3:45 AM
DAISY was shivering so much she could hardly hold the ladder. Elton climbed the rungs, grasping a pair of garden shears1 in one frozen hand. The exterior2 lamps shone through the filter of falling snow. Kit3 watched from the garage door, his teeth chattering4. Nigel was in the garage, arms wrapped around the burgundy leather briefcase5.
The ladder was propped6 up against the side of Steepfall. Telephone wires emerged at the corner of the house and ran at roof height to the garage. From there, Kit knew, they connected with an underground pipe that ran to the main road. Severing7 the cables here would cut off the entire property from telephone contact. It was just a precaution, but Nigel had insisted, and Kit had found ladder and shears in the garage.
Kit felt as if he were in a nightmare. He had known that tonight's work would be dangerous, but in his worst moments he had never anticipated that he would be standing8 outside his family home while a gangster9 cut the phone lines and a master thief clutched a case containing a virus that could kill them all.
Elton took his left hand off the ladder, balancing cautiously, and held the shears in both hands. He leaned forward, caught a cable between the blades, pressed the handles together, and dropped the shears.
They landed points-down in the snow six inches from Daisy, who let out a yell of shock.
"Hush10!" Kit said in a stage whisper.
"He could have killed me!" Daisy protested.
"You'll wake everyone!"
Elton came down the ladder, retrieved11 the shears, and climbed up again.
They had to go to Luke and Lori's cottage and take the Toyota Land Cruiser, but Kit knew they could not go immediately. They were nearly falling down with exhaustion12. Worse, Bat was not sure he could find Luke's place. He had almost lost his way looking for Steepfall. The snow was falling as hard as ever. If they tried to go on now, they would get lost or die of exposure or both. They had to wait until the blizzard13 eased, or until daylight gave them a better chance of finding their way. And, to make absolutely sure no one could find out that they were here, they were cutting off the phones.
This time, Elton succeeded in snipping14 the lines. As he came down the ladder, Kit picked up the loose cable ends, twisted them into a bundle, and draped them against the garage wall where they were less conspicuous15.
Elton carried the ladder into the garage and dropped it. It clanged on the concrete floor. "Try not to make so much noise!" Kit said.
Nigel looked around the bare stone walls of the converted stable. "We can't stay here."
Kit said, "Better in here than out there."
"We're cold and wet and there's no heat. We could die."
"We'll run the engines of the cars," Kit said. "That will warm the place."
"Don't be stupid," Elton said. "The fumes17 will kill us long before the heat warms us."
"We could drive the Ford18 outside and sit in it."
Daisy said, "Fuck that. I want a cup of tea and hot food and a dram. I'm going in the house."
"No!" The thought of these three in his family home filled Kit with horror. It would be like taking mad dogs home. And what about the briefcase with its virulent19 contents? How could he let them carry that into the kitchen?
Elton said, "I'm with her. Let's go into the house."
Kit wished bitterly that he had not told them how to cut off the phones. "But how would I explain you?"
"They'll all be asleep."
"And if it's still snowing when they get up?"
Nigel said, "Here's what you say. You don't know us. You met us on the road. Our car is stuck in a snowdrift a couple of miles away. You took pity on us and brought us back here."
"They aren't supposed to know I've left the house!"
"Say you went out for a drink."
Elton said, "Or to meet a girl."
Daisy said, "How old are you, anyway? You need to ask Daddy before you can go out at night?"
It infuriated Kit to be condescended20 to by a thug like Daisy. "It's a question of what they'll believe, you brain-dead gorgon21. Who would be daft enough to go out in a snowstorm and drive miles for a drink, when there's plenty of booze in the house anyway?"
She retorted, "Someone daft enough to lose a quarter of a million pounds at blackjack."
"You'll think of a plausible22 story, Kit," said Nigel. "Let's get inside, before our fucking feet drop off."
"You left your disguises in the van. My family will see your real faces."
"It doesn't matter. We're just unfortunate stranded23 motorists. There'll be hundreds like us, it will be on the news. Your family won't connect us with the people who robbed the laboratory."
"I don't like it," Kit said. He was scared of defying these three criminals, but desperate enough to do it. "I'm not taking you into the house."
"We're not asking your permission," Nigel said contemptuously. "If you don't show us the way, we'll find it ourselves."
What they did not understand, Kit thought despairingly, was that his family were all very smart. Nigel, Elton, and Daisy would have difficulty fooling them. "You don't look like a group of innocent people who got stranded."
"What do you mean?" Nigel said.
"You're not the average Scots family," Kit told him. "You're a Londoner, Elton's black, and Daisy's a bloody psychopath. My sisters may notice that."
"We'll just be polite and not say much."
"Say nothing at all would be the best plan. Any rough stuff and the game will be up."
"Of course. We want them to think we're harmless."
"Especially Daisy." Kit turned to her. "You keep your hands to yourself."
Nigel backed Kit. "Yeah, Daisy, try not to give the bloody game away. Act like a girl, just for a couple of hours, okay?"
She said, "Yeah, yeah," and turned away.
Kit realized that at some point in the argument he had given in. "Shit," he said. "Just remember that you need me to show you where the Land Cruiser is. If any harm comes to my family, you can forget it."
With a fatalistic feeling that he was helpless to stop himself hurtling toward disaster, he led them around the house to the back door. It was unlocked, as always. As he opened it, he said, "All right, Nellie, it's me," so that the dog would not bark.
When he entered the boot lobby, warm air washed over him like a blessing24. Behind him, he heard Elton say, "Oh, God, that's better."
Kit turned and hissed25, "Keep your voices down, please!" He felt like a schoolteacher trying to quiet heedless children in a museum. "The longer they stay asleep, the easier it will be for us, don't you see that?" He led them through the lobby and into the kitchen. "Be nice, Nellie," he said quietly. "These are friends."
Nigel patted Nellie, and the dog wagged her tail. They took off their wet coats. Nigel stood the briefcase on the kitchen table and said, "Put the kettle on, Kit."
Kit put down his laptop and turned on the small TV set on the kitchen counter. He found a news channel, then filled the kettle.
A pretty newsreader said, "An unexpected change in the prevailing26 wind has brought a surprise blizzard to most of Scotland.'
Daisy said, "You can say that again."
The newsreader spoke27 in a seductive voice, as if inviting28 the viewer back to her place for a nightcap. "In some parts, more than twelve inches of snow fell in as many hours."
"I'll give you twelve inches in some parts," said Elton.
They were relaxing, Kit saw with trepidation29. He felt even more tense than before.
The newsreader told of car accidents, blocked roads, and abandoned vehicles. "To hell with all that," Kit said irately30. "When's it going to stop?"
"Make the tea, Kit," said Nigel.
Kit put out mugs, a sugar bowl, and a jug31 of milk. Nigel, Daisy, and Elton sat around the scrubbed-pine table, just like family. The kettle boiled. Kit made a pot of tea and a cafetiere of coffee.
The television picture changed, and a weather forecaster appeared in front of a chart. They all went quiet. "Tomorrow morning the blizzard will die away as quickly as it came," he said.
"Yes!" Nigel said triumphantly32.
"The thaw34 will follow before midday."
"Be precise!" Nigel said in exasperation35. "What time before midday?"
"We can still make it," Elton said. He poured tea and added milk and sugar.
Kit shared his optimism. "We should leave at first light," he said. Seeing the way ahead cheered him up.
"I hope we can," Nigel said.
Elton sipped36 his tea. "By the cringe, that's better. Lazarus must have felt like this when he was raised from the dead."
Daisy stood up. She opened the door to the dining room and peered into the gloom. "What room is this?"
Kit said, "Where do you think you're going?"
"I need a shot of booze in this tea." She turned on the light and went in. A moment later, she made a triumphant33 noise, and Kit heard her opening the cocktail37 cabinet.
Kit's father walked into the kitchen from the hall, wearing gray pajamas38 and a black cashmere dressing39 gown. "Good morning," he said. "What's all this?"
"Hello, Daddy," Kit said. "Let me explain."
Daisy came in from the dining room holding a full bottle of Glenmorangie in her gloved hand.
Stanley raised his eyebrows40 at her. "Do you want a glass of whisky?" he said.
"No, thanks," she replied. "I've got a whole bottle here."
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1
shears
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| n.大剪刀 | |
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exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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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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chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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briefcase
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| n.手提箱，公事皮包 | |
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propped
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| 支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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severing
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的现在分词 )；断，裂 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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gangster
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| n.匪徒，歹徒，暴徒 | |
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hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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retrieved
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| v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息） | |
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exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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blizzard
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| n.暴风雪 | |
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snipping
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| n.碎片v.剪( snip的现在分词 ) | |
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conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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fumes
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| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
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Ford
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| n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过 | |
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virulent
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| adj.有毒的，有恶意的，充满敌意的 | |
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condescended
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| 屈尊，俯就( condescend的过去式和过去分词 )； 故意表示和蔼可亲 | |
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gorgon
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| n.丑陋女人，蛇发女怪 | |
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plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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stranded
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| a.搁浅的，进退两难的 | |
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blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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spoke
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| 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 | |
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inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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trepidation
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| n.惊恐，惶恐 | |
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irately
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jug
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| n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂 | |
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triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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thaw
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| v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和 | |
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exasperation
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| n.愤慨 | |
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sipped
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| v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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cocktail
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| n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物 | |
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pajamas
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| n.睡衣裤 | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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