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| 14 | |
| It was ten minutes to five when I parked near the lobby entrance of the apartment house on Randall Place. A few windows were lit and radios were bleating at the dusk. I rode the automatic elevator up to the fourth floor and went along a wide hall carpeted in green and paneled in ivory. A cool breeze blew down the hall from the open screened door to the fire escape. | Bilo je deset do pet kad sam parkirao kod ulaza u aulu najmanje kuće na Randal Placeu. Nekoliko je prozora bilo osvijetljeno, a radio-aparati su meketali u sumraku. Povezao sam se automatskim dizalom do trećeg kata i prošao širokim hodnikom prekrivenim zeleno i obloženim u boji bjelokosti. Hladni je vjetrić pirio niz hodnik iz otvorenih mrežastih vrata požarnog izlaza. |
| There was a small ivory pushbutton beside the door marked “405.” I pushed it and waited what seemed a long time. Then the door opened noiselessly about a foot. There was a steady, furtive air in the way it opened. The man was long-legged, long-waisted, high-shouldered and he had dark brown eyes in a brown expressionless face that had learned to control its expressions long ago. Hair like steel wool grew far back on his head and gave him a great deal of domed brown forehead that might at a careless glance have seemed a dwelling place for brains. His somber eyes probed at me impersonally. His long thin brown fingers held the edge of the door. He said nothing. | Pokraj vrata označenih s »405« bilo je malo bjelokos-no dugme. Pritisnuo sam ga i pričekao, učinilo mi se, prilično dugo vremena. Tada su se vrata bez zvuka odškrinula tridesetak centimetara. U načinu otvaranja bila je nekakva oprezna, kradomična nota. Čovjek je bio dugonog, dugo-trup, visokih ramena; tamnosmeđe oči bile su mu na sme-đem bezizraznom licu što je još davno naučilo kontrolirati svoj izraz. Kosa nalik na čeličnu vunu rasla mu je daleko ostraga na tjemenu, ostavljajući mu priličan komad nad-svođenog snieđeg čela, koje bi se površnom pogledu moglo učiniti kao stanište mozga. Njegove su me turobne oči rezervirano sondirale. Dugi su mu i tanki smeđi prsti držali rub vrata. Nije rekao ništa. |
| I said: “Geiger?” | Rekoh: — Geiger? |
| Nothing in the man’s face changed that I could see. He brought a cigarette from behind the door and tucked it between his lips and drew a little smoke from it. The smoke came towards me in a lazy, contemptuous puff and behind it words in a cool, unhurried voice that had no more inflection than the voice of a faro dealer. | Ništa što bih mogao vidjeti nije se promijenilo na čovjekovu licu. Izvukao je cigaretu iza vrata, zataknuo je u usta i povukao iz nje kratki dim. Dim je pošao prema meni u lijenom, prezrivom ispuhu, a iza njega su išle riječi, izgovorene hladnim glasom bez žurbe, glasom u kojem nije bilo više modulacije negoli u krupjeovom. |
| “You said what?” | — Što ste rekli? |
| “Geiger. Arthur Gwynn Geiger. The guy that has the books.” | — Geiger. Arthur Gwynn Geiger. Tip koji je imao knjige- |
| The man considered that without any haste. He glanced down at the tip of his cigarette. His other hand, the one that had been holding the door, dropped out of sight. His shoulder had a look as though his hidden hand might be making motions. | Čovjek je to razmotrio bez žurbe. Bacio je pogled na vrh cigarete. Druga mu je ruka, ona kojom je držao vrata, potonula iz vidika. Sudeći po ramenu, skrivena mu je ruka mogla izvoditi nekakve pokrete. |
| “Don’t know anybody by that name,” he said. “Does he live around here?” | — Znate li ikoga s tim imenom? — upitao sam. — Živi li tu negdje? |
| I smiled. He didn’t like the smile. His eyes got nasty. I said: “You’re Joe Brody?” | Nasmiješio sam se. Smiješak mu se nije dopao. Oči su mu se prozlile. Rekoh: — Vi ste Joe Brody? |
| The brown face hardened. “So what? Got a grift, brother—or just amusing yourself?” | Smeđe se lice ukočilo. — I onda? Hvataš na foru, braco, ili se samo dobro zabavljaš? |
| “So you’re Joe Brody,” I said. “And you don’t know anybody named Geiger. That’s very funny.” | — I tako, vi ste Joe Brodv — rekoh. — I ne znate nikoga imenom Geiger. Vrlo duhovito. |
| “Yeah? You got a funny sense of humor maybe. Take it away and play on it somewhere else.” | — Jeee? Možda imate čudan smisao za humor. Nosite ga odavde i zabavite se njime negdje drugdje. |
| I leaned against the door and gave him a dreamy smile. “You got the books, Joe. I got the sucker list. We ought to talk things over.” | Naslonio sam se na vrata i poslao mu sneni smiješak. — Ti si pokupio knjige, Joe. Ja sam pokupio popis bezvez-njaka. Trebali bismo porazgovoriti o svemu. |
| He didn’t shift his eyes from my face. There was a faint sound in the room behind him, as though a metal curtain ring clicked lightly on a metal rod. He glanced sideways into the room. He opened the door wider. | Nije pomaknuo oči s mog lica. Iz prostorije iza njega dopro je slabašan zvuk, kao da su metalni prstenovi zavjese zazveckali po metalnoj šipci. Bacio je sa strane pogled u sobu. Šire je otvorio vrata. |
| “Why not—if you think you’ve got something?” he said coolly. He stood aside from the door. I went past him into the room. | — Zašto ne, ako misliš da imaš nešto? — rekao je hladno. Odstupio je u stranu od vrata. Prošao sam mimo njega i ušao u prostoriju. |
| It was a cheerful room with good furniture and not too much of it. French windows in the end wall opened on a stone porch and looked across the dusk at the foothills. Near the windows a closed door in the west wall and near the entrance door another door in the same wall. This last had a plush curtain drawn across it on a thin brass rod below the lintel. | Bila je to vedra soba s dobrim namještajem kojeg nije bilo previše. Francuski su se prozori na stražnjem zidu otvarali prema kamenom trijemu i gledali kroz sumrak na obronke. Pokraj prozora bila su zatvorena vrata na zapadnom zidu, a pokraj ulaznih još jedna vrata na istome zidu. Preko ovih je posljednjih bila navučena plišana zavjesa o-vješena o tanku bakrenu šipku ispod nadvoja. |
| That left the east wall, in which there were no doors. There was a davenport backed against the middle of it, so I sat down on the davenport. Brody shut the door and walked crab-fashion to a tall oak desk studded with square nails. A cedar-wood box with gilt hinges lay on the lowered leaf of the desk. He carried the box to an easy chair midway between the other two doors and sat down. I dropped my hat on the davenport and waited. | Ostaje, dakle, još istočni zid, na kojem nije bilo vrata. Tu je, na njegovoj sredini, bila mala sofa, i tako sam sjeo na nju. Brodv je zatvorio vrata i račjim korakom odšetao do visokog orahovog pisaćeg stola posutog četvrtastim čav-lićima. Na njegovoj spuštenoj preklopnoj ploči ležala je kutija od cedrovine s pozlaćenim šarkama. Prenio ju je do naslonjača što je bio na pola puta između dvoja vrata i zatim sjeo. Bacio sam šešir na sofu i počekao. |
| “Well, I’m listening,” Brody said. He opened the cigar box and dropped his cigarette stub into a dish at his side. He put a long thin cigar in his mouth. “Cigar?” He tossed one at me through the air. | — Dakle, slušam — rekao je Brodv. Otvorio je kutiju s cigarama i bacio čik u veliku pepeljaru što je bila kraj njega. Stavio je dugačku tanku cigaru u usta. — Cigaru? — Dobacio mi je jednu kroz zrak. |
| I reached for it. Brody took a gun out of the cigar box and pointed it at my nose. I looked at the gun. It was a black Police .39. I had no argument against it at the moment. | Posegnuo sam za njom. Brodv je izvadio pištolj iz kutije za cigare i uperio mi ga u nos. Pogledao sam ga. Bio je to crni policijski, kalibar .39. S njim se bar zasad nisam mogao upuštati u rasprave. |
| “Neat, huh?” Brody said. “Just kind of stand up a minute. Come forward just about two yards. You might grab a little air while you’re doing that.” His voice was the elaborately casual voice of the tough guy in pictures. Pictures have made them all like that. | — Zgodno, ha? — rekao je Brody. — Hajd' samo malo ustani na trenutak. Priđi samo, oko dva metra. Možeš trgnuti malo zraka dok to radiš. — Glas mu je bio razrađeno ležeran, kao glas žilavih momaka s filma. Filmovi su ih sve učinili takvima. |
| “Tsk, tsk,” I said, not moving at all. “Such a lot of guns around town and so few brains. You’re the second guy I’ve met within hours who seems to think a gat in the hand means a world by the tail. Put it down and don’t be silly, Joe.” | — C-c — rekoh, uopće se ne pomaknuvši. — Tako mnogo pucaljki po gradu, a tako malo soli. Ti si drugi tip kojeg sam sreo, u nekoliko sati, koji misli da je kevac u ruci cijeli svijet na grani. Spusti ga dolje i ne budi blesav, Joe. |
| His eyebrows came together and he pushed his chin at me. His eyes were mean. | Obrve su mu se spojile, izbacio je bradu prema meni. Oči su mu bile opake. |
| “The other guy’s name is Eddie Mars,” I said. “Ever hear of him?” | — Drugi se tip zove Eddie Mars — rekoh. — Ikad čuo za nj? |
| “No.” Brody kept the gun pointed at me. | — Ne. — Brody je i dalje držao pištolj uperen u mene. |
| “If he ever gets wise to where you were last night in the rain, he’ll wipe you off the way a check raiser wipes a check.” | — Ako mu se ikada prosvijetli gdje si noćas šetao po kiši, smrvit će te k'o beba zvečku. |
| “What would I be to Eddie Mars?” Brody asked coldly. But he lowered the gun to his knee. | — Što sam ja Eddiju Marsu? — upitao je Brody hladno. Ali je ipak spustio pištolj na koljeno. |
| “Not even a memory,” I said. | — Čak ni uspomena — odgovorio sam. |
| We stared at each other. I didn’t look at the pointed black slipper that showed under the plush curtain on the doorway to my left. | Zagledali smo se jedan u drugoga. Nisam skrenuo pogled na usiljenu crnu papuču što se pokazala ispod plišane zavjese na vratima lijevo. |
| Brody said quietly: “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a tough guy—just careful. I don’t know hell’s first whisper about you. You might be a life taker for all I know.” | Brody je rekao tiho: — Nemoj me krivo shvatiti. Nisam ja nikakav gadni tip; naprosto oprezan. Ne znam o tebi ni prvi glas iz pakla. Po svemu što znam, mogao si biti i skidač glava. |
| “You’re not careful enough,” I said. “That play with Geiger’s books was terrible.” | Nisi dovoljno oprezan — rekoh. — Ta je predstava s Geigerovim knjigama bila užasna. |
| He drew a long slow breath and let it out silently. Then he leaned back and crossed his long legs and held the Colt on his knee. | Uvukao je polako dugački udisaj i zatim ga tiho ispustio. Tad se zavalio, prekrižio dugačke noge i stavio kolt na koljeno. |
| “Don’t kid yourself I won’t use this heat, if I have to,” he said. “What’s your story?” | — Nemoj se zeznuti pa pomisliti da neću upotrijebiti ognjilo, ako budem morao — rekao je. — Kakva je tvoja priča? |
| “Have your friend with the pointed slippers come on in. She gets tired holding her breath.” | — Daj neka ti prijateljica s usiljenim papučama upadne k nama. Umorila se već zadržavajući dah. |
| Brody called out without moving his eyes off my stomach. “Come on in, Agnes.” | Brody ju je zazvao ne pomaknuvši oči s mog trbuha. — Upadaj, Agnes. £ |
| The curtain swung aside and the green-eyed, thigh-swinging ash blonde from Geiger’s store joined us in the room. She looked at me with a kind of mangled hatred. Her nostrils were pinched and her eyes had darkened a couple of shades. She looked very unhappy. “I knew damn well you were trouble,” she snapped at me. “I told Joe to watch his step.” | Zavjesa se zaljuljala u stranu i u sobi nam se pridružila zelenooka pepeljasta plavuša Ijuljavih bokova, cura iz Geigerova dućana. Pogledala me je s nekom vrstom izmrcvarene mržnje. Nosnice su joj bile stisnute, a oči su joj potamnjele za nekoliko nijansi. Izgledala je vrlo nesretno. — Znala sam prokleto dobro da će s vama biti problema — ispalila je na mene. — Rekla sam Joeu da pazi kud gazi. |
| “It’s not his step, it’s the back of his lap he ought to watch,” I said. | — Ne treba paziti kako gazi, nego da njega ne nagaze — rekoh. |
| “I suppose that’s funny,” the blonde squealed. | — Pretpostavljam da je to trebalo biti duhovito — zaskvičala je plavuša. |
| “It has been,” I said. “But it probably isn’t any more.” | — I bilo je — rekoh. — Ali je prestalo biti smiješno. |
| “Save the gags,” Brody advised me. “Joe’s watchin’ his step plenty. Put some light on so I can see to pop this guy, if it works out that way.” | — Štedi štosove — posavjetovao me Brody. — Joe jako dobro pazi kud hoda. Daj nam malo svjetla da mogu perforirati frajera ako nastavi kako je počeo. |
| The blonde snicked on a light in a big square standing lamp. She sank down into a chair beside the lamp and sat stiffly, as if her girdle was too tight. I put my cigar in my mouth and bit the end off. Brody’s Colt took a close interest in me while I got matches out and lit the cigar. I tasted the smoke and said: | Plavuša je ukvrcala svjetlo u velikoj četvrtastoj stojećoj lampi. Zatim je utonula u naslonjač pokraj nje i sjela ukočeno, kao da joj je pojas previše stegnut. Stavio sam cigaru u usta i odgrizao vršak. Brodvjev se kolt živo zainteresirao za mene kad sam izvadio šibice i pripalio. Okušao sam dim i rekao: |
| “The sucker list I spoke of is in code. I haven’t cracked it yet, but there are about five hundred names. You got twelve boxes of books that I know of. You should have at least five hundred books. There’ll be a bunch more out on loan, but say five hundred is the full crop, just to be cautious. If it’s a good active list and you could run it even fifty per cent down the line, that would be one hundred and twenty-five thousand rentals. Your girl friend knows about that. I’m only guessing. Put the average rental as low as you like, but it won’t be less than a dollar. That merchandise costs money. At a dollar a rental you take one hundred and twenty-five grand and you still have your capital. I mean, you still have Geiger’s capital. That’s enough to spot a guy for.” | — Popis klijentele o kojem sam govorio ispisan je šifrom. Nisam je još razriješio, ali tu može biti oko pet stotina imena. Ti si pokupio dvanaest sanduka knjiga, za koje ja znam. Trebao bi imati najmanje pet stotina svezaka. Posuđena bi morala biti još čitava hrpa, no recimo da cijela priča ima pet stotina komada, da budemo oprezni. Ako je to dobra, aktivna lista, i ako je možeš održati sa samo pedeset posto kapaciteta, to bi bilo sto dvadeset pet tisuća najamnine. Tvoja cura zna sve o tome. Ja samo nagađam. Neka najamnina bude koliko hoćeš niska, no neće biti manja od dolara. Jer roba košta novaca. Pri dolaru najamnine kupiš sto dvadeset pet somova i još ti uvijek ostaje glavnica. Mislim, ostaje ti Geigerova glavnica. Dovoljan razlog za ukrkati nekoga. |
| The blonde yelped: “You’re crazy, you goddam eggheaded—!” | Plavuša je zaštektala: — Ti blesavi, ti prokleti bućoglavi .. .! |
| Brody put his teeth sideways at her and snarled: “Pipe down, for Chrissake. Pipe down!” | Brody joj je iskesio zube i zarežao: — Zavrni pipac, za Krista. Zavrni pipac! |
| She subsided into an outraged mixture of slow anguish and bottled fury. Her silvery nails scraped on her knees. | Slegla ie u uvrijeđenu mješavinu tihe tjeskobe i zapečaćenog gnjeva. Srebrni su joj nokti grebli po koljenu. |
| “It’s no racket for bums,” I told Brody almost affectionately. “It takes a smooth worker like you, Joe. You’ve got to get confidence and keep it. People who spend their money for second-hand sex jags are as nervous as dowagers who can’t find the rest room. Personally I think the blackmail angles are a big mistake. I’m for shedding all that and sticking to legitimate sales and rentals.” | — Nije to šverc za protuhe — rekao sam Brodyju s gotovo nježnim osjećajima. — Tu je potreban solidan radnik, kao ti, Joe. Treba steći povjerenje i zadržati ga. Ljudi koji daju novac za rabljene seksualne dronjke nervozni su poput grofica koje ne mogu naći zahod. Osobno mislim da je ucjenjivačka strana posla bila velika pogreška. Ja sam za to da sve to odbacimo i držimo se legitimnog prodavanja i posuđivanja. |
| Brody’s dark brown stare moved up and down my face. His Colt went on hungering for my vital organs. “You’re a funny guy,” he said tonelessly. “Who has this lovely racket?” | Brodvjev mi se tamnosmeđi pogled pomicao licem gore i dolje. Kolt mu je i dalje gladovao za mojim vitalnim organima. — Ti si neki smiješan tip — rekao je bez intonacije. — Tko se bavi tim prekrasnim poslom? |
| “You have,” I said. “Almost.” | — Ti — rekoh. — Zamalo. |
| The blonde choked and clawed her ear. Brody didn’t say anything. He just looked at me. | Plavuša se zagrcnula i zadrapala se po uhu. Brody nije rekao ništa. Samo me je pogledao. |
| “What?” the blonde yelped. “You sit there and try to tell us Mr. Geiger ran the kind of business right down on the main drag? You’re nuts!” | — Što? — zalajala je plavuša. — Sjedite tu i pokušavate nas uvjeriti da je mister Geiger vodio takvu vrst posla nasred glavne ulice? Niste pri sebi! |
| I leered at her politely. “Sure I do. Everybody knows the racket exists. Hollywood’s made to order for it. If a thing like that has to exist, then right out on the street is where all practical coppers want it to exist. For the same reason they favor red light districts. They know where to flush the game when they want to.” | Uljudno sam joj se nacerio. — Sigurno da pokušavam. Svi znaju da to postoji. A HollywQod je kao stvoren za to. Ako tako nešto mora postojati, onda je ravno nasred ulice mjesto gdje svi praktični murjaci žele da to postoji. Zbog istih razloga izlaze na ruku kvartovima crvenih fenjera. Znaju gdje mogu stjerati lovinu kad zažele. |
| “My God,” the blonde wailed. “You let this cheesehead sit there and insult me, Joe? You with a gun in your hand and him holding nothing but a cigar and his thumb?” | — Moj bože — zakukala je plavuša. — Dopuštaš tom vodenoglavcu da sjedi tu, i da me vrijeđa, Joe? Ti s pištoljem u ruci, njemu koji nema ništa osim cigare i palca? |
| “I like it,” Brody said. “The guy’s got good ideas. Shut your trap and keep it shut, or I’ll slap it shut for you with this.” He flicked the gun around in an increasingly negligent manner. | — Sviđa mi se tako — rekao je Brody. — Tip ima dobre ideje. A ti zatvori klopotac i drži ga zatvorenim, ili ću ti ga zatvoriti ovim. — Uzmahao se pištoljem uokolo na sve bezobzirniji način. |
| The blonde gasped and turned her face to the wall. Brody looked at me and said cunningly: “How have I got that lovely racket?” | Plavuša je dahnula i okrenula lice zidu. Brody me je pogledao i rekao prefrigano: — Kako sam stekao taj dražesni posao? |
| “You shot Geiger to get it. Last night in the rain. It was dandy shooting weather. The trouble is he wasn’t alone when you whiffed him. Either you didn’t notice that, which seems unlikely, or you got the wind up and lammed. But you had nerve enough to take the plate out of his camera and you had nerve enough to come back later on and hide his corpse, so you could tidy up on the books before the law knew it had a murder to investigate.” | — Upucao si Geigera da ga dobiješ. Prošle noći po kiši. Bilo je to straobalno vrijeme za pucanje. Nevolja je što nije bio sam kad si ga upecao. Ili to nisi opazio, što mi se ne čini vjerojatno, ili te je uhvatila cvikavica pa si dao petama vjetra. Pa ipak si još imao živaca uzeti ploču iz kamere, imao si živaca kasnije doći i sakriti leš, tako da mo- žeš pospremiti knjige prije no što murija shvati da ima u-morstvo koje treba istražiti. |
| “Yah,” Brody said contemptuously. The Colt wobbled on his knee. His brown face was as hard as a piece of carved wood. “You take chances, mister. It’s kind of goddamned lucky for you I didn’t bop Geiger.” | — Jeee — rekao je Brody prezrivo. Kolt mu se zako-lebao na koljenu. Smeđe mu je lice bilo tvrdo kao komad izrezbarenog drveta. — Baš se igrate, dragi gospodine. Prokleto je sretna okolnost za tebe što nisam krknuo Geigera. |
| “You can step off for it just the same,” I told him cheerfully. “You’re made to order for the rap.” | — Svejedno zbog toga možeš pod ledinu — rekao sam mu veselim glasom. — Već si pripravljen da te zapakiraju. |
| Brody’s voice rustled. “Think you got me framed for it?” | Brodvjev je glas počeo šuškati. — Misliš da mi to možeš natovariti? |
| “Positive.” | — Potvrdno. |
| “How come?” | — Pa kako? |
| “There’s somebody who’ll tell it that way. I told you there was a witness. Don’t go simple on me, Joe.” | — Postoji netko tko će to tako ispričati. Rekao sam ti da postoji svjedok. Ne pravi se bedast. Joe. |
| He exploded then. “That goddamned little hot pants!” he yelled. “She would, god damn her! She would—just that!” | Tada je eksplodirao. — Proklete male vruće gaćice! — urliknuo je. — Ona bi, đavo je odnio? Ona bi... upravo tako! |
| I leaned back and grinned at him. “Swell. I thought you had those nude photos of her.” | Naslonio sam se i nacerio. — Jako dobro. Mislio sam si da ti imaš te njene golišave fotografije. |
| He didn’t say anything. The blonde didn’t say anything. I let them chew on it. Brody’s face cleared slowly, with a sort of grayish relief. He put his Colt down on the end table beside his chair but kept his right hand close to it. He knocked ash from his cigar on the carpet and stared at me with eyes that were a tight shine between narrowed lids. | Nije rekao ništa. Ni plavuša nije ništa rekla. Pustio sam ih da to malo probave. Brodvjevo se lice polako razvedrilo nekakvim sivkastim olakšanjem. Spustio je kolt na stolić pokraj naslonjača, ali je ostavio desnu ruku u njegovoj blizini. Kucnuo je cigaru i stresao pepeo na tepih, pa me pogledao očima koje su se pretvorile u stisnuti odsjaj između suženih kapaka. |
| “I guess you think I’m dumb,” Brody said. | — Pretpostavljam da me smatraš blesavim — kazao je Brody. |
| “Just average, for a grifter. Get the pictures.” | — Samo prosječno bistrim, za mutljaroša. Daj slike. |
| “What pictures?” | — Kakve slike? |
| I shook my head. “Wrong play, Joe. Innocence gets you nowhere. You were either there last night, or you got the nude photo from somebody that was there. You knew she was there, because you had your girl friend threaten Mrs. Regan with a police rap. The only ways you could know enough to do that would be by seeing what happened or by holding the photo and knowing where and when it was taken. Cough up and be sensible.” | Odmahnuo sam glavom. — Krivi scenarij, Joe. S nevi-nošću nećeš nikamo dospjeti. Ili si bio noćas ondje, ili si nabavio slike od nekoga tko je bio. Znaš da je ona bila tamo, jer si poslao svoju curu da prijeti gospođi Regan policijom. Jedini način da saznaš dovoljno da bi to mogao učiniti, bio je da vidiš što se dogodilo, ili da uzmeš fotografiju a znaš kad je i gdje snimljena. Istresi sve i budi pametan. |
| “I’d have to have a little dough,” Brody said. He turned his head a little to look at the green-eyed blonde. Not now green-eyed and only superficially a blonde. She was as limp as a fresh-killed rabbit. | — Moram namaknuti nešto kinte — rekao je Brody. Malo je zakrenuo glavu da bi pogledao zelenooku plavušu. Sada više ne zelenooku i samo na površini plavu. Bila je mlitava kao netom ubijem zec. |
| “No dough,” I said. | —- Nema love — rekoh. |
| He scowled bitterly. “How’d you get to me?” | Gorko se namrštio. — Kako si došao do mene? |
| I flicked my wallet out and let him look at my buzzer. “I was working on Geiger—for a client. I was outside last night, in the rain. I heard the shots. I crashed in. I didn’t see the killer. I saw everything else.” | Trzajem sam izvadio lisnicu i dao mu da pogleda znač-kicu. — Bavio sam se Geigerom, za klijenta. Bio sam prošle noći vani, na kiši. Začuo sam pucnje. Provalio sam unutra. Nisam vidio ubojicu. Ali sam vidio sve ostalo. |
| “And kept your lip buttoned,” Brody sneered. | — I zadržao usta zakopčana — podrugljivo se nacerio Brody. |
| I put my wallet away. “Yes,” I admitted. “Up till now. Do I get the photos or not?” | Sklonio sam lisnicu. — Da — priznao sam. — Sve do sada. Dobivani li fotografije ili ne? |
| “About these books,” Brody said. “I don’t get that.” | — U vezi tih knjiga — kazao je Brody, — to ne kopčam. |
| “I tailed them here from Geiger’s store. I have a witness.” | — Slijedio sam ih dovde od Geigerova dućana. Imam svjedoka. |
| “That punk kid?” | — Onaj musavi klinjo? |
| “What punk kid?” | — Koji musavi klinjo? |
| He scowled again. “The kid that works at the store. He skipped out after the truck left. Agnes don’t even know where he flops.” | Ponovno se namrštio. — Onaj klinjo koji radi u dućanu. Odskakutao je nakon što je kamion otišao. Agoes ne zna čak ni gdje hrče. |
| “That helps,” I said, grinning at him. “That angle worried me a little. Either of you ever been in Geiger’s house—before last night?” | — To će pomoći — rekoh, bacajući mu jedan cer. — Ta me strana stvari pomalo brinula. Ijedno od vas ikad bilo u Geigerovoj kući prije prošle noći? |
| “Not even last night,” Brody said sharply. “So she says I gunned him, eh?” | — Čak ni prošle noći — odgovorio je Brody oštro. — I tako ona veli da sam ga ja upucao, ha? |
| “With the photos in hand I might be able to convince her she was wrong. There was a little drinking being done.” | — S fotosima u rukama možda bih je mogao uvjeriti da se prevarila. Tamo su se malo bavili lokanjem. |
| Brody sighed. “She hates my guts. I bounced her out. I got paid, sure, but I’d of had to do it anyway. She’s too screwy for a simple guy like me.” He cleared his throat. “How about a little dough? I’m down to nickels. Agnes and me gotta move on.” | Brody je uzdahnuo. — Mrzi me do srži. Scipelirao sam je. Dobio sam za to pare, sigurno, ali bih to svejedno morao napraviti. Suviše zasukana za jednostavnog tipa kakav sam ja. — Pročistio je grlo. — A što veliš na malo kinte? Srezan sam do bakrenjaka. Agnes i ja moramo se maknuti. |
| “Not from my client.” | — Ne od mog klijenta. |
| “Listen—” | — Slušaj... |
| “Get the pictures, Brody.” | — Daj slike, Brody. |
| “Oh, hell,” he said. “You win.” He stood up and slipped the Colt into his side pocket. His left hand went up inside his coat. He was holding it there, his face twisted with disgust, when the door buzzer rang and kept on ringing. | — O, đavlu — reče. — Dobio si. — Ustao je i kliznuo kolt u vanjski džep. Lijeva mu je ruka pošla pod sako. Zadržao ju je ondje, dok mu se lice krivilo od gađenja, sve dok zujalo nije zazvonilo i nastavilo zvoniti. |