“阻止流行病的唯一方法，”马龙非常平静地补充道，“是追踪感染源并将其清除。”
“The only way to stop an epidemic,” Malone added very quietly, “is to trace the carrier of the infection and remove it.”
没有人说话。
No one spoke.
突然，他重重地放下鸡尾酒杯，站起来，踢了一下木柴。
Suddenly he set his cocktail glass down hard, rose, and kicked at the firelog.
“我不知道我到底在做什么。”他几乎生气地说，“这不是我的角色。当我阻止一场犯罪时，我是在违背自己的利益。我的工作是等到犯罪发生，警察完成他们的工作。然后我就有了一个客户、一场审判、一次无罪释放和一笔费用。这才是应该的运作方式。”他转过身面对他们。“尽管如此，我必须阻止这场犯罪。我不能让她这么做。”他紧紧地盯着迈克尔·文宁。“你当然知道她计划杀了你，不是吗？”
“I don’t know what the devil I’m doing this for,” he said almost angrily. “This isn’t my role. I’m going against my own interests when I prevent a crime. My business is to wait until the crime has been mitted and the police have done their work. Then I have myself a client, a trial, an acquittal, and a fee. That’s how it’s supposed to work.” He wheeled around to face them. “Just the same, I’ve got to prevent this crime. I can’t let her do it.” He looked hard at Michael Venning. “You know, of course, that she’s planned to kill you, don’t you?”
迈克尔·文宁跳了起来，把杯子弄掉了。“我不相信。”
Michael Venning jumped up, dropping his glass. “I don’t believe it.”
“是真的。”马龙疲倦地说。他向那个大个子做了个手势，那个人又坐了下来，笔直地坐在椅子边上。“她计划这么做，但不能以这种方式发生。”
“It’s true,” Malone said wearily. He gestured at the big man who sat down again, sitting very straight on the edge of his chair. “She planned to, but it can’t happen this way.”
伊迪莎·文宁用嘶哑、紧张的声音说：“你一定是疯了！”然后突然安静了下来。
Editha Venning said. “You must be insane!” in a hoarse, strained voice, and suddenly was quiet.
马龙似乎没有听到她的话。他还没来得及再说一句话，彭德利·泰德韦尔就跑下楼梯，在门口停了下来，手里拿着一小条照片。
Malone didn’t seem to have heard her. Before he could say another word, Pendley Tidewell came racing down the stairs and paused in the doorway, a small strip of pictures in his hand.
“我拿到了！”他叫道，“成功了！伊迪莎阿姨，这显示……”他停了下来。“大家到底是怎么了？”
“I’ve got it!” he exclaimed. “It worked! Aunt Editha, it shows—” he paused. “What the hell is the matter with everybody?”
“我想我知道那些照片显示了什么。”马龙平静地说，“先拿着它们等一会儿。”他又说，“你一定是用紫外线拍的。”
“I think I know what those pictures show,” Malone said calmly. “Just hold on to them for a minute.” He added, “You must have taken them with an ultra-violet light.”
“我是用紫外线拍的。”彭德利说，“但你怎么知道的？”
“I did,” Pendley said. “But how did you know?”
“我猜到的。”律师告诉他，“你昨晚在迈克尔·文宁的床底下一定有原因。只是你不知道你会拍到什么样的照片——或者你知道？”有一会儿他紧紧地盯着这个年轻人。然后他擦了擦额头。
“I guessed,” the lawyer told him. “There had to be some reason why you were under Michael Venning’s bed last night. Only you didn’t know what you were going to get in the way of a picture—or did you?” For a moment he stared hard at the young man. Then he mopped his brow.
“如果我从未被卷入这件事，可能会更好。”马龙慢慢地说，“如果我在杰拉尔德·图伊兹被刺伤的那晚不在天使乔的酒吧，可能会更好。”他停顿了一下。“杰拉尔德·图伊兹——但不是谋杀迈克尔·文宁的那个杰拉尔德·图伊兹。”
“It might have been better,” Malone said slowly, “if I’d never been drawn into this. It might have been better if I hadn’t been in Joe the Angel’s bar the night when Gerald Tuesday was stabbed.” He paused. “Gerald Tuesday—but not the same Gerald Tuesday who murdered Michael Venning.”
“马龙，你疯了吗？”海伦惊叫道。
“Malone, have you gone mad?” Helene exclaimed.
“看在上帝的份上。”洛特斯·艾伦几乎严厉地说，“告诉我们你的意思。”
“For God’s sake,” Lotus Allen said almost harshly, “tell us what you mean.”
“你知道你自己在说什么吗？”彭德利·泰德韦尔问道。
“Do you know what you mean?” Pendley Tidewell demanded.
莫娜·麦克莱恩什么也没说。她坐在那里，目光从这群人身上移开，好像她并不是他们中的一员，而只是碰巧在那里。
Mona McClane said nothing. She sat looking away from the group as though she were not really a member of it, but only happened to be there.
马龙把手伸进口袋，拿出一份折叠的文件。“这是已故的老迈克尔·文宁的遗嘱副本。”他说，“我想这里的每个人都知道它的内容。”他看着莫娜·麦克莱恩。“是的，你有理由这么做。五百万美元是一笔足够大的赌注，值得奋力一搏。”他又看了一眼手表。如果杰克还不来……
Malone reached in his pocket and drew out a folded document. “That’s a copy of the will of the late Michael Venning, Senior,” he said. “I imagine that everyone concerned here knows its contents.” He looked at Mona McClane. “Yes, you were justified. Five million dollars is enough of a stake to be worth making a determined play for” He stole another glance at his watch. If Jake didn’t get here—
洛特斯说：“你是说杰拉尔德·图伊兹谋杀了那个迈克尔·文宁？”
Lotus said, “Do you mean Gerald Tuesday murdered that Michael Venning?”
马龙摇了摇头。“不。是他的儿子。小迈克尔·文宁——在古老的文宁庄园一个荒凉的角落里有一个为他准备的坟墓，在……”
Malone shook his head. “No. His son. Michael Vening, Junior—for whom a grave was prepared in a desolate corner of the old Venning estate in—”
海伦的一声喊叫和一个突然的动作打断了他。有那么一瞬间陷入了疯狂的混乱，其中一个人冲过房间，猛地推开一扇法式窗户，消失在暮色中。
A cry from Helene and a sudden movement interrupted him. There was a moment of insane confusion in which one of the party darted across the room, threw open one of the French windows, and vanished through it into the twilight.
马龙还没来得及行动，莫娜·麦克莱恩就喊道：“别跑，你这个傻瓜！”她朝窗户跑去。“别跑！他不会……”她跳到露台上时，后面的话听不清了。
Before Malone could move, Mona McClane cried out, “Stop it, you fool!” She ran toward the window. “Stop it! He isn’t going to—” The rest was lost as she leaped out onto the terrace.
海伦只落后几步。马龙突然朝她扑过去，没抓住，然后也跟了出去。他隐约意识到其他人也紧跟在他后面，但事情发生得太快，他无法看清所有正在发生的事情。
Helene was only a few steps behind. Malone made a sudden dive for her, missed, and followed. He was dimly aware that the others of the party were right behind him, but it was happening too quickly for him to see everything that was going on.
海伦尖叫道：“不！”然后跑上了露台。他盲目地跟在她后面。
Helene screamed, “No!” and ran out onto the terrace. He followed her, almost blindly.
在半明半暗的光线下，很难分辨出在麦克莱恩草坪上移动的身影。有一个人已经跑到了侧门的一半；他知道，那个人一定是逃跑的人。一个较小的身影，莫娜·麦克莱恩，在后面追着。海伦正从露台的台阶上跑下来。一个身材魁梧、穿着灰色西装的男人出现在前门，抓住了伊迪莎·文宁，不让她跑到草坪上去。
In the semidarkness it was hard to distinguish the figures that moved across the McClane lawn. One was halfway to the side gate; that, he knew, must be the fugitive. A smaller figure, Mona McClane, was following. Helene was running down the steps from the terrace. A burly, gray-suited man had appeared at the front door, grabbed Editha Venning, and held her back from going out to the lawn.
就在这时，一辆出租车在大门前停了下来，一个高个子、红头发的男人下了车，胳膊下夹着一个大信封。他穿过大门，停了一会儿。
At the same instant, a taxicab stopped before the gate and a tall, red-haired man alighted, a large envelope under his arm. He came through the gate and stopped still for a moment.
在暮色中，一声枪响。是那个逃跑的人开的枪，没打中莫娜·麦克莱恩。子弹从海伦耳边呼啸而过，她尖叫起来。突然，那个红头发的男人活跃起来。他把信封扔在雪地里，朝着海伦的方向跑过草坪。
In the twilight, a shot rang out. It came from the fugitive, missed Mona McClane. Helene screamed as the bullet whizzed narrowly past her ear. Suddenly the red-haired man came to life. Dropping the envelope in the snow, he raced across the lawn in the direction of Helene.
又一声枪响。是从莫娜·麦克莱恩手中的小手枪里发出的。那个逃跑的人摇晃了一下，又走了两步，然后扑倒在雪地里。
There was another shot. It came from the little gun in Mona McClane’s hand. The fugitive staggered, took two more steps, and pitched forward into the snow.
莫娜·麦克莱恩一动不动地站在雪地里和越来越深的阴影中，手里仍然拿着枪。马龙走到她跟前，非常轻柔地从她没有反抗的手指间拿走了枪。
Mona McClane stood motionless, in the snow and the deepening shadows, the gun still in her hand. Malone walked over to her and took it, very gently, from her unresisting fingers.
“你枪法真不错。”他轻声说。
“You’re a damned good shot,” he said quietly.
杰克用一只胳膊搂着海伦的腰，紧紧地抱着她。
Jake put an arm around Helene’s waist and held her very tight.
突然，莫娜·麦克莱恩对他们笑了笑。“我说过——在公共街道上，有很多目击者，不是吗？但我真没想到你们会是目击者！”
Suddenly Mona McClane smiled at them. “I said—in the public streets, with plenty of witnesses, didn’t I. But I didn’t really intend that you should be the witnesses!”
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