马龙探案卷四 之 正确的凶案 四
“但是你不能离开杰克。” 马龙愚蠢地说。“你们才刚结婚。”
“but you can’t have left Jake,” malone said stupidly. “You’ve just married him.”
“我必须离开他才能离开他。” 海伦冷淡地说。“而且我已经离开了他。” 她坐在桌子的一角，点了一根烟。
“I had to, in order to be able to leave him,” helene said coldly. “And I have left him.” She sat down on a corner of the desk and lit a cigarette.
“为什么？”
“why?”
“我不会告诉你的。” 她的脸颊开始恢复了一点血色。“但不是因为你所想的那些原因。”
“I’m damned if I’ll tell you.” A little color began to e back into her cheeks. “but it wasn’t for any of the reasons you’re thinking about.”
马龙急忙说：“当然不是。” 他在口袋里摸索着找雪茄，最后找到了一根，点燃后说：“你怎么会身无分文呢？还是说你也不会告诉我这个原因？”
malone said hastily, “of course not.” he fumbled through his pockets for a cigar, finally found one, lit it, and said, “how e you’re broke, or are you damned if you’ll tell me that, either?”
“这是我离开杰克的部分原因。你刚才说这儿有喝的吗？”
“that’s part of the reason why I left Jake. did you say there was a drink in the house?”
马龙在壁橱里的一顶旧草帽下找到了另一个杯子，擦了擦，拿出一瓶黑麦威士忌，把它平分到两个杯子里。他看得出这不够。想了一会儿，他拿起电话，拨了一个号码，说：“路易？我是马龙。马上给我送两夸脱黑麦威士忌来。什么？哦，是吗？我肯定是忘了。我马上给你寄张支票。快点送黑麦威士忌来。”
malone located another glass under an old straw hat in the closet, dusted it, got the bottle of rye, and divided it into two equal parts. he could see it wasn’t going to be enough. After a moment’s reflection he picked up the phone, dialed a number, and said, “Louie? malone speaking. Send me over a couple of quarts of rye, right away. what’s that? oh, is it? It must have slipped my mind. I’ll send you a check right away. hurry up with the rye.”
他猛地挂上电话。“我也身无分文。”
he banged down the telephone. “I’m broke, too.”
“多亲密啊。” 海伦评论道。“所以你终于遇到了一个喜欢珠宝的女孩。”
“how chummy,” helene mented. “So you finally met a girl who liked jewelry.”
“是皮草。” 马龙有点脸红地说，“但你怎么知道的？”
“It was furs,” malone said, coloring a little, “but how did you know?”
“我一直在上读心术的课。” 她拿起杯子，看了看，最后说：“一切都见鬼去吧。” 然后一饮而尽。
“I’ve been taking lessons in mind reading.” She picked up her glass, gazed at it, finally said, “the devil with everything,” and emptied it.
马龙决定采取一种父亲般的态度。“人们一开始肯定会有这些小分歧。你会克服的。等你把事情想几天之后……”
malone decided to adopt a fatherly attitude. “people are bound to have these little differences at first. You’ll get over it. when you’ve thought things over for a few days—”
“别结巴了。” 她重重地放下杯子说。“我已经离开他了，而且是永远离开。你可以省省你的评论了。”
“Stop stammering,” she said, setting the glass down hard. “I’ve left him and I do mean for good. You can save the mentary.”
他耸了耸肩。“这是你的事。你为什么回芝加哥？”
he shrugged his shoulders. “It’s your funeral. why did you e back to chicago?”
“我来告诉你我为什么回芝加哥。” 她的眼睛里闪着危险的光芒。“是因为杰克和莫娜?麦克莱恩打的那个赌。你记得吧。她跟他打赌，说她能犯下一桩谋杀案而他抓不到她的把柄，赌注是卡西诺赌场的地契。”
“I’ll tell you why I came back to chicago.” A dangerous light came into her eyes. “It’s because of that bet Jake made with mona mcclane. You remember. She bet him the deed to the casino she could mit a murder and he couldn't pin it on her.”
马龙沮丧地点点头。“我记得。我们在芝加哥到处跑，一有人被谋杀我们就差点累断了脖子，结果却发现是别人杀了那个人。”
malone nodded gloomily. “I remember. we traipsed all over chicago and damn near broke our necks as soon as some guy got murdered, only to find out it was somebody else murdered him.”
“但你知道莫娜后来怎么说的。” 她提醒他。“那个是错误的谋杀。我要找到正确的那个，然后赢得那个赌注。”
“but you know what mona said afterwards,” she reminded him. “It was the wrong murder. I'm going to find the right one and win that bet.”
“随你便，可为什么呢？”
“Suit yourself, but why?”
“因为，” 海伦坚定地说，“这是我唯一能向杰克证明我不是一个被宠坏、娇生惯养的富家女的方法，除了在赌错马的时候给老爸发电报要钱，我就想不出别的事可做。” 她的脸颊突然变得绯红。“不是说我在乎他怎么想。”
“because,” helene said firmly, “it's the only way I can ever prove to Jake that I'm not just a spoiled, pampered rich brat who can't think of anything to do but wire her old man for dough when the wrong horse es in.” her cheeks suddenly flamed scarlet. “Not that I care what he thinks.”
“所以杰克在赌马上有点小麻烦。” 马龙喃喃地说。他觉得还是什么都不说为妙。
“So Jake had a little trouble with the horses,” malone murmured. he decided it was wiser to say nothing more.
“我会让他看看。” 海伦说，“我会找出莫娜杀了谁，怎么杀的，为什么杀，然后拿出足够的证据让一大堆陪审团信服。然后我会把卡西诺赌场的地契寄给他，让他见鬼去吧。”
“I'll show him,” helene said, “I'll find out who mona murdered, and how, and why, and produce enough evidence to convince a gross of juries. then I'll send him the deed to the casino, and the devil with him.”
马龙若有所思地看着她。一顶很宽的深棕色毡帽衬托着她苍白而精致的脸庞；在她的喉咙下方，一堆蓬松的浅棕色皮草分开，露出一块焦糖色的丝绸三角。她纤细娇嫩的手指摆弄着和她帽子颜色完全一样的手套；她美丽修长的腿上那透明的长筒袜是白三叶草蜜的颜色。
malone looked at her thoughtfully. A very wide, dark-brown felt hat framed her pale, exquisite face; below her throat a mass of fluffy, light-brown furs fell apart to reveal a triangle of caramel-colored silk. her slender, delicate fingers played with gloves that were exactly the same shade as her hat; the sheer stockings on her lovely long legs were the color of white clover honey.
当他看着她时，一幅幅画面在他脑海中闪过。海伦开着她那辆进口的大汽车在结冰的路面上飞驰，速度之快、不顾一切的程度足以让一位经验丰富的印第安纳波利斯赛车手胆战心惊。海伦亲自策划了一名可能的女杀人犯的越狱行动。海伦因为涉嫌纵火一事与警察有点小麻烦，然后戴着借来的黑色假发和系着丝带的眼镜出现了。海伦用一个临时想出来的巧妙谎言把杰克从冯?弗拉纳根那里解救出来。海伦嫁给了杰克，然后在黎明时分乘飞机去了百慕大。现在，海伦从百慕大回来了，她蓝色的眼睛里带着坚定的决心。绝对不是过去的好日子了。
Scenes raced through his mind as he looked at her. helene, driving her big, imported car over ice-covered pavements with a speed and abandon that would have petrified an Indianapolis speedway driver of long standing. helene, personally engineering the jailbreak of a possible murderess. helene, in a little trouble with the police over a matter of suspected arson, and turning up in a borrowed black wig and beribboned eyeglasses. helene, talking Jake out of a jam with von Flanagan with an inspired, spur-of-the-moment falsehood. helene, married to Jake and going off to bermuda on the dawn plane. Now, helene back from bermuda, with that look of grim resolution in her blue eyes. definitely not the good old days.
路易店里的送货员带着黑麦威士忌及时赶到，这才没让约翰?J?马龙陷入回忆的泪水之中。
the delivery boy from Louie’s arrived with the rye just in time to save John J. malone from bursting into reminiscent tears.
他在大衣口袋里找到一小把零钱，给了送货员小费，说：“告诉路易我会给他寄张支票。” 然后开始打开其中一瓶酒。“你到底打算怎么赢得这个赌注呢？”
he found a small handful of change in his overcoat pocket, tipped the boy, said, “tell Louie I’m sending him a check,” and began opening one of the bottles. “Just how do you propose going about winning this bet?”
“我还不确定所有的细节。首先，我要搬去和莫娜一起住。她已经邀请过我好几次去和她一起住了，而我一个人在城里就是个足够的借口。然后我要找出所有她可能想要谋杀的人，四处打听直到我找到一个被她谋杀的人，然后找出她是怎么以及什么时候干的。”
“I’m not sure of all the details yet. First. I’m going to move in with mona. She’s asked me to stay with her a number of times, and my being alone in town is enough excuse. then I’m going to find out all the people she might have wanted to murder, nose around until I find one of them who’s been murdered, and find out how and when she did it.”
“你说得可真轻松。” 马龙说。
“You make it sound so wonderfully easy,” malone said.
她冲他做了个粗鲁的鬼脸。“你可能得帮忙。”
“You may have to help.”
“我一点也不惊讶。” 律师用一种挖苦的声音说。他的目光落在还在他桌上的那封电报上。他赶紧把它塞进口袋，说：“我需要很多钱。现在让我安静一下，我要打电话。”
“I wouldn’t be at all surprised,” the lawyer said in a wry voice. his eye fell on the cablegram that was still on his desk. he hastily stuffed it into his pocket, and said, “I’m going to need a lot of money. Leave me in peace now while I telephone.”
“你要那么多钱干什么？”
“what do you need a lot of money for?”
“不关你的事。” 他拿起电话，一个接一个地拨了正好十四个号码。在前十三个电话中，四个人不在城里，两个人在监狱里，六个人身无分文，还有一个人的电话被切断了。
“None of your damned business.” he picked up the telephone and called exactly fourteen numbers, one after another. of the first thirteen calls, four people were out of town, two were in jail, six were broke, and one had had his telephone disconnected.
第十四个电话是打给当地一个赌博集团的头目马克斯?胡克的公寓。马龙亲切地称他为 “朋友”。
the fourteenth call was to the apartment of the head of a local gambling syndicate, named max hook. malone addressed him familiarly as “chum.”
这个赌徒宣称他很乐意借给马龙钱。如果有必要的话，可以多借一些。他会马上派人把钱送过来。
the gambler declared he would be delighted to lend malone the money. more, if necessary. he would send it over right away by messenger.
“别担心还钱的事，马龙。你也许能为我做点事。”
“don’t worry about paying it back, malone. You may be able to do a few things for me.”
马龙急忙说：“我不是那样做生意的，伙计。我会在二十四小时内还给你。” 他放下电话，看着它说：“我最好也能做到。如果你从骗子那里借钱，很快你就会和他们做生意了。不过，如果你从一个诚实的人那里借钱，他会收你百分之十的利息。”
malone said hastily, “I don’t do business that way, pal. I’ll pay you back inside of twenty-four hours.” he put down the telephone, looked at it, and said “I’d damned well better too. If you borrow money from crooks, first thing you know you’re in business with them. Still, if you borrow it from an honest man, he charges you ten per cent interest.”
他给海伦的杯子里倒上黑麦威士忌，说：“在这儿等着，我马上回来。” 然后走进接待室。黑发秘书放下她的《国家》杂志，满怀希望地抬头看着他。
he poured rye into helene’s glass, said, “Stay here, I’ll be right back,” and went out into the reception room. the black-haired secretary laid down her copy of the Nation and looked up at him hopefully.
“玛吉，几分钟后我会有三百块钱进账。给杰克?贾斯特汇两百块到这个地址”—— 他把电报递给她 ——“动作快点。给我留五十块买雪茄，再给自己发点工资。”
“maggie, I have three hundred bucks ing in a few minutes. wire two hundred to Jake Justus at this address”—he handed her the cablegram—“and do it fast. Save me fifty bucks for cigars, and pay yourself some salary.”
“银行的透支怎么办？”
“how about the overdraft at the bank?”
“以后再说。” 他坚定地告诉她。他走到门口，停下来，回头说：“给冯?弗拉纳根打电话，告诉他我有点轻微的震颤性谵妄，我明天一早就去他的办公室。”
“Later,” he told her firmly. he went to the door, paused, and said over his shoulder, “call von Flanagan and tell him that I have a slight touch of delirium tremens, and I’ll drop in at his office first thing in the morning.”
他关上门的时候，海伦抬起头，露出新的兴趣。“我是不是听到了冯?弗拉纳根的名字？”
As he slammed the door, helene looked up with a new show of interest. “did I hear the name of von Flanagan?”
“你听到了。他想和我谈谈我的谋杀案。”
“You did. he wants to talk with me about my murder.”
“你的？”
“Yours?”
他点点头。“我自己的私人谋杀案。” 他坐在办公桌前，给海伦讲了新年前夜在乔天使酒吧死去的那个人的故事。
he nodded. “my very own personal murder.” he sat down at his desk and told helene the story of the man who had died in Joe the Angel’s bar on New Year’s Eve.
他讲完后，她沉默了一会儿，苍白的额头上皱起困惑的眉头。“通常是凶手在犯罪后想见你，而不是受害者。”
She was silent for a while after he had finished, a puzzled frown wrinkling her pale forehead. “Usually it’s the murderer who wants to see you after the crime, not the victim.”
“这就是让我困惑的地方。” 马龙告诉她。“很明显，这家伙在事情发生之前就在找我。然后有人在他背上捅了一刀，他还是继续找我。但在他能告诉我任何事情之前，他就死了。”
“that’s what puzzles me,” malone told her. “obviously, this guy was looking for me before it happened. then somebody stuck a knife in his back, and he went right on looking for me. but before he could tell me anything, he kicked off.”
“那把钥匙。” 她若有所思地说。“我在想 —— 那是把什么样的钥匙，马龙？”
“the key,” she said thoughtfully. “I wonder—what kind of key was it, malone?”
“只是一把普通的钥匙。我没好好看清楚它。而且，我不在乎我是否再也看不到它了。我只在乎摆脱这个麻烦。” 他停顿了一下。“不过 ——” 他敲掉雪茄上的烟灰，皱着眉头说，“也许是这样。有两个人想互相捅刀子。这家伙是其中之一。有人告诉他，如果他要杀人，提前找一个非常好的律师是个明智的主意，并建议他来找我。但在他找我的时候，另一个人先找到了他。”
“Just an ordinary key. I didn’t get a very good look at it. what’s more, I don’t care if I never get another look at it. All I care about is getting out of this mess.” he paused. “Just the same—” he knocked the ashes from his cigar, frowned, and said, “maybe it was this way. there were two guys out to knife each other. this guy was one of them. Somebody tipped him off that if he was going to murder anybody, it was a smart idea to engage a damn good lawyer in advance, and advised him to e to me. but while he was looking for me, the other guy got to him first.”
“听起来很有逻辑。” 海伦说。“现在你只需要等着，另一个人就会作为客户来找你。”
“Sounds logical,” helene said. “Now all you need to do is wait and the other guy’ll e in as a client.”
“我希望如此。” 马龙虔诚地说。“我能有一个客户就好了。” 他听到接待室里有声音，知道钱已经到了。他看了看表。
“I hope so,” malone said prayerfully. “I could use one.” he heard voices in the reception room and knew that the money had arrived. he looked at his watch.
“接下来怎么办，马龙？”
“what next, malone?”
“你最好去莫娜?麦克莱恩那里安顿下来，好好睡一觉。你看起来需要睡眠。明天早上我们再碰面。”
“You’d better go and get settled at mona mcclane’s and get a good night’s sleep. You look as if you need it. tomorrow morning we’ll get together.”
她梦幻般地说：“莫娜?麦克莱恩想杀的人不可能有那么多。”
She said dreamily, “there couldn’t have been so many people mona mcclane wanted to murder.”
“明天再说。” 他坚定地说。他挽起她的胳膊，把她带到接待室。
“tomorrow,” he said firmly. he took her arm and led her to the reception room.
“如果你收到杰克的消息……” 她开口说道，又停了下来。
“If you should hear from Jake—” she began, and stopped.
“我不会告诉你的。” 他对她说。
“I’m damned if I’ll tell you,” he told her.
他在玛吉的桌旁停了一会儿，拿起五张十美元的钞票。
he paused by maggie’s desk long enough to pick up five ten-dollar bills.
“另一件事已经处理好了。” 玛吉说。
“the other matter is taken care of,” maggie said.
马龙点点头，把四张钞票塞进口袋，把另一张递给海伦。“你需要打车钱。来吧，下楼去，我给你叫辆出租车。”
malone nodded, stuffed four of the bills in his pocket and handed the other to helene. “You’ll need cab fare. e on downstairs and I’ll put you in a taxi.”
“但是你现在要做什么？” 她问道。
“but what are you going to do now?” she demanded.
小个子律师长叹一口气。“我？” 他按下电梯呼叫按钮。“我要出去找个扑克局。”
the little lawyer drew a long sighing breath. “me?” he pushed the elevator call. “I’m going out and find a poker game.”