谎言书：13

 “Is it easy for you to lie like that?” I ask. “You’re not just some truck driver.

You knew all along this coffin¹ was in here — and what was in it.”

“Cal, stop talking. I think I just saved our lives.”

With a pop, he rips open the Ziploc and — At first it looks like two sheets of

paper stuck together, but as he touches it — it’s sticky. Like . . .

“Wax paper,” my father says, running his fingers along the edges, which

have been ironed or melted together. In the bottom right corner, there’s faint

lettering.

My father pulls it closer, and we both read the typed note:

If found, please return to:

10622 Kimberly Ave. Cleveland

But what’s far more important is what the wax paper holds hidden inside. You

can almost see through it — tons of bright colors.

“Oh, man — if this is a Renoir,” my dad blurts². Like a child with a bag of

candy, he tugs³ the two sides and pulls it open. A hiccup⁴ of dust and stale air

floats upward, revealing an old yellowed magazine that’s trapped within. But

as my dad takes out the magazine and thumbs through it . . . No. Not a

magazine. The hand-drawn pictures . . . the childish art . . . He flips⁵ to the

front, and the bright red font on the cover says: Action Comics. In the corner,

it says: “No 1. June 1938.” But there’s no mistaking the drawing of the hero

with the bright red cape⁶ and the big red S on his chest. Superman.

“Oh, we got ’em, Cal. We got ’em!” my father says, his zigzag⁷ smile

spreading wider.

For a moment, it feels as if someone’s punctured⁸ my lungs with a metal hook

and is tugging⁹ them up through my throat. Ellis said he wanted a book.

Benny’s words echo in my head. That murder eighty years ago . . . Mitchell

Siegel . . . and his son created—

24

No way this comic book is just a comic book.

“You knew, didn’t you? You knew what was in there,” I say, reaching for the

old Superman comic and snatching it from my dad’s hands.

“Be careful with that!”

“Why’d you lie!?” I explode, my voice rebounding¹⁰ through the metal

container.

He takes a half-step back, surprised by my anger. “Cal, if you think I knew

anything—”

“Enough bullshit, Lloyd! That’s why they shot you, didn’t they!? That’s what

they wanted: that key and what was in that coffin! And you’ve been lying

about it the whole time!”

“No, that’s fair. You’re right — I lied. I’m sorry for that. But that was it. I

swear to you, Cal — I had no idea the key went to a coffin. They sent it to me

with the paperwork.”

“So they sent you a key and said, ‘You’ll know what to do with this’?”

“They said, here’s the key and when I got to Naples, I was supposed to

unload the truck, find the book — they didn’t say what kind — and wait for

further directions. Look, does it sound a little suspicious? Of course — that’s

why they hired me. But that’s the way it happened. To be honest—”

“Oooh, honest. What would that be like?”

He stops, but not for long. Outside, the sirens are still silent. “Whoever hired

me, they’re not stupid, Cal. When you ship something that you think is

important, you don’t tell anyone what’s inside. ‘Oh, yes — please go pick up

my metal case with twenty million dollars tucked in there. I trust that you

won’t steal it, Mr. Cheap-hired-hand-who-I-don’t-know.’ You send it and you

give as little info as possible.”

“Then why even send the whole coffin? Why not just take the comic and

FedEx it?”

“I have no idea. I’m assuming this comic was this guy’s prized possession,

right? That’s why he’s buried with it. That’s the book Ellis wanted. So maybe

they were worried the guys who dug up the casket would pick it clean if they

opened it . . . or maybe they just told the grave diggers that they were some

crazy relative who wanted the body, so that way, no one asked questions. The

point is, the trouble they went through to get this — one side hiring me, then

Timothy and Ellis trying to steal it away — if this baby’s worth dying for, can

you imagine what it’s worth paying for?”

“For a comic?”

“C’mon, you know this isn’t just a comic. I don’t care how popular Superman

is, people don’t get shot just for some old funny-book,” he says, snatching the

comic back, his voice once again racing¹¹. “Now I don’t care if it’s got some

secret treasure map or some superhero Da Vinci Code that needs a Captain

Midnight decoder ring, we have what they want! We won the lottery¹², Cal —

now we just gotta find out how to cash it in!”

“You’re right,” I say, snatching the comic right back and storming out of the

metal container, back through the warehouse¹³. “And the way to do that is by

going to ICE, taking it to the authorities, and telling the truth.”

I cut through the stacked maze¹⁴ of shrimp¹⁵ boxes, trying my best to ignore the

smell. I’d rather be out with the non-sirens.

“You’ll be dead by tomorrow,” my father calls out.

“I’m done being manipulated, Lloyd. Especially by someone who thinks it’s

okay to dig up someone’s dead body and use their coffin as a shipping¹⁶

envelope. That man was someone’s family — not that you know the definition

of that.”

For once, he’s silent.

I step over the last box of shrimp, hop¹⁷ off the loading platform, and head

straight for the door. My father stays where he is.

“Calvin, you don’t have to believe this — but if I’d known they had dug up

someone’s father — even I wouldn’t’ve taken the job.”

“Yet another wonderful speech. Good-bye, Lloyd. Time to be smart.”

“You think turning yourself in is smart? You think you’ll get a medal and a

big thank-you? No, Calvin. They’re gonna lock you in a room and grill¹⁸ you

about Timothy, giving Ellis plenty of time to flash his badge, come inside, and

put that final bullet in your brain.”

“ICE would never let that happen.”

“Timothy was ICE! And for all you know, he wasn’t working alone!”

I stop right there. I know my dad’s just in it for the cash.

“This isn’t just about the money, Cal. Look at the logic¹⁹: It’s just a matter of

time until Timothy’s body shows up. If we turn ourselves in, guess who the

murder suspects are? No one’s believing the two convicts.”

“I’m not a convict.”

“No, you’re just Timothy and Ellis and everyone else’s target practice.

They’re not stopping till you’re convicted or dead. But if we figure out what’s

really going on, then we’ll have the steering²⁰ wheel.”

I know what my father’s doing. I saw the way he went straight for that comic,

how his eyes went wide, and the greedy thrill when he realized that

whatever’s really going on is now solely²¹ in his hands. I know this isn’t about

just keeping me safe. But that doesn’t mean he’s not right.

I turn around and finally face my dad, who hasn’t taken a step from the open

container. From here, his face is hidden by the shadows. Outside, the brandnew

siren screams from less than a block away. “I thought you didn’t know

who hired you,” I call out.

“So?”

“So how you plan on tracking him down?”

Stepping out into the morning light, he holds up the wax-paper sleeve with

the faint typed message in the bottom corner.

If found, please return to:

10622 Kimberly Ave. Cleveland

“You kidding?” he calls back with his zigzag smile. “We got the address right

here.”

“That’s fine,” I say. “I just need to check something at home first.”

25

In his black rental²² car, Ellis circled the block slowly, studying the protective

metal fence that surrounded the two-story brown building that looked like a

1970s Howard Johnson’s. He noted²³ the delivery entrance at the rear of the

building. No sense going in the front if the trickster could just sneak²⁴ out the

back.

733 Breakers Avenue. Cal’s home. The small sign in front had a dove flying

from an open palm:

COVENANT²⁵ HOUSE

Ellis knew Covenant House from the force. There was one in Michigan, too.

Local homeless shelter. Cal clearly had his own penance²⁶ he was paying. But

as Ellis turned the corner, all he really cared about was that the white van

with the three dents²⁷ — Cal’s van — was parked in front.

To come back here, either Cal needed something or he was just being cocky.

But that’s what happens when you think you’ve won. No question, Cal and his

dad had found the coffin. They opened it — and grabbed what Mitchell Siegel

stole in the name of—

A low rumble²⁸ coughed through the beach air as a convertible²⁹ Chevy Cavalier

turned the corner of the block. From its speed alone, Ellis knew something

was wrong. He stayed where he was, didn’t even duck down as the forest

green car skidded³⁰ to a stop right behind the white van. Blocking Cal in.

A tall woman with a creased³¹ tan suit and brown hair got out. The way her

worn shoes attacked the pavement — tunk tunk tunk — there was no slowing

her down. Even from here, Ellis could see the outline of a gun strap³² under her

cheap suit jacket. Cops were the same everywhere.

“Naomi here,” she said, pulling out her cell phone. “No, Ma . . . why would

you—? I don’t care what he says, don’t buy him any more Hot Wheels cars,

okay? He’s lying. Treat him like a little junkie stripper on blow: He’ll say

anything to get more.”

Clipping the phone back on her belt, the woman pounded past the privacy

wall and disappeared inside the building.

Across the street, Ellis reached over to the passenger seat and unzipped a

small leather case. If cops were here, they were already searching for

Timothy. Searching for Cal. To be honest, Ellis didn’t care. Let them fight it

out. He’d take what he wanted from the winner.

26

“He’s still here?” Naomi asked, running through the shelter’s open courtyard.

“I’m looking at a tracking screen right now,” Scotty replied through her

earpiece. “According to his cell signal, Cal’s definitely in the building.”

“And you can’t get me closer than that? I thought they improved all this

nonsense after 9/11 — y’know, so they could find trapped people within a few

feet.”

“And that’s true — especially in the Bourne Identity trilogy. But back in

reality, where we all still use our old phones, we pinpoint³³ based on cell towers

— and that gets us a few dozen feet at the closest. Listen, I gotta run. I’m a

tech guy, not a sidekick.”

Racing up the outdoor stairs two at a time, Naomi reached for her gun.

On the second floor, she darted³⁴ across the outdoor breezeway as she traced

the room numbers — 210 . . . 208 . . . 206. Cal’s apartment was 202. As she

passed each metal door, she saw a blue sign on each one:

SINGLE RESIDENTS BEDTIME Is 9:45 P.M.

She finally stopped at the last door on her right:

202

RESIDENT ADVISER³⁵

From what she could tell, the door was slightly open. As if someone were still

there. Or about to leave. She lowered her shoulder and plowed³⁶ forward. As

the door swung open and crashed into the wall, Naomi burst into the room.

A gang of six clearly pissed-off black kids looked up from the video game they

were crowded around. The second-biggest kid, in his twenties, with braids, an

oversize Knicks jersey³⁷, and a panther tattoo³⁸ across his neck, dropped his

game controller and strode directly at her.

“Whatsamatta, lady?” he asked, flashing a bottom row of bright gold teeth

as Naomi hid her gun behind her back. “Dontcha like black people?”

27

“His whut?” asked the kid with the panther tattoo.

“She’s thumpin’ ya, she is, Desi,” added one of his friends, a fat black kid

with a British accent and a blue bandanna³⁹ on his head. He stepped forward

with Panther Tattoo, hoping to scare Naomi. She didn’t step back.

“Listen . . . Desi, right?” Naomi asked, knowing better than to pull her badge

in a group like this. “Desi, I promise you — I’m not thumpin’, or lying, or

whatever you’re suggesting that verb means. I’m Cal’s girlfriend. Naomi.

We’ve been dating three weeks. 

1 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

2 blurts   

v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He blurts out all he hears. 他漏嘴说出了他听到的一切。 来自辞典例句
• If a user blurts out an interesting idea, ask "What problem would that solve for you?" 如果用户不假思索地冒出一个有趣的想法，则询问他：“这可以解决哪些问题？” 来自互联网

3 tugs   

n.猛拉( tug的名词复数 )；猛拖；拖船v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The raucous sirens of the tugs came in from the river. 河上传来拖轮发出的沙哑的汽笛声。 来自辞典例句
• As I near the North Tower, the wind tugs at my role. 当我接近北塔的时候，风牵动着我的平衡杆。 来自辞典例句

4 hiccup   

n.打嗝

参考例句：

• When you have to hiccup,drink a glass of cold water.当你不得不打嗝时，喝一杯冷水就好了。
• How long did he hiccup?他打嗝打了多久？

5 flips   

轻弹( flip的第三人称单数 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• Larry flips on the TV while he is on vacation in Budapest. 赖瑞在布达佩斯渡假时，打开电视收看节目。
• He flips through a book before making a decision. 他在决定买下一本书前总要先草草翻阅一下。

6 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

7 zigzag   

n.曲折，之字形；adj.曲折的，锯齿形的；adv.曲折地，成锯齿形地；vt.使曲折；vi.曲折前行

参考例句：

• The lightning made a zigzag in the sky.闪电在天空划出一道Z字形。
• The path runs zigzag up the hill.小径向山顶蜿蜒盘旋。

8 punctured   

v.在（某物）上穿孔( puncture的过去式和过去分词 )；刺穿（某物）；削弱（某人的傲气、信心等）；泄某人的气

参考例句：

• Some glass on the road punctured my new tyre. 路上的玻璃刺破了我的新轮胎。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A nail on the road punctured the tyre. 路上的钉子把车胎戳穿了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 tugging   

n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Tom was tugging at a button-hole and looking sheepish. 汤姆捏住一个钮扣眼使劲地拉，样子显得很害羞。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• She kicked him, tugging his thick hair. 她一边踢他，一边扯着他那浓密的头发。 来自辞典例句

10 rebounding   

蹦跳运动

参考例句：

• The strength of negative temperature concrete is tested with supersonic-rebounding method. 本文将超声回弹综合法用于负温混凝土强度检测。
• The fundamental of basketball includes shooting, passing and catching, rebounding, etc. 篮球运动中最基本的东西包括投篮，传接球，篮板球等。

11 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

12 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

13 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

14 maze   

n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑

参考例句：

• He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
• She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时，她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。

15 shrimp   

n.虾，小虾；矮小的人

参考例句：

• When the shrimp farm is built it will block the stream.一旦养虾场建起来，将会截断这条河流。
• When it comes to seafood,I like shrimp the best.说到海鲜，我最喜欢虾。

16 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

17 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

18 grill   

n.烤架，铁格子，烤肉；v.烧，烤，严加盘问

参考例句：

• Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。
• I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。

19 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

20 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

21 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

22 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

23 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

24 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

25 covenant   

n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约

参考例句：

• They refused to covenant with my father for the property.他们不愿与我父亲订立财产契约。
• The money was given to us by deed of covenant.这笔钱是根据契约书付给我们的。

26 penance   

n.（赎罪的）惩罪

参考例句：

• They had confessed their sins and done their penance.他们已经告罪并做了补赎。
• She knelt at her mother's feet in penance.她忏悔地跪在母亲脚下。

27 dents   

n.花边边饰；凹痕( dent的名词复数 )；凹部；减少；削弱v.使产生凹痕( dent的第三人称单数 )；损害；伤害；挫伤（信心、名誉等）

参考例句：

• He hammered out the dents in the metal sheet. 他把金属板上的一些凹痕敲掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Tin dents more easily than steel. 锡比钢容易变瘪。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

28 rumble   

n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说

参考例句：

• I hear the rumble of thunder in the distance.我听到远处雷声隆隆。
• We could tell from the rumble of the thunder that rain was coming.我们根据雷的轰隆声可断定，天要下雨了。

29 convertible   

adj.可改变的，可交换，同意义的；n.有活动摺篷的汽车

参考例句：

• The convertible sofa means that the apartment can sleep four.有了这张折叠沙发，公寓里可以睡下4个人。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了。

30 skidded   

v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的过去式和过去分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区

参考例句：

• The car skidded and hit a lamp post. 那辆汽车打滑撞上了路灯杆。
• The car skidded and overturned. 汽车打滑翻倒了。

31 creased   

（使…）起折痕，弄皱( crease的过去式和过去分词 )； （皮肤）皱起，使起皱纹； 皱皱巴巴

参考例句：

• You've creased my newspaper. 你把我的报纸弄皱了。
• The bullet merely creased his shoulder. 子弹只不过擦破了他肩部的皮肤。

32 strap   

n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎

参考例句：

• She held onto a strap to steady herself.她抓住拉手吊带以便站稳。
• The nurse will strap up your wound.护士会绑扎你的伤口。

33 pinpoint   

vt.准确地确定；用针标出…的精确位置

参考例句：

• It is difficult to pinpoint when water problems of the modern age began.很难准确地指出，现代用水的问题是什么时候出现的。
• I could pinpoint his precise location on a map.我能在地图上指明他的准确位置。

34 darted   

v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect. 蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

35 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

36 plowed   

v.耕( plow的过去式和过去分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• They plowed nearly 100,000 acres of virgin moorland. 他们犁了将近10万英亩未开垦的高沼地。 来自辞典例句
• He plowed the land and then sowed the seeds. 他先翻土，然后播种。 来自辞典例句

37 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

38 tattoo   

n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于

参考例句：

• I've decided to get my tattoo removed.我已经决定去掉我身上的纹身。
• He had a tattoo on the back of his hand.他手背上刺有花纹。

39 bandanna   

n.大手帕

参考例句：

• He knotted the bandanna around his neck.他在脖子上系了一条印花大围巾。
• He wiped his forehead with a blue bandanna and smiled again.他用一条蓝色的大手帕擦擦前额，又笑了笑。