谎言书：03

“Watching cop shows on TV.”

“That’s just so you can point out inconsistencies. Name a real form of

entertainment. What was the last movie you saw? Or better yet—” He grabs

the notebook-size steel case that’s wedged between my seat and the center

console. My laptop.

“Here we go,” he says, flipping¹ open the computer and clicking the History

button in my browser². “Seeing the Web sites someone goes to, it’s like looking

at the furniture arrangement of their mind.”

On-screen, the list isn’t long.

“SmartSunGuide.com?” he asks.

“That’s a good site.”

“No, that’s where you get Florida traffic reports and the public CCTV cameras

— to spot homeless clients who’re sleeping under an overpass³.”

“So?”

“And this one: ConstructionJournal.com. Lemme guess: up-to-the-minute

building permits, so you can find all the new construction sites.”

“That’s where our clients tend to sleep.”

“Cal, you not seeing the picture here? No interests, no news, no sports, hell,

not even any porn. You’re a damn walrus⁵,” Roosevelt insists, cracking another

pistachio. “When it’s walking on land, walruses⁶ are the most lumbering⁷,

awkward creatures God ever gave us. But the moment it enters the water,

that sucker is quicksilver. Fwoooo,” he says, slicing his hand through the air

like a ski jump. “Same with you, Cal. When you’re working with clients, you’re

in the water — fwoooo — just quicksilver. The problem is, all you wanna do is

stay underwater. And even the walrus knows if it doesn’t come up for air, it’s

gonna die.”

“That’s a very inspiring and far too visual analogy. But I know who I am, and

I like who I am, and when it comes to ass⁴-face restaurant managers who

treat money as some green-colored rosary, well, no offense⁸, but I’m not for

sale. And we should never let our clients be, either.”

He rolls his eyes, letting us both calm down. “Can you be more predictable?”

he asks.

“I was trying to be complex.”

“Complex woulda been if you had taken the guy’s money, given it to Alberto,

and then told him to go back and use it to eat at the restaurant.”

I glance over at him. The pastor⁹ in him won’t let up. Not until I get the

message. As I try to save whoever’s out there, he still thinks he needs to

save me. I know he misses his parish, but he’s wrong about this one. It’s not

a crusade. Or an obsession¹⁰. I could leave this job tomorrow. Or the next

night. Or the night after that. Tonight, though, isn’t that night.

“I’m still not for sale,” I tell him. “And you of all people shouldn’t be, either.”

Roosevelt leans back in his reclined seat and lets out a hearty¹¹ laugh. “Yo

momma’s so fat—”

“Roosevelt, I shouldn’t’ve said that—”

“—the horse on her Polo shirt . . . is real!”

“You used that last week.”

“Yo momma’s so fat, in elevators, it says: ‘Maximum Occupancy: Twelve

Patrons OR Yo momma!’ ”

“Does that really make you happier?”

“Just take the money next time, Cal,” Roosevelt says as he twists a dial on

the old, stolen police scanner we superglued to the dash. The cops don’t care.

On homeless calls, they want us there first.

“—ave an eighty-six, requesting — zzzrrr — nearby units to Victoria Park,” a

woman’s voice says as the scanner crackles to life. The park is less than a

mile away.

Turns out this is the call I’d been waiting nineteen years for.

 

3

“Cal . . . I need help!” Roosevelt screams.

My tenth-grade English teacher once told me that throughout your life, you

should use only three exclamation¹² points. That way, when you put one out

there, people know it’s worth it. I used one of them the day my mom died.

But tonight, as I sit in the van and hear the sudden panic in Roosevelt’s voice

— Across the wide patch of grass known as Victoria Park, he flicks¹³ on his

flashlight. But all I see is the bright red blood on his hands. No. Please don’t

let tonight be another.

“Rosey, what the hell’s going on?” I yell back, clawing over the passenger

seat, sticking my head out the window, and squinting¹⁴ into the darkness. He’s

kneeling over our newest homeless client — “86” on the radio means

“vagrant” — who’s curled at the base of a queen palm tree that stands apart

from the rest.

“It’s a bad one, Cal. He’s a bleeder!”

A ping of rain hits the windshield, and I jump at the impact.

If this were my first day on the job, I’d leap out of the van and rush like a

panicked child to Roosevelt’s side. But this isn’t day one. It’s year two.

“You got his Social?” I call out.

Kneeling at the base of the queen palm, Roosevelt tucks his flashlight under

his armpit and rolls what looks like a heavyset man onto his back. As the light

shines down — the lumpy silhouette¹⁵ — even from here, I can see the blood

that soaks the man’s stomach.

“His wallet’s gone,” Roosevelt shouts, knowing our protocols¹⁶. “Sir. . . . Sir!

Can you hear me? I need your Social Security number.”

In my left hand, I’m already dialing 911. In my right, I prop¹⁷ my laptop on the

center console. But I never take my eyes off Roo-sevelt. Breast cancer took

my aunt, the aunt who raised me, a few years back. I don’t have many

friends. I have this job. And I have Roosevelt.

“Cal, I got his Social!” Roosevelt shouts. “Sir, were you mugged? You have a

gunshot wound.”

“Gimme one sec,” I call out. The computer hums, our tracking software

loads, and I click on the button marked Find Client. On-screen, a blank form

opens, and I tab over to the section labeled SSN.

“Cal, you need to hurry,” Roosevelt adds as the man whispers something. At

least he’s conscious. “He’s starting t—”

“Ready!” I insist, all set to type with one hand. In my other, I grip my cell

and hit send as the 911 line starts ringing.

Years ago, if you wanted to drive around and work with the homeless, all you

needed was a van and some Lysol. These days, the state of Florida won’t let

you pick up a soul unless you’re logged on to the statewide computer network

that tracks who’s where. The better to see you with, my dear. And the better

to see what diseases, medication, and psychological history you’re carrying

around as well.

“Zero seven eight, zero five, one one two zero,” Roosevelt announces as I

key in the man’s Social Security number.

In my ear, the 911 line continues to ring.

In the distance, refusing to wait, Roosevelt rips open the man’s shirt and

starts applying pressure to his wound.

And on-screen, I get my first look at his identity.

LLOYD RANDALL HARPER

DANIA BEACH, FLORIDA

DOB: JUNE 19 — 52 YEARS OLD

A swell¹⁸ of heat burns my chest, my throat. I can’t breathe. I open my mouth

to call Roosevelt’s name, but my lips won’t move.

LLOYD RANDALL HARPER

My father.

“This is 911,” the operator announces in my ear. “What’s your emergency?”

 

4

Darting¹⁹ between two oak trees, I race through the black park as the rain

collects in little rivers on my face. I ignore it. Just like I ignore my heart

kicking from inside my rib²⁰ cage. All I see is him.

When I was little, I used to have fantasies about finding my dad. That he’d be

released early, and my aunt and I would run into him at dinner or while I was

getting a haircut. I remember being in church on the plastic kneelers, praying

that we’d find each other again in some dumb Disney movie way. But those

dreams faded as he missed my tenth birthday. And eleventh. And twelfth.

Within a few years, the childhood dreams shifted and hardened — to fantasies

of not seeing him again. I can still run them in my head: elaborate escape

plans for ducking down, running, disappearing. I’d ready myself, checking

over my shoulder as I’d pass the bagel place where he used to love to get

breakfast. And a few years after that, those dreams settled, too, entering that

phase where you think of him only as much as you think of any other dead

relative.

For the past nineteen years — for me — that’s all he’s been. Dead.

And now he’s crumpled²¹ at the base of a palm tree as a slow, leaky rain drips

from above.

“Cal! Med kit²²!” Roosevelt shouts.

I cut past the white gazebo at the front of the park, and my foot slips in the

grass, sending me flat on my ass, where the damp ground seeps²³ through my

pants.

“Cal, where are you?” Roosevelt calls without turning around.

It’s a fair question. I close my eyes and tell myself I’m still in the poorly lit

park, but all I see is the tarnished²⁴ doorknob in that spearmint-gum-and hairspray

room where my dad and I said good-bye. I blink once and the

doorknob twists, revealing the child psychologist assigned by the state. It’s

like that Moby song. When you have a damaged kid, you don’t ask, “How you

feeling?” You give him a crayon and say, “Draw something nice.”

I drew lots of nice.

“Med kit!” Roosevelt snaps again.

I scramble²⁵ to my feet. Years of training rush back. So do decade-old escape

plans. I should turn around now. Let Roosevelt handle it. But if I do — No.

Not until—

I need to know if it’s him.

Ten feet in front of me, Roosevelt still has the flashlight tucked under his

armpit. It shines like a spotlight²⁶, showcasing the bloody²⁷ inkblot stained into

the man’s silk shirt. As I barrel toward them, Roosevelt turns my way and the

armpit flashlight follows. There’s no missing the terror on my face. “Cal,

what’re you—?”

Like a baseball player rounding third, I drop to one knee and slide through

the wet grass, slamming the med kit into Roosevelt’s chest and almost

knocking him over.

“Cal, what’s wrong? Do you know this guy?” Roosevelt asks.

Grabbing the flashlight, I don’t answer. I’m hunched²⁹ over the man, shining

the light and studying his face. He’s got a beard now, tightly trimmed and

speckled with gray.

“Shut it off,” the man moans, jerking his head back and forth³⁰. His eyes are

clenched³¹ from the light and the pain, but his face — the double chin, the

extra weight, even the big Adam’s apple — it can’t be.

“You’re blinding him, Cal!” Roosevelt says, snatching the flashlight from my

grip and shining it in my face. “What the hell is wrong with—”

“C-Cal?” the man mumbles³², looking at Roosevelt. He heard him say my

name. But as the man turns to me, the light hits us both from the side. Our

eyes connect. “N-No. You’re not — You’re—” He swallows hard. “Cal?”

It’s an established scientific fact that the sense of smell is the most powerful

for triggering memories. But it’s wrong. Because the moment I hear that

scratchy, stumbly baritone — everyone knows their father’s voice.

Our eyes stay locked, and I swear, I see the old him under the new him, like

he’s wearing a Halloween mask of his future self. But as I study this middleaged

man with the leathery, sun-beaten skin — God, he looks so old — his

terrified pale green eyes, his twisted Irish nose . . . it’s more crooked³³ than I

remember. Like it’s been broken again.

His hand shakes like a Parkinson’s patient as he tries to wipe flecks³⁴ of blood

from his mouth. He has to tuck the hand underneath³⁵ him to stop it from

trembling. He spent eight years in prison. It can’t be just his nose that’s been

broken.

“You okay?” Roosevelt asks. I’m not sure who he’s talking to, though it’s

pretty clear it doesn’t matter. Down on my knees, I’m once again nine years

old, pulling crayons from an old Tupperware bin²⁸. To this day, I don’t know if it

was my greatest fear or deepest desire, but the one thing I drew over and

over was my father coming home.

5

“Cal, you need to hurry,” the man with the ponytail called out across the

park. “He’s starting t—”

“Ready!” shouted the one called Cal.

From the front seat of his sedan, Ellis stared through his windshield, watching

the scene and knowing that coincidences this perfect were never just

coincidences. 

1 flipping   

讨厌之极的

参考例句：

• I hate this flipping hotel! 我讨厌这个该死的旅馆！
• Don't go flipping your lid. 别发火。

2 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

3 overpass   

n.天桥，立交桥

参考例句：

• I walked through an overpass over the road.我步行穿过那条公路上面的立交桥。
• We should take the overpass when crossing the road.我们过马路应走天桥。

4 ass   

n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人

参考例句：

• He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
• An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

5 walrus   

n.海象

参考例句：

• He is the queer old duck with the knee-length gaiters and walrus mustache.他穿着高及膝盖的皮护腿，留着海象般的八字胡，真是个古怪的老家伙。
• He seemed hardly to notice the big walrus.他几乎没有注意到那只大海象。

6 walruses   

n.海象( walrus的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Walruses have enormous appetites and hunt for food almost constantly. 海象食欲极大，几乎一直在猎取食物。 来自互联网
• Two Atlantic walruses snuggle on an ice floe near Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada. 加拿大努勒维特伊格卢利克附近，两头大西洋海象在浮冰上相互偎依。 来自互联网

7 lumbering   

n.采伐林木

参考例句：

• Lumbering and, later, paper-making were carried out in smaller cities. 木材业和后来的造纸都由较小的城市经营。
• Lumbering is very important in some underdeveloped countries. 在一些不发达的国家，伐木业十分重要。

8 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

9 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

10 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

11 hearty   

adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的

参考例句：

• After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
• We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

12 exclamation   

n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词

参考例句：

• He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
• The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号，以引起读者的注意。

13 flicks   

（尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的第三人称单数 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等）

参考例句：

• 'I shall see it on the flicks, I suppose.' “电影上总归看得见。” 来自英汉文学
• Last night to the flicks. 昨晚看了场电影。 来自英汉文学

14 squinting   

斜视( squint的现在分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看

参考例句：

• "More company," he said, squinting in the sun. "那边来人了，"他在阳光中眨巴着眼睛说。
• Squinting against the morning sun, Faulcon examined the boy carefully. 对着早晨的太阳斜起眼睛，富尔康仔细地打量着那个年轻人。

15 silhouette   

n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓

参考例句：

• I could see its black silhouette against the evening sky.我能看到夜幕下它黑色的轮廓。
• I could see the silhouette of the woman in the pickup.我可以见到小卡车的女人黑色半身侧面影。

16 protocols   

n.礼仪( protocol的名词复数 )；（外交条约的）草案；（数据传递的）协议；科学实验报告（或计划）

参考例句：

• There are also protocols on the testing of nuclear weapons. 也有关于核武器试验的协议。 来自辞典例句
• Hardware components and software design of network transport protocols are separately introduced. 介绍系统硬件组成及网络传输协议的软件设计。 来自互联网

17 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

18 swell   

vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强

参考例句：

• The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
• His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。

19 darting   

v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• Swallows were darting through the clouds. 燕子穿云急飞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Swallows were darting through the air. 燕子在空中掠过。 来自辞典例句

20 rib   

n.肋骨，肋状物

参考例句：

• He broke a rib when he fell off his horse.他从马上摔下来折断了一根肋骨。
• He has broken a rib and the doctor has strapped it up.他断了一根肋骨，医生已包扎好了。

21 crumpled   

adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• She crumpled the letter up into a ball and threw it on the fire. 她把那封信揉成一团扔进了火里。
• She flattened out the crumpled letter on the desk. 她在写字台上把皱巴巴的信展平。

22 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

23 seeps   

n.（液体）渗( seep的名词复数 )；渗透；渗出；漏出v.（液体）渗( seep的第三人称单数 )；渗透；渗出；漏出

参考例句：

• Water seeps through sand. 水渗入沙中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Water seeps out of the wall. 水从墙里沁出。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

24 tarnished   

（通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏

参考例句：

• The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
• His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨，败坏了学校的声誉。

25 scramble   

v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料

参考例句：

• He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
• It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。

26 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

27 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

28 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

29 hunched   

（常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦）耸肩弓身的，伏首前倾的

参考例句：

• He sat with his shoulders hunched up. 他耸起双肩坐着。
• Stephen hunched down to light a cigarette. 斯蒂芬弓着身子点燃一支烟。

30 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

31 clenched   

v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He clenched his fists in anger. 他愤怒地攥紧了拳头。
• She clenched her hands in her lap to hide their trembling. 她攥紧双手放在腿上，以掩饰其颤抖。 来自《简明英汉词典》

32 mumbles   

含糊的话或声音，咕哝( mumble的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He always mumbles when he's embarrassed. 他感到难为情时说话就含糊不清了。
• When the old lady speaks she often mumbles her words. 这位老妇人说起话来常常含糊不清。

33 crooked   

adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
• You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。

34 flecks   

n.斑点，小点( fleck的名词复数 )；癍

参考例句：

• His hair was dark, with flecks of grey. 他的黑发间有缕缕银丝。
• I got a few flecks of paint on the window when I was painting the frames. 我在漆窗框时，在窗户上洒了几点油漆。 来自《简明英汉词典》

35 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。