“Well,” he said, “how are things going?”
“好吧，”他说，“进展得怎么样了？”
“Ratchett, as you suspected, was merely an alias. Ratchett was Cassetti, the man who ran the celebrated kidnapping stunts — including the famous affair of little Daisy Armstrong.”
“就像你猜的那样，‘雷切特’是个化名，雷切特就是卡塞蒂，那个臭名昭著的专业绑匪，包括那起有名的小黛西·阿姆斯特朗绑架案。”
“No, sir,” said the young American decidedly. “If I had I’d have cut off my right hand before it had a chance to do secretarial work for him!”
“是的，先生。”年轻的美国人果断地回答道，“要是我知道，宁可砍掉右手，也不会给他去当秘书。”
“I think,” he said at last, “that it would be well to have a further word with M. MacQueen, in view of what we now know.”
“我想，”他终于开口说道，“根据我们现在所了解的，最好还是跟麦奎因先生进一步谈谈。”
Hector MacQueen leaned forward interestedly. “Yes?” he said.
赫克托·麦奎因感兴趣地凑近了一些。“是吗？”他说。
For a minute or two Poirot remained lost in thought.
波洛沉思了一会儿。
“Not too badly. Since our last conversation I have learnt something — the identity of M. Ratchett.”
“不算太糟。上次我们谈过之后，我知道了一些事——雷切特先生的身份。”
An expression of utter astonishment appeared on MacQueen’s face; then it darkened. “The damned skunk!” he exclaimed.
麦奎因露出了极为惊讶的表情，接着沉下脸来。“这个该死的浑蛋！”他大声说道。
“You had no idea of this, M. MacQueen?”
“你对此毫不知情吗，麦奎因先生？”
“You feel strongly about the matter, M. MacQueen?”
“你的反应很激烈，麦奎因先生？”
“I have a particular reason for doing so. My father was the district attorney who handled the case, M. Poirot. I saw Mrs. Armstrong more than once — she was a lovely woman. So gentle and heartbroken.” His face darkened. “If ever a man deserved what he got, Ratchett or Cassetti is the man. I’m rejoiced at his end. Such a man wasn’t fit to live!”
“这是有特殊原因的。当年，我父亲是处理这个案子的地方检察官，波洛先生。我不止一次见过阿姆斯特朗太太——她是位美丽、温柔的女士，但悲痛欲绝。”他的脸色又暗了下来，“这应该是雷切特，或者说是卡塞蒂应得的报应。我很高兴他有这么个下场。这种人不配活着！”
The young American appeared promptly.
年轻的美国人迅速出现了。
“I do. I –” He paused, then flushed rather guiltily. “Seems I’m kind of incriminating myself.”
“我会的，我——”他停住了，急得涨红了脸补充道，“我好像是在给自己定罪。”
The young man seemed to find this remark rather baffling. He stared at Poirot as though trying to make him out.
年轻人似乎觉得这话难以理解。他盯着波洛，好像在努力理解他的意思。
“You almost feel as though you would have been willing to do the good deed yourself?”
“看起来，你恨不得是自己亲手杀了他？”
“I should be more inclined to suspect you, M. MacQueen, if you displayed an inordinate sorrow at your employer’s decease.”
“如果你对你老板的死表现得过于悲伤，麦奎因先生，我反而会更怀疑你了。”
“By a fragment of a letter found in his compartment.”
“在他房间里一封信的碎片上发现的。”
“I don’t think I could do that, even to save myself from the chair,” said MacQueen grimly. Then he added: “If I’m not being unduly curious, just how did you figure this out? Cassetti’s identity, I mean.”
“我觉得，就算能让自己免于坐电椅，我也不会那么做的，”麦奎因坚决地说，接着又补充道，“请原谅我的过分好奇，你是怎么发现这个的？我是说卡塞蒂的身份。”
“But surely — I mean — that was rather careless of the old man?”
“可是，肯定…我是说…那个老头子太粗心了。”
“That depends,” said Poirot, “on the point of view.”
“那取决于，”波洛说，“每个人不同的观点。”
“The task before me,” said Poirot, “is to make sure of the movements of everyone on the train. No offence need be taken, you understand? It is only a matter of routine.”
“目前我的任务是，”波洛说，“弄清楚火车上每位旅客的行动。你知道，我无意冒犯谁，只是例行公事。”
“Sure. Get right on with it and let me clear my character if I can.”
“当然。那就这么做吧。如果可以，让我澄清一下我的情况。”
“I need hardly ask you the number of your compartment,” said Poirot, smiling, “since I shared it with you for a night. It is the second-class compartment Nos. 6 and 7, and after my departure you had it to yourself.”
“我不用问你的房间号码了，”波洛笑着说，“因为我们同住过一晚。二等车厢的六号和七号床铺，而且我走了之后，你就一个人住了。”
“That’s right.”
“没错。”
“Now, M. MacQueen, I want you to describe your movements last night from the time of leaving the dining car.”
“现在，麦奎因先生，我想请你讲述一下昨晚离开餐车以后你的行踪。”
“That’s quite easy. I went back to my compartment, read a bit, got out on the platform at Belgrade, decided it was too cold, and got in again. I talked for a while to a young English lady who is in the compartment next to mine. Then I fell into conversation with that Englishman, Colonel Arbuthnot — as a matter of fact I think you passed us as we were talking. Then I went in to Mr. Ratchett and, as I told you, took down some memoranda of letters he wanted written. I said good night to him and left him. Colonel Arbuthnot was still standing in the corridor. His compartment was already made up for the night, so I suggested that he should come along to mine. I ordered a couple of drinks and we got right down to it. Discussed world politics and the Government of India and our own troubles with the financial situation and the Wall Street crisis. I don’t as a rule cotton to Britishers — they’re a stiff-necked lot — but I liked this one.”
“很简单。我回到我的房间，看了会儿书，到贝尔格莱德之后去了站台，天气太冷，于是就回来了。我跟隔壁房间的英国小姐聊了一会儿，后来又跟那个英国人，阿巴思诺特上校，聊了起来——事实上我们说话的时候你正好从旁边经过。接着我去找雷切特先生，就像我跟你说的，记一些他想写的备忘信件。道过晚安之后，我就离开了。阿巴思诺特上校仍然站在过道上，他的卧铺已经铺好了。所以我提议一起去我的房间。我要了两份饮料，接着坐着喝了起来。我们讨论着世界政治、印度政府、国内禁酒令带来的麻烦，还有华尔街危机。我平时不太喜欢英国人——他们太顽固——但我喜欢这位。”
“And then I went to bed and slept till morning.”
“后来我就上床睡觉直到天亮。”
“You noticed that the train had stopped?”
“你注意到火车已经停了吗？”
“By the one nearest to our compartment.”
“离我们房间最近的那扇。”
“Do you remember if it was bolted?”
“你记不记得当时门是否是闩着的？”
“He went along to his compartment and I called to the conductor to make up my bed.”
“他回自己的房间去了，而我则让列车员给我铺床。”
“What happened when Colonel Arbuthnot finally said good night?”
“阿巴思诺特上校道了晚安之后呢？”
“And then?”
“后来呢？”
“Where were you whilst he was making it?”
“他铺床的时候你在哪儿？”
“Pretty late. Getting on for two o’clock, I should say.”
“很晚，快两点了，我想。”
“By which door did you leave the train?”
“你们是从哪扇门下的车？”
“Why, yes, I seem to remember it was. At least there was a kind of bar that fitted across the handle. Is that what you mean?”
“嗯，是的，我好像记得是闩着的，至少门把手上插着个棍子。你指的是这个吗？”
“During the evening did you leave the train at all?”
“昨晚你下过车吗？”
“The one next to the dining car?”
“挨着餐车的那扇？”
“Yes.”
“是的。”
“Arbuthnot and I thought we’d get out at — what was the name of the place?– Vincovci to stretch our legs a bit. But it was bitterly cold — a blizzard on. We soon hopped back again.”
“阿巴思诺特和我打算在那个——那个地方叫什么来着？——温科夫齐——伸伸腿脚。但是天气太冷了，还有暴风雪，我们就跳回车上了。”
“Standing just outside the door in the corridor smoking a cigarette.”
“就站在门外的过道上吸了一支烟。”
“Oh, yes. We wondered a bit. Looked out and saw the snow lying very thick, but we didn’t think it was serious.”
“哦，是的，我们还有点奇怪呢。朝窗外一看，地上的雪很厚，但我们没想到会这么严重。”
MacQueen considered.
麦奎因考虑了一下。
“Do you know what time it was when he left you?”
“你知道你们聊完时是几点吗？”
“Why, no — I don’t think I did. I got in last. No, I don’t seem to remember doing so.” He added suddenly: “Is that an important point?”
“唔，没有，我记得我没有。我在他后面。不，我记得我没有闩。”他忽然补充说，“这很重要吗？”
“I want you, if you can, to tell me if anyone passed along that corridor after the train left Vincovci until the time you parted company for the night.”
“如果可能，我想请你告诉我，从火车离开温科夫齐之后到你们分开回房间睡觉这段时间，有人从过道上经过吗？”
Hector MacQueen nodded.
赫克托·麦奎因点点头。
“Yes. On getting back into the train did you replace that bar?”
“是的。你们回来的时候把棍子又闩回去了吗？”
“I think the conductor passed along once,” he said, “coming from the direction of the dining car. And a woman passed the other way, going towards it.”
“我想，列车员走过去一次，”他说，“从餐车那边过来的。还有个女人从另一头走过来，去餐车那个方向。”
“Which woman?”
“哪个女人？”
“It may be. Now, I presume, Monsieur, that while you and Colonel Arbuthnot were sitting talking the door of your compartment into the corridor was open?”
“可能吧。现在，先生，我假设一下，你跟阿巴思诺特上校坐着聊天，你房间里通向过道的门是开着的吗？”
MacQueen drew his brows together.
麦奎因的眉毛拧在了一起。
“I couldn’t say. I didn’t really notice. You see, I was just arguing a point with Arbuthnot. I just seem to remember a glimpse of some scarlet silk affair passing the door. I didn’t look, and anyway I wouldn’t have seen the person’s face. As you know, my carriage faces the dining car end of the train, so a woman going along the corridor in that direction would have her back to me as soon as she passed.”
“很难说。我真没注意到。你也看到了，我正跟阿巴思诺特上校辩论，好像看到过一眼有个穿红衣服的人从门口经过。我没看见，而且也看不到那个人的脸。你知道，我的房间对着餐厅那头，所以这个女人朝那个方向走过去，我也只能看见她的背影。”
“Well, no, now that you mention it, I didn’t notice her returning, but I suppose she must have done so.”
“哦，没有，既然你提到了，虽然我没注意，但我想她肯定是回来了。”
Poirot nodded. “She was going to the toilet, I presume?”
波洛点点头。“我猜她是要去洗手间吧？”
“One more question. Do you smoke a pipe, M. MacQueen?”
“还有一个问题。你抽烟斗吗，麦奎因先生？”
“I comprehend. Thank you, M. MacQueen.”
“我知道了。谢谢你，麦奎因先生。”
“And you saw her return?”
“你看到她回来了吗？”
“No, sir, I do not.”
“不，先生，我不抽。”
“I suppose so.”
“我想是这样的。”
Poirot paused a moment. “I think that is all at present. I should now like to see the valet of M. Ratchett. By the way, did both you and he always travel second-class?”
波洛停了一会儿。“我想就这些吧。现在我要见见雷切特先生的仆人。顺便问一句，你跟他旅行时都坐二等车吗？”
“He did. But I usually went first — if possible in the adjoining compartment to Mr. Ratchett. Then he had most of his baggage put in my compartment and yet could get at both it and me easily whenever he chose. But on this occasion all the first-class berths were booked except the one which he took.”
“他坐。不过我经常坐头等——如果可能，就在雷切特先生隔壁的房间。他把大部分行李都放在我的房间，这样就方便找东西或者叫我了。但这次，所有的一等铺位都订完了，只有他订到一个房间。”
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