rc.theladyinthelake-第32章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
〃Name of Marlowe；〃 he said。 〃Hell； the guy's a shamus。 Just think of that； Cooney。〃 Cooney said： 〃Is that all？ Guess I won't need this。〃 He tucked the gun back in his holster and buttoned the leather flap down over it。 〃Guess I can handle this with my little flippers；〃 he said。 〃Guess I can at that。〃 The other one said： 〃Doing fifty…five。 Been drinking； I wouldn't wonder。〃
〃Smell the bastard's breath；〃 Cooney said。
The other one leaned forward with a polite leer。 〃Could I smell the breath； shamus？〃 I let him smell the breath。
〃Well；〃 he said judiciously； 〃he ain't staggering。 I got to admit that。〃
〃'S a cold night for summer。 Buy the boy a drink； Officer Dobbs。〃
〃Now that's a sweet idea；〃 Dobbs said。 He went to the car and got a half pint bottle out of it。 He held it up。 It was a third full。 〃No really solid drinking here；〃he said。 He held the bottle out。 〃With our pliments； pal。〃
〃Suppose I don't want want a drink；〃 I said。
〃Don't say that；〃 Cooney whined。 〃We might get the idea you wanted feetprints on your stomach。〃 I took the bottle and unscrewed the cap and sniffed。 The liquor in the bottle smelled like whiskey。 Just whiskey。
〃You can't work the same gag all the time；〃 I said。 Cooney said： 〃Time is eight twenty…seven。 Write it down； Officer Dobbs。〃 Dobbs went to the car and leaned in to make a note on his report。 I held the bottle up and said to Cooney： 〃You insist that I drink this？〃
〃Naw。 You could have me jump on your belly instead。〃 I tilted the bottle； locked my throat； and ifiled my mouth with whiskey。 Cooney lunged forward and sank a fist in my stomach。 I sprayed the whiskey and bent over choking。 I dropped the bottle。
I bent to get it and saw Cooney's fat knee rising at my face。 I stepped to one side and straightened and slammed him on the nose with everything I had。 His left hand went to his face and his voice howled and his right hand jumped to his gun holster。 Dobbs ran at me from one side and his arm swung low。 The blackjack hit me behind the left knee； the leg went dead and I sat down hard on the ground； gritting my teeth and spitting whiskey。
Cooney took his hand away from his face full of blood。
〃Jesus；〃 he cracked in a thick horrible voice。 〃This is blood。 My blood。〃 He let out a wild roar and swung his foot at my face。
I rolled far enough to catch it on my shoulder。 It was bad enough taking it there。
Dobbs pushed between us and said： 〃We got enough； Charlie。 Better not get it all gummed up。〃 Cooney stepped backwards three shuffling steps and sat down on the running board of the police car and held his face。 He groped for a handkerchief and used it gently on his nose。
〃Just gimnie a minute；〃 he said through the handkerchief。 〃Just a minute； pal。 Just one little minute。〃 Dobbs said； 〃Pipe down。 We got enough。 That's the way it's going to be。〃 He swung the blackjack slowly beside his leg。 Cooney got up off the running board and staggered forward。 Dobbs put a hand against his chest and pushed him gently。 Cooney tried to knock the hand out of his way。
〃I gotta see blood；〃 he croaked。 〃I gotta see more blood。〃 Dobbs said sharply； 〃Nothing doing。 Pipe down。 We got all we wanted。〃 Cooney turned and moved heavily away to the other side of the police car。 He leaned against it muttering through his handkerchief。 Dobbs said to me： 〃Up on the feet； boy friend。〃 I got up and rubbed behind my knee。 The nerve of the leg was jumping like an angry monkey。
〃Get in the car；〃 Dobbs said。 〃Our car。〃 I went over and climbed into the police car。
Dobbs said： 〃You drive the other heap； Charlie。〃
〃I'll tear every god damn fender off'n it；〃 Cooney roared。
Dobbs picked the whiskey bottle off the ground； threw it over the fence； and slid into the car beside me。 He pressed the starter。
〃This is going to cost you；〃 he said。 〃You hadn't ought to have socked him。〃 I said： 〃Just why not？〃
〃He's a good guy；〃 Dobbs said。 〃A little loud。〃
〃But not funny；〃 I said。 〃Not at all funny。〃
〃Don't tell him；〃 Dobbs said。 The police car began to move。 〃You'd hurt his feelings。〃 Cooney slammed into the Chrysler and started it and clashed the gears as if he was trying to strip them。 Dobbs tooled the police car smoothly around and started north again along the brickyard。
〃You'll like our new jail；〃 he said。
〃What will the charge be？〃 He thought a moment； guiding the car with a gentle hand and watching in the mirror to see that Cooney followed along behind。
〃Speeding；〃 he said。 〃Resisting arrest。 H。B。D。〃 H。B。D。 is police slang for 〃had been drinking。〃
〃How about being slammed in the belly； kicked in the shoulder； forced to drink liquor under threat of bodily harm； threatened with a gun and struck with a blackjack while unarmed？ Couldn't you make a little something more out of that？〃
〃Aw forget it；〃 he said wearily。 〃You think this sort of thing is my idea of a good time？〃
〃I thought they cleaned this town up；〃 I said。 〃I thought they had it so that a decent man could walk the streets at night without wearing a bullet proof vest。〃
〃They cleaned it up some；〃 he said。 〃They wouldn't want it too clean。 They might scare away a dirty dollar。〃
〃Better not talk like that；〃 I said。 〃You'll lose your union card。〃 He laughed。 〃The hell with them；〃 he said。 〃I'll be in the army in two weeks。〃 The incident was over for him。 It meant nothing。 He took it as a matter of course。 He wasn't even bitter about it。
26
The cell block was almost brand new。 The battleship gray paint on the steel walls and door still had the fresh gloss of newness disfigured in two or three places by squirted tobacco juice。 The overhead light was sunk in the ceffing behind a heavy frosted panel。 There were two bunks on one side of the cell and a man snored in the top bunk； with a dark gray blanket wrapped around him。 Since he was asleep that early and didn't smell of whiskey or gin and had chosen the top berth where he would be out of the way； I judged he was an old lodger。
I sat on the lower bunk。 They had tapped me for a gun but they hadn't stripped my pockets。 I got out a cigarette and rubbed the hot swelling behind my knee。 The pain radiated all the way to the ankle。 The whiskey I had coughed on my coat front had a rank smell。 I held the cloth up and breathed smoke into it。 The smoke floated up around the flat square of lighted glass in the ceiling。 The jail seemed very quiet。 A woman was making a shrill racket somewhere very far off； in another part of the jail。 My part was as peaceful as a church。
The woman was screaming； wherever she was。 The screaming had a thin sharp unreal sound； something like the screaming of coyotes in the moonlight； but it didn't have the rising keening note of the coyote。 After a while the sound stopped。
I smoked two cigarettes through and dropped the butts into the small toilet in the corner。 The man in the upper berth still snored。 All I could see of him was damp greasy hair sticking out over the edge of the blanket。 He slept on his stomach。 He slept well。 He was one of the best。
I sat down on the bunk again。 It was made of flat steel slats with a thin hard mattress over them。 Two dark gray blankets were folded on it quite neatly。 It was a very nice jail。 It was on the twelfth floor of the new city hall。 It was a very nice city hail。 Bay City was a very nice place。 People lived there and thought so。 If I lived there； I would probably think so。 I would see the nice blue bay and the cliffs and the yacht harbor and the quiet streets of houses； old houses brooding under old trees and new houses with sharp green lawns and wire fences and staked saplings set into the parkway in front of them。 I knew a girl who lived on Twenty…fifty Street。 It was a nice street。 She was a nice girl。 She liked Bay City。
She wouldn't think about the Mexican and Negro slums stretched out on the dismal flats south of the old interurban tracks。 Nor of the waterfront dives along the flat shore south of the cliffs； the sweaty little dance halls on the pike； the marihuana joints； the narrow fox faces watching over the tops of newspapers in far too quiet hotel lobbies； nor the pickpockets and
