IF THE SKY OPENED TO DISGORGE A DELUGE1 OF fanged2 and poisonous toads3, if the wind blew hard enough to flay4 the skin to bloody5 ruin and to blind the unprotected eye, even such cataclysmic weather would fail to dissuade6 ghouls and gossips from gathering7 at the scenes of spectacular accidents and shocking crimes. By comparison, a steady drizzle8 on a cool December night was picnic weather to this crowd that followed misery9 as others might follow baseball.
On the front lawn of an apartment house, catercorner across the intersection10 from the police barricade11, twenty to thirty neighborhood residents gathered to share misinformation and gory12 details. The majority were adults, but half a dozen energized13 children capered14 among them.
Most of these sociable15 vultures were outfitted16 in rain gear or carried umbrellas. Two bare-chested and barefoot young men, however, wore only blue jeans and appeared to be so steeped in a marinade of illegal substances that the night could not chill them, as though they were being cooked flamelessly like fish fillets in lime juice.
An air of carnival17 had settled upon this gathering, expectations of fireworks and freaks.
[200] In all his glistening18 yellowness, Corky Laputa moved among the onlookers19, like a buzzless bumblebee patiently gathering a morsel20 of nectar here, a morsel there. From time to time, to blend better with the swarm21 and to win friends, he offered a taste of ersatz honey, inventing florid details of the vicious crime that he claimed to have heard from cops manning the second barricade at the farther end of the block.
He quickly learned that Rolf Reynerd had been killed.
The gossips and the ghouls weren’t sure if the victim’s first name was Ralph or Rafe, Dolph or Randolph. Or Bob.
They were pretty sure that the luckless fellow’s last name was either Reinhardt or Kleinhard, or Reiner like the film director, or maybe Spielberg like another famous director, or Nerdoff, or possibly Nordoff.
One of the bare-chested young men insisted that everyone had confused the victim’s first name, surname, and nickname. According to this wizard of deductive reasoning, the dead man’s true identity was Ray “the Nerd” Rolf.
All agreed that the murdered man had been an actor whose career had recently rocketed toward stardom. He had just completed a film in which he played Tom Cruise’s best buddy22 or younger brother. Paramount23 or DreamWorks had hired him to costar with Reese Witherspoon. Warner Brothers offered him the title role in a new series of Batman movies, Miramax wanted him to play a transvestite sheriff in a sensitive drama about anti-gay bigotry24 in Texas circa 1890, and Universal hoped he would sign a ten-million-dollar deal for two films that he would also write and direct.
Evidently, in this new millennium25 and in the popular imagination of those who dwelt on the glamorous26 west side of L.A., no failure ever died young, and Death came early only to the famous, the rich, the adored. Call it the Princess Di Principle.
Whether the man who had killed Ray “the Nerd” Rolf had also [201] been an actor on the brink27 of superstardom, no one knew for certain. The murderer’s name remained unknown, unmangled.
Indisputably, the killer28 himself had been gunned down. His body lay on the lawn in front of Rolf’s apartment house.
Two pairs of binoculars29 circulated among the onlookers. Corky borrowed one pair to study Rolf’s apparent executioner.
In the darkness and the rain, even with magnification, he was unable to discern any identifying details of the corpse30 sprawled31 on the grass.
Crime-scene investigators32, busy with scientific instruments and cameras, crouched33 alongside the cadaver34. In black raincoats draped like folded wings, they had the posture35 and the intensity36 of crows pecking at carrion37.
In every version of the story viewed with credibility among the gossips, the killer himself had been killed by a police officer. The cop had been passing by in the street at the right moment, by sheer happenstance, or he had lived in Rolf’s building, or he’d come there to visit his girlfriend or his mother.
Whatever had occurred here this evening, Corky was reasonably confident that it would not compromise his plans or cause the police to turn a gimlet eye on him. He had kept his association with Reynerd secret from everyone he knew.
He believed that Reynerd had been likewise discreet38. They had committed crimes together and had conspired39 to commit others. Neither of them had anything to gain—and much to lose—by revealing their relationship to anyone.
Stupid in uncounted ways, Rolf had not been entirely40 reckless. To impress a woman or his witless friends, he might wish to reveal that he’d had his mother killed by proxy41 or that he was partner to a murderous conspiracy42 involving the biggest movie star in the world, but he would never go that far. He would just invent a colorful lie.
Although Ethan Truman, incognito43, had visited earlier this very [202] day, the possibility that Reynerd’s death was connected in any way to Channing Manheim and the six gifts in black boxes remained unlikely.
Being an apostle of anarchy44, Corky understood that chaos45 ruled the world and that in the rough and disorderly jumble-tumble of daily events, meaningless coincidences like this frequently occurred. Such apparent synchronisms encouraged lesser47 men than he to see patterns, design, and meaning in life.
He had wagered48 his future and, in fact, his existence, on the belief that life was meaningless. He owned a lot of stock in chaos, and at this late date, he wasn’t going to second-guess his investment by selling chaos short.
Reynerd had fancied himself not only a potential movie star of historic proportions, but also something of a bad boy, and bad boys made enemies. For one thing, more in search of thrills than profits, he had dealt drugs to a refined list of entertainment-industry clients, mostly cocaine50 and meth and Ecstasy51.
More likely than not, tougher men than pretty-boy Reynerd had decided52 that he was poaching in their fields. With a bullet in the head, he’d been discouraged from further competition.
Corky had needed Reynerd dead.
Chaos had obliged.
No more, no less.
Time to move on.
Time, in fact, for dinner. Aside from a candy bar in the car and a double latte at the mall, he had eaten nothing since breakfast.
On good days filled with worthwhile endeavors, his work provided nourishment53 enough, and he often skipped lunch. Now, after busy hours of useful enterprise, he was famished54.
Nevertheless, he tarried long enough to serve chaos. The six children were a temptation that he could not resist.
All were six to eight years old. Some were better dressed for the [203] rain and the cold than others were, but all remained unflaggingly exuberant55, dancing-playing-chasing in the nasty night, as though they were storm petrels born to wet wind and turbulent skies.
Focused on the hubbub56 of cops and ambulances, the adults stood oblivious57 of their offspring. The kids were wise enough to understand that as long as they played on the lawn behind their elders and kept their chatter58 below a certain volume, they could prolong their night adventure indefinitely.
In this paranoid age, a stranger dared not offer candy to any child. Even the most gullible59 among them would shriek60 for the cops at the offer of a lollipop61.
Corky had no lollipops62, but he traveled with a bag of luscious63, chewy caramels.
He waited until the kids’ attention turned elsewhere, whereupon he extracted the bag from a deep inner pocket of his slicker. He dropped it on the grass where the children were sure to find it when their games brought them in this direction again.
He hadn’t laced the candy with poison, but only with a potent49 hallucinogenic. Terror and disorder46 could be spread through society by means more subtle than extreme violence.
The amount of drug infused in each sweet morsel was small enough that even a child who greedily stuffed his face with six or eight of them would not risk toxic64 overdose. By the third piece, the waking nightmares would begin.
Corky mingled65 a while longer with the adults, surreptitiously observing the children, until two girls found the bag. Being girls, they at once generously shared the contents with the four boys.
This particular drug, unless taken in concert with a mellowing66 antidepressant like Prozac, was known to cause hallucinations so horrific that they tested the user’s sanity67. Soon, the kids would believe that mouths, bristling68 with sharp teeth and serpent tongues, had opened in the earth to swallow them, that alien parasites69 were [204] bursting from their chests, and that everyone they knew and loved now intended to rend70 them limb from limb. Even after they recovered, flashbacks would trouble them for months, possibly for years.
Having sown these seeds of chaos, he returned to his car through the refreshingly71 cool night and cleansing72 rain.
If he had been born in an earlier century, Corky Laputa would have followed the original trail of Johnny Appleseed, killing73 one by one all the trees that the fabled74 orchardist75 had planted on this continent.
1 deluge | |
n./vt.洪水,暴雨,使泛滥 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 fanged | |
adj.有尖牙的,有牙根的,有毒牙的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 toads | |
n.蟾蜍,癞蛤蟆( toad的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 flay | |
vt.剥皮;痛骂 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 bloody | |
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 dissuade | |
v.劝阻,阻止 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 gathering | |
n.集会,聚会,聚集 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 drizzle | |
v.下毛毛雨;n.毛毛雨,蒙蒙细雨 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9 misery | |
n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10 intersection | |
n.交集,十字路口,交叉点;[计算机] 交集 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11 barricade | |
n.路障,栅栏,障碍;vt.设路障挡住 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12 gory | |
adj.流血的;残酷的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13 energized | |
v.给予…精力,能量( energize的过去式和过去分词 );使通电 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14 capered | |
v.跳跃,雀跃( caper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15 sociable | |
adj.好交际的,友好的,合群的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16 outfitted | |
v.装备,配置设备,供给服装( outfit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
17 carnival | |
n.嘉年华会,狂欢,狂欢节,巡回表演 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
18 glistening | |
adj.闪耀的,反光的v.湿物闪耀,闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
19 onlookers | |
n.旁观者,观看者( onlooker的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
20 morsel | |
n.一口,一点点 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
21 swarm | |
n.(昆虫)等一大群;vi.成群飞舞;蜂拥而入 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
22 buddy | |
n.(美口)密友,伙伴 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
23 paramount | |
a.最重要的,最高权力的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
24 bigotry | |
n.偏见,偏执,持偏见的行为[态度]等 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
25 millennium | |
n.一千年,千禧年;太平盛世 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
26 glamorous | |
adj.富有魅力的;美丽动人的;令人向往的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
27 brink | |
n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘,边沿 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
28 killer | |
n.杀人者,杀人犯,杀手,屠杀者 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
29 binoculars | |
n.双筒望远镜 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
30 corpse | |
n.尸体,死尸 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
31 sprawled | |
v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词);蔓延;杂乱无序地拓展;四肢伸展坐着(或躺着) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
32 investigators | |
n.调查者,审查者( investigator的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
33 crouched | |
v.屈膝,蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
34 cadaver | |
n.尸体 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
35 posture | |
n.姿势,姿态,心态,态度;v.作出某种姿势 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
36 intensity | |
n.强烈,剧烈;强度;烈度 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
37 carrion | |
n.腐肉 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
38 discreet | |
adj.(言行)谨慎的;慎重的;有判断力的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
39 conspired | |
密谋( conspire的过去式和过去分词 ); 搞阴谋; (事件等)巧合; 共同导致 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
40 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
41 proxy | |
n.代理权,代表权;(对代理人的)委托书;代理人 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
42 conspiracy | |
n.阴谋,密谋,共谋 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
43 incognito | |
adv.匿名地;n.隐姓埋名;adj.化装的,用假名的,隐匿姓名身份的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
44 anarchy | |
n.无政府状态;社会秩序混乱,无秩序 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
45 chaos | |
n.混乱,无秩序 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
46 disorder | |
n.紊乱,混乱;骚动,骚乱;疾病,失调 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
47 lesser | |
adj.次要的,较小的;adv.较小地,较少地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
48 wagered | |
v.在(某物)上赌钱,打赌( wager的过去式和过去分词 );保证,担保 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
49 potent | |
adj.强有力的,有权势的;有效力的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
50 cocaine | |
n.可卡因,古柯碱(用作局部麻醉剂) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
51 ecstasy | |
n.狂喜,心醉神怡,入迷 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
52 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
53 nourishment | |
n.食物,营养品;营养情况 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
54 famished | |
adj.饥饿的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
55 exuberant | |
adj.充满活力的;(植物)繁茂的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
56 hubbub | |
n.嘈杂;骚乱 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
57 oblivious | |
adj.易忘的,遗忘的,忘却的,健忘的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
58 chatter | |
vi./n.喋喋不休;短促尖叫;(牙齿)打战 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
59 gullible | |
adj.易受骗的;轻信的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
60 shriek | |
v./n.尖叫,叫喊 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
61 lollipop | |
n.棒棒糖 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
62 lollipops | |
n.棒糖,棒棒糖( lollipop的名词复数 );(用交通指挥牌让车辆暂停以便儿童安全通过马路的)交通纠察 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
63 luscious | |
adj.美味的;芬芳的;肉感的,引与性欲的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
64 toxic | |
adj.有毒的,因中毒引起的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
65 mingled | |
混合,混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 ); 混进,与…交往[联系] | |
参考例句: |
|
|
66 mellowing | |
软化,醇化 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
67 sanity | |
n.心智健全,神智正常,判断正确 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
68 bristling | |
a.竖立的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
69 parasites | |
寄生物( parasite的名词复数 ); 靠他人为生的人; 诸虫 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
70 rend | |
vt.把…撕开,割裂;把…揪下来,强行夺取 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
71 refreshingly | |
adv.清爽地,有精神地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
72 cleansing | |
n. 净化(垃圾) adj. 清洁用的 动词cleanse的现在分词 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
73 killing | |
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
74 fabled | |
adj.寓言中的,虚构的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
75 orchardist | |
果树栽培者,果园主; 果农 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
欢迎访问英文小说网 |