Chapter 18

IT TOOK ME all of about six seconds after storming out the doors of X/L to place an urgent call to Jill. I took her through the frustrating¹ meeting I'd just come out of.

"You're looking for a subpoena," Jill cut me off, "to get into Lightower's files?"

"Duh, Jill, and fast, before they send in the Arthur Ander-sen boys to do a little office tidying."

"Any evidence there's anything in Lightower's computer to back that up?"

"Call me suspicious, Jill, but when a guy I'm interviewing starts to twist around like a cod² on a fishing line, those little police antennae³ behind my ears always go twang."

"How do they go, Lindsay?" Jill chuckled⁴ back.

"Twang," I said, more firmly. "C'mon, Jill, I'm not screw-ing around."

"Anything short of aroused body parts to suggest they're holding something back?" The blood began to roil⁵ in my chest. "You're not gonna do this for me, are you?"

"I can't do this for you, Lindsay. And if I did, whatever you found wouldn't make it through arraignment⁶. Look, I could try to cut a deal with them."

"Jill. I've got a multiple-murder investigation⁷."

"Then if I were you, I'd try to apply some nonlegal pressure." "You want to spell that out for me?" Jill snorted. "Last I checked, you still had a few friends in

the news media...." "You're saying maybe they'd be more forthcoming if their

company got trashed a little on the front page of the Chronicle." "Duh, Linds..." I heard Jill giggle⁸. All of a sudden a beep sounded on my cell phone. Cappy Thomas at the office. "Lieutenant⁹, I need you back

at home base, posthaste. We got a line on the au pair."

1 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 cod   

n.鳕鱼；v.愚弄；哄骗

参考例句：

• They salt down cod for winter use.他们腌鳕鱼留着冬天吃。
• Cod are found in the North Atlantic and the North Sea.北大西洋和北海有鳕鱼。

3 antennae   

n.天线；触角

参考例句：

• Sometimes a creature uses a pair of antennae to swim.有时某些动物使用其一对触须来游泳。
• Cuba's government said that Cubans found watching American television on clandestine antennae would face three years in jail.古巴政府说那些用秘密天线收看美国电视的古巴人将面临三年监禁。

4 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

5 roil   

v.搅浑，激怒

参考例句：

• Times of national turmoil generally roil a country's financial markets.在国家动荡不安的时代，该国的金融市场一般都会出现混乱。
• Some of her habits are off-putting but don't let them roil you.她的一些习惯让人恶心，但最好别烦你。

6 arraignment   

n.提问，传讯，责难

参考例句：

• She was remanded to juvenile detention at her arraignment yesterday. 她昨天被送回了对少年拘留在她的传讯。 来自互联网
• Wyatt asks the desk clerk which courthouse he is being transferred to for arraignment. 他向接待警员询问了马宏将在哪个法庭接受传讯。 来自互联网

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

8 giggle   

n.痴笑，咯咯地笑；v.咯咯地笑着说

参考例句：

• Both girls began to giggle.两个女孩都咯咯地笑了起来。
• All that giggle and whisper is too much for me.我受不了那些咯咯的笑声和交头接耳的样子。

9 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。