Английский язык с Крестным Отцом
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They rested uncomfortably on the edge of the couch as she sat in her father's big
leather chair. Detective Phillips opened the conversation by saying, "Miss Adams, have
you seen or heard from Michael Corleone at any time in the last three weeks?" The one
question was enough to warn her. Three weeks ago she had read the Boston
newspapers with their headlines about the killing of a New York police captain and a
narcotics smuggler named Virgil Sollozzo. The newspaper had said it was part of the
gang war involving the Corleone Farnily.
Kay shook her head. "No, the last time I saw him he was going to see his father in the
hospital. That was perhaps a month ago."
The other detective said in a harsh voice, "We know all about that meeting. Have you
seen or heard from him since then?"
"No," Kay said.
Detective Phillips said in a polite voice, "If you do have contact with him we'd like you
to let us know. It's very important we get to talk to Michael Corleone. I must warn you
that if you do have contact with him you may be getting involved in a very dangerous
situation. If you help him in any way, you may get yourself in very serious trouble."
Kay sat up very straight in the chair. "Why shouldn't I help him?" she asked. "We're
going to be married, married people help each other."
It was Detective Siriani who answered her. "If you help, you may be an accessory
(добавочный,
looking for your boy friend because he killed a police captain in New York plus an
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informer the police officer was contacting. We know Michael Corleone is the person who
did the shooting."
Kay laughed. Her laughter was so unaffected, so incredulous, that the officers were
impressed. "Mike wouldn't do anything like that," she said. "He never had anything to do
with his family. When we went to his sister's wedding it was obvious that he was treated
as an outsider, almost as much as I was. If he's hiding now it's just so that he won't get
any publicity, so his name won't be dragged through all this. Mike is not a gangster. I
know him better than you or anybody else can know him. He is too nice a man to do
anything as despicable (презренный [‘despikbl]) as murder. He is the most law-
abiding (законопослушный) person I know, and I've never known him to lie."
Detective Phillips asked gently, "How long have you known him?"
"Over a year," Kay said and was surprised when the two men smiled.
"I think there are a few things you should know," Detective Phillips said. "On the night
he left you, he went to the hospital. When he came out he got into an argument with a
police captain who had come to the hospital on official business. He assaulted that
police officer but got the worst of it. In fact he got a broken jaw and lost some teeth. His
friends took him out to the Corleone Family houses at Long Beach. The following night
the police captain he had the fight with was gunned down and Michael Corleone
disappeared. Vanished. We have our contacts, our informers. They all point the finger at
Michael Corleone but we have no evidence for a court of law. The waiter who witnessed
the shooting doesn't recognize a picture of Mike but he may recognize him in person.
And we have Sollozzo's driver, who refuses to talk, but we might make him talk if we
have Michael Corleone in our hands. So we have all our people looking for him, the FBI
is looking for him, everybody is looking for him. So far, no luck, so we thought you might
be able to give us a lead (подсказать
что-то, направить нас по верному следу)."Kay said coldly, "I don't believe a word of it." But she felt a bit sick knowing the part
about Mike getting his jaw broken must be true. Not that that would make Mike commit
murder.
"Will you let us know if Mike contacts you?" Phillips asked.
Kay shook her head. The other detective, Siriani, said roughly, "We know you two
have been shacking up together. We have the hotel records and witnesses. If we let
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that information slip to the newspapers your father and mother would feel pretty lousy.
Real respectable people like them wouldn't think much of a daughter shacking up with a
gangster. If you don't come clean right now I'll call your old man in here and give it to
him straight."
Kay looked at him with astonishment. Then she got up and went to the door of the
study and opened it. She could see her father standing at the living-room window,
sucking at his pipe. She called out, "Dad, can you join us?" He turned, smiled at her,
and walked to the study. When he came through the door he put his arm around his
daughter's waist and faced the detectives and said, "Yes, gentlemen?"
When they didn't answer, Kay said coolly to Detective Siriani, "Give it to him straight,
officer."
Siriani flushed. "Mr. Adams, I'm telling you this for your daughter's good. She is mixed
up with a hoodlum we have reason to believe committed a murder on a police officer.
I'm just telling her she can get into serious trouble unless she cooperates with us. But
she doesn't seem to realize how serious this whole matter is. Maybe you can talk to
her."
"That is quite incredible," Mr. Adams said politely.
Siriani jutted his jaw. "Your daughter and Michael Corleone have been going out
together for over a year. They have stayed overnight in hotels together registered as
man and wife. Michael Corleone is wanted for questioning in the murder of a police