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马龙探案卷三 之 错误的凶案 三十三
杰克和海伦焦急地看着小个子律师把那个珍贵的盒子放在他的桌子上，仔细检查了锁，然后开始在一个书桌抽屉里翻找。他从里面拿出两块脏兮兮的手帕、一小堆废纸、一个标有 “待回复信件” 的硬纸板文件夹、一个空瓶子和一张丰满年轻女子的照片，上面写着 “你的亲爱的路易丝” 之后，他找到了他要找的东西：一个小皮制工具包，有点像修甲工具包。
JAKE ANd hELENE wAtchEd anxiously as the little lawyer laid the precious box on his desk, examined the lock closely, and began pawing through a desk drawer. After taking out two soiled handkerchiefs, a small pile of wastepaper, a cardboard file marked letters to answer, an empty bottle, and a photograph of a plumpish young woman inscribed “Your darling Louise,” he found what he was looking for: a little leather kit, not unlike a manicure kit.
他从里面拿出一把小而闪亮的工具，一个一个地检查。他把六七个放在盒子旁边的桌子上，其余的小心地放回皮制工具包里。然后，他先用一个工具，然后又换另一个，开始小心翼翼地、极其谨慎地探测金属盒子的锁。
From it he took a handful of small, shining tools and examined them one by one. A half dozen or so he laid on the desk beside the box, the rest he put carefully back in the leather kit. then, first with one tool and then another, he began probing the lock of the metal box, delicately and with exquisite care.
房间里死一般寂静。看着马龙，杰克感到兴奋得头皮发麻。在那个深绿色的金属盒子里曾经有莫娜?麦克莱恩谋杀约书亚?冈布里尔和他妹妹的动机。也许它还在那里。枪已经到了他们手中，而此时冯?弗拉纳根正在对枪进行测试并追查其所有权。随时冯?弗拉纳根都会打电话告知他的发现。随时马龙都会把那个盒子打开。到那时这个案子就完整了。那个看起来无害的盒子几乎就像是持有赌场契约一样。
the room was deathly still. watching malone, Jake felt his scalp crinkling with excitement. Inside that dark-green metal box had been mona mcclane’s motive for murdering Joshua Gumbril and his sister. maybe it was still there. the gun had already e to their hands and right at this moment Von Flanagan was having it tested and its ownership traced. Any minute now Von Flanagan would telephone his findings. Any minute now malone would get that box open. then the case would be plete. It was almost as though that innocent-looking box held the deed to the casino.
他试图让自己做好面对失望的准备。很可能这个盒子里除了一张旧洗衣单和几个捕鼠器之外什么都没有。或者是约书亚?冈布里尔的另一条领带，如果他还有另一条领带的话。它甚至可能是空的。事实上，它很可能是空的。杰克确信它是空的。当马龙摆弄着那些工具时，他觉得自己心跳的声音大得能盖过陆军和海军乐队的合奏。
he tried to steel himself against disappointment. It would probably turn out that the box held nothing except an old laundry bill and a couple of mousetraps. or Joshua Gumbril’s other necktie, if he had another necktie. It might even be empty. In fact, it probably was empty. Jake was positive that it was empty. he felt that the sound of his heart beating as malone struggled with the tools would drown out the bined Army and Navy bands.
马龙停止摆弄工具，愤怒地盯着盒子。
malone had stopped fiddling with the tools and stared indignantly at the box.
杰克说：“你们这些暴徒应该多练练。你就打不开它吗？”
Jake said, “You thugs ought to keep in practice. can’t you get it open?”
马龙低声咆哮着回答。他把工具包里剩下的工具都拿出来试验，直到把所有的都试过了。突然，他把它们都扫进了书桌抽屉，也没心思把它们放回皮制工具包，砰地一声关上抽屉，然后带着又困惑又愤怒又无奈的复杂神情怒视着这个顽固的盒子。
malone answered with a low growl. he took the rest of the tools out of the kit and experimented with them until he had tried them all. Suddenly he swept them into the desk drawer without bothering to put them in their leather kit, slammed the drawer shut, and glared at the obstinate box with a mixture of baffled rage and helplessness.
海伦优雅地清了清嗓子。“试试回形针。”
helene cleared her throat delicately. “try a paper clip.”
回形针不管用。发夹也不行。
the paper clip didn’t work. Neither did a hairpin.
马龙说：“该死，如果我得下楼去向看门人借把斧子把这该死的东西劈成两半……” 他的声音在一阵含混不清的愤怒嘟囔中中断了。
malone said, “by God, if I have to go down and borrow an ax from the janitor and split the infernal thing in two-” his voice broke off in an incoherent and enraged gurgle.
海伦叹了口气，拿起盒子检查。无意中她按了一下钥匙孔上方的小旋钮。盒子立刻弹开了，从她手中滑落，砰地一声可怕地掉在桌面上。海伦尖叫起来。杰克和马龙都吓了一跳。
helene sighed, picked up the box, and examined it. Accidentally she pressed the tiny knob just above the keyhole. the box immediately sprang open, jolted out of her hands, and fell to the desk top with a horrific clatter. helene screamed. Jake and malone both jumped.
“你从哪儿学来的这招？” 马龙缓过气来后喘着气问。
“where did you learn that trick?” malone gasped when he recovered his breath.
“这没什么。” 海伦满不在乎地说，“而且当盒子根本没锁的时候就特别容易。”
“It was nothing,” helene said airily. “And it’s particularly easy when the box simply isn’t locked.”
有那么一会儿没人敢说话。马龙专注又怀疑地看着盒子，仿佛它随时可能跳起来咬他一口。
For a moment no one dared speak. malone looked intently and suspiciously at the box, as though at any moment it might leap up and bite him.
最后杰克用非常微弱的声音说：“在冈布里尔房间的第一天晚上，我用我所有的钥匙和我的小刀试过打开它，因为我当然以为它是锁着的。我从没想过不解锁就试着打开它。因为你自然会认为那样的一个盒子会是锁着的。”
At last Jake said in a very weak voice, “I tried all my keys and my penknife on it that first night in Gumbril’s room, because I supposed of course it was locked. I never thought of just trying to open it without unlocking it. because you’d naturally think a box like that would be locked.”
“如果我们当中有谁有点脑子的话，” 马龙暴躁地说，“我们马上就会知道它没锁。”
“If any of us had had any sense,” malone said peevishly, “we’d have known right away that it wasn’t.”
“为什么？” 海伦问。
“why?” helene asked.
“钥匙在哪儿？”
“where was the key?”
