马龙在徒劳地找一件干净衬衫的时候停了下来。这段对话有种奇怪的似曾相识的感觉。“那个赌注怎么了？”
Malone paused in the act of looking futilely for a clean shirt. There was something oddly reminiscent about the conversation. “What about that bet?”
“我要赢了它。” 杰克冷酷地说。“我要拿到赌场的地契。我要让她看看。”
“I’m going to win it,” Jake said grimly. “I’m going to get that deed to the Casino. I’ll show her.”
“你要给谁看什么？”
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“You’ll show who what?”
“我要让海伦看看没有有钱岳父的帮助我也能过得很好。”
“I’ll show Helene I can get along all right without any help from a rich father-in-law.”
“原来是这么回事。” 马龙说。
“So that’s the way it is,” Malone said.
“该死，马龙，我一定要赢了那个赌注。”
“Damn it, Malone, I’ve got to win that bet.”
律师严肃地点点头，扣着衬衫扣子。“我一点也不惊讶。你打算怎么做呢？还是那个聪明的大脑还没考虑到这个细节？”
The lawyer nodded gravely, buttoning his shirt. “I wouldn’t be at all surprised. How are you going to do it, or hasn’t the giant brain bothered with that detail?”
“首先，我要查清楚自从那个赌注定下后莫娜?麦克莱恩所做的每一件事。然后我要查清楚在那段时间里芝加哥发生的每一起谋杀案。这两条线索迟早会交汇。”
“First, I’m going to check’ on everything Mona McClane has done since that-bet was made. Then I’m going to check back on every murder mitted in Chicago in that time. Sooner or later those two lines will meet.”
马龙心想，迟早不只是这两条线索会交汇。这种情况的各种可能性让他有点不安。
That wasn’t all that would meet sooner or later, Malone reflected. The possibilities of the situation disturbed him a little.
“我可能需要一些帮助。” 杰克补充道。
“I may need some help,” Jake added.
“我就知道迟早会提到这一点。” 马龙酸溜溜地说。他整好领带。“现在听着，杰克。” 他用非常严肃的语气说。“这些小争吵没什么意义。也许你有点太草率了。等你过一两天再想想，一切就会不一样了。我比你年长，杰克，我想告诉你，女人 ——”
“I knew that would e up sooner or later,” Malone said sourly. He finished adjusting his tie. “Now listen, Jake.” He adopted a very serious tone. “These little quarrels don’t mean a thing. Maybe you were a trifle hasty. When you’ve thought it over for a day or so, it’ll all seem different. I’m older than you, Jake, and I want to tell you that women—”
杰克哼了一声。“你对女人的了解 ——” 他轻蔑地开口。
Jake snorted. “What you know about women—” he began scornfully.
“我对女人的了解，” 律师告诉他，“能开一连串银行。” 他想起了巴黎夜总会的那个黑发女子，深深地叹了口气。“哦，好吧，你有你的烦恼，我有我的。” 他停顿了一下，然后又说，“你真的认为她在哈瓦那？”
“What I know about women,” the lawyer told him, “would start a chain of banks.” He thought of the Chez Paree brunette, and sighed deeply. “Oh well, you do your own worrying, and I’ll do mine.” He paused, then added, “You really think she’s in Havana?”
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“我肯定她在那儿。” 杰克说，“我希望她留在那儿。” 他坚定地扬起下巴。“我要追踪莫娜?麦克莱恩，赢下那个赌注，然后我要把赌场的地契包起来送给她。然后一切就都结束了。”
“I’m positive of it,” Jake said, “and I hope she stays there.” He set his chin hard. “I’m going to get on Mona McClane’s trail and win that bet, and then I’m going to wrap up the deed to the Casino and send it to her. And then the hell with it all.”
“你把这一切都说得那么轻松。” 这是马龙两天内第二次这么说。他戴上帽子，又摘下来，拿起电话说：“马上给我找个信差来。” 然后他打电话到自己的办公室。
“You make it all sound so wonderfully easy,” Malone said for the second time in two days. He put on his hat, took it off again, picked up the telephone, and said, “Get me a messenger boy right away,” and then called his office.
“有什么我应该知道的事情发生吗？”
“Anything going on that I should know?”
玛吉报告说：“从十点开始，冯?弗拉纳根队长每十五分钟就给你打一次电话。昨天来过的那位年轻女士打来电话说她三点会到你的办公室。”
Maggie reported, “Captain von Flanagan has been calling you every fifteen minutes since ten o’clock. The young lady who was in yesterday called and said she’d be in your office at three o’clock.”
“我三点会到那儿。” 马龙说。他挂了电话。
“I’ll be there at three,” Malone said. He hung up.
他的桌上有一个大信封；他把两张一百美元钞票和两张五十美元钞票装进信封封好，并写上寄给马克斯?胡克。在信封角落他所住酒店的名字上方，他写上 “约翰?J?马龙”。
There was a large envelope on his desk; he sealed two hundred-dollar bills and two fifties in it, and addressed it to Max Hook. Above the name of his hotel in the corner he wrote, “John J. Malone.”
信差来了，拿走信封又走了之后，律师戴上帽子穿上大衣。“我们不妨 ——”
When the messenger boy had arrived, taken the envelope, and gone away again, the lawyer put on his hat and overcoat. “We might as well—”
一阵雷鸣般的敲门声打断了他。马龙打开门，看到一个来自冯?弗拉纳根办公室的高大、红脸的侦探。
A thunderous knock on the door interrupted him. Malone opened the door and saw a large, red-faced detective from von Flanagan’s office.
“哦，哦，克鲁切茨基。” 律师愉快地开口。
“Well, well, Kluchetsky,” the lawyer began pleasantly.
“冯?弗拉纳根要见你。” 克鲁切茨基说。“他说他希望你的震颤性谵妄好点了。他还说不管怎样他希望你能起来走动了，因为如果你不能，他就会派一辆救护车来接你。” 他看着帽子和大衣。“我想也许你最好跟我走一趟。”
“Von Flanagan wants to see you,” Kluchetsky said. “He says he hopes your d. t.’s are better. He says anyway he hopes you’re able to be up and around because if you aren’t he’s gonna send an ambulance for you.” He eyed the hat and overcoat. “I guess maybe you’d just better e along with me.”