8:45 AM
NIGEL said, "That's it. They're clearing the roads. We have to go now."
"I'm worried about Toni Gallo," Kit1 said.
"Too bad. If we wait any longer, we'll miss the rendezvous2."
Kit looked at his watch. Nigel was right. "Shit," he said.
"We'll take that Mercedes outside. Go and find the keys."
Kit left the kitchen and ran upstairs. In Olga's bedroom, he pulled out the drawers of both bedside tables without finding any keys. He picked up Hugo's suitcase and emptied the contents onto the floor, but nothing jingled3. Breathing hard, he did the same with Olga's case. Then he spotted4 Hugo's blazer draped over the back of a chair. He found the Mercedes keys in the pocket.
He ran down to the kitchen. Nigel was looking out of the window. "Why is Elton taking so long?" Kit said. He could hear a note of hysteria in his own voice.
"I don't know," said Nigel. "Try to stay calm."
"And what the hell's happened to Daisy?"
"Go and start the engine," Nigel said. "Brush the snow off the windshield."
"Right."
As Kit turned away, his eye was caught by the perfume spray, in its double bag, lying on the kitchen table. On impulse, he picked it up and stuffed it into his jacket pocket.
Then he went out.
* * *
TONI peeped around the corner of the house and saw Kit emerge from the back door. He went in the opposite direction, to the front of the building. She followed him and saw him unlock the green Mercedes station wagon6.
This was her chance.
She took Elton's pistol from the waist of her jeans and moved the safety catch to the unlocked position. There was a full magazine in the grip—she had checked. She held the gun pointing skyward, in accordance with her training.
She breathed slowly and calmly. She knew how to do this kind of thing. Her heart was pounding like a bass7 drum, but her hands were steady. She ran into the house.
The back door gave onto a small lobby. A second door led to the kitchen proper. She threw it open and ran in. Nigel was at the window, looking out. "Freeze!" she screamed.
She leveled the gun at him. "Hands in the air!"
He hesitated.
His pistol was in the pocket of his trousers—she could see the lumpy bulge9 it made, the right size and shape for an automatic just like the one she was holding. "Don't even think about reaching for your gun," she said.
Slowly, he raised his hands.
"On the floor! Face down! Now!"
He went down on his knees, hands still held high. Then he lay down, his arms spread.
Toni had to get his gun. She stood over him, transferred her pistol to her left hand, and thrust its nose into the back of his neck. "The safety catch is off, and I'm feeling jumpy," she said. She went down on one knee and reached into his trousers pocket.
He moved very fast.
He rolled over, swinging his right arm at her. For a split second she hesitated to pull the trigger, then it was too late. He knocked her off balance and she fell sideways. To break her fall, she put her left hand flat on the floor—dropping her gun.
He kicked out at her wildly, his shoe connecting with her hip10. She regained11 her balance and scrambled12 to her feet, coming upright before he did. As he got to his knees, she kicked him in the face. He fell back, his hand flying to his cheek, but he recovered fast. He looked at her with an expression of fury and hatred13, as if outraged14 that she should fight back.
She snatched up the gun and pointed15 it at him, and he froze.
"Let's try again," she said. "This time, you take the gun out. Slowly."
He reached into his pocket.
Toni stretched her arm out in front of her. "And please—give me an excuse to blow your head off."
He took the gun out.
"Drop it on the floor."
He smiled. "Have you ever actually shot a man?"
"Drop it—now."
"I don't think you have."
He had guessed right. She had been trained to use firearms, and she had carried a gun on operations, but she had never shot at anything other than a target. The idea of actually making a hole in another human being revolted her.
"You're not going to shoot me," he said.
"You're a second away from finding out."
Her mother walked in, carrying the puppy. She said, "This poor dog hasn't had any breakfast."
Nigel raised his gun.
Toni shot him in the right shoulder.
She was only six feet away, and she was a good shot, so it was not difficult to wound him in exactly the right place. She pulled the trigger twice, as she had been taught. The double bang was deafening16 in the kitchen. Two round holes appeared in the pink sweater, side by side where the arm met the shoulder. The gun fell from Nigel's hand. He cried out in pain and staggered back against the refrigerator.
Toni felt shocked. She had not really believed she could do it. The act was repellent. She was a monster. She felt sick.
Nigel screamed: "You fucking bitch!"
Like magic, his words restored her nerve. "Be glad I didn't shoot you in the belly," she said. "Now lie down."
He slumped17 to the floor and rolled over on his face, still clutching his wound.
Mother said, "I'll put the kettle on."
Toni picked up Nigel's dropped gun and locked the safety catch. She stuffed both guns into her jeans and opened the pantry door.
Stanley said, "What happened? Was someone shot?"
"Nigel," she said calmly. She took a pair of kitchen scissors from the knife block and cut the washing line that bound Stanley's hands and feet. When he was free, he put his arms around her and squeezed her hard. "Thank you," he murmured in her ear.
She closed her eyes. The nightmare of the last few hours had not changed his feelings. She hugged him hard for a precious second, wishing the moment could last longer; then she broke the clinch18. Handing him the scissors, she said, "You free the rest." She drew one of the pistols from her waistband. "Kit's not far away. He must have heard the shots. Does he have a gun?"
"I don't think so," Stanley replied.
Toni was relieved. That would make it easier.
Olga said, "Get us out of this cold room, please!"
Stanley turned to cut her bonds.
Kit's voice rang out: "Nobody move!"
Toni spun around, leveling the gun. Kit stood in the doorway19. He had no gun, but he was holding a simple glass perfume spray in his hand as if it were a weapon. Toni recognized the bottle that she had seen, on the security video, being filled with Madoba-2.
Kit said, "This contains the virus. One squirt will kill you."
Everyone stood still.
* * *
KIT stared at Toni. She was pointing the gun at him, and he was pointing the spray at her. He said, "If you shoot me, I'll drop the bottle, and the glass will break on these tiles."
She said, "If you spray us with that stuff, you'll kill yourself as well."
"I'll die, then," he said. "I don't care. I've put everything into this. I made the plan, I betrayed my family, and I became a party to a conspiracy20 to murder hundreds of people, maybe thousands. After all that, how can I fail? I'd rather die." As he said it, he realized it was true. Even the money had diminished in importance now. All he really wanted was to win.
Stanley said, "How did we come to this, Kit?"
Kit met his father's gaze. He saw anger there, as he expected, but also grief. Stanley looked the way he had when Mamma Marta died. Too bad, Kit thought angrily; he brought this on himself. "Too late now for apologies," he said harshly.
"I wasn't going to apologize," Stanley said sadly.
Kit looked at Nigel, sitting on the floor, holding his bleeding right shoulder with his left hand. That explained the two gunshots that had caused Kit to arm himself with the spray before coming back into the kitchen.
Nigel struggled to his feet. "Ah, bollocks, it hurts," he said.
Kit said, "Hand over the guns, Toni. Quick, or I'll press this nozzle."
Toni hesitated.
Stanley said, "I think Kit means what he says."
"On the table," Kit said.
She put the guns on the kitchen table, beside the briefcase21 that had contained the perfume bottle.
Kit said, "Nigel, pick them up."
With his left hand, Nigel picked up a gun and stuffed it into his pocket. He took the second, hefted it, then, with sudden speed, smashed it across Toni's face. She cried out and fell back.
Kit was furious with him. "What do you think you're doing?" he cried. "There's no time for that! We have to get going."
"Don't you give me orders," Nigel said harshly. "This cow shot me."
Kit could tell from Toni's face that she thought she was about to die. But there was no time to enjoy revenge. "That cow ruined my life, but I'm not hanging around to punish her," Kit said. "Knock it off!"
Nigel hesitated, staring malevolently22 at Toni.
Kit said, "Let's go!"
At last Nigel turned away from Toni. "What about Elton and Daisy?"
"To hell with them."
"We should tie up your old man and his tart5."
"You stupid fool, don't you realize we're out of time?"
The stare Nigel gave Kit was sulfuric. "What did you call me?" Nigel wanted to kill someone, Kit realized, and right now he was thinking of shooting Kit. It was a terrifying moment. Kit raised the perfume spray high in the air and stared back, waiting for his life to end.
Then Nigel looked away and said, "All right, let's get out of here."
收听单词发音 |
1
kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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2
rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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3
jingled
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| 喝醉的 | |
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spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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tart
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| adj.酸的；尖酸的，刻薄的；n.果馅饼；淫妇 | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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7
bass
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| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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bulge
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| n.突出，膨胀，激增；vt.突出，膨胀 | |
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hip
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| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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12
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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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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outraged
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| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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deafening
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| adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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17
slumped
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| 大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下] | |
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clinch
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| v.敲弯，钉牢；确定；扭住对方 [参]clench | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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20
conspiracy
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| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
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21
briefcase
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| n.手提箱，公事皮包 | |
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22
malevolently
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