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| 11 | |
| She wore brownish speckled tweeds, a mannish shirt and tie, hand carved walking shoes. Her stockings were just as sheer as the day before, but she wasn’t showing as much of her legs. Her black hair was glossy under a brown Robin Hood hat that might have cost fifty dollars and looked as if you could have made it with one hand out of a desk blotter. | Nosila je kostim od pjegastog tvida, muškaračku košulju i kravatu, rukom rađene lake cipele. Čarape su joj bile prozirne kao i prošloga dana, samo što nije pokazivala toliki komad nogu. Crna joj se kosa prelijevala ispod sme-đeg šešira a la Robin Hood, koji je mogao stajati pedeset dolara i izgledao kao da ste ga mogli jednom rukom napraviti iz stolnog upijača. |
| “Well, you do get up,” she said, wrinkling her nose at the faded red settee, the two odd semi-easy chairs, the net curtains that needed laundering and the boy’s size library table with the venerable magazines on it to give the place a professional touch. “I was beginning to think perhaps you worked in bed, like Marcel Proust.” | — Dakle, ipak ste ustali — kazala je prćeći nos na iz-blijedjelu crvenu sofu, dvije rasparane polu-stolice polu-le-žaljke, mrežaste zavjese što su vapile za pranjem i niski stolić dječje veličine na kojem su bile veleuvažene revije koje su rupi trebale dati profesionalni štih. — Već sam mislila da radite u krevetu, kao Marcel Proust. |
| “Who’s he?” I put a cigarette in my mouth and stared at her. She looked a little pale and strained, but she looked like a girl who could function under a strain. | — Tko je taj? — Stavio sam cigaretu u usta i zapiljio se u nju. Djelovala je malo blijedo i napeto, no djelovala je i kao cura koja može djelovati pod naporom. |
| “A French writer, a connoisseur in degenerates. You wouldn’t know him.” | — Francuski pisac, vrsni poznavalac degeneriranih tipova. Odakle da ga znate? |
| “Tut, tut,” I said. “Come into my boudoir.” She stood up and said: “We didn’t get along very well yesterday. Perhaps I was rude.” | — Tra-la-la — rekoh. — Dođite u moj budoar. Ustala je i rekla: — Jučer nismo daleko stigli. Možda sam bila gruba. |
| “We were both rude,” I said. I unlocked the communicating door and held it for her. We went into the rest of my suite, which contained a rust-red carpet, not very young, five green filing cases, three of them full of California climate, an advertising calendar showing the Quints rolling around on a sky-blue floor, in pink dresses, with seal-brown hair and sharp black eyes as large as mammoth prunes. There were three near-walnut chairs, the usual desk with the usual blotter, pen set, ashtray and telephone, and the usual squeaky swivel chair behind it. | — Oboje smo bili grubi — rekoh. Otključao sam prolazna vrata i pridržao ih dok je prošla. Ušli smo u ostatak mojih odaja, koje su sadržavale sag boje rđe, ne baš mlađahan, pet zelenih karto tečnih ormarića, od kojih su tri bila ispunjena kalif orni jskom klimom, i reklamni kalendar na kojem su bile prikazane slavne petorke kako se valjaju po nebeski plavom podu, u ružičastim opravicama, sa žuć-kastosmeđom kosom i oštrim očima velikim poput mamutskih šljiva. Bile su tu i tri stolice, boje bliske orahovoj, uobičajeni pisaći stol s uobičajenim upijačem, pernicom, pepeljarom i telefonom, kao i uobičajena škripava okretna stolica za njim. |
| “You don’t put on much of a front,” she said, sitting down at the customer’s side of the desk. | — Ne držite baš mnogo do fasade — kazala je sjedajući za stol sa strane za stranke. |
| I went over to the mail slot and picked up six envelopes, two letters and four pieces of advertising matter. I hung my hat on the telephone and sat down. | Prešao sam do poštanskog pretinca i pokupio šest kuverti: dva pisma i četiri reklamna materijala. Objesio sam šešir na telefon i sjeo. |
| “Neither do the Pinkertons,” I said. “You can’t make much money at this trade, if you’re honest. If you have a front, you’re making money—or expect to.” | — Ne drže ni Pinkertoni — rekoh. — Ne možete zgrnuti mnogo para u tom poslu, ako ste pošteni. Ako imate fasadu, zgrćete pare, ili bar očekujete da ćete ih zgrnuti. |
| “Oh—are you honest?” she asked and opened her bag. She picked a cigarette out of a French enamel case, lit it with a pocket lighter, dropped case and lighter back into the bag and left the bag open. | — Ah ... vi ste pošteni? — upitala je i otvorila torbu. Izvadila je cigaretu iz francuske emajlirane tabakere, pripalila je džepnim upaljačem, ubacila tabakeru i upaljač natrag u torbu, ostavivši je otvorenu. |
| “Painfully.” | — Na žalost. |
| “How did you get into this slimy kind of business then?” | — Kako ste onda upali u tu muljavu vrst posla? |
| “How did you come to marry a bootlegger?” | — Kako ste vi upali u brak sa švercerom? |
| “My God, let’s not start quarreling again. I’ve been trying to get you on the phone all morning. Here and at your apartment.” | — O bože, nemojmo se opet svađati. Pokušavala sam vas čitavo jutro dobiti na telefon. I ovdje i u vašem apartmanu. |
| “About Owen?” | — U vezi s Owenom? |
| Her face tightened sharply. Her voice was soft. “Poor Owen,” she said. “So you know about that.” | Lice joj se naglo steglo. Glas joj je bio mek. — Siroti Owen — kazala je. — Dakle znate za to. |
| “A D.A.’s man took me down to Lido. He thought I might know something about it. But he knew much more than I did. He knew Owen wanted to marry your sister—once.” | — Tužiočev me čovjek prebacio dolje do Lida. Vjerovao je da bih mogao znati nešto o tome. Ali je znao mnogo vise od mene. Znao je da se Owen htio oženiti vašom sestrom ... jednom zgodom. |
| She puffed silently at her cigarette and considered me with steady black eyes. “Perhaps it wouldn’t have been a bad idea,” she said quietly. “He was in love with her. We don’t find much of that in our circle.” | Tiho je dimila cigaretu i procjenjivala me nepomičnim crnim očima. — Možda to nije bila loša ideja — kazala je tiho. — Bio je zaljubljen u nju. U našem krugu toga nema mnogo. |
| “He had a police record.” | — Zapisan je u policijskoj kartoteci. |
| She shrugged. She said negligently: “He didn’t know the right people. That’s all a police record means in this rotten crime-ridden country.” | Slegnula je ramenima. Rekla je nemarno: — Nije se znao s pravim ljudima. To je sve što znači biti zapisan u ovoj truloj, kriminalom poplavljenoj zemlji. |
| “I wouldn’t go that far.” | — Ne bih išao tako daleko. |
| She peeled her right glove off and bit her index finger at the first joint, looking at me with steady eyes. “I didn’t come to see you about Owen. Do you feel yet that you can tell me what my father wanted to see you about?” | S vukla je desnu rukavicu i zagrizla u prvi članak kažiprsta, gledajući me nepomičnim očima. — Nisam vas došla vidjeti zbog Owena. Osjećate li da mi sada možete reći zbog čega je otac želio razgovarati s vama? |
| “Not without his permission.” | — Ne bez njegova dopušten ja.x |
| “Was it about Carmen?” | — Je li bilo u vezi Carmen? |
| “I can’t even say that.” I finished filling a pipe and put a match to it. She watched the smoke for a moment. Then her hand went into her open bag and came out with a thick white envelope. She tossed it across the desk. | — Ne mogu vam reći čak ni to. — Dovršio sam punjenje lule i prinio joj šibicu. Jedan je trenutak promatrala dim. Zatim joj je ruka pošla u otvorenu torbu i vratila se s debelom bijelom omotnicom. Bacila ju je preko stola. |
| “You’d better look at it anyway,” she said. | — U svakom slučaju, bolje da pogledate ovo — rekla je. |
| I picked it up. The address was typewritten to Mrs. Vivian Regan, 3765 Alta Brea Crescent, West Hollywood. Delivery had been by messenger service and the office stamp showed 8.35 a.m. as the time out. I opened the envelope and drew out the shiny 4¼ by 3¼ photo that was all there was inside. | Podigao sam je. Adresa je bila ispisana pisaćim strojem i glasila je na Mrs. Vivian Regan, 3765 Alta Brea Cres-cent, West Hollywood. Uručena je preko dostavne službe, i markica je označavala osam i trideset pet ujutro kao vrijeme polaska iz ureda. Otvorio sam omotnicu i izvukao sjajnu fotografiju, deset sa trinaest centimetara; to je bilo sve što je bilo unutra. |
| It was Carmen sitting in Geiger’s high-backed teakwood chair on the dais, in her earrings and her birthday suit. Her eyes looked even a little crazier than as I remembered them. The back of the photo was blank. I put it back in the envelope. | Bila je to Carmen zasjela u Geigerovu tikovom stolcu visoka naslona, podignutom na podij, odjevena u naušnice i haljinu što ju je nosila na dan rođenja. Oči su joj djelovale čak malo munjenije od onih koje sam zapamtio. Poleđina je fotografije bila prazna. Vratio sam je u kuvertu. |
| “How much do they want?” I asked. | — Koliko traže? — upitao sam. |
| “Five thousand—for the negative and the rest of the prints. The deal has to be closed tonight, or they give the stuff to some scandal sheet.” | — Pet tisuća; za negativ i ostatak kopija. Posao mora biti zaključen večeras, inače će stvarcu predati kakvim žutim novinama. |
| “The demand came how?” | — Kako je stigao zahtjev? |
| “A woman telephoned me, about half an hour after this thing was delivered.” | — Neka mi je žena telefonirala, oko sat i pol nakon što je ovo uručeno. |
| “There’s nothing in the scandal sheet angle. Juries convict without leaving the box on that stuff nowadays. What else is there?” | — Nema tu žuta štampa ni prismrdit. Porote danas osuđuju za takve stvari a da i ne iziđu iz klupa. Što još ima? |
| “Does there have to be something else?” | — Zar bi trebalo biti? |
| “Yes.” | — Da. |
| She stared at me, a little puzzled. “There is. The woman said there was a police jam connected with it and I’d better lay it on the line fast, or I’d be talking to my little sister through a wire screen.” | Zagledala se u mene, pomalo zbunjena. — Ima još. Ta mi je žena rekla da bi moglo biti frke s policijom u vezi s tim, i da mi je bolje što prije pljucnuti lovu ako ne želim razgovarati sa sestricom kroz žičanu pregradu. |
| “Better,” I said. “What kind of jam?” | — Bolje — rekoh. — Kakva vrsta frke? |
| “I don’t know.” | — Ne znam. |
| “Where is Carmen now?” | — Gdje je sada Carmen? |
| “She’s at home. She was sick last night. She’s still in bed, I think.” | — Kod kuće. Bila je noćas bolesna. Mislim da je još u krevetu. |
| “Did she go out last night?” | — Je li sinoć izlazila? |
| “No. I was out, but the servants say she wasn’t. I was down at Las Olindas, playing roulette at Eddie Mars’ Cypress Club. I lost my shirt.” | — Ne. Bila sam vani, ali posluga veli da nije. Bila sam dolje u Las Olindasu, igrala na rulet u Eddie Mars' Cvpress Clubu. Ostala sam bez gaća. |
| “So you like roulette. You would.” | I tako, volite rulet. Što je i za očekivati. |
| She crossed her legs and lit another cigarette. “Yes. I like roulette. All Sternwoods like losing games, like roulette and marrying men that walk out on them and riding steeplechases at fifty-eight years old and being rolled on by a jumper and crippled for life. The Sternwoods have money. All it has bought them is a rain check.” | Prekrižila je noge i zapalila novu cigaretu. — Da. Volim rulet. Svi Sternwoodi vole igre u kojima gube, kao što su rulet i udaja za muškarce koji odu od njih, i trke s preprekama u pedeset osmoj godini života, nakon čega te izgaze skakači i doživotno obogalje. Sternwoodi imaju novaca. Sve što su njime kupili bio je golub na grani. |
| “What was Owen doing last night with your car?” | — Što je Owen noćas radio s vašim autom? |
| “Nobody knows. He took it without permission. We always let him take a car on his night off, but last night wasn’t his night off.” She made a wry mouth. “Do you think—” | — To nitko ne zna. Uzeo ga je bez dopuštenja. Uvijek smo mu dopuštali da uzme kola kad je imao slobodno ve-če, no prošlo nije bilo slobodno. — Nakrivila je usta. — Mislite da je... |
| “He knew about this nude photo? How would I be able to say? I don’t rule him out. Can you get five thousand in cash right away?” | — Znao za tu golišavu fotografiju? Kako bih na to mogao odgovoriti? Ne isključujem ga iz toga. Možete H odmah skupiti pet tisuća u gotovini? |
| “Not unless I tell Dad—or borrow it. I could probably borrow it from Eddie Mars. He ought to be generous with me, heaven knows.” | — Ne, ukoliko ne kažem tati, ili posudim. Možda bi ih mogla posuditi od Eddija Marsa. Trebao bi biti darežljiv prema meni, ali bog zna. |
| “Better try that. You may need it in a hurry.” | — Najbolje da probate to. Možda ih zatrebate na brzinu. |
| She leaned back and hung an arm over the back of the chair. “How about telling the police?” | Zavalila se i prebacila ruku preko naslona. — A da kažemo policiji? |
| “It’s a good idea. But you won’t do it.” | — To je dobra ideja. Ali nećete to učiniti. |
| “Won’t I?” | — Neću? |
| “No. You have to protect your father and your sister. You don’t know what the police might turn up. It might be something they couldn’t sit on. Though they usually try in blackmail cases.” | — Ne. Jer morate zaštititi oca i sestru. Ne znate što policija može iskopati. To može biti nešto zbog čega neće moći sjediti skrštenih ruku. Iako najčešće pokušavaju ostati tako kad je u pitanju ucjena. |
| “Can you do anything?” | — Možete li išta učiniti? |
| “I think I can. But I can’t tell you why or how.” | — Mislim da mogu. Ali vam ne mogu reći ni kako ni zašto. |
| “I like you,” she said suddenly. “You believe in miracles. Would you have a drink in the office?” | — Sviđate mi se — rekla je iznenada. — Vjerujete u čuda. Držite li piće u uredu? |
| I unlocked my deep drawer and got out my office bottle and two pony glasses. I filled them and we drank. She snapped her bag shut and pushed the chair back. | Otključao sam središnju ladicu pa izvukao svoju uredsku bocu; i dva štamprleka. Napunio sam ih pa smo ih ispili. Škljocnuvši je zatvorila torbu i odgurnula stolicu. |
| “I’ll get the five grand,” she said. “I’ve been a good customer of Eddie Mars. There’s another reason why he should be nice to me, which you may not know.” She gave me one of those smiles the lips have forgotten before they reach the eyes. “Eddie’s blonde wife is the lady Rusty ran away with.” | — Nabavit ću tih pet somova — rekla je. — Bila sam dobra mušterija Eddiju Marsu. Ali postoji još jedan razlog zbog kojeg bi trebao biti dobar prema meni, razlog koji možda ne znate. — Poslala mi je jedan od onih smiješa-ka koje usne zaborave prije no što stignu do očiju. — Ed-dijeva je plava žena ona dama s kojom je Rustv pobjegao. |
| I didn’t say anything. She stared tightly at me and added: “That doesn’t interest you?” | Nisam rekao ništa. Napeto se zagledala u mene a zatim dodala: — To vas ne zanima? |
| “It ought to make it easier to find him—if I was looking for him. You don’t think he’s in this mess, do you?” | — To bi trebalo olakšati da ga nađem ... kad bih ga tražio. Vi ne mislite da je upleten u svu tu gužvu, ha? |
| She pushed her empty glass at me. “Give me another drink. You’re the hardest guy to get anything out of. You don’t even move your ears.” | Gurnula je praznu čašu prema meni. — Nalijte mi još jedno piće. Vi ste najžilaviji momak kad treba nešto iz vas izvući. Niste čak ni strignuli ušima. |
| I filled the little glass. “You’ve got all you wanted out of me—a pretty good idea I’m not looking for your husband.” | Napunio sam joj čašicu. — Izvukli ste iz mene sve što ste željeli: prilično jasan dojam da ne tražim vašeg supruga. |
| She put the drink down very quickly. It made her gasp—or gave her an opportunity to gasp. She let a breath out slowly. | Poslala je viski u želudac velikom brzinom. To ju je natjeralo da dahne — ili joj pružilo priliku da to učini. Vrlo je polako ispustila dah. |
| “Rusty was no crook. If he had been, it wouldn’t have been for nickels. He carried fifteen thousand dollars, in bills. He called it his mad money. He had it when I married him and he had it when he left me. No—Rusty’s not in on any cheap blackmail racket.” | — Rustv nije bio švindler. A da je i bio, ne bi bio za sitnu lovu. Nosio je sobom petnaest tisuća dolara, u novčanicama. Zvao ih je svojom ludom lovom. Imao ih je kad sam se udala za nj, imao ih je kad me napustio. Ne, Rustv nije ni u kakvom jeftinom ucjenjivačkom poslu. |
| She reached for the envelope and stood up. “I’ll keep in touch with you,” I said. “If you want to leave me a message, the phone girl at my apartment house will take care of it.” | Posegnula je za omotnicom i ustala. — Ostat ću u vezi s vama — rekoh. — Ako mi želite ostaviti poruku, cura će se u centrali moje kuće pobrinuti o njoj. |
| We walked over to the door. Tapping the white envelope against her knuckles, she said: “You still feel you can’t tell me what Dad—” | Odšetali smo do vrata. Zalupkala je kuvertom po zglobovima prstiju i rekla: — Još mislite da mi ne možete kazati što je tata... |
| “I’d have to see him first.” She took the photo out and stood looking at it, just inside the door. “She has a beautiful little body, hasn’t she?” | — Morao bih najprije razgovarati s njim. Izvadila je fotografiju i zastala gledajući u nju, upravo u dovratku. — Ima zgodno malo tjelešce, je l' da? |
| “Uh-huh.” | "Aha." |
| She leaned a little towards me. “You ought to see mine,” she said gravely. | Malkice se nagnula prema meni. — Trebali biste vidjeti moje — rekla je smrtno ozbiljno. |
| “Can it be arranged?” | — Može li se to srediti? |
| She laughed suddenly and sharply and went halfway through the door, then turned her head to say coolly: “You’re as cold-blooded a beast as I ever met, Marlowe. Or can I call you Phil?” | Nasmijala se naglo i oštro, napola prošla kroz vrata, okrenula glavu i hladno rekla? — Vi ste najhladnokrvnija zvijer što sam je ikad srela, Marlowe. Ili vas mogu zvati Phil? |
| “Sure.” | — Razumije se. |
| “You can call me Vivian.” | — Možete me zvati Vivian. |
| “Thanks, Mrs. Regan.” | — Hvala, gospođo Regan. |
| “Oh, go to hell, Marlowe.” She went on out and didn’t look back. | — O, idite do vraga, Marlowe. — Izišla je a da se nije osvrnula. |
| I let the door shut and stood with my hand on it, staring at the hand. My face felt a little hot. I went back to the desk and put the whiskey away and rinsed out the two pony glasses and put them away. | Pustio sam vrata da se zatvore i ostao s rukom na kvaki, zureći u tu ruku. Lice mi je pomalo gorjelo. Vratio sam se do stola, sklonio viski, isplahnuo dvije čašice pa sklonio i njih. |
| I took my hat off the phone and called the D.A.’s office and asked for Bernie Ohls. | Skinuo sam šešir s telefona, nazvao tužiteljev ured i zatražio Bernija Ohlsa. |
| He was back in his cubbyhole. “Well, I let the old man alone,” he said. “The butler said he or one of the girls would tell him. This Owen Taylor lived over the garage and I went through his stuff. Parents at Dubuque, Iowa. I wired the Chief of Police there to find out what they want done. The Sternwood family will pay for it.” | Ovaj se vratio u svoju špelunku. — Dakle, pustio sam starog na miru — reče. — Batler je kazao da će mu javiti on ili koja od djevojaka. Taj je Owen Tavlor živio iznad garaže, pa sam mu malo prošao kroz stvari. Roditelji u Dubu-queu, Iowa. Brzojavio sam šefu policije tamo da vidi što oni žele da se napravi. Sve plaća familija Stermvood. |
| “Suicide?” I asked. | — Samoubojstvo? — upitao sam. |
| “No can tell. He didn’t leave any notes. He had no leave to take the car. Everybody was home last night but Mrs. Regan. She was down at Las Olindas with a playboy named Larry Cobb. I checked on that. I know a lad on one of the tables.” | — Ne može se znati. Nije ostavio nikakvu poruku. Nije imao dopuštenje da uzme kola. Svi su sinoć bili kod kuće osim gospođe Regan. Ona je bila dolje u Las Olindasu s plejbojem imenom Larry Cobb. To sam provjerio. Znam dečka na jednom od stolova. |
| “You ought to stop some of that flash gambling,” I said. | — Trebali biste malo zabremzati bar najočitije kocka-renje — rekoh. |
| “With the syndicate we got in this county? Be your age, Marlow. That sap mark on the boy’s head bothers me. Sure you can’t help me on this?” | Sa sindikatima što ih imamo u ovoj zemlji? Ne budi dijete, Marlowe. Ali me gnjavi taj bubotak na momkovoj glavi. Siguran da mi tu ne možeš pomoći? |
| I liked his putting it that way. It let me say no without actually lying. We said goodbye and I left the office, bought all three afternoon papers and rode a taxi down to the Hall of Justice to get my car out of the lot. There was nothing in any of the papers about Geiger. I took another look at his blue notebook, but the code was just as stubborn as it had been the night before. | Bilo mi je drago da je to izrekao na takav način. Tako sam mogao reći ne a da zapravo ne lažem. Rekli smo si zbogom, nakon čega sam napustio ured, kupio sva tri dnevna lista i odvezao se taksijem dolje do palače pravde da skinem auto s parkirališta. Ni u jednim novinama nije bilo ništa o Geigeru. Letimice sam još jednom pogledao njegovu plavu bilježnicu, no šifra je i sad bila tvrdoglava koliko i sinoć. |