronger and stronger.But when he was about to die, he still wanted to sting others severely. Gamblers, drunkards, and losers are all I know, but doctors and thieves! The doctor had only one answer to his harsh sarcasm.He bent down, stared into Chandler's sharply frozen eyes, and pointed to the sleeping woman's room in a gesture so stern and meaningful that the exhausted man half-raised his head with all his remaining strength, trying to see After all.He saw nothing; but heard the icy words of the Physician, the last voice he heard on his deathbed: I've never hit a woman so far. It is in vain to attempt to study such a man.No science can investigate them.People say of certain people that he can do this, he can do that, that they are descended from them.We only know that such people exist; we only know that we can watch them and talk about their superficial manifestations, just as children watch and talk about marionette shows. However, one of these two men was a robber and murderer who wanted to get money and murder, and he stood before the victim; in the house of his wife; the one a tiger, the other a wolf, and both hated each other's baseness; and despite all their crimes, flaunted to each other that their codes of conduct (not to mention codes of honor, of course) were blameless. third chapter Dr. James' rebuttal must have stabbed the remaining shame and manliness of the other party, and it was a fatal blow.A flush of dying erythema appeared on his face; Chandler had stopped breathing, was barely shaking, and was dead. As soon as he died, the old black woman came back after preparing the medicine.Dr. James pressed the dead man's closed eyelids lightly with one hand and told her the result.She wasn't sad, she complained bleakly, whimpering, with her hereditary friendly attitude towards abstract death: is not that right!God has his own plan.He will punish the guilty and help the needy.It's time for him to help us.Cindy bought the bottle of medicine and spent the last coin, but the medicine was useless. Doesn't Mrs. Chandler have any money?Doctor James asked. money?Sir, do you know why Miss Amy fainted, why she was so weak?It's starving, sir.Except for some broken biscuits, there was nothing to eat in the house for three days.The little angel sold her ring and pocket watch a few months ago.The red carpet and beautiful furniture in this house are all rented, and the renters are fierce.Forgive me that devil, God, he has been punished at your hand, he has ruined all his property. The doctor's silence made her speak more and more.From Cindy's rambling monologues he unifies an age-old tale of fantasy, caprice, disaster, cruelty, and arrogance.Among the vague outlines of her babbling words were a few clearer pictures: a comfortable home in the far south; a hasty marriage that was soon to be regretted; The hope of reviving the family business; the wolf took the money, did not see each other for two months, and squandered it all outside; returned one night drunk.A pure white thread can be seen from the messy story: the black old woman's simplicity, nobility and unswerving love, no matter what difficulties and obstacles, she will unswervingly follow the mistress. When she finally shut up, the doctor asked her if she had any whiskey or anything in the house.The old woman said yes, and there was still half a bottle of whiskey left by the jackal in the sideboard. Just as I told you, pour some wine, mix some hot water, and crack an egg in it.Wake up your mistress; let her drink it, and tell her what happened in the house. Ten minutes later, Mrs. Chandler entered with the help of old Cindy.She slept for a while, drank hot wine, and looked less frail.Dr. James had covered the dead man in the bed with a sheet. The lady cast a sad and half-frightened eye over the bed; moved closer to her guardian.Her eyes were dry and shiny.The excruciating pain had dried up her tears. Dr. James stood at the table, with his overcoat on, hat and medicine chest in his hand.His countenance was calm and serene, and his profession had accustomed him to human suffering.Only his twinkling brown eyes showed the sympathy of a careful physician. He thoughtfully and succinctly said that since it was too late, it must be difficult to ask for help, and he could find the right person to take care of the funeral himself. One last thing, the doctor pointed to the open safe and said, Mrs. Chandler, your husband finally knew he couldn't do it; he told me the combination number of the safe and asked me to open it.If you are going to use it, please remember that the number is forty-one.First turn to the right a few turns; then turn to the left once; stop at the number forty-one.Although he knew he was about to die, he wouldn't let me wake you up. He says he has a small amount of money in the safe that you can use to fulfill his last request.He begs you to go back to your old home, and to forgive him for all the crimes he has committed against you when life is easier in the future. He pointed to the table. On the table was a neat stack of banknotes, with two stacks of gold coins on top of the banknotes. The money was there, as he said, a total of eight hundred and thirty yuan.Please allow me to leave my business card. If there is anything I can do in the future, please let me know. He actually thought of her at the last moment and was very thoughtful!It's too late!But the lie fanned a spark of tenderness in what she thought had been nothing but ashes and dust.She blurted out: "Rob!Rob!Turning around, she threw herself into the arms of her loyal servant, diluting her sorrow with tears.In the years to come, the murderer's lie was like a little star, shining above the grave of love, giving her comfort and winning her forgiveness, which is a good thing in itself. The black old woman hugged her to her chest and comforted her in a low voice like a child. She finally raised her head but the doctor had already left.