Чтение онлайн

"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 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 /это/ 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 (был ли он совсем таким невинным, каким он старался казаться; to make out — делать вид; притворяться; дать понять). The man who owns the knife is not always the real murderer (человек, у которого нож: «который обладает ножом», не всегда настоящий убийца).

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

"Yes."

He said, "How did you know that I went to Koch's (как вы узнали, что я пошел к Коху на квартиру)? That was why you pulled me here, wasn't it (поэтому: «это было почему» вы затащили меня сюда, верно/не так ли)?"

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

"They hadn't identified me (она не опознала меня: «они не опознали меня»)."

"Immediately you left Cooler's, he telephoned to me (как только вы оставили = ушли от 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 вы узнали 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, "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; stake — столб, кол; стойка; to stake — /карт./ делать ставку). He's one of those Americans with a real sense of duty (он один из тех американцев с настоящим чувством долга = у которых есть…)."

"Yes," I said, "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= самое худшее из воспитания гражданственности; to bring up — воспитать). He said it made him feel a prig (он сказал, что это заставляло 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 полагаю, что он припрятал: «засолил прочь» двадцать пять тысяч долларов; to daresay — полагать, думать, считать: «осмелиться утверждать»). 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 = черт побери)." He said thoughtfully (проговорил он задумчиво), "Is that the kind of thing Harry was up to (это то, чем занимался Гарри; kind — разновидность; to be up to — делать /как правило, что-л. плохое/)?"

"No. It was not so harmless (это было не так безвредно; harm — вред; убыток, урон, ущерб; зло)."

innocent ['Inqs(q)nt], identify [aI'dentIfaI], assume [q'sju:m], apologise [q'pOlqGaIz]

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."