Lamb to the Slaughter pt 2

It's there now cooking, and how she'd stopped out to the grocer for vegetables, and come back to find him lying on the floor. Which grocer, one of the detectives asked. She told him, and he turned and whispered something to the other detective, who immediately went out into the street. In 15 minutes, he was back with a page of notes, and there was more whispering, and threw her sobbing, she heard a few whispered phrases, acted quite normal, very cheerful, wanted to give him a good supper. Impossible that she, after a while, the photographer and the doctor departed, and the two other men came in and took the corpse away on a stretcher. Then the fingerprint man went away. The two detectives remained, so did the other two policemen. 

They were exceptionally nice to her, and Jack noon had asked if she wouldn't rather go somewhere else, to her sister's house, perhaps, or to his own wife, who would take care of her and put her up for the night. No, she said she didn't feel she could move even a yard at the moment. Would they mind awfully if she stayed just where she was until she felt better. She didn't feel too good at the moment. She really didn't. Then hadn't she better lie down on the bed? Jack noonan asked, no, she said, she'd like to stay right where she was, in this chair. A little later, perhaps when she felt better, she would move. Okay, so here's question number 8. So go ahead and pause and answer this question. So they left her there while they went about their business, searching the house. 

Occasionally one of the detectives asked her another question. Sometimes Jack noon and spoke at her gently as she passed by. Her husband, he told her, had been killed by a blow on the back of the head, administered with a heavy blunt instrument, almost certainly a large piece of metal. They were looking for the weapon. The murderer may have taken it with him, but on the other hand he may have thrown it away or hidden it somewhere on the premises. It's the old story, he said, get the weapon and you've got the man. Later, one of the detectives came up and sat beside her. Did she know he asked of anything in the house that could have been used as a weapon, which she might having a look around to see if anything was missing, a very big spanner, for example, or a heavy metal vase. They didn't have any metal vases, she said, or a big spanner. She didn't think they had a big spanner. But there might be some things like that in the garage. 

The search went on, she knew that there were other policemen in the garden all around the house. She could hear their footsteps on the gravel outside, and sometimes she saw a flash of a torch and a chink in the curtains. It began to get late, nearly 9, she noticed by the clock on the mantle. The four men searching the room seemed to be growing weary, a trifle exasperated. Jack, she said, the next time sergeant noonan went by, would you mind giving me a drink? Sure, I'll get you a drink. You mean this whisky? Yes, please, but just a small one. It might make me feel better. He handed her the glass. Why don't you have one yourself, she said, you must be awfully tired. Please do, you have been very good to me. Well, he answered, it's not strictly allowed, but I might take just a drop to keep me going. 

One by one, the others came in and were persuaded to take a little nip of whisky. They stood around what rather awkwardly with the drinks in their hands, uncomfortable in her presence, trying to say consoling things to her. Sergeant noonan wandered in the kitchen, came out quickly and said, look, misses maloney, you know that oven of yours is still on in the meat still inside. Oh, dear me, she cried, so it is. I'd better turn it off for you, hadn't I? Will you do that, Jack? Thank you so much. When the sergeant returned the second time, she looked at him with her large, dark, tearful eyes. Jack noonan, she said, yes. Would you do me a small favor, you and these others? We can try misses maloney. 

Well, she said, here are you all are in good friends of dear Patrick's too, and helping to catch the man who killed him. You must be terrible, hungry by now because it's long past supper time, and I know Patrick would never forgive me, God bless his soul, if I allowed you to remain in this house without offering you decent hospitality. Why don't you eat up that lamb that's in the oven? It'll be cooked just right by now. Wouldn't dream of it. Sergeant noonan said, please, she begged, please eat it. Personally, I couldn't touch a thing. Certainly not what's been in the house when he was here. But it's all right for you. It would be a favor to me if you need it up. Then you can go on with your work again afterwards. There was a good deal of hesitating among the four policemen, but they were very clearly hungry, and in the end they were persuaded to go into the kitchen and help themselves. 

The woman stayed where she was, listening to them speaking among themselves. Their voices thick and sloppy because their mouths were full of meat. Have some more Charlie? No better not finish it. She wants us to finish it. She said so, be doing her a favor. Okay then give me some more. That's a hell of a big club the gut must have hit to use to hit poor Patrick, one of them was saying, the Doc says his skull was smashed all to pieces, just like from a sledgehammer. That's why it ought to be easy to find. Exactly what I say. Whoever done it, they're not going to be carrying a thing like that around with them longer than they need. One of them belched. 

Personally, I think it's right here on the premises. Probably right under our very noses. What do you think, Jack? And in the other room, Mary maloney began to giggle. Okay, so here are the last two questions. Using evidence from the text to come up with your answers. So when you're done, what I want you to do is just write a little paragraph about what you thought of the story, which you think of the characters, whether you liked it, why or why not, all of that kind of stuff.