汤姆?伯罗斯的眼睛突然眯了起来。“等一下。我偶尔也会看报纸。去年冬天你不是卷入了一堆谋杀案里吗？”

Tom Burrows’ eyes suddenly narrowed. “Wait a minute. I read a newspaper once in a while. Weren’t you mixed up in a bunch of murders last winter?”

治安官马文?克林偏偏在这个不恰当的时候走进了办公室。

Sheriff Marvin Kling chose that inopportune moment to e into the office.

“什么样的谋杀案？” 他问道。

“What kind of murders?” he demanded.

“我只是在开玩笑，马夫。” 汤姆?伯罗斯赶紧说。

“I was only joking, Marv,” Tom Burrows said quickly.

治安官哼了一声，怀疑地看着杰克和海伦。

Sheriff Kling snorted and looked at Jake and Helene suspiciously.

“找到枪了吗？” 汤姆?伯罗斯在治安官继续追问这个话题之前问道。

“Found the gun yet?” Tom Burrows asked, before the sheriff could pursue the subject.

“我们还在找。” 治安官咆哮道。“我们会找到的。我们也在搜查院子，以防凶手把枪从窗户扔出去了。现在我要确切地知道参议员中枪的时候法院里的每个人都在哪里。”

“We’re still looking,” the sheriff growled. “We’ll find it. We’re searching the grounds, too, in case the murderer dropped it out of a window. Right now I’m finding out exactly where everybody in the courthouse was when the Senator got shot.”

杰瑞?勒克斯通走进办公室，脸色仍然苍白，明显还在发抖。他向年轻的新闻记者简短地点了点头。

Jerry Luckstone came into the office, still pale, and visibly shaken. He nodded briefly to the young newspaperman.

“杰瑞，” 治安官说，“看看这份发生事情的时候在楼上的人的名单，看看对你来说是否正确。你当时在那里。” 他把一张有点脏的纸递给地方检察官。

“Jerry,” the sheriff said, “look over this list of who was upstairs when it happened, and see if it looks O. K. to you. You were there.” He handed the district attorney a slightly soiled sheet of paper.

“埃德?斯金丁斯鲁德和麦高恩小姐，” 杰瑞?勒克斯通咕哝着，一边看名单一边核对名字，“杰瑞?勒克斯通，菲尔?史密斯，科拉?贝尔?弗洛姆，阿琳?高奇。是的，对我来说这看起来是对的。马夫，那把枪到底会在哪里呢？”

“Ed Skindingsrude and Miss MacGowan,” Jerry Luckstone mumbled, checking off the names as he read, “Jerry Luckstone, Phil Smith, Cora Belle Fromm, Arlene Goudge. Yes, that looks right to me. Marv, whatever could have bee of that gun?”

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“我们会找到的。” 治安官大声说。他拿起他的名单。“其他人都在楼下，不可能是他们开的枪，除了这两个人，我可他妈的不知道他们当时在哪里。”

“We’ll find it,” the sheriff said loudly. He took his list. “Everybody else was downstairs and couldn’t have done the shooting except these two, and I’m damned if I know where they were at.”

杰克屏住呼吸十秒钟，然后爆发了。“你知道我们在哪里。我们在那个大楼梯的底部。这个人在这里 ——”

Jake held his breath for ten seconds and then exploded. “You know where we were. We were down at the foot of that big staircase. This guy here -”

“纽扣是个骗子。” 治安官说。“而且没人问你任何事情。”

“Buttonholes is a liar,” the sheriff said. “And nobody asked you anything.”

年轻的地方检察官把杰克推到一边。“听着，马夫，” 他绝望地说，“到大厅里来。我得和你谈谈。”

The young district attorney shoved Jake aside. “Listen, Marv,” he said desperately, “e out in the hall. I’ve got to talk to you.”

“等一下。” 汤姆?伯罗斯说。“我得给合众社回个电话。你最好想点什么让我告诉他们。”

“Wait a minute,” Tom Burrows said. “I’ve got to call the U.P. back. You’d better think of something for me to tell ‘em.”

治安官马文?克林怒视了他一分钟。“告诉他们整个杰克逊县都在为前参议员佩维利的去世而哀悼。告诉他们他是一个受人尊敬的公民，还有 ——”

Sheriff Marvin Kling scowled at him for a minute. “Tell ‘em all Jackson County mourns the death of ex-Senator Peveley. Tell ‘em he was a respected citizen and -”

“见鬼，他们都知道那些。” 汤姆?伯罗斯说。“你最好说点关于他被谋杀的事情。”

“Hell, they know all that,” Tom Burrows said. “You’d better say something about his murder.”

“就我而言，” 杰克冷冷地说，“你可以告诉他们我已经拿上我的帽子回家了。”

“As far as I’m concerned,” Jake said coldly, “you can tell them I’ve taken my hat and gone home.”

“你哪儿也去不了。” 治安官说。

“You’re not going anywhere,” the sheriff said.

“哦，不，我要走。” 杰克告诉他。“我不会再让任何一个小镇治安官欺负我了。我要离开这里。” 他快速地吸了一口气，他明亮的蓝眼睛眯了起来。“你可能是治安官，但我要告诉你一件事。当你要拘留任何人的时候，是要有搜查令的。还有非法拘留这种事情。你最好去上一个法律函授课程。”

“Oh yes I am,” Jake told him. “I’m not going to let any small-town sheriff push me around any longer. I’m getting out of here.” He drew a quick breath, his bright-blue eyes narrowed. “You may be a sheriff, but I’ll tell you something. There’s such a thing as a warrant, when you want to hold anybody. And there’s such a thing as false arrest. You’d better take a correspondence-school course in the law.”

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治安官说：“在杰克逊县我就是法律。”

The sheriff said, “I’m the law in Jackson County.”

杰克不由自主地笑了起来。这种话在附近的电影院里会引起哄堂大笑。但随后笑容在他的唇边凝固了。那个小个子副治安官从一边慢慢地向他靠近，那个高大、衣着邋遢的副治安官从另一边围了上来。而治安官克林，两百五十磅纯粹的强壮身躯，站在门口，脸上露出凶恶的表情。

In spite of himself, Jake started to laugh. It was the kind of speech that brought down the house at the neighborhood movies. Then the laugh froze on his lips. The little deputy was moving slowly up to him on one side, the big, sloppily dressed deputy was closing in on the other. And Sheriff Kling, two hundred and fifty pounds of sheer brawn, was standing in the doorway, an ugly look on his face.

“没人知道参议员被枪击的时候你们在哪里，”治安官斟酌着用词说，“而且我听到汤姆在这里说你卷入了一堆谋杀案。”他的小眼睛紧盯着杰克的脸。“也许我只是个小镇治安官，但我知道怎么对付你们这些芝加哥的歹徒。”

“Nobody knows where you were when the Senator was shot,” the sheriff said, weighing his words, “and I heard Tom here talking about you having been mixed up in a bunch of murders.” His little eyes bored into Jake’s face. “Maybe I’m a small-town sheriff, but I know how to take care of you Chicago gangsters.”

“别再发表演讲了，”汤姆·伯罗斯一只手拿着电话说，“我要告诉合众社什么？”

“Lay off the speechmaking,” Tom Burrows said, one hand on the phone. “What do I tell the U.P.?”

治安官马文·克林的嘴唇紧绷起来。“就说——”他停顿了一下，“杰克逊县已经完全控制了局面。并且说我扣留了两个重要证人。”

Sheriff Marvin Kling’s lips tightened. “Just say -” he paused, “Jackson county has the situation well in hand. And say I’m holding two material witnesses.”

杰克·贾斯特高大、瘦长的身躯绷紧准备行动。一道阳光透过窗户照在他身上，把他的红头发变成了一团火焰。他向治安官迈了一步。

Jake Justus’ big, rangy frame tightened for action. One flash of sunlight through the window turned his red hair into a flame. He took one step toward the sheriff.

“我就是这个意思，”治安官总结道，指着杰克和海伦。他转过身面对杰克。“我也懂一些法律。”

“And I mean them,” the sheriff concluded, pointing to Jake and Helene. He wheeled to face Jake. “I know something about the law too.”

“你这个混蛋。”杰克说着，同时动了起来。海伦尖叫起来。

“You son of a bitch,” Jake said, in the same moment that he moved. Helene screamed.

汤姆·伯罗斯抓起电话大喊：“给我接麦迪逊的合众社，快点——”

Tom Burrows grabbed the telephone and yelled, “Get me the United Press in Madison and make it fast -”