16

The sergeant at the desk spoke Italian and some English.I still had to tell my story three times before he was satisfied that he had understand what I was telling him.He asked me to wait.

More than one hour passed and then I was shown into an office.The man behind the desk introduced himself as Inspector Riccardi.He motioned me to a chair and apologised for the time that I had been kept waiting.I was relived to hear that he spoke good English.He exlained that it had taken some time to check the details of my story.I waited for him to go on.

‘Nothing!’he said.‘We have found nothing.There are no missing people reports,no bodies,no murders-nothing that would tie in with your story.'

‘So you think that I have made it all up?’

‘No’he replied.'I didn't say that.During the last twelve months there have been more than two hundred murders in Palermo;most of them thought to be Mafia killings.Add to that we don't know about.A lot of people just disappear.Maybe some of them end up as part of the concrete foundations of new flats or office blocks.Maybe you have seen something that you weren't supposed to see.'He paused.‘I'm not telling you that the Mafia does not exist,or that Mafia killings are uncommon in Palermo.What I am telling you is that the Mafia is not interested in tourist like you.'( 文章閱讀網：www.sanwen.net )

‘But what about the photographs?'I asked.

‘You were given the photographs by mistake.They are of a man called Alberto Lippari.Perhaps he has Mafia connections,but also he is a well-known man in Palermo,and often photographed.Why should these photographs be anything more than,how you say,“ the candid camera shots”for a magazine article?'

Either Inspector Riccardi didn't belive me or,more likely,didn't want to believe me.I left the police station with two ideas in mind.

I could leave the island(20).That raised one question.Would the killer follow me?My other idea might be even more dangerous!Lippari was certainly a Mafia boss.I had some information for which he could be very grateful.Might he be grateful enouth to get me out of my present troubles?(22)

注釋：

1，sergeant：中等級別的警察，警官。

2，I was shown into：我被帶進。

3，introduced himself as Inspector：自我介紹是探長。inspector：中等級別的警官。apologise=apologize:道歉。

4，my story：我的經歷，遭遇。

5，missing people reports：失蹤人口報告。

6，tie in with：與······有聯系；與······相符。

7，end up as part of the concrete foundations：最終成為混凝土地基的一部分。

8，something that you weren't supposed to see：你不應該看到的東西。

9，often photographed：經常有人給他拍照。

10，Why should these photographs be anything more than,how you say,“ the candid camera shots”for a magazine article:這些照片，為什么應該是，剛才您怎么說來著，‘為監(jiān)視而偷拍的'，而不應該是為配合雜志文章而拍攝的呢？more than:除了；the candid camera shots：偷拍的照片。

11，more likely：更有可能的是。

16

接待我的那位警官說意大利語，也會講一些英語。但我仍然不得不把我的遭遇連講三遍，他才露出滿意的神色表示聽明白了。他要我等一下。

等了一個多小時，我才被領到另一個辦公室。那人自我介紹說，他叫日卡迪，是探長，并打手勢讓我坐下，同時為讓我久等而致歉。聽到他一口流利的英語，我心里一塊石頭落了地。他解釋說，剛才花了好些時間核實我那些遭遇的細節(jié)。我等著他說下去。

“什么也沒發(fā)現”，他說，“我們什么也沒發(fā)現，沒有失蹤人員報告，也沒有發(fā)現尸體，沒有發(fā)現殺人案——與您的遭遇有關的什么也沒有”。

“那么，你認為這一切全都是我編造的？”

“當然不是”，他答道?！拔铱蓻]有那么說。最近十二個月，巴勒莫發(fā)生了兩百多起兇殺案，人們認為多數都與黑手黨有關。還有一些罪案我們尚不知情。有不少人，簡直就是人間蒸發(fā)了。或許有些人最終的結局就是成為某些新建的公寓或辦公大樓的混凝土地基。或許，您看到了一些您不應該看到的東西?！彼ｎD了一下，接著說：“我并非告訴您黑手黨不存在，也并非說黑手黨殺人事件在巴勒莫罕見。我想告訴您的是，對于您這樣的旅游者，黑手黨并不感興趣”。

“可是，那些照片又該怎么解釋？”

“那是誤給了您。那些都是阿爾貝托·李帕利的照片?；蛟S他與黑手黨有聯系，但他在巴勒莫也是一位知名人士，經常都有人給他拍照。這些照片，為什么只能是，剛才您怎么說來著，‘為監(jiān)視而偷拍的'，而不能是為配合雜志文章而拍攝的呢？”

要么是這個探長壓根兒就不相信我，要么，更有可能的是，他本來就不打算相信我。走出警察局時，我有了兩個想法。

一是逃離西西里島（20），問題是，殺手是否會跟蹤我？另一個想法甚至更危險！李帕利肯定是一個黑手黨老大，我這里有些情況提供給他，他肯定會感激我，因此，或許他會幫助我擺脫目前的困境？（22）

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