马龙探案卷三 之 错误的凶案 三十五
一开始，杰克觉得很奇怪，老麦克莱恩大厦里那个宽敞舒适的房间看起来和他上次看到的时候一模一样。然后他想起来那只是前一天晚上的事。
At FIRSt It SEEmEd remarkable to Jake that the big, fortable room in the old mcclane mansion should look just as it had when he had seen it last. then he remembered that had been only the night before.
同样的房间，同样超大的豪华家具，同样的人。只是少了弗雷特?桑德斯，留下了一个巨大的空缺。她当时就坐在那张沙发上，就在那边的那张。奇怪，杰克想，像弗雷特这么小的一个人，在一个房间里竟然能留下这么大的一个空位。这就像拔掉一颗很小的牙齿后留下的那个巨大的、张着大口的峡谷，一个人总是会一直意识到那个峡谷的存在。房间里的每个人都试图不去注意弗雷特?桑德斯留下的空位，但每个人又都无法忍受地意识到了它。
the same room, the same, oversized luxurious furniture, the same people. Save for that terribly large gap left by the absence of Fleurette Sanders. She had been sitting on that couch, that one right over there. Strange, Jake thought, that such a little person as Fleurette could leave such an enormous space behind in a room. It was like the tremendous, yawning canyon that always seemed to be left by the extraction of a quite small tooth, a canyon of which one was perpetually conscious. Everyone in the room was trying to pay no attention to the space left by Fleurette Sanders, and everyone was unbearably aware of it.
他们都避开了她曾经坐过的那张沙发。
All of them avoided the couch where she had been.
其他人都在那里。杰克环顾房间。威利斯?桑德斯在那儿，脸色苍白，明显在发抖，乔治?布兰德就在他旁边，而帕特里奇则不引人注目地关切着，在后面徘徊。杰克注意到，威利斯?桑德斯没了胡子，而他同伴那修剪整齐的小胡子和翘胡子又回到了它们该在的位置。他很好奇帕特里奇是怎么做到的。当然是用了某种胶水。达芙妮?桑德斯也在，她独自一人坐着，就像房间里的一个陌生人，努力装出好像她前一晚没有指控死去的弗雷特?桑德斯谋杀的样子。
the others were there. Jake looked around the room. there was willis Sanders, pale and visibly shaken, with George brand right beside him and an unobtrusively solicitous partridge hovering in the background. willis Sanders was beardless, Jake observed, while his panion’s neatly trimmed mustache and imperial were back where they seemed to belong. he wondered how partridge had managed it. Some kind of glue, of course. there was daphne Sanders, sitting quite by herself, like an alien in the room, trying to look as though she hadn’t accused the dead Fleurette Sanders of murder only the night before.
奥格特里夫人也在，她愉快地兴奋着，竭力做出震惊和恐惧的样子。杰克想起在火车和公共汽车上的人们读着早报上的灾难报道，用兴奋甚至近乎高兴的声音说：“太可怕了！” 她身上有种近乎秃鹫的气质。杰克想起了马克斯?胡克的揭露，不知道通过和奥格特里夫人的安排，有多少八卦的小片段被变成了有利可图的勒索材料。
there was mrs. ogletree, pleasantly excited and doing her fluttering best to appear shocked and horror-stricken. Jake was reminded of people on trains and buses reading the accounts of disasters in the morning paper, saying, “how awful!” in exhilarated and almost elated voices. there was something almost vulture-like about her. Jake remembered max hook’s revelation, and wondered how many tender morsels of gossip had been turned into lucrative blackmail by the arrangement with mrs. ogletree.
威尔斯?奥格特里在他妻子旁边，看起来好像在用他那贵族般的鼻孔努力确定一只不久前死在墙里的老鼠的确切位置。
wells ogletree, beside his wife, looked as though he were trying, with his aristocratic nostrils, to decide on the exact location of a mouse that had perished, not too recently, in the wall.
艾伦?奥格特里和伦纳德?马奇蒙特一起坐在沙发上。艾伦看起来非常无聊，极其不满，马奇蒙特表现得就像一个在酣睡中被电话叫醒的人。他们俩似乎都觉得整个过程不仅绝对令人不快，而且极其沉闷。
Ellen ogletree and Leonard marchmont sat together on a sofa. Ellen looked very bored and extremely discontented, marchmont acted like a man who has just been called to the telephone from a sound sleep. both of them seemed to feel that the whole procedure was not only definitely distasteful, but also extremely dull.
是的，他们都在那里，杰克想，所有人都像竖琴的琴弦一样紧绷着，却又装作什么不寻常的事情都没发生。没有人看他，似乎没有人记得他曾打赌能把一桩谋杀案安在莫娜?麦克莱恩头上，而现在他是来兑现赌注的。
Yes, all of them were there, Jake thought, all as tense as harp strings, yet pretending that nothing in the least unusual was going on. None of them looked at him, none of them seemed to remember that he had bet he could pin a murder on mona mcclane, and now was here to collect.
唯一看起来完全平静的人是莫娜?麦克莱恩。她穿着和前一晚一样的深色贴身连衣裙，细长的链子上挂着闪闪发光的坠子。她那小巧的尖脸很苍白，但杰克觉得并不比平时更苍白。她没有表现出丝毫的激动，只是对接下来可能发生的事情表现出强烈的兴趣。
the only person who looked entirely calm was mona mcclane. She wore the same dark, clinging dress she had worn the night before, with the glittering pendant on its long, slender chain. her small, pointed face was pale but, Jake thought, no more pale than it had always been. She showed no sign of agitation, only an intense interest in whatever might be going to happen next.
在她对面坐着约翰?J?马龙，他深蓝色的西装皱巴巴的，有点脏，黑色的头发乱糟糟的，还有点潮湿。他的鼻子边上有一小块污迹。
opposite her sat John J. malone, his dark-blue suit wrinkled and a little dusty, his black hair mussed and damp. there was a small smudge on the side of his nose.
杰克感受着海伦纤细的手带来的令人安心的压力，强烈地告诉自己，拥有赌场将会让这一切都值得。
Jake felt for the forting pressure of helene’s slender hand, and told himself fiercely that owning the casino was going to be worth all this.
马龙清了清嗓子，说：“凶杀科的冯?弗拉纳根队长随时都会到。我先来这里是因为我想在他来之前解释一些事情。”
malone cleared his throat and said, “captain Von Flanagan of the homicide bureau will arrive any minute now. I came here first because I wanted to explain a few things before he arrived.”
房间里非常安静。有人划了一根火柴。那声音听起来像爆炸一样响。
the room was very still. Someone struck a match. It sounded as loud as an explosion.
“几天前，” 马龙又开始说，“你们听到了莫娜?麦克莱恩和这里的杰克?贾斯特打的一个赌。也许你们大多数人都把它当作一个相当荒唐的玩笑。也许有些人当真了。我不知道。不管怎样……” 他停顿了一下，深吸一口气，“第二天下午，一个叫约书亚?冈布里尔的人在州街和麦迪逊街的拐角处被枪杀，情况与打赌的条件相符。
“A few days ago,” malone began again, “you heard a bet made between mona mcclane and Jake Justus here. perhaps most of you put it down as a rather absurd joke. perhaps some of you took it seriously. I don’t know. At any rate-” he paused for a long breath, “the following afternoon one Joshua Gumbril was shot at the corner of State and madison Streets under circumstances corresponding to the terms of the bet.
“这不是我的赌注，” 他说，“我也没打算卷入随后的事情。然而，情况就是这样，我确实被卷了进去，这就是为什么我现在代表贾斯特先生发言。”
“It was not my bet,” he said, “and I had no intention of being involved in subsequent events. however, circumstances were such that I did bee so involved, and that is why I am acting as spokesman for mr. Justus now.”
没有人说话。没有人动一下。
No one spoke. No one stirred.
“通常，” 马龙接着说，“找到一个男人或女人被谋杀的动机是朝着找到并证明凶手身份迈出的一大步。” 他继续说着，看起来不那么疲惫了。“奇怪的是，在这个案子里情况正好相反。一起犯罪发生了。不是发现了动机，而是发现了动机的缺失才指向了罪犯的身份。”
“Usually,” malone went on, “the discovery of a motive for the murder of a man or woman is a great step in the direction of finding and proving the identity of the murderer.” he appeared to bee less tired as he continued. “curiously, the reverse was true in this case. A crime was mitted. It was not the discovery of a motive, but the discovery of the absence of a motive that pointed to the identity of the criminal.”
杰克努力理解这句话。他想知道过去二十四小时的疲惫是不是对马龙来说有点过头了。
Jake wrestled with that statement. he wondered if the exhaustion of the past twenty-four hours had been just a little too much for malone.
小个子律师继续说道：“因为犯罪动机如此明确地指向罪犯，所以罪犯在犯罪后的第一个行动就是销毁明显的动机。” 他停顿了一下，像是自言自语地重复道：“明显的动机！”
the little lawyer continued, “because the motive for a crime points so clearly in the direction of the criminal, the first act of the criminal after mitting his crime is the destruction of the apparent motive.” he paused and repeated, as though to himself, “the apparent motive-!”
杰克费了很大的劲才把目光移到莫娜?麦克莱恩的脸上。她的脸色变得非常苍白；她的眼睛在黑暗中像狐狸的眼睛一样大，但她仍保持着足够的镇定，对他微笑着。
with a great effort Jake brought his eyes to mona mcclane’s face. It had bee very white; her eyes were as large as a fox’s in the dark, but she retained enough of her poise to smile at him.
“很奇怪的巧合是，” 马龙说，“当那个赌注被下的时候，在场的有很多人有充分的理由希望已故的约书亚?冈布里尔死掉。”
“by a curious coincidence,” malone said, “when that bet was made, there were a number of people present who had excellent reasons for desiring the death of the late Joshua Gumbril.”
杰克确定他听到房间里某个地方传来一声微弱的、颤抖的叹息。
Jake was sure that he heard a faint, tremulous sigh from somewhere in the room.
“我希望你知道自己在说什么。” 威尔斯?奥格特里冷冷地说。
“I trust you know what you’re talking about,” wells ogletree said coldly.
“我知道，” 马龙告诉他，“这里还有另外两个人也知道。其中一个谋杀了约书亚?冈布里尔和弗雷特?桑德斯。另一个是威利斯?桑德斯，他知道是谁犯下了这些罪行 —— 尽管他自己没有参与其中。”
“I do,” malone told him, “and so do two others who are here. one of them murdered Joshua Gumbril and Fleurette Sanders. the other is willis Sanders, who knows who mitted those crimes-though he had no part in them himself.”
威利斯?桑德斯的脸色变得苍白。突然，他用一种类似呜咽的声音用手捂住了脸。房间里的每个人都试图把目光从他身上移开，除了奥格特里夫人。她似乎想同时看向各个地方，不错过任何正在发生的事情。
willis Sanders’ face turned gray. Suddenly he buried his face in his hands with a kind of sob. Everyone in the room tried to look away from him, save mrs. ogletree. She seemed to be trying to look everywhere at once and miss nothing that went on.
马龙几乎是梦幻般地继续说道：“动机总是一起谋杀案的关键。但这次不是发现动机让一切变得清晰。而是动机的缺失。约书亚?冈布里尔被谋杀的动机本应该在他房间里的一个绿色金属盒子里。但它不在，正因为它不在，所以对于它是什么就毫无疑问了。”
malone went on again almost dreamily, “A motive is always the key to a murder. but this time it was not the discovery of a motive that made everything clear. It was the absence of one. the motive for the murder of Joshua Gumbril should have been in a green metal box in his room. It was not, and because it was not, there was no doubt left as to what it was.”
威尔斯?奥格特里的声音尖锐地打破了沉默。“你是来告诉我们一些确定的事情的吗，马龙先生，还是来漫谈动机和一堆我们都不理解的无意义的废话？”
wells ogletree’s voice cut sharply into the silence. “did you e here to tell us something definite, mr. malone, or to ramble on about motives and a lot of pointless rot none of us understand?”
马龙冷冷地看着他，但几乎带着怜悯。“如果你愿意，我可以说得更具体些，奥格特里先生。那个因为约书亚?冈布里尔是个勒索者而谋杀了他，然后又因为她也是…… 而谋杀了弗雷特?桑德斯的人……”
malone looked at him coldly, yet almost pityingly. “I’ll be more specific if you like, mr. ogletree. the person who murdered Joshua Gumbril because he was a blackmailer, and then murdered Fleurette Sanders because she too-”
海伦的一声喊叫打断了他。她跳起来朝大厅走去。杰克跟在她后面，这时他听到书房的窗户被猛地推开，他跑进书房，正好看到一辆汽车在车道上发动起来。这时他才意识到，在威尔斯?奥格特里说话的时候，司机已经悄悄地离开了房间。书房桌子的抽屉大开着；只需要快速地看一眼就知道里面原本放着的枪不见了。当他跑回大厅，冲下台阶时，他能听到马龙在他身后咒骂。
A cry from helene interrupted him. She sprang to her feet and started for the hall. As Jake went after her, he heard the library window thrown open, and ran into the library just in time to see a car starting in the driveway. he realized then that its driver had gone quietly out of the room while wells ogletree was speaking. the drawer of the library table was wide open; it took only one quick glance to tell him the gun it had held was gone. As he raced back into the hall and down the steps he could hear malone swearing close behind him.
就在他看到的那辆车驶出车道的同时，另一辆车开了进来。它在房子前停了下来，就在海伦发动她自己的车的时候。杰克滑进海伦旁边的座位，这时冯?弗拉纳根喊道：“谁开车走了？” 马龙喊道：“你要找的人！”
At the same moment that the car he had seen turned out of the driveway another passed it, ing in. It stopped before the house just as helene, in her own car, started the motor. Jake slid into the seat beside helene as Von Flanagan called, “who drove away?” and malone shouted back, “the person you want!”
然后马龙坐在他旁边的座位上，海伦把脚踩在油门上，他们转过街角驶上街道。在远处，他能看到一个小小的红色尾灯在黑暗中闪烁，有消失的危险。冯?弗拉纳根乘坐的警车紧跟在他们后面。
then malone was in the seat beside him, helene was pressing her foot on the accelerator, and they were spinning around the corner into the street. Far ahead he could see a tiny red taillight flickering in the dark, threatening to disappear. the police car with Von Flanagan was right behind them.
前面的车，莫娜?麦克莱恩的车，是为速度而造的。海伦的车也是。
the car ahead, mona mcclane’s, was built for speed. So was helene’s.
他们转上湖滨大道向北行驶，完全不顾红灯、停车标志和结冰的路面。车辆急忙让道。那辆又大又重的车不时地侧滑，然后奇迹般地恢复正常，继续朝着正确的方向行驶。有一次，前面的车在拐进林肯公园的弯道时，与一辆向南行驶的芝加哥公交车只差几英寸，疯狂地滑行了半个街区，然后继续前行。
they turned into the drive and headed north, driving with a fine disregard of red lights, stop signs, and icy pavements. traffic hastily turned aside to let them go by. Now and again the big, heavy car would slide sideways, right itself by some miracle, and continue in the right direction. once the car ahead, rounding the curve into Lincoln park, missed a southbound chicago motor coach by inches, skidded insanely for half a block, and kept on going.
在他们后面，警车的警笛声悲哀地鸣叫着。
behind them the police car’s siren wailed mournfully.
在林肯公园里面，车辆变少了，但有一两次前面的车差点从他们视线中消失，只是在车流散开时又再次出现。
Inside Lincoln park, the traffic thinned, yet once or twice the car ahead was almost lost to them, only to reappear as the stream of cars spread out.
杰克发现自己在想现在几点了。他也突然想到自己还没吃晚饭。好几天、好几天都没睡觉也没吃饭。在这场疯狂的追逐中，现在这些都不重要了，冯?弗拉纳根的车的警笛声在他们身后的某个地方尖叫着，前面的车慢慢地、稳步地失去了领先优势。这些都不重要，但他还是记起来了。
Jake found himself wondering what time it was. It occurred to him too that he had had no dinner. No dinner, and no sleep for what seemed to be days and days. None of those things mattered now, in this insane chase up the outer drive with the siren on Von Flanagan’s car screaming somewhere behind them, and the car ahead slowly and steadily losing its lead. None of those things mattered, but he remembered them just the same.
他瞥了一眼海伦；她的侧影在黑暗中惨白得像从硬纸板上剪下来的一样。
he glanced at helene; her profile was dead white against the darkness, as though it had been cut out of cardboard.
突然，他全心全意地希望前面的车能神奇地获得惊人的速度，永远从追捕者那里消失。他想在每次追捕中，一定有那么一个时刻，追捕者会拼命地、热切地希望狐狸能逃脱。
Suddenly he wished with all his heart that the car ahead would magically acquire miraculous speed, be lost forever to its pursuers. he thought there must be a time in every hunt when the hunters wished desperately, passionately, that the fox might get away.
但就在他这么希望的时候，被追捕的车疾驰而过埃奇沃特海滩酒店，在再往北几个街区的地方意外地驶上了一块冰面，疯狂地转了一圈，有那么可怕的一刻，惊险地与几辆路过的车擦身而过，然后像从大炮里发射出来一样滑向了湖滨大道靠湖的一侧。车撞到一棵树时发出了一声碎裂的撞击声，接着是一片寂静。
but even as he wished it, the pursued car streaked past the Edgewater beach hotel, struck an unexpected patch of ice a few blocks farther north, spun madly around for one terrible moment, missing several passing cars by a shuddering hair’s breadth, and skidded off to the lake side of the drive as though it had been shot from a cannon. there was a splintering crash as it struck a tree, and then silence.
他感觉到海伦的大车在刹车时像有生命的东西一样颤抖着，在车侧滑的那令人难受的一秒钟里他闭上了眼睛，及时睁开眼睛看到海伦熟练地把车开到右边，停在了路边。
he felt helene’s big car shiver like a living thing as its brakes were applied, closed his eyes for one sickening second as it slid sideways, opened them in time to see helene skillfully maneuver it to the right and bring it to a stop just off the pavement.
现在尖叫的警笛声就在他们身后。
the screaming siren was right behind them now.
杰克几乎在海伦的车一停下就下了车，只比马龙晚了两秒钟。他看到一个穿着棕褐色马球衫的小身影从他们前面的残骸中走出来，摇晃了一下，然后朝湖边跑去。
Jake was out of helene’s car almost at the instant of its stop, two seconds behind malone. he saw a small figure in a tan polo coat emerge from the wreckage ahead of them, stagger a moment, and run toward the lake.
走了几步后，那个身影突然转过身来。一声枪响，一颗子弹击中了海伦的汽车挡风玻璃，发出尖锐的玻璃破碎声。那个身影盲目地又跑了几英尺，转过身来再次开枪。
After a few steps the figure turned suddenly. there was the sound of a shot, the sharp crack of breaking glass as a bullet struck the windshield of helene’s car. the figure ran on blindly a few feet farther, wheeled to fire again.
杰克脑子里只想着扑向海伦，让她离开射击的路线。只有一小部分心思意识到冯?弗拉纳根和红脸警察克鲁切茨基已经追了上来，并且在他们前面。
Jake could think of nothing but to dive at helene and get her out of the line of fire. with only a fraction of his mind he realized that Von Flanagan and the red-faced policeman, Kluchetsky, had caught up and were ahead of them.
逃跑的身影又开了两三枪。
there were two more shots from the fleeing figure.
他隐约听到冯?弗拉纳根对克鲁切茨基喊了些什么。那个大个子警察放慢了速度，拔出枪，开了三四枪，即使在那一刻也小心地、从容地瞄准。
he dimly heard Von Flanagan shout something at Kluchetsky. the big policeman slackened his speed, drew his gun, and fired three or four times, even in that moment taking careful, deliberate aim.
杰克把海伦抱在怀里。在梦中一样，他看到艾伦?奥格特里的小身影突然停了下来，摇晃了一下，然后倒下了。
Jake caught helene in his arms. As in a dream, he saw the small figure of Ellen ogletree as it stopped suddenly, wavered for only a moment, and then fell.