马龙探案卷四 之 正确的凶案 六
丹尼尔?冯?弗拉纳根从早上九点得知 “消息灵通人士” 说马龙所谓的病让他整晚都在赌场玩扑克和轮盘赌后，就一直在慢慢发脾气。当他派克鲁切茨基去把马龙带来时，他的脾气正越变越糟。当律师和杰克?贾斯特走进他的办公室时，他的脸已经变成了一种不祥的深紫红色。
daniel von Flanagan had been losing his temper by slow degrees ever since nine in the morning when he had learned from “well-informed sources” that malone’s alleged illness had permitted him to spend the evening playing poker and roulette at the casino. the temper was progressing nicely when he dispatched Kluchetsky to bring malone in. by the time the lawyer and Jake Justus walked into his office, his face had attained an ominous, deep mulberry shade.
“真行啊。” 马龙生气地厉声说道，抢在他前面发作。“你就不能等我自己来。你非得派这个大块头来把我叫醒，把我从床上拖起来。”
“A fine thing,” malone snapped crossly, beating him to the draw. “You couldn’t wait till I came in by myself. You had to send this big lug over to wake me up and drag me out of bed.”
克鲁切茨基瞪着他。“我猜你总是穿着衣服睡觉。” 他不友好地说，“还有你的帽子和大衣。”
Kluchetsky glared at him. “I suppose you always sleep in your clothes,” he said nastily, “and your hat and overcoat.”
“当然。” 马龙同样不友好地告诉他。“我不得不这样。我得准备好以防某个笨警察闯进来非要我去某个地方。” 他愤怒地看着桌子对面的冯?弗拉纳根。“还有你 ——” 他突然停了下来。
“Sure,” malone told him, just as nastily. “I have to. I need to be prepared for having some dumb cop break in and insist on my going somewhere.” he looked indignantly across the desk at von Flanagan. “And you—” he paused suddenly.
令人惊讶的是，冯?弗拉纳根的脸已经恢复到正常的亮粉色，并且满脸笑容。
Von Flanagan’s face had, amazingly, faded to its normal bright pink and was wreathed in smiles.
“杰克?贾斯特！” 他高兴地说。“你正是我想见的人。”
“Jake Justus!” he said happily. “You’re exactly the guy I wanted to see.”
杰克惊讶而困惑地看着他。“我还以为你想见的是马龙。”
Jake looked at him in bewildered surprise. “I thought it was malone you wanted to see.”
“马龙！” 这位警官做了一个单臂的手势，似乎在问究竟谁会想见马龙。“我一直盼着你能出现。” 他从办公桌抽屉里拿出一本虽小但看起来很厚重的书。“我买了这本书，还有其他一些，我想让你告诉我这本书好不好。”
“malone!” the police officer made a one-armed gesture that seemed to ask who the hell would ever want to see malone. “I’ve been wishing you’d show up.” he reached in his desk drawer and took out a small but ponderous-looking book.
杰克伸手拿过书。是 h.F. 哈灵顿所着的《新闻工作要点》。
Jake reached for the book. It was Essentials of Journalism, by h. F. harrington.
“当然是本好书，” 他说着把书扔回桌上，“但里面有不少四个音节的词。”
“Sure it’s a good book,” he said, tossing it back on the desk, “but it’s got quite a few four-syllable words in it.”
冯?弗拉纳根把书放回抽屉，双手抱在脑后，危险地向后靠在椅子上。“是这样，杰克。我从来不想当警察。我从来就不喜欢当警察。没有哪一天我不想自己要是个高级殡仪承办人就好了，就像我一直期望的那样。嗯，市议员欠我一个亲戚钱，所以我就当了警察。但我讨厌警察。我甚至还去法庭把我的名字从普通的弗拉纳根改成了冯?弗拉纳根，这样就不那么像警察的名字了。”
Von Flanagan replaced the book in the desk drawer, clasped his hands behind his head, and leaned perilously far back in his chair. “It’s like this, Jake. I never wanted to be a cop. I’ve never liked being a cop. there never was a day when I didn’t wish I’d been a high-class undertaker, like I’d always meant to be. well, the alderman owed one of my relatives money, so I got to be a cop. but I hate cops. I even went to court and changed my name from just plain Flanagan to von Flanagan, so it wouldn’t sound so much like a cop’s name.”
杰克恭敬地默默听着。他对这段叙述倒背如流。
Jake listened in respectful silence. he knew the recital by heart, backwards, forwards, and sideways.
冯?弗拉纳根脸上露出幸福的表情。“现在，” 他高兴地说，“我要退休了。随时都有可能。也许等我把这个案子从我的办公桌上处理掉就行。等我退休了，我要在某个地方买一份乡村报纸，然后当编辑。我肯定会这么做，上帝作证！” 他用一只巨大的拳头猛击一下桌子，发出的砰的一声让房间里的所有东西都晃动起来。
A beatific expression came over von Flanagan’s face. “Now,” he said happily, “I’m gonna retire. Any day now. maybe as soon as I can get this case off my desk. And when I retire, I’m gonna buy me a country newspaper someplace and be an editor. that’s what I’m gonna do, by God!” he brought one enormous fist down on his desk with a thump that set everything in the room rattling.
“说得好，说得好。” 杰克无力地说道。
“hear, hear,” Jake said inadequately.
“现在，我对这行一无所知，” 冯?弗拉纳根接着说，“但是从一些我认识的记者那里 —— 无意冒犯，杰克 —— 我觉得这没什么难学的。你知道，” 他坦白道，“我一直都有点想当记者。几乎和想当殡仪承办人一样强烈。除了警察，什么都行。”
“Right now, I don’t know nothing about the business,” von Flanagan went on, “but from some of the reporters I’ve known—no offense, Jake—I don’t think it would be so much to learn. You know,” he confessed, “I’ve always had a kind of yen to be a newspaperman. Almost as much as to be an undertaker. Anything but a cop.”
突然，他砰的一声把椅子前腿重重地放了下来。“当警察也没那么糟糕。是被提拔成凶杀组组长这件事让我很恼火。每个人都想给我找麻烦。” 他的声音开始变大。“就说这个在新年前夜被杀的人。他被刺的时候就不能正好倒在他被刺的地方吗，这样我们就能对犯罪现场有个概念了？不，他非得在整个商业区到处走，最后死在乔天使酒吧。他就不能带个驾照，或者俱乐部会员卡，或者任何能表明他身份的东西吗？不。一样都没有。他被刺之前就不能老老实实地待在一个地方吗，这样我们也许就能知道谁在他周围晃悠了？不，他满城市地找马龙。” 他的声音已经变成了愤怒的咆哮。他指责地看着这个小律师。“然后这个混蛋还得隐瞒信息不告诉我。”
Suddenly he brought the front legs of his chair down with a loud bang. “It wouldn’t be so damned bad being a cop. It’s being promoted to be head of the homicide squad that makes me sore. Everybody tries to make it hard for me.” his voice began to grow louder. “take this guy that was killed on New Year’s Eve. could he have fell down dead right where he was when he was stabbed, so’s we’d have some idea of the scene of the crime? No, he has to walk all over the Loop and finally die in Joe the Angel’s bar. could he have carried a driver’s license, maybe, or a club card, or anything that would tell who he was? No. Not one damned thing. could he have stayed put in one place before he was stabbed, so’s we might of known who was hanging around him? No, he goes all over town looking for malone.” his voice had bee an angry roar. he looked accusingly at the little lawyer. “then this son of a bitch has to go and hold out information on me.”
他往后一靠，被这些不公平的事气得说不出话来。
he sat back, rendered speechless by these injustices.
“我没有隐瞒信息。” 马龙愤慨地说。“我没什么可隐瞒的。你对这个人的了解比我还多。”
“I’m not holding out information,” malone said indignantly. “I haven’t any to hold out. You know more about this guy than I do.”
“见鬼。” 冯?弗拉纳根咆哮道，“我甚至还不知道他是谁呢。你曾经认为像那样一个穿着讲究、长得帅的人会有一些朋友出现并认出他来。”
“hell,” von Flanagan growled, “I don’t even know who he is yet. You’d think a well-dressed, good-looking guy like that would have some friends who’d turn up and identify him.”
“如果他刚到这个城市就不一定了。” 马龙温和地建议道，“就像他的衣服似乎表明的那样。也许他在芝加哥谁也不认识。”
“Not if he just came to the city,” malone suggested mildly, “as his clothes seemed to indicate. maybe he didn’t know anybody in chicago.”
“如果他谁也不认识，那他为什么满城市地找你？” 冯?弗拉纳根问道。
“If he didn’t know anybody, why was he going all over town looking for you?” von Flanagan demanded.
“也许他想要我的签名。” 马龙说。“我怎么会知道？也许他很孤独，想交朋友。” 他慢慢地、小心翼翼地剥开一支雪茄，点着了。“如果这就是你找我来的全部原因，那我想出去吃点早饭。”
“maybe he wanted my autograph,” malone said. “how the hell should I know? maybe he was lonesome and he wanted to make friends.” he unwrapped a cigar slowly and carefully and lighted it. “If that’s all you wanted to see me about, I’d like to go out and get some breakfast.”
“要不是看在两分钱的份上，” 冯?弗拉纳根咆哮道，“我就把你当作重要证人关进监狱。得了，马龙。告诉我这个人为什么找你，我就保护你，还有你的任何朋友或客户。我会忘记你和这件事有任何关系，也不会再打扰你。做个朋友吧。你看到报纸上对我的批评了吗？”
“For two cents,” von Flanagan growled, “I’d throw you in the can as a material witness. e on, malone. tell me why this guy was looking for you, and I’ll protect you, or any friends or clients of yours. I’ll forget you had any part in it, and I won’t bother you again. be a pal. have you seen the panning I’m getting in the papers?”
小律师深深地叹了口气。“我告诉你，我不知道他为什么找我。”
the little lawyer sighed deeply. “I tell you, I don’t know why he was looking for me.”
“那么，上帝作证，” 冯?弗拉纳根说，“你就待在这儿，直到你想起来为什么。”
“then, by God,” von Flanagan said, “you’ll stay right here until you can remember why.”
马龙看着他，张开嘴想说什么，又一声不吭地闭上了嘴。
malone looked at him, opened his mouth to speak, and closed it again without saying a word.
杰克热心地说：“你怎么就那么肯定这个人认识马龙呢？”
Jake said helpfully, “what makes you so sure this guy knew malone, anyway?”
“他肯定认识他。” 冯?弗拉纳根固执地说，“不然他不会找他。”
“he must of known him,” von Flanagan said stubbornly, “or he wouldn’t have been looking for him.”
“听着，” 马龙生气地说，“我告诉你我从来 ——”
“Listen,” malone said angrily, “I tell you I never—”
杰克做了个手势打断了他。“那不能说明任何问题。不管怎么说，我打赌马龙不认识他。”
Jake interrupted him with a gesture. “that doesn’t prove a thing. I bet malone didn’t know him, anyway.”
“我什么时候要你的建议了 ——” 警官开口道。“你说马龙不认识他是什么意思？”
“when I want your advice—” the police officer began. “what’dya mean, malone didn’t know him?”
“是这样的。” 杰克坚定地说。“被杀的那个人不是马龙认识的那个人。那他为什么找马龙呢？因为马龙认识杀人的那个人。”
“It’s like this,” Jake said firmly. “the man who was killed wasn’t the one malone knew. then why was he looking for malone? because malone knew the guy who did the killing.”
冯?弗拉纳根眨了一两次眼睛。“听起来好像有道理，但又似乎不是那么回事。”
Von Flanagan blinked once or twice. “It sounds like it ought to make sense and still it doesn’t seem to.”
马龙接着说。“当然。我不认识被杀的那个人这一事实证明我认识杀人的那个人。”
malone took it up. “Sure. the fact that I didn’t know the man who was killed proves that I know the man who did the killing.”
“我希望你们俩都赶紧给我滚出去。” 冯?弗拉纳根咆哮道。“你们把我搞糊涂了。等一下。” 他急忙补充道，这时马龙伸手去拿他的帽子。“如果你认识杀人的那个人，那他是谁？”
“I wish you’d both get the hell out of here,” von Flanagan growled. “You’re confusing me. wait a minute,” he added hastily as malone reached for his hat. “If you know the man who did the killing, who is he?”
“我不知道。” 马龙立刻说。
“I don’t know,” malone said promptly.
警官仰望天空，滔滔不绝地数落着马龙。
the police officer raised his eyes to heaven and talked eloquently about malone.
“听着。” 杰克很有说服力地说，同时坐在桌子的一角上。“凶手肯定知道这个人要去哪里，这样才能轻易地追上他并跟踪他。假设他知道他预定的受害者在找马龙不是很合理吗 —— 因为是他自己把受害者送到马龙那里去的？”
“Look here,” Jake said persuasively, sitting down on a corner of the desk. “the killer must have known where this guy was going, in order to catch up with him and trail him so easily. Isn’t it logical to assume he knew his intended victim was out looking for malone—because he himself had sent him to malone?”
冯?弗拉纳根皱起眉头。“再说一遍。” 他怀疑地说。
Von Flanagan’s brow wrinkled. “Let’s have that again,” he said suspiciously.
“是这样的。” 杰克解释道。“马龙不认识受害者。受害者也不认识马龙。但是出于某种原因他需要一个律师。到目前为止还明白吗？”
“It’s like this,” Jake explained. “malone didn’t know the victim. the victim didn’t know malone. but for some reason he needed a lawyer. o. K. so far?”
“当然。” 冯?弗拉纳根点点头说。“他在找马龙是因为他需要一个律师。然后呢？”
“Sure,” von Flanagan said, nodding. “he was looking for malone because he needed a lawyer. then what?”
“凶手，” 杰克慢慢地接着说，“认识马龙。他告诉预定的受害者说马龙是个好律师，而且可能在市中心的某个酒吧里能找到他。然后他跟踪这个人去找马龙，一直等到他走进一个黑暗、偏僻的地方，然后用刀刺了他。” 他停顿了一下，做了一个很有表现力的手势，然后说。“就这么简单。”
“the killer,” Jake went on slowly, “knew malone. he told his intended victim that malone was a good lawyer and that he probably could be located in some downtown bar. then he trailed this guy on his search for malone, waited till he got in some dark, secluded spot, and ran a knife into him.” he paused, made an expressive gesture, and said. “It’s that simple.”
“但是我不明白 ——” 冯?弗拉纳根开始说。
“but I don’t see—” von Flanagan began.
“杰克说得对。” 马龙很快地说。“我不认识受害者，但是凶手肯定是我认识的人。这样才说得通。”
“Jake’s right,” malone said quickly. “I didn’t know the victim, but the killer must be someone I know. It makes sense that way.”
过了很长时间冯?弗拉纳根才说：“是的，我想是这样。”
After a very long time von Flanagan said, “Yes, I guess it does.”
“就是这样。” 杰克说。他从桌子上滑下来。“还有什么你想知道的吗？”
“there you are,” Jake said. he slid off the desk. “Anything else you want to know?”
“有。” 冯?弗拉纳根咆哮道。“被谋杀的人的名字是什么？”
“Yes,” von Flanagan growled. “what’s the name of the murdered man?”
杰克耸了耸肩。“等你找到凶手的时候问问他。他应该知道。”
Jake shrugged his shoulders. “Ask the murderer, when you find him. he ought to know it.”
警官的眼睛里仍然带着怀疑的神色。“我所要做的就是找到凶手然后问他，而我还不知道他杀的人是谁。”
the police officer still had a dubious look in his eye. “All I have to do is find the murderer and ask him, when I still don’t know who the guy he murdered is.”
“哦，上帝啊。” 杰克说，“你把事情弄得这么难。听着。列出马龙认识的所有罪犯。”
“oh God,” Jake said, “you make it so hard. Look here. List all the people malone knows who are criminals.”
“那意味着芝加哥所有的骗子。” 冯?弗拉纳根说。
“that means all the crooks in chicago,” von Flanagan said.
“嗯，那给了你一个更广泛的范围。把范围缩小到马龙以前的客户。开始调查他们在新年前夜的活动。然后调查那些行踪不明并且在午夜左右可能在乔天使酒吧附近的人。你的人知道怎么让嫌疑人开口。” 杰克抬起头，对自己很满意。
“well, that gives you a wider field. Narrow it down to malone’s ex-clients. Start checking on their New Year’s Eve activities. then go to work on those who were unaccounted for and could have been in the vicinity of Joe the Angel’s bar around midnight. Your boys know how to make a suspect talk.” Jake looked up, pleased with himself.
警察的眼睛里有了新的、充满希望的光芒。“对。对，那可能行得通。我不知道你怎么会想到这个的。”
there was a new, hopeful gleam in the policeman’s eyes. “Yeah. Yeah, that might do it. I don’t know how you ever thought of it.”
马龙站起来。“如果我还能帮上什么忙 ——” 他一边说一边扣上大衣的扣子。
malone rose. “If I can be of any further help—” he began, buttoning his overcoat.
“别担心，你会收到我的消息的。” 冯?弗拉纳根很快地说。“在这件事上你还没有完全摆脱嫌疑。” 他转向杰克。“我想让你知道我很感激 ——”
“don’t worry, you’ll hear from me,” von Flanagan said quickly. “You’re not entirely in the clear in this thing yet.” he turned to Jake. “I want you to know I appreciate—”
“很高兴能帮忙。” 杰克简短地说。“任何其他时候你需要关于如何管理你的部门的建议，叫我来。”
“Glad to help,” Jake said briefly. “Any other time you need advice on how to run your department, call me in.”
冯?弗拉纳根没理会那句话。“还有 ——”
Von Flanagan let that pass. “And say—”
杰克在门口停下来。“什么？”
Jake paused at the door. “Yes?”
“如果你想到任何一个编辑应该读的其他书，告诉我。” 冯?弗拉纳根说。
“If you think of any more books an editor ought to read,” von Flanagan said.