 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 23 | |
| Light steps, the steps of a woman, came along the invisible pathway and the man in front of me moved forward and seemed to lean against the fog. I couldn’t see the woman, then I could see her indistinctly. The arrogant carriage of her head seemed familiar. The man stepped out very quickly. The two figures blended in the fog, seemed to be part of the fog. There was dead silence for a moment. Then the man said: | Lagani koraci, koraci žene, došli su niz nevidljivu stazu, i čovjek se ispred mene pomakao naprijed i kao da se naslonio na maglu. Najprije nisam mogao vidjeti ženu, no onda sam je nejasno ugledao. Arogantno mi se držanje njene glave učinilo poznato. Čovjek je vrlo brzo iskoračio. Dvije su se prilike smiješale u magli, učinilo se da su njen dio. Na trenutak je zavladala mrtva tišina. Tada je muškarac rekao: |
| “This is a gun, lady. Gentle now. Sound carries in the fog. Just hand me the bag.” | — Ovo je pištolj, milostiva. Samo nježno. Zvuk se čuje u magli. Samo mi dajte torbicu. |
| The girl didn’t make a sound. I moved forward a step. Quite suddenly I could see the foggy fuzz on the man’s hat brim. The girl stood motionless. Then her breathing began to make a rasping sound, like a small file on soft wood. | Cura nije ispustila ni glasa. Pomaknuo sam se korak naprijed. Sasvim naglo, mogao sam razaznati magliča-ste pahuljice na obodu čovjekova šešira. Cura je stajala nepokretna. Tad joj se disanje pretvorilo u turpijanje, postalo je nalik na struganje male turpijice po mekom drvetu. |
| “Yell,” the man said, “and I’ll cut you in half.” | — Samo vikni — rekao je muškarac — i presjeći ću te popola. |
| She didn’t yell. She didn’t move. There was a movement from him, and a dry chuckle. “It better be in here,” he said. A catch clicked and a fumbling sound came to me. The man turned and came towards my tree. When he had taken three or four steps he chuckled again. The chuckle was something out of my own memories. I reached a pipe out of my pocket and held it like a gun. | Nije viknula. Nije se pomakla. Pomaknuo se on, a onda se začulo suho smijuljenje. — Bolje da je ovdje — rekao je. Brava je škljocnula i do mene je dopro zvuk prekapa-nja. Čovjek se okrenuo i pošao prema mom drvetu. Kad je napravio tri ili četiri koraka, zasmijuljio se ponovno. To je smijuljenje bilo nešto što mi je zaostalo u sjećanju. Dohvatio sam lulu iz džepa i uhvatio je kao pištolj. |
| I called out softly: “Hi, Lanny.” | Tiho sam zazvao: — Hej, Lanny. |
| The man stopped dead and started to bring his hand up. I said: “No. I told you never to do that, Lanny. You’re covered.” | Tip se umrtvio i počeo podizati ruke. Rekoh: — Ne. Rek'o sam ti da to nikad ne radiš, Lannv. Imam te na oku. |
| Nothing moved. The girl back on the path didn’t move. I didn’t move. Lanny didn’t move. | Ništa se nije pomaknulo. Cura tamo na stazi nije se micala. Ja se nisam micao. Lanny se nije micao. |
| “Put the bag down between your feet, kid,” I told him. “Slow and easy.” | — Spusti torbicu između nogu, mali — rekao sam mu. Mirno i polako. |
| He bent down. I jumped out and reached him still bent over. He straightened up against me breathing hard. His hands were empty. | Pognuo se. Iskočio sam i približio mu se dok je još bio pognut. Ispravio se ispred mene teško dišući. Ruke su mu bile prazne. |
| “Tell me I can’t get away with it,” I said. I leaned against him and took the gun out of his overcoat pocket. “Somebody’s always giving me guns,” I told him. “I’m weighted down with them till I walk all crooked. Beat it.” | — Reci mi da te mogu osloboditi ovoga — rekoh. Naslonio sam se na njega i izvadio mu pištolj iz džepa sakoa. — Stalno mi netko daje pištolje — kazao sam mu. — Toliko sam opterećen njima da ću morati hodati sav svinut. Crta. |
| Our breaths met and mingled, our eyes were like the eyes of two tomcats on a wall. I stepped back. | Naši su se dahovi sreli i pomiješali, oči su nam bile kao oči dva macana na zidu. Odstupio sam. |
| “On your way, Lanny. No hard feelings. You keep it quiet and I keep it quiet. Okay?” | — Otplovi, Lanny. Bez zle krvi. Ja držim jezik, ti držiš jezik. Okej? |
| “Okay,” he said thickly. | — Okej — odgovorio je muklo. |
| The fog swallowed him. The faint sound of his steps and then nothing. I picked the bag up and felt in it and went towards the path. She still stood there motionless, a gray fur coat held tight around her throat with an ungloved hand on which a ring made a faint glitter. She wore no hat. Her dark parted hair was part of the darkness of the night. Her eyes too. | Magla ga je progutala. Slabašni zvuk koraka i zatim ništa. Podigao sam torbicu, opipao iznutra i pošao prema stazi. Još je nepomično stajala ondje, sivi krzneni kaput čvrsto stegnut kod grla rukom bez rukavice s koje je prsten bacao blijedi odsjaj. Nije nosila šešir. Njena je tamna kosa s razdjeljkom bila dio tame noći. Oči također. |
| “Nice work, Marlowe. Are you my bodyguard now?” Her voice had a harsh note. | — Lijep rad, Marlowe. Jeste li sad moj tjelohranitelj ? |
| “Looks that way. Here’s the bag.” | — Glas joj je imao oporu notu. |
| She took it. I said: “Have you a car with you?” She laughed. “I came with a man. What are you doing here?” | — Čini se tako. Evo torbice. Uzela ju je.. Rekoh: — Imate li kola sobom? Nasmijala se. — Došla sam s muškarcem. Što vi radite ovdje? |
| “Eddie Mars wanted to see me.” | — Eddie Mars me želio vidjeti. |
| “I didn’t know you knew him. Why?” | — Nisam znala da ga znate. Zašto? |
| “I don’t mind telling you. He thought I was looking for somebody he thought had run away with his wife.” | — Ne smeta ako vam i velim. Mislio je da tražim nekoga za koga on misli da mu je pobjegao sa ženom. |
| “Were you?” | — A tražite li? |
| “No.” | — Ne. |
| “Then what did you come for?” | — Zbog čega ste onda došli? |
| “To find out why he thought I was looking for somebody he thought had run away with his wife.” | — Da otkrijem zašto on misli da tražim nekoga za koga on misli da mu je pobjegao sa ženom. |
| “Did you find out?” | — I jeste li otkrili? |
| “No.” | — Ne. |
| “You leak information like a radio announcer,” she said. “I suppose it’s none of my business—even if the man was my husband. I thought you weren’t interested in that.” | —*- Iz vas cure informacije kao iz radio-spikefa — reče. — Pretpostavljam da me se sve to ne tiče, čak i ako je taj čovjek moj suprug. Mislila sam da vas to ne zanima. |
| “People keep throwing it at me.” | — Ali mi to ljudi i dalje nabacuju. |
| She clicked her teeth in annoyance. The incident of the masked man with the gun seemed to have made no impression on her at all. “Well, take me to the garage,” she said. “I have to look in at my escort.” | Skljocnula je zubima od ojađenosti. Čini se da incident s maskiranim Čovjekom s pištoljem nije ostavio na nju nikakav dojam. — Dobro, otpratite me do garaže — reče. — Morala bih unutra potražiti svog pratioca. |
| We walked along the path and around a corner of the building and there was light ahead, then around another corner and came to a bright enclosed stable yard lit with two floodlights. It was still paved with brick and still sloped down to a grating in the middle. Cars glistened and a man in a brown smock got up off a stool and came forward. | Odšetali smo niz stazu i zatim oko ugla zgrade i onda se pred nama pojavilo svjetlo, zatim oko još jednog ugla da bismo došli do zatvorenog dvorišta konjušnice osvijetljenog s dva reflektora. Još je bilo popločano opekom i još se slijevalo prema rešetki u sredini. Automobili su se za-Ijeskali, a neki je čovjek u smeđem radnom odijelu ustao sa šamlice i pošao prema nama. |
| “Is my boy friend still blotto?” Vivian asked him carelessly. | — Je li moj prijatelj još uvijek mortus? — upitala ga je Vivian bezbrižno. |
| “I’m afraid he is, miss. I put a rug over him and run the windows up. He’s okay, I guess. Just kind of resting.” | — Bojim se da jest, miss. Bacio sam deku preko njega i podigao prozore. Mislim da je okej. Samo se malo odmara. |
| We went over to a big Cadillac and the man in the smock pulled the rear door open. On the wide back seat, loosely arranged, covered to the chin with a plaid robe, a man lay snoring with his mouth open. He seemed to be a big blond man who would hold a lot of liquor. | Prešli smo do velikog cadillaca i čovjek u radnom odijelu potezom otvori stražnja vrata. Na širokom stražnjem sjedalu, slobodno aranžiran, pokriven do brade kariranim gunjem, ležao je muškarac i hrkao otvorenih ustiju. Bio je velik i plav, činilo se da može držati dosta tekućine. |
| “Meet Mr. Larry Cobb,” Vivian said. “Mister Cobb—Mister Marlowe.” | — Da vas upoznam — rekla je Vivian. — Mister Cobb — mister Marlowe. |
| “Mr. Cobb was my escort,” she said. “Such a nice escort, Mr. Cobb. So attentive. You should see him sober. I should see him sober. Somebody should him sober. I mean, just for the record. So it could become a part of history, that brief flashing moment, soon buried in time, but never forgotten—when Larry Cobb was sober.” | — Mister Cobb je bio moja pratnja — reče. — Tako krasan pratilac, mister Cobb. Tako pažljiv. Trebali biste ga vidjeti trijeznog. Ja bih ga trebala vidjeti trijeznog. Netko bi ga trebao vidjeti trijeznog. Mislim, čisto da se pamti. Tako bi to postalo dio povijesti, taj kratki blistavi trenutak, ubrzo pokopan u vremenu no nikad zaboravljen, kad je Larry Cobb bio trijezan. |
| “Yeah,” I said. | — Jeee — rekoh. |
| “I’ve even thought of marrying him,” she went on a high strained voice, as if the shock of the stickup was just beginning to get to her. “At odd times when nothing pleasant would come into my mind. We all have those spells. Lots of money, you know. A yacht, a place on Long Island, a place at Newport, a place at Bermuda, places dotted here and there all over the world probably—just a good Scotch bottle apart. And to Mr. Cobb a bottle of Scotch is not very far.” | — Čak sam pomišljala da se udam za nj — rekla je visokim napetim glasom, kao da je šok od malog noćnog razgovora tek sada počeo dopirati do nje. — U bezveznim časovima kad mi ništa zgodno ne bi padalo na pamet. Svi mi imamo takve žute minute. Puno love, znate. Jahta, gajba na Long Islandu, gajba u Newportu, gajba na Bermudi-ma, gajbe posute simo-tamo vjerojatno po čitavom svijetu, udaljene samo dobru bocu skoča. A za mistera Cobba boca skoča nije jako daleko. |
| “Yeah,” I said. “Does he have a driver to take him home?” | — Jeee — rekoh. — Ima li vozača da ga otpremi kući? |
| “Don’t say ‘yeah.’ It’s common.” She looked at me with arched eyebrows. The man in the smock was chewing his lower lip hard. “Oh, undoubtedly a whole platoon of drivers. They probably do squads right in front of the garage every morning, buttons shining, harness gleaming, white gloves immaculate—a sort of West Point elegance about them.” | — Ne govorite »jeee«, to je tako pučki. — Pogledala me ulučivši obrve. Čovjek u radnom odijelu marljivo je žvakao donju usnicu. — O, nema sumnje, čitav vod šofera. Vjerojatno prave smotru svakog jutra pred garažom, sa blistavim dugmetima, sjajnim uprtačima, besprijekorno bijelim rukavicama, kao da su jučer ispali iz West Pointa. |
| “Well, where the hell is this driver?” I asked. | — Dobro, gdje je do đavola vozač? — upitah. |
| “He drove hisself tonight,” the man in the smock said, almost apologetically. “I could call his home and have somebody come down for him.” | — Vozio je večeras sam — rekao je čovjek u radnom odijelu, gotovo se ispričavajući. — Mogu mu javiti kući pa da netko dođe po njega. |
| Vivian turned around and smiled at him as if he had just presented her with a diamond tiara. “That would be lovely,” she said. “Would you do that? I really wouldn’t want Mr. Cobb to die like that—with his mouth open. Someone might think he had died of thirst.” | Vivian se okrenula i nasmiješila mu se kao da joj je upravo darovao dijamantni dijadem. — To bi bilo krasno — reče. — Biste li to učinili? Zaista ne bih željela da mister Cobb umre ovako ... s otvorenim ustima. Mogao bi netko pomisliti da je umro od žeđi. |
| The man in the smock said: “Not if they sniffed him, miss.” | Čovjek u radnom odijelu odgovori: — Ne ako bi ga po-mirisao, miss. |
| She opened her bag and grabbed a handful of paper money and pushed it at him. “You’ll take care of him, I’m sure.” | Otvorila je torbicu, zagrabila pregršt papirnatog novca i gurnula mu ga. — Vi ćete se za nj pobrinuti, sigurna sam. |
| “Jeeze,” the man said, pop-eyed. “I sure will, miss.” | — Jee-jeh — odgovorio je čovjek izdreljivši oči. — Sigurno da hoću, miss. |
| “Regan is the name,” she said sweetly. “Mrs. Regan. You’ll probably see me again. Haven’t been here long, have you?” | — Ime je Regan — rekla je slatkasto. — Gospođa Re-gan. Vjerojatno ćete me još vidjeti. Niste ovdje dugo, zar ne? |
| “No’m. His hands were doing frantic things with the fistful of money he was holding. | — Ne, g'đo. — Ruke su mu izvodile sulude stvari s pregršti novca što su ga držale. |
| “You’ll get to love it here,” she said. She took hold of my arm. “Let’s ride in your car, Marlowe.” | — Zavoljet ćete ovo mjesto — rekla je. Uhvatila me pod ruku. — Povezimo se vašim kolima, Marlowe. |
| “It’s outside on the street.” | —- Ona su vani, na ulici. |
| “Quite all right with me, Marlowe. I love a nice walk in the fog. You meet such interesting people.” | — Sve u redu, što se mene tiče, Marlowe. Volim lijepu šetnju kroz maglu. Upoznate se s tako zanimljivim ljudima. |
| “Oh, nuts,” I said. | — Ah, bez veze — rekoh. |
| She held on to my arm and began to shake. She held me hard all the way to the car. She had stopped shaking by the time we reached it. I drove down a curving lane of trees on the blind side of the house. The lane opened on De Cazens Boulevard, the main drag of Las Olindas. We passed under the ancient sputtering arc lights and after a while there was a town, buildings, dead-looking stores, a service station with a light over a night bell, and at last a drugstore that was still open. | Držala mi se za mišicu i počela se tresti. Držala me čvrsto čitavim putem do automobila. Prestala se tresti kad smo došli do njega. Povezao sam niz zavijenu stazu s drvoredom na slijepe strane kuće. Staza se otvarala na bulevar Pe Ca-zens, glavnu džadu Las Olindasa. Prošli smo ispod drvenih treperavih lučnih svjetiljki i za malo vremena evo nas u gradu, među zgradama, mrtvim dućanima, pokraj benzin- ske stanice sa svjetlom iznad noćnog zvonca, i posljednjeg dragstora što je još bio otvoren. |
| “You better have a drink,” I said. She moved her chin, a point of paleness in the corner of the seat. I turned diagonally into the curb and parked. “A little black coffee and a smattering of rye would go well,” I said. “I could get as drunk as two sailors and love it.” | — Bolje da nešto popijete — rekoh. Pomaknula je bradu, mrlju bljedila u kutu sjedala. — Malo crne kave i trunak viskija, to bi išlo dobro — rekoh. — Mogu se napiti kao dva mornara, i obožavam to. |
| I held the door for her and she got out close to me, brushing my cheek with her hair. We went into the drugstore. I bought a pint of rye at the liquor counter and carried it over to the stools and set it down on the cracked marble counter. | Pridržao sam joj vrata i ona je izišla tik uz mene, očešavši mi kosom obraz. Ušli smo u dragstor. Kupio sam pola litre raženog viskija na tezgi za piće, donio je do barskih stolica i položio na ispucali mramorni šank. |
| “Two coffees,” I said. “Black, strong and made this year.” | — Dvije kave — rekoh. — Crne, jake i skuhane još ove godine. |
| “You can’t drink liquor in here,” the clerk said. He had a washed-out blue smock, was thin on top as to hair, had fairly honest eyes and his chin would never hit a wall before he saw it. | — Ne možete ovdje piti alkohol — rekao je prodavač. Nosio je isprano modro radno odijelo, bio pri vrhu prilično siromašan što se tiče kose, imao prilično poštene oči i bradu kojom nikad ne bi udario u zid prije no što bi ga u-gledao. |
| Vivian Regan reached into her bag for a pack of cigarettes and shook a couple loose just like a man. She held them towards me. | Vivian Regan je posegnula za kutijom cigareta, pa istresla nekoliko na upravo muški način. Pružila mi ih je. |
| “It’s against the law to drink liquor in here,” the clerk said. | — Protiv zakona je ovdje piti alkohol — rekao je prodavač. |
| I lit the cigarettes and didn’t pay any attention to him. He drew two cups of coffee from a tarnished nickel urn and set them in front of us. He looked at the bottle of rye, muttered under his breath and said wearily: “Okay, I’ll watch the street while you pour it.” | Pripalio sam cigarete ne obraćajući nikakvu pažnju na njega. Iscijedio je dvije šalice kave iz potamnjelog nikla-nog čajnika i stavio ih pred nas. Pogledao je bocu viskija, promrmljao ispod glasa i umorno rekao: — Okej, zijat ću na ulicu dok ga natočite. |
| He went and stood at the display window with his back to us and his ears hanging out. | Otišao je i stao pokraj izloga, okrenuvši nam leđa i iz-vjesivši uši. |
| “My heart’s in my mouth doing this,” I said, and unscrewed the top of the whiskey bottle and loaded the coffee. “The law enforcement in this town is terrific. All through prohibition Eddie Mars’ place was a night club and they had two uniformed men in the lobby every night—to see that the guests didn’t bring their own liquor instead of buying it from the house.” | — Srce mi je u peti zbog ovog što radim — rekao sam, odvrnuo čep boce viskija i nalio u kavu. — Služba reda i zakona u ovom gradu je strahovita. Za sve vrijeme prohibicije rupa je Eddija Marsa bila noćni klub, a imali su svake večeri dvojicu uniformiranih u auli... da se pobrinu da gosti ne donose vlastiti špirit umjesto da ga kupuju od kuće. |
| The clerk turned suddenly and walked back behind the counter and went in behind the little glass window of the prescription room. | Službenik se naglo okrenuo, odšetao iza šanka i ušao za mali stakleni prozorčić apotekarske sobe. |
| We sipped our loaded coffee. I looked at Vivian’s face in the mirror back of the coffee urn. It was taut, pale, beautiful and wild. Her lips were red and harsh. | Srkali smo svoju ojačanu kavu. Promatrao sam Vivi-anino lice u ogledalu iza čajnika. Bilo je napeto, blijedo, lijepo i divlje. Usne su joj bile crvene i stroge. |
| “You have wicked eyes,” I said. “What’s Eddie Mars got on you?” | — Imate zločeste oči — rekoh. — Što Eddie Mars ima o vama? |
| She looked at me in the mirror. “I took plenty away from him tonight at roulette—starting with five grand I borrowed from him yesterday and didn’t have to use.” | Pogledala me je u ogledalu. — Mnogo sarn mu pokupila sinoć na ruletu, počevši s pet biljki što sam ih jučer posudila od njega, ali ih nisam morala potrošiti. |
| “That might make him sore. You think he sent that loogan after you?” | — To ga je moglo nažuljati. Mislite da je on poslao za vama tog pucešu? |
| “What’s a loogan?” | — Što je puceša? |
| “A guy with a gun.” | — Momak s pucaljkom. |
| “Are you a loogan?” | — Jeste li vi puceša? |
| “Sure,” I laughed. “But strictly speaking a loogan is on the wrong side of the fence.” | — Sigurno — nasmijao sam se. — No strogo govoreći, puceša je na krivoj strani barikade. |
| “I often wonder if there is a wrong side.” | — Cesto se pitam postoji li kriva strana. |
| “We’re losing the subject. What has Eddie Mars got on you?” | — Skrećemo s teme. Što Eddie Mars ima o vama? |
| “You mean a hold on me of some sort?” | — Mislite, u vezi s nečim? |
| “Yes.” | — Da. |
| Her lip curled. “Wittier, please, Marlowe. Much wittier.” | Usnica joj se izvila. — Spretnije, molim vas, Marlowe. Mnogo spretnije. |
| “How’s the General? I don’t pretend to be witty.” | — Kako je general? Ne pretendiram na spretnost. |
| “Not too well. He didn’t get up today. You could at least stop questioning me.” | — Ne baš jako dobro. Danas nije ustajao. Mogli biste me napokon prestati ispitivati. |
| “I remember a time when I thought the same about you. How much does the General know?” | — Sjećam se vremena kad sam isto mislio za vas. Koliko general zna? |
| “He probably knows everything.” | — Vjerojatno zna sve. |
| “Norris would tell him?” | — Norris bi mu rekao? |
| “No. Wilde, the District Attorney, was out to see him. Did you burn those pictures?” | — Ne. Wilde, okružni tužilac, otišao je k njemu. Jeste li spalili slike? |
| “Sure. You worry about your little sister, don’t you—from time to time.” | — Sigurno. Brinete vi o svojoj sestrici, zar ne ... s vremena na vrijeme. |
| “I think she’s all I do worry about. I worry about Dad in a way, to keep things from him.” | — Mislim da je ona jedino zbog čega brinem. Brinem i o tati, da stvari ne dopru do njega. |
| “He hasn’t many illusions,” I said, “but I suppose he still has pride.” | — Nema on mnogo iluzija, — rekoh — ali pretpostavljam da još ima ponosa. |
| “We’re his blood. That’s the hell of it.” She stared at me in the mirror with deep, distant eyes. “I don’t want him to die despising his own blood. It was always wild blood, but it wasn’t always rotten blood.” | — Mi smo njegova krv. U tome i jest prokletstvo. — — Zurila je u moj odraz u ogledalu dubokim, dalekim očima. — Ne želim da umre prezirući vlastitu krv. To je oduvijek bila divlja krv, ali ne i uvijek trula. |
| “Is it now?” | — A je li sada? |
| “I guess you think so.” | — Rekla bih da mislite da jest. |
| “Not yours. You’re just playing the part.” | — Ne vaša. Vi samo svirate svoju dionicu. |
| She looked down. I sipped some more coffee and lit another cigarette for us. “So you shoot people,” she said quietly. “You’re a killer.” | Spustila je pogled. Srknuo sam još malo kave i zapalio nam još po cigaretu. — I tako, pucate u ljude — rekla je tiho. — Vi ste ubojica. |
| “Me? How?” | — Ja? Kako? |
| “The papers and the police fixed it up nicely. But I don’t believe everything I read.” | — Policija i novine lijepo su to iskitili. Ali ne vjerujem svemu što piše. |
| “Oh, you think I accounted for Geiger—or Brody—or both of them.” | — A, mislite da mi treba pripisati Geigera ... ili Bro-dyja ... ili obojicu njih. |
| She didn’t say anything. “I didn’t have to,” I said. “I might have, I suppose, and got away with it. Neither of them would have hesitated to throw lead at me.” | Nije rekla ništa. — Nije mi trebalo — rekoh. — Mogao sam, pretpostavljam, pa se izvući. Nijedan od njih ne bi oklijevao da mi dobaci malo olova. |
| “That makes you just a killer at heart, like all cops.” | — To vas čini ubojicom u srcu, kao sve policajce. |
| “Oh, nuts.” | — Svašta. |
| “One of those dark deadly quiet men who have no more feelings than a butcher has for slaughtered meat. I knew it the first time I saw you.” | — Jednim od onih mračnih, smrtno tihih ljudi koji nemaju više osjećaja no mesar za zaklano meso. To mi je bilo jasno kad sam vas prvi put ugledala. |
| “You’ve got enough shady friends to know different.” | — Imate dosta mutnih prijatelja da biste mislili drukčije. |
| “They’re all soft compared to you.” | — Svi su oni cvećke u usporedbi s vama. |
| “Thanks, lady. You’re no English muffin yourself.” | — Hvala, gospo. Niste ni vi sami mimozica. |
| “Let’s get out of this rotten little town.” | — Mičimo se iz te trule male selendre. |
| I paid the check, put the bottle of rye in my pocket, and we left. The clerk still didn’t like me. | Platio sam račun, stavio bocu viskija u džep, pa smo otišli. Prodavaču se ni sada nisam dopadao. |
| We drove away from Las Olindas through a series of little dank beach towns with shack-like houses built down on the sand close to the rumble of the surf and larger houses built back on the slopes behind. A yellow window shone here and there, but most of the houses were dark. A smell of kelp came in off the water and lay on the fog. The tires sang on the moist concrete of the boulevard. The world was a wet emptiness. | Odvezli smo se iz Las Olindasa kroz niz rneprlpvilh obalnih gradića s kućama nalik na kolibe, položenim na pijesku pokraj tutnjave valova, i većim, izgrađenim na padinama u pozadini. Žuti bi prozor zasjao tu i tamo, no većina je kuća bila u mraku. Miris morske trave dizao se iz vode i li-jegao na maglu. Pneumatici su pjevali na mokrom betonu bulevara. Svijet je bio vlažna praznina. |
| We were close to Del Rey before she spoke to me for the first time since we left the drugstore. Her voice had a muffled sound, as if something was throbbing deep under it. | Bili smo već blizu Del Reyu kad je progovorila prvi put otkad smo izašli iz dragstora. Glas joj je bio prigušen, činilo se kao da nešto kuca duboko u njemu. |
| “Drive down by the Del Rey beach club. I want to look at the water. It’s the next street on the left.” | — Vozite dolje kraj Del Revevog obalnog kluba. Željela bih pogledati vodu. Iduća ulica lijevo. |
| There was a winking yellow light at the intersection. I turned the car and slid down a slope with a high bluff on one side, interurban tracks to the right, a low straggle of light far off beyond the tracks, and then very far off a glitter of pier lights and a haze in the sky over a city. That way the fog was almost gone. The road crossed the tracks where they turned to run under the bluff, then reached a paved strip of waterfront highway that bordered an open and uncluttered beach. Cars were parked along the sidewalk, facing out to sea, dark. The lights of the beach club were a few hundred yards away. | Na križanju je gorjelo žmirkavo narančasto svjetlo. Skrenuo sam i kliznuo niz strminu s visokim odronom s jedne strane, međugradskom prugom zdesna, niskim vrlu-davim svjetlima daleko iza tračnica, i zatim, u vrlo velikoj daljini, svjetlucanjem svjetiljaka s mola i sumaglicom na nebu iznad grada. U tom je smjeru magla već gotovo nestala. Cesta je prešla prugu na mjestu gdje je ova skrenula pod liticu, da bi potom dosegla popločani potez obalnog auto--puta koji je ograničavao otvorenu i nenapučenu plažu. Uz pločnik su bili parkirani automobili, okrenuti moru, neosvijetljeni. Svjetla su obalnog kluba bila nekoliko stotina metara daleko. |
| I braked the car against the curb and switched the headlights off and sat with my hands on the wheel. Under the thinning fog the surf curled and creamed, almost without sound, like a thought trying to form itself on the edge of consciousness. | Prikočio sam uz rubnik, isključio farove i zasjeo s rukama na volanu. Ispod sve tanje magle obalni su se valovi kovrčali i mlječno pjenili, gotovo bez zvuka, nalik na misli što se pokušavaju oblikovati na rubu svijesti. |
| “Move closer,” she said almost thickly. | — Dođite bliže — rekla je gotovo grubo. |
| I moved out from under the wheel into the middle of the seat. She turned her body a little away from me as if to peer out of the window. Then she let herself fall backwards, without a sound, into my arms. Her head almost struck the wheel. Her eyes were closed, her face was dim. Then I saw that her eyes opened and flickered, the shine of them visible even in the darkness. | Odmaknuo sam se ispod upravljača prema sredini sjedala. Okrenula je tijelo malo od mene, kao da će pogledati kroz prozor. Tada mi se, bez zvuka, natraške srušila u naručje. Glava joj je gotovo okinula po volanu. Oči su joj bile zatvorene, lice maglovito. Tada sam vidio kako su se otvorile i zatreptale, sa sjajem koji se vidio čak i u mraku. |
| “Hold me close, you beast,” she said. | — Stisni me bliže, ti zvijeri — reče. |
| I put my arms around her loosely at first. Her hair had a harsh feeling against my face. I tightened my arms and lifted her up. I brought her face slowly up to my face. Her eyelids were flickering rapidly, like moth wings. | Obujmio sam je rukama ispočetka labavo. Njena me je kosa grebla po licu. Stegnuo sam ruke i pridigao je. Polako sam joj podigao lice, prinoseći ga svojemu. Kapci su joj treperili brzo, kao noćne leptiriće. |
| I kissed her tightly and quickly. Then a long slow clinging kiss. Her lips opened under mine. Her body began to shake in my arms. | Poljubio sam je čvrsto i brzo. Zatim je uslijedio dugački, polagani, pripijajući poljubac. Usne su joj se rastvorile pod mojima. Tijelo joj se počelo tresti u mom zagrljaju. |
| “Killer,” she said softly, her breath going into my mouth. | — Ubojico — rekla je nježno, ispuštajući mi dah u usta. |
| I strained her against me until the shivering of her body was almost shaking mine. I kept on kissing her. After a long time she pulled her head away enough to say: “Where do you live?” | Pritisnuo sam je uza se dok trešnja njezina tijela nije gotovo počela tresti moje. Nastavio sam je ljubiti. Nakon dugog vremena povukla je glavu dovoljno daleko da može upitati: — Gdje stanuješ? |
| “Hobart Arms. Franklin near Kenmore.” | — Hobart Arms. Franklin kraj Kenmorea. |
| “I’ve never seen it.” | — Nikad je nisam vidjela. |
| “Want to?” | — A želiš? |
| “Yes,” she breathed. | — Da — dahnula je. |
| “What has Eddie Mars got on you?” | — Što Eddie Mars ima o tebi? |
| Her body stiffened in my arms and her breath made a harsh sound. Her head pulled back until her eyes, wide open, ringed with white, were staring at me. | Tijelo joj se ukrutilo u mom naručju, a dah joj je proizveo hrapavi zvuk. Glava joj se povukla, sve dok se njene oči, širom raširene, bijelim okružene, nisu zapiljile u mene. |
| “So that’s the way it is,” she said in a soft dull voice. | — Dakle tako je to — rekla je mekim tupim glasom. |
| “That’s the way it is. Kissing is nice, but your father didn’t hire me to sleep with you.” | — Da, tako je to. Ljubakanje je krasna stvar, no tvoj me otac ne plaća da spavam s tobom. |
| “You son of a bitch,” she said calmly, without moving. | — Ti kujin sine — rekla je mirno, ne pomaknuvši se. |
| I laughed in her face. “Don’t think I’m an icicle,” I said. “I’m not blind or without sense. I have warm blood like the next guy. You’re easy to take—too damned easy. What has Eddie Mars got on you?” | Nasmijao sam joj se u lice. — Nemoj misliti da sam ledeni mosur — rekoh. — Niti sam slijep niti lišen osjetila. Imam toplu krv kao i prvi do mene. Lako te je dobiti, prokleto prelagano. Što Eddie Mars ima o tebi? |
| “If you say that again, I’ll scream.” | — Ako to kažeš još jednom, zavrištat ću. |
| “Go ahead and scream.” | — Samo naprijed. Zavrišti. |
| She jerked away and pulled herself upright, far back in the corner of the car. | Otrgnula se od mene i uspravila, duboko u kutu automobila. |
| “Men have been shot for little things like that, Marlowe.” | — Ljudi su znali dobiti metak za takve sitnice, Mar-lowe. |
| “Men have been shot for practically nothing. The first time we met I told you I was a detective. Get it through your lovely head. I work at it, lady. I don’t play at it.” | — Ljudi su znali dobiti metak praktički ni zbog čega. Prvi put kad smo se sreli rekao sam ti da sam detektiv. Za-bij si to u svoju lijepu glavicu. Radim na tome, damo. Ne igram se s tim. |
| She fumbled in her bag and got a handkerchief out and bit on it, her head turned away from me. The tearing sound of the handkerchief came to me. She tore it with her teeth, slowly, time after time. | Pročeprkala je po torbi, izvadila maramicu i zagrizla u nju, okrenuvši glavu od mene. Do ušiju mi je doprlo deranje rupčića. Parala ga je zubima, ponovno i ponovno. |
| “What makes you think he has anything on me?” she whispered, her voice muffled by the handkerchief. | — Što vas je navelo na misao da ima nešto o meni? — prošaptala je glasom prigušenim rupčićem. |
| “He lets you win a lot of money and sends a gun-poke around to take it back for him. You’re not more than mildly surprised. You didn’t even thank me for saving it for you. I think the whole thing was just some kind of an act. If I wanted to flatter myself, I’d say it was at least partly for my benefit.” | — Daje vam da dobijete hrpu novca, a onda šalje okolo pljucogurca da vam ga oduzme. Niste bili više no blago iznenađeni. Niste mi čak ni zahvalili što sam vam ga sačuvao. Mislim da je čitava stvar bila samo neka vrst predstave. Kad bih sebi želio laskati, rekao bih da je bar djelomično bila u moju čast. |
| “You think he can win or lose as he pleases.” | — Mislite da može dobiti ili izgubiti kako mu se svidi. |
| “Sure. On even money bets, four times out of five.” | — Sigurno. Na jednake uloge, četiri puta od pet. |
| “Do I have to tell you I loathe your guts, Mister Detective?” | — Moram li vam kazati da vas mrzim do srži, mister Detektiv? |
| “You don’t owe me anything. I’m paid off.” She tossed the shredded handkerchief out of the car window. “You have a lovely way with women.” | — Ne dugujete mi ništa. Isplaćen sam. Hitnula je izdrpanu maramicu kroz prozor automobila. — Imate krasan način sa ženama. |
| “I liked kissing you.” | — Bilo mi je lijepo ljubiti se s vama. |
| “You kept your head beautifully. That’s so flattering. Should I congratulate you, or my father?” | — Tako ste lijepo držali glavu. To je tako laskavo. Mogu li vam čestitati, ili možda trebam ocu? |
| “I liked kissing you.” | — Bilo mi je lijepo ljubiti se s vama. |
| Her voice became an icy drawl. “Take me away from here, if you will be so kind. I’m quite sure I’d like to go home.” | Glas joj se pretvorio u ledeno razvlačenje samoglasnika. — Odvedite me odavde, ako biste bili tako ljubazni. Prilično sam sigurna da bih voljela kući. |
| “You won’t be a sister to me?” | — Nećete da se pobratimo? |
| “If I had a razor, I’d cut your throat—just to see what ran out of it.” | — Kad bih imala britvu, prerezala bih vam grkljan... Čisto da vidim što bi poteklo iz njega. |
| “Caterpillar blood,” I said. | — Krv gusjenice — rekoh. |
| I started the car and turned it and drove back across the interurban tracks to the highway and so on into town and up to West Hollywood. She didn’t speak to me. She hardly moved all the way back. I drove through the gates and up the sunken driveway to the porte-cochere of the big house. She jerked the car door open and was out of it before it had quite stopped. | Pokrenuo sam kola, zakrenuo ih i povezao natrag preko međugradske pruge do auto-ceste, i tako dalje do grada i gore do West Hollywooda. Nije mi se obraćala. Jedva se i pomaknula za čitavog puta natrag. Provezao sam kroz vrata i uz utonuli prilazni put sve do kolskog ulaza velike kuće. Gurnula je vrata automobila i bila napolju prije negoli se posve zaustavio. |
| She didn’t speak even then. I watched her back as she stood against the door after ringing the bell. The door opened and Norris looked out. She pushed past him quickly and was gone. The door banged shut and I was sitting there looking at it. | Nije progovorila čak ni tada. Promatrao sam je s leđa dok je stajala pred vratima nakon što je pri-tisla zvonce. Vrata su se otvorila i Norris je provirio. Srnu-la je brzo kraj njega i nestala. Vrata su se uz tresak zatvorila, a ja sam sjedio ondje gledajući u njih. |
| I turned back down the driveway and home. | Zaokrenuo sam natrag niz prilazni put pa onda kući. |