马龙探案卷四 之 正确的凶案 十四
“我真的非常抱歉，杰克。” 布莱克县治安官安迪?阿赫恩说道，“如果我当时在这儿，这种事就不会发生了。很抱歉你被关进了监狱。但是乔很冲动。他当副警长才几个月，而且他热爱自己的工作。”
“I’m sorry as hell, Jake,” Andy Ahearn, sheriff of Blake County, was saying. “It’d never have happened if I’d been here myself. I’m sorry you got thrown in the jail. But Joe’s impetuous. He’s only been a deputy for a coupla months, and he loves his work.”
杰克说：“好吧，也许我不该打他鼻子。但他让我很恼火。他说我要么是喝醉了，要么是疯了，然后我就发脾气了。行为不检点，这个讨厌的家伙！他把我扔进你的该死的监狱，我应该再揍他一顿。”
Jake said, “Well, maybe I oughtn’t to have busted him one in the nose. But he made me sore. He said I was either drunk or bats, and I lost my temper. Disorderly conduct, the dirty bum! I ought to bust him again for throwing me in your damn jail.”
“乔是个非常紧张的人。” 安迪?阿赫恩说。
“Joe’s an awful nervous fellow,” Andy Ahearn said.
“此外。” 杰克?贾斯特痛苦地补充道，“我和狱卒玩皮诺奇牌输了两美元。”
“Besides,” Jake Justus added bitterly, “I lost two bucks playing pinochle with the jailer.”
“他是个很棒的皮诺奇牌玩家。” 安迪说。他又补充道，好像是在提供补偿，“喝一杯吗？”
“He’s a good pinochle player,” Andy said. He added, as though offering reparations, “Have a drink?”
“当然。” 杰克说，希望安迪?阿赫恩的杜松子酒自他上次来后质量有所提高。但并没有。
“Sure,” Jake said, hoping the quality of Andy Ahearn’s gin had improved since his last visit. It hadn’t.
“我真的对此很抱歉，杰克。” 治安官又说了一遍，“乔也很抱歉。如果我当时在这儿……”
“I really am sorry about this, Jake,” the sheriff said again. “Joe, he’s sorry too. If I’d been here myself—”
“当然，我们都很抱歉。” 杰克说，“你抱歉，他抱歉，我也抱歉，只有狱卒高兴，他赢了两美元。忘了它吧。这是个很棒的监狱。现在坦白这里发生的这起谋杀案，我们就两清了。”
“Sure, we’re all sorry,” Jake said. “You’re sorry, he’s sorry, I’m sorry, nobody’s happy but the jailer, he won two bucks. Forget it. It’s a swell jail. Now e clean about this murder you’ve had out here and we’ll call it square.”
阿赫恩盯着他，“天啊，杰克，也许你真的疯了。”
Ahearn stared at him. “Jeez, Jake, maybe you are nuts.”
“得了，安迪，我过去帮过你忙。而且，我现在不为任何报纸工作了。我得到一个可靠的消息，说你们这里发生了一起没有见报的凶杀案。”
小主，
“Come on, Andy, I’ve done favors for you in the past. Besides, I’m not working for any newspaper now. I got a reliable tip you’d had a homicide out here that wasn’t breaking into print.”
“你从哪里得到的消息？”
“Where did you get the tip?”
“一个我认识的人。” 杰克犹豫了一下，然后摇了摇头。没必要把马龙牵扯进来。“一个不重要的人。”
“Fellow I know.” Jake hesitated, then shook his head. No use dragging Malone into this. “No one important.”
“好吧，” 阿赫恩说，“如果你不想说，就不用说。但是我们这里唯一的一起谋杀案是三个月前，一个暴徒在酒馆斗殴中脑袋被打破了。”
“All right,” Ahearn said, “you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. But the only murder we’ve had out here was three months ago when some goon got his dome split in a tavern brawl.”
“这是千真万确的吗？” 杰克问道。
“Is that the honest-to-God?” Jake demanded.
“你觉得我会对你说谎吗？” 安迪?阿赫恩用受伤的声音问道。他又补充道，“见鬼，这里一直很平静，伙计们为了保持状态都在互相逮捕。” 他给来访者的杯子里倒了一大杯杜松子酒。
“You don’t think I’d lie to you?” Andy Ahearn asked in a hurt voice. He added, “Hell, things have been so quiet out here the boys have been arresting each other just to keep in practice.” He poured a generous slug of gin into his visitor’s glass.
“谢谢。” 杰克说。
“Thanks,” Jake said.
安迪?阿赫恩接着说，“如果你不相信，可以查看这里的每一份记录。”
Andy Ahearn went on, “If you don’t believe it, you can look through every record in the place.”
杰克摇了摇头，“我相信你的话。只是有人给了我一个糟糕的线索，仅此而已。”
Jake shook his head. “I’ll take your word for it. Somebody gave me a lousy steer, that’s all.”
“太糟糕了。” 治安官同情地说。
“Too bad,” the sheriff said sympathetically.
他们花了几分钟回忆往事，然后杰克起身要走。
They spent a few minutes in reminiscent talk, and Jake rose to go.
“嘿，” 安迪?阿赫恩说，“我听说你娶了那个来自枫树公园的金发女孩 —— 布兰德小姐。恭喜啊。”
“Say,” Andy Ahearn said. “I hear you married that blonde girl from Maple Park—Miss Brand. Congrats.”
“现在都结束了，” 杰克说，“我们分手了。” 他想知道还要多少年他才能平静地说出这句话并且是真心这么认为。
“That’s all over now,” Jake said. “We split up.” He wondered how many years it would be before he’d be able to say it calmly and mean it that way.
小主，
“所以呢？” 安迪?阿赫恩说。他停顿了一下。“你没告诉我啊。” 他又停顿了一下。“嗯，这就是我对婚姻一直以来的看法。今天在，明天就没了。”
“So?” Andy Ahearn said. He paused. “You don’t tell me.” He paused again. “Well, that’s what I always say about marriage. Here today and gone tomorrow.”
在法院外面，杰克停下来四处看看。他考虑给马龙打电话骂他几句，然后又决定等当面骂得更痛快些更好。
Outside the courthouse, Jake paused and looked around. He considered telephoning Malone and calling him a few names, and then decided it would be far more satisfactory to wait and do it more fully in person.
安迪?阿赫恩可能在对他说谎。而且如果他在掩盖真相，记录里也不会有任何显示。他太轻易就愿意出示那些记录了，这很可疑。杰克决定既然他已经在这儿了，四处打探一下也没什么坏处。麦克莱恩的庄园就在几英里外的枫树公园。他不知道在那儿能找到什么，但快速看一眼也没什么坏处。
Andy Ahearn could have been lying to him. And if he were covering up, the records wouldn’t show anything. He’d been suspiciously willing to show those records. Jake decided that since he was already out here, there was no harm in nosing around a little. The McClane estate was only a few miles away, in Maple Park. He didn’t know what might be found there, but it couldn’t hurt to take a quick look.