“A highly reprehensible type of citizen,” Jake said, setting down a beer bottle. “But I don’t see much connection between Arlene and the late Senator.”
“没有联系。” 汤姆?伯罗斯告诉他。“除非你把杰瑞?勒克斯通和已故参议员的女儿订了婚，以及阿琳曾经疯狂地爱着杰瑞?勒克斯通也算进去。事实上，我怀疑她现在还爱着他。”
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“There isn’t,” Tom Burrows told him, “unless you count in that Jerry Luckstone is engaged to the late Senator’s daughter, and that Arlene used to be crazy about Jerry Luckstone. As a matter of fact, I suspect she still is.”
“嗯。” 海伦说。“这样一来，犯罪发生时在法院二楼的就还剩两个人了。”
“Well,” Helene said, “that leaves us two people who were on the second floor of the courthouse at the time of the crime.”
“埃德?斯金丁斯鲁德可能会杀人。” 汤姆?伯罗斯说。“但他会在盛怒之下杀人，而且很可能是赤手空拳。他是个看起来很温和的小个子，但脾气却像个野人。他当了二十四年的县委员会主席，而且是个非常出色的主席。在私人生活中，他是个非常成功的农民，也是农民合作社的负责人。”
“Ed Skindingsrude might murder somebody,” Tom Burrows said, “but he’d do it in a rage, and probably with his bare hands. He’s a mild-looking little guy, but he’s got the temper of a wild man. Been chairman of the county board for twenty-four years, and a damned good one. In private life, he’s a very prosperous farmer, and head of the fanners’ cooperative.”
“和参议员有什么可能的联系吗？” 杰克问。“我不知道。” 新闻记者若有所思地说。“大约两年前，他在银行大厅里差点打了参议员一顿，但有人拦住了他。他声称参议员在一笔股票交易中骗了他。他曾是银行董事，但一气之下辞职了。不过，这还不足以成为两年后冷血谋杀的理由。”
“Possible links with the Senator?” Jake asked. “I don’t know,” the newspaperman said thoughtfully. “He started to beat him up, right in the lobby of the bank, some two years ago, but somebody stopped him. Claimed the Senator had rooked him on some stock deal. He’d been a director of the bank, but he resigned in a huff. Still, that’s hardly enough to bring on a murder in cold blood two years later.”
“嗯。” 海伦说。“还有那个英俊的县书记员，那个爱引用名言的天才。”
“Well,” Helene said, “there’s still the handsome county clerk, the quoting genius.”
“菲尔?史密斯连只跳蚤都不会杀。” 汤姆?伯罗斯有力地说。“他是世上最温和的人。” 他停下来打开最后一瓶啤酒。“大约十二年前，参议员佩维利和学校董事会认为古典文学对杰克逊的年轻人来说是浪费时间，而一个农场管理系会更有意义，在此之前，他一直在这里的高中教拉丁语、希腊语和古典历史。” 他又停顿了一下，然后说：“是的，我知道你要说什么，但那不是谋杀的动机。”
“Phil Smith wouldn’t murder a flea,” Tom Burrows said forcefully. “He’s the gentlest man alive.” He paused to open the last bottle of beer. “He used to teach Latin, Greek, and classical history in the high school here, until about twelve years ago when Senator Peveley and the school board decided the classics were wasted on Jackson’s youth and that a department of farm management would be more purposeful.” He paused again, and then said, “Yes, I know what you’re going to say, but that’s no motive for murder.”
小主，
“你会很惊讶的。” 马龙说。“如果你知道一些多么微不足道的事情都能引发谋杀。这个古典学者和已故参议员还有其他联系吗？”
“You’d be surprised,” Malone said, “if you knew what trivial things can bring on murders. Is there any other tie between this classical scholar and the late Senator?”
“有一个。” 汤姆?伯罗斯告诉他。“参议员的妻子是菲尔?史密斯的妹妹。但仅此而已。从没人听说过菲尔对任何人发过脾气。当他失去教师职位的时候，老勒克斯通法官有个主意，让他竞选县书记员，他当选了，从那以后每年都连任。他不仅像我说的那样温和，而且镇上的每个人都喜欢他。”
“One,” Tom Burrows told him. “The Senator’s wife was Phil Smith’s sister. But that’s all. No one ever heard of Phil even losing his temper with anyone. When he lost his teaching position, old Judge Luckstone had the idea of running him for county clerk, he was elected and he’s been reelected every year since. He’s not only every bit as gentle as I said, but everybody in town loves him.”
沉默了好一会儿。
There was a longish silence.
“很多非常好的人。” 海伦最后说。“但他们似乎没有一个人杀了参议员佩维利。”
“A lot of very nice people,” Helene said at last. “But none of them seems to have murdered Senator Peveley.”
“他们其中之一肯定杀了。” 马龙说。“那六个人中的一个。”
“One of them must have,” Malone said. “One of those six.”
他把雪茄扔到河里，站起来，像一只矮胖的猫一样伸了个懒腰。
He tossed his cigar out into the river, stood, and stretched like a short, plump cat.
“该去看现场新闻广播了。” 他看了看表宣布道。“我们走吧。”
“It’s time for that on-the-spot news broadcast,” he announced, looking at his watch. “Let’s go.”
当他们回到《企业报》办公室的时候，阿琳?高奇仍然满怀希望地坐在电话机旁。结果发现，这个晚上的平静只被两件事破坏了。钮扣发现一个有商业头脑的市民以每人十美分的价格带游客参观法院里的谋杀现场，于是他叫来了警察。一个小时后，警察发现钮扣以每人二十五美分的价格带游客参观犯罪现场，就把他扔进了市监狱。
Arlene Goudge was still sitting hopefully by the telephone when they climbed back up to the Enterprise office. It developed that the evening’s calm had been marred by only two events. Buttonholes had discovered an enterprising citizen showing visitors the scene of the murder in the courthouse for ten cents a head, and had called the police. An hour later the police discovered Buttonholes showing visitors the scene of the crime for twenty-five cents a head, and threw him in the city jail.
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汤姆?伯罗斯向满怀渴望的阿琳挥挥手，让她加入他们，然后带路来到主街和第二街的交叉路口。这里人群的压力让马龙想起了选举前夜的巴斯豪斯?约翰酒吧，只是这里的人群稍微粗野一些。他们费力地在人群中挤出一条路来到中心，那里一个圆脸、满头大汗的年轻人正在对着一个便携式麦克风快速地说着什么，而他同样满头大汗的助手则试图把人群往后推。
Tom Burrows waved to the wistful Arlene to join them and led the way to the intersection of Main and Second Streets. Here the pressure of the crowd reminded Malone of Bathhouse John’s on Election Eve, save that this crowd was a little rougher. They managed to shove a path through to the center, where the newscaster, a round-faced, perspiring young man, was talking rapidly into a portable microphone, while his equally perspiring assistant tried to push back the crowd.
“我们错过了序曲。” 海伦小声说。
“We’ve missed the overture,” Helene whispered.
等他们走近能听到声音的地方时，高奇先生正在接受采访。他宣称他认识参议员佩维利，从小到大认识了五十年，“你再也找不到比他更好、更有基督徒风度的绅士了。他是我们教会人士兄弟会的成员，也是社区的中流砥柱。他的去世是杰克逊县的一大损失。”
By the time they were within hearing distance, Mr. Goudge was being interviewed. He declared that he had known Senator Peveley, man and boy, for fifty years, “and a finer, more Christian gentleman you couldn’t ask to find. A member of our Brotherhood of Churchmen, and a pillar of the munity. His death is a great loss to Jackson County.”
新闻播音员解释说他只是想知道高奇先生对这起谋杀案有没有什么看法。
The newscaster explained that he only wanted to know if Mr. Goudge had any theories about the murder.
就在这时，一个满头大汗的第三助手跑过来，递给新闻播音员一张纸。
At this point a perspiring third assistant ran up and handed the newscaster a sheet of paper.
“女士们，先生们，我们中断这次采访插播一条重要新闻。我们刚刚得到消息，马文?克林治安官已经逮捕了地方检察官杰瑞?勒克斯通，并把他关进了县监狱，罪名是谋杀参议员杰拉尔德?佩维利 ——”
“Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt this interview for an important news bulletin. We have just received the information that Sheriff Marvin Kling has arrested District Attorney Jerry Luckstone and lodged him in the county jail, for the murder of Senator Gerald Peveley -”
一直站在讲台上的埃德?斯金丁斯鲁德忘记了全国的广播听众。
Ed Skindingsrude, who had been standing on the platform, forgot the nation-wide radio audience.
“不。” 他喊道。“不，杰瑞没有杀他。”
“No,” he shouted. “No, Jerry didn’t kill him.”