电话谋杀案

现在 我跟网球大赛绝了缘
Now, big tennis had finished with me…
所以 显然的我依赖我太太了
and so, apparently, had my wife.
我不记得我有那么害怕过
I can’t ever remember being so scared.
我进了一家酒馆 喝了几杯酒
I dropped into a pub and had a couple of drinks.
当我坐在那角落里时 我想过各式各样的事情
As I sat in the corner, I thought of all sorts of things.
我想过三种不同杀死他的方法
I thought of three different ways of killing him.
我甚至于想过杀死她
I even thought of killing her.
这看来是个更好的主意呢
That seemed a far more sensible idea.
就在我想着我要怎么样去做时
And just as I was working out how I could do it…
我突然看见了一件使我主意完全改变的事情
I suddenly saw something which completely changed my mind.
总而言之 我没有去参加比赛
I didn’t go to that tournament after all.
当我回来时 她就坐在你现在坐的位子上
When I got back, she was sitting exactly where you are now.
我告诉她我决定放弃网球 并且要好好的照顾她
I’d told her I decided to give up tennis and look after her instead.
-然后呢 -然后… 事情的演变是
-Well? -Well, as things turned out…
我根本用不着干嘛
I needn’t have got so worked up after all.
显然的 他们的通心粉之夜是一个道别之会
Apparently, their spaghetti evening had been a sort of a fond farewell.
那男友被召回纽约去了
The boyfriend had been called back to New York.
-是个美国人 -没错
-An American? -Yes.
然后就有长信从那边来
There were long letters from there.
通常都是在星期四寄到
They usually arrived on Thursdays.
除了一封之外 她烧了所有的信
She burned them all except one.
那封信她通常都放在她皮包里
That one she used to transfer from handbag to handbag.
那封信她总是随身带着
It was always with her.
那封信成了我的致命伤了
That letter became an obsession with me.
我必须了解信上写的是什么
I had to find out what was in it.
终于 我了解了
Finally, I did.
那封信读来可很有趣呢
That letter made very interesting reading.
-你是说你偷了那封信 -对
-Do you mean you stole it? -Yes.
我甚至于写了两封匿名信 说是愿意把那封信归还
I even wrote her two anonymous notes offering to sell it back.
-为什么呢 -我是希望那会使她
-Why? -I was hoping it would make her…
把他的一切全都告诉我
come and tell me all about him.
可是她并没有告诉我 所以 我就保留了这封信
But it didn’t, so I kept the letter.
你为什么告诉我这些呢?
Why are you telling me all this?
因为你是我唯一信任的人
Because you’re the only person I can trust.
总之 还是起了作用
Anyway, that did it.
一定使他们有了对上帝敬畏之心 因为信停止了
It must have put the fear of God into them because the letters stopped.
而自那之后我们一起快乐的过着日子
And we lived happily ever after.
真是好玩 就在一年前
You know, it’s funny to think that just a year ago…
我坐在那优雅的酒馆里 事实上在计划看要谋杀她
I sat in that nice bridge pub actually planning to murder her.
要是我没有看见
And I might have done it…
使我改变主意的 我可能就会把她谋杀了
if I hadn’t seen something that changed my mind.
那么 你看见什么了呢?
Well, what did you see?
我看见了你
I saw you.
这又有什么特别呢?
What was so odd about that?
只不过是巧合 听我说
The coincidence.
就在看见你前的一个星期
Only a week before, I’d been to a reunion dinner.
我去参加同学餐会时 人们在谈你
And the fellows were talking about you.
在战时你是怎样的被军法审判
How you had been court-martialed during the war.
并坐了一年牢 这可是新闻
A year in prison. That was news.
留神听 在大学时我们都说 老史望早晚会去坐牢的
Mind you, at college, we’d all said that Swan would end up in jail.
-我想是为了那现金箱 -现金箱又怎样
-That cashbox, I suppose. -Well, what about it?
亲爱的朋友 谁都知道那些钱是你拿去的
My dear fellow, everybody knew you took that money.
可怜的老阿弗雷德
Poor old Alfred.
多谢你的酒
Thanks very much for the drink.
听你的婚姻插曲也很有趣
Interesting, hearing about your matrimonial affairs.
我认为你根本不想要那辆车
I take it you won’t be wanting that car after all.
你不想要我告诉你 我为什么约你到这来吗?
Don’t you want me to tell you why I brought you here?
想呀 我想你还是告诉我吧
Yes, I think you’d better.
当我在酒馆看见你时 就有念头了
It was when I saw you in that pub that it happened.
突然间 一切都非常清楚了
Suddenly, everything became quite clear.
几个月前 玛歌♥和我立了遗嘱
A few months before, Margot and I had made our wills.
要是发生意外 财产都留给对方 这是件该做的事情
Short affairs, leaving everything we had to each other, in case of accidents.
她的财产刚好超过九万英磅
Hers worked out at just over ￡90,000.
大部份是投资 要弄到手太容易了
Investments mostly, all a little too easy to get at.
要是他们疑心我就太危险了
And that was dangerous. They would be bound to suspect me.
我需要一个不在现场证明 一个很好的不在现场证明
I need an alibi, a very good one.
然后我就看见了你
Then I saw you.
我常想人们出了狱之后会怎样
I’d wondered what happened to people who came out of prison.
我是说像你这种人
People like you, I mean.
他们能找到工作吗? 老朋友会伸出援手吗?
Can they get jobs? Do old friends rally round?
假设他们从来没有任何朋友呢?
Suppose they never had any friends.
我变得非常好奇的想要知道 所以我就跟踪了你
I became so curious to know that I followed you.
我那天整晚跟踪你 然后…
I followed you home that night and…
请把你的杯子递给我? 老兄
Would you mind passing me your glass, old boy?
谢谢你 非常谢谢
Thank you. Thank you very much.
-从那天起我就一直跟踪你 -为什么呢
-I’ve been following you ever since. -Why?
我是在希望迟早我会逮到你的把柄
I was hoping sooner or later I might catch you at something…
-而能… -勒索我
-and be able to… -Blackmail me?
影响你
Influence you.
几个星期之后 就知道了你的习惯
After a couple of weeks, I got to know your routine…
-跟踪起来就容易得多了 -很乏味的工作呀
-and that made it a lot easier. -Rather dour work.
开始时是的
To begin with, yes.
但你知道如何 那就成了你的爱好
But you know how it is. You take up a hobby.
你知道的越多 就越有趣了
And the more you get to know it, the more fascinating it becomes.
你变得相当的有趣呢
You became quite fascinating.
事实上 有的时候我觉得你几乎是属于我的
In fact, there were times when I’d felt that you almost belonged to me.
那一定是非常有意思的
That must have been interesting.
你通常在星期一 四到赛狗场去
You used to go to the dog-racing, Mondays and Thursdays.
为了接近你我甚至自己也去
I even took it up myself, just to be near you.
-你还把你的姓改成了亚当斯 -我对史望这个姓烦了
-You’d changed your name to Adams. -Yes. I got bored with Swan.
-这触犯什么法了吗 -没有
-Any crime in that? -No. No. None whatever.
事实上你没有什么不合法的事
In fact, there was nothing really illegal about you.
我变得相当气馁呢
I got quite discouraged.
然后 有一天你从租屋处失踪了
Then one day, you disappeared from your lodgings.
我打电♥话♥给你的女房♥东 我说亚当斯先生欠我五英磅
I phoned your landlady. I said, “Mr. Adams owed me ￡5.”
显然的 这不算什么
But apparently that was nothing.
她最好的房♥客亚当斯先生欠她六周的租金 五十五英磅
Mr. Adams owed her six weeks’ rent in her best lodge at ￡55.
亚当斯先生是个那么好的绅士
Mr. Adams had been such a nice gentleman.
这是最令她生气的地方
That’s what seemed to upset her most.
是呀 这总是最令她们生气的
Yes. That always seems to upset them most.
我说老兄 如果你要再来一杯
I say, old boy, if you want another drink…
你不介意戴上这双手套吧?
do you mind putting on these gloves?
咱们说到那了 我把你跟丢了
Now, where were we? Yes, I’d lost you…
然后有一天 我在赛狗场找到了你
and then I found you one day at the dog-racing.
并且跟踪你到你在贝尔赛公园路
And I tailed you home to your new lodgings in Belsize Park.
亚当斯先生变成了 威尔逊先生了
There Mr. Adams became Mr. Wilson.
威尔逊先生离开了贝尔赛公园路 欠下了十六周的租金
Mr. Wilson left Belsize Park owing 16 weeks’ rent…
而由于和一位华莉丝小姐 短暂的交往似乎阔气了一些
and somewhat richer for a brief encounter with a Miss Wallace.
你通常在星期三 日约华莉丝
You used to take Miss Wallace out on Wednesdays and Sundays.
她当然是爱上了你 对吗?
She certainly was in love with you, wasn’t she?
我想你留了这英俊的胡子 就是为了要讨好她
I suppose she thought you were growing that handsome mustache to please her.
可怜的华莉丝小姐
Poor Miss Wallace.
这全都很有意思 请说下去
This is all very interesting. Do go on.
七月 八月 九月 卡莱尔大厦第127号♥公♥寓♥
July, August, September: Apartment 127, Carlisle Court.
住着一位凡登太太
Occupant: a Mrs. Van Dorn.
她过世的丈夫留给她两家旅馆和一所公♥寓♥楼 都有家具
Her late husband left her two hotels and a large apartment house, furnished.
李斯盖特上尉 要从哪下手呢
What a base to operate from, Captain Lesgate.
唯一的问题是 她十分喜欢被追求
The only trouble is, she does rather enjoy being courted.
而跟她在一起花钱跟流水一样
And she’s so very expensive.
也许这就是一个月来 你一直想要把她的车子卖♥♥掉
Perhaps that’s why you’ve been trying to sell her car for over a month.
凡登太太要我替她卖♥♥♥车♥子的
Mrs. Van Dorn asked me to sell it for her.
我知道 你要之前我跟她通过话
I know. I called her up just before you arrived here.
她只要八百英磅
She only wanted 800.
最近的派出所在哪?
Where’s the nearest police station?
在教堂对面 步行两分钟
Opposite the church. Two minutes’ walk.
-假设我现在走到那 -你告诉他们什么呢
-Suppose I walk there now. -What would you tell them?
-一切 -一切?
-Everything. -Everything?
所有关于亚当斯先生和威尔逊先生的事情?
All about Mr. Adams and Mr. Wilson?
我只要简单的告诉他们你想勒索我去从事
I should simply tell them that you are trying to blackmail me into…
从事?
Into?