She nodded. “She visited us. She was a friend of Mrs. Abbot. She invited me to e and visit her if I ever got to Chicago. I met Ross McLaurin there, too.”
“现在，” 马龙深吸一口气说，“我们有进展了。”
“Now,” Malone said, drawing a long breath, “we’re getting somewhere.”
“你看，我原打算靠着那一万美元撑到我嫁给某个人，在我想去的地方站稳脚跟。他看起来是个绝佳的机会，一个涉世未深的孩子，还在为他母亲哭泣。我以前从没怎么留意过男人，但我对他很上心，而且奏效了。他回到这个国家后，我尽快跟了过来。战争爆发时我加入了一个救护队，但秋天的时候我又无所事事了。我来到这边，发现他住在莫娜?麦克莱恩家。所以我想起了她的邀请。”
“You see, I’d figured on making that ten thousand last until I married somebody and made myself solid in the place I wanted to be. He looked like a wonderful opportunity, a kid right out of the bushes and still crying over his mother. I’d never paid much attention to men before, but I paid plenty to him, and it took. When he beat it back to this country, I followed as soon as I could. I’d hitched up with an ambulance unit at the outbreak of the war, but in the fall I was at loose ends again. I got over to this side and found he was staying with Mona McClane. So I remembered her invitation.”
她露出一个苍白而苦涩的微笑。“我把最后一点钱都花在了衣服上，给麦克莱恩夫人写了一封短信，马上就收到了邀请，然后我就来了。我现在身上正好还剩二十四美元。我来的时候并不担心这个，因为我想罗斯和我很快就会去找治安法官把事情定下来。本来也会这样的，要不是发生了这些谋杀案。”
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She smiled, a wan, bitter smile. “I blew the last of the bankroll on clothes, dropped Mrs. McClane a little note, was invited to e right along, and here I am. I’ve got exactly twenty-four dollars left in the world. That didn’t worry me when I arrived, because I figured Ross and I would tell it to a justice of the peace before long. It would have happened, too, except for these murders.”
突然，她向前倾着身子，一只手半掩着脸。“我不像我说的那么坏。我爱他。”
Suddenly she leaned forward, her face half hidden in one hand. “I’m not as bad as I sound. I’m in love with him.”
马龙等了将近五分钟才用最温柔的语气说：“我明白了。”
Malone waited nearly five minutes before he said, “I see,” in the gentlest of tones.
她又坐直了身子，下巴高高扬起。“嗯，这似乎把事情搞砸了。我没杀任何人，但我可能跟杀了人没什么两样。”
She sat upright again, her chin high. “Well this seems to have done it up. I haven’t murdered anybody, but I might as well have.”
“不知怎么的，” 马龙说，“我有一种感觉，如果罗斯?麦克劳林真的听到了这个故事，也不会有什么影响。”
“Somehow,” Malone said, “I have a feeling that if Ross McLaurin ever does hear that story, it isn’t going to make any difference.”
洛特斯?艾伦只露出半边脸笑了笑。“就算没影响又怎样。我还是因谋杀罪被捕了。”
Lotus Allen smiled with just one side of her face. “Suppose it doesn’t. I’m still under arrest for murder.”
“把那事交给我。” 他对她说，“那是律师该干的事。” 他从桌子上滑下来，开始在房间里踱步，双手插在口袋里。“你从没见过这个叫图伊兹的男人？”
“Leave that to me,” he told her. “That’s what lawyers are for.” He slid off the table and began pacing the floor, his hands in his pockets. “You never met this man Tuesday?”
“从没见过。我也从没见过那个…… 在那儿的男人。”
“Never. And I never met that man—in there.”
“你见过文宁夫妇吗？”
“Ever meet the Vennings?”
她摇了摇头。“直到我来到这里才见到。”
She shook her head. “Not until I came here.”
他停下来，靠在桌子上。“听着，亲爱的。我要你把除夕夜发生的事原原本本地告诉我。所有的事。如果听起来会对年轻的麦克劳林不利，也照实说。我现在的一半工作就是让他不落入警察之手。”
He paused and leaned against the table. “Listen, my dear. I want you to tell me exactly what happened on New Year’s Eve. Everything. If it sounds incriminating to young McLaurin, tell it anyway. Half my job right now is keeping him out of the hands of the police.”
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她深吸了一口气。“我们都去了莫娜的俱乐部吃晚餐，最后去了黑豹厅。罗斯一直在喝酒。莫娜有个年轻的朋友 —— 我甚至不记得他的名字了 —— 也在，他对我很殷勤。罗斯不喜欢，就又喝了一些。突然，我从舞池下来 —— 我一直在和这个另一个男人跳舞 —— 罗斯不见了。他失踪了将近半个小时后，我们四处找他，最后有人告诉我们有人在酒吧见过他。但我们去那儿找的时候，他又不见了。最后莫娜说别担心，因为他不会有事的，他会出现的。他真的出现了。第二天早上他在莫娜家。”
She drew a long breath. “We all went to dinner at Mona’s club and ended up at the Panther Room. Ross had been drinking. There was some young friend of Mona’s—I can’t even remember his name—who was along, and he paid a lot of attention to me. Ross didn’t like it, and did some more drinking. All of a sudden I came off the dance floor—I’d been dancing with this other man—and Ross was gone. We hunted around for him after he’d been missing nearly a half-hour, and finally someone told us he’d been seen in the bar. But when we looked there, he’d disappeared. Finally Mona said not to worry because nothing could happen to him, and that he’d turn up. He did. He was at Mona’s the next morning.”
马龙皱着眉头看着他的雪茄。“这没多大帮助，但也只能这样了。现在说说昨天。我是说下午。”
Malone scowled at his cigar. “That isn’t much help, but it’ll have to do. Now about yesterday. The afternoon, I mean.”
“关于那时我告诉你的事，我没什么可补充的了。罗斯又在喝酒。我整个下午都在自己房间里，这时听到海伦进来了。我去看看罗斯是否能下楼，却发现他烂醉如泥。我在走廊上遇到海伦，就和她一起下去了。就这些。”
“There isn’t anything I can add to what I told you then. Ross had been drinking again. I’d been in my room all afternoon, when I heard Helene e in. I went to see if Ross was in any condition to e downstairs and found him passed out cold. I met Helene in the hall and went down with her. That’s all.”
“你注意到图伊兹的门是开着还是关着吗？”
“Did you notice Tuesday’s door being open or closed?”
“没有。”
“No.”
“在他来之后你什么时候见过他吗？”
“Did you see him any time after his arrival?”
“没有。我第一次见到他是我们上楼的时候 —— 然后发现他死了。”
“No. The first time I saw him was when we went up—and found him dead.”
马龙沉默了一会儿。“他这样酗酒有多久了？” 他最后问道。
Malone was silent for a while. “How long has he been drinking like this?” he asked at last.
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她知道他说的是罗斯?麦克劳林。“没多久。他以前偶尔会喝一点，但不多。很久才会有一次，他会想起弗朗西斯卡是个多么任性的可怜孩子”—— 她尽量不让这话听起来尖刻 ——“然后就会喝得酩酊大醉。但这种情况并不常发生。实际上是从除夕夜才开始的。”
She knew that he meant Ross McLaurin. “Not long. He used to drink a little now and then, but not much. Once in a long time he’d get to thinking about what a poor willful child Francesca was”—she managed not to make it sound catty—“and went on a bender. That didn’t happen often, though. It’s really just since New Year’s Eve.”
“我真希望不是从除夕夜才开始。” 马龙严肃地说。
“I wish it hadn’t been just since New Year’s Eve,” Malone said gravely.
她盯着他。“但确实是从那时开始的。而且他喝酒的时候，看起来几乎是茫然的。好像那晚发生了什么事，以至于……” 她突然停住，眼睛睁得大大的，黑黑的。“会是那样吗？发生的那件事……”
She stared at him. “It had been, though. And when he drank, he seemed almost dazed. As though something had happened that night that—” she stopped suddenly, her eye wide and dark. “Could it be that? The something that happened—”
“有可能。” 马龙说。“但别担心。世界上没有哪个陪审团……” 他停顿了一下，皱起眉头，又重复道，“很有可能，非常容易。但如果真是那样，我就真是倒霉透顶了。”
“It could,” Malone said. “But don’t worry about it. No jury in the world—” He paused, frowned, and repeated, “It could, very easily. But I’m damned and double damned if I think it is.”
她眼中的释然令人同情。
The relief in her eyes was pitiful.
“除夕夜你有很充分的不在场证明。”
“You’re pretty well alibied for New Year’s Eve.”
她刚要点头，突然停住，脸色变得苍白。“不，不完全是。我去找罗斯，花了将近半个小时。”
She started to nod, stopped suddenly, and turned pale. “No, not entirely. I went off looking for Ross and spent nearly a half-hour at it.”
“那是什么时候？”
“What time was that?”
“我不知道我确切是什么时候离开的。我回到黑豹厅的时候快十二点了。”
“I don’t know exactly what time I left. It was just before twelve when I got back to the Panther Room.”
这个小律师呻吟了一声。“你本可以让自己的处境更艰难，但我想象不出还能怎么难。不过别担心。我会把你从这麻烦中解救出来的。”
The little lawyer groaned. “You might have made it harder for yourself, but I can’t imagine how. Don’t worry, though. I’ll get you out of this.”
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她用嘴唇和眼睛一起对他微笑。“我不知道你怎么做，但我相信你。”
She smiled at him, with lips and eyes both. “I don’t know how you’ll do it, but I believe you.”
“谢谢。现在记住。不管谁问你什么，都要坚持你关于除夕夜和昨天下午的说法，就像你告诉我的那样。别慌张，别害怕。” 他若有所思地看着她。“我觉得你不会。对报社的人友好点，尤其是摄影师。他们拍照的时候让他们给你摆姿势，他们知道怎么做。看起来勇敢又悲伤，比平时多用一点口红。照片里露一点腿也没坏处。我希望这些都没必要，但如果真的到了陪审团面前，任何事都有帮助。” 他拍拍她的肩膀。“别担心罗斯。我会照顾他的。”
“Thanks. Now get this. No matter who asks you what, stick to your story about New Year’s Eve and yesterday afternoon, exactly as you’ve told it to me. Don’t get rattled and don’t get scared.” He eyed her speculatively. “I don’t think you will. Be good to the newspaper guys, especially the photographers. When they take pictures let them pose you, they know how. Look brave and sad, and use a shade more lipstick than you usually do. A little leg in the picture won’t hurt, either. I hope none of this is necessary, but everything helps in case this ever does e before a jury.” He patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry about Ross. I’ll take care of him.”
他轻轻地挽起她的胳膊，带她回到另一个房间。“她归你了，冯?弗拉纳根。但不会太久的。” 他站着扣上大衣的扣子，环顾了一下房间。一个突然的想法让他皱起了眉头。
He took her arm gently and led her back to the other room. “She’s yours, von Flanagan. But not for long.” He stood buttoning his overcoat and looked around the room. A sudden thought made him wince.
在杰拉尔德?图伊兹被谋杀时所有可能的嫌疑人当中，他竟然不得不为一个身无分文的人做辩护律师！
Of all the possible suspects who had been in the house at the time of Gerald Tuesday’s murder, he would have to get, for a client, the only one who didn’t have any money!