Chapter 53

MY MESSAGE LIGHT was flashing¹.

It was after one in the morning when I finally got back to my apartment.

I threw my suit jacket over a chair and pulled off my sweater, hitting the PLAYBACK button of the answering machine.

5:28. Jamie, Martha's vet². She's ready to be picked up in the morning.

7:05. Jacobi, just checking in.

7:16. Jill. A quiver³ of nerves⁴ in her voice. "I need to talk to you, Lindsay. I tried your cell⁵ phone, but it didn't answer. Call me, whenever you get home."

11:15. Jill again. "Lindsay? Call me as soon as you get home. I'm up."

Something had happened. I punched⁶ in her number and she answered on the second ring. "It's me. I was in Portland. Is everything okay?"

"I don't know," she said. A pause⁷. "I threw Steve out tonight."

I almost dropped the phone on the floor. "You really did it?"

"This time's for keeps. We're done, Lindsay."

"Oh, Jill..." I thought of her carrying this all night, wait-ing for me to come home. "What did he do?"

"I don't want to go into it right now," she said, "other than it won't be happening anymore. I threw him out, Lindsay. I changed the locks."

"You locked him out? Wow! So where is he now?"

Jill coughed out a laugh. "I don't have any idea. He went out about seven and when he came back, about eleven-thirty, I heard him pounding on the door outside. It would have been worth the past ten years of bullshit just to see the expression⁸ on his face when his key didn't fit. He'll swing by tomorrow to get his stuff⁹."

"Are you alone? Have you called anyone?"

"No," she answered. "I was waiting for you. My buddy¹⁰."

"I'm gonna come over," I said.

"No," she said, "I just took something. I want to go to sleep. I have to be in court tomorrow."

"I'm proud of you, Jilly."

"I'm proud of me, too. You're not going to mind if I need a little hand-holding over the next few weeks?"

"No hand I'd rather hold. I'm giving you a big hug, honey. Get some sleep. And here's some advice from a cop¹¹: Keep that door locked."

I hung up the phone. It was going on two in the morning, but I didn't care. I wanted to call Claire or Cindy and tell them the news.

Jill finally booted¹² the asshole out!

1 flashing   

n.闪光，防水板，遮雨板v.发出闪光( flash的现在分词 )；（使）闪现；映出；显示

参考例句：

• police cars with lights flashing and sirens blaring 警灯闪烁、警笛刺耳的警车
• I do wish he would stop flashing his money about. 我真希望他别再到处炫耀他的钱财。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 vet   

n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查

参考例句：

• I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
• Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。

3 quiver   

vi.颤抖，抖动；n.颤抖，抖动，颤声

参考例句：

• Can you feel a quiver of her hands? 你感觉到她的手在发抖吗？
• There was a slight quiver in his voice as he spoke.他说话时声音有些颤抖。

4 nerves   

n.神经紧张 vt.鼓起勇气

参考例句：

• What he said at the meeting strung her nerves up. 他在会议上的发言使她的神经很紧张。
• At the end of a day's teaching, her nerves were absolutely shattered. 教了一天课，她精疲力竭。

5 cell   

n.区，细胞，血球；小室，牢房；电池，光电管；基层组织

参考例句：

• Soap destroys the cell walls of bacteria.肥皂破坏细菌的细胞壁。
• They have locked the prisoners up in their cell.他们已把犯人监禁在小牢房里。

6 punched   

v.用拳猛击( punch的过去式和过去分词 )；打孔

参考例句：

• He punched me with his fist. 他用拳头猛击我。
• She was punched and kicked by her attackers. 她遭到袭击者的拳打脚踢。

7 pause   

vi.暂停，中止，停顿；n.中止，停顿，踌躇，休止符

参考例句：

• After a little pause, he went on with his speech.稍停一会儿后，他又继续讲演。
• He made a pause and then went on reading.他停顿了一下，然后又读下去。

8 expression   

n.表达，表示，表现，表情，措辞，词句

参考例句：

• He looked at me without expression.他毫无表情地看着我。
• Her face was without expression.她的脸上没有表情。

9 stuff   

n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱

参考例句：

• We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
• He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。

10 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！

11 cop   

n.警察；vt.抓住

参考例句：

• The cop told him to button his lip.警察叫他闭嘴。
• The robber was overpowered by the cop.抢劫犯被警察制伏。

12 booted   

adj.穿靴的

参考例句：

• My mother booted my brother out of the house. 我母亲把我哥哥从家里赶了出去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They booted him out for being drunk at work. 他们把他解雇了，因为他工作时喝醉了酒。 来自《简明英汉词典》