“This is it,” Jake said calmly, picking his way carefully over the frozen ground.
马龙走到他身边，绊了一两下，在坟墓边缘停了下来。杰克把手电筒照进坟墓里。
Malone came up beside him, stumbling once or twice and paused at the edge. Jake turned his flashlight down into it.
“那确实是个坟墓。”马龙轻声说，“但现在里面不是空的了。”
“That’s a grave all right,” Malone said quietly. “But it isn’t empty now.”
他只站在那里朝坟墓里看了一会儿，看着吹进坟墓并给粗糙的四壁覆上霜的雪，看着形成奇特形状和图案的小堆积雪，以及起初看起来像是底部的一个黑影的东西。然后，他小心翼翼、吃力地爬进坟墓，摘下自己的围巾，用它当扫帚扫去飘落的雪，快速检查了一下，是罗斯·麦克劳林的尸体。
For only a moment he stood looking into it, at the snow that had blown in and frosted the rough sides, at the little drifts that had formed in curious shapes and designs, and at what had first appeared to be a dark shadow at the bottom. Then, carefully and laboriously, he let himself down into it, took off his muffler and used it as a broom to sweep away the drifted snow, and made a quick examination of the body of Ross McLaurin.
在他上方，杰克用一只胳膊搂住海伦，海伦把脸埋在他的肩膀上。
Above him, Jake put an arm around Helene, who buried her face in his shoulder.
律师从坑里爬了出来。“像其他人一样被刺死在后背。”他报告说，“直接刺穿了大衣、西装上衣、马甲和衬衫。某人的胳膊相当有力。”手电筒的光瞬间照在他的脸上，杰克看到他的脸色灰白，非常疲惫。
The lawyer climbed up out of the pit. “Stabbed in the back, just like the others,” he reported. “Stabbed right through an overcoat, suit coat, vest, and shirt. Somebody has a fairly powerful arm.” The flashlight caught his face for a moment, and Jake saw that it was gray white and very tired.
“我不该让这种事发生。”马龙缓缓地说，“我应该想到的。喝到一定程度的酒，他就会出去找个人听他讲故事，不管是朋友还是陌生人，就像前几天晚上他开始和海伦聊天那样。这次他只是碰巧和错误的人聊上了，然后就成了这样。我绝不应该让他离开我的视线。”他深深地吸了一口气，“是我的错。这个人的死怪我。”
“I shouldn’t have let this happen,” Malone said slowly. “I should have known. The right number of drinks and he would go out looking for someone to listen to his story, friend or stranger, just as he started talking to Helene the other night. This time he just happened to start talking to the wrong guy, and here he is. I never should have let him out of my sight.” He drew a long breath. “I’m to blame. This one is on me.”
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