这个小律师对着电话眨了眨眼。

The little lawyer blinked at the telephone.

“你再说一遍？”

“How’s that again?”

“等我告诉你我在那儿遇到了什么。我在楼下的药店打电话，五分钟内我就上去找你。”

“Wait till I tell you what I ran into out there. I’m phoning from the drugstore downstairs, and I’ll be up to see you inside of five minutes.”

马龙还没来得及说一个字，就听到电话那头传来挂断的声音。

Before Malone could say a word, he heard the receiver click at the other end of the line.

他的大脑还因为睡觉而昏昏沉沉的，一次只能处理一件事。杰克要上来了。这可不行。海伦随时都可能过来，看看罗斯?麦克劳林是否能说话了。不知怎么的，他必须赶紧把杰克从这儿弄走。

His mind, still dazed from sleep, could only cope with one thing at a time. Jake was ing up here. That wouldn’t do. Helene might be along at any minute, to find out if Ross McLaurin was in talking condition. Somehow he must get Jake away from here, and in a hurry.

本小章还未完，请点击下一页继续阅读后面精彩内容！

仿佛是为了证实他最糟糕的担心，就在他正在调整背带的时候，电话又响了。是海伦打来的。

As if to confirm his worst fears, just as he was adjusting his suspenders, the phone rang again. It was Helene.

“马龙？我在大厅。我马上就上去。”

“Malone? I’m down in the lobby. I’ll be right up.”

“等一下 ——”

“Wait a minute—”

但她已经挂了电话。

But she had hung up.

当杰克和海伦打开小律师房间的门时，他们发现他坐在床边，眼睛紧紧地闭着，手指塞在耳朵里。

When Jake and Helene opened the door to the little lawyer’s room, they found him sitting on the edge of his bed, his eyes shut tight, and his fingers in his ears.

马龙胆怯地睁开一只眼睛，说：“我看你们已经见过面了。” 然后又闭上了。

Malone opened one eye timidly, said, “I see you’ve met before,” and closed it again.

“我们在枫树公园见过，你这个可恶的老骗子。” 海伦愤怒地说，“你不能怪我想让你难受一下，因为你这样欺骗我们。”

“We met out in Maple Park, you damned old fraud,” Helene said indignantly. “You can’t blame me for wanting to give you a bad moment for deceiving us like this.”

他睁开双眼，看了看他们的脸，从他们的表情中得到了安慰。

He opened both eyes, glanced at their faces, and was reassured by what he saw there.

“而且，” 杰克接着说，“我们还是会赢得和莫娜?麦克莱恩打的那个赌。我们还有一个附加赌注，看谁先赢，但我才不会告诉你赌注是什么呢。”

“What’s more,” Jake added, “we’re still going to win that bet with Mona McClane. We have a side bet, too, on who will win it first, but I’m damned if I’ll tell you what it is.”

马龙决定不再冒险。他换了个话题。

Malone decided not to press his luck. He changed the subject.

“你在枫树公园遇到了什么？”

“What did you run into, out in Maple Park?”

“除了海伦，” 杰克说，“很多事。” 他的眼睛里闪着明亮而兴奋的光芒，“那个混蛋朝我开枪。不管有没有赌注，我现在都不会放弃。”

“Besides Helene,” Jake said, “plenty.” A bright, glittering light came into his eyes. “That bastard, shooting at me. Bet or no bet, I wouldn’t give up now.”

马龙在床底下找到一瓶杜松子酒。他因为把杰克派到布莱克县而感到非常内疚，决定尽快把这种懊悔淹没在酒里。

Malone located a bottle of gin under his bed. He was feeling very guilty over having sent Jake out to Blake County and decided to drown remorse as quickly as possible.

本小章还未完，请点击下一页继续阅读后面精彩内容！

“他也想朝我开枪。” 那个红头发的人说。

“He meant to shoot at me, too,” the red-haired man said.