Immediately I left (предположим как только я ушел) he telephoned the story to someone (он

рассказал по телефону: «протелефонировал» историю кому-то)—to the third man (третьему

человеку). They had to stop Koch's mouth (они должны были: «они имели» остановить рот

Коха)."

"When you told Cooler about Koch (когда вы рассказали Кулеру про Коха), the man was

already dead (этот человек был уже мертв). That night he got out of bed (той ночью он вылез

из кровати), hearing someone (услышав кого-то), and went downstairs (и пошел вниз по

лестнице). ..."

"Well, that rules me out (ну, это исключает меня). I was in Sacher's (я был в Захере)."

"But he went to bed very early (но он пошел в постель очень рано). Your visit brought back

the migraine (ваш визит вернул: «принес назад» мигрень). It was soon after nine (это было

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

125

вскоре после девяти) that he got up (что он встал). You returned to Sacher's at 9:30 (вы

вернулись в Захер в 9:30). Where were you before that (где были вы до того)?"

He said gloomily (он сказал мрачно), "Wandering round (бродящий вокруг = бродил) and

trying to sort things out (и пытался разобраться во всем: «рассортировать вещи»)."

"Any evidence of your movements (какое-либо доказательство ваших передвижений)?"

"No (нет)."

deliberately [də`lıbərıtlı], unauthorised [Λn`o:θəraızd], excitedly [ık`saıtıdlı]

I HAD KEPT A very careful record of Martins' movements from the moment I knew that he had

not caught the plane home. He had been seen with Kurtz, and at the Josefstadt Theatre: I knew

about his visit to Dr. Winkler and to Cooler, his first return to the block where Harry had lived.

For some reason my man lost him between Cooler's and Anna Schmidt's flats: he reported that

Martins had wandered widely, and the impression we both got was that he had deliberately

thrown off his shadower. I tried to pick him up at Sacher's Hotel and just missed him.

Events had taken a disquieting turn, and it seemed to me that the time had come for another

interview. He had a lot to explain.

I put a good wide desk between us and gave him a cigarette: I found him sullen but ready to talk,

within strict limits. I asked him about Kurtz and he seemed to me to answer satisfactorily. I then

asked him about Anna Schmidt and I gathered from his reply that he must have been with her

after visiting Cooler: that filled in one of the missing points. I tried him with Dr. Winkler, and he

answered readily enough. "You've been getting around," I said, "quite a bit. And have you found

out anything about your friend?"

"Oh yes," he said. "It was under your nose but you didn't see it."

"What?"

"That he was murdered." That took me by surprise: I had at one time played with the idea of

suicide, but I had ruled even that out.

"Go on," I said. He tried to eliminate from his story all mention of Koch, talking about an

informant who had seen the accident. This made his story rather confusing, and I couldn't grasp

at first why he attached so much importance to the third man.

"He didn't turn up at the inquest, and the others lied to keep him out."

"Nor did your man turn up—I don't see much importance in that. If it was a genuine accident, all

the evidence needed was there. Why get the other chap in trouble? Perhaps his wife thought he

was out of town: perhaps he was an official absent without leave—people sometimes take

unauthorised trips to Vienna from places like Klagenfurt. The delights of the great city, for what

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

126

they are worth."

"There was more to it than that. The little chap who told me about it—they've murdered him.

You see they obviously didn't know what else he had seen."

"Now we have it," I said. "You mean Koch."

"Yes."

"As far as we know you were the last person to see him alive." I questioned him then, as I've

written, to find out if he had been followed to Koch's by somebody who was sharper than my

man and had kept out of sight. I said, "The Austrian police are anxious to pin this on you. Frau

Koch told them how disturbed her husband was by your visit. Who else knew about it?"

"I told Cooler." He said excitedly, "Suppose immediately I left he telephoned the story to

someone—to the third man. They had to stop Koch's mouth."

"When you told Cooler about Koch, the man was already dead. That night he got out of bed,

hearing someone, and went downstairs. ..."

"Well, that rules me out. I was in Sacher's."

"But he went to bed very early. Your visit brought back the migraine. It was soon after nine that

he got up. You returned to Sacher's at 9:30. Where were you before that?"

He said gloomily, "Wandering round and trying to sort things out."

"Any evidence of your movements?"

"No."

I wanted to frighten him (я хотел напугать его), so there was no point in telling him (так что не

было смысла в (том чтобы) рассказывать ему) that he had been followed all the time (что за

ним следили все время: «он был преследуем»). I knew that he hadn't cut Koch's throat (я знал

что он не перерезал Коху горло), but I wasn't sure (но я не был уверен) that he was quite so

innocent as he made out (что он был совсем такой невинный каким он старался казаться).

The man who owns the knife is not always the real murderer (человек который владеет ножом

не всегда настоящий убийца).

"Can I have a cigarette (могу я выкурить сигарету)?"

"Yes (да)."

He said (он сказал), "How did you know that I went to Koch's (как узнали вы что я пошел к

Коху)? That was why you pulled me here, wasn't it (поэтому: «это было почему» вы

затащили меня сюда, верно: «не было это»)?"

"The Austrian police (австрийская полиция)..."

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

127

"They hadn't identified me (они не опознали меня)."

"Immediately you left Cooler's, he telephoned to me (как только вы оставили Кулера он

позвонил ко мне)."

"Then that lets him out (тогда это исключает его). If he had been concerned (если бы он был

замешан), he wouldn't have wanted to tell you my story (он бы не захотел рассказывать вам

мою историю)—to tell Koch's story (рассказывать историю Коха), I mean (я имею в виду)."

"He might assume (он мог решить: «принять, понять») that you were a sensible man and

would come to me with your story (что вы были разумным человеком и пришли бы ко мне с

вашей историей) as soon as you learned of Koch's death (как только: «так скоро как» вы

узнали о смерти Коха). By the way (кстати), how did you learn of it (как узнали вы о ней)?"

He told me promptly and I believed him (он рассказал мне немедленно и я поверил ему). It

was then I began to believe him altogether (это было тогда (что) = именно тогда я начал

доверять ему вообще; to begin – начинать). He said (он сказал), "I still can't believe Cooler's

concerned (я все еще не могу поверить (что) Кулер замешан). I'd stake anything on his

honesty (я бы поставил что угодно на его честность). He's one of those Americans with a real

sense of duty (он один из тех американцев с настоящим чувством долга)."

"Yes (да)," I said (я сказал), "he told me about that when he phoned (он сказал мне об этом

когда он позвонил). He apologised for it (он извинился за это). He said it was the worst of

having been brought up to believe in citizenship (он сказал (что) это было самое худшее из

(того чтобы) быть воспитанным верить в гражданственность; to bring up – воспитать). He

said it made him feel a prig (он сказал (что) это заставляло: «делало» его чувствовать (себя)

педантом). To tell you the truth Cooler irritates me (сказать вам правду, Кулер раздражает

меня). Of course he doesn't know that I know about his tyre deals (конечно он не знает что я

знаю о его сделках с шинами; tyre – шина; deal – сделка)."

"Is he in a racket, too, then (тогда он тоже в мошенничестве)?"

"Not a very serious one (не очень серьезном). I daresay he's salted away twenty-five thousand

dollars (я осмеливаюсь сказать (что) он припрятал: «засолил прочь» двадцать пять тысяч

долларов). But I'm not a good citizen (но я не хороший гражданин). Let the Americans look

after their own people (пусть американцы смотрят за своими собственными людьми)."

"I'm damned ((будь) я проклят)." He said thoughtfully (он сказал задумчиво), "Is that the kind

of thing Harry was up to (есть ли это то (чем) Гарри занимался; kind – разновидность; to be

up to – заниматься чем-то)?"

"No (нет). It was not so harmless (это было не так безвредно)."

knife [naıf], assume [ə`sju:m], truth [tru:θ]

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

128

I wanted to frighten him, so there was no point in telling him that he had been followed all the

time. I knew that he hadn't cut Koch's throat, but I wasn't sure that he was quite so innocent as he

made out. The man who owns the knife is not always the real murderer.

"Can I have a cigarette?"

"Yes."

He said, "How did you know that I went to Koch's? That was why you pulled me here, wasn't

it?"

"The Austrian police ..."

"They hadn't identified me."

"Immediately you left Cooler's, he telephoned to me."

"Then that lets him out. If he had been concerned, he wouldn't have wanted to tell you my

story—to tell Koch's story, I mean."

"He might assume that you were a sensible man and would come to me with your story as soon

as you learned of Koch's death. By the way, how did you learn of it?"

He told me promptly and I believed him. It was then I began to believe him altogether. He said,

"I still can't believe Cooler's concerned. I'd stake anything on his honesty. He's one of those

Americans with a real sense of duty."

"Yes," I said, "he told me about that when he phoned. He apologised for it. He said it was the

worst of having been brought up to believe in citizenship. He said it made him feel a prig. To tell

you the truth Cooler irritates me. Of course he doesn't know that I know about his tyre deals."

"Is he in a racket, too, then?"

"Not a very serious one. I daresay he's salted away twenty-five thousand dollars. But I'm not a

good citizen. Let the Americans look after their own people."

"I'm damned." He said thoughtfully, "Is that the kind of thing Harry was up to?"

"No. It was not so harmless."

He said (он сказал), "You know this business (вы знаете это дело)—Koch's death has shaken

me (смерть Коха потрясла меня). Perhaps Harry did get mixed up in something pretty bad

(возможно Гарри действительно оказался замешанным в чем-то очень плохом). Perhaps he

was trying to clear out again (возможно он пытался выйти из игры снова), and that's why they

murdered him (и поэтому они убили его)."

"Or perhaps (или возможно)," I said (я сказал), "they wanted a bigger cut off the spoils (они

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

129

хотели больший кусок от добычи). Thieves fall out (воры ссорятся; thief – вор; to fall out –

скандалить, ссориться)."

He took it this time without any anger at all (он принял это на этот раз без какой-либо злости

совсем). He said (он сказал), "We won't agree about motives (мы не согласимся насчет

мотивов), but I think you check your facts pretty well (но я думаю (что) вы проверяете ваши

факты весьма хорошо). I'm sorry about the other day (извините за давешнее: «я сожалею

насчет другого дня»)."

"That's all right (все в порядке: «это все правильно»)." There are times (бывают времена)

when one has to make a flash decision (когда человек должен принять быстрое решение)—

this was one of them (это было одно из них). I owed him something in return for the

information he had given me (я задолжал ему кое-что в благодарность за информацию

(которую) он дал мне). I said (я сказал), "I'll show you enough of the facts in Lime's case for

you to understand (я покажу вам достаточно фактов в Лайма деле, чтобы вы поняли). But

don't fly off the handle (но не срывайтесь: «не слетайте с рукояти»). It's going to be a shock

(это будет шоком)."

It couldn't help being a shock (это не могло не быть шоком: «это не могло помочь быть

шоком»). The war and the peace (война и мир) (if you can call it peace (если вы можете

называть это миром)) let loose a great number of rackets (отпускают на волю большое число

мошенничеств), but none more vile than this one (но ни одного более отвратительного чем

это «одно»). The black marketeers in food (спекулянты в еде) did at least supply food (по

крайней мере поставляли пищу), and the same applied to all the other racketeers (и то же

самое относилось: «прилагалось» ко всем другим жуликам) who provided articles in short

supply at extravagant prices (которые предоставляли товары дефицитные: «в недостаточной

поставке» по экстравагантным ценам). But the penicillin racket was a different affair

altogether (но пенициллиновое мошенничество было другим делом совершенно). Penicillin