福爾摩斯探案經典:《恐怖谷》第11章Part10

None of them knew the man; but there is eternal drama in a killing, and they had shown the Scowrers of Gilmerton that the Vermissa men were to be relied upon.
There had been one contretemps; for a man and his wife had driven up while they were still emptying their revolvers into the silent body. It had been suggested that they should shoot them both; but they were harmless folk who were not connected with the mines, so they were sternly bidden to drive on and keep silent, lest a worse thing befall them. And so the blood-mottled figure had been left as a warning to all such hard-hearted employers, and the three noble avengers had hurried off into the mountains where unbroken nature comes down to the very edge of the furnaces and the slag heaps. Here they were, safe and sound, their work well done, and the plaudits of their companions in their ears.
It had been a great day for the Scowrers. The shadow had fallen even darker over the valley. But as the wise general chooses the moment of victory in which to redouble his efforts, so that his foes may have no time to steady themselves after disaster, so Boss McGinty, looking out upon the scene of his operations with his brooding and malicious eyes, had devised a new attack upon those who opposed him. That very night, as the half-drunken company broke up, he touched McMurdo on the arm and led him aside into that inner room where they had their first interview.
"See here, my lad," said he, "I've got a job that's worthy of you at last. You'll have the doing of it in your own hands."
"Proud I am to hear it," McMurdo answered.
"You can take two men with you--Manders and Reilly. They have been warned for service. We'll never be right in this district until Chester Wilcox has been settled, and you'll have the thanks of every lodge in the coal fields if you can down him."
"I'll do my best, anyhow. Who is he, and where shall I find him?"
McGinty took his eternal half-chewed, half-smoked cigar from the corner of his mouth, and proceeded to draw a rough diagram on a page torn from his notebook.
"He's the chief foreman of the Iron Dike Company. He's a hard citizen, an old colour sergeant of the war, all scars and grizzle. We've had two tries at him; but had no luck, and Jim Carnaway lost his life over it. Now it's for you to take it over. That's the house--all alone at the Iron Dike crossroad, same as you see here on the map--without another within earshot. It's no good by day. He's armed and shoots quick and straight, with no questions asked. But at night--well, there he is with his wife, three children, and a hired help. You can't pick or choose. It's all or none. If you could get a bag of blasting powder at the front door with a slow match to it--"
"What's the man done?"
"Didn't I tell you he shot Jim Carnaway?"
"Why did he shoot him?"
"What in thunder has that to do with you? Carnaway was about his house at night, and he shot him. That's enough for me and you. You've got to settle the thing right."
"There's these two women and the children. Do they go up too?"
"They have to--else how can we get him?"
"It seems hard on them; for they've done nothing."
"What sort of fool's talk is this? Do you back out?"
"Easy, Councillor, easy! What have I ever said or done that you should think I would be after standing back from an order of the Bodymaster of my own lodge? If it's right or if it's wrong, it's for you to decide."
"You'll do it, then?"
"Of course I will do it."
"When?"

他們誰也不認識這個人，可是這是殺人行樂的無窮無盡的戲劇性事件，他們是爲了向吉爾默敦地區的死酷黨人顯示，自己是可以信賴的人。
還有一個意外事件，當他們把手中槍裏的子彈都傾瀉到這個僵臥的屍體上時，一對夫起正驅車來到這裏。有人提議連這兩個人一起幹掉，可是這兩個人與這礦山毫無關係，所以他們厲聲命令這對夫豈不許聲張，趕緊走開，以免遭到不幸。因此，那血肉模糊的屍體則被丟在那裏，向那些鐵硬心腸的礦主示警，而那三名傑出的復仇者則消逝在亙古未曾開拓的荒山僻壤之中。他們得了手，在這裏安全而穩妥，同黨們的讚揚喝彩聲不絕於耳。
這是死酷黨人得意的日子，陰霾籠罩了全谷。可是正如一個足智多謀的將軍選擇了勝利的時機，可以加倍擴大戰果，使敵軍潰敗後無暇整頓一樣，首領麥金蒂陰險惡毒的雙眼前浮現出一個作戰方案，籌劃新的詭計去謀害那些反對他的人。就在這天晚上，喝得半醉的黨徒們走散以後，麥金蒂碰了碰麥克默多的胳臂，把他引到他們第一次見面的那間內室裏。
“喂，我的夥計，"麥金蒂說道，“我終於給你找到了一件值得你乾的差事。你可以親手去完成它。”
“聽到這我很感驕傲，"麥克默多答道。
“你可以帶兩個人和你一起去，這兩個人是曼德斯和賴利。我已經吩咐過他們了。不除去切斯特·威爾科克斯，我們在這一地區就永遠不能安心。假如你能把他幹掉，你就能贏得產煤區每一分會的感謝。”
“無論如何，我一定盡力去做。他是誰？我在哪裏可以找到他？”
麥金蒂從嘴角拿開雪茄，從筆記本上撕下一張紙來，開始畫一個草圖。
“他是戴克鋼鐵公司的總領班，是個意志剛強的人，是戰時的一個老海軍陸戰隊上士，受過許多傷，頭髮灰白。我們曾兩次去解決他，都沒有成功，而吉姆·卡納威反而喪失了性命。現在請你接着去完成它。這就是那所房子，孤零零地在戴克鋼鐵公司的十字路口，正象你在這張圖上所看到的一樣，沒有人能聽得到聲音。白天去是不行的，他經常戒備着，射擊得既快又準，而且連問也不問就開槍。可是在夜間——對，他和妻子、三個孩子和一個傭工住在那裏。你要幹就全乾掉，無別的抉擇。如果你把一包炸藥放在前門，上面用一根慢慢引着的導火線……”
“這個人幹了什麼事？”
“我不是對你說過他槍殺了吉姆·卡納威嗎？”
“他爲什麼要槍殺吉姆呢？”
“這和你有什麼關係呢？卡納威夜裏走到他房子附近，他就開槍打死了卡納威。你我就談到這裏。你現在可以去把這事打點一下。”
“還有兩個婦女和小孩。連他們也一起幹掉嗎？”
“也要幹掉，不然我們怎樣能幹掉他呢？”
“他們並沒有什麼罪過，連他們一起幹掉，似乎有些難以下手。”
“這話多麼愚蠢？你變卦了嗎？”
“慢着，參議員先生，別急！我什麼時候說過或做過使你認爲我不接受身主命令的事呢？不管是也好，非也好，反正由你來定就是了。”
“那麼，你去完成它？”
“當然我去完成它了。”
“什麼時候？”