The Plot

One bright summer afternoon Sir Giles Portescue was found mur­dered in his study at the Grange. He was murdered with an Indian dag­ger stuck into his back as he sat writing at his desk. His old servant, who had been with him for many years, found him and estimated the time of his death at 15.45.

The Suspects

Detective Inspector Sludge, after interviews with those known to be near the scene of the crime at the fatal time, came to the con­clusion that it must be one of the three guests who had been staying with Sir Giles at that time. All three guests knew that they would have the house and the money after Sir Giles' death as he had read the will to them the evening before. All three guests had gone out that after­noon. Accounts of their activities are given below:

1. Colonel Adams, a retired officer of the Indian army, went fishing by the 14.57 bus. He said he then had changed for a train and fished the whole day. He saw no one. He had his return ticket as proof that he was on the train. No one at the station remembers him.

2. Miss Blake, a young lady of 22, left the house to go shopping at 15.15. She took the 15.20 bus. A shop assistant remembers her being at the shop at 15.30 and later she was seen at the post office at 16.05. She said she had tea at a tea-shop between her visits but no one remembers her at the tea-shop.

3. Mr. Clarke, a young man of 26, went out in his car to see an antique dealer with whom he had an appointment for 16.00. The ser­vant saw him driving away at 15.35. The antique dealer says he was on time for his appointment.

And now solve the case by answering the following questions

1. Colonel Adams.

Inspector Sludge: If he committed the murder, how would he have done it?

You: If he had done it, he...

Inspector: How could he have got back to the Grange in time? You: He...

Inspector: If he had done this, would anyone else have seen him? You: If he had done this, ... seen him when ... Therefore he

could/couldn't have done it.

2. Miss Blake

Inspector: If she had committed the murder, how would she have done it?

You: If she had done it, she...

Inspector: At what time would she have done it?

You: She ... between ... and...

Inspector: How would she have got back to the Grange?

You: She could...

Inspector: If she had done this, would she have had enough time?

You: It seems likely/unlikely that she...

3. Mr. Clarke

Inspector If he had committed the murder, how would he have done it? You: If he had done it, he probably ... his car Inspector and... If he had done it, would he have been

You: in time for his appointment? He could ... on time for his appoint­ment if

he ... his car at a very high speed.

Text 3: Read and translate the following:

1. It is not to be expected that the investigator should also play the role of a laboratory expert in relation to the physical evidence found at the scene of a crime. Obviously, his knowledge of such methods as a chemical analysis or a physical test would not be adequate. The basic work of the investigator is investigation. It is not necessary that he should perform scientific examinations. But photography, physical methods of reproduction, the devel­opment of latent prints, and many other simple techniques should be part of the investigator's professional training. In general, the investigating officer should know the methods of finding, gathering, preserving, and transporting evidence.

2. The search of the scene of the crime is, in certain offences, the most important part of the investigation. Obviously, many crimes do not have a «scene» in the sense of an area where traces are usually found, e.g. forgery. Crimes of violence, how­ ever, involve a fight, the use of weapons, etc. Traces may be left in the form of clothing, shoe impressions, fingerprints, blood stains, etc. But it is necessary that not only the effect of the criminal on the scene should be considered, but also the man­ner in which the scene might leave traces on the criminal, e.g., dust, soil, paint, etc. So the investigator should keep it in mind and gather samples of the trace material which could help him link the criminal with the crime scene.

Exercise 10: Read and translate:

1. In the United States a criminal obtained the fingerprint of a man, and reproduced it by means of a rubber stamp (резиновый штамп). He left four visible prints in grease (смазка) when a garage was robbed (ограбить). During the ex­amination it was observed that each of the prints began and ended at specific ridges, and measurements with a ruler (линейка) showed that the four prints were exact to the last millimetre. What does it prove?

2. A man attacked and robbed a woman. He was apprehended but he had somehow disposed (избавляться) of the results of his robbery. The woman was unable to identify him. An officer noted a trace of face powder (пудра) on the man's coat. The man explained that this was a trace of his wife's powder. But later he was charged with the robbery. Why?

3. The body of a woman was found in a field. A suspect was ap­prehended by the police. There was much soil (земля) on his shoes and they were thoroughly examined. The man was ac­cused of the murder. Why?

Text 4: Read and translate:

An aged man named Farrows, employed in a paint shop near Lon­don, was known to have much money hidden (спрятанный) in the shop. On a rainy March morning, a little girl, walking by, saw him standing near the open door covered with blood. The child, however, did not report the matter to her parents until a few days later, and when the police were called to the shop they found Farrows and his wife dead in their upstairs room. An empty cash (деньги) box made the motive clear. A patrolman, examining the box, found a single fingerprint on one side of the box. Afraid that he had made it himself by careless handling, he hurried to Scotland Yard where the fingerprint was exam­ined. After the search in the fingerprint files (картотеки) it was discov­ered that the fingerprint had been left by a man named Straton, a housebreaker. His arrest followed and he was tried for murder.

Exercise 11: Do the written translation of the following text:

Vollmer was one of the first in the West to recognize the potential value of fingerprints in crime detection and to use the system in his de­partment. In the early years of his career he was responsible for install­ing police call boxes on street comers. He also played an important role in the development of the lie detector and put it to practical use.

Text 5: Read and translate the following text: