Chapter 51

My head was aching, but I spent the next four hours questioning Irwin Snyder in a bare, white-washed claustrophobic room at a jail in Charlotte. For the first hour or so, Kyle and I interrogated¹ him together, but it didn’t work out. I asked Kyle to leave the room.  Snyder was shackled², so I felt safe being alone with him. I wondered how he felt?
My arm and hand were beginning to throb³, but this was more important than my flesh wounds. Irwin Snyder had known I was coming to Charlotte. How had he known? What else did he know?  How was a vicious young killer⁴ in Charlotte connected to the rest of this mess?
Snyder was pale and unhealthy-looking, with a scruffy⁵ goatee and sideburns. He stared at me with eyes that were dark, very active, intelligent enough.
Then he laid his head down on the Formica table, and I lifted him right out of his chair by his hair. He cursed at me for a full minute.  Then he demanded to see his lawyer.
‘Hurts, doesn’t it,’ I said. ‘Don’t make me do it again. Keep your head off the table. This isn’t naptime. It isn’t a game either.’ He gave me the finger, then put his head back down on the table.  I knew he’d been getting away with this type of shit at school and in his home for years. But not here, and not with me.  I yanked him by his greasy⁶, black hair again, even harder this time.  ‘You don’t seem to understand the King’s English. You murdered your parents in cold blood. You’re a killer.’
 ‘Lawyer!’he screamed/Lawyer! Lawyer! I’m bein’tortured in here!
I’m being’ beaten by a cop! Lawyer! Lawyer! I want my fuckin’ lawyer!’ With my free hand I grabbed his chin. He spat⁷ on my hand. I ignored it.
‘Listen to me now. Listen! Everybody else from the house is at the station in the city. You’re the only one out here with me. No one can hear you. And you’re not being beaten. But you are going to talk to me.’
I yanked his hair again - as hard as I could without actually pulling out a clump⁸. Snyder shrieked⁹, but I knew I hadn’t hurt him much.  ‘You killed your mother and your father with a claw hammer. You bit me twice. And you stink¹⁰ to high heaven. I don’t like you, but we’re going to have this talk anyway.’
‘Better see somebody about those bites, pig,’ he snarled¹¹. ‘You been warned.’
He was still talking tough, but he cringed and pulled back when I reached out for his hair again.
‘How did you know I was coming to Charlotte? How did you know my name? Talk to me.’
‘Ask the Tiger, when you two meet. It’ll happen sooner than you think.’

1 interrogated   

v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询

参考例句：

• He was interrogated by the police for over 12 hours. 他被警察审问了12个多小时。
• Two suspects are now being interrogated in connection with the killing. 与杀人案有关的两名嫌疑犯正在接受审讯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 shackled   

给（某人）带上手铐或脚镣( shackle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The hostage had been shackled to a radiator. 当时人质被铐在暖气片上。
• He was shackled and in darkness of torment. 他被困在黑暗中备受煎熬。

3 throb   

v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动

参考例句：

• She felt her heart give a great throb.她感到自己的心怦地跳了一下。
• The drums seemed to throb in his ears.阵阵鼓声彷佛在他耳边震响。

4 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

5 scruffy   

adj.肮脏的，不洁的

参考例句：

• Despite her scruffy clothes,there was an air of sophistication about her.尽管她衣衫褴褛，但神态老练世故。
• His scruffy appearance does not reflect his character.他邋遢的外表并不反映他的性格。

6 greasy   

adj. 多脂的，油脂的

参考例句：

• He bought a heavy-duty cleanser to clean his greasy oven.昨天他买了强力清洁剂来清洗油污的炉子。
• You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时，你会厌恶油腻的气味。

7 spat   

n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声

参考例句：

• Her parents always have spats.她的父母经常有些小的口角。
• There is only a spat between the brother and sister.那只是兄妹间的小吵小闹。

8 clump   

n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走

参考例句：

• A stream meandered gently through a clump of trees.一条小溪从树丛中蜿蜒穿过。
• It was as if he had hacked with his thick boots at a clump of bluebells.仿佛他用自己的厚靴子无情地践踏了一丛野风信子。

9 shrieked   

v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She shrieked in fright. 她吓得尖叫起来。
• Li Mei-t'ing gave a shout, and Lu Tzu-hsiao shrieked, "Tell what? 李梅亭大声叫，陆子潇尖声叫：“告诉什么？ 来自汉英文学 - 围城

10 stink   

vi.发出恶臭；糟透，招人厌恶；n.恶臭

参考例句：

• The stink of the rotten fish turned my stomach.腐烂的鱼臭味使我恶心。
• The room has awful stink.那个房间散发着难闻的臭气。

11 snarled   

v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说

参考例句：

• The dog snarled at us. 狗朝我们低声吼叫。
• As I advanced towards the dog, It'snarled and struck at me. 我朝那条狗走去时，它狂吠着向我扑来。 来自《简明英汉词典》