ROWENA, MISTRESS OF THE ROSES, RECALLED Dunny Whistler’s words again, but obviously more for her consideration than for Ethan’s: “He said you think he’s dead, and that you’re right.”
A rattle1 of hinges, a faint jingle2 of shop bells turned Ethan toward the front door. No one had entered.
The vagrant3 wind, having wandered out of the storm for a while, had here returned, blustering4 at the entrance to Forever Roses, trembling the door.
Behind the counter, the woman wondered, “What on earth could he mean by such a bizarre statement?”
“Did you ask him?”
“He said it after he paid for the roses, on his way out of the shop. I didn’t have a chance to ask. Is it a joke between the two of you?”
“Did he smile when he said it?”
Rowena considered, shook her head. “No.”
From the corner of his eye, Ethan glimpsed a figure that had silently appeared. Turning toward it, breath caught in his throat, he discovered that he had been tricked by his own reflection in the glass door of a cooler.
[159] In pails of water, on tiered racks, the chilled roses bloomed so gloriously that you could easily forget they were in fact already dead, and in a few days would be wilted6, spotted7 brown, and rotting.
These coolers, where Death concealed8 himself in petals9 bright, reminded Ethan of morgue drawers, in which the deceased lay much as they had looked in life, and in whom Death dwelt but did not yet manifest himself in all the gaudy10 details of corruption11.
Although Rowena was personable and lovely, although this realm of roses ought to have been pleasant, Ethan grew anxious to leave. “Did my ... my friend have any other message for me?”
“No. That was all of it, I think.”
“Thank you, Rowena. You’ve been helpful.”
“Have I really?” she asked, looking at him strangely, perhaps as puzzled by this odd encounter as by her conversation with Dunny Whistler.
“Yes,” he assured her. “Yes, you have.”
Wind rattled12 the door again as Ethan put his hand upon the knob, and behind him Rowena said, “One more thing.”
When he turned to her, although they were now almost forty feet apart, he saw that his questioning had left her more pensive13 than she had been when he’d first approached her.
“As your friend was leaving,” she said, “he stopped in the open doorway14, on the threshold there, and said to me, ‘God bless you and your roses.’ ”
Perhaps this had been a peculiar15 thing for a man like Dunny to have said, but nothing in those six words seemed to explain why the memory of them clouded Rowena’s face with uneasiness.
She said, “Just as he finished speaking, the lights pulsed and dimmed, went off—but then came on again. I didn’t think anything about it at the time, not with the storm, but now it somehow seems ... significant. I don’t know why.”
Years of experience with interrogations told Ethan that Rowena had not finished, and that his patient silence would draw her out more surely and more quickly than anything he could say.
[160] “When the lights dimmed and went off, your friend laughed. Just a little laugh, not long, not loud. He glanced at the ceiling as the lights flickered16, and he laughed, and then he left.”
Ethan waited.
Rowena appeared to be surprised that she had said this much about such a small moment, but then she added, “There was something terrible about that laugh.”
The beautiful dead roses behind walls of glass.
A beast of wind snuffling at the door.
Rain gnashing at the windows.
Ethan said, “Terrible?”
“I don’t have the words to explain it. No humor in that laugh, but some terrible ... quality.”
Self-conscious, she brushed at the spotless countertop with one hand, as if she saw dust, debris17, a stain.
Clearly, she had said all that she wished to say, or could.
“God bless you and your roses,” Ethan told her, as though he were countering a curse.
He didn’t know what he would have done had the lights flickered, but they burned steadily18.
Rowena smiled uncertainly.
Turning to the door again, Ethan encountered his reflection and closed his eyes, perhaps to guard against the sight of an impossible phantom19 figure sharing the glass with him. He opened the door, then opened his eyes.
In a growl20 of wind and a jingle of overhead bells, he stepped out of the shop into the cold teeth of the December night, and drew the door shut behind him.
He waited in the entry alcove21, between the display windows, as a young couple in raincoats and hoods22 passed on the sidewalk, led by a golden retriever on a leash23.
Relishing24 the rain and wind, the soaked retriever pranced25 on webbed paws, snout lifted to savor26 mysterious scents27 upon the chilly28 [161] air. Before it fully29 passed, it looked up, and its eyes were as wise as they were liquid and dark.
The dog halted, pricked30 its floppy32 ears as much as they would prick31, and cocked its head as though not entirely33 sure what kind of man stood here in the shelter of the coral-pink awning34, between the roses and the rain. The tail wagged, but only twice, and tentatively.
Stopped by their canine35 companion, the young couple said, “Good evening,” and Ethan replied, and the woman spoke36 to the dog, “Tink, let’s go.”
Tink hesitated, searching Ethan’s eyes, and only moved on when the woman repeated the command.
Because the couple and the dog were headed in the direction of his SUV, Ethan waited briefly37, to avoid following on their heels.
The leaves of the curbside trees were still gilded38 by lamplight, and from their pointed39 tips flowed drips and drizzles40 as glimmerous as molten gold.
In the street, the traffic appeared to be lighter41 than it should have been at this hour, moving faster than the weather warranted.
Awning by awning, Ethan approached the Expedition, fishing keys from his jacket pocket.
Ahead, Tink twice slowed to an amble42, looked back at Ethan, but didn’t stop.
The ozone-scented cascades43 of rain couldn’t rinse44 away the yeasty aroma45 of freshly baked bread, which issued from one of the glittery restaurants preparing to open their doors for dinner.
At the end of the block, the dog halted once more, turning its head to stare.
Though her voice was muffled46 by distance, screened by the sizzle of rain and the swish of passing traffic, the woman could be heard saying, “Tink, let’s go.” She repeated the command twice before the dog began to move again, picking up the slack in its leash.
The trio disappeared around the corner.
Arriving at the red zone near the end of the block, where he had [162] parked illegally, Ethan hesitated under the last awning. He monitored the approaching traffic until he saw a long gap between vehicles.
He stepped into the rain and crossed the sidewalk. He jumped over the dirty racing47 current in the gutter48.
Behind his SUV, he thumbed the lock-release button on his key fob. The Expedition chirruped at him.
Having waited until there was no passing traffic to splash him, he rounded the back of the vehicle while a chance remained that he could avoid an immediate49 need for a dry cleaner.
Approaching the driver’s door, he realized that he had not taken a close look at the SUV itself from the shelter of the final awning, and suddenly he was convinced that this time, when he got behind the wheel, he would discover Dunny Whistler, dead or alive, waiting for him in the passenger’s seat.
The real threat lay elsewhere.
Entering from the cross street at too high a speed, a Chrysler PT Cruiser fishtailed in the intersection50. The driver tried to resist the slide instead of steering51 into it, the wheels locked, and the Cruiser spun52 out.
In the spin, the left front bumper53 rapped Ethan hard. Clipped, flipped54, he slammed into the Expedition, shattering the side window with his face.
He wasn’t aware of ricocheting off the SUV, collapsing55 to the pavement, but then he was down on the wet blacktop, tumbling, with the smell of exhaust fumes56, with the taste of blood.
He heard brakes shriek57, but not the Cruiser. Air brakes. Loud and shrill58.
Something loomed5, huge, a truck, loomed and immediately arrived, tremendous weight on his legs, hideous59 pressure, bones snapping like dry sticks.
收听单词发音 |
1
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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jingle
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| n.叮当声，韵律简单的诗句；v.使叮当作响，叮当响，押韵 | |
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vagrant
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| n.流浪者，游民；adj.流浪的，漂泊不定的 | |
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blustering
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| adj.狂风大作的，狂暴的v.外强中干的威吓( bluster的现在分词 )；咆哮；（风）呼啸；狂吹 | |
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loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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wilted
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| （使）凋谢，枯萎( wilt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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petals
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| n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 ) | |
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gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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pensive
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| a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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phantom
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| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
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growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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alcove
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| n.凹室 | |
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hoods
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| n.兜帽( hood的名词复数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩v.兜帽( hood的第三人称单数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩 | |
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leash
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| n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住 | |
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relishing
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| v.欣赏( relish的现在分词 )；从…获得乐趣；渴望 | |
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pranced
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| v.（马）腾跃( prance的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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savor
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| vt.品尝，欣赏；n.味道，风味；情趣，趣味 | |
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scents
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| n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉 | |
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chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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prick
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| v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛 | |
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floppy
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| adj.松软的，衰弱的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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awning
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| n.遮阳篷；雨篷 | |
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canine
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| adj.犬的，犬科的 | |
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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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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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drizzles
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| 蒙蒙细雨，毛毛雨( drizzle的名词复数 ) | |
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41
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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amble
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| vi.缓行，漫步 | |
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43
cascades
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| 倾泻( cascade的名词复数 )； 小瀑布（尤指一连串瀑布中的一支）； 瀑布状物； 倾泻（或涌出）的东西 | |
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rinse
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| v.用清水漂洗，用清水冲洗 | |
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aroma
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| n.香气，芬芳，芳香 | |
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46
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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47
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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48
gutter
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| n.沟，街沟，水槽，檐槽，贫民窟 | |
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49
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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intersection
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| n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集 | |
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51
steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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52
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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53
bumper
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| n.(汽车上的)保险杠；adj.特大的，丰盛的 | |
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54
flipped
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| 轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥 | |
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55
collapsing
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| 压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂 | |
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56
fumes
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| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
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57
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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58
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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