Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21 To the citizens of Salzburg, Austria, William McIntyre looked like just another tourist. More formally dressed, perhaps, in a dark business suit, but a foreign visitor strolling through the public square. Nobody seemed to notice the tiny handheld monitor, nor did they hear the soft beeps emitted by the device as it homed in on the transmitter beacon. For nearly a week, Mr. McIntyre had used this equipment to keep tabs on Amy and Dan as they traveled from Paris to Vienna and on to Salzburg. But now the signal had stopped moving. In fact, it had not budged in two days. Something was wrong. As he crossed the crowded plaza, the beeps consolidated into a continuous tone, which meant the transmitter was very, very close. McIntyre stared. There it was, affixed as a lapel

在奥地利萨尔茨堡的市民看来，威廉·麦金太尔不过是一个普通的游客。 更正式的穿着，也许是一套黑色的西装，但一个在公共广场漫步的外国游客。 似乎没有人注意到这个小小的手持监视器，也没有人听到这个设备在瞄准发射机信标时发出的柔和的哔哔声。 在将近一个星期的时间里，麦金太尔先生一直在用这个设备监视艾米和丹从巴黎到维也纳，再到萨尔茨堡的行程。 但现在信号停止了移动。 事实上，它已经两天没动了。 有点不对劲。当他穿过拥挤的广场时，哔哔声合并成一个连续的音调，这意味着发射机非常非常近。 麦金太尔盯着。它就在那儿，贴在翻领上

pin to the statue of Mozart in the center of the square. A strong hand on his shoulder spun him around. It was Alistair Oh, in a towering rage. "So it's you!" the elderly man accused. "I don't appreciate your meddling in this contest! Where is my clue?" The lawyer shrugged, bewildered. "I have nothing of yours." "There was a clue from the tunnel at St. Peter's," Alistair said coldly. "When I went to retrieve it to have it translated, I found it missing and your homing pin in the head of my cane. Your explanation, if you please." "I have none." "So you confess that you're trying to influence this contest." His eyes narrowed. "Or perhaps your plan is to hijack it entirely and take the prize for yourself." McIntyre rose to his full height. "I resent that. You may well have been bamboozled, but not by me. You ought to know that, with the stakes this high, treachery is to be expected. And Cahills are

别在广场中央的莫扎特雕像上。 一只有力的手搭在他肩上，使他转过身来。 是阿利斯泰尔大发雷霆。 “原来是你！”老人指责道。 “我不喜欢你干涉这场比赛！”我的线索在哪里？”律师耸了耸肩，不知所措。 “我没有你的东西。” “在圣路易的隧道里有一条线索。 彼得的。”阿利斯泰尔冷冷地说。 “当我去把它找回来翻译的时候，我发现它不见了，你的固定针还在我的手杖头上。 请您解释一下。” “我没有。”“所以你承认你在试图影响这场比赛。” 他眯起眼睛。“或者你的计划是完全劫持它，把奖品占为己有。” 麦金太尔站起身来。 “我对此很反感。你可能被骗了，但不是被我骗的。 你应该知道，赌注这么高，背叛是预料之中的事。 卡希尔是

capable of almost anything." "You haven't heard the last of this. When I win the contest, I'll see to it that you never work again!" Alistair retrieved the homing pin from Mozart's lapel — it had been affixed with chewing gum — spun on his heel and walked away. With a sigh, McIntyre exited the square and walked three blocks to an outdoor café in a secluded courtyard. He seated himself at a quiet table, across from a man dressed entirely in black. "You won't believe it," the lawyer announced in a despairing tone. "They found the homing device under the cat's collar and planted it on Alistair Oh." The man in black stroked his furrowed brow. "So what you're saying is we've lost the children." McIntyre nodded glumly. "It's more like the children have lost us. It's possible that they are more resourceful than even Madame Grace had imagined." High above their table, the vapor trail of a jetliner left a white ribbon in the clear blue sky, heading east.

几乎什么都能干。” “你还没听完呢。 等我赢了比赛，我要确保你再也不要工作了！”阿利斯泰尔从莫扎特的翻领上取出粘着口香糖的归航针，在脚跟上旋转，然后走开了。 麦金太尔叹了口气，走出广场，走过三个街区，来到一个僻静庭院里的一家露天咖啡馆。 他在一张安静的桌子旁坐下，对面是一个全身黑衣的人。 “你不会相信的，”律师绝望地说。 “他们在猫的项圈下找到了定位装置，并把它安在了阿利斯泰尔的身上。” 黑衣人抚摸着他那皱巴巴的额头。 “所以你的意思是我们失去了孩子们。” 麦金太尔闷闷不乐地点了点头。“更像是孩子们失去了我们。 他们可能比格蕾丝夫人想象的还要机智。” 在他们的桌子上方，一架喷气式飞机的蒸汽轨迹在晴朗的蓝天上留下了一条白色的丝带，正在向东飞行。