推理文学百年史之诡计大赏(1)
本系列会罗列一些我个人认为十分惊艳的诡计,但不适合做成互动视频,故收集在此。
今天要说的这个诡计是出自一本1898年的侦探小说《A Master of Mysteries》(解谜大师)的第一个短篇《The mystery of the circular chamber》(圆形房间之谜),作者是L. T. Meade和Robert Eustace。
小说大致讲的是,一个传说中的"鬼屋“里的房间内已经死了好几个人,皆无任何外伤,法医也推断不出有他杀的痕迹,于是主角孤身一人前去调查这个房间,发现了这个房间的一个惊天秘密。
本作是一个机械机关诡计,原文如下:
Hard-headed old physician that he was, he was literally aghast when I told him my story. He explained to me that a man placed in the position in which I was when the floor began to move would by means of centrifugal force suffer from enormous congestion of the brain. In fact, the revolving floor would induce an artificial condition of apoplexy. If the victim were drugged or even only sleeping heavily, and the floor began to move slowly, insensibility would almost immediately be induced, which would soon pass into coma and death, and a post-mortem examination some hours afterwards would show no cause for death, as the brain would appear perfectly healthy, the blood having again left it.
(原文出自https://www.gutenberg.org/files/22278/22278-h/22278-h.htm)
根据我的渣翻,意思是房间内的地板会高速旋转,如果人睡在上面,离心力会引发脑溢血中风,短时间内可导致人的休克和死亡,死亡数小时后便查不出死因,因为脑内积血退去,大脑完好无损。
不知道一百多年后的今天,法医学是不是可以查出死因呢。
