马龙探案卷四 之 正确的凶案 二十二
“不知道我怎么会干出这种事。”罗斯·麦克劳林严肃地向海伦保证，“我这辈子从没想要谋杀任何人。不明白我为什么要杀一个我甚至都不认识的人。”他现在不用杯子了，每说一句话就喝一口瓶子里的酒。“从没听说过一个叫杰拉尔德·图伊兹的人。不可能忘记一个叫那样的名字的人。有谁能忘记一个叫杰拉尔德·图伊兹的人呢？”
“Don’t know how I could’ve done it,” Ross McLaurin assured Helene gravely. “Never wanted murder anyone in m’whole life. Can’t understan’ why I murdered man I didn’ even know.” He had discarded the use of glasses now, and was punctuating his remarks with sips from the bottle. “Never even heard of a man named Gerald Tuesday. Couldn’t forget man name like that. Could anybody forget man name Gerald Tuesday?”
“绝对忘不了。”海伦郑重地说。她坐在床尾，一只手拿着一杯黑麦威士忌，另一只手拿着一只鸡腿。“但也许他真的不叫图伊兹。”
“Never,” Helene said solemnly. She was sitting on the foot of the bed, a glass of rye in one hand, and a chicken leg in the other. “But maybe he wasn’t really named Tuesday.”
罗斯·麦克劳林用瓶子比划着。“不管他叫什么。我这辈子都没见过这个人。”
Ross McLaurin gestured with the bottle. “Whatever’s name was. Never knew the man in whole life.”
马龙拿起他的杜松子酒瓶子。半小时前他也放弃用杯子了。“胡说。你这辈子也没杀过人。”
Malone picked up his bottle of gin. He too had given up glasses half an hour ago. “Nuts. You never murdered anybody in your life, either.”
年轻人盯着他。“也许你是对的。也许我真没杀过。”有那么一会儿，他看起来清醒了，完全地、痛苦地清醒了。“哦，上帝啊，要是我能想起来就好了。”
The young man stared at him. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I never did.” For a moment he seemed sober, pletely, painfully sober. “Oh God, if I only remembered.”
杰克说：“别紧张，孩子。”
“You can remember,” Helene said convincingly. “You were just about to tell me what happened on New Year’s Eve.”
“我在一个酒吧里遇到这个人。我非常生气，这个人老围着洛特斯转。不是我们现在说的这个人，是另一个人。天哪，你知道我的意思。”
“I met this man in a bar. I was so damned mad, this man hanging around Lotus. Not the man we’re talking about, another man. Gosh, you know what I mean.”
“当然。”杰克说，“我完全明白你的意思。”
“Sure.” Jake said, “I know exactly what you mean.”
“我气坏了，就离开了派对。我肯定是喝多了才会干出那种事。我四处游荡，进了一家酒吧。有个男人走了进来，是个英俊的年轻人。现在他死了，可怜的家伙。他叫酒保，说他在找一个叫马龙的人。”
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“I got so mad I walked out onna party. I must’ve been drunk to do thing like that. Wandered around and got into a bar. There was a man came in, good-looking young man. Dead now, poor devil. He called the bartender and said he was looking for man named Malone.”
“那就是我。”律师说。
“That’s me,” the lawyer said.
罗斯·麦克劳林盯着他，仿佛第一次见到他。“你叫马龙？真想不到。世界真小，不是吗？”
Ross McLaurin stared at him as though seeing him for the first time. “Your name Malone? Imagine that. It’s a small world, isn’t it?”
“每分钟都在变小。”马龙向他保证。
“Getting smaller every minute.” Malone assured him.
“继续说。”杰克耐心地说，“这个男人走进酒吧找马龙……”
“Go on,” Jake said patiently. “This man came into the bar asking for Malone—”
“这个名字听起来很熟悉。我记得莫娜提起过一个马龙。跟我讲过他。所以我就朝这个家伙走过去。我径直走到他跟前，我说，‘我认识一个马龙。听说过他的所有事情。约翰·约瑟夫·马龙。对女人有不可抗拒的魅力。很棒的律师。’”
“Name sounded familiar. Remembered Mona had talked about a Malone. Told me about him. So I went up to this chap. I went right up to him and I said, “I know of a Malone. Heard all about him. John Joseph Malone. Irresistible to women. Wonnerful lawyer.”
“那还是我。”马龙说着，伸手去拿杜松子酒。
“That’s still me,” Malone said, reaching for the gin.