马龙探案卷四 之 正确的凶案 八
马龙发现海伦在他的办公室里踱步。
malone found helene pacing the floor in his office.
“你迟到了十分钟。” 她坐在桌子上。
“You’re ten minutes late.” She sat down on the desk.
“你应该庆幸我能来就不错了。” 他告诉她。“冯?弗拉纳根想把我当作重要证人扣留。”
“You ought to be glad I got here at all,” he told her. “Von Flanagan wanted to hold me as a material witness.”
他把帽子和大衣扔在一把椅子上，坐在办公桌前看着她。她有一种奇特的军人气质，她那件紧身的藏青色外套上，两排巨大的闪亮纽扣整齐地排列着；她的帽子仿照澳大利亚士兵戴的那种，深蓝色的毡帽顶上有一条鲜红的绳子。她那精致的脸蛋总是很苍白，现在几乎没有血色；她的眼睛周围有淡淡的阴影。
he tossed his hat and overcoat on a chair, sat down at his desk, and looked at her. She had a curiously military air, enormous shiny buttons marched in two rows down her close-fitting, navy-blue coat; her hat, patterned after those worn by Australian soldiers, had a bright red cord around its dark-blue felt crown. her delicate featured face, always pale, seemed almost colorless; there were faint shadows around her eyes.
“我想你没有收到杰克的消息，是吗？”
“I don’t suppose you’ve heard from Jake, have you?”
马龙看起来很惊讶，用一个问题回答了她。“为什么？你期望我收到了吗？”
malone looked surprised and answered that with a question. “why? did you expect me to?”
“没有。” 她耸了耸肩。“我不知道。我只是觉得也许你有。”
“No.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I just thought maybe you had.”
“别担心杰克。” 马龙告诉她。“他可能正玩得很开心呢。”
“don’t worry about Jake,” malone told her. “he’s probably having a wonderful time.”
有那么一瞬间，她的眼睛里闪着怒火。
For just an instant her eyes blazed.
马龙决定不利用这个优势。“你找到莫娜的谋杀案了吗？”
malone decided not to press his advantage. “have you found mona’s murder yet?”
她摇了摇头。“我必须先找到她的动机，才能找到谋杀案。警察可能还不知道任何关于谋杀的事情呢。” 看到马龙扬起询问的眉毛，她接着说，“据我们所知，也许尸体还没有被发现。她可能把它藏在了某个地方。或者也许她把它伪装成了自然死亡。” 海伦叹了口气。
She shook her head. “I’ve got to find her motive before I can find the murder. the police may not know anything about the murder yet.” As malone raised an inquiring eyebrow, she went on, “For all we know, maybe the body hasn’t been discovered. She might have hidden it somewhere. or maybe it was made to look like a death from natural causes.” helene sighed.
“你忘了那个赌注的条款了。” 马龙说。“她自己规定的条款。记得吗？‘一个我有谋杀动机的人 —— 在公共街道上被枪杀 —— 有很多目击者。’”
“You’re forgetting the terms of the bet,” malone said. “the terms that she laid down herself. Remember? ‘Someone I have a motive for murdering—shot down in the public streets—with plenty of witnesses.’”
她沉默了一会儿。“没错。我忘了。不过 —— 也许我把一切都弄反了，但该死，整个事情都是颠倒的。我们知道莫娜?麦克莱恩杀了人，但我们不知道是谁、什么时候、为什么。通常情况下，人们被谋杀时情况正好相反。”
She was silent for a moment. “that’s right. I had forgotten. Still—I may be going at everything backward, but dammit, the whole thing’s backward. we know mona mcclane murdered somebody, but we don’t know who, or when, or why. Usually it’s just the other way when people get murdered.”
“为反常的人准备的反常谋杀。”
“backward murders for backward people.”
她没理他。“这就是为什么，我不从谋杀案开始查起，而是从莫娜开始。我不会去找出她可能谋杀的人。我要像一个八卦作家一样回顾她的人生经历，找出她可能有谋杀动机的人，看看他们中有没有最近去世的。”
She paid no attention to him. “that’s why, instead of beginning with the murder, I’m beginning with mona. I’m not going to find people she might have murdered. I’m going over her life history like a gossip writer and find people she might have had a motive for murdering, and see if any of them are recently dead.”
“在我看来，你好像给自己规划了一项终身事业。” 马龙嘟囔着。
“It looks to me as if you’d mapped out a life work for yourself,” malone grunted.
两人都沉默了，想着同一件事。莫娜?麦克莱恩拥有世界上最庞大的财富之一，在所有已知的大陆上都有着稳固的社会地位。她的婚姻、离婚、恋情和丑闻都曾登上过周日增刊的历史。她曾穿着晚礼服，戴着着名的麦克莱恩祖母绿宝石独自飞越大西洋，因为她预计（并且确实）正好及时在巴黎参加一个派对而降落。她攀登珠穆朗玛峰的高度比其他任何女性都高，并且她还亲自为布鲁克菲尔德动物园捕获了两只老虎。她在三个晚上的轮盘赌中从芝加哥着名的餐饮、舞蹈和赌博场所 —— 赌场的老板，城市赌博集团的头目马克斯?胡克那里赢得了赌场。她有一个已婚的女儿，过着体面而富裕的郊区隐居生活，令人难以置信的是，她还是一位祖母。现在她声称在一场赌注中犯了一起谋杀案，而赌场就是赌注。
both were silent, thinking the same thing. mona mcclane had one of the world’s greatest fortunes and an assured social position on all the known continents. her marriages, divorces, romances, and scandals had made Sunday-supplement history. She had flown the Atlantic solo in an evening dress and wearing the famous mcclane emeralds because she expected to land (and did) just in time for a party in paris. She had climbed farther up mt. Everest than any other woman, and she had personally captured two tigers for the brookfield zoo. She had won the casino, chicago’s famous dining, dancing, and gambling spot, from the head of the city’s gambling syndicate, max hook, in three evenings at roulette. She had a married daughter living in respectable and wealthy suburban obscurity, and she was, incredibly, a grandmother. Now she claimed to have mitted a murder, on a bet, and the casino was the stakes.
马龙在桌子下踩灭了他的雪茄。“你会是个非常忙碌的女孩。你有什么成果了吗？”
malone stamped out his cigar under the desk. “You’re going to be a very busy girl. have you acplished anything yet?”
她摇了摇头。“给我点时间。对了，你有钱吗？”
She shook her head. “Give me time. Say, have you got any money?”
“当然。” 他伸手去拿钱包。“你需要多少？”
“Sure.” he reached for his wallet. “how much do you need?”
“我不需要钱。我以为你可能需要。毕竟，你昨天还身无分文呢。我昨晚打了桥牌。”
“I don’t need any. I thought you might. After all, you were broke yesterday. I played bridge last night.”
“我打扑克。” 马龙说着，把钱包放了回去。
“I played poker,” malone said, putting the wallet back.
“那好吧。” 她松了一口气说。“你自己的谋杀案进展如何了？”
“then that’s all right,” she said in a relieved tone. “how’s your own murder ing along?”
“这不是我的谋杀案。” 他告诉她，“而且也没有进展。” 他把当天的进展情况都告诉了她，小心地省略了杰克在这件事中所起的作用。
“It’s not my murder,” he told her, “and it’s not ing along.” he told her of the day’s developments, carefully omitting Jake’s part in the affair.
他说完后，海伦说：“要么是那个警察在说谎，要么是乔天使在说谎，肯定是那个警察。一个酒保是不会说谎的。”
when he had finished, helene said, “Either the cop or Joe the Angel is lying, and it must be the cop. A bartender wouldn’t tell a lie.”
“这个警察也不会。” 马龙说。“他从马克斯?胡克那里拿了太多贿赂，所以他肯定是诚实的。” 他点燃一支新雪茄。“哦，好吧，只要冯?弗拉纳根不来烦我，我就不在乎。你什么时候和杰克和好？”
“Neither would this cop,” malone said. “he takes too many bribes from max hook to be anything but honest.” he lit a fresh cigar. “oh well, as long as von Flanagan leaves me alone, I don’t care. when are you going to make up with Jake?”
她看了他一眼，让他很不舒服。“我要把赌场的地契送给他，就这样结束了。” 她扣上外套最上面的扣子，从椅子扶手上拿起一条巨大的狐皮围巾。“莫娜让我带你一起回去喝鸡尾酒。她有几个住家客人，可能还会有其他人来。”
She gave him a look that set his teeth on edge. “I’m going to send him the deed to the casino, and that’s the finish.” She fastened the top clasp of her coat and picked up an enormous fox fur from the arm of her chair. “mona told me to bring you back with me for a cocktail. She has a few house guests, and there may be a few others in.”
马龙盯着她，说：“该死，我不能去黄金海岸参加鸡尾酒会。你到底想把我拉进什么麻烦里？”
malone stared at her and said, “hell, I can’t go running around to Gold coast cocktail parties. what are you trying to get me into, anyway?”
“我只是转达莫娜的邀请。我觉得你对她有一种致命的吸引力。”
“I’m just passing on mona’s invitation. I think you have a fatal fascination for her.”
“好吧。” 马龙不高兴地说，“但我不会待很久。” 他戴上帽子，穿上大衣，徒劳地试图把领带弄直。他在接待室停了一下，说：“玛吉，回家吧。”
“well,” malone said crossly, “but I won’t stay long.” he put on his hat and overcoat and made an ineffectual effort to straighten his tie. he paused in the anteroom to say, “maggie, go home.”
那个黑头发的女孩默默地、不赞成地看着他。
the black-haired girl looked at him silently and disapprovingly.
“别跟我说我应该待在办公室处理业务。这两天我们唯一的业务就是冯?弗拉纳根打来的电话。” 他带着海伦冲向电梯。
“And don’t tell me I ought to stay in the office and tend to business. the only business we’ve had in two days has been phone calls from von Flanagan.” he swept helene out to the elevator.
在出租车上，他问：“莫娜?麦克莱恩有什么样的住家客人？”
In the taxi he asked, “what kind of house guests has mona mcclane?”
“各种各样的。一个叫洛特斯?艾伦的棕色头发小丫头。真的就叫洛特斯。完美的初次进入社交界的东方女子。迈克尔?文宁夫妇，刚从东方回来。你知道的文宁家族。他很无趣，但她很可爱。她有个女伴叫卢埃拉?怀特，看起来像个摔跤手教练，织毛衣像台机器，只织灰色毛衣。还有个年轻人叫彭德利?泰德韦尔。我让你自己去了解他。还有另一个年轻人，罗斯?麦克劳林，但我对他了解不多，因为他从新年起就一直在酗酒。哦，还有个叫图伊兹先生的人，我还没见过。他今天刚到。莫娜说她特别想让你见见他。”
“Assorted. A little brown-haired wench named Lotus Allen. Really named Lotus. the perfect Eastern debutante. mr. and mrs. michael Venning, just back from the orient. You know the Venning family, he’s very dull, but she’s rather sweet. She has a lady panion named Louella white who looks like a trainer for wrestlers and knits like a machine, nothing but gray sweaters. then there’s a young man named pendley tidewell. I’ll let you find out about him for yourself. there’s another young man, Ross mcLaurin, but I don’t know much about him because he’s been on a drunk since New Year’s. oh, and a mr. tuesday, whom I haven’t met. he just came today. mona said she especially wanted you to meet him.”
“为什么？”
“why?”
“我不知道。对我来说，他听起来挺神秘有趣的。”
“I don’t know. he sounds rather mysterious and interesting to me.”
马龙嘟囔了一声，望着窗外一月初那片沉闷的泥泞景色。这个下午除了莫娜?麦克莱恩，看起来没什么希望。他希望杰克也在。杰克，还有一夸脱黑麦威士忌。
malone grunted, and stared out the window at a dreary vista of early January mud. the afternoon didn’t look promising, except for mona mcclane. he wished Jake were along. Jake, and a quart of rye.
出租车把他们送到湖滨大道麦克莱恩大厦的入口处，在马龙看来，这里总是像一个高档殡仪馆和一座 1880 年的政府大楼的结合体。海伦按了门铃，说：“我一个人的时候就用莫娜给住家客人的钥匙从侧门进去，但你是客人。”
the cab left them at the entrance of the mcclane mansion on Lake Shore drive that, to malone, was always like a bination of a high-class undertaking parlor and an 1880 government building. helene pushed the bell and said, “when I’m alone I use the key mona gives her house guests and go in the side door, but you’re pany.”
一个整洁的黑人女仆打开门，告诉他们莫娜?麦克莱恩在客厅。
A trim colored maid opened the door and told them that mona mcclane was in the living room.
海伦说：“我要上楼去换衣服。你进去和莫娜聊聊。我马上下来。”
helene said, “I’m going up to change my dress. Go on in and talk to mona. I’ll be right down.”
她消失在装饰华丽的雕刻楼梯上。马龙在大厅里站了一会儿，望着她的背影。出于某种他无法解释的原因，他在这所房子里感到不自在和不开心。也许是因为他第一次来这里是在他们婚后几天，和杰克、海伦一起来的。现在海伦在这里，以为杰克还在百慕大，而杰克在这里，以为海伦在哈瓦那，他们俩都拒绝谈论对方。
She disappeared up the ornately carved and decorated stairway. malone stood for a moment in the hall, looking after her. For some reason he could not explain, he felt unfortable and unhappy about being in this house. perhaps it was that on his first visit he had e with Jake and helene, a few days after their marriage. Now helene was here, believing Jake still in bermuda, and Jake was here, believing helene to be in havana, and each of them refusing to talk about the other.
或者也许是因为他上次来这所房子的时候，他就站在这个大厅里，看着一个凶手做了最后一次绝望而又失败的逃跑尝试。他告诉自己这就是原因，但他一直都知道不是这样。这可能是他骨子里的一种感觉，可能是多年来与那些违法的人接触而培养出的一种高度的洞察力，也可能是某种无法解释的预感，但不管是什么，他知道这座古老的麦克莱恩大厦还没有上演它的最后一场悲剧。
or perhaps it was because on his last visit to this house he had stood in this very hall and watched a murderer make a last, desperate, and unsuccessful break for escape. he told himself that was the reason, and all the time he knew that wasn’t it. It might have been a feeling in his bones, it might have been some heightened perception developed from years of contact with those who had broken the law, it might have been some inexplicable premonition, but whatever it was, he knew that the old mcclane mansion had not yet given up its last tragedy.
他告诉自己，他是一个该死的迷信的爱尔兰人，然后他走进了客厅。
he was, he told himself, a damned superstitious Irishman, and he went on into the living room.