她搖了搖頭。“我必須先找到她的動機，才能找到謀殺案。警察可能還不知道任何關於謀殺的事情呢。” 看到馬龍揚起詢問的眉毛，她接著說，“據我們所知，也許屍體還沒有被發現。她可能把它藏在了某個地方。或者也許她把它偽裝成了自然死亡。” 海倫嘆了口氣。
she shook her head “i’ve got to fd her otive before i can fd the urder the police ay not know anythg about the urder yet” as alone raised an irg eyebrow, she went on, “for all we know, aybe the body hasn’t been disvered she ight have hidden it where or aybe it was ade to look like a death fro natural caes” helene sighed
，！
“你忘了那個賭注的條款了。” 馬龍說。“她自己規定的條款。記得嗎？‘一個我有謀殺動機的人 —— 在公共街道上被槍殺 —— 有很多目擊者。’”
“you’re fettg the ters of the bet,” alone said “the ters that she id down herself reber? ‘one i have a otive for urderg—shot down the public streets—with plenty of witnesses’”
她沉默了一會兒。“沒錯。我忘了。不過 —— 也許我把一切都弄反了，但該死，整個事情都是顛倒的。我們知道莫娜?麥克萊恩殺了人，但我們不知道是誰、什麼時候、為什麼。通常情況下，人們被謀殺時情況正好相反。”
she was silent for a ont “that’s right i had fotten still—i ay be gog at everythg backward, but dait, the whole thg’s backward we know ona ne urdered body, but we don’t know who, or when, or why ually it’s jt the other way when people t urdered”
“為反常的人準備的反常謀殺。”
“backward urders for backward people”
她沒理他。“這就是為什麼，我不從謀殺案開始查起，而是從莫娜開始。我不會去找出她可能謀殺的人。我要像一個八卦作家一樣回顧她的人生經歷，找出她可能有謀殺動機的人，看看他們中有沒有最近去世的。”
she paid no attention to hi “that’s why, stead of begng with the urder, i’ begng with ona i’ not gog to fd people she ight have urdered i’ gog over her life history like a gossip writer and fd people she ight have had a otive for urderg,