马龙探案卷四 之 正确的凶案 二十
迪基特先生走了进来，他是一个瘦弱、苍白、惊恐的年轻人，头发是老鼠灰色。他无助地站在门内，苍白的眼睛从这群人身上一个一个地扫过去。
mr. dickett came in, a thin, anemic, frightened young man with mouse-colored hair. he stood helplessly just inside the door, his pale eyes moving from one to another of the group.
冯?弗拉纳根的声音和脸色几乎恢复了正常。他摆出一个从一群检察官那里学来的姿势。
Von Flanagan’s voice and coloring had returned to almost normal. he assumed a stance copied from a representative collection of prosecuting attorneys.
“迪基特先生，你是做什么的？”
“mr. dickett, what do you do?”
这个不开心的年轻人咽了口唾沫。他嘟囔了些听起来像 “酒店职员” 的话。
the unhappy young man gulped. he mumbled something that sounded like “hotel clerk.”
“在哪里？”
“where?”
“格兰德酒店。”
“the LeGrand hotel.”
“那是一家小酒店，” 冯?弗拉纳根解释道，“在市中心外。” 他再次盯着迪基特先生。“你看过除夕夜被刺伤的那个身份不明的人的尸体吗？”
“that’s a small hotel,” von Flanagan explained, “outside the Loop.” Again he fixed his eye on mr. dickett. “did you view the unidentified body of the man who was stabbed on New Year’s Eve?”
迪基特先生点了点头。“是同一个人。”
mr. dickett nodded. “It’s the same one.”
杰克再也忍不住了。“和什么是同一个人？”
Jake couldn’t stand it any longer. “the same as what?”
“和酒店里的那个人。” 迪基特先生深吸了一口气。“他在十二月的最后一天在那里登记入住，要了一个房间。然后他出去了就再也没回来。他就是 —— 在 —— 那里的那个人。当我在报纸上看到这个名字的时候，我就去报警了。”
“As the man at the hotel.” mr. dickett drew a long breath. “he registered there the last day of december and took a room. then he went out and never came back. he’s the one in—in there. when I saw the name in the paper I went to the police.”
“你看到什么名字了？” 马龙问道。
“when you saw what name?” malone demanded.
“杰拉尔德?图伊兹。”
“Gerald tuesday.”
每个人都盯着这个年轻人。一种冷酷的满足感开始爬上冯?弗拉纳根宽阔的脸庞。
Everyone stared at the young man. A look of grim satisfaction began to creep over von Flanagan’s broad face.
“让我们把这件事弄清楚，” 马龙说。“这个人 —— 除夕夜被谋杀的人 —— 是在你的酒店登记入住的那个人吗？” 当迪基特先生点头时，他继续说道，“用的什么名字？”
“Let’s get this straight,” malone said. “this man—who was murdered on New Year’s Eve—was the one who registered at your hotel?” when mr. dickett nodded, he went on, “Under what name?”
“杰拉尔德?图伊兹。”
“Gerald tuesday.”
“看到了吧？” 冯?弗拉纳根说。“这个人叫杰拉尔德?图伊兹，在麦克莱恩夫人家里被谋杀的那个人也叫杰拉尔德?图伊兹。”
“You see?” von Flanagan said. “this guy was named Gerald tuesday, and the guy who was murdered up at mrs. mcclane’s place was named Gerald tuesday.”
“这肯定是某种错误。” 马龙无力地说道。
“It’s a mistake of some sort,” malone managed feebly.
“你说得太对了，这是个错误。任何人要是认为能在我面前耍这种花招，那就是大错特错。” 警察用力挠了挠鼻子，接着说，“麦克莱恩夫人家里的那起谋杀案是房子里的某个人干的。没有外人闯入。谋杀发生的时候，麦克莱恩夫人在楼下，马龙和她在一起。文宁夫妇出去散步了，不在房子里。” 他停顿了一下，生气地环顾了一下众人。“谋杀发生的时候，那房子楼上有五个人。布兰德小姐 —— 我是说贾斯特夫人 —— 和这个家伙没有任何关系。我对她的情况了如指掌。”
“You’re damned right it’s a mistake. It’s a mistake for anyone to think he can put over a thing like this on me.” the police officer scratched his nose vigorously and went on, “that murder in mrs. mcclane’s house was done by somebody who belonged there. Nobody broke in from outside. mrs. mcclane was downstairs when the murder was done, malone was with her. mr. and mrs. Venning were out for a walk, out of the house.” he paused and looked angrily around the group. “there were five people upstairs in that house when that murder was mitted. miss brand—I mean mrs. Justus—didn’t have nothing to do with this guy. I know all about her.”
“我们得找个时间交流一下笔记。” 杰克嘟囔道。
“we must pare notes some time,” Jake muttered.
冯?弗拉纳根瞪了他一眼。“这个麦克劳林家伙烂醉如泥，而你 ——” 他愤怒地看着彭德利?泰德韦尔 ——“被关在暗房里。我有个侄子，也是个摄影迷。所以我觉得你不会为了杀个人就从暗房里出来。” 他恶狠狠地盯着卢埃拉?怀特。“你在哪里？”
Von Flanagan glared at him. “this mcLaurin guy was passed out cold, and you”—he looked indignantly at pendley tidewell—“were shut up in a darkroom. I got a nephew who’s one of these damn camera nuts. So I don’t think you’d e out of a darkroom even to murder some guy” he focused his baleful eye on Louella white. “where were you?”
“楼上。” 她冷冷地看着他。
“Upstairs.” She looked at him coldly.
“你进过这个家伙的房间吗？”
“did you go in this guy’s room?”
“没有。”
“No.”
“在四点到四点半之间，你去过走廊吗？”
“did you go out in the hall between four and four-thirty?”
“没有。”
“No.”
“那么那段时间你一直都在自己的房间里？”
“then you were in your room all that time?”
“没有。”
“No.”
冯?弗拉纳根的脸开始变得通红。马龙觉得稍微高兴了一点。
Von Flanagan’s face was beginning to turn a deep crimson. malone felt a little happier.
“你在楼上？”
“You were upstairs?”
“是。”
“Yes.”
“你没有去过走廊？”
“And you didn’t go out in the hall?”
“没有。”
“No.”
“但你也不在自己的房间里？”
“but you weren’t in your room?”
“没有。”
“No.”
“那么，” 冯?弗拉纳根吼道，“你到底在哪里？”
“then,” von Flanagan roared, “where in the hell were you?”
她愤怒地看了他整整三十秒才回答。
She looked at him indignantly for a full thirty seconds before answering.
“在厕所。”
“In the toilet.”
嗯，马龙想，冯?弗拉纳根破纪录了。他让卢埃拉?怀特连续说了三个字。
well, malone reflected, von Flanagan had broken the record. he’d got Louella white to speak three consecutive words.
警察努力压下怒火。“在证人席上你会好好说话的。” 他深吸一口气。“只有一个人有可能杀了这个人，而她就是凶手。她用的是假名，和她护照上的名字不一样。我猜这个人是要揭发她。” 他转向脸色变得煞白的洛特斯?艾伦。“你因谋杀杰拉尔德?图伊兹被捕了，小姐。”
the police officer managed to swallow his rage. “You’ll talk all right on the witness stand.” he drew a long breath. “there is just one person who could have murdered this guy and she did. She’s here under a phony name, not the same one that’s on her passport. I guess this guy was going to give her away.” he turned to Lotus Allen, who had turned very white. “You’re under arrest, miss, for the murder of Gerald tuesday.”
现在莫娜?麦克莱恩的脸色变得煞白。她跳了起来。“你不能逮捕她！”
Now it was mona mcclane who turned white. She jumped to her feet. “You can’t arrest her!”
“你说我不能逮捕她是什么意思？” 冯?弗拉纳根吼道，“我是执法人员！”
“what the hell do you mean, I can’t arrest her,” von Flanagan roared. “I’m an officer of the law!”
莫娜?麦克莱恩疲倦地做了个小手势。“她甚至不认识他。她这辈子从没见过他，也没和他说过话。她不可能谋杀杰拉尔德?图伊兹或者其他人。”
mona mcclane made a weary little gesture. “She didn’t even know him. She’d never seen nor spoken to him in her life. She couldn’t possibly have murdered Gerald tuesday, or anyone else.”
“这不是你说了算的，女士。” 冯?弗拉纳根的语气缓和了一些，“这是陪审团该决定的事。”
“that ain’t for you to say, lady,” von Flanagan said in a milder tone. “that’s what they have juries for.”
“你不能把那样一个孩子送进监狱。” 伊迪莎?文宁说。她正不雅地用一块借来的手帕擦着眼泪。她那对大而忧伤的眼睛周围的睫毛膏开始花了。杰克不明白为什么她花钱雇来的同伴卢埃拉?怀特没有试图安慰她。
“You can’t take a child like that off to jail,” Editha Venning said. She was weeping unbeingly into a borrowed handkerchief. the mascara around her big tragic eyes was beginning to run. Jake wondered why her paid panion, Louella white, was making no attempt to console her.
迈克尔?文宁清了清嗓子。“说真的，警官，你不能这么做。” 他用一种居高临下、简短的语气说道，“你忽略了一个事实，艾伦小姐绝不是会杀人的那种人。”
michael Venning cleared his throat. “Really, officer, you can’t do this sort of thing,” he said in a patronizing, clipped voice. “You’re overlooking the fact that miss Allen is hardly the type of person who’d mit murder.”
冯?弗拉纳根似乎在抑制自己也去杀人的冲动。“如果你是指她是位女士这一事实，” 他用一种几乎压抑到要爆发的声音说道，“我只想说，我上次见到的真正有教养的女士用斧头杀了三个人。”
Von Flanagan appeared to be subduing an impulse to mit a murder of his own. “If you’re referring to the fact that she’s a lady,” he said in a voice that was restrained almost to the exploding point, “I just want to say that the last real refined lady I met had murdered three people with an ax.”
伊迪莎?文宁轻轻尖叫了一声，打了个哆嗦。
Editha Venning gave a little scream and shuddered.
在这整个过程中，讨论的焦点人物洛特斯本人一句话也没说。她一动不动地站在房间中央，脸色煞白，毫无表情，脊背像木板一样笔直僵硬。在她那双形状优美的棕色眼睛里，没有一丝恐惧、惊骇、悲伤或其他任何情感。
through it all, the center of discussion, Lotus herself, had said nothing. She stood stock-still in the middle of the room, her face dead white and expressionless, her back as straight and stiff as a board. there was not a trace of fear or horror or sorrow or any other feeling in her well-shaped brown eyes.
莫娜?麦克莱恩心不在焉地用纤细的手指拂了拂遮住额头的黑色刘海。“这完全是个愚蠢的错误，亲爱的洛特斯，但很快就会弄清楚的。在此期间，你会得到最好的法律援助。” 她满怀期待地看着马龙。“你会接这个案子，对吗？”
mona mcclane brushed absent-mindedly with her slender fingers at the black bang that covered her forehead. “this is all a stupid mistake, Lotus my dear, but it will be straightened out very quickly. In the meantime, you’ll have the best of legal counsel available.” She looked appealingly at malone. “You will take the case, won’t you?”
“接，” 马龙说，“我已经在处理这个案子了。” 他转向冯?弗拉纳根。“艾伦小姐是我的当事人。在我有机会和她私下交谈之前，她一个字也不能说，我现在就要这个机会。”
“take it,” malone said, “I’m already working on it.” he turned to von Flanagan. “miss Allen is my client. She isn’t to say one word until I’ve had a chance to talk with her in private, and I want that chance right now.”
“哼，我不在乎。” 冯?弗拉纳根说，“我逮捕他们之后，我的任务就完成了。我希望你能让她脱罪，她是个好女孩。如果你愿意，可以带她到隔壁房间去谈，谈到你累垮为止。”
“hell, I don’t care,” von Flanagan said. “After I arrest ’em, I’m through. I hope you get her off, she’s a nice girl. You can take her in the next room and talk to her till you bust, if you want to.”
“谢谢。” 马龙说着，把雪茄换到嘴的另一边。“也许你们其他人可以等我一下。来吧，亲爱的。” 他伸手去拉她的胳膊。
“thanks,” malone said, shifting the cigar to the other corner of his mouth. “maybe the rest of you will be good enough to wait for me. e, my dear.” he reached for her arm.
洛特斯?艾伦突然像是活过来了。“不。你真是太好了，但是不。”
Lotus Allen seemed to e to life suddenly. “No. It’s very good of you, but no.”
“别和你的律师顶嘴。” 马龙愉快地说。
“don’t argue with your lawyer,” malone said pleasantly.
“但问题就在这儿。你不是我的律师。我…… 请不起律师。你看……” 她的脸色，如果可能的话，变得更白了一点。“我没有钱请律师。一点钱也没有。一分钱也没有。你明白吗？”
“but that’s it. You aren’t my lawyer. I—can’t have a lawyer. You see—” her face turned, if anything, a shade whiter. “I haven’t any money to pay for a lawyer. Not any money at all. Not any. do you understand?”
“谁说过钱的事了？” 马龙生气地说。他紧紧抓住她的胳膊。“是这扇门吗，冯?弗拉纳根？谢谢。” 他带着女孩走出房间，意识到每一双眼睛都在注视着他们，然后关上了门。
“who the hell said anything about money?” malone said crossly. he took her arm firmly. “this door, von Flanagan? thanks.” he led the girl out of the room, conscious that every pair of eyes was following them, and closed the door.
这是一个又小又脏的房间，有两把破旧的椅子和一张桌子。马龙把女孩推到其中一把椅子上，把雪茄烟头扔进痰盂，自己坐在桌子上，开始拆开一支新雪茄。
It was a small, dingy room, with two battered chairs and a table. malone shoved the girl into one of the chairs, threw his cigar butt into the cuspidor, sat down on the table, and began to unwrap a fresh cigar.
“告诉我，孩子。是你杀了这个人吗？”
“tell me, kid. did you murder this bird?”
她摇了摇头，牙齿咬得紧紧的。
She shook her head, her teeth clenched.
“我觉得你没杀。不过这也没什么区别。” 他点燃雪茄，从眼角余光看着她。大约六十秒后，那美丽的镇定就会被打破。突然，他想起口袋里为应急准备的半品脱杜松子酒。他迅速掏出来，拧开瓶盖，塞到她手里。
“I didn’t think you did. Not that it makes any difference.” he lit the cigar, watching her from the corner of his eye. In about sixty seconds that beautiful self-possession would crack. Suddenly he remembered the half-pint of gin in his pocket, carried for emergencies. he whipped it out, unscrewed the cap quickly, and shoved it into her hand.
“喝几大口。这会让你的脸色好看些。你这种人脸色苍白的时候总是像魔鬼一样。” 她照做的时候，他为她点了一支烟，塞进她手指间。
“take a couple of good big swallows. It’ll bring the color back into your face. Your type always looks like the devil when you’re pale.” he lighted a cigarette for her while she obeyed, and slipped it between her fingers.
“好多了。也许我该为这是便宜的杜松子酒而道歉。你大概不习惯喝这个。”
“that’s better. maybe I ought to apologize for its being cheap gin. You’re probably not accustomed to it.”
她出人意料地笑了，一种奇怪而沙哑的笑声。“不习惯？我是喝便宜杜松子酒长大的。” 她深深地吸了一口烟，然后把烟扔在地上，用她那小巧的牛津鞋的鞋跟把烟踩灭。“不管发生什么，真相总会大白。所以我有没有杀人没多大关系。我没犯过任何罪，但我还是可能会进监狱。我也没别的地方可去了。”
She laughed unexpectedly, a strange, hoarse laugh. “Not used to it? I was raised on cheap gin.” She took a long, deep drag on her cigarette, dropped it on the floor, and crushed it out under the heel of her trim little oxford. “the whole truth is bound to e out, no matter what happens. So it doesn’t make much difference whether I murdered anybody or not. I haven’t mitted any crimes, but I might as well go to jail. I won’t have anywhere else to go.”
马龙沉默着，等待着。
malone was silent, waiting.
她把手插进外套口袋，把脚伸到前面，抬头看着他。“我原来的名字是洛特斯?安杰洛。我出生在波士顿的一个贫民窟。我父亲是葡萄牙人。你知道，有棕色头发、浅色皮肤的葡萄牙人。我十岁的时候就决定要做些事情，成为一个人物。即使在那时，我也会去图书馆看杂志，学习如何穿着、如何说话和行动。我下定决心要把自己变成一位淑女。”
She thrust her hands into the pockets of her coat, stuck her feet out in front of her, and looked up at him. “my name was originally Lotus Angelo. I was born in a boston slum. my father was a portugee. there are brown-haired light-skinned portugees, you know. by the time I was ten I’d decided I was going to do things, be somebody. Even then I was reading magazines at the library, learning how to dress and how to talk and act. I was bound I was going to make a lady out of myself.”
“你做得很棒。” 马龙轻声说。
“You did a swell job,” malone said quietly.
“谢谢。但在内心深处，我仍然是来自波士顿贫民窟的洛特斯?安杰洛。” 她那优雅得体的声音突然显得奇怪地不协调。“我在高中时修了一门商业课程，还学了很多其他的东西。我一毕业就找到了一份工作，一年后我成了一位名叫牛顿?阿博特的了不起的老人的秘书，他来自波士顿的一个古老家族，非常富有。他对我很好，他的妻子也是。他去世后，她让我做她的秘书兼陪伴。” 她停顿了一下，牙齿又紧紧咬在一起。“请再给我一支烟好吗？”
“thanks. Underneath, though, I’m still Lotus Angelo from a boston slum.” her pleasantly well-bred voice suddenly seemed oddly incongruous. “I took a business course in high school and a lot of other things besides. I got a job right after I got out of school, and in a year I was secretary to a grand old man named Newton Abbot, one of the old boston families, and stinking rich. he was swell to me, and so was his wife. After he died, she took me on as a panion-secretary.” She paused, again her teeth were set hard. “may I have another cigarette please?”
马龙默默地为她点上一支烟，递给了她。
malone lit one and handed it to her without a word.
“谢谢。嗯，我们去了巴黎。那是三年前的事了。她待我如女儿。她去哪儿我就去哪儿。突然间，我融入其中了。明白吗？” 她的声音中出现了一种奇怪而冷酷的音调。“别误解我，马龙先生。我对她好，悉心照顾她，并不是为了从她那里得到什么。即使她身无分文，我也会像照顾自己的母亲一样照顾她。我会出去工作来养活她。她和她丈夫是唯一对我好的人。在他去世前，他让我陪着她，照顾她，我照做了。不管怎样我都会这么做。她是我唯一在乎的人。”
“thanks. well, we went to paris. that was three years ago. She treated me like a daughter. Everywhere she went, I went with her. All of a sudden, I was in. See?” A curious, grim note came into her voice. “don’t get this wrong, mr. malone. I wasn’t good to her and didn’t take good care of her just for what I could get out of her. I’d have taken care of her as though she was my own mother, if she hadn’t had a dime. I’d have gone out and worked to support her. She was the only person who’d ever been good to me, she and her husband. Just before he died he told me to stay with her and take care of her, and I did. I would have anyway. She was the only person I ever cared anything about.”
“我明白。” 马龙赶紧说。“我当然明白。” 他仔细地看着她，又把杜松子酒递给她。
“I understand,” malone said quickly. “of course I do.” he looked at her closely and handed her the gin again.
“谢谢。然后大约一年半以后，她去世了。我发现她留给我一万美元，还附上一点建议，让我为自己的未来投资。嗯，我确实投资了。我留在巴黎，生活并不奢华，但过得很得体，如果你明白我的意思。和通过她认识的人保持联系。比如莫娜?麦克莱恩。”
“thanks. then after about a year and a half, she died. I found she’d left me ten thousand dollars, with a little bit of advice to invest it for my future. well, I invested it all right. I stayed on in paris, not living high, but correctly, if you know what I mean. Keeping in touch with the people I’d met through her. Like mona mcclane.”
“这就是你认识莫娜?麦克莱恩的经过。” 马龙说。
“that’s how you met mona mcclane,” malone said.
她点点头。“她来拜访过我们。她是阿博特夫人的朋友。她邀请我如果有机会去芝加哥就去看她。我在那儿也见到了罗斯?麦克劳林。”
She nodded. “She visited us. She was a friend of mrs. Abbot. She invited me to e and visit her if I ever got to chicago. I met Ross mcLaurin there, too.”
“现在，” 马龙深吸一口气说，“我们有进展了。”
“Now,” malone said, drawing a long breath, “we’re getting somewhere.”
“你看，我原打算靠着那一万美元撑到我嫁给某个人，在我想去的地方站稳脚跟。他看起来是个绝佳的机会，一个涉世未深的孩子，还在为他母亲哭泣。我以前从没怎么留意过男人，但我对他很上心，而且奏效了。他回到这个国家后，我尽快跟了过来。战争爆发时我加入了一个救护队，但秋天的时候我又无所事事了。我来到这边，发现他住在莫娜?麦克莱恩家。所以我想起了她的邀请。”
“You see, I’d figured on making that ten thousand last until I married somebody and made myself solid in the place I wanted to be. he looked like a wonderful opportunity, a kid right out of the bushes and still crying over his mother. I’d never paid much attention to men before, but I paid plenty to him, and it took. when he beat it back to this country, I followed as soon as I could. I’d hitched up with an ambulance unit at the outbreak of the war, but in the fall I was at loose ends again. I got over to this side and found he was staying with mona mcclane. So I remembered her invitation.”
她露出一个苍白而苦涩的微笑。“我把最后一点钱都花在了衣服上，给麦克莱恩夫人写了一封短信，马上就收到了邀请，然后我就来了。我现在身上正好还剩二十四美元。我来的时候并不担心这个，因为我想罗斯和我很快就会去找治安法官把事情定下来。本来也会这样的，要不是发生了这些谋杀案。”
She smiled, a wan, bitter smile. “I blew the last of the bankroll on clothes, dropped mrs. mcclane a little note, was invited to e right along, and here I am. I’ve got exactly twenty-four dollars left in the world. that didn’t worry me when I arrived, because I figured Ross and I would tell it to a justice of the peace before long. It would have happened, too, except for these murders.”
突然，她向前倾着身子，一只手半掩着脸。“我不像我说的那么坏。我爱他。”
Suddenly she leaned forward, her face half hidden in one hand. “I’m not as bad as I sound. I’m in love with him.”
马龙等了将近五分钟才用最温柔的语气说：“我明白了。”
malone waited nearly five minutes before he said, “I see,” in the gentlest of tones.
她又坐直了身子，下巴高高扬起。“嗯，这似乎把事情搞砸了。我没杀任何人，但我可能跟杀了人没什么两样。”
She sat upright again, her chin high. “well this seems to have done it up. I haven’t murdered anybody, but I might as well have.”
“不知怎么的，” 马龙说，“我有一种感觉，如果罗斯?麦克劳林真的听到了这个故事，也不会有什么影响。”
“Somehow,” malone said, “I have a feeling that if Ross mcLaurin ever does hear that story, it isn’t going to make any difference.”
洛特斯?艾伦只露出半边脸笑了笑。“就算没影响又怎样。我还是因谋杀罪被捕了。”
Lotus Allen smiled with just one side of her face. “Suppose it doesn’t. I’m still under arrest for murder.”
“把那事交给我。” 他对她说，“那是律师该干的事。” 他从桌子上滑下来，开始在房间里踱步，双手插在口袋里。“你从没见过这个叫图伊兹的男人？”
“Leave that to me,” he told her. “that’s what lawyers are for.” he slid off the table and began pacing the floor, his hands in his pockets. “You never met this man tuesday?”
“从没见过。我也从没见过那个…… 在那儿的男人。”
“Never. And I never met that man—in there.”
“你见过文宁夫妇吗？”
“Ever meet the Vennings?”
她摇了摇头。“直到我来到这里才见到。”
She shook her head. “Not until I came here.”
他停下来，靠在桌子上。“听着，亲爱的。我要你把除夕夜发生的事原原本本地告诉我。所有的事。如果听起来会对年轻的麦克劳林不利，也照实说。我现在的一半工作就是让他不落入警察之手。”
he paused and leaned against the table. “Listen, my dear. I want you to tell me exactly what happened on New Year’s Eve. Everything. If it sounds incriminating to young mcLaurin, tell it anyway. half my job right now is keeping him out of the hands of the police.”
她深吸了一口气。“我们都去了莫娜的俱乐部吃晚餐，最后去了黑豹厅。罗斯一直在喝酒。莫娜有个年轻的朋友 —— 我甚至不记得他的名字了 —— 也在，他对我很殷勤。罗斯不喜欢，就又喝了一些。突然，我从舞池下来 —— 我一直在和这个另一个男人跳舞 —— 罗斯不见了。他失踪了将近半个小时后，我们四处找他，最后有人告诉我们有人在酒吧见过他。但我们去那儿找的时候，他又不见了。最后莫娜说别担心，因为他不会有事的，他会出现的。他真的出现了。第二天早上他在莫娜家。”
She drew a long breath. “we all went to dinner at mona’s club and ended up at the panther Room. Ross had been drinking. there was some young friend of mona’s—I can’t even remember his name—who was along, and he paid a lot of attention to me. Ross didn’t like it, and did some more drinking. All of a sudden I came off the dance floor—I’d been dancing with this other man—and Ross was gone. we hunted around for him after he’d been missing nearly a half-hour, and finally someone told us he’d been seen in the bar. but when we looked there, he’d disappeared. Finally mona said not to worry because nothing could happen to him, and that he’d turn up. he did. he was at mona’s the next morning.”
马龙皱着眉头看着他的雪茄。“这没多大帮助，但也只能这样了。现在说说昨天。我是说下午。”
malone scowled at his cigar. “that isn’t much help, but it’ll have to do. Now about yesterday. the afternoon, I mean.”
“关于那时我告诉你的事，我没什么可补充的了。罗斯又在喝酒。我整个下午都在自己房间里，这时听到海伦进来了。我去看看罗斯是否能下楼，却发现他烂醉如泥。我在走廊上遇到海伦，就和她一起下去了。就这些。”
“there isn’t anything I can add to what I told you then. Ross had been drinking again. I’d been in my room all afternoon, when I heard helene e in. I went to see if Ross was in any condition to e downstairs and found him passed out cold. I met helene in the hall and went down with her. that’s all.”
“你注意到图伊兹的门是开着还是关着吗？”
“did you notice tuesday’s door being open or closed?”
“没有。”
“No.”
“在他来之后你什么时候见过他吗？”
“did you see him any time after his arrival?”
“没有。我第一次见到他是我们上楼的时候 —— 然后发现他死了。”
“No. the first time I saw him was when we went up—and found him dead.”
马龙沉默了一会儿。“他这样酗酒有多久了？” 他最后问道。
malone was silent for a while. “how long has he been drinking like this?” he asked at last.
她知道他说的是罗斯?麦克劳林。“没多久。他以前偶尔会喝一点，但不多。很久才会有一次，他会想起弗朗西斯卡是个多么任性的可怜孩子”—— 她尽量不让这话听起来尖刻 ——“然后就会喝得酩酊大醉。但这种情况并不常发生。实际上是从除夕夜才开始的。”
She knew that he meant Ross mcLaurin. “Not long. he used to drink a little now and then, but not much. once in a long time he’d get to thinking about what a poor willful child Francesca was”—she managed not to make it sound catty—“and went on a bender. that didn’t happen often, though. It’s really just since New Year’s Eve.”
“我真希望不是从除夕夜才开始。” 马龙严肃地说。
“I wish it hadn’t been just since New Year’s Eve,” malone said gravely.
她盯着他。“但确实是从那时开始的。而且他喝酒的时候，看起来几乎是茫然的。好像那晚发生了什么事，以至于……” 她突然停住，眼睛睁得大大的，黑黑的。“会是那样吗？发生的那件事……”
She stared at him. “It had been, though. And when he drank, he seemed almost dazed. As though something had happened that night that—” she stopped suddenly, her eye wide and dark. “could it be that? the something that happened—”
“有可能。” 马龙说。“但别担心。世界上没有哪个陪审团……” 他停顿了一下，皱起眉头，又重复道，“很有可能，非常容易。但如果真是那样，我就真是倒霉透顶了。”
“It could,” malone said. “but don’t worry about it. No jury in the world—” he paused, frowned, and repeated, “It could, very easily. but I’m damned and double damned if I think it is.”
她眼中的释然令人同情。
the relief in her eyes was pitiful.
“除夕夜你有很充分的不在场证明。”
“You’re pretty well alibied for New Year’s Eve.”
她刚要点头，突然停住，脸色变得苍白。“不，不完全是。我去找罗斯，花了将近半个小时。”
She started to nod, stopped suddenly, and turned pale. “No, not entirely. I went off looking for Ross and spent nearly a half-hour at it.”
“那是什么时候？”
“what time was that?”
“我不知道我确切是什么时候离开的。我回到黑豹厅的时候快十二点了。”
“I don’t know exactly what time I left. It was just before twelve when I got back to the panther Room.”
这个小律师呻吟了一声。“你本可以让自己的处境更艰难，但我想象不出还能怎么难。不过别担心。我会把你从这麻烦中解救出来的。”
the little lawyer groaned. “You might have made it harder for yourself, but I can’t imagine how. don’t worry, though. I’ll get you out of this.”
她用嘴唇和眼睛一起对他微笑。“我不知道你怎么做，但我相信你。”
She smiled at him, with lips and eyes both. “I don’t know how you’ll do it, but I believe you.”
“谢谢。现在记住。不管谁问你什么，都要坚持你关于除夕夜和昨天下午的说法，就像你告诉我的那样。别慌张，别害怕。” 他若有所思地看着她。“我觉得你不会。对报社的人友好点，尤其是摄影师。他们拍照的时候让他们给你摆姿势，他们知道怎么做。看起来勇敢又悲伤，比平时多用一点口红。照片里露一点腿也没坏处。我希望这些都没必要，但如果真的到了陪审团面前，任何事都有帮助。” 他拍拍她的肩膀。“别担心罗斯。我会照顾他的。”
“thanks. Now get this. No matter who asks you what, stick to your story about New Year’s Eve and yesterday afternoon, exactly as you’ve told it to me. don’t get rattled and don’t get scared.” he eyed her speculatively. “I don’t think you will. be good to the newspaper guys, especially the photographers. when they take pictures let them pose you, they know how. Look brave and sad, and use a shade more lipstick than you usually do. A little leg in the picture won’t hurt, either. I hope none of this is necessary, but everything helps in case this ever does e before a jury.” he patted her shoulder. “don’t worry about Ross. I’ll take care of him.”
他轻轻地挽起她的胳膊，带她回到另一个房间。“她归你了，冯?弗拉纳根。但不会太久的。” 他站着扣上大衣的扣子，环顾了一下房间。一个突然的想法让他皱起了眉头。
he took her arm gently and led her back to the other room. “She’s yours, von Flanagan. but not for long.” he stood buttoning his overcoat and looked around the room. A sudden thought made him wince.
在杰拉尔德?图伊兹被谋杀时所有可能的嫌疑人当中，他竟然不得不为一个身无分文的人做辩护律师！
of all the possible suspects who had been in the house at the time of Gerald tuesday’s murder, he would have to get, for a client, the only one who didn’t have any money!