Homicide Investigation1 Progress Report
DR#S 04-592 346-56
VICTIMS: BRAND, MICHAELA ALLY
GAIDELAS, ANDREW WILLIAM
GAIDELAS, CATHERINE ANTONIA
GIACOMO, VICTORIA MARY
MESERVE, DYLAN ROGER
PEATY, REYNOLD MILLARD
WHITE FEMALE JANE DOE #1
WHITE FEMALE JANE DOE #2
WHITE FEMALE JANE DOE #3
WHITE FEMALE JANE DOE #4
LAS VEGAS,
NV VICTIM DUTCHEY, JULIET LEE
SECTION VIII: EVIDENCE
I. FROM STORAGE BUILDING OWNED BY BNBPROPERTIES, 9421/2 WEST WOODBURY ROAD, ALTADENA, CA, 91001:
1. 3 CARDBOARD CARTONS CONTAINING CLOTHING, SOME IDENTIFIED AS BELONGING TOVICTIMS BRAND, M, GAIDELAS, A, GAIDELAS, C, MESERVE, D, GIACOMO, V. VARIOUSFEMALE ATTIRE2, IDENTIFICATION UNKNOWN.
2. 2 “MADE IN MEXICO”ONYX BOXES CONTAINING VARIOUS GOLD, SILVER, AND COSTUME JEWELRY3, 3 PRS.EYEGLASSES, 1 BELONGING TO VICTIM GIACOMO, V, 2 UNATTRIBUTED, 1 SET SOFTCONTACT LENSES BELONGING TO VICTIM BRAND, M, 1 PARTIAL DENTAL BRIDGE BELONGINGTO VICTIM GAIDELAS, A.
3. 3 POLYETHYLENE GARBAGE BAGS CONTAINING 53 BLEACHED4 HUMAN BONES,IDENTIFICATION IN PROGRESS PER THE CORONER’S OFFICE. (REF: PROFESSOR JESSICASAMPLE, FORENSIC5 ANTHROPOLOGIST6.)
4. 1 CARDBOARD CARTON MARKED SEARS-KENMORE CONTAINING 10 JUMBO ZIPLOC SANDWICH BAGS EACH CONTAINING A CLUMP7 OF HUMAN HAIR BOUNDBY TWO RUBBER BANDS. (REF: PROF. J. SAMPLE.)
II. FROM TRUNK OF 1989 LINCOLN TOWN CAR VIN 33893566, REGISTERED TO BRADLEY MILLARDDOWD, GARAGED BE HIND8 STORAGE BUILDINGAT 942? WEST WOODBURY ROAD:
1. 1 SONY DIGITAL CAMERA MODEL DSC 588.
2. 1 EXCISED9 SECTION OF BLACK CARPETING FROM LTC.
3. FRONT AND REAR BLACK LEATHER SEATS FROM LTC.
III. FROM TRIPLEX SUBTERRANEAN10 BOMB SHELTERS, 43885 LATIGO CANYON11 ROAD, MALIBU, CA, 90265:
FROM UNIT “A” (NORTHERNMOST, SEE DIAGRAM):
1. CLOTHING, COSMETICS12, PERSONAL EFFECTS BELONGING TO SUSPECT DOWD, N.
2. COLLAPSIBLE TWIN BED AND BEDDING.
3. PHOTOGRAPHS OF SUSPECTS DOWD, B, AND DOWD, N.
4. 5 TEETH BELONGING TO VICTIM MESERVE, D. PIERCED AND STRUNG ON A SILVERCHAIN.
5. 1 TAXIDERMICALLY PRESERVED HUMAN HEAD BELONGING TO VICTIM MESERVE, D.
6. 2 SIMILAR PRESERVATIONS13, VICTIMS GAIDELAS, A, GAIDE LAS, C.
7. 1 COMPACT DISK CONTAINING DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES, MARKED“PARTY-TIME” CONTAINING PORNO15 GRAPHIC14 IMAGES OF:
A. SUSPECT DOWD, B, HAVING SEXUAL INTERCOURSE16 WITH V’S BRAND, M, GIACOMO, V,GAIDELAS, C, GAIDELAS, A, JANE DOES 1, 2, 3, 4. LAS VEGAS VICTIM, DUTCHEY, J.
B. SUSPECT DOWD, B, HAVING SEXUAL INTERCOURSE WITH SUSPECT DOWD, N.
C. SUSPECT DOWD, N, HAVING SEXUAL INTERCOURSE WITH VICTIM MESERVE, D.
D. SUSPECT DOWD, B, HAVING SEXUAL INTERCOURSE WITH VICTIM MESERVE, D.
8. 4 DIGITAL VIDEO DISKS CONTAINING MOTION PICTURES, CONTENT SIMILAR TO 3.
FROM UNITS “B” AND “C”:
1. 2 250 MB COMPUTER ZIP DISKS MARKED “PT CLIMAX,” CONTENTS SCRAMBLED17,POSSIBLY DAMAGED. (REF: LAPD TECHNICAL DIVISION, SGT. S. FUJIKAWA.)
2. 1 IBM CLONE PERSONAL COMPUTER, 1 APC BATTERYBACKUP, 1 MICROTEK 19" MONITOR, 1 HEWLETT-PACKARD LASERJET 4050 PRINTER.
3. 1 42" SONY FLAT-SCREEN TELEVISION.
4. 1 BRASS18 COAT HOOK.
5. 1 213 SQ. FT. EXCISED SECTION, BEIGE NYLON CARPETING. 1 215.5 SQ. FT.EXCISED SECTION, BEIGE NYLON CARPETING.
6. 12 BOXES OF DISASSEMBLED ACOUSTICAL19 CEILING TILES.
7. 2 SETS SMITH & WESSON DOUBLE LOCK POLICE-ISSUE HANDCUFFS AND KEYS.
8. 1 SET ANTIQUE “E.D. BEAN” LEG IRON RESTRAINTS, C. 1885. (REF: PROFESSORANDRE WASHINGTON, HISTORIAN.)
9. 3 WOODEN BOXES CONTAINING VARIOUS SURGICAL20 KNIVES, NEEDLES, SAWS,SCRAPERS, SHEARS21, CANNULAS, FUNNELS22.
10. 1 “TI-DEE” HEAVY-DUTY SUCTION PUMP, MODEL A-334C.
11. 1 KINGSLEY SECRETION23 ASPIRATOR, MODEL CSI-PG005.
12. 4 SPOOLS24 MEDIBOND NYLON MONOFILAMENT SURGICAL SUTURE MATERIAL, TWO 20MM, TWO 24 MM.
13. 2 UNMARKED CARDBOARD CARTONS CONTAINING SEALED CLEAR PLASTIC BAGS OFCOTTON STUFFING.
14. 4 PLASTIC GALLON CONTAINERS, HYDROGEN PEROXIDE.
15. 1 BOX “PLEASURE-RIB” LATEX CONDOMS.
16. 1 5-GAL. PLASTIC CONTAINER, FORMIC ACID PICKLING SOLUTION.
17. 5 SETS “SNUG-FIT” LATEX GLOVES.
18. 1 EPOXY “TAXI-FORM SCULPTING25 KIT26.”
19. 1 QUART BOTTLE EATON SKIN DEGREASER AND PRESERVATIVE27.
20. 1 5-LB. BAG “READI-TAN” DRY PRESERVATIVE.
21. 1 OAKES G-235C “MINOR SURGICAL PROCEDURE” TABLE WITH HEADREST ANDDETACHABLE DRAIN…
Milo returned to his office and took themurder book from me.
“I wasn’t finished.”
He dropped the file in a drawer. “Michaela’s Honda finally showed up.Parking garage of a BNB building in Sierra Madre, towed to the motor lab as wespeak.”
“Congratulations. As I was saying—”
“How’s my prose?”
“Eloquent,” I said. “Please don’t tell me you want to have lunch.”
“It’s way past lunchtime, have your people call my people and we’ll dodinner.”
He sank down hard enough to make the desk chair groan28. “Enough with the glibmacho posturing29. I’m thrashed and not ashamed to admit it.”
“Get any sleep?”
“Around five hours,” he said. “Over five days.”
“Time for a break,” I said.
“It ain’t the workload30 that’s keeping me up, boy-o, it’s the reality. Aslong as you’ve perused31, care to add any insights?”
“The PlayHouse was a talent pool in a much worse way than we imagined. ForNora, it served double duty. She got to feel omnipotent32 and she and Brad bothenjoyed selecting victims.”
“Cold bitch,” he said. “Arrogant, too. That time we came to her house, shedidn’t even pretend to care about Tori or Michaela.”
“I’m not sure she’s capable of pretending.”
“No acting33 chops? How’d she get so many people to believe in her?”
“By attracting a hungry crowd who thought they were getting a bargain.Emotionally needy34 people will swallow poisoned Kool-Aid.”
He sighed. “All those pretty folk auditioning35, having no idea what the partreally was.”
“Any luck identifying the other girls?”
“Not yet. No other male bodies show up yet, but I’m not counting on thisbeing the end of it. There’s still a dozen BNB properties we haven’t looked atand the backhoes have only dug up a corner of the property. How do you see thehoax figuring in?”
“Theater of the cruel. Nora and Brad hatched it up for fun, convinced DylanMeserve he was a coconspirator. But he was a human chess piece.”
“Think he knew what was in store for Michaela?”
“Have you found any indication that he was aware of the other victims?”
“Not so far,” he said. “But the way he had Michaela pretend to choke him,that coulda been foreshadowing her fate, right?”
“Or he had his own kinks,” I said. “We’ll probably never find out unlesssome kind of diary shows up. Or Brad or Nora start talking.”
“So far, they’re both dummying up,” he said. “I got Brad on suicide watch,like you suggested. Jail guard said Brad thought that was funny.”
“Maintaining the facade,” I said. “Once it crumbles37, he’ll have nothingleft.”
“You’re the shrink…back to the hoax36. Nora wink-winks at Meserve, pretends tobe outraged38 and kicks Michaela out of class. Why?”
“My bet’s still on setting Michaela up for Brad’s ‘rescue.’ She was broke,unemployed, hungry for attention, frustrated39 career-wise. If Brad just happenedto drive by in one of his shiny cars and struck up a conversation, it could’veseemed like providence40. She already knew his face from the PlayHouse so therewouldn’t be any stranger anxiety. And Brad’s connection to Nora would’ve madeMichaela eager to hook up with him.”
“Trying to get back in Nora’s good graces.”
“Or he might’ve told her he had his own connections, could help her career.Same for Tori. Same for all of them.”
“Seduction instead of abduction,” he said. “Nice dinner, good wine, come upand enjoy the sunset at my Malibuplace. Wonder how Michaela felt when she saw he was taking her back to Latigo Canyon.”
“If he’d built up trust by wining and dining her, it could’ve kept heranxiety in check. Or he took her somewhere else first and restrained her.”
“If he’s got another chamber41 of horrors, it hasn’t turned up yet. Onething’s for sure: Nothing went on at his house or Nora’s. Not a speck42 of nastyat either.”
I said, “Why sully the home front when you’ve got a special place set asidefor your hobbies. These people are all about splitting.”
“Speaking of hobbies, any theory about why Meserve and the Gaidelases werethe only specimens43 they preserved?”
“The neck wound says they thought of preserving Michaela,” I said. “Went sofar as to insert a cannula in her neck then changed their minds. No way to getinside their heads, but the Gaidelases and Meserve fit some kind of fantasy. IfI could finish the file—”
“There’s nothing in there about the past, Alex. Just more ugly. I’m stuckwith this, but you’re not. Go home and forget about all of it.”
I said, “Any luck decoding44 the scrambled disk?”
He ran his tongue over cracked, dry lips, scratched his scalp, rubbed hisface. He’d shaved carelessly and a patch of white fur ran along his jaw45. Hiseyes were hooded46 and weary. “You’ve developed a hearing problem?”
I repeated the question.
“You never let go,” he said.
“That’s why you pay me the big bucks47.”
“The disk is decoded48 and loaded in Room Four. I’ve been watching it for thelast hour. Hence, my sage49 advice about going home.”
“No sense postponing50 the inevitable51,” I said.
“What’s inevitable?”
“I was at the scene when you found the shelter. Someone’s going to subpoename. Either the D.A. or Stavros Menas.”
“Both Dowdstried to hire Menas but Nora got him and she wasn’t feelingsisterly. Brad’s looking for new representation.”
“Money talks and she’s got the mike.”
“Minus the millions Brad skimmed,” he said. “Most of which seems to havegone into the car collection and a little island he bought off the coast of Belize twomonths ago. And one more luxury purchase, three weeks ago: jet card for aGulfstream V, twenty-five hours. That’s three hundred fifty grand for a planewith international range. Wanna take bets on there being an offshore53 bankaccount somewhere south of the equator? The estate lawyers who appointed himtrustee are gobbling Prilosec and the new court-appointed lawyers are lickingtheir chops. We’re talking years of litigation, there goes the rest of theestate.”
I said, “Planning his escape, those brochures were for real. Then he gotclever and planted them in Nora’s nightstand.”
“Too clever,” he said. “Sitting in that Range Rover, using Billy’s land.Dutiful caretaker of his sibs, meanwhile he’s screwing them, literally54 andfinancially. Think he was planning to take Nora with him or go it alone?”
“Unless she knew about the island I’d say alone. Is anyone protectingBilly’s interests?”
“The court-appointed lawyers claim to be.”
“I finally got permission to see him yesterday, drove out to Riverside.”
“How’s the place they put him in?”
“Grim,” I said. “Assisted care facility, a hundred Alzheimer’s patients andBilly.”
“Learn anything?”
“He’s in shock and disoriented. I got about three minutes before theattorney-on-premises ended it.”
“Why?”
“Billy started crying.”
“Because of you?”
“That was learned counsel’s opinion,” I said. “Mine was that Billy has lotsto cry about and not letting him express it will only make matters worse. Itold learned counsel Billy needs a full-time55 therapist, I wasn’t volunteeringfor the job, only suggesting he find someone. He begged to differ. When I gotback, I phoned the judge who wrote the placement order. Haven’t heard from heryet but I’m thinking of other judges who might be willing to help.”
“You see Billy as totally clean?” he said.
“Unless you find something more ominous56 at his duplex than Star Wars actionfigures and Disney videos.”
He shook his head. “Like a kid’s place. Boxes of sugar cereal, bottles ofchocolate milk.”
I said. “Being a kid’s hard enough. Being neither boy nor man is something else.Any sign of Billy’s allowance money?”
“Nope, just coins in a piggy bank. Some of the pennies date back to thesixties.”
“Fifteen hundred a month and all he spent on was pizza and Thai food andrental movies. It explains Reynold Peaty’s drop-ins. He pretended to be Billy’sfriend, had his way with the cash.”
“Makes sense,” he said. “Except no money showed up in Peaty’s dive.”
“A guy like Peaty would have ways to spend it,” I said. “Or, if hisrelationship with Brad went beyond janitor57 and boss, maybe the money found itsway back to Cuz. Then Cuz set him up to die.”
He frowned. A muscle just below his left eye jumped.
I said, “What?”
“What a family.” He found a stale cigar in a drawer, rolled it, and bit offthe end. Spat58 it into his wastebasket.
“Two points.” I stood and walked to the door. “Time to view the disk.”
He stayed put. “It’s really a bad idea, Alex.”
“I want to get it over with.”
“Even if someone does subpoena52 you, it could be months away,” he said.
“No sense harboring fantasies all that time.”
“Trust me, your fantasies can’t be worse than reality.”
“Trust me, ” I said. “They can.”
收听单词发音 |
1
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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jewelry
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| n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝 | |
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bleached
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| 漂白的，晒白的，颜色变浅的 | |
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forensic
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| adj.法庭的，雄辩的 | |
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anthropologist
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| n.人类学家，人类学者 | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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excised
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| v.切除，删去( excise的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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canyon
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cosmetics
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| n.化妆品 | |
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preservations
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| n.保藏( preservation的名词复数 )；储藏；保持 | |
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graphic
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| adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的 | |
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porno
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| n.春宫，色情画；色情文学，电影等 | |
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intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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acoustical
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| adj. 听觉的，声学的，音响学的 | |
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surgical
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| adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的 | |
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shears
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| n.大剪刀 | |
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funnels
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| 漏斗( funnel的名词复数 )； （轮船，火车等的）烟囱 | |
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secretion
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| n.分泌 | |
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spools
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| n.（绕线、铁线、照相软片等的）管( spool的名词复数 )；络纱；纺纱机；绕圈轴工人v.把…绕到线轴上（或从线轴上绕下来）( spool的第三人称单数 )；假脱机（输出或输入） | |
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sculpting
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| 雕刻( sculpt的现在分词 )； 雕塑； 做（头发）； 梳（发式） | |
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kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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preservative
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| n.防腐剂；防腐料；保护料；预防药 | |
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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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posturing
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| 做出某种姿势( posture的现在分词 ) | |
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workload
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| n.作业量，工作量 | |
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perused
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| v.读（某篇文字）( peruse的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指）细阅；审阅；匆匆读或心不在焉地浏览（某篇文字） | |
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omnipotent
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| adj.全能的，万能的 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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needy
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| adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的 | |
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auditioning
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| vi.试听（audition的现在分词形式） | |
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hoax
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| v.欺骗，哄骗，愚弄；n.愚弄人，恶作剧 | |
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crumbles
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| 酥皮水果甜点( crumble的名词复数 ) | |
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outraged
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| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
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frustrated
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| adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧 | |
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providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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speck
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| n.微粒，小污点，小斑点 | |
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specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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decoding
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| n.译码，解码v.译（码），解（码）( decode的现在分词 )；分析及译解电子信号 | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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hooded
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| adj.戴头巾的；有罩盖的；颈部因肋骨运动而膨胀的 | |
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bucks
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| n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃 | |
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decoded
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| v.译（码），解（码）( decode的过去式和过去分词 )；分析及译解电子信号 | |
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sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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postponing
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| v.延期，推迟( postpone的现在分词 ) | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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subpoena
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| n.（法律）传票；v.传讯 | |
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offshore
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| adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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full-time
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| adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的 | |
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ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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janitor
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| n.看门人，管门人 | |
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spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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