CINDY ENTERED THE BAR inside the St. Regis Hotel at the corner of Third and Mission in the vibrant1 SoMa district. Jason Twilly was staying there for the course of the trial, and it was definitely the place to be.
Twilly stood as Cindy approached his table. He was tall, thin, a young forty-three, with striking features Cindy recognized from his book jackets and recent profile in Entertainment Weekly.
“Jason Twilly,” he said, stretching out his hand.
“Hi, I’m Cindy Thomas.” She slipped into the chair Twilly pulled out for her. “Sorry I’m late.”
“No problem. I was glad to have a minute to do some quiet thinking.”
She’d researched Twilly before this meeting, adding to what she already knew - that he was very smart, calculating, talented, and a little ruthless. One journalist had written that Twilly was picking up where Truman Capote left off with In Cold Blood, noting that Twilly had a rare talent for getting into the minds of killers2, humanizing them so that readers regarded the killers almost as friends.
Cindy wanted to let herself enjoy the ambience of the place and the fun of being with Jason Twilly, but she couldn’t let down her guard. She was worried for Yuki, wondered how Twilly would depict3 her and if it was a good or bad thing for her friend that Twilly’s next book would be about Michael Campion. Even though Yuki didn’t seem to care, Cindy knew that Twilly would use anything she said to benefit himself.
“I just finished Malvo,” Cindy said, referring to Twilly’s bestselling account of the DC sniper who, with his manipulative partner, had killed ten people and terrified the capital in a month-long crime spree.
“What did you think?” Twilly smiled. It was a charming smile, lopsided, the left side of his mouth twitching4 up, making the corners of his eyes crinkle.
“Made me think about teenage boys in a whole new way.”
“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” Twilly said. “What can I get you to drink?”
Twilly called the waitress over, ordered wine for Cindy, mineral water for himself, and told Cindy that since Yuki was going to be prosecuting5 Junie Moon, he wanted to get some sense of her from her closest friend.
“I spoke6 with some of her professors at Boalt Law,” Twilly told Cindy. “And a couple of her former colleagues at Duffy and Rogers.”
“She was really on the fast track to partnership7 there,” Cindy said.
“So I’ve heard. Yuki told me that after her mother was killed at Municipal Hospital, she lost her taste for civil cases and went over to the prosecutorial8 side.”
“Exactly.”
“So what does that make her? Fierce? Vengeful?”
“You’re baiting me,” Cindy said, laughing. “Did Yuki strike you as vindictive9?”
“Not at all,” Twilly said, giving her another of his electrifying10 smiles. “Well, maybe the fierce part is true,” he said. “I’ve seen Yuki in action at the Brinkley thing.”
Twilly told Cindy that he already had a contract from his publisher to do the unauthorized biography of Michael Campion when, suddenly, Michael disappeared.
“It looked like an unsolved mystery until the cops found a suspect and indicted11 Junie Moon,” Twilly said. “And when I heard that Yuki Castellano was going to try Moon for Michael’s murder, it just couldn’t get any better. It should be a hell of a trial. And what I love about Yuki Castellano is that she’s passionate12 and she’s fearless.”
Cindy nodded in agreement, said, “L. Diana Davis had better bring her best game.”
“That’s interesting,” said Twilly. “Because what I was thinking is that it’s good that Yuki has a friend like you, Cindy. I mean, with all due respect to Yuki, Davis is going to slaughter13 her.”
收听单词发音 |
1
vibrant
|
|
| adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
killers
|
|
| 凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
depict
|
|
| vt.描画，描绘；描写，描述 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
twitching
|
|
| n.颤搐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
prosecuting
|
|
| 检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
spoke
|
|
| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
partnership
|
|
| n.合作关系，伙伴关系 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
prosecutorial
|
|
| 公诉人的，原告的； 起诉的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
vindictive
|
|
| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
electrifying
|
|
| v.使电气化( electrify的现在分词 )；使兴奋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
indicted
|
|
| 控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
passionate
|
|
| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
slaughter
|
|
| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |