The Husband

Mitch Rafferty runs a small landscaping business and one day, while tending to a private garden with his assistant, Iggy, he received a phone call. “We have you wife, Holly, You can have her back for two million dollars.” Mitch then heard Holly calling him desperately for help, “Mitch, I l..o..v..e y…o…u!” Before he could hear any further, he heard her scream from Holly and what sounded like that she was ‘dumped’ to the ground. “Don’t be stupid,” Mitch heard a rough voice saying in the midst of some other apparent interjections, “just stay on the floor.” “That’s better, honey,” came the blurred voice of another person through his earpiece, “that’s a good girl.”

Mitch Rafferty 经营着一家小型园林绿化公司，有一天，他和助手 Iggy 照料私人花园时，接到了一个电话。 “我们有你的妻子，霍莉，你可以用两百万美元把她带回来。”米奇接着听到霍莉拼命呼救他，“米奇，我……o..v……你……o……你！”还没等他听到更多的声音，他就听到了霍莉的尖叫声，听起来像是她被“甩”在了地上。 “别傻了，”米奇听到一个粗鲁的声音在其他一些明显的感叹中说，“呆在地板上。” “这样更好，亲爱的，”耳机里传来另一个人模糊的声音，“真是个好姑娘。”

The caller demanded that Mitch pay two million dollars or Holly would be killed, and if dared to inform the police, Holly would be tortured and left to die. Mitch naturally protested that he did not have the money, and the caller replied: “If he loves your wife enough, you will find a way.” Then Mitch was told to look across the street and to witness a man walking his dog got shot in the head. This murder of an innocent man was meant to show to Mitch the seriousness of the kidnappers are serious.

来电者要求米奇支付200万美元，否则霍莉会被杀，如果敢报警，霍莉将被折磨致死。米奇自然抗议自己没有钱，来电者回答：“如果他足够爱你的妻子，你会想办法的。”然后米奇被告知要向街对面看，目睹一名男子遛狗时头部中弹。谋杀一个无辜的人是为了向米奇表明绑架者的严重性是严重的。

When the police arrived to tend to the murder, Mitch was questioned by a detective named Sandy Taggart. Mitch did not tell Taggart of the kidnapping, and he could sense that the detective believed he might be holding something back. However, Mitch was not arrested and left after Taggart officially dismisses him.

当警察赶到现场处理这起谋杀案时，一名名叫桑迪·塔格特的侦探审问了米奇。米奇没有告诉塔格特绑架的事情，他能感觉到侦探认为他可能隐瞒了什么。然而，在塔格特正式解雇他后，米奇并没有被捕并离开。

Unsure if Taggart could be trusted, Mitch lied to the detective when he stopped by, claiming that Holly had come home with a migraine and was sleeping. Taggart told Mitch that the victim had been identified as Jason Osteen, Mitch’s college roommate, to whom he had not spoken for many years. After Taggart left, Mitch took a wrench from the garage to use as a weapon to protect himself. While in the garage he found some high-tech spying equipment. Just after this discovery, he was surprised at gun point by one of Holly’s captors, and was told to drop the wrench. As the gunman ordered Mitch to leave, the wrench got caught on a stack of Halloween decorations that he subsequently got knocked over upon the gunman. During the fall the gunman landed himself against a wheel barrow that broke his neck, and in the process of falling over he inadvertently shot himself in the chest. Mitch took the handgun, and another concealed gun from the man’s ankle holster, placed the corpse in the back of his wife’s car, and decided to visit his parents.

不确定是否可以信任塔格特，米奇路过时向侦探撒谎，声称霍莉因偏头痛回家并正在睡觉。塔格特告诉米奇，受害者已被确认为米奇的大学室友杰森·奥斯汀（Jason Osteen），他已经很多年没有和他说过话了。塔格特离开后，米奇从车库里拿出一把扳手作为武器。在车库里，他发现了一些高科技间谍设备。就在这一发现之后，他被霍莉的一名俘虏用枪指着感到惊讶，并被告知放下扳手。当枪手命令米奇离开时，俘虏捡起的凸耳扳手被一堆万圣节装饰品夹住，随后被撞倒在枪手身上。枪手摔倒时撞在一辆手推车上，压断了他的气管，打断了他的脖子，然后他无意中射中了自己的胸部。米奇从男人的脚踝枪套里拿出手枪，另一把隐藏的枪，把尸体放在他妻子的车后座上，决定去看望他的父母。

Upon arriving home, Mitch found that his house had been staged to look as if he had killed his wife. He found blood smeared over his clothes in the closet and splattered on the kitchen walls. The phone rang, and the kidnapper verified Mitch’s ideas about the staging. He informed Mitch they have also planted additional evidence that would be difficult for Mitch to locate and remove, but easy for police dogs. The kidnapper then played a recording of Mitch’s session with Taggart, which confirmed his earlier belief that the kidnappers had him under surveillance. Mitch was then told to have his cell phone on and remained available for further instructions later on in the evening.

回到家后，米奇发现他的房子被装扮成他杀了妻子的样子。他发现衣柜里的衣服上沾满了血，还溅到了厨房的墙上。电话响了，绑匪证实了米奇关于分期的想法。他告诉米奇，他们还植入了额外的证据，这些证据对米奇来说很难找到和移除，但对警犬来说却很容易。绑匪随后播放了米奇与塔格特谈话的录音，这证实了他早先的信念，即绑匪对他进行了监视。然后米奇被告知要打开他的手机，并在晚上晚些时候继续接受进一步的指示。

Mitch, realising that events could worsen, arrives at his parents’ house. He has no intention of revealing any information about Holly’s abduction, but wishes to ease his mind with what could possibly be a final visit, and end on good terms with his parents. His relationship with his parents is not close, due to their harsh and unconventional views on raising children which includes the “learning room”, a sensory deprivation chamber. Mitch speaks briefly with his father, learns his mother is out for the evening, and comes away disappointed with the encounter.

The next phone call from the kidnappers came at 6:00 pm. As instructed, Mitch visited his brother Anson without informing him of Holly’s kidnapping. During this time, Anson received a call from the kidnappers and became aware of the situation. Anson, who had helped his siblings throughout their childhood cope with their parents, offered to give Mitch the two million dollar ransom amount. Mitch was surprised that Anson was financially able to provide this. Anson told Mitch of a friend, an ex-FBI agent Julian Campbell, who could help. He drove Mitch to Julian’s residence explaining that Julian might be able to provide suggestions learned throughout his FBI career. After arriving at Julian’s huge estate, Anson pulled a gun on Mitch and stated that he would not give his money to save Mitch, let alone Holly. Mitch learned that Anson had worked with the criminals behind Holly’s kidnapping and assisted them on their last criminal enterprise. Now, the kidnappers mistakenly believed that Anson would do anything to help Mitch in saving Holly.

绑匪打来的下一个电话是在下午 6:00 打来的。按照指示，米奇在没有告诉他霍莉被绑架的情况下拜访了他的兄弟安森。期间，安森接到绑匪打来的电话，了解情况。安森在他的兄弟姐妹的整个童年时期都帮助过他们的父母，他提出给米奇 200 万美元的赎金。 Mitch 对 Anson 在经济上能够提供此服务感到惊讶。安森告诉米奇一个朋友，前联邦调查局特工朱利安坎贝尔，他可以提供帮助。他开车送米奇到朱利安的住所，解释说朱利安可能能够提供他在 FBI 职业生涯中学到的建议。到达朱利安的豪宅后，安森拔枪指着米奇，表示自己不会出钱救米奇，更不用说霍莉了。米奇得知安森曾与霍莉绑架案背后的犯罪分子合作，并协助他们完成了他们最后的犯罪活动。现在，绑匪误以为安森会做任何事来帮助米奇拯救霍莉。

Julian informed Mitch that he had never worked for the FBI and has obtained his wealth through the “entertainment industry.” Julian had his two henchmen to disarm Mitch and took him outside the city to be disposed of. Mitch managed to kill his executioners with the forgotten gun in the ankle holster and returned to his parents’ house where he found them dead. Again, the scene had been set up as if Mitch had killed his parents, although this time, Mitch believed Anson was the one behind the setup.

朱利安告诉米奇，他从未为联邦调查局工作过，是通过“娱乐业”获得财富的。朱利安让他的两个追随者解除米奇的武装，并将他带到城外进行处置。米奇设法用脚踝套里的那把被遗忘的枪杀死了他的刽子手，然后回到他父母的家，在那里他发现他们已经死了。再一次，场景的设置就像米奇杀死了他的父母一样，尽管这一次，米奇相信安森是幕后黑手。

Mitch confronted Anson at Anson’s house, and tasered him, tying him to a chair in the laundry room. He did not reveal that he knew that Anson killed his parents and promised to release Anson if he gaveMitch the two million. Anson eventually gave him the combination to a secret safe in the kitchen where he found 1.4 million dollars in bearer bonds and cash. Mitch, remembering an earlier conversation with his brother, asked Anson how he really made so much money. Anson informed him of an illegal Internet company run by Julian Campbell that could download untraceable adult and child pornography. Anson took great delight in telling Mitch this, because he wanted Mitch to know that Holly’s ransom money was dirty and realised that Mitch would be reminded of this for the rest of his life with Holly. After hearing the story, Mitch was disgusted and left him in the dark laundry room instead of releasing him as promised, knowing that Anson did not like the dark and would be reminded of their parents’ learning room.

米奇在安森家中与安森对质，用电击他，把他绑在洗衣房的椅子上。他没有透露他知道安森杀死了他的父母，并承诺如果他给米奇两百万，就会释放安森。安森最终把密码交给了他厨房里的一个秘密保险箱，在那里他找到了 140 万美元的无记名债券和现金。米奇想起早先和他哥哥的谈话，问安森他是怎么赚到这么多钱的。安森告诉他，朱利安坎贝尔经营的一家非法互联网公司可以下载无法追踪的成人和儿童色情内容。安森非常高兴地告诉米奇这件事，因为他想让米奇知道霍莉的赎金是肮脏的，并意识到米奇会在与霍莉的余生中被提醒这一点。米奇听完这个故事后很反感，把他留在了黑暗的洗衣房里，没有像承诺的那样释放他，知道安森不喜欢黑暗，会想起他们父母的学习室。

Meanwhile, Holly was being held captive in an attic, trying surreptitiously to pry a nail from the floorboards. The nail was something that she regarded as a pathetic weapon, and at first, she worked at it merely to have something to focus on. She finally pried the nail free and conceals it without really knowing how she could use such a small device effectively against trained killers.

与此同时，霍莉被囚禁在阁楼里，偷偷地试图从地板上撬出一根钉子。钉子在她看来是一种可悲的武器，起初，她只是为了专注于某件事而努力。她终于撬开了钉子并把它藏了起来，却并不知道她如何能有效地使用这么小的装置来对付训练有素的杀手。

During this time, she (Holly) also won the remaining kidnapper’s trust by listening to his stories of visions, inventing a vision of her own, and indicating that she might travel with him to New Mexico where their visions take place.

在此期间，她（霍莉）还通过倾听他的幻觉故事，创造了她自己的幻觉，并表示她可能会和他一起前往新墨西哥州，他们的幻觉发生在新墨西哥州，从而赢得了剩下的绑匪的信任。

Holly had also learned that one of the kidnappers, Jimmy Null, had become suspicious of the others and killed them. He told Holly how they had all grown dubious of each other and acted so that they would not kill him. He planned to keep all the money for himself.

霍莉还了解到，其中一名绑架者吉米·努尔（Jimmy Null）对其他人产生了怀疑并杀死了他们。他告诉霍莉，他们是如何变得对彼此产生怀疑的，并采取了行动，以免他们杀了他。他打算把所有的钱都留给自己。

Jimmy Null then called Mitch again - speaking with a different voice - and agreed to the 1.4 million in cash offered. Mitch was instructed to meet them at the Tunbridge house, an enormous mansion on which construction was halted. Before Mitch could leave, Taggart arrived with the news that Anson’s name appeared in Jason Osteen’s phone book. Taggert also pointed out inconsistencies in Mitch’s earlier story to him. Mitch initially claimed his brother was away, but finally confessed the series of events to Taggart. As they were going to see Anson in the laundry room, Mitch tasered Taggart and ran away. Before fleeing, he told Taggart that he could not trust anyone else to save Holly, because he loved her too much and time was running out.

Jimmy Null 然后再次打电话给 Mitch——用不同的声音说话——并同意了提供的 140 万现金。米奇被指示在滕布里奇的房子里与他们会面，这是一座停止建造的巨大豪宅。在米奇离开之前，塔格特带来了安森的名字出现在杰森·奥斯汀的电话簿中的消息。塔格特还向他指出了米奇早期故事中的矛盾之处。米奇最初声称他的兄弟不在，但最终向塔格特坦白了这一系列事件。当他们要去洗衣房看安森时，米奇用电击枪打了塔格特然后跑了。在逃跑之前，他告诉塔格特，他不能相信任何人来拯救霍莉，因为他太爱她了，时间已经不多了。

After buying rounds for a gun he took from one of the executioners, Mitch was chased on foot from the gun store by the police. He stole an SUV from a gas station and went to the Tunbridge house where he confronted his enemy. The kidnapper told Mitch that Holly’s moment of decision had arrived, and Holly was able to distract the kidnapper with what he believed was proof of her visions and devotion by appearing to have stigmata. Holly’s wounds were in fact secretly self-inflicted from the nail. Mitch took advantage of the distraction and shot the kidnapper, who was initially protected with a bullet-proof vest. Null then chased Mitch and Holly with a motorcycle but Mitch was able to eventually kill him by firing at his head.

在为他从一名刽子手手中夺走的枪买了子弹后，米奇被警察从枪店步行追赶。他从加油站偷了一辆 SUV，然后去了坦布里奇的房子，在那里他与敌人对峙。绑架者告诉米奇，霍莉做出决定的时刻已经到来，霍莉能够用他认为可以证明她的远见和奉献精神的东西来分散绑架者的注意力，因为他看起来有烙印。霍莉的伤口实际上是从指甲偷偷地自己造成的。米奇利用分心的机会射杀了绑匪，绑匪最初是用防弹背心保护的。然后 Null 用摩托车追赶 Mitch 和 Holly，但 Mitch 最终向他的头部开枪杀死了他。

The novel ends with an epilogue. It is at the 32nd birthday of Mitch. We learn that Campbell has been murdered in prison and Anson is currently on death row. Mitch and Holly have two children and will eventually have a third. Mitch’s business is booming, and Detective Taggart is now a family friend.

小说以结语结尾。这是米奇的 32 岁生日。我们得知坎贝尔在狱中被谋杀，安森目前在死囚牢房。米奇和霍莉有两个孩子，最终还会有第三个，米奇的生意蒸蒸日上，塔格特侦探现在是家人朋友。

Some excerpts of the book that are worth reading include the following pages:

这本书的一些值得一读的节选包括以下几页：

Page 54: Remaining on his knees, he rested his forehead against the oven door once more, and closed his eyes.

His mind was in tumult. Images of Holly, tornadoes of memories, tormented him, fragmented and spinning, good memories, sweet, but they tormented because they might be all that he would ever have of her. Fear and anger. Regret and sorrow. He had never known loss. His life had not prepared him for loss.

He strove to clear his mind because he sensed that there was something he could do for Holly right here, now, if only he could quiet his fear and be calm, and think. He didn’t have to wait for orders from her kidnappers. He could do something important for her now. He could take action on her behalf. He could do something for Holly.

Humbled against the hard terra-cotta tiles, his knees began to ache. This physical discomfort gradually cleared his mind. Thoughts no longer blew through him like shatters of debris, but drifted as fallen leaves drifted on a placid river.

第 54 页：他仍然跪在地上，再次将前额靠在烤箱门上，然后闭上了眼睛。
他的脑子里一片混乱。霍莉的影像，记忆的龙卷风，折磨着他，支离破碎，旋转着，美好的回忆，甜蜜，但它们折磨着他，因为它们可能是他对她的全部。恐惧和愤怒。遗憾和悲伤。他从来不知道损失。他的生活并没有让他为失去做好准备。
他努力让自己的头脑清醒，因为他感觉到他现在可以为霍莉做点什么，只要他能平息恐惧，冷静思考。他不必等待绑匪的命令。他现在可以为她做一些重要的事情。他可以代表她采取行动。他可以为霍莉做点什么。
靠在坚硬的赤土砖上，他的膝盖开始酸痛。这种身体上的不适逐渐让他清醒了。思绪不再像碎片一样从他身上吹过，而是像落叶在平静的河流上飘荡。

Page 112: He looked up to the single window of the learning room. When he was eight years old, he had spent twenty consecutive days there, with an interior shutter locked across that window.

Sensory deprivation focuses thought, clears the mind. That is the theory behind the dark, silent, empty learning room.

Mitch’s father, Daniel, answered te doorbell. At sixty-one, he remained a strikingly good-looking man, still in possession of all his hair, though it had turned white.

Perhaps because his features were so pleasingly bold - perfect features if he had wished to be a stage actor - his teeth seemed too small. They were his natural teeth, every one. He was a stickler for dental hygiene. Laser-whitened, they dazzled, but they looked small, like rows of white-corn kernels in a cob.

Blinking with surprise that was a degree too theatrical, he said, “Mitch. Katherine never told me you called.”

Katherine was Mitch’s mother.

“I didn’t,” Mitch admitted. “I hoped it would be all right if I just stopped by.”

“More often than not, I’d be occupied with one damn obligation or another, and you’d be out of luck. But tonight I’m free.”

“Good.”

第 112 页：他抬头看向学习室的单扇窗户。当他八岁的时候，他在那里连续呆了二十天，窗户上锁着一个室内百叶窗。
感官剥夺集中思想，清除头脑。这就是黑暗、寂静、空荡荡的学习室背后的理论。
米奇的父亲丹尼尔回答了门铃。六十一岁时，他仍然是一个非常英俊的男人，仍然拥有他所有的头发，尽管它已经变白了。
也许是因为他的五官非常大胆——如果他想成为一名舞台演员的话，那是完美的五官——他的牙齿似乎太小了。它们都是他的天然牙齿，每一颗。他是牙齿卫生的忠实拥护者。激光变白后，它们令人眼花缭乱，但它们看起来很小，就像一排排的白玉米粒。
” 他惊讶地眨了眨眼，这太戏剧化了，他说，“米奇。凯瑟琳从来没有告诉我你打过电话。"
凯瑟琳是米奇的母亲。
“我没有，”米奇承认。 “我希望我只是路过就没事。”
“通常情况下，我会忙于一项或多项该死的义务，而你会倒霉的。但今晚我有空。”
“好的。”

Page 164: Tired of feeling powerless, convinced that docile obedience to the kidnappers would be repaid with contempt and cruelty, Mitch said, “Okay. But what if they’re listening to us right now?”

“They’re not. To bug a car and listen in real time, wouldn’t they have to plant more than a microphone? Wouldn’t they have to package it with a microwave transmitter and a power source?”

“Would they? I don’t know. How would I know?”

“I think so. It would be too much equipment, too bulky, too complicated to conceal easily or to set up quickly.”

“What about directional microphones?”

“I’ve seen the same movies you have,” Anson said, “Directional mikes work best when the air is still. Look at the trees. We have a breeze tonight.”

第 164 页：厌倦了无能为力的感觉，相信对绑架者的温顺服从会以轻蔑和残忍的方式得到回报，米奇说：“好吧。但如果他们现在正在听我们的话怎么办？”
“他们不是。要窃听汽车并实时收听，他们不只需要安装一个麦克风吗？他们不是必须将其与微波发射器和电源打包在一起吗？”
“他们会吗？我不知道。我怎么知道？”  
“我想是的。设备太多，太笨重，太复杂，难以隐藏或快速设置。”
“定向麦克风呢？”
“我看过你看过的电影，”安森说，“定向麦克风在空气静止时效果最好。看看树。今晚有微风。”

Page 320: Mitch started in the attic. A trapdoor in the walk-in closet off the master bedroom gave access. A ladder folded down off the trap.

Two bare lightbulbs inadequately illuminated the high space, revealing cobwebs in the angles of the rafters.

Eager breathing, hissing, and hungry panting arose at every vent in the eaves, as though the attic were a canary cage and the wind a voracious cat.

Such was the disquieting nature of a Santa Ana wind that even the spiders were agitated by it. They moved restlessly on their webs.

Nothing was stored in the attic. He almost retreated, but was held by suspicion, by a hunch.

This empty space was floored with plywood. Anson would probably not conceal a hoard of cash under a sheet of plywood held down by sixteen nails. He wouldn’t be able to get at it fast in an emergency.

Nevertheless, ducking to avoid the lower rafters, Mitch walked back and forth, listening to his hollow footsteps. An old prophetic feeling seized him, a sense that he was on the brink of a discovery.

第 320 页：米奇从阁楼开始。主卧室外的步入式衣橱里有一扇活板门，可以进入。一个梯子从陷阱上折下来。
两个光秃秃的灯泡不足以照亮高处，在椽子的角度露出蜘蛛网。
急促的呼吸声、嘶嘶声和饥肠辘辘的喘息声在屋檐的每一个通风口处响起，仿佛阁楼是金丝雀笼子，风是一只贪婪的猫。
这就是圣安娜风令人不安的性质，甚至连蜘蛛都被它激怒了。他们在网上不安地移动。
阁楼里什么都没有。他几乎要后退，但被怀疑，被一种预感抓住了。
这个空旷的地方铺着胶合板。安森可能不会把一大笔现金藏在一张用十六根钉子钉住的胶合板下面。在紧急情况下，他无法快速解决问题。
然而，米奇躲避较低的椽子，来回走动，听着他空洞的脚步声。一种古老的预言感抓住了他，一种他即将发现的感觉。

What can we learn from the excerpts above? We learn how effective it is to keep each paragraph short - no longer than four or five sentences. We learn to include short exchanges of conversations from the characters within quotation marks to give the effect of actually listening to the characters saying those words. Finally, we learn to keep the story moving, from one scene into another, moving as fast as we can without loosing the plot.

我们可以从上面的摘录中学到什么？我们了解保持每个段落简短（不超过四五个句子）是多么有效。我们学会在引号内包含角色的简短对话，以产生实际聆听角色说这些话的效果。最后，我们学会让故事从一个场景移动到另一个场景，在不丢失情节的情况下尽可能快地移动。