THE SKY HAD TURNED GRAY while Conklin and I were inside Ernie Cooper’s pawnshop. Muted thunder grumbled¹ as we walked to Twenty-first Street, and by the time we got into the squad² car, the first fat drops of rain splattered against the windshield. I cranked up the window, pinching the web between my thumb and forefinger³. I shouted, “Damn,” with more vehemence⁴ than was absolutely necessary.

  I was frustrated⁵. So was Rich. The long workday had netted us exactly nothing. Rich fumbled⁶ with the keys, his brow wrinkled, exhaustion⁷ weighing him down like a heavy coat.

  “You want me to drive?”

  My partner turned off the ignition and sighed, threw himself back into the seat.

  “It’s okay,” I said. “Give me the keys.”

  “I can drive. That’s not the problem.”

  “What is?”

  “It’s you.”

  Me? Was he mad at me for questioning Kelly?

  “What did I do?”

  “You just are, you know?”

  Aw, no. I tried to ward⁸ off this conversation by imploring⁹ him with my eyes and thinking, Please don’t go there, Richie. But the pictures flashed into my mind, a strobe-lit sequence of images of a late work night in LA that had turned into a reckless, heated clinch¹⁰ on a hotel bed. My body had been screaming yes, yes, yes, but my clearer mind slammed on the brakes - and I’d told Richie no.

点击收听单词发音  

1 grumbled
抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声
参考例句：
He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。 The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。

2 squad
n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组
参考例句：
The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。 A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

3 forefinger
n.食指
参考例句：
He pinched the leaf between his thumb and forefinger.他将叶子捏在拇指和食指之间。 He held it between the tips of his thumb and forefinger.他用他大拇指和食指尖拿着它。

4 vehemence
n.热切；激烈；愤怒
参考例句：
The attack increased in vehemence.进攻越来越猛烈。 She was astonished at his vehemence.她对他的激昂感到惊讶。

5 frustrated
adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧
参考例句：
It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。 The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 fumbled
（笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下
参考例句：
She fumbled in her pocket for a handkerchief. 她在她口袋里胡乱摸找手帕。 He fumbled about in his pockets for the ticket. 他（瞎）摸着衣兜找票。

7 exhaustion
n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述
参考例句：
She slept the sleep of exhaustion.她因疲劳而酣睡。 His exhaustion was obvious when he fell asleep standing.他站着睡着了，显然是太累了。

8 ward
n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开
参考例句：
The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。 During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

9 imploring
恳求的，哀求的
参考例句：
Those calm, strange eyes could see her imploring face. 那平静的，没有表情的眼睛还能看得到她的乞怜求情的面容。 She gave him an imploring look. 她以哀求的眼神看着他。

10 clinch
v.敲弯，钉牢；确定；扭住对方 [参]clench
参考例句：
Clinch the boards together.用钉子把木板钉牢在一起。 We don't accept us dollars,please Swiss francs to clinch a deal business.我方不收美元，请最好用瑞士法郎来成交生意。

11 steering
n.操舵装置
参考例句：
He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。 Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。