13、 演绎法研究之标签四：案件档案：绿梯子 ...
-
The Green □□（Never had time to write up case notes. See my colleague, John Watson's summary of the case）
绿梯子（没时间写案件记录，去看我同事约翰·华生的案件总结）
Case closed
案件已解决
A PC Jane Downing has come to ask for my help. Her husband died. Everyone thinks it's a tragic accident. She's convinced his brother did it. Brother has a cast iron alibi. I love cast iron alibis so I'm taking on the case.
一个PC简·唐宁来向我求助。她丈夫过世了。所有人都认为是一个意外，但她确信那是他弟弟干的。弟弟有一个确凿的不在场证明。我爱不在场证明，因此我接了这案子。
Background: End of last year, Sir Harry Downing died. Left the house to the older son, Jack. House to stay in the family though - it was to go to Keith, the younger brother, if Jack died without having any kids.
背景：去年年尾，哈利·唐宁爵士过世了，给大儿子杰克留下了一栋房子，于是杰克一家就搬了进去——不过如果杰克没有留下任何子嗣，那这房子也许就要归弟弟凯斯所有了。
Last month: Jack found dead in the garden pond. He'd no reason to kill himself but no signs of a struggle. High level of alcohol in his bloodstream. Looks like a tragic accident. Looks like Keith gets the house.
上个月：杰克被人发现死在了花园的池子里。他没理由自杀，但现场没有挣扎的痕迹。他的血液里检出了高浓度的酒精，看起来像是个不幸的意外。似乎凯斯能得到这房子了。
Jack's wife, Jane, not convinced. Keith spends the week in Edinburgh and only returns to London for weekends. Even though Keith was in Scotland on the night Jack died, she's certain he was responsible for her husband's death. He'd definitely got a motive.
杰克的妻子，简，不相信是这样。凯斯平常都在爱丁堡，只有周末回伦敦。虽然杰克死去那晚凯斯在苏格兰，她还是确信他该为她丈夫的死负责。他有明显的动机。
Update: Have been to the house:
更新：去了那房子：
（这里是一张图片，图请看作者有话说）
It's the side wall of one of the smaller buildings in the grounds. No windows so nobody could have thrown anything out at the victim. No footprints in the flower bed. Path is loose gravel - fairly narrow but not dangerously so. Jack couldn't swim. He could have slipped on the gravel and fallen in Looks like an accident.
这是庭院里一座小点儿的房子的侧墙。没有窗所以没人可以从这儿向死者扔东西。花坛里没有脚印。小路上铺着碎石——相当的窄但没危险到容易失足。杰克不会游泳，也许他在碎石上滑倒然后掉了进去？看起来像是一桩意外。（这些就是阿福一直心心念念幽幽怨怨想要花生写的分析啊）
Update: Have now met Keith - it was definitely not an accident.
更新：见了凯斯——这明显不是一桩意外。
Update: Spoken to Jane again. Got her to tell me everything she could about the victim. He was boringly mundane. One thing I noticed when she was setting the table - she spilt some salt so she threw it over her shoulder. Apparently it's bad luck to spill salt. I asked if her husband believed in similar nonsense and she confirmed he did. Also asked her about his drinking - he didn't drink that much, usually just beer.
更新：再次与简聊了聊，打听到了她所知的一切关于死者的事。他沉闷无趣，平凡无奇。她收拾桌子的时候，我注意到了一件事——她弄撒了盐于是又撒了些到自己肩膀上，显然是为了驱除厄运。我询问是否她丈夫也迷信这类无聊事，她说是。我又问她他是否酗酒——他很少喝高，通常只喝啤酒。
Update: Returned to the house and examined the flower bed. Nothing. Examined the gravel... and took some away to examine in closer detail.
更新：返回现场再次检查花坛。一切正常。检查碎石……带回样本进行详细检查。
Update: Traces of green paint in the gravel. In two specific patches, about a metre apart. A □□. No windows in the wall so it's an unlikely place to put a □□. And if you were to put a □□ there,you'd put it in the flower bed, not on the path. Have spoken to the house gardener - there's no green □□ on the property. Conclusion: The □□ was brought to the house and placed there for some other reason.
更新：碎石中有绿色油漆的痕迹，在隔一米远的两处样本里。一把梯子。墙上没有窗因此没什么地方要放一把梯子。如果要在那儿放把梯子，你会把它放到花坛而不是小路里。跟园丁聊了聊——房子里没有绿梯子。结论：拿梯子是出于某些原因被拿来放在这里的。
Summary: Keith knew his brother was superstitious. He arranged for a friend to put a □□ there - knowing Jack would walk around it. There was a bottle of Scotch in the house which Keith had sent to Jack - knowing he wasn't much of a drinker. Jack drinks the whisky, gets drunk, goes for a walk, loose gravel, dark night - sees the □□. Bad luck to walk under the □□, so walks around it - into the pond where he drowns.
小结：凯斯知道他哥哥很迷信。他安排了一个朋友把梯子放在那儿——他知道杰克会绕过它。房子里有瓶苏格兰威士忌，是凯斯送给杰克的——他知道杰克不是一个酒鬼。杰克喝了那瓶威士忌，烂醉如泥，散散步吹吹风，石子路，月黑风高——然后看见了梯子。从梯子下面走过会被厄运缠上，所以绕过它——掉进了池子里。
I'll text Jane later. Case closed.
随后短信通知简。案子解决。（这句话……完全是一种案件真简单我真聪明这世上只有我这么聪明……的讨打语气）
作者有话说
第13章 演绎法研究之标签四：案件档案：绿梯子
