三
休西斯断定，杀害贝西的，一定就是这个镇子上的孩子。
休西斯指着米奇说：“I came up with the idea that mitch had received the fourth report, about little Bessie's death.（我的这个想法是从米奇接到第四次报案，也就是关于小贝西死后。）”
米奇接着说，“I was the fourth cop to be called. Some kid came to tell me they found little Bessie's body behind the broken wall of the abandoned house. By the time I got there, there were already a lot of people, both adults and children. The adults' faces were heavy, considering this was the fourth child's body found in the town. But instead of danger, the children seemed to be running about in excitement.（我是第四个接到报案的警察。有个孩子跑来告诉我，他们在废弃的破房子断墙后面，发现了小贝西的尸体。我赶过去的时候，那里已经来了很多人，大人和小孩都有。大人的脸色都很沉重，要知道这毕竟已经是小镇发现的第四个孩子的尸体。可是孩子们似乎并没有赶到危险就在身边，而是十分兴奋，在那里跑来跑去。）”
作者那里的另外几个警察也表示，他们接到报案以后，遇到了和米奇差不多的情况。那就是大人们非常严肃和沉重，而孩子们保险的不是害怕而是一种兴奋。
休西斯继续说，“From what they said, I soon had a strange idea. Could these naughty children have something to do with it? It can't even be ruled out as children's behavior. So I ordered my men to conduct a survey of all the kids in town.
（根据他们的陈述，我很快就有了一个奇怪的念头，这些事会不会和这些顽皮的孩子有关？甚至不排除就是孩子们的行为。于是我布置手下，对全镇的孩子展开了调查。）”
休西斯和手下的警察，展开了对镇上所有孩子的排查。镇子上那些平时顽劣的男孩子都进入了警察的视线，可也有两个女孩子受到了怀疑，就是10岁的杰娜和13岁的雅荻。
因为这桩谋杀案发生过后，杰娜的行为变得有些叫人摸不着头脑，总是站在棺材旁边发出“咯咯”的笑声，还不停兴奋地搓自己两只手。雅荻却是异常兴奋地围着棺材跑来跑去，似乎贝西的死，是一件很为有趣的事情。
“These two girls are acting so strange.（这两个女孩子的表现太奇怪了。）”休西斯说，“Jena, only 10 years old, stood beside Bessie's coffin, rubbing her hands together and even making strange faces, while Yadi, 13, ran around the coffin.（那个叫杰娜的小姑娘，只有10岁，却一直站在贝西的棺材旁边，不断兴奋地搓着自己双手，甚至做出各种古怪的表情，而13岁的雅荻，则是一直在围绕这棺材不断奔跑。）”
休西斯的直觉告诉自己，杀害小贝西的凶手很可能就是杰娜和雅荻中的一个。休西斯甚至对这个小女孩感到毛骨悚然，他感觉这个小姑娘太危险了，如果不及时采取措施，她很可能真会杀人。
休西斯坦率表示，“I couldn't find anything else, but I kept having this creepy gut feeling that these two girls probably knew something, even if they killed those kids.
（我找不到其他证据，可一直有一种毛骨悚然的直觉，在不断告诉我，这两个女孩，很可能知道内情，甚至不排除就是她们杀害了那些孩子。）”
鹿鸣一直凝神听着，身边的孟晓云和千里寻真他们，已经忍不住低声议论起来。
“可能吗？也太不可思议了，两个孩子，还是女孩子杀了那些其他的孩子。”孟晓云小声嘀咕。
“米切尔不是请我们来的时候，已经告诉我们，这个案子很可能是孩子做的？你怎么还是这样大惊小怪？”
“可我始终不愿意相信，现在听了休西斯的陈述，我都感到毛骨悚然了。这简直就是魔鬼女孩。”
休西斯陈述告了段落。
鹿鸣问道，“Detective Hewis, have you formally interviewed these two girls?（休西斯探长，你正式询问过这两个女孩吗？）”
“Yes, I did question one of the kids, the girl Named Yadi.（是的，我的确是询问了其中一个孩子，是那个叫雅荻的女孩。）”
休西斯说，他决定先询问雅荻，因为杰娜这个小姑娘更加不好对付。
雅荻在警察局对休西斯说：“杰娜亲口告诉我，是她杀死了贝西，还带我在断墙后面看了贝西的尸体。”
雅荻还告诉警察，杰娜很严厉地警告她要保守秘密，不许告诉任何人，否则，一样也会杀了她。
“Detective Hewis, what did you do after you got this I.D.? Did they arrest Jenna right away?（休西斯探长，你得到这个指证以后做了什么？是不是马上拘捕了杰娜？）”鹿鸣问道。
休西斯点点头，“Yes, Deerrider, you were right, and I did take the little Jena girl into custody at once.（是的，鹿骑士，你的推断很准确，我的确马上带人拘捕了那个叫杰娜的小姑娘。）”
鹿鸣微笑着说，“What's the result? If MY calculations are correct, you must have gained nothing. That little girl must have had good reason to let her go soon.（结果怎么样？如果我没有推算错，你一定是毫无收获。那个小姑娘一定有足够的理由，让你很快放了她。）”
“You were absolutely right. Like you said, I had to release Jenna pretty quickly.（你说的完全正确，就像你说的那样，我不得不很快释放了杰娜。）”休西斯沮丧急了不断揪自己头发。“It's embarrassing that I, a 42-year-old detective, was fooled by a 10-year-old girl.（我这个42岁的探长，居然被一个10岁的小姑娘耍了，简直丢人啊。）”
鹿鸣劝慰他，“Detective Heucis, you don't have to blame yourself. This is new to any of us, isn't it?（休西斯探长，不必这样自责。我们谁都是第一次遇到这种情况，不是吗？）”
休西斯立刻派警察拘捕了杰娜。
坐在审讯室里，米切尔看着面前这个漂亮的小姑娘，她长着一头黑发，却是一对蓝汪汪的大眼睛。也许因为突然被抓到警察局，眼神里闪出了一丝惊慌失措，却又很快恢复了镇定。
米奇首先开始询问她，是不是杀死了贝西的时候，她却在那里若无其事地谈笑风生。
“Officer, you're not kidding a kid, are you? I was ten years old, a girl, and I was afraid to kill a Suckling cat. You're asking me if I killed someone? Is it in your head, or did I mishear you? Or did the gentleman just have a drink?（警察先生，你不会是在和我一个小孩子开玩笑吧？我只有10岁，还是姑娘，就是让我杀死一只小奶猫，都会害怕。你居然问我是不是杀了人？究竟是你的脑子出了问题，还是我听错了？或者是这个先生刚刚喝过酒？）”
米奇被杰娜气的两个眼睛要喷火，忍不住拿起警棍。休西斯推开米奇，自己走过去，和颜悦色问话。
他兜了个圈子说“Someone told us they saw you and Yadi playing near the tracks the day Bessie died.（有个人对我们说贝西出事的那天看见你和雅荻就在铁轨附近玩。）”
杰娜马上回答“Looks like this guy has pretty good eyesight.（看起来这个人的视力非常棒啊。）”
“Why is that? You see two girls playing near the tracks, you need good eyesight, right?（为什么？看见两个在铁轨附近玩的姑娘，一定需要好视力？）”休西斯抓住了杰娜话里的破绽马上追问。
杰娜似乎在第一时间就意识到自己说漏了嘴。
她俏皮地眨巴这眼睛回答：“Doesn't it take an extraordinary eye to see people who don't exist?（要看到根本不存在的人，难道不需要非凡的眼力？）”
休西斯在审讯桌后面，紧紧皱着眉头，这个小姑娘实在太狡猾了。她有超人的镇静力，又惊人的聪明，竟完全知道自己那些话不该说。
“Jenna, you better think this through. The cops don't just drop you off, and you said you were a 10-year-old girl. Do you think we cops would make fun of you like that? No, we've received very specific allegations that you killed little Bessie.（杰娜，你最好想清楚。警察是不会随便把你带来的，而且你自己也说，自己只是个10岁的女孩。你觉得我们警察会和你开这样的玩笑吗？不，是我们收到了很确切的指控，有人指控你杀害了小贝西。）”
“Is that so? Who is accusing me? Is it Yadi? Mr. Police officer, you fell for that? A 13-year-old accused a child three years younger of killing another child. Don't you find such accusations ridiculous?（是这样吗？是谁指控我？是雅荻吧？警察先生，你居然就相信了？一个13岁的大孩子，指控一个比她小三岁的小孩子，杀了另一个小孩子。你不觉得这样的指控很可笑吗？）”
