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  .., 2026.



Anna Katherine Green   

Leavenworth Case  



Book One  

Problem 



Chapter 1 The Great Deed  1  

Something will happen that will plunge everyone into horror.  ,     .

William Shakespeare.  . Macbeth 



I had been working for the firm of Wiley, Carr &Raymond, attorneys and legal consultants, for about a year when one morning (Mr. Wiley and Mr. Carr were away for a while) a young man entered our office, whose whole appearance so clearly spoke of extreme excitement and haste that I involuntarily went to meet him with the question:   ,   ,        ,    (        )      ,           ,        :

- What happened?   ? I hope nothing bad? ,  ?

- I need to talk to Mr. Willie.       . Is he there?   ?

No, I answered.  ,   . He was unexpectedly called to Washington this morning, and he wont be back until tomorrow.         ,      . But if you tell me     

- You, sir?  , ? - He turned a very cold but firm look on me and, as if satisfied with what he saw, continued:        ,    ,    , : - Why not?      ? It's not a secret.   . I came to tell him that Mr. Leavenworth is dead.    ,    .

Mr. Leavenworth?!   ?! I exclaimed, taking a step back.    ,   . Mr. Leavenworth was an old client of our firm and a close friend of Mr. Willie.            .

- Yes.  . He was killed.   . Someone shot him in the head while he was sitting in his library. -    ,      .

- Killed?!  ?! - I couldnt believe my ears.        . - How, when did this happen?   ,   ?

Yesterday evening.   . At least, thats what we assume.   ,   . He was only found this morning.     . I am Mr. Leavenworths personal secretary, he explained, and I live with his family.      ,   ,      . Its a terrible shock for everyone, especially for the women.     ,    .

A terrible shock!   ! I repeated.    . It will be a blow to Mr. Willie.        .

Now they are left alone, said the secretary in a low, businesslike voice, which, as I later learned, was his usual one.     ,    , ,    ,    . Both Miss Leavenworths, that is... Mr. Leavenworths nieces, they are cousins.     ,     ,   . There will be an inquest today, and they must have someone with them who can advise them on something.    ,     ,   - . Since Mr. Wiley was their uncles best friend, they naturally sent for him.        , , ,   . But you say he is not here, and now I dont know what to do or where to go.   ,   ,     ,     .

I dont know the lady, I answered hesitantly, but if I can help in any way, my respect for their uncle is so     ,    ,     - ,       

The secretary's eyes silenced me.     . Their pupils suddenly dilated to such an extent that they seemed to encompass my entire figure.       , , ,     .

I dont know, he said slowly, his brows furrowing:   ,    ,  : a clear indication that he didnt really like this development.    ,           . Perhaps it would be better this way.   ,   . Ladies shouldnt feel lonely      

- Not another word, I'm going.    ,  .

Sitting down at the table, I hastily wrote a note to Mr. Willie and, after making other necessary preparations, went out into the street with the secretary.   ,                 .

So, I said, tell me everything you know about this terrible incident.  ,   ,   ,       .

- Everything I know?  ,   ? This can be done in a few words.      . Yesterday I left him in the library as usual, and this morning I found him sitting in the same place, almost in the same pose, but with a bullet hole in his head the size of the tip of his little finger.        ,         ,     ,           .

- Dead?  ?

- Absolutely.  .

This is terrible!   ! I exclaimed and, after thinking a bit, added:     ,  , : Couldnt it have been suicide?        ?

- No.  . The gun used in the shooting has not been found. ,   ,  .

 But if its murder, there must be a motive.     ,   . Mr. Leavenworth was too good-natured a man to have enemies.      ,   . And if its robbery    

This is not a robbery.    . Nothing is missing, he interrupted me.   ,    . This is all a complete mystery.      .

- A riddle?  ?

- Complete and utter.  .

Turning around, I looked at my companion with curiosity. ,       . The inhabitant of the house in which the mysterious murder had taken place was a very interesting subject.  ,     ,    . However, the rather handsome, but expressionless features of the man walking next to me gave too little food for even the most developed imagination.   ,                  . Therefore, I turned away and asked:     :

 Are the ladies very upset?    ?

He took at least another half dozen steps before he answered:        ,   :

 It would be strange if they werent upset.    ,      .

And whether it was the expression on his face or the very nature of his answer, I felt that in talking about these ladies to the dull, reserved secretary of the late Mr. Leavenworth, I was somehow treading on dangerous ground.         ,     ,   , ,      ,     ,  -     . As I had heard that they were very worthy women, this discovery did not please me.   ,      ,     . Therefore, I experienced a certain feeling of relief when I saw a carriage going to Fifth Avenue.      ,   ,    .

Well continue the conversation later, I said.    ,   . The crew is on its way.    .

But, having boarded the carriage, we realized that it was simply impossible to continue discussing such a topic. ,   ,  ,       . Taking advantage of the free time, I decided to refresh my memory of what I knew about Mr. Leavenworth.   ,      ,       . I found that all my knowledge about him boiled down to the following:  ,         : Mr. Leavenworth, a retired merchant, was very rich and occupied a fairly prominent place in society, had no children of his own, therefore he took into his house two nieces, one of whom had already been named his heir.  ,    ,          ,    ,        ,          . Undoubtedly, I had heard stories from Mr. Wiley about his eccentric habits (take, for example, the fact that he made a will in favor of one niece, and completely forgot about the other), but about the life of Mr. Leavenworth and his connections with the world, I knew, by and large, very little, to say nothing. ,          (    ,        ,      ),            ,   ,  ,    .

When we arrived at the place, there were a lot of people standing around the house, and I barely had time to notice that this corner building was of unusual depth, when I was caught up in the crowd and pushed to the foot of a wide stone staircase.     ,     ,       ,      ,           . Having freed myself, albeit not without difficulty, from the annoying attention of bootblacks and butchers, who seemed to think that by hanging on to me they could gain entry to the house, I went up the stairs and, seeing the secretary, who by some miracle was next to me, hurriedly rang the doorbell. ,     ,       , , , , ,   ,    ,     ,  ,  -     ,    . The door immediately opened, and in the resulting crack I saw a face in which I recognized one of our city detectives.    ,       ,        .

Mr. Grice!   ! I exclaimed.    .

He is the very one, answered the detective.   ,   . Come in, Mr. Raymond.   ,  . And, having pulled us into the house, he slammed the door, smiling grimly at the disappointed crowd remaining in the street.   ,    ,   ,    ,   . I hope you are not surprised to see me here, he said, extending his hand to me and glancing briefly at my companion.   ,   ,   ,   ,         .

No, I answered, and remembering that it wouldnt hurt to introduce the young man who had entered with me, I continued:  ,    , ,          , : This is Mr.... Mr.... Excuse me, I dont know your name, I said in a questioning tone to my companion.      ,     ,       . The personal secretary of the late Mr. Leavenworth, I hastened to add.       ,    .

Ah, Secretary, Mr. Grice responded.  -,     . The Coroner was asking for you, sir.     , .

- So, the coroner is already here?  ,   ?

- Yes.  . The jury has just gone upstairs to examine the body.        . Do you want to catch up with them?   ?

- No, that is not necessary.  ,    . I only came to help the lady if needed.     ,   ,   . Mr. Wiley is away now.     .

And you decided that such an opportunity could not be missed, he continued.    ,     ,   . Thats right.   . Since you are here, and the case promises to be unusual, I suppose that as a promising young lawyer, you will probably want to know all the details.    ,     ,  ,     , ,     . However, it is, of course, up to you to decide. , , , .

With difficulty overcoming the disgust that overwhelmed me at the thought of having to examine the corpse, I agreed:    ,      ,    ,  :

- I'll go.   .

- Okay.  . Follow me.   .

But as soon as I set foot on the stairs, I heard the steps of the jury descending from above.       ,     . Mr. Grice and I retreated into the empty space between the reception room and the drawing room, and I had time to say:              ,      :

 The young man says that this cannot be the work of a robber.    ,        .

Thats right, he replied, staring at the handle of the door where we were standing.  ,   ,     ,    .

 That nothing is missing     

 And that all the locks and bolts were securely closed in the morning.           . Thats right.   .

He didnt say that.     . But in that case I shuddered.       . That means the killer stayed in the house all night.    ,       .

Mr. Grice smiled grimly at the pen.     .

This is terrible!   ! I exclaimed.    .

Mr. Grice immediately frowned.     .

And here let me remark that Mr. Grice was not the spare, energetic man with the keen eye you would doubtless expect to see.     ,      ,     ,  , ,  . On the contrary, Mr. Grice was plump and composed, and had a look which, far from 'catching', never even rested on you. ,         ,      ,       . If it rested, it was only on some quite unimportant object within sight, such as a vase, an inkwell, or a button.    ,    -      ,   - ,   . He seemed to be conversing with these things, addressing his conclusions to them, and as for you... His thoughts and conversation had no more relation to you than to the spire of Trinity Church in Wall Street. ,      ,    ,             ,       -. Now, as I have already mentioned, Mr. Grice was on familiar terms with the doorknob.  ,    ,         .

Terrible, I repeated.  ,   .

His gaze moved to the button on my sleeve.         .

Lets go, he said.  ,   . The horizon is clear.    .

The detective was the first to climb the stairs, but stopped at the top.     ,   .

Mr. Raymond, he said, I am not in the habit of divulging the secrets of my profession, but in this case everything depends on the correct choice of the starting point of the investigation.   ,   ,          ,            . We are not dealing with an ordinary crime; this is the work of a genius.       ,    . Sometimes the uninitiated mind intuitively notices something that the most trained mind would miss.        - ,     . If this happens, remember:   , : I am your man.    . Dont talk to anyone, come straight to me.     ,    . This will be a big deal, believe me.    , . Great. . Now lets go.  .

 But ladies   

They are in the rooms upstairs.     . They are grieving, of course, but, I heard, they are more or less calm. , , ,  , - .

Approaching one of the doors, he pushed it and beckoned me to follow him.     ,        .

Finding myself in the darkness, at first I couldnt see anything, but gradually my eyes adjusted and I saw that we were in a library.   ,      ,       ,     .

He was found here, said the detective.    ,   . In this room and in this very place.          . After taking a few steps, he placed his hand on the edge of a large, cloth-covered table surrounded by chairs, which occupied the middle of the room.     ,            ,    . As you can see, it is located directly opposite this door.    ,      . Having gone further, he stopped at the threshold of a narrow corridor leading into the next room.    ,      ,    . Since the murdered man was found sitting on this chair, that is, with his back to this passage, the murderer probably came from here to fire the shot, stopping, say, somewhere here.          ,      , , ,  ,   , , , - .

And Mr. Grice stood at a certain spot on the carpet, about a foot from the said threshold.         ,      .

But I hastened to interject.      .

No buts!   ! he exclaimed.    . We have examined the scene of the crime.      .

And without deigning to go into details, Mr. Grice turned and quickly walked out into the aforementioned corridor.      ,         .

A wine cabinet, a dressing room, a storeroom, he explained, pointing his hand first in one direction and then in another, and finished with the words:   , , ,   ,     ,    ,   : Mr. Leavenworths private room, when this well-appointed room was revealed to us.      ,       .

Mr. Leavenworth's private room!    ! So here it was, the terrible, blood-chilling it, the thing that only yesterday had been a living, breathing person. ,   , ,   , ,     ,  . Approaching the bed with its long, thick curtains, I raised my hand to draw them, but Mr. Grice snatched them from my fingers, revealing a cold, calm face resting on the pillow, which looked so natural that I involuntarily shuddered.       ,   ,   ,        ,     ,  ,    ,    .

Death was too sudden and swift, his features did not have time to change, he said, turning the dead head so that the terrible wound on the back of his head became visible.       ,     ,   ,    ,       . A hole like that sends a person to the next world without him even noticing it.          ,      . I think the doctor will convince you that such a wound cannot be inflicted on oneself.  ,   ,      . We are dealing with a premeditated murder.      .

Seized with horror, I retreated, and my gaze fell on the door located directly opposite me, on the side of the wall that was closer to the hall.  ,  ,      ,    ,    ,     . This was the only exit from the room besides the corridor along which we had come here, and I involuntarily wondered whether it was through this door that the murderer had passed on his way to the library.        ,     ,    ,       ,   . However, Mr. Grice, apparently noticing the direction of my gaze, although he himself was looking at the candelabra, as if in response to the questioning expression that appeared on my face, hastened to remark:   , ,    ,     ,      ,     ,  :

- It was locked from the inside.     . We dont know whether he passed through it or not.   ,      .

Noticing that the bed was neatly made, I asked: ,    ,  :

- So, he didnt go to bed?  ,   ?

- No.  . The tragedy apparently occurred about ten hours ago.  , ,   . This was enough time for the killer to study the situation and prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.    ,         .

The killer Do you suspect someone?    - ?  I whispered.    .

Mr. Grice looked dispassionately at the ring on my finger.          .

- Everyone and no one.    . My job is not to suspect, but to investigate.    ,  .

Having drawn the curtains, he left the room.  ,    .

The coroner's inquest was now in full swing, and I felt a strong desire to be present at it.      ,        . So, having requested Mr. Grice to inform the ladies that Mr. Wiley was out of town, and that I had come to render any assistance they might require in so sad an hour, I went down to the large drawing-room below and took a seat among those assembled. ,     ,          ,    ,        ,           .



Chapter 2 Coroner's Inquest  2  

Oh, in these vague contours I see the outlines of menacing events. ,         .

William Shakespeare.  . Troilus and Cressida   



For some minutes I sat dazzled by the sudden flood of light from the numerous open windows, and then, as the most contrasting objects of the surroundings began to appear and penetrate my consciousness, I was overcome by a feeling similar to the split personality which I had experienced several years before under the influence of ether.    ,        ,  ,            ,   ,    ,           . As then, I seemed to begin to live two lives at once, in two different places, amidst two sets of events, as if I were divided between two non-intersecting chains of thought.     ,        ,    ,    ,         . The magnificent house, the exquisite furniture, the little hints of yesterday's life, such as, for example, the open piano and the music on it, pressed down by a woman's fan, occupied my attention no less than the heterogeneous, impatient crowd in the midst of which I found myself.  ,  ,     , ,  ,      ,   ,     ,  ,  ,     .

Perhaps it was the unusual luxury of the room itself that was the reason for this: ,       : wherever you looked, your gaze came across the shine of satin, the sparkle of bronze, or the glimmer of marble.   ,      ,     . However, I am inclined to think that this was mainly due to the power and expressiveness of one picture that hung in front of me on the opposite wall.    ,           ,       . A sweet picture, sweet and romantic enough to be the work of the most idealistic of artists, and simple:  ,    ,       ,  : the image of a young, blue-eyed, flaxen-haired coquette in the costume of the First Empire, standing on a forest path and looking over her shoulder at someone walking behind her, but with a drop of something quite unholy in the corners of her meek eyes and innocent lips, which gave the whole image a striking verisimilitude.            ,          -,  ,    -          ,      . If it were not for the open dress with the waist almost under the arms, if it were not for the hair cut short on the forehead and If it had not been for the perfect lines of the neck and shoulders, I would have taken the work for an accurate portrait of one of the ladies living there.          ,               ,            . And yet I could not shake off the feeling that through the eyes of the enchanting blonde with the alluring gaze and unapproachable face one, if not both, of Mr. Leavenworth's nieces were looking at me.         ,              ,      . This fantasy was so vivid that I shuddered as I looked at the picture and wondered if this lovely creature knew what had happened in this house since yesterday's carefree day, and if she knew, how she could stand and smile so invitingly;     ,   ,       ,     ,         ,   ,         ; but suddenly I realized that I was examining the little crowd around me as intently as if nothing else in the whole room had attracted my attention:    ,        ,          : the face of the coroner, attentively stern and intelligent, as clearly imprinted on my mind as this wonderful canvas or the even clearer and nobler features of the sculpture of Psyche, shining with the soft beauty of in the scarlet-curtained window to his right;  , -  ,       ,             ,          ; the varied faces of the jury, gathered in groups before me, banal and expressionless, as the faces of jurymen most often are;   ,    ,     ,       ; and the vague forms of the servants huddled in the far corner;        ; and the even more unpleasant face of the sickly-pale journalist, who was sitting at a small table and writing something with such a ghoul-like greed that I involuntarily shuddered - all of them, and each of them, were as much a part of the amazing scene that opened before me, as the pompous richness of the setting, which made their presence here glaringly inappropriate and unreal.       - ,        -    ,    ,   ,             ,     ,        .

I mentioned the coroner.   . Ironically, he was a familiar face to me.       . Not only had I seen him before, but I had spoken to him on more than one occasion, and one might even say I knew him.      ,       ,   ,  . His name was Hammond, and he was known to be a man of unusual insight and of the necessary skill to conduct any, even the most important, inquest.   ,      ,           ,    . Since this particular case interested me, or rather, would certainly have interested me, I could only congratulate myself on our good fortune in having such an intelligent coroner.      ,  ,   ,       ,       .

As for the jurors, they were, as I have already noted, no different from other groups of their kind.   , ,    ,        . They were chosen at random from the streets, but on streets like Fifth and Sixth Avenues they made about the same impression:     ,    ,     ,     : moderately intelligent, moderately refined - something similar can be observed in the appearance of random patrons of city theaters.   ,             . True, I still singled out one of them, the only one who seemed to have an interest in the investigation as such, while the rest seemed to perform their duty, moved solely by ordinary human compassion and indignation. ,       , , , ,      ,  , ,   ,       .

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