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| 16 | |
| I went over to the folded-back French window and looked at the small broken pane in the upper part of it. The bullet from Carmen’s gun had smashed the glass like a blow. It had not made a hole. There was a small hole in the plaster which a keen eye would find quickly enough. I pulled the drapes over the broken pane and took Carmen’s gun out of my pocket. It was a Banker’s Special, .22 caliber, hollow point cartridges. It had a pearl grip, and a small round silver plate set into the butt was engraved: “Carmen from Owen.” She made saps of all of them. | Prešao sam do otvorenog francuskog prozora i pogledao malo razbijeno staklo na njegovu gornjem dijelu. Zrno ga je iz Carmeninog pištolja rasteplo kao udarcem. Nije izbušilo rupu. U žbuci je bila rupica koju bi oštro oko vrlo brzo pronašlo. Navukao sam zavjese preko razbijenog stakla i izvadio Carmenin revolver iz džepa. Bio je to banker's special, kalibar 0.22, meci s udubljenim vrhom. Imao je sedefnu dršku, a u malu je okruglu srebrnu pločicu ugrađenu u kundak bilo ugravirano: »Carmen od Owena«. Napravila je budale iz sviju njih. |
| I put the gun back in my pocket and sat down close to Brody and stared into his bleak brown eyes. A minute passed. The blonde adjusted her face by the aid of a pocket mirror. Brody fumbled around with a cigarette and jerked: “Satisfied?” | Vratio sam revolver u džep, sjeo tik do Brodvja i zagledao mu se u sumorne smeđe oči. Prošla je minuta. Plavuša je sređivala lice uz pomoć džepnog ogledalca. Brodv se rašeprtljao oko cigarete i onda protepao: — Zadovoljan? |
| “So far. Why did you put the bite on Mrs. Regan instead of the old man?” | — Do sada da. Zašto si zagrizao u gospođu Regan umjesto u staroga? |
| “Tapped the old man once. About six, seven months ago. I figure maybe he gets sore enough to call in some law.” | — Već sam mu jednom pustio krv. Prije šest, sedam mjeseci. Pa sam si mislio da ga ne bi zaboljele tako jako da pozove muriju. |
| “What made you think Mrs. Regan wouldn’t tell him about it?” | — A što te navelo na misao da mu gospođa Regan neće reći ništa o tome? |
| He considered that with some care, smoking his cigarette and keeping his eyes on my face. Finally he said: “How well you know her?” | Razmišljao je o tome s dosta pažnje, pušeći cigaretu i ne skidajući mi oči s lica. Napokon reče: — Koliko je dobro znaš? |
| “I’ve met her twice. You must know her a lot better to take a chance on that squeeze with the photo.” | — Sreo sam je dvaput. Ti si je morao znati mnogo bolje da se upustiš u rizik cijeđenja tom fotografijom. |
| “She skates around plenty. I figure maybe she has a couple of soft spots she don’t want the old man to know about. I figure she can raise five grand easy.” | — Puno vrda okolo. Mislio sam, možda ima nekoliko bolnih točaka za koje ne želi da stari zna. Mislio sam da lako može skupiti pet biljki. |
| “A little weak,” I said. “But pass it. You’re broke, eh?” | — Malo šepavo — rekoh. — No pređimo preko toga. Pod stečajem si, ha? |
| “I been shaking two nickels together for a month, trying to get them to mate.” | — Čitav sam mjesec tresao dva bakrenjaka, pokušavajući ih natjerati da se spare. |
| “What you do for a living?” | — Što radiš za kruh? |
| “Insurance. I got desk room in Puss Walgreen’s office, Fulwider Building, Western and Santa Monica.” | — Osiguranje. Imam iznajmljen komad stola u uredu Pussa Walgreena, Fulwider Building, Western and Santa Monica. |
| “When you open up, you open up. The books here in your apartment?” | — Kad si se razvezao, onda se razveži. Te knjigu tu u tvom stanu? |
| He snapped his teeth and waved a brown hand. Confidence was oozing back into his manner. “Hell, no. In storage.” | Škljocnuo je zubima i odmahnuo smeđom rukom. Samopouzdanje mu se opet kap po kap počelo vraćati u manire. — Do đavola, ne. Pohrana. |
| “You had a man bring them here and then you had a storage outfit come and take them away again right afterwards?” | — Sredio si da ti ih čovjek donese, a poslije ćeš srediti da ti dođe ekipa za selidbu i da ih odmah poslije isto tako odnese? |
| “Sure. I don’t want them moved direct from Geiger’s place, do I?” | — Sigurno. Ne želim ih micati izravno iz Geigerova lo-i, je li tako? |
| “You’re smart,” I said admiringly. “Anything incriminating in the joint right now?” | — Bistar si ti — rekoh zadivljeno. — Išta inkrimini-rajuće u rupi ovog časa? |
| He looked worried again. He shook his head sharply. | Ponovno je počeo djelovati zabrinuto. Oštro je odmahnuo glavom. |
| “That’s fine,” I told him. I looked across at Agnes. She had finished fixing her face and was staring at the wall, blank-eyed, hardly listening. Her face had the drowsiness which strain and shock induce, after their first incidence. | — To je dobro — rekoh mu. Bacio sam pogled prijeko na Agnes. Završila je sređivanje lica i sad je zurila u zid, tupih očiju, jedva slušajući. Na licu joj je bila smućenost koju izazivaju napetosti i šokovi, nakon svog prvog nastupa. , |
| Brody flicked his eyes warily. “Well?” | Brody je oprezno kvrcnuo očima. — Dakle? |
| “How’d you come by the photo?” | — Kako si se našao u blizini fotografije? |
| He scowled. “Listen, you got what you came after, got it plenty cheap. You done a nice neat job. Now go peddle it to your top man. I’m clean. I don’t know nothing about any photo, do I, Agnes?” | Namrštio se. — Čuj, dobio si po što si došao, i dobio prilično jeftino. Napravio si krasan čist posao. Idi sad i utrapi to onom iznad sebe. Ja sam čist. Ja ni ne znam ništa ni o kakvoj fotografiji, je li da ne, Agnes? |
| The blonde opened her eyes and looked at him with vague but uncomplimentary speculation. “A half smart guy,” she said with a tired sniff. “That’s all I ever draw. Never once a guy that’s smart all the way around the course. Never once.” | Plavuša je otvorila oči i pogledala ga pogledom neodređenog, no svakako ne baš laskavog promišljanja. — Napola bistar tip — rekla je umorno šmrknuvši. — To je sve što uvijek izvučeni. Niti jednom tip koji bi bio bistar čitavom stazom. Niti jednom. |
| I grinned at her. “Did I hurt your head much?” | Nacerio sam joj se. — Jesam li vam jako nabio glavu? |
| “You and every other man I ever met.” | — I ti i svaki drugi muškarac kojeg sam ikada srela. |
| I looked back at Brody. He was pinching his cigarette between his fingers, with a sort of twitch. His hand seemed to be shaking a little. His brown poker face was still smooth. | Vratio sam pogled na Brodvja. Stezao je cigaretu između prstiju kao u nekakvom grču. Činilo se da mu se ruka malo trese. Njegovo je smeđe skamenjeno lice i sad bilo sasvim prazno. |
| “We’ve got to agree on a story,” I said. “For instance, Carmen wasn’t here. That’s very important. She wasn’t here. That was a vision you saw.” | — Moramo se složiti oko priče — rekoh. — Na primjer, Carmen nije bila ovdje. To je vrlo važno. Nije bila ovdje. To što si vidio bila je prikaza. |
| “Huh!” Brody sneered. “If you say so, pal, and if—” he put his hand out palm up and cupped the fingers and rolled the thumb gently against the index and middle fingers. | — Ha! — podrugljivo se nakesio Brody. — Ako ti tako veliš, pajdo, i ako ... — ispružio je ruku s dlanom prema gore, zatim skupio prste u stožac i blago protrljao palac o kažiprst i srednjak. |
| I nodded. “We’ll see. There might be a small contribution. You won’t count it in grands, though. Now where did you get the picture?” | Kimnuo sam. — Vidjet ćemo. Možda bude mali prilog. Premda ga nećeš prebrojavati u somovima. A sada, gdje si pokupio sliku? |
| “A guy slipped it to me.” | — Neki mi ju je tip gurnuo. |
| “Uh-huh. A guy you just passed in the street. You wouldn’t know him again. You never saw him before.” | — A-ha. Tip kraj kojeg si samo prošao na ulici. Da ga vidiš ponovno, ne bi ga prepoznao. Nikad ga prije nisi vidio. |
| Brody yawned. “It dropped out of his pocket,” he leered. | Brody je zijevnuo. — Ispala mu je iz džepa — napravio je posprdnu grimasu. |
| “Uh-huh. Got an alibi for last night, poker pan?” | — A-ha. Imaš alibi za prošlu noć, sfingina faco? |
| “Sure. I was right here. Agnes was with me. Okay, Agnes?” | — Sigurno. Bio sam baš ovdje. Agnes je bila sa mnom. Okej, Agnes? |
| “I’m beginning to feel sorry for you again,” I said. His eyes flicked wide and his mouth hung loose, the cigarette balanced on his lower lip. | — Ponovno te počinjem žaliti — rekoh. Oči su mu se u trzaju otvorile a usta mu se ovjesila, dok mu se cigareta ljuljala na donjoj usnici. |
| “You think you’re smart and you’re so goddamned dumb,” I told him. “Even if you don’t dance off up in Quentin, you have such a bleak long lonely time ahead of you.” | — Misliš da si jako bistar, a glup si ko noć — kazao sam mu. — Ako i ne zatrzaš nogama u Ouentinu, pred tobom je tako čemerno, dugo, usamljeno razdoblje. |
| His cigarette jerked and dropped ash on his vest. | Cigareta mu je poskočila i ispustila mu pepeo na odijelo. |
| “Thinking about how smart you are,” I said. | — Za kojeg ćeš razmišljati kako si bistar — rekoh. |
| “Take the air,” he growled suddenly. “Dust. I got enough chinning with you. Beat it.” | — Idi udahni zraka — zarežao je iznenada. — Magla. Dosta sam se nabrljao s tobom. Čisti se. |
| “Okay.” I stood up and went over to the tall oak desk and took his two guns out of my pockets, laid them side by side on the blotter so that the barrels were exactly parallel. I reached my hat off the floor beside the davenport and started for the door. | — Okej. — Ustao sam i prešao do visokog pisaćeg stola od tikovine, izvadio dva pištolja iz džepova i položio ih jedan kraj drugoga na podložak tako da su im cijevi bile točno paralelne. Dosegnuo sam šešir s poda pokraj sofe i pošao prema vratima. |
| Brody yelped: “Hey!” | Brody je kevnuo: — Hej! |
| I turned and waited. His cigarette was jiggling like a doll on a coiled spring. “Everything’s smooth, ain’t it?” he asked. | Okrenuo sam se i pocekao. Cigareta mu se drmala kao lutka na spiralnom peru. — Sve glatko, nije li? — upitao ie. |
| “Why, sure. This is a free country. You don’t have to stay out of jail, if you don’t want to. That is, if you’re a citizen. Are you a citizen?” | — Zašto ne, jasno. Ovo je slobodna zemlja. Ne moraš biti izvan zatvora ako to ne želiš. To jest, ako imaš državljanstvo. A imaš li? |
| He just stared at me, jiggling the cigarette. The blonde Agnes turned her head slowly and stared at me along the same level. Their glances contained almost the exact same blend of foxiness, doubt and frustrated anger. Agnes reached her silvery nails up abruptly and yanked a hair out of her head and broke it between her fingers, with a bitter jerk. | Samo je buljio u mene, drmajući cigaretom. Plava je Agnes polako okrenula glavu i zabuljila se u mene po istim notama. Njihovi su pogledi sadržavali gotovo sasvim istu mješavinu lisičjeg mentaliteta, sumnje i frustrirane ljutnje. Agnes je naglo posegnula srebrnim noktima prema gore, čupnula kosu iz glave i samljela je među prstima, uz gorki trzaj. |
| Brody said tightly: “You’re not going to any cops, brother. Not if it’s the Sternwoods you’re working for. I’ve got too much stuff on that family. You got your pictures and you got your hush. Go and peddle your papers.” | Brody je rekao grubo: — Nećeš otići nikakvim murja-cima, braco. Ne ako su Sternwoodovi oni za koje radiš. Skupio sam previše materijala o toj familiji. Dobio si svoje slike i dobio si svoj pst-pst. Idi i gledaj svoja posla. |
| “Make your mind up,” I said. “You told me to dust, I was on my way out, you hollered at me and I stopped, and now I’m on my way out again. Is that what you want?” | — Odluči se napokon — rekoh. Rekao si mi da se kupim, upravo sam izlazio, kad si zaurlao na mene i ja sam stao, a sad sam opet na putu napolje. Je li to ono što želiš? |
| “You ain’t got anything on me,” Brody said. | — Ne možeš mi ništa prilijepiti — rekao je Brody. |
| “Just a couple of murders. Small change in your circle.” | — Samo par umorstava. Mala promjena u krugu prijatelja. |
| He didn’t jump more than an inch, but it looked like a foot. The white cornea showed all around the tobacco-colored iris of his eyes. The brown skin of his face took on a greenish tinge in the lamplight. | Nije odskočio više od dva prsta, no učinilo se kao dva pedlja. Bijela mu se bjeloočnica pokazala svud oko šarenice boje duhana. Smeđa mu je boja lica pri umjetnom svjetlu dobila zelenu primjesu. |
| Blonde Agnes let out a low animal wail and buried her head in a cushion on the end of the davenport. I stood there and admired the long line of her thighs. | Plava je Agnes ispustila životinjski krik i zakopala glavu u jastuk na kraju sofe. Stajao sam tamo i divio se dugim linijama njenih bedara. |
| Brody moistened his lips slowly and said: “Sit down, pal. Maybe I have a little more for you. What’s that crack about two murders mean?” | Brody je polako navlažio usnice i rekao: — Sjedi, bra-jo. Možda imam još nešto za tebe. Što znači taj spust o dva umorstva ? |
| I leaned against the door. “Where were you last night about seven-thirty, Joe?” | Naslonio sam se na vrata. — Gdje si bio sinoć oko se-dem i pol, Joe? |
| His mouth drooped sulkily and he stared down at the floor. “I was watching a guy, a guy who had a nice racket I figured he needed a partner in. Geiger. I was watching him now and then to see had he any tough connections. I figure he has friends or he don’t work the racket as open as he does. But they don’t go to his house. Only dames.” | Usta su mu se mrzovoljno objesila, a on se zapiljio u pod. — Držao sam na oku tipa, koji je imao krasan posao za koji sam mozgao da treba partnera. Geigera. Pazio sam na njega tu i tamo da vidim ima li kakve čvrste veze. Mislio sam da ima prijatelje, inače ne bi vodio posao tako otvoreno kao što ga je vodio. Ali oni mu nisu dolazili kući. Samo dame. |
| “You didn’t watch hard enough,” I said. “Go on.” | — Nisi se dovoljno trudio kad si promatrao — rekoh. — Idemo dalje. |
| “I’m there last night on the street below Geiger’s house. It’s raining hard and I’m buttoned up in my coupe and I don’t see anything. There’s a car in front of Geiger’s and another car a little way up the hill. That’s why I stay down below. There’s a big Buick parked down where I am and after a while I go over and take a gander into it. It’s registered to Vivian Regan. Nothing happens, so I scram. That’s all.” He waved his cigarette. His eyes crawled up and down my face. | — Prošle sam večeri bio ondje, na ulici ispod Geige-rove kuće. Gadno je kišilo, i ja sam se zakopčao u svoja kola, i nisam vidio ništa. Bio je neki automobil ispred Geigera, i još jedan malo više uzbrdo. To je ono zbog čega sam ostao niže. Bio je veliki buick parkiran dolje gdje sam bio, i nakon nekog vremena prešao sam da škicnem u njega. Bio je registriran na Vivian Regan. Ništa se ne događa, i tako sam otperjašio. To je sve. — Zanjihao je cigaretu. Oči su mu puzale uz i niz moje lice. |
| “Could be,” I said. “Know where that Buick is now?” | — Može biti — rekoh. — Znaš gdje je taj buick sada? |
| “Why would I?” | — Otkud da znam? |
| “In the Sheriff’s garage. It was lifted out of twelve feet of water off Lido fish pier this a.m. There was a dead man in it. He had been sapped and the car pointed out the pier and the hand throttle pulled down.” | — U šerif ovoj garaži. Izvađen iz četiri metra vode kraj ribarskog mola u Lidu, u jutarnje sate. Bio je mrtvac u njemu. Mlatnut po glavi, kola usmjerena na molo i spušten ručni gas. |
| Brody was breathing hard. One of his feet tapped restlessly. “Jesus, guy, you can’t pin that one on me,” he said thickly. | Brody je teško disao. Jedna mu je noga nemirno lupkala. — Isuse, čovječe, ne možeš mi to prikačiti — rekao je muklim glasom. |
| “Why not? This Buick was down back of Geiger’s according to you. Well, Mrs. Regan didn’t have it out. Her chauffeur, a lad named Owen Taylor, had it out. He went over to Geiger’s place to have words with him, because Owen Taylor was sweet on Carmen, and he didn’t like the kind of games Geiger was playing with her. He let himself in the back way with a jimmy and a gun and he caught Geiger taking a photo of Carmen without any clothes on. So his gun went off, as guns will, and Geiger fell down dead and Owen ran away, but not without the photo negative Geiger had just taken. So you ran after him and took the photo from him. How else would you have got hold of it?” | — Zašto ne? Prema tebi, buick je bio dolje iza Geige-rove kuće. Dakle, gospođa ga Regan nije izvezla. Izvezao ga je njen šofer, dečko imenom Owen Tavlor. Otišao je do Gei-gefove baze da izmijeni s njim pokoju riječ, jer je suzio za Carmen, i nije mu se sviđala vrst igre koju ovaj s njom igra. Dao se kroz stražnji ulaz s pajserom i pucom i zatekao Geigera kako snima Carmen bez krpice na sebi. I tako je pištolj opalio, što se pištoljima događa, Geiger se srušio mrtav a Owen je pobjegao, ali bez fotografskog negativa koji je Geiger upravo snimio. I tako si ti potrčao za njim i uzeo mu fotku. Kako bi inače došao do nje? |
| Brody licked his lips. “Yeah,” he said. “But that don’t make me knock him off. Sure, I heard the shots and saw this killer come slamming down the back steps into the Buick and off. I took out after him. He hit the bottom of the canyon and went west on Sunset. Beyond Beverly Hills he skidded off the road and had to stop and I came up and played copper. He had a gun but his nerve was bad and I sapped him down. So I went through his clothes and found out who he was and I lifted the plate-holder, just out of curiosity. I was wondering what it was all about and getting my neck wet when he came out of it all of a sudden and knocked me off the car. He was out of sight when I picked myself up. That’s the last I saw of him.” | Brody je liznuo usnice. — Jeee — rekao je. — Ali iz toga ne slijedi da sam ga ja ohladio. Sigurno da sam čuo pucnje i vidio ubojicu kako lupa niz stražnje stepenice, u-pada u buick i nestaje. Izvukao sam se za njim. Ovaj je jurnuo do kraja kanjona i pošao zapadno u Sunset. Iza Be-verly Hillsa je skliznuo sa ceste pa sam morao zaustaviti; pojavio sam se i igrao se murjaka. Imao je pištolj ali su mu živci bili nikakvi, i tako sam ga bubnuo po glavi. I tako sam mu prošao kroz odjeću i otkrio tko je, i digao sam mu fotografsku ploču iz čiste znatiželje. Upravo sam se pitao oko čega se sve to vrti, dok mi se kiša slijevala za vrat, kad je on iznebuha došao k sebi i kresnuo me kraj kola. Nije ga bilo na vidiku kad sam se uspio skupiti. To je bilo zadnje što sam od njega vidio. |
| “How did you know it was Geiger he shot?” I asked gruffly. | — Kako znaš da je Geiger bio taj kojeg je upucao? — upitao sam osorno. |
| Brody shrugged. “I figure it was, but I can be wrong. When I had the plate developed and saw what was on it, I was pretty damn sure. And when Geiger didn’t come down to the store this morning and didn’t answer his phone I was plenty sure. So I figure it’s a good time to move his books out and make a quick touch on the Sternwoods for travel money and blow for a while.” | Brodv je slegnuo ramenima. — Rekao bih da jest, ali možda griješim. Kad sam dao razviti ploču i vidio što je na njoj, bio sam prokleto vraški siguran. A kada se jutros Geiger nije spustio do svog dućana, i kad nije odgovorio na telefon, bio sam prilično ziher. Tako sam smozgao da je pravo vrijeme da iselim knjige, nabrzinu užicam od Stern-woodovih lovu za putne troškove, pa isparim na neko vrijeme. |
| I nodded. “That seems reasonable. Maybe you didn’t murder anybody at that. Where did you hide Geiger’s body?” | Kimnuo sam. — To se čini razložno. Uz to, možda i nisi nikog ubio. Gdje si sakrio Geigerov leš? |
| He jumped his eyebrows. Then he grinned. “Nix, nix. Skip it. You think I’d go back there and handle him, not knowing when a couple carloads of law would come tearing around the corner? Nix.” | Obrve su mu poskočile. Onda se nacerio. — Ništa, ništa. Preskoči. Misliš da sam se vratio tamo i zabavljao se njime, dok nisam znao kad će se iza ugla pojaviti nekoliko automobila krcatih žurnim murjacima? Ništa. |
| “Somebody hid the body,” I said. | — Netko je sakrio leš — rekoh. |
| Brody shrugged. The grin stayed on his face. He didn’t believe me. While he was still not believing me the door buzzer started to ring again. Brody stood up sharply, hard-eyed. He glanced over at his guns on the desk. | Brodv je slegnuo ramenima. Cer mu je ostao na licu. Nije mi vjerovao. Dok mi je i dalje nastavljao nevjerovati, zujalo je na vratima ponovno počelo zvoniti. Đrodv je oštro ustao, sa opakim pogledom u očima. Pogledao je svoj pištolj na pisaćem stolu. |
| “So she’s back again,” he growled. | — I tako, evo je opet natrag — progundrao je. |
| “If she is, she doesn’t have her guns!” I comforted him. “Don’t you have any other friends?” | — Ako je ona, nema pištolja — umirio sam ga. — I-maš li još kojeg prijatelja? |
| “Just about one,” he growled. “I got enough of this puss in the corner game.” He marched to the desk and took the Colt. He held it down at his side and went to the door. He put his left hand to the knob and twisted it and opened the door a foot and leaned into the opening, holding the gun tight against his thigh. | — Otprilike samo jednog — zagunđao je. — Puna mi je već mjera tog derleta u toj igri lovice. — Odmarširao je do stola i uzeo kolt. Spustio ga je niz bok i otišao do vrata. Stavio je lijevu ruku na kvaku i okrenuo je, otvorio vrata i nagnuo se kroz nastali otvor, držeći pištolj čvrsto uz bedro. |
| A voice said: “Brody?” | Neki je glas rekao: — Brody? |
| Brody said something I didn’t hear. The two quick reports were muffled. The gun must have been pressed tight against Brody’s body. He tilted forward against the door and the weight of his body pushed it shut with a bang. He slid down the wood. His feet pushed the carpet away behind him. His left hand dropped off the knob and the arm slapped the floor with a thud. His head was wedged against the door. He didn’t move. The Colt clung to his right hand. | Brodv je odgovorio nešto što nisam čuo. Dvije su brze detonacije bile prigušene. Mora da je pištolj bio pritisnut tik uz Brodvjevo tijelo. Nakrivio se naprijed, naslonjen na vrata, i težina ih je njegova tijela uz prasak zatvorila. Kliz-nuo je niz drvo. Stopala su mu odgurnula tepih iza njega. Lijeva mu je šaka spala s kvake, i ruka mu je uz mukli udarac pljesnula o pod. Glava mu je bila prikovana uz vrata. Nije se micao. Kolt mu se prilijepio za desnicu. |
| I jumped across the room and rolled him enough to get the door open and crowd through. A woman peered out of a door almost opposite. Her face was full of fright and she pointed along the hall with a claw-like hand. | Preskočio sam preko sobe i prevalio ga taman dovoljno da uspijem otvoriti vrata i provući se kroz otvor. Neka je žena zirnula iz vratiju postavljenih gotovo nasuprot. Lice joj je bilo puno straha; uprla je niz hodnik rukom nalik na pandžu. |
| I raced down the hall and heard thumping feet going down the tile steps and went down after the sound. At the lobby level the front door was closing itself quietly and running feet slapped the sidewalk outside. I made the door before it was shut, clawed it open again and charged out. A tall hatless figure in a leather jerkin was running diagonally across the street between the parked cars. The figure turned and flame spurted from it. Two heavy hammers hit the stucco wall beside me. The figure ran on, dodged between two cars, vanished. | JZatrčao sam se niz hodnik, čuo bubanje nogu kako se spušta niz opločane stepenice i krenuo dolje za zvukom. Na razini aule ulazna su se vrata tiho zatvarala, dok su napolju noge u trku pljeskale po pločniku. Bio sam na vratima prije no što su se zatvorila, grčevito ih zgrabio i otvorio, pa jurnuo van. Visoka je prilika bez šešira, u kožnatom kapu-tiću, trčala dijagonalno preko ulice između parkiranih automobila. Prilika se okrenula i od nje je suknuo plamen. Dva su teška kladiva pogodila žbuku kraj mene. Prilika je nastavila trčati, izmaknula između dvojih kola, nestala. |
| A man came up beside me and barked: “What happened?” | Kraj mene se stvorio neki čovjek i zaštektao: — Što se dogodilo? |
| “Shooting going on,” I said. | — Pucnjava u toku — rekoh. |
| “Jesus!” He scuttled into the apartment house. | — Isuse! — Smugnuo je u najamnu kuću. |
| I walked quickly down the sidewalk to my car and got in and started it. I pulled out from the curb and drove down the hill, not fast. No other car started up on the other side of the street. I thought I heard steps, but I wasn’t sure about that. I rode down the hill a block and a half, turned at the intersection and started back up. The sound of a muted whistling came to me faintly along the sidewalk. Then steps. I double parked and slid out between two cars and went down low. I took Carmen’s little revolver out of my pocket. | Zakoračio sam brzo niz pločnik do svog automobila, ušao i pokrenuo ga. Odvukao sam se od rubnika i povezao niz brijeg, ali ne brzo. Ni jedan se drugi automobil nije pokrenuo na drugoj strani ulice. Učinilo mi se da čujem korake, ali nisam u to bio siguran. Povezao sam se niz brijeg blok i pol, zaokrenuo na presjecištu i zavezao natrag uzbrdo. Najednom je do mene s pločnika dopro slabašni zvuk prigušenog zviždanja. Zatim koraka. Parkirao sam između dva mjesta, klisnuo između dva automobila i nisko se pognuo. Izvadio sam iz džepa Carmenin mali revolver. |
| The sound of the steps grew louder, and the whistling went on cheerfully. In a moment the jerkin showed. I stepped out between the two cars and said: “Got a match, buddy?” | Zvuk je koraka postao glasniji, a veselo se zviždukanje nastavilo. Trenutak kasnije pokazao se kožni kaputić. Iskoračio sam između dvojih kola i rekao: — Imaš šibicu, stari? |
| The boy spun towards me and his right hand darted up to go inside the jerkin. His eyes were a wet shine in the glow of the round electroliers. Moist dark eyes shaped like almonds, and a pallid handsome face with wavy black hair growing low on the forehead in two points. A very handsome boy indeed, the boy from Geiger’s store. | Dečko se zavrtio prema meni a desna mu se ruka hitiiu-la gore da posegne u unutrašnjost kaputića. Oči su mu bile mokri odsjaj u prigušenom svjetlu okruglih električnih svjetiljaka. Vlažne tamne oči bademastog oblika i blijedo lijepo lice s valovitom crnom kosom što mu je u dva izdanka rasla nisko na čelu. Zaista vrlo lijep dečko, dečko iz Gei-gerova dućana. |
| He stood there looking at me silently, his right hand on the edge of the jerkin, but not inside it yet. I held the little revolver down at my side. | Stajao je ondje gledajući me bez riječi, s desnicom na rubu kaputića, no ipak ne unutar njega. Dolje uz bok držao sam mali revolver. |
| “You must have thought a lot of that queen,” I said. | — Mora da si mnogo mislio na svoju princezu — rekoh. |
| “Go——yourself,” the boy said softly, motionless between the parked cars and the five-foot retaining wall on the inside of the sidewalk. | — Idi,... se — rekao je dečko blago, nepomičan između parkiranih automobila i metar i pol visokog potpornog zida s nutarnje strane nogostupa. |
| A siren wailed distantly coming up the long hill. The boy’s head jerked towards the sound. I stepped in close and put my gun into his jerkin. | U daljini je zaplakala sirena penjući se uz dugački uspon. Dječakova se glava trznula prema zvuku. Zakoračio sam mu bliže i stavio mu revolver na kaputić. |
| “Me or the cops?” I asked him. His head rolled a little sideways as if I had slapped his face. “Who are you?” he snarled. | — Ja ili žbiri? — upitao sam ga. Glava mu se zavaljala na stranu kao da sam ga ošama-rio. — Tko si ti? — promrsio je. |
| “Friend of Geiger’s.” | — Geigerov prijatelj. |
| “Get away from me, you son of a bitch.” | — Goni se od mene, ti kujin sine. |
| “This is a small gun, kid. I’ll give it you through the navel and it will take three months to get you well enough to walk. But you’ll get well. So you can walk to the nice new gas chamber up in Quentin.” | — Ovo je mali pištolj, klinjo. Poslat ću ti ga kroz pupak pa će ti trebati tri mjeseca da staneš na noge. Ali ćeš se oporaviti. Tako da možeš odšetati do lijepe nove plinske komore gore u Ouentinu. |
| He said: “Go——yourself.” His hand moved inside the jerkin. I pressed harder on his stomach. He let out a long soft sigh, took his hand away from the jerkin and let it fall limp at his side. His wide shoulders sagged. “What you want?” he whispered. | Rekao je: — Idi,... se. — Ruka mu je krenula unutra u kaputić. Jače sam mu pritisnuo na trbuh. Ispustio je dugački lagani uzdah, maknuo ruku dalje od kaputića i pustio je da mu se mlitavo sruši niz bok. Široka su mu se ramena ovjesila. — Što hoćeš? — prošaptao je. |
| I reached inside the jerkin and plucked out the automatic. “Get into my car, kid.” | Posegnuo sam u kaputić i iščupao mu automatski pištolj. — Upadaj u auto, klinjo. |
| He stepped past me and I crowded him from behind. He got into the car. | Zakoračio je pokraj mene, a ja sam mu se nabio za leđima. Ušao je u kola. |
| “Under the wheel, kid. You drive.” | — Za volan, klinjo. Ti voziš. |
| He slid under the wheel and I got into the car beside him. I said: “Let the prowl car pass up the hill. They’ll think we moved over when we heard the siren. Then turn her down hill and we’ll go home.” | Kliznuo je za volan a ja sam se ubacio do njega. Rekoh: — Neka goniči prođu uzbrdo. Mislit će da smo prešli prijeko kad smo čuli sirenu. Zatim ga skreni niz brijeg, pa idemo kući. |
| I put Carmen’s gun away and leaned the automatic against the boy’s ribs. I looked back through the window. The whine of the siren was very loud now. Two red lights swelled in the middle of the street. They grew larger and blended into one and the car rushed by in a wild flurry of sound. | Odmaknuo sam Carmenin pištolj i naslonio automatski momku na rebra. Osvrnuo sam se kroz prozor. Jauka-nje je sirene sad bilo jako glasno. Dva su crvena svjetla bubrila sredinom ulice. Porasla su i stopila se u jedno, a onda je pokraj nas projurio automobil u divljem zapuhu zvukova. |
| “Let’s go,” I said. | — Idemo — rekoh. |
| The boy swung the car and started off down the hill. | Momak je zavio automobilom i pošao niz brijeg. |
| “Let’s go home,” I said. “To Laverne Terrace.” | — Idemo kući — rekoh. — Do Laverne Terracea. |
| His smooth lips twitched. He swung the car west on Franklin. “You’re a simple-minded lad. What’s your name?” | Glatke su mu se usne trznule. Zakrenuo je automobil zapadno, na Franklin. — Dečko, ti si naivan. Kako se zo-veš? |
| “Carol Lundgren,” he said lifelessly. | — Carol Lundgren — odgovorio je beživotno. |
| “You shot the wrong guy, Carol. Joe Brody didn’t kill your queen.” | — Upucao si krivog momka, Carol. Joe Brody nije u-bio tvoju princezu. |
| He spoke three words to me and kept on driving. | Izgovorio mi je tri riječi i nastavio voziti. |