马龙探案卷四 之 正确的凶案 三十二
芝加哥最受欢迎的景点，湖滨大道上的老麦克莱恩大厦灯火辉煌。从稍远的地方看，它就像一张装饰性圣诞贺卡上的房子。下午的大雪在草坪上留下了巨大的白色雪堆，每一处檐口和裂缝都被一层柔软的浅色积雪勾勒出来。现在天空晴朗，星光灿烂。在它下面，湖滨大道正在从积雪中清理出来。
Chicago’s favorite show place, the old McClane mansion on Lake Shore Drive, was a blaze of lights. From a little distance it looked like a house on an ornamental Christmas card. The afternoon’s heavy snowfall had left great white drifts on the lawn and outlined every cornice and crevice with a soft, pale dusting. The sky was clear now and brilliant with stars. Below it, Lake Shore Drive was digging itself out of the snow.
海伦偷偷看了一眼马龙。这个小律师脸色苍白；事实上，他看起来快要累垮了。她希望他能告诉她他心里在想什么，但她知道问了也没用。不管是什么，他一方面对自己要做的事情感到兴奋，另一方面又对必须这么做感到不快。
Helene stole a glance at Malone. The little lawyer was gray-faced; indeed, he seemed close to exhaustion. She wished he would tell her what he had in mind, but she knew there was no use in asking questions. Whatever it might be, he was, at the same time, excited about what he was going to do and unhappy over the necessity of doing it.
尽管麦克莱恩大厦灯火辉煌，她看到这座大厦时还是微微颤抖了一下。会有不愉快的事情发生，而她不知道会是什么。
For all the weling lights of the McClane mansion, she shivered a little at the sight of it. Something unpleasant was going to happen, and she didn’t know what it was.
“我希望杰克在这儿。”她轻声说道，声音刚好能让马龙听到。
“I wish Jake were here,” she said under her breath, just loud enough for Malone to catch.
“我也希望如此。”律师严峻地说，“如果杰克找不到正确的行李寄存柜，不能及时带着里面的东西赶到这里，整个事情就会搞砸。”
“So do I,” the lawyer said grimly. “If Jake doesn’t find the right luggage locker and arrive here with the contents in time, the whole show will blow up.”
他们在客厅里找到了莫娜·麦克莱恩，她蜷缩在壁炉边的座位上，尖尖的小下巴搁在拳头上，凝视着炉火中的煤块。海伦突然想起一只黑色的小猫蹲在炉火旁，伸展着爪子，弯曲着爪子，对着火焰眨着眼睛，一半被火焰催眠了。房间里半明半暗，长长的窗户依然透进芝加哥黄昏微弱的灰色光线，只有壁炉和一盏柔和的灯光在房间里闪耀。
They found Mona McClane in the living room, curled up on the chimney seat, her small, pointed chin resting on her fist, staring into the coals. Helene was reminded suddenly of a black kitten crouched by the fire, stretching and curving its paws and blinking at the flames, half hypnotized by them. The room was in semidarkness, the long windows still admitted the faint gray of a Chicago twilight, and only the fireplace and one soft light glowed in the room.
莫娜·麦克莱恩从壁炉边的座位上站起来迎接他们。她小小的三角形脸非常苍白。
Mona McClane rose from her seat by the fireplace to greet them. Her small, triangular face was very pale.
“我就料到你们今天下午会来。洛特斯一直渴望有机会感谢你们。”
“I rather expected you to drop in this afternoon. Lotus has been anxious for a chance to thank you.”
这时他们看到洛特斯·艾伦一直站在窗帘的半阴影处，凝视着其中一扇长窗外面。她转过身，朝壁炉走来。她的沉着并没有被打乱，但她的举止，甚至她的走路姿势和手势，都不再是洛特斯·艾伦，而是洛特斯·安杰洛，那个来自波士顿贫民窟的葡萄牙女孩，自学成才。然而，是海伦而不是马龙理解了她肤色的变化。洛特斯·艾伦用了化妆品和厚厚的粉底来掩盖她脸颊上的红润色泽和温暖的棕色皮肤。她曾经是个漂亮、打扮得体的女孩。现在，脸颊绯红、嘴唇鲜艳的洛特斯·安杰洛是个光彩照人的美女。
Then they saw that Lotus Allen had been standing half in the shadow of the curtains, gazing out one of the long windows. She turned around and came over to the fireplace. Her aplomb had not been shaken, but her manner, even her walk and gesture, was not Lotus Allen but Lotus Angelo, the Portuguese girl from a Boston slum, self-educated and self-taught. It was Helene, though, not Malone, who understood the change in her coloring. Lotus Allen had used make-up and heavy powder to subdue the glowing color in her cheeks and the warm brown of her skin. She had been a handsome, well-groomed girl. Now Lotus Angelo, bright-cheeked and bright-lipped, is a colorful beauty.
“我们都很高兴洛特斯摆脱了这个麻烦。”莫娜·麦克莱恩微笑着说。
“We’re all so relieved that Lotus is out of this mess” Mona McClane said smiling.
马龙没有回以微笑。“她在监狱里可能会更安全。”
Malone didn’t smile in return. “She might have been safer in jail.”
“你什么意思？”洛特斯问道。
“What do you mean?” Lotus demanded.”
“我来这儿，”马龙对莫娜·麦克莱恩说，“是为了确保你今晚不会找到这个女孩，她可能是一场精心策划的自杀的受害者——或者是另一起盗窃案的受害者。因为那个谋杀了两个人、差点就杀了三个人的人，不会再冒险了。”他停顿了一下。“可能是洛特斯，也可能是其他人……”
“I came here,” Malone said, addressing Mona McClane “to make sure that you wouldn’t find this girl tonight, the victim, perhaps, of a carefully arranged suicide—or of another burglar. Because the person who murdered two men and almost made it three, isn’t going to take any chances.” He paused. “It might be Lotus, or it might be someone else—”
莫娜·麦克莱恩的脸几乎惨白。“我不希望看到那种事情发生。”
Mona McClane’s face was almost dead white. “I wouldn’t like to see that happen.”
“我没想到你会这样想。”马龙说。他站在那里看着壁炉。“我当然理解你的动机。我甚至对此表示同情。但不幸的是，在这个世界上，只有警察部门才能行使神的正义的特权。”
“I didn’t think you would,” Malone said. He stood looking into the fireplace. “I understand your motive, of course. I even sympathize with it. But, unfortunately, in this world only the police department can assume the prerogatives of divine justice.”
海伦说：“马龙，这一切到底是怎么回事？”这几乎是一声呼喊。
Helene said, “Malone, what is it all about?” It was almost a cry.
没有人回答她。似乎也没有人听到她的话。莫娜·麦克莱恩转向那个棕色眼睛的女孩说：“洛特斯，亲爱的，你去楼上请文宁夫妇下来喝杯鸡尾酒好吗？告诉他们马龙在这儿。你最好也把彭德利叫下来。”
No one answered her. No one seemed to hear her. Mona McClane turned to the brown-eyed girl and said, “Lotus dear, will you run up and ask the Vennings to drop down for a cocktail? Tell them Malone is here. You’d better ask Pendley down, too.”
女孩走后，马龙说：“如果可以的话，我也想给卢埃拉·怀特送个便条。”他在一个信封背面草草写了些什么，然后递给女仆。“给怀特小姐。”
After the girl had gone, Malone said, “I’d like to send a note to Louella White, too, if I may.” He scribbled something on the back of an envelope and handed it the maid. “For Miss White.”
莫娜·麦克莱恩看着他。“洛特斯把她自己的一切都告诉了我。整个故事。就好像我一直都不知道似的。”
“Mona McClane looked at him. “Lotus told me all about herself. The whole story. As though I hadn’t known it all the time.”
“你知道？”马龙说，扬起了眉毛。
“You knew it?” Malone said, his eyebrows up.
“我当然知道。老阿博特夫人在她去世前，当她和洛特斯在巴黎的时候，把一切都告诉了我。这就是为什么我一直想关照这个女孩，她值得这样做。”
“Of course I did. Old Mrs. Abbot told me all about it before she died, when she and Lotus were in Paris. That’s why I’ve tried to keep an eye on the girl, she deserves it.”
“你真好。”马龙喃喃地说。
“It was good of you,” Malone murmured.
她厉声说：“毕竟，麦克莱恩家族当年也是坐统舱过来的。”她站起来，站在壁炉前，双手深深地插在她黑色羊毛连衣裙的大侧兜里。“坐统舱，但坐的是最好的船之一。”
She said sharply, “After all, the McClanes came over in the steerage, too.” She rose and stood before the fireplace, her hands thrust deep in the huge side pockets of her black wool dress. “In the steerage, but one of the best boats.”
海伦几乎绝望地说：“马龙，我不能再等了。趁我们三个单独在这儿，告诉我……”
Helene said almost desperately, “Malone, I can’t wait any longer. While the three of us are alone here, tell me—”
她被洛特斯的回来打断了。文宁夫妇紧跟在她后面几步远的地方。迈克尔·文宁穿着花呢衣服，一只手拿着烟斗。海伦觉得为了使画面完整，他应该有一只纯种塞特猎犬在他脚边徘徊。伊迪莎·文宁没有显露出她前一晚经历的迹象，表面上很平静，但她眼睛里的光芒几乎是闪烁的，两团红晕高高地浮现在她的脸颊上。
She was interrupted by the return of Lotus. The Vennings were only a few steps behind her. Michael Venning was in tweeds and held a pipe in one hand. Helene thought to plete the picture he should have had a thoroughbred setter prowling at his heels. Editha Venning showed no signs of her experience of the night before and wore a show of outward calm, but the light in her eyes was almost a glitter, and two spots of color burned high on her cheeks.
“彭德利马上就下来。”洛特斯说。
“Pendley will be down in a minute,” Lotus said.
马龙又看了一眼他的手表。他不知道他是否应该拖延时间，等杰克到来。
Malone glanced at his watch again. He wondered if he ought to stall for time until Jake arrived.
“喝茶吗？”莫娜·麦克莱恩礼貌地问，“还是鸡尾酒？”
“Tea?” Mona McClane asked politely, “or cocktails.”
只有洛特斯要了茶。
Only Lotus took tea.
“年轻的罗斯·麦克劳林怎么样了？”伊迪莎·文宁问道。她的声音里有一种微弱的、颤抖的音调。
“How is young Ross McLaurin getting along?” Editha Venning asked. There was a faint, fluttering overtone in her voice.
“他在好转。”马龙告诉她，“我希望他是最后一个。这里似乎出现了一种流行病。”
“He’s improving,” Malone told her. “I hope he’s the last. There seems to have been something of an epidemic.”
就是现在，海伦告诉自己。她想知道每个人怎么能如此平静。该死的杰克，在这之前还没到。
This is it, Helene told herself. She wondered how everyone could be so calm. Damn Jake, for not getting here before this.
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