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.”
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“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？”
小主，
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. Come, 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.
小主，
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.”
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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.”
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“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。”