马龙探案卷五 之 盛怒的审判 三
“这与我无关，” 杰克说着，点燃一支香烟，“而且我也不确定我会在意，但谁可能想要谋杀你们的前参议员呢？”
“IT’S NONE of my business,” Jake said, lighting a cigarette, “and I don’t know that I care very much, but who might have wanted to murder your ex-Senator?”
巴顿对着他正在擦拭的栏杆皱起眉头。“佩维利参议员并不是那种你会称之为受欢迎的人。”
Buttonholes scowled at the railing he was dusting. “Senator Peveley wasn’t exactly what you’d call a popular man.”
“他肯定在某些人当中很受欢迎，” 海伦断言。“他不可能买下所有那些选票。”
“He must have been popular with some people,” Helene declared. “He couldn’t have bought all those votes.”
“我是说在个人层面上受欢迎。” 巴顿告诉她。
“Personally popular is what I mean to say,” Buttonholes told her.
三个人在县书记员的办公室里等待着。治安官马文?克林和年轻的地方检察官正在门外进行一场冗长的争论。那群旁观者中的其他人已经分散到了大楼里的各个办公室。前参议员佩维利仍然躺在走廊的地板上，就像他倒下时那样。
The three were waiting in the county clerk’s office. Sheriff Marvin Kling and the young district attorney were holding a lengthy debate just outside the door. Others in the group of spectators had scattered to various offices in the building. Ex-Senator Peveley still lay on the corridor floor, exactly as he had fallen.
后来，海伦评论说，如果她不在场，她不会相信这一切是可能的。治安官克林在迟迟意识到自己负责这个局面之后，采取的第一个行动是命令把法院的两扇门都锁上。县书记员对此提出了反对，理由很合理，即人们一直为了拿钓鱼许可证而进来。治安官最后妥协了，在每扇巨大的双开门处安排了一名副手，严格命令让人进来，但不让任何人出去。
Later, Helene mented that she wouldn’t have believed any of it possible, if she hadn’t been there. Sheriff Kling’s first act, after his belated realization that he was in charge of the situation, was to order both doors to the courthouse locked. The county clerk had objected to this, on the reasonable grounds that people were ing in all the time for fishing licenses. The sheriff had finally promised by placing a deputy at each of the great double doors, with strict orders to let people in, but not to let anyone out.
“这样，” 他严峻地说，“凶手就会在法院里，我们就不必像追捕那两个从马蒂?吉尔的路边酒馆偷走老虎机的人那样，一直追到伊利诺伊州的半路上。”
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“That way,” he said grimly, “we’ll have the murderer right here in the courthouse, and we won’t have to chase him halfway to Illinois, the way we did with those two guys who stole the slot machine from Marty Gill’s roadhouse.
“而且，” 他宣布，“在验尸官来之前，任何人都不许碰尸体。” 这是他唯一确定的事情。
“And nobody,” he declared, “is allowed to touch the body until the coroner gets here.” That was the one thing he was positive about.
“嗯，他确定了一些事情。” 海伦评论道。“我想知道他是否知道为什么。”
“Well, he’s sure of something,” Helene mented. “I wonder if he knows why.”
“我怀疑他不知道。” 杰克说。“他一直在读侦探小说，这是唯一留在他脑海里的事情。”
“I doubt it,” Jake said. “He’s been reading detective stories and that’s the only thing that stuck in his mind.”
不幸的是，杰克逊县的验尸官查理?豪森，职业是殡仪员，正在九英里外的沃特维尔主持一场葬礼。葬礼一结束他就会开车到杰克逊来。
Unfortunately, Charlie Hausen, Jackson County’s coroner, an undertaker by profession, was conducting a funeral in Waterville, nine miles away. He’d drive down to Jackson the minute it was over.
“没关系，” 治安官克林宣布。“这里没有人着急。”
“That’s all right,” Sheriff Kling announced. “Nobody here is in any hurry.”
有人建议在尸体上盖一条床单，但对于这个做法的合法性似乎存在一些疑问。此外，杰克逊县法院里没有任何可以用作床单的东西，治安官克林也不允许任何人离开大楼去拿一条。他指派了一个不安的、脸色苍白的副手看守尸体，就这样算了，宣称在验尸官豪森结束葬礼到达之前，任何人都无能为力。
Someone had suggested placing a sheet over the body, but there appeared to be some doubt as to the legality of the procedure. Besides, there was nothing in the Jackson County Courthouse to serve as a sheet, and Sheriff Kling refused to allow anyone to leave the building to get one. He appointed an unfortable, white-faced deputy to stand guard over the remains, and let it go at that, declaring that now there was nothing anybody could do until Coroner Hausen finished with his funeral and arrived.
与此同时，没有人可以离开法院。
In the meantime, no one could leave the courthouse.
总的来说，似乎没有人反对。菲尔?史密斯温和地提到，大楼里没有人出去吃午饭。治安官回应指出，克莱因烧烤店会送三明治进来。麦高恩小姐看了看手表，皱起眉头，然后打电话给图书馆协会为不能出席下午的会议道歉。脸色苍白的年轻地方检察官把自己关在办公室里。
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On the whole, no one seemed to object. Phil Smithy did remark, mildly, that no one in the building had been out to lunch. The sheriff pointed out in return that Kline’s Grill would send in sandwiches. Miss MacGowan glanced at her watch, frowned, and telephoned the Library Guild to apologize for not being present at the afternoon’s meeting. The white-faced young district attorney shut himself in his office.
大楼里没有人假装继续工作。一群男人聚集在公路办公室里，围在治安官克林周围。办公室的女孩们在走廊的最尽头，是一群安静但仍在叽叽喳喳的人。副治安官们不允许任何人上到二楼。
No one in the building made any pretense of continuing work. A group of men gathered in the highway office, around Sheriff Kling. The office girls were a subdued, but still chattering group at the farthest end of the corridor. The deputy sheriffs refused to let anyone up to the second floor.
雷声减弱了一点，但外面的雨还在下着。海伦渴望地看向门口。
The thunder had slackened a little, but outside the rain was still falling. Helene glanced longingly toward the door.
“我可以大吵大闹说被关在这里，但不知为何我觉得这样不太明智。我也觉得在验尸官来之前我们不能移动这些尸体。”
“I could kick up a row about being kept here,” Jake said. “But somehow I’ve an idea it wouldn’t be tactful. I don’t think we move these bodies, either, until the coroner arrives.”
“哦，好吧，” 海伦说。“也许最终我们会喜欢这里。” 她点烟的时候停了一下。“验尸官来了之后我们有机会离开，对吧？”
“Oh well,” Helene said. “Maybe in time we’ll get to like it here.” She paused in the act of lighting a cigarette. “There’s a chance we’ll be able to leave after the coroner arrives, isn’t there?”
“别担心，” 杰克坚定地告诉她。“如果你认为我会让任何一个小镇治安官……”
“Don’t worry,” Jake told her firmly. “If you think I’m going to let any small-town sheriff -”
她叹了口气打断他。“你在埃文斯顿那次我因超速被抓的时候也这么说。你说没有哪个埃文斯顿的警察会把我关进监狱……”
She interrupted him with a sigh. “That’s what you said the time I was arrested for speeding in Evanston. You said no Evanston cop was going to put me in jail -”
“那不一样，” 杰克一本正经地说。“那是违反埃文斯顿的限速规定。这只是一起谋杀案。” 他拉着她的胳膊，把她领进县书记员的办公室，巴顿正渴望地看着他的拖把和水桶，以及躺着尸体的走廊地面。除此之外，办公室空无一人。
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“That was different,” Jake said virtuously. “That was breaking an Evanston speed law. This is only murder.” He took her arm and steered her into the county clerk’s office, where Buttonholes was staring longingly at his mop and pail, and at the corridor floor where the body lay. Otherwise, the office was deserted.
“你以后有足够的时间打扫。” 杰克安慰他说。
“You’ll have plenty of time to clean up later,” Jake told him consolingly.
巴顿叹了口气，摇了摇头，把拖把收起来。
Buttonholes sighed, shook his head, and put away the mop.
“真可惜我们谁都没想到就你的预感下注。” 海伦说。
“Too bad it didn’t occur to any of us to make book on your premonition,” Helene said.
巴顿眼睛一亮。“没错。我忘了。很有趣，不是吗。我记得我的祖母，老巴顿夫人……” 他停顿了一下，皱起眉头，最后说，“我想我跟你说过那个。”
Buttonholes brightened. “That’s right. I’d forgotten. Funny, ain’t it. I remember my grandmother, old Mrs. Button -” He paused, scowled, and finally said, “I guess I told you about that.”
“你现在预感怎么样？” 她想知道。
“How are you fixed for premonitions now?” she wanted to know.
清洁工想了一会儿才回答。“这不完全是一种预感。我只是觉得最糟糕的还在后头。”
The janitor thought for a minute before he answered. “It isn’t exactly a premonition. I just feel like the worst was yet to e.”
“如果你是对的，” 杰克说，“而且我有一种不好的预感你是对的，等事情真的发生的时候，我们可能已经在去下一个州的半路上了。” 他自己也有这种预感，但他没说出来。
“If you’re right,” Jake said, “and I have a nasty suspicion you are, by the time it does e, we’ll be halfway into the next state.” He had a premonition of his own about that, but he was keeping it to himself.
“那具尸体生前什么样？” 海伦问。“我是说，在他成为尸体之前？”
“What was the corpse like?” Helene asked. “I mean, before he was a corpse?”
“他是一个非常有名的人，” 巴顿严肃地说。“他当了两届参议员，还竞选过一次州长但没选上。我想他是杰克逊有史以来最有名的人。”
“He was a very famous man,” Buttonholes said solemnly. “He was a Senator for two terms, and he ran for governor once but he didn’t get elected. I guess he was about the most famous man Jackson ever had.”
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