Chapter 17 7-1

7 One day he drove off Portage Road, where there was an abandoned stone church and cemetery that looked abandoned but was not at all.He parked the car and walked into the cemetery.Just like when he came to the cemetery on a warm morning in early October, but now it is the end of the month, autumn is coming, the air is cold, the sky is overcast, the leaves on the trees are thinner, and the wind blows the leaves and breaks them. Twigs and flower pots were blown over, and the small American flag planted beside the veteran's grave was deformed by the wind, and it was hardly recognizable as a national flag.Royall had learned from the library that Dirk Burnaby had been a soldier and had fought in World War II. There was no Dirk Burnaby grave here, but if there was, there should be a small flag.

This cemetery!It draws your eye like a dream, but as you look closer, the personal details shimmer and fade away.Royall's impression of the cemetery has become more dilapidated than before, as if months or even years have passed instead of just a little over two weeks. He spent some time looking for graves where the woman in black had mowed the lawn, but none seemed to have been mowed recently.There were fallen branches, cracked pots, dead geraniums, plastic flowers everywhere.He also failed to find the hidden place where she had pulled him to lie down with her.None of the names on the tombstones were familiar or meant anything to him.Keck, Rayleigh, Sanderson, Ozzie, these are all strangers who lived decades ago, and the latest tombstone was erected in 1943.

But Royall still hasn't given up.He doesn't intend to leave.It was a Saturday morning, someone would come to visit the grave, maybe the woman in black, and Royall had so much to say to her. "Howling winds will get us excited, but we need to know to put the fluttering clothes in the house, and hurry up." We sometimes dream about another house.There was a knock at the front door.Mom raised her voice.The indistinct voices of the policemen, whom we would not confuse with our father's, the strangled yells of my mother. no, go away.Get out! We both woke up with a start and climbed onto the landing of the stairs.Sayo the puppy, sleeping in a padded wicker basket in the kitchen, began to bark and whine uneasily.

We didn't listen to mother and didn't go back upstairs.We were crying and screaming in despair as the officers left. In the nursery, Bridget was woken early, and the baby started crying. There are two brothers here, Chandler is 11 years old and Royall is 4 years old. They couldn't possibly know that their father was dead.When the police came to 22 Luna Park that morning, they had not yet determined that Dirk was dead.Only the car registered in his name was fished out of the Niagara River.At a specific time on the morning of June 11, 1962, the car slid to the side of the road and smashed through a barrier on the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Highway.It's just that the body hasn't been found yet.

There were no witnesses to the accident, and no witnesses took the initiative to report the situation. This will be ruled a "traffic accident".Who can prove that this is not the case? Although Dirk Burnaby's body has not been found, eventually the county will issue a death certificate. We sometimes dream about that house.We remember my mother clumsily holding the door lock as soon as the police left, and before they could get back in the car and leave, she had locked the door.She was panting, and we ran towards her in horror. Her eyes were erratic, and her lips were pale and damaged, like a fish's mouth that had been hooked and rotten.We haven't been allowed to cry yet, it will take a while, so my mother allows us to cry.Mom tried to hug both of us, and she bent over awkwardly, as if her spine was broken.She raised her voice and said contemptuously: Is the door closed, is it locked?Never open this door again.

Yes: none of us ever opened that door again. Dirk Burnaby's body was never found in the Niagara River. However, at about eight o'clock in the morning on June 11, 1962, a group of pilgrims who made a pilgrimage to Notre Dame Church three kilometers from Niagara Falls reported what they seemed to see "a man swimming downstream."The group of pilgrims, belonging to a Roman Catholic diocese in Washington, D.C., arrived at the church on a dedicated bus.There are 40 of them, ranging in age from 39 to 86 years old, most of them are weak and sick.They claimed to have had no knowledge of the earlier motor vehicle accident or that the Coast Guard and other search and rescue personnel were searching for a man's body along the river.

They saw, or swore to see, a man swimming swiftly downstream, held up by the current in the middle, parallel to the bank.The swimmers were not swimming towards the shore.Some of the healthier pilgrims shouted and waved to him, and chased him along the bank until bushes blocked their way.The swimmers paid no attention to all this.It was said that he appeared to be "swimming for his life", neither knowing where he "emerged from" nor "where" he disappeared, only to be watched in dismay by pilgrims . This person, of course, has not been identified.No one saw his face, he was too far from the bank.It was not clear—and this was the crucial point—whether he was naked or clothed.According to the description, he seemed neither "too young"—"not too old."He had "dark blond hair"—"fair blond hair"—"yellowish-white hair."But there's one thing everyone agrees on: he's a good swimmer.

The broadcast notified all Coast Guard search and rescue personnel, but the "swimming man" was never found. I grew up, I moved into a house on Baltic Street, and at 23, I became a volunteer with a Niagara County Crisis Intervention Center.I became a member of the Red Cross Emergency Rescue Squad and a member of the Samaritan Society—a suicide prevention organization.I've been told that reports like that of Pilgrim's are not uncommon. Witnesses swear - sincerely, firmly, and often passionately! -they saw a swimmer (actually) where they saw a dead body, being carried swiftly downstream by the fast-flowing river, usually these eyewitnesses would claim that they saw the swimmer (often evidence Proof) is the corpse of a drowned dog or sheep, because the waves cause rhythmic movements of the limbs of the corpse, much like swimming.

These swimmers are always "very good swimmers" and usually flow down the current, parallel to the shore.They never turned around, or changed positions, or swam toward shore.They also never responded to the calls of those on shore.They swam tirelessly and resolutely until they disappeared from people's sight. Why is this so?A Coast Guard search and rescue crew explained: "What people want to see is a 'swimmer', for sure they don't want to see a dead body. There, right in the river, there are people like them, they want to see him alive, he Swimming. No matter what their brains tell them, their eyes just don't see."

Dirk Burnaby's body has never been found or identified.Many years have passed. 1 Why?Because I need to help others. Because I need help.Someone is there. because I need.I need. Why? 2 erosion time erosion time This is March 1978.He is 27 years old.This is LaSalle's general science class for the ninth grade of junior high school.Chandler was typing the words on the blackboard.At this public school in the heart of Niagara Falls, Chandler often feels no specific time or age exists. Chandler was trying to connect the term to a student's work when someone approached him: "Excuse me, Mr. Burnaby. Please call the County Crisis Intervention Center right away. I think there's something urgent there."

The young woman arrived from the principal's office, panting and worried, feeling that she was bringing news of great urgency. This isn't the first time Chandler has been called by the county's crisis intervention center, but usually these emergencies come at exceptional times.Late night, early morning, weekend holidays.At this time, the human will has been relaxed.Chandler said, "Thank you, Janet!" To show the room of 28 students how their Mr. Burnaby handled an emergency, he put the chalk in the box and, in his usual calm, gentle, humorous manner, The tone of his voice told them that they might be heartbroken because he had to leave the classroom early and something happened. "I hope you will not betray my trust. There are still eight minutes until the end of get out of class. Please stay in your seats until the bell rings. You can use this time to start your homework. We, God forbid, see you tomorrow. Okay Right?" They smiled seriously and nodded.It's an emergency and he can trust them.At least for those eight minutes. As long as God bless.Why did Chandler say this?Chandler is not one to dramatize danger or himself.He doesn't believe in God, and he doesn't teach science to fourteen-year-olds in the sense that belief in God is predictable. Even Alia's God has a grim sense of humor. "Mr. Burnaby, is anyone going to jump the Great Falls again?" "I don't think so, Pete. Not this time." Downstairs in the principal's office, Chandler called back the crisis center, which directed him to a gunman's hostage situation to the east.Within minutes, he hopped in his car and headed east along Great Falls through Tenth Avenue, Memorial Expressway, and Atcheson Expressway.All the nerves in his body were tense, alert and vigilant, as if he had been thrown into icy water.It feels like the arrow is on the string -- even though Chandler doesn't know how to shoot it himself -- and goes straight to the target with speed and precision. As long as God bless.This is distorted fatalism, and it is also Alia's fatalism.Because you don't know whether you, an energetic volunteer, will be able to come back after being dispatched by the crisis center to deal with an emergency. Punish yourself, eh? It's your life.But if you love me, why punish yourself? He does love Melinda.He also loved Melinda's baby daughter, whom he hoped to be a father someday.But he couldn't answer her question. Alia had stopped asking.When Chandler first became actively involved with the crisis center, he had just spent a year as a teacher in the Niagara Falls public school system. At that time, Aaliyah was concerned about the "reckless and dangerous" volunteer work of his eldest son. She expressed strong opposition, but she is the kind of person who persists knowingly that it will not work. These days, Chandler was dealing with issues that he couldn't tell Melinda about without telling her.Of course not telling Alia. "Gunsmen/Hostages".Chandler has only been involved in one such incident before, when a deranged man took his two children hostage in his home, and it didn't go well.Things continued into the night. Chandler has been volunteering since he was a college student in the early 1970s.He participated in demonstrations against the Vietnam War and the bombing of Cambodia.He also, along with other young radical idealists, went door-to-door mobilizing and advocating for the establishment of voting registration in impoverished areas of Buffalo.He also helped set up Red Cross blood donation stations in Buffalo, Niagara Falls and its affluent suburbs.He also helped with school joint petitions, "clean water, clean air" campaigns (it was while working for the Red Cross that he first met Melinda Atkins, a nurse).Since then, he has devoted himself to first aid work.Red Cross, Crisis Intervention Center, Samaritan Society.It was a small but united group, and everyone got to know each other very quickly.Most of them were not married, had no children, or the children had grown up and left them.Or maybe the child has let them down in some way.Others have children who have passed away. Most of the volunteers Chandler knew were devout Christians.To be a Christian is to "do good" with people.Jesus volunteered to liberate all mankind, didn't he?He also faced the spiritual crisis of mankind fearlessly.He challenged the cyclical destiny of man, so he had to suffer on earth to atone for it, and the resurrection was the reward for all his good deeds—wasn't it?Chandler listened intently as the ex-Jesuit, who had run the local Samaritan congregation, conveyed these thoughts to him, without saying a word. He told Melinda, "I wish I believed that everything would be so much easier that way." "You don't want it to be easy, Chandler, you just want it to be hard," Melinda said. During Chandler's life, Niagara Falls had become a rapidly expanding, fast-growing "bustling" industrial city.People boast that the local population has doubled in size in the 1940s.Already more than 50,000 jobs are available in this area—it's talked about as if it's the best example of the city's strengths—and it's also home to the largest concentration of chemical factories in America.The Niagara Falls that Chandler knew, or to some extent he knew, had changed almost beyond recognition.Luna Park is the only neighborhood that retains some "history", but things are starting to deteriorate there too.The rich lived on the Big Island, or nearby, in the affluent Buffalo suburbs of Amherst and Williamsville.The state government has protected the Great Falls and prohibited commercial activities in the Niagara Gorge near Niagara Falls and along the river, because this tourist sanctuary ensures millions of dollars in income every year. In the new-looking Niagara Falls region, a change in wind direction turned the air a dark brown.Once a person approaches a waterfall, his eyes will become sour and his breathing will become difficult, and "emergencies" will become as common as crimes.Few tourists who visit the waterfall with a pilgrimage will think of making a tragic end here.Most of the suicides were residents of the city, mostly men.Most of them become violent, disappointed, and crazy due to alcoholism, drug abuse, and impulse, and then commit unexpected violence, mostly domestic violence.Guns, knives, hammers, and fists are among their weapons.They usually commit suicide after venting, or attempt suicide. "Gunman/hostage," the crisis intervention center dispatcher told Chandler that the kidnapping did not involve robbery or burglary.Criminal motives are purely emotional, and they are the most dangerous motives. Chandler, past that awkward puberty, is now lanky and perpetually wary of his surroundings.He moves quickly, like a tennis player meets a master, but he is not ready to give up.He still looked childish, and the contours of his face were not very clear.He's one of those guys who makes people forget (and he knows it!).The contours of his haircut had begun to recede in his early 20s.His soft, feathery silver-brown hair brushed from the temples seemed lighter than air.His sensitive eyes are always wet.A female college classmate once said he had “devil eyes”—“deep, youthful eyes full of wisdom.” (Is she complimenting him?) Chandler, with his colored eyes, seemed casual , sexy, rebellious.But his idol of rebellion was the Jesuit Brother Berigan.He was not overdressed at all.If his hair was too long or curled up over his collar, it was an oversight, not a deliberate one.Chandler would never have let his hair grow past his shoulders or wear a hood with a headband on his forehead like Royall did.Chandler was bewildered by Royall's laid-back demeanor and sense of self. Royall always believed that other people should like him very much and naturally like him too.It's not because Royall is egotistical, he's not egotistical at all.How could a girl or a woman blame him for falling in love with him?It wasn't me who made them fall in love with me, it wasn't me, it was them.Conversely, he would be surprised if a woman fell in love with Chandler.He couldn't help but doubt their sincerity and taste.He sees himself as a skinny 13-year-old with wet eyes, pockmarked skin, and a constant sniffling while his exasperated mother keeps berating him, telling him to stand up straight, and pull his hair out of his face. Flick it up, button it up, and—please! — Wipe your nose. "Almost, Chandler has become very handsome," Alia said not long ago, looking at him in surprise.It was as if she was looking at her older son again, and this time it was completely different. "Don't take it personally, Chandler!" She had that mocking, reproachful smile that made you recoil from it even when you knew it was a good intention. Why?because I need. I need to help people, and I can help in any way. He always felt that it was a privilege, an unknown blessing bestowed upon him. Today, he was instructed to go to a factory on Swan Road in the east.Chandler wasn't very familiar with this part of Niagara Falls, but he recognized the building when he saw the Niagara Precision Humidifier and Electric Cleaner Works.As a teenager, Chandler spent his days driving through the bleak, crisscrossed streets of Niagara Falls, where he sometimes felt he had been a resident in a previous life. During a gallbladder operation in the hospital, Aaliyah crypticly told Chandler, "Honey, I really love you! Sometimes I feel like I love you the most." You, forgive me." Chandler smiled uneasily. Forgive what? It's a late winter day and it's bitingly cold like a wet towel.The wind with the smell of metallic chemicals blows from the east and enters the open-mouthed breathing mouth.Asbestos-like skies, snow-covered yards, dirty sidewalks and fences.The snow was covered with soot, and the snowdrifts overflowed into the streets and became slush and ice skating grounds.Chandler's heart began to beat faster, wondering what the hell happened. He forgot to call Melinda and told her he might see her later that evening. No.He did not forget.Just don't have the time. No.It's not that he doesn't have time. He can ask a friend or colleague from his school to make a call for him, but he doesn't. Sometimes, as he walked into the scene, Chandler would feel the edges of his vision begin to darken.This is the strangest optic nerve phenomenon, the tube optic.It seems that the surroundings of the things I saw are gradually disappearing and being swallowed by darkness.This is commonplace for firefighters.Yet Chandler's rescue efforts were rarely physical and mostly verbal.Enthusiastic consulting services, giving advice and comfort.He usually just listens sympathetically.Persuade a desperate man or woman not to commit suicide and you will realize that the soul of the other person is with you, wishing to be rescued rather than die.This man is desperate, and you have to convince him to live on. When we are exhausted by life, we all have the idea of ​​committing suicide, but we will dispel this idea.Like the weather.We are like the weather.Look at the sky, those clouds, they will eventually clear up.We are in a dilemma sometimes, but everything will pass.isn't it? This is optimism at its most banal.You can read these words on cereal bags.Alia would smile sympathetically.Yet Chandler believed in these, and he would spend his life testing them. Burnaby, that's the name.Is that a name that belongs to Niagara Falls? Maybe adults remember, but kids in ninth grade won't know.Most of them were born in 1963 or later, how could they know about a slowly forgotten scandal in 1962? Chandler himself rarely thinks about it. He had plenty of opportunities, he could get out of Niagara Falls.You can imagine him living in a place where Burnaby was just a name.He could have gone to college in Philadelphia.He also won a scholarship at another school.But he didn't want to break Alia's heart again during her most difficult time. (Chandler can't remember exactly what crisis Aria was going through at the time.) He also didn't want to leave Royall and Juliet with his moody mother.They also need Chandler, although they may not realize it at all. Fuck you Royall said to Chandler and hung up. The brothers had been estranged for six months.Chandler tried unsuccessfully to contact Royall.It was strange that they were only two brothers, and they still quarreled.Royall had never spoken to him like this before, and Chandler was dumbfounded by their conversation. It's not fair, Chandler had promised Aaliyah to "protect" Royall and Juliet when their father died, and he did.Also tried his best.He's been working on it all these years.But now Royall turned against him and didn't understand him.Royall has left home and is now working for a merchant in the city.He lives by himself and is in night classes at Niagara University, Royall, back on campus!This is the most surprising thing.Chandler occasionally hears about Royall from Juliet, privately, of course, because Aaliyah refuses to speak about the "wayward, self-destructive" son. Chandler has been wanting to ask his mother: When the hell will Royall stop being curious about their father?And Juliet.Any reasonable mother knows it's only a matter of time. "Reasonable." Chandler laughed loudly. Thinking of these things, he began to speed up.The speed limit is 35 and he is now at 50.There is not even time for an accident.He was needed now in Swannroux. I don't want to be protected, I want to know. Chandler wondered how much Royall had now.How much did he have to know before he didn't want to know more? Shame, shame!Your name is Bo-nar-al. There were actually plenty of kids who used to sing these monotonous lines behind Chandler's back.Long ago, in high school, he pretended not to hear.He wasn't the kind of boy who would get angry or cry when someone provoked him. Just as he will not be emotional now.Generally not. Melinda asked about his father one night because, of course, she knew, or knew something.She herself was born in this city and grew up in this city.The name Burnaby is no stranger.Chandler told her frankly that he rarely thought about his late father and never talked about him out of respect for his mother.He whispers to Melinda that because he loves her, he believes he can trust her. "Really! Love me?" "Yes. I love you." But Chandler hesitated when he said these words, with a hint of surprise or fear in his tone. Chandler told her everything he knew: that Dirk Burnaby had died that night in the Niagara River, though his body had never been found.There have been rumors for years that he might have swam to shore on his own and survived. "But anyone who knows anything about the Niagara knows that's just not possible," Chandler said. "This is obviously a cruel joke." Melinda is listening.She wanted to ask Chandler if he had been to the scene, but she didn't ask. She is a trained nurse.She has a great sense of pain, even imagined pain.She knew the pain could not be treated and removed, and there was no way to make it up.This is how it is in real life. Dirk Burnaby's body was never found, but there was no doubt that he was dead, and the official death certificate had been issued.After a public police investigation, the sudden incident was ruled an "accident"; Chandler guessed that was a euphemism.According to custom, local coroners generally try to avoid qualitative "suicide" as much as possible.Deaths in the Great Falls area are generally attributed to "accidents"—"misfortune"—out of a desire not to add to the grief of the living, but also out of a desire to reduce the death rate in the famous scenic spot.Even if the last letters are found, they will not be filed in the police files. To leave life in a state of despair is the worst of sins. Chandler told Melinda that he reasoned that most people who knew Dirk Burnaby would think he committed suicide.At that time he had been driving at high speed (the speedometer stopped working at 89 miles per hour) in bad and squalling weather.He had just lost an important lawsuit, and he was almost bankrupt. "There are other reasons." I learned from the newspapers.Alya never kept newspapers in the house back then, I found them myself.I read every newspaper I could, but I've forgotten most of it by now.Or maybe I don't want to talk about it right now, Melinda.okay? Melinda kissed him quietly. Shame, shame!Your name is Bo-nar-al. Chandler wondered if, if Bonnard really was that name, Melinda would not end up wanting to marry him because of it.He had to take that risk because he had no choice. The dispatcher at the crisis intervention center gave Chandler the address, 3884 Swann Road.Passing the Veteran's Home and Portage Road, this section of the road has now been blocked by the police, and no other vehicles are allowed to pass except for local vehicles.Chandler showed his ID, and the officer waved him over.A quarter of a mile from the Niagara Precision Humidifier and Electric Cleaner Works, a hollow brick, flat-roofed building sat in the middle of the parking lot.There were at least a dozen city and local police cars and ambulances parked in the driveway.Chandler parked his car on Swann Road and moved as quietly as possible with a young police officer.Behind those vehicles and factory trucks, the police crouched like scenes from a suspense film. It's just that there's no background music, no main actors, and no lines.The police called Chandler Burnaby, but it wasn't necessarily necessary.The head of the police department will make a decision, but he doesn't know when.Chandler arrived, arrived at the scene of the incident, greeted everyone, shook hands, and waited for orders. The gunmen had been entering the factory for about 40 minutes, and fired a single shot as soon as they entered.A few minutes later, with his permission, some people left the building before someone called 911.Chandler could see the half-open front door and a shattered window a few meters away.The windows were of an odd shape, perhaps five feet high, and less than a foot wide.Someone told Chandler that the gangsters fired guns from this window, but it seems to have stopped now. "Keep your head down and don't take any chances!" said Chandler. "I know, sir. No way." As if he had been trained before.On that occasion, he was just a commoner. The sound of the loudspeaker made the air tremble.The voice was so deafening that Chandler could barely hear what was being said.Mr. Mayweather, did you hear that?Release Miss Carpenter immediately.Repeat, release Miss Carpenter immediately.Put your arms down, hands up, come to the door, we won't hurt you, Mr. Mayweather.We are the Niagara Falls Police and we have surrounded this building.You come out, put your arms down, and put your hands up, Mr. Mayweather.I repeat, don't—it's the captain of the police force with the megaphone, and he's trying to imbue his voice with authority and poise. There, several Niagara Police Department officers recognized Chandler as Mr. "Burnaby" from the Crisis Intervention Center to them.An undercover detective named Rodwell crouched next to Chandler, who had taught his daughter in LaSalle two years earlier.He briefly told Chandler about the situation.The gunman is said to have taken at least one handgun and a rifle.Everyone thought he was "mentally deranged, maybe a little drunk or on drugs." At first he asked for "safe extradition" in a whimsical way, and then, except for a few incoherent yells, he refused to communicate with the police; he did not answer the president's office He was on the phone, and everyone thought he was taking hostages, and a young female receptionist was there.Mr. Mayweather, do you hear me?Put down your weapon and go to the door.Release Miss Carpenter immediately.Did you hear that?Mr. Mayweather. The gunman, a white male, of medium build, weighing 200 pounds, is alleged to be a recently fired employee of the Niagara Precision Humidifier and Electric Cleaner plant.Mayweather?There were several Mayweathers on the Baltic block, and there were several Mayweathers when Chandler was in high school.This Mayweather shot a foreman badly; and fired in the direction the employee was fleeing, he fired only a few shots, but did not give chase.Initially, he took two women hostage, and 20 minutes later, he released the pregnant young woman with a message asking for "extradition" by helicopter to another country, Cuba. Cuba!Not a good sign. As if Fidel Castro would give political asylum to a guy who shot a colleague. Chandler asks Rodwell what he thinks of what's going on, and Rodwell says he fucking hopes the girl isn't dead. If the police knew she was dead, they would have arrested Mayweather immediately.They would throw tear gas and clear the building.If Mayweather resisted, he would be beaten to death.It's a simple synopsis, like a Greek tragedy in abbreviated form.From past experience, Chandler knew that he had few options when it came to a gunman surrounded, and if any, it wasn't in his favor. Unless, his purpose is to commit suicide. If you put the pieces together, the story goes like this: Mayweather was fired last week from the Niagara Precision Humidifier and Electric Cleaner Works, and that afternoon he walked into the president's office with a rifle and asked to see the president, luckily Something happened, the president hadn't come back from dinner; he decided to get rid of the foreman who had a little bit of trouble with him before.But after he shot the foreman they called for mercy and allowed him to be carried out.The foreman was bleeding profusely and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.Mayweather doesn't seem to know what to do anymore, which is also normal.Chandler thought, in such a desperate situation, it is normal to know what to do. Chandler asked why he was fired, which the police don't know so far.Someone mentioned that it might be drinking at work, or being disobedient.Mayweather's colleagues described him as "very quiet"—"gloomy"—"pretty thin-skinned." The pregnant young woman was too frightened to speak and is now in the hospital in shock. The loudspeaker is still blaring tirelessly.Mayweather?I repeat, Mr. Mayweather, the building is surrounded— This is the dead silence between the two sides in the stalemate.Another 20 minutes later, the missing gunman did not fire a single shot. The air smelled pungent, and Chandler found it difficult to breathe.His sensitive eyes tingled a little.The strong smell emanated from the nearby Dow Chemical Company, which had made napalm.A few years ago, Chandler was one of many people who marched against Dow Chemical on the Peace Bridge to Canada.Police arrested several radical marchers, but Chandler was by no means a radical.Everyone hopes that individual actions will have some effect, but making an ethical decision must also consider the realistic consequences.This time is no exception.The dirty war is over.American troops have come home.Napalm eventually became nerve gas.The Dow Chemical Company, however, compensated the public for the disaster it had caused, and now, like other Niagara Falls industries, it is thriving again. Swan Chemical Company was acquired by Dow Chemical Company in the 1960s.It was a multimillion-dollar deal, and the company, nestled against Niagara Falls, was so profitable that, once it was established, it became the target of what is now called "early environmental law."Although Swan won the "Love Canal Case", times are changing now. The loudspeaker was still ringing, this time more urgently.Mr. Mayweather, the police have surrounded the building.We need to make sure Miss Carpenter is unharmed.Drop your weapon, go to the door— God, Chandler thought, something is going to happen. No: he's not impatient.Why be impatient?The reason he's here is patience.He was in a “crisis intervention center”; he had been trained on how to deal with a “crisis”; he was not a professional, so it must have been a calling for him.It must be admitted that he likes being nobody.If he had been called Mr. Burnaby, that name did not belong to "him" at this moment.For someone like him who doesn't believe in God, it's a touch of grace.阿莉亚现在不知道他的儿子在哪里，所以还不可能担心他，也不会为此大动肝火。罗约尔不可能知道，他也不会为哥哥可能遭遇什么不测而感到内疚。朱丽叶也不可能知道，如果电视上报道的话，而她又恰巧在看晚间新闻的话，那么她会猜到，哥哥就在现场。 还有就是梅林达。 想到她，钱德勒一惊，他本应该让朋友给她打个电话的。 她还在西部她的家中，等他在六点半到七点之间出现。她感到他会来迟的时候，就给他打电话了，但是电话没人接。他们是准备像往常一样在一起做晚饭的（今晚，辣味的）。钱德勒会和小孩儿一起玩，翻图画书给小孩儿看，他甚至会帮助她洗澡。如果梅林达感觉钱德勒想要被邀请，她就会邀他留下来，钱德勒就会留下过夜。他们试着温柔地做爱。他们就像溜冰一样，慢慢滑向一种更加固定的关系，有些激动，也有些恐惧，不清楚所要滑向的冰块是否足以支撑两个人。 Surrender!缴出武器。 梅威瑟尔先生，大楼已经被包围了。 钱德勒冒险看了看货车周围，希望没有人看到他。他感觉持枪歹徒不会正拿着枪准备开火。但是钱德勒还是觉得后脑勺的头发都竖起来了。 罗约尔总是认为他在魔鬼洞的工作百分之百安全。乘船驶向大峡谷只是看起来危险。 钱德勒把眼镜向鼻梁上推了推，斜眼一瞥。他的心跳开始加快虽然他知道（他知道！）自己一点危险都没有。Indeed.这个阴暗大楼的正面一点变化也没有。像刚才一样，门半开着，门口空荡荡的。一点动静也没有，破旧的窗户里面也没有丝毫的动静。房后面停着一部嗡嗡作响的直升机。好像时间凝固了；当然不会了，警察、护理人员、紧急救援人员还有记者都在等着发生点什么，但是持枪歹徒到底在哪里呢？他让所有这些人都处于兴奋状态，而自己却和人质一起撤退到被封锁的大楼里面。他对震耳欲聋的扩音器的声音没有任何反应，也不接电话。钱德勒真不希望梅威瑟尔和女人质都已死去。 也许梅威瑟尔拿了一把刀，已经悄悄地杀害了那个女人。警察没有听到有枪声。说不定他也割腕自杀。梅威瑟尔先生，大楼已经被包围了。如果你听到—— 我们应该同情这样一个人，对于他来说，尼亚加拉精密加湿器和电动清洁器厂的工作如此重要。这个不甚富足的公司员工还不到300人。 钱德勒无意中听到有警察在打赌。他们打赌歹徒是活着走出来，还是被抬出来。自杀还是被杀。 钱德勒见过一些场面，死人或是歹徒被警方火力所伤。不愉快的经历。恐怖的枪声，深深地印刻在脑子里，一直持续好几分钟。它是噪音外的噪音，是一种超自然的攻击。就像是听到了刀砍骨头的声音。我希望你不会，但是我更希望你不想去做。梅林达吻了他，把颤抖的他拥在自己的臂弯里。她好像下意识感觉到，以这样的方式拥抱钱德勒有些别扭，然而他想要被拥抱，她也感觉到了。除了她需要知道的，他没有告诉她更多。当然啦，她是个护士，也曾在急救病房工作过。 在过去的三年时间里，钱德勒曾两次到过自杀现场。一次是在元旦，在市区的一间民房里，那人拿着一把左轮手枪，警察就在旁边。另一位当着众多目瞪口呆的旁观者的面，在山羊岛顶端跳入滚滚的美洲瀑布中。（这位自杀者年仅18岁，是尼亚加拉大学数学系的学生，没有听说有什么感情问题，他在跳入大瀑布之前已经阴沉着脸在栏杆处徘徊差不多一个小时。钱德勒被指派去劝说他，尽量让他说话，重新考虑一下，但是钱德勒失败了，只好灰溜溜地败退下来。在大瀑布自杀。在所有自杀者中，好像这是最具报复性的。） 实际上，钱德勒参与处理的大部分突发事件，都没有发生转折性的变化，都只是结束了，最后陷入僵局，大家都精疲力竭。一个醉汉把自己和最小的孩子关在家里，挑衅性地大喊大叫，边哭边砸窗户和家具。但是当警察破门而入的时候，他一点都不反抗，乖乖地束手就擒。一个中年女嬉皮士吃了迷幻药，然后恐吓说要在公众场合自燃，这吸引了一大批围观者，她用煤油把全身浇透，但是却不能划着火柴，最后警察偷笑着把她带走了。曾有一些胡子拉碴、身着汗衫的男子闯入警察局，嘴里骂骂咧咧，拼死要和警察斗争，但是很快就被制服，双手铐到了背部后面，一字形排开被扔到人行道上。 情况就是这样，有好几次钱德勒都去晚了，危机已经过去，大家都回家去了。 心里有种失望的感觉。你什么都改变不了，你真是个大傻瓜。什么虚荣心呢。 他想起来去年七月的一个晚上，他开车送梅林达去医院生产。那个时候他们还不是情人，仅仅是朋友关系。梅林达让钱德勒待在医院陪着她，因为她害怕一个人。他留下来了，虽然自己也有些害怕。当她开始缩宫的时候，他给她帮忙，钱德勒陪着她到医院，并且一直陪着她度过了七个小时的苦难。这是他一生最难以忘怀的一次经验。他永远都不会忘记，从那个时候他已经开始改变。 梅威瑟尔先生？拿起电话，我们要和你谈谈，梅威瑟尔先生。我们要确认卡彭特小姐一切都好—— no response. 钱德勒无意间听到警察在悄悄议论，他们有些烦躁、恼火。大家推测，梅威瑟尔已经在双方交火中受伤了，但是钱德勒怀疑情况可能不一定是这样。也许持枪歹徒和人质现在都在大楼里面血流不止、奄奄一息了呢？“一切都好”——扩音器里出其不意地冒出这样一句话，这听起来真有些奇怪。 梅威瑟尔先生，请你拿起电话，告诉我们你想要什么。想要怎么样。梅威瑟尔先生，听到了吗？大楼已经被包围。请立刻放了卡彭特小姐，我们不会伤害你的。 这一次，大家紧张地听着，在楼里突然传出来那人的叫骂声，听起来有些紧张，声音传得不远。 一阵沉寂。（不远处是货车隆隆的声音。）大家料想可能会有枪响，但是什么也没发生。 就是在那个时候，钱德勒得知歹徒的名字是“艾伯特”。他不是也认识一个艾伯特?梅威瑟尔吗？在学校？但是钱德勒已经很长时间没有听到过这个名字了。 实际上，钱德勒曾和另外一个梅威瑟尔一起毕业，他是艾伯特的弟弟或是表弟。但是他还记得艾伯特?梅威瑟尔，就像是小男孩记着比自己年纪大的孩子，对他既害怕也不喜欢，然而却以一种难以言说的青春期的方式崇拜着他。 梅威瑟尔住在波罗的海街区，离波纳比家很远。梅威瑟尔家人很多，是个大家族。然而钱德勒却清楚地记得艾尔，他身材敦实，有着摔跤运动员的身材。灰黄的头发像地毯纤维一样粗糙。他和其他高中协会全国联合会的学生一样攻读艺术专业。他时而静若处子，时而动若脱兔。他最得意的就是压指关节，或是响响地放屁。艾尔不是校队运动员，但他和他的一帮朋友在学校后面打篮球，厚厚的嘴唇上总挂着烟卷。朋友总称他“空中接力”，好像这最能表达他们的喜爱之情。钱德勒很不情愿地承认，女孩子们，即便是“好”女孩儿有时候也会被艾尔这样的男孩们吸引，至少最初是这样的。 很奇怪，却又无法言喻的是：你希望这样的男孩儿喜欢你。希望他们原谅你得了高分，原谅你眼睛近视，步履蹒跚，原谅你在紧张的情况下结结巴巴。希望像艾尔?梅威瑟尔这样的男生记住你的名字，一个被丑闻玷污的名字；一个罪恶的名字。“波纳比？是你吗？” 钱德勒模模糊糊地记得艾伯特?梅威瑟尔或是班里另一个梅威瑟尔的家里有这么一个人。他曾是氢氧化学公司的工作人员，和很多员工一样，年纪轻轻就因工致残，大概就是三四十岁吧。在1970年代中期，大家共同起诉了那家公司。这在当时引起了争论和公愤。钱德勒回想起了一些新闻标题词“背叛”——“谎言”——“工人权利”——“职业相关疾病”。如果你知道内幕的话，你就会明白，几百万美元的案子最终并没有给工人带来什么好处。陪审团准许给予死者或是幸存者相当可观的经济赔偿，但是这个议案在法庭上审来审去，最终媒体对此也失去了兴趣。 梅威瑟尔先生？举起手来，走到门口。 放下武器，梅威瑟尔先生。 梅威瑟尔先生，接电话。 警方试图跟梅威瑟尔不甚和睦的老婆打电话，但却不知道她是在家还是在上班。他的孩子们在托纳旺达跟爷爷奶奶住在一起。他们现在还好吧？钱德勒知道在这种情况下，持枪歹徒一般会在家先恣意扫射一番。 钱德勒在想，不知道梅威瑟尔的父亲是否还在世：也许已经不再了。所有和那个案子有关的人现在可能都已谢世。肺癌，胰腺癌，脑癌，肝癌，皮肤癌，恶化转移很快的癌症。这是本案的重点，对加快死亡、缩短生命进行赔偿。 “爱的运河案件”经常有人提起。 但是波纳比这一沾满污点的名字却很少有人想起。 梅林达曾说过钱德勒，拜托，你又不是你的父亲。 钱德勒数了数，身边大概有超过20名的警察在事发地点。所有的人都全副武装，有一些还穿了防弹衣。在工厂的另一边，有更多同样全副武装的警察。梅威瑟尔一点逃脱的机会都没有。如果他想用枪打开一条生路，他立刻就会被子弹打成蜂窝状。钱德勒曾不止一次地想，怎么会发生这样的事情，人竟然会把自己逼到这种地步，就像被逼到角落里的老鼠，没有任何出路。 高中以后，钱德勒就没有再想起过梅威瑟尔一家。他猜想这家人可能仍旧住在波罗的海街区。年轻一代可能已经长大成人，就像艾尔，已经成为工人，结婚，生子，生活稳定下来。很有可能艾尔在高中艺术专业毕业后就直接来到了尼亚加拉精密加湿器和电动清洁器厂工作。他现在应该已经是一名业务熟练的工人了，当然是和业务不熟练的工人相比较而言。绘图员和工具色彩设计师一般会拿最高工资，然而如果工厂没有统一的工会，尼亚加拉精密加湿器和电动清洁器厂也许就没有，工资可能就不会太高。退休金计划，医疗补贴，保险金都不会很高。老板突然心血来潮，也许会解聘非工会人员。 梅威瑟尔进入大楼，开始射击，到现在已经两个小时零四十五分钟了。自伤员被送往医院到现在，情况几乎没有什么变化。钱德勒好几次都问，是否可以用扩音器跟梅威瑟尔说话，并且解释说他和梅威瑟尔曾有同窗之谊，但是大队长觉得这不是个什么好主意。警方仍然在和他的老婆、弟兄们以及跟梅威瑟尔关系近的人在联系。钱德勒说：“我感觉和梅威瑟尔关系很近，我能让他拿起电话。” （真的这样吗？钱德勒不敢肯定。听到自己以急切、自信的口气说那些话，他感觉到也许真的可以。） 像其他人一样，钱德勒开始变得急躁、担忧起来。激动的感觉慢慢在消退。像是低潮，海浪消退之后，留下一沙滩的碎屑。钱德勒担心他会头痛。那是他的毛病，或者说毛病之一——在眼睛后面，搏动性地绞痛，心生沮丧，失望。为什么他会死。为什么，就像一只被困的老鼠。我喜欢过他！我想他。 他已经让罗约尔失望了。罗约尔给他打电话了，用一种前所未有的口气跟钱德勒说话。 罗约尔，还有朱丽叶。他是他们的保护人。阿莉亚15年前曾恳求过他。当然了，他也答应了。最好是背叛死者而非生者。 钱德勒想起了梅林达，阿莉亚一直没有同意他跟梅林达的事情；他又想到了梅林达的孩子，对于她，钱德勒了解甚少。钱德勒很奇怪他的妈妈怎么会对未曾谋面的女人充满仇恨。是不是因为梅林达的女儿不是她的孙女。也许是因为这个。钱德勒可能会爱上这个孩子，虽然她并非己出，但她是梅林达的孩子。 家庭就是一切。天底下万物皆然。 钱德勒到的时候，电视台采访车也已陆陆续续开往现场。在斯万路上排成了长龙。在一溜警车后面，新闻工作者晃来晃去，因为无事可做，他们为还不能接近大楼而感到有些失落。新闻工作者和其他在场的人有很大的不同：他们把所有的紧急事件都看成是机会，是有待“开发”的新闻。他们也很焦急，但却充满期待和希望。我们在这里！激动人心的事情就会发生。最大张旗鼓的是那些坐在印有“NFWW—TV新闻直通车”第四频道字样的采访车里的人。这是NBC旗下的一家公司。在他们当中，有一个肩上扛着火箭筒形状摄像机的摄影师走来走去，瞄准移动的目标。现在已到了傍晚时分，很快事发区的灯都亮了。刺眼的灯光被一种奇异的蓝光所笼罩。这时候你会很想听听震耳欲聋、节奏强烈的摇滚乐。在灯光的照射下，所有物体的质地以及颜色都有很强的舞台效果。在一个普通的三月午后阳光的照射下，所有的东西变得模糊不清、无关紧要。 一个迷人的NFWW—TV电台女记者，身着束腰的军用短上衣，深红色的嘴唇，有着一双克娄巴特拉① 那么漂亮的眼睛。她正试图哄骗警官或是医护人员对着她的镜头说上几句，却不很成功。钱德勒知道媒体的目标就是获得尽量多的新闻镜头。然后在摄影棚再进行粗暴的剪辑、拼贴等后期制作以达到轰动效应。“钱德勒先生？您是'危机干预中心的'人，能否跟您说上几句？”那年轻女人的声音飘向了钱德勒，他后退了一步，礼貌地笑了笑，“抱歉，我不是'钱德勒先生。'不是，抱歉。我现在不想说话，这个时候不太合适。” “怎么不合适？” “因为不合适。” “是不是因为持枪歹徒还在那里，还有人质，还有——” 钱德勒转过身，希望她能泄气。然而她还是紧追不放。 像专业人员一样，钱德勒也开始不喜欢这些过分主动的记者，认为他们是入侵者，是剥削者，虽然这个评价有些老套，但却一点没错，大家有可能对他们抱有一些同情心，然而却不相信他们，不能够相信。在他刚刚成为志愿者的时候，他曾天真地认为，对这些使人处于绝望境地的事件进行报道也许会有用，甚至有教化作用，但是他最后改变了看法。去年，他曾接受了NFWW—TV电台晚间新闻的采访，他一点也不喜欢他在电视上所看到的。被称为“钱德勒?波纳比先生”的拉萨尔高中科学通论课教师，一位“以危机处理为己任的志愿者”这些可把他吓坏了，好像他在自吹自擂。他讨厌自己的声音，微笑以及习惯性的紧张；还有一眼即能看穿的虚荣心，即那时是由于他的努力，他成功了。更糟糕的是，梅兰达在他还没来得及打电话之前，碰巧在电视看到了他。她非常紧张，比他想象中还要紧张的多。 不管怎么样，钱德勒还是表现得非常谦逊。他害怕媒体夸大事实。然后在公众面前丢尽脸面。他知道，如果报道说他在“拯救”别人的时候被射死，那会得到人们一些挖苦和廉价的悲情。 特别是，作为一个27岁的年轻人，他在撒马利坦会成员面前更是自卑。这个组织成员大都是基督徒。撒马利坦会十几年前起源于英国的一个自杀预防协会，后来在美国正式成立。撒马利坦会成员有专业的还有非专业的，但是所有成员都是志愿者；参加者必须接受培训，培训非常严格。仅仅“尼亚加拉危机热线”就需要五个星期的专业课程培训。这个工作并不是为那些无聊的家庭主妇或是退休人员打发时间而设立的。 “波纳比先生？”——现在那个电视台的女人已经知道了钱德勒的姓和名。她好像被授权采访了似的。突然间，她就站在他面前威胁性地挥舞着麦克风像是挥舞着节杖，用平静的敬重的口气问道：“您真的认识'艾伯特?梅威瑟尔'吗？那个挟持辛西娅?卡彭特，并且在尼亚加拉精密加湿器和电动清洁器厂严重射伤领班的持枪歹徒吗——”钱德勒觉得很烦，脸都红了，他转过头去，示意她离他远点。 “辛西娅?卡彭特”，直到现在钱德勒才知道人质的全名。 他尽力去想：自己是不是认识一个名叫卡彭特的人？ 卡彭特的几个家人也来到了事发现场，现在待在远处安全的地方。钱德勒注意到那对老年夫妇，大约五六十岁左右，精神恍惚，备受打击的样子。（但却没见到梅威瑟尔的家人？）钱德勒在想，也许面对面他可以劝一劝持枪人。他（差不多）认识艾伯特?梅威瑟尔。艾尔是那种你唯恐躲避不及的年纪大一些的男生。躲他并不是因为他欺负小他几岁的钱德勒。梅威瑟尔和他的朋友们总是在走廊里、楼梯上、学校的咖啡馆里吵吵闹闹。梅威瑟尔，或是和他非常相像的男生们健身之后就去衣帽间，光着身子洗澡，大笑着、打闹着，捶一捶对方的肱二头肌，阴茎像血肠一样晃来晃去。 如果梅威瑟尔现在投降，把没有受伤的辛西娅?卡彭特放出来，那么对他指控就会轻一些。他已经放了那个怀孕的女人，如果领班没有死，也没有终生致残的话……钱德勒在想30岁的梅威瑟尔不知道在屋子里面想什么呢。他被捕获？被囚禁？捕获，（就在现在）钱德勒不敢想象处于这样绝望境地的人会对他自己说些什么或是做些什么。几分钟过去了，几个小时过去了。他迟早要上厕所，肯定会憋得难受。他迟早会因为没有吃饭，脑子发晕，精疲力竭。他肯定后悔得要死，希望自己没有犯这样的错误，没有把自己逼到如此绝境。 现在，有人问钱德勒到底对梅威瑟尔了解多少，他顿了一下说，“不是特别了解，但是我想他应该记得我。他会信任我的，也许我能让他拿起电话谈判。” 如此自信。钱德勒真不知道这一点是从谁那里遗传下来的。 差不多六点钟的时候钱德勒才拿到扩音器。他攥了攥手，让它们不再颤抖。一个警官告诉他要慢慢说，说清楚点，站在任何可能的枪的射程之外，不要被误导，如果梅威瑟尔拿起电话跟你说话，你一定不要露面。尽量让他接电话。电话一直在响，他就是不肯接。让他把电话给人质。我们想知道那个女孩现在怎么样了。 “好。我知道了。我会的。谢谢，长官。” 钱德勒咽了口唾沫。他以前曾用过一次扩音器说话，然而那震人的声音和音量还是让他惊讶。就像是梦幻中巨大、不可思议的能量。钱德勒用嘴对着扩音器，惊诧于自己被放大的声音，还有声音中的那种威严。 艾尔？艾尔?梅威瑟尔？我是钱德勒?波纳比，我们是高中同学，我住在附近波罗的海街区。我不是警察，艾尔，我是市民，志愿者。他们要我过来是因为认识你，艾尔。do you remember me?拜托，接一下电话，艾尔，我们可以说说话。我想听到你的声音。钱德勒停了一下，他的心激动地跳个不停。他在想，艾尔?梅威瑟尔听到这个陌生的、突如其来的声音肯定会大吃一惊。一位朋友的声音，过去的。这个人对他直呼其名还说拜托。 十年了。从钱德勒上一次见到艾伯特?梅威瑟尔也许已经11年了。梅威瑟尔可能已经记不起他了，但是他们确实在同一时间、同一个教学楼学习、同一个街区长大，躺在床上被同样的震耳欲聋的火车声还有机动车的轰鸣声吵醒。 钱德勒希望梅威瑟尔不会去想为什么会是该死的他，钱德勒?波纳比，住在同一个城市这么多年都没有联系，今天下午突然会对他这么感兴趣？ 艾尔，请你拿起电话好吗？我在拨号。 实际上有人在替钱德勒拨电话。跟他在一起在车里的还有好几个警察，正在调试程序。钱德勒听到电话在响，那头的也在响。他希望辛西娅?卡彭特还活着。他非常希望和艾尔?梅威瑟尔有一种兄弟般的情谊，但是，如果梅威瑟尔已经打伤了人质，那就另当别论。 艾尔？我们想跟你说说话。May I? 电话一遍一遍地拨出去。钱德勒一遍一遍、热切地重复着他的请求。他从高中就已经认识了艾尔——艾尔记得他吗？——他现在是想要帮助艾尔，想要帮助他和警方协商争取以对双方都有利的方式解决问题，这样的话，就没有人会受伤，艾尔在听吗？艾尔拜托拿起电话吧，现在电话还在被拨出…… 又拨了一通电话，然后突然间，出其不意地，话筒被拿起来了。 一个听起来很近、充满疑惑的男人的声音传了过来：“喂？” 钱德勒打破了僵局，警察没有做到，然而他做到了。 “艾尔？喂。” 电话会被那些警官监控，并且被录音。然而钱德勒必须装作那是一部私人电话，是他和梅威瑟尔之间非常亲密的私人谈话。 钱德勒告诉他说自己是危机干预中心的志愿者。警方让他过来是想让他打通“交流电话。”来看看怎么样帮助艾尔，让他摆脱这种境地。但是那边传来的声音却异常刺耳，像沙砾敲打着他的头：“没有人可以帮我，我该死。”钱德勒想表示异议，不，艾尔没有杀人，但是顿了一下，放弃了这种想法。（是真的吗？就钱德勒所知，那个领班现在还活着。）钱德勒说，“你放了那个女人，怀孕的那个，这对你有利，艾尔。人们都是这么说的。还有，辛西娅?卡彭特，那个和你一起的年轻女人，现在没事吧，是不是？” 停了一会儿，然后是一阵咕哝，听不清楚对方说的是什么。钱德勒说，“艾尔？我听不到……” 他等了一秒或是两秒钟，然后又开始说话，好像一切正常。他有很重要的消息要说，他假定电话那头的梅威瑟尔正在听他说，认为他头脑清晰，足以听懂自己所讲的内容。钱德勒告诉梅威瑟尔那个年轻女人的父母正等在这里。他们非常担心，艾尔，你能不能把电话给辛西娅?卡彭特？用他平静、诚挚的口气，用一种可以让人信任的朋友的口气对他说，“艾尔，相信我，如果你现在合作的话，情况就会完全不同。人们都说，你做了一件好事，你让那另一个女人走，你是在为那个怀孕的女人着想，你是不会伤害女人的……”梅威瑟尔突然间就爆发了，用一种委屈的声调说道，“我不会！不会伤害女人。我妻子在吗？” 妻子。毫无疑问这场戏跟他（不在场的，和他关系疏远的）妻子有关。所有的戏剧归根结底都离不开家庭。 钱德勒说：“你妻子现在不在，艾尔，警方正在跟她联系。你知道她在哪儿吗？”“我他妈的怎么知道格洛里亚在哪儿，不，我不知道。跟她父母联系一下。还有她男朋友。”梅威瑟尔一直保持着这种又生气又自怜的情绪，钱德勒觉得这是一个好现象，很明显他在来尼亚加拉精密加湿器和电动清洁器厂放枪之前并没有杀死他老婆。钱德勒说，“还有，艾尔，那个女人，辛西娅?卡彭特，她肯定吓坏了，需要接受治疗，还是让她接一下电话吧，她的父母很想知道她现在是不是还好……”钱德勒等待着，并且重复着他的请求。根据以往的经验，他知道跟这样一个情绪激昂、疯狂的人讲道理就像是跟一个不太会用桨、也不愿意用桨的人同舟共济一样。船一会儿朝着这个方向，一会儿又朝着另一个方向，要想保持一个相对直的航道，你必须要有坚强的意志，还要坚信最后有“好”的结果；不能犹豫，不要疑惑也不要恐吓。钱德勒知道这个多么重要。如果辛西娅?卡彭特真有点什么事，那梅威瑟尔就没有讨价还价的筹码了。那人质肯定还活着。“艾尔？听着。大家都很担心辛西娅?卡彭特，我刚才已经说过，你想想，行吗？如果你能让她接电话，就一会儿……”钱德勒有些眩晕，但也很高兴，就像是在走钢丝。高高地悬在瀑布上的，悬在一群张大了嘴巴在观看的陌生人头顶上的钢丝。他们希望他能成功，但也想让他失败。在钢丝上表演，面临着失足、滑落的危险。一步走不好，他就可能滑倒、摔下去。“艾尔？你在听吗？如果你能……”他可以听到梅威瑟尔和后面的一个人在说话，但是他却听不到回答。 车里面没有暖气，但是钱德勒已经开始冒汗。 他还会等，还会再试，再试。只要警方允许，这是他的任务。 直到最后，在几分钟的挫败之后，梅威瑟尔好像叫了一声，“她在这儿！”然后就听到电话那头一个极其微弱、惊恐的声音。“喂？”是辛西娅?卡彭特。呼吸微弱，差不多听不到她在告诉钱德勒，她还“好”——“有点累，恐惧”——“希望警方不要朝大楼开枪。”钱德勒向她保证警方不会开枪，她的安全是第一位的。辛西娅?卡彭特绝望地说，“这个人没有伤害我，我发誓。他让我去厕所。他也没有伤到我，我发誓。但是他说——”她哭起来了，钱德勒不愿去想梅威瑟尔也可能正用枪顶着她的脑袋呢。 他第一次感觉到对这种形势有一种发自内心的恐惧。这不是因为艾尔?梅威瑟尔，虽然他还是个孩子、在高中的时候就已经认识他了；而是因为人质辛西娅?卡彭特，虽然到目前为止，他还不认识她，听到她的声音，他非常同情她的处境。担心她的生命。也许梅威瑟尔把她推来推去的，打她。她肯定会恐吓她。吓唬她要杀了她。她不知道，在那个时候，她是不是可以被恩准多活一会儿。钱德勒想到他的妹妹朱丽叶，突然对梅威瑟尔一阵憎恶。 不管警方怎么处置他，这个杂种都罪有应得。 但是，不。梅威瑟尔，他也是受害者。钱德勒也对梅威瑟尔开始同情了。 他尽量让辛西娅?卡彭特拿电话时间长些。她在哭，抽泣着。在这种情况下，钱德勒尽可能说一些安慰她的话。她的父母也在，很高兴她还“好”；不，警方不会朝大楼开枪的，他们最关心的是她的安全；他们会竭尽所能解救她，但是他们需要知道劫持者到底要什么交换条件才肯放她。“梅威瑟尔先生好像无法跟他很清楚地进行交流，卡彭特小姐。你能不能——” 电话被抢走了，梅威瑟尔开始非常激动地大声嚷嚷。他告诉钱德勒，他肯定会放了这个女孩儿——只要他老婆来，并且替下卡彭特小姐的位置；他只想跟格洛里亚“随便谈谈”。钱德勒重复一遍说，格洛里亚现在不在，还没到；警方正努力跟她取得联系，如果联系上，艾尔就能跟她通电话了。梅威瑟尔说，这个不行，跟她打电话，她会挂断的，所以他想跟她在一起，他需要向她说清楚，这里发生的一切都是她的错，因为他爱她，但是她却不爱他，这是她的错误，她也知道。钱德勒非常同情地听着。然而，就在此时，梅威瑟尔猛然间改变