“你们去了哪里？” 马龙问道。
“Where did you go?” Malone asked.
“我们在某个俱乐部吃了晚饭，然后在赌场喝了几杯，接着去了谢尔曼酒店的黑豹厅。我想那就是它的名字，对吧？” 他又皱起眉头。“那时我有点晕乎乎的。很奇怪，但我不记得我确切是什么时候开始不记得事情的了，如果你明白我的意思的话。有晚餐，有黑豹厅，然后事情就变得模糊了。我记得在一辆出租车里吻了洛特斯，但我想那是在从俱乐部出来的路上。还有就是我一个人在某个奇怪的酒吧里。就这些。” 他沉默了一会儿。“不，还有别的事情，但我就是想不起来。我不知道那是什么。但那是很可怕、很恐怖的事情。”
“We had dinner at some club, and then stopped at the Casino for a few drinks, and then we went to the Panther Room at the Sherman. I guess that’s the name, isn’t it?” He wrinkled his brow again. “I was a little dizzy by that time. It’s funny, but I can’t remember the exact time when I stopped remembering, if you know what I mean. There was dinner, and the Panther Room, and then things get vague. I remember kissing Lotus in a cab, but I guess that was on the way down from the club. Something about being in some strange bar all by myself. That’s all.” He was silent for a moment. “No, there is something else, but I can’t just put my finger on it. I don’t know what it was. But it was something horrible, ghastly.”
“那就是谋杀。” 海伦告诉他。
“That was the murder,” Helene told him.
他虚弱地对她笑了笑。“但是，我亲爱的年轻女士，我这辈子从没认识过符合马龙先生给我描述的人。从来没有。”
He smiled wanly at her. “But, my dear young lady, I never knew anyone who answered the description Mr. Malone gave me. Never in my life.”
“好吧，” 马龙温和地说，“别想了。那昨天呢？”
“All right,” Malone said gently, “let it go. What about yesterday?”
“我醒来的时候感觉不太舒服。我非常……”—— 他似乎在找一个词 ——“非常宿醉未醒。”
“I woke up not feeling very well. I was terribly”—he seemed to be looking for a word—“terribly hung over.”
“你再说一遍？” 杰克问。
“How’s that again?” Jake asked.
“没关系，” 海伦说，“这个词用得恰到好处。继续。”
“Never mind,” Helene said. “It’s exactly the right word. Go on.”
“非常沮丧。该死，我不知道为什么，但我就是这样。所以我起床后喝了几杯。听着，我不是在为喝醉找借口，但我确实很沮丧。”
“Very depressed. Damned if I know why, but I was. So I took a few drinks when I got up. Look here, I’m not making excuses for getting drunk, but I was depressed.”
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