She paid no attention to him. “That’s why, instead of beginning with the murder, I’m beginning with Mona. I’m not going to find people she might have murdered. I’m going over her life history like a gossip writer and find people she might have had a motive for murdering, and see if any of them are recently dead.”

“在我看来，你好像给自己规划了一项终身事业。” 马龙嘟囔着。

“It looks to me as if you’d mapped out a life work for yourself,” Malone grunted.

两人都沉默了，想着同一件事。莫娜?麦克莱恩拥有世界上最庞大的财富之一，在所有已知的大陆上都有着稳固的社会地位。她的婚姻、离婚、恋情和丑闻都曾登上过周日增刊的历史。她曾穿着晚礼服，戴着着名的麦克莱恩祖母绿宝石独自飞越大西洋，因为她预计（并且确实）正好及时在巴黎参加一个派对而降落。她攀登珠穆朗玛峰的高度比其他任何女性都高，并且她还亲自为布鲁克菲尔德动物园捕获了两只老虎。她在三个晚上的轮盘赌中从芝加哥着名的餐饮、舞蹈和赌博场所 —— 赌场的老板，城市赌博集团的头目马克斯?胡克那里赢得了赌场。她有一个已婚的女儿，过着体面而富裕的郊区隐居生活，令人难以置信的是，她还是一位祖母。现在她声称在一场赌注中犯了一起谋杀案，而赌场就是赌注。

Both were silent, thinking the same thing. Mona McClane had one of the world’s greatest fortunes and an assured social position on all the known continents. Her marriages, divorces, romances, and scandals had made Sunday-supplement history. She had flown the Atlantic solo in an evening dress and wearing the famous McClane emeralds because she expected to land (and did) just in time for a party in Paris. She had climbed farther up Mt. Everest than any other woman, and she had personally captured two tigers for the Brookfield zoo. She had won the Casino, Chicago’s famous dining, dancing, and gambling spot, from the head of the city’s gambling syndicate, Max Hook, in three evenings at roulette. She had a married daughter living in respectable and wealthy suburban obscurity, and she was, incredibly, a grandmother. Now she claimed to have mitted a murder, on a bet, and the Casino was the stakes.

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马龙在桌子下踩灭了他的雪茄。“你会是个非常忙碌的女孩。你有什么成果了吗？”

Malone stamped out his cigar under the desk. “You’re going to be a very busy girl. Have you acplished anything yet?”

她摇了摇头。“给我点时间。对了，你有钱吗？”

She shook her head. “Give me time. Say, have you got any money?”

“当然。” 他伸手去拿钱包。“你需要多少？”

“Sure.” He reached for his wallet. “How much do you need?”

“我不需要钱。我以为你可能需要。毕竟，你昨天还身无分文呢。我昨晚打了桥牌。”

“I don’t need any. I thought you might. After all, you were broke yesterday. I played bridge last night.”

“我打扑克。” 马龙说着，把钱包放了回去。

“I played poker,” Malone said, putting the wallet back.

“那好吧。” 她松了一口气说。“你自己的谋杀案进展如何了？”

“Then that’s all right,” she said in a relieved tone. “How’s your own murder ing along?”

“这不是我的谋杀案。” 他告诉她，“而且也没有进展。” 他把当天的进展情况都告诉了她，小心地省略了杰克在这件事中所起的作用。

“It’s not my murder,” he told her, “and it’s not ing along.” He told her of the day’s developments, carefully omitting Jake’s part in the affair.

他说完后，海伦说：“要么是那个警察在说谎，要么是乔天使在说谎，肯定是那个警察。一个酒保是不会说谎的。”

When he had finished, Helene said, “Either the cop or Joe the Angel is lying, and it must be the cop. A bartender wouldn’t tell a lie.”

“这个警察也不会。” 马龙说。“他从马克斯?胡克那里拿了太多贿赂，所以他肯定是诚实的。” 他点燃一支新雪茄。“哦，好吧，只要冯?弗拉纳根不来烦我，我就不在乎。你什么时候和杰克和好？”

“Neither would this cop,” Malone said. “He takes too many bribes from Max Hook to be anything but honest.” He lit a fresh cigar. “Oh well, as long as von Flanagan leaves me alone, I don’t care. When are you going to make up with Jake?”

她看了他一眼，让他很不舒服。“我要把赌场的地契送给他，就这样结束了。” 她扣上外套最上面的扣子，从椅子扶手上拿起一条巨大的狐皮围巾。“莫娜让我带你一起回去喝鸡尾酒。她有几个住家客人，可能还会有其他人来。”

She gave him a look that set his teeth on edge. “I’m going to send him the deed to the Casino, and that’s the finish.” She fastened the top clasp of her coat and picked up an enormous fox fur from the arm of her chair. “Mona told me to bring you back with me for a cocktail. She has a few house guests, and there may be a few others in.”

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马龙盯着她，说：“该死，我不能去黄金海岸参加鸡尾酒会。你到底想把我拉进什么麻烦里？”

Malone stared at her and said, “Hell, I can’t go running around to Gold Coast cocktail parties. What are you trying to get me into, anyway?”

“我只是转达莫娜的邀请。我觉得你对她有一种致命的吸引力。”

“I’m just passing on Mona’s invitation. I think you have a fatal fascination for her.”