【惊险悬疑小说】红玫瑰追杀令8
8
The man pushed the dish towards me as if offering me some of his octopus.I was trying to free my arm and tell him that I didn't want his octopus,when I saw that the dish was now empty.A sharp point had been used to write something on the buttom.It said,‘Your life is in danger.Be in the Corridor of Men in the catacombs of the Capuchin Convent tonight at a quater to five.’
The man crumpled the dish,released my arm and staggered passed me.He stopped right on the entrance to the ally looking as if he might be sick. I suspected that I had not only been given a warning but a better changce to make my escape.I took it,running until I reached a main street.I had no idea where I was.I hailed the first taxi I saw to take me back to my hotel.
I understood neither the attack nor the warning,though I was certain that my first need was wash and change my clothes.I was spattered in blood-fish’s not mine!I was emptying my pockets when the envelope of photographs fell to the floor.I picked it up.I now had a new and disturbing thought!
Sicily is the original home of the world's biggest criminal organisetion,the Mafia.Was the envelope in my pocket information for a Mafia killing?
I had lived in San Francisco for long enough to know how the American Mafia operates.People who get in the way are removed-permanently!The Mafia has its own killers-"torpedos"or"hitmen".If those responsible for the killing are anxious to avoid suspicion falling on them,even in Mafia circles,then they employ an outsider,a professional assassin.Such a killing is known as "a contract".( 文章阅读网：www.sanwen.net )
A professional assassin may have no direct contact with his employers.he is supplied only with the necessary information:photographs of the victim,a name and ,perhaps,an address.Were these the photographs of the victim-his name,Alberto Lippari?
But if I had given the wrong photographs,where were mine?My film contained shots of me.The envelope would give my name and my address as Villa Scalini.
Should I keep the appointment at the catacombs(11),or should I not(13)?
注释：
1，octopus:boiled octopus；煮熟的章鱼片；octopus：章鱼。
2，free my arm;挣脱我的胳膊。
3，when I saw that the dish was now empty：when=suddenly，at that moment。
4，sharp point：尖锐的端头。
5，Be in the Corridor of Men：请赶到······男人走廊。 该句是祈使句，be动词表存在。catacomb：地下墓地； Capuchin Convent：嘉布遣会修道院。
6，crumple：把······弄皱；release：放开 stagger:摇摇晃晃地走路,蹒跚而行。
7, right on the entrance to the ally: 刚好在胡同口；
8，looking as if he might be sick：看样子，似乎他要呕吐；sick：（英)恶心，呕吐；（美）生病。
（英）I'm ill=（美） I get sick.
9，I suspected that···：我猜，我得到的不仅是一个警告，而且也是一个逃命的好机会。suspect：猜想；
not only···but：不仅······而且；make my escape:逃跑；：逃跑。 escape：逃跑。
10，I took it：我抓住这个机会。main street:大街，主要的街道。
11，I had no idea where I was：我不知道我究竟在哪儿。
12，hail：招呼；the first taxi I saw：我看见的第一辆出租车；I saw是定语从句，关系代词在从句中作宾语，故省略。
13，original home;起源地；criminal organisetion:犯罪组织；Mafia黑手党。
14，operate： 运作，活动。
15，People who get in the way：那些挡道的人；remove：除去；permanently:永久地。
16，torpedo鱼雷，水雷。
17，those responsible for 对······负责的那些人。
18，to avoid suspicion falling on them：为了避免杀人嫌疑落到他们身上；suspicion嫌疑。
19，professional职业的，专业的；assassin暗杀者，刺客，杀手。
20，is known as 以···而闻名； contract合同，协议，契约。
21，is supplied only with：只提供······。
22，victim被害者。
23，shots：(照片的)影像。
24，keep the appointment,keep one's appointment:守约lose one's appointment:失约。appointment：（公务/商务等方面的）约会；date：（恋爱/交友性质的）约会。
8
那人把盘子伸向我，似乎要让我尝尝章鱼片。我挣扎着想抽出手臂，并且想说我才不想吃他的章鱼呢，突然看见盘子是空的,盘子底部有着细细的字迹：“你有生命危险！请务必于今天下午四点四十五赶到嘉布遣会修道院地下墓穴的男人走廊”。
那人把盘子捏得皱成一团，放开了我的胳膊，踉踉跄跄地走开了。刚走到巷口就停下来；好像要呕吐。我猜想，我得到的不仅仅是一个警告，而且也是一个逃命的好机会。我趁机一路狂奔，跑到一条繁华的大街上，才停下来喘口气。也不知道我究竟是在哪儿，就招呼了最先看到的那辆出租车，回到了旅馆。
无论是对于我受到的袭击，还是得到的警告，我都是一头雾水；我能肯定的就是，首先应该回旅馆去洗澡换衣服。我身上溅满了血迹——当然是鱼血，不是我的。我正清空脏衣服的口袋，突然，装有照片的信封掉到了地板上。我捡起信封，头脑中闪现出另一种猜测，这使我颇为不安！
西西里是世界上最大的犯罪组织——黑手党——的起源地，我手中的这个信封，莫非是黑手党为暗杀某人而给杀手提供的资料？
我长期居住在在旧金山，也风闻过美国黑手党的一些内幕情况。如果有谁挡了他们的道，就会被清除掉——永远消失！黑手党有自己的职业杀手，叫做“鱼雷”或者“打手”。在黑手党圈子里，主谋者为避免杀人嫌疑，甚至也会雇佣圈外的职业杀手，双方签订合同而成交。这样的暗杀以“合同杀人”著称。
这种圈外的职业杀手或许与他的雇主并无直接联系，雇主只提供必要的信息：被杀者的照片，姓名，也许还有住址。这些难道是那个即将被杀者的照片？他的名字，阿尔贝托·李普利？
但是，如果这些照片是误给了我的话，那么，我的照片又在哪儿呢？我的胶卷上是我的影像，信封上应该是我的名字，我的住址：斯卡丽妮别墅。
我应该准时到地下墓穴赴约呢（11），还是不该去（13）？
