sk.misery-第36部分

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　Now　the　killing　starts；　he　thought。　The　only　real　question　is　about　Ralph：　does　he　e　at　the　beginning；　in　the　middle；　or　at　the　end？
　But　he　was　wrong　again。　Instead　of　an　obit；　the　next　clipping　showed　a　Xerox　of　a　realtor's　one…sheet。　In　the　upper　left　corner　of　the　ad　was　a　photo　of　a　house。　Paul　recognized　it　only　by　the　attached　barn　…　he　had；　after　all；　never　seen　the　house　itself　from　the　outside。
　Beneath；　in　Annie's　neat　firm　hand：　Earnest　money　paid　March　3rd；　1979。　Papers　passed　March　18th；　1979。
　Retirement　home？　Paul　doubted　it。　Summer　place？　No；　they　couldn't　afford　the　luxury。　So　。　。　。　？
　Well；　maybe　it　was　just　a　fantasy；　but　try　this。　Maybe　she　really　loves　old　Ralph　Dugan。　Maybe　a　year　has　passed　and　she　still　can't　smell　cockadoodie　on　him。　Something　has　sure　changed；　there　have　been　no　obituaries　since　…　He　flicked　back　to　see。
　Since　Laura　Rothberg　in　September　1978。　She　stopped　killing　around　the　same　time　she　met　Ralph。　But　that　was　then　and　this　is　now；　now　the　pressure　is　starting　to　build　up　again。　The　depressive　interludes　are　ing　back。　She　looks　at　the　old　people　。　。　。　the　terminally　ill　。　。　。　and　she　thinks　about　what　poor　poor　things　they　are；　and　maybe　she　thinks；　It's　this　environment　that's　depressing　me。　The　miles　of　tiled　corridor　and　the　smells　and　the　squeak　of　crepe…soled　shoes　and　the　sounds　of　people　in　pain。　If　I　could　get　out　of　this　place　I'd　be　all　right。
　So　Ralph　and　Annie　had　apparently　gone　back　to　the　land。
　He　turned　the　page　and　blinked。
　Slashed　into　the　bottom　of　the　page　was　AUG　43rd　1880　FUCK　YOU！
　The　paper；　thick　as　it　was；　had　tom　in　several　places　under　the　fury　of　the　hand　which　had　driven　the　pen。
　It　was　the　DIVORCES　GRANTED　column　from　the　Nederland　paper；　but　he　had　to　turn　it　over　to　make　sure　that　Annie　and　Ralph　were　a　part　of　it。　She　had　pasted　it　in　upside　down。
　Yes；　here　they　were。　Ralph　and　Anne　Dugan。　Grounds：　mental　cruelty。
　〃Divorced　after　a　short　illness；〃　Paul　muttered；　and　again　looked　up；　thinking　he　heard　an　approaching　car。　The　wind；　only　the　wind　。　。　。　Still；　he'd　better　get　back　to　the　safety　of　his　room。　It　wasn't　just　the　worsening　pain　in　his　legs；　he　was　edging　toward　a　state　of　terminal　freak…out。
　But　he　bent　over　the　book　again。　In　a　weird　way　it　was　just　too　good　to　put　down。　It　was　like　a　novel　so　disgusting　you　just　have　to　finish　it。
　Annie's　marriage　had　been　dissolved　in　a　much　more　legal　fashion　than　Paul　had　anticipated。　It　seemed　fair　to　say　that　the　divorce　really　had　been　after　a　short　illness　…　a　year　and　a　half　of　wedded　bliss　wasn't　all　that　much。
　They　had　bought　a　house　in　March；　and　that　was　not　step　you　took　if　you　felt　that　your　marriage　was　falling　apart。　What　happened？　Paul　didn't　know。　He　could　have　made　up　a　story；　but　a　story　was　all　it　would　have　been。　Then；　reading　the　clipping　again；　he　noticed　something　suggestive：　Angela　Ford　from　John　Ford。　Kirsten　Frawley　from　Stanley　Frawley。　Danna　McLaren　from　Lee　McLaren。　And　。　。　。
　Ralph　Dugan　from　Anne　Dugan。
　There's　this　American　custom；　right？　No　one　talks　about　t　much；　but　it's　there。　Men　propose　in　the　moonlight；　women　file　in　court。　That's　not　always　how　it　works；　but　usually　that's　it。　So　what　tale　does　this　grammatical　structure　have　to　tell？　Angela's　saying　〃Slip　out　the　back；　Jack！〃　Kirsten　is　saying　〃Make　a　new　plan；　Stan！〃　Danna　is　saying　〃Drop　off　the　key；　Lee！〃　And　what　was　Ralph；　the　only　man　who's　listed　first　in　this　column；　saying？　I　think　maybe　he　was　saying　〃Let　me　the　hell　out　of　here！〃
　〃Maybe　he　saw　the　dead　cat　on　the　stairs；〃　Paul　said。
　Next　page。　Another　NEW　ARRIVALS　article。　This　one　was　from　the　Boulder；　Colorado；　Camera。　There　was　a　photograph　of　a　dozen　new　staff　members　standing　on　the　lawn　of　the　Boulder　Hospital。　Annie　was　in　the　second　row；　her　face　a　blank　white　circle　under　her　cap　with　its　black　stripe。　Another　opening　of　another　show。　The　date　underneath　was　March　9th；　1981。　She　had　re…taken　her　maiden　name。
　Boulder。　That　was　where　Annie　really　had　gone　crazy。
　He　turned　the　pages　faster　and　faster；　his　horror　mounting；　and　the　two　thoughts　which　kept　repeating　were　Why　in　God's　name　didn't　they　tip　faster？　and　How　in　God's　name　did　she　slip　through　their　fingers？
　May　10th；　1981　…　long　illness。　May　14th；　1981　…　long　illness。　May　23rd　…　long　illness。　June　9th　…　short　illness。　June　15th　…　short。　June　16th　…　long。
　Short。　Long。　Long。　Short。　Long。　Long。　Short。
　The　pages　stuttered　through　his　fingers。　He　could　smell　the　faint　odor　of　dried　paper…paste。
　〃Christ；　how　many　did　she　kill？〃　If　it　was　right　to　equate　each　obituary　pasted　in　this　book　with　a　murder；　then　her　score　was　more　than　thirty　people　by　the　end　of　1981　。　。　。　all　without　a　single　murmur　from　the　authorities。　Of　course　most　of　the　victims　were　old；　the　rest　badly　hurt；　but　still　。　。　。　you　would　think　。　。　。
　In　1982　Annie　had　finally　stumbled。　The　clipping　from　the　January　14th　Camera　showed　her　blank；　stonelike　face　rendered　in　newsprint　dots　below　a　headline　which　read：　NEW　HEAD　MATERNITY　WARD　NURSE　NAMED。
　On　January　29th　the　nursery　deaths　had　begun。
　Annie　had　chronicled　the　whole　story　in　her　meticulous　way。　Paul　had　no　trouble　following　it。　If　the　people　after　your　hide　had　found　this　book；　Annie；　you　would　have　been　in　jail　or　some　asylum　…　until　the　end　of　time。
　The　first　two　infant　deaths　had　not　aroused　suspicion　…　a　story　on　one　had　mentioned　severe　birth　defects。　But　babies；　defective　or　not；　weren't　the　same　as　old　folks　dying　of　renal　failure　or　car…crash　victims　brought　in　still　somehow　alive　in　spite　of　heads　which　were　only　half　there　or　steering…wheel…sized　holes　in　their　guts。　And　then　she　had　begun　killing　the　healthy　along　with　the　damaged。　He　supposed　that；　in　her　deepening　psychotic　spiral；　she　had　begun　to　see　all　of　them　as　poor　poor　things。
　By　mid…March　of　1982　there　had　been　five　nursery　deaths　in　the　Boulder　Hospital。　A　full…scale　investigation　was　launched。　On　March　24th　the　Camera　named　the　probable　culprit　as　〃tainted　formula〃。　A　〃reliable　hospital　source〃　was　cited；　and　Paul　wondered　if　perhaps　the　source　had　not　been　Annie　Wilkes　herself。
　Another　baby　had　died　in　April。　Two　in　May。
　Then；　from　the　front　page　of　the　June　1st　Denver　Post：
　
　HEAD　MATERNITY　NURSE　QUESTIONED　ON　INFANT　DEATHS
　No　Charges　Made　〃As　Yet；〃　Sheriffs　Office　Spokeswoman　Says
　By　Michael　Leith
　
　Anne　Wilkes；　the　thirty…nine…year…old　head　nurse　of　the　maternity　ward　at　Boulder　Hospital；　is　being　questioned　today　about　the　deaths　of　eight　infants　…　deaths　which　have　taken　place　over　a　span　of　some　months。　All　of　the　deaths　took　place　following　Miss　Wilkes's　appointment。
　When　asked　if　Miss　Wilkes　was　under　arrest；　Sheriff's　Office　spokeswoman　Tamara　Kinsolving　said　she　was　not。　When　asked　if　Miss　Wilkes　had　e　in　of　her　own　free　will　to　give　information　in　the　case；　Ms。　Kinsolving　replied：　〃I　would　have　to　say　that　was　not　the　case。　Things　are　a　bit　more　serious　than　that。〃　Asked　if　Wilkes　had　been　charged　with　any　crime；　Ms。　Kinsolving　replied：　〃No。　Not　as　yet。〃
　
　The　rest　of　the　article　was　a　rehash　of　Annie's　career。　It　was　obvious　that　she　had　moved　around　a　lot；　but　there　was　no　hint　that　people　in　all　of　Annie's　hospitals；　not　just　the　one　in　Boulder；　had　a　way　of　croaking　when　she　was　around。
　He　looked　at　the　acpanying　photograph；　fascinated。
　Annie　in　custody。　Dear　God；　Annie　in　custody；　the　idol　not　fallen　but　teetering　。　。　。　teetering　。　。　。
　She　was　mounting　a　set　of　stone　steps　in　the　pany　of　a　husky　policewoman；　her　face　dull；　devoid　of　expression。　She　was　wearing　her　nurse's　uniform　and　white　shoes。
　Next　page：　WILKES　RELEASED；　MUM　ON　INTERROGATION。
　She'd　gotten　away　with　it。　Somehow；　she'd　gotten　away　with　it。　It　was　time　for　her　to　fade　out　and　show　up　someplace　else　…　Idaho；　Utah；　California；　maybe。　Instead；　she　went　back　to　work。　And　instead　of　a　NEW　ARRIVALS　column　from　somewhere　farther　west　there　was　a　huge　headline　from　the　Rocky　Mountain　News　front　page　of　July　2nd；　1982：
　
　The　Horror　Continues：
　THREE　MORE　INFANT　DEATHS　IN　BOULDER　HOSPITAL
　
　Two　days　later　the　authorities　arrested　a　Puerto　Rican　orderly；　only　to　release　him　nine　hours　later。　Then；　on　July　19th；　both　the　Denver　Post　and　the　Rocky　Mountain　News　announced　Annie's　arrest。　There　had　been　a　short　preliminary　hearing　in　early　August。　On　September　9th　she　went　on　trial　for　the　murder　of　Girl　Christopher；　a　female　child　one　day　of　age。　Behind　Girl　Christopher　were　seven　other　counts　of　first…degree　murder。　The　article　noted　that　some　of　Annie's　alleged　victims　had　even　lived　long　enough　to　be　given　real　names。
　Interspersed　among　the　accounts　of　the　trial　were　Letters　to　the　Editor　printed　in　the　Denver　and　Boulder　newspapers。
　Paul　understood　that　Annie　had　been　driven　to　cull　only　the　most　hostile　ones　…　those　which　reinforced　her　jaundiced　view　of　mankind　as　Homo　brattus　…　but　they　were　vituperative　by　any　standards。　There　seemed　to　be　a　consensus：　hanging　was　too　good　for　Annie　Wilkes。　One　correspondent　dubbed　her　the　Dragon　Lady；　and　the　name　stuck　for　the　duration　of　the　trial。　Most　seemed　to　feel　that　the　Dragon　Lady　should　be　jabbed　to　death　with　hot　forks；　and　most　indicated　they　would　be　very　willing　to　serve　as　a　jabber。
　Beside　one　such　letter　Annie　had　written　in　a　shaky　arid　somehow　pathetic　script　entirely　unlike　her　usual　firm　hard：　Sticks　stones　will　break　my　bones　words　will　never　hurt　me。
　It　was　apparent　that　Annie's　biggest　mistake　had　been　not　stopping　when　people　finally　realized　something　was　going　on。　It　was　bad；　but；　unfortunately；　not　quite　bad　enough。　The　idol　only　tottered。　The　prosecution's　case　was　entire　only　circumstantial；　and　in　places　thin　enough　to　read　a　newspaper　through。　The　district　attorney　had　a　hand…mark　on　Girl　Christopher's　face　and　throat　which　corresponded　to　the　size　of　Annie's　hand；　plete　with　the　mark　of　the　amethyst　ring　she　wore　on　the　fourth　finger　of　her　right　hand。　The　D。A。　also　had　a　pattern　of　observed　entries　arid　exits　to　the　nursery　which　roughly　corresponded　to　the　infant　deaths。　But　Annie　was　the　head　maternity　nurse；　after　all；　so　she　was　always　going　in　and　out。　Defense　was　able　to　show　dozens　of　other　occasions　when　An