十七
孟晓云虽然无法接受雅荻这样的人生观点，可很清楚，她愿意倾吐心声，至少十分有利于找到真相，便还是耐着性子，十分温和地拉着她的手谆谆劝导。
“Yadi, I understand. It's the trauma you suffered in your childhood that has twisted your mind. It's really a disease, and it can be treated. You treat me like a friend, asking me to help you.（雅荻，我明白了，是幼年遭遇的伤害，让你心理扭曲了，这真是一种病，可以治疗的。你把我当做朋友，让我来帮助你。）”
“A friend? I had a friend once, but rescues are off the table now. Who has true friends in this dark, vicious world?（朋友？我有过一个朋友，不过现在营救不在往来。这个黑暗恶毒的世界，谁会有真正的朋友？）”
雅荻十分抱怨，不过并未推开孟晓云。孟晓云抓住这个机会用胳膊半拥着她，尽可能给她信任感。
“What's going on? Can you tell me?（怎么回事，可以说给我听吗？）”
“Do you believe anything I say?（我说的话，你会相信吗？）”
“Of course. We are friends now. I choose to believe you.（当然。我们现在已经是朋友了。我选择相信你。）”
雅荻忽然咬牙切齿起来。“That bitch Jenna. We were really good friends. And yet she would frame me for murder in front of the police. I was just afraid of the cops and told the truth. I'm 13 years old. If the police think I killed someone, they'll arrest me. But Jenna is only ten years old. Ten years old children are not liable. I knew that, and I told the truth. But the police did not believe it, but to believe Jenna's false accusation, said that I killed. I almost got caught by the police.（就是杰娜那个婊子。我们本来是很要好的朋友。可是她居然会在警察面前诬陷我杀人。我只是害怕警察，说了实话。我已经13岁了，如果警察认为是我杀了人，一定会把我抓起来。可是杰娜只有10岁，10岁的小孩子不需要负法律责任。这一点我很清楚，于是我说了真话。可是警察并没有相信，反而去相信了杰娜的诬陷，说人是我杀的。我差一点被警察抓走。）”
孟晓云拍拍她的后背，安稳她。“Yadi, be quiet. Don't get excited, the truth is not a substitute for lies. The police didn't arrest you, either, did they? The police want evidence when they arrest people. Do they have any proof? But you said Jenna was a murderer, and you had to give the evidence, the evidence, to make the police believe you.
（雅荻，安静一点。不要激动，真相并不是谎言可以代替的。警察不也没有把你抓起来？警察抓人要将证据。他们有证据吗？可是，你说杰娜是杀人犯，也要将证据，用证据说话，让警察相信你。）”
“What more proof do you need? I saw it with my own eyes. I was right there when she strangled two people. You know what? Is two. Like a nightmare in a fairy tale, she strangled them with both hands.（还要什么证据？是我亲眼看见的。我就在旁边亲眼看见她掐死了两个人。你知道吗？是两个。她就像童话里的噩梦，用两只手掐死了他们。）”
雅荻的眼睛里流露出一种恐怖，就像真的看见了噩魔一样。
孟晓云抓住了她话中要点。“Wait, you're saying Jenna strangled two kids? You saw them with your own eyes. Who were they? Where were they strangled?（等等，你说杰娜掐死了两个孩子？都是你亲眼看见，他们是谁，在哪里掐死的？）”
似乎是因为太久的压抑得不到宣泄，雅荻情不自禁说出了当时的真相。
“In the middle of the ruined old town, in two run-down houses, one was Bessie and the other was Conan from the orphanage.（就在废墟旧镇的中心两栋破房子里，一个是贝西，还有一个是孤儿院的柯南。）”
“Conan? You're saying that conan, the little boy from the orphanage, was actually killed in the ruins? But the police never found the body.（柯南？你是说孤儿院失踪的那个小男孩柯南，其实也被杀死在废墟那边？可警察当初并没有发现尸体。）”
“The body was in a well. We knocked down the broken wall next to the well and buried his body.（尸体在一口井里。我们推倒了水井旁边的断墙，掩埋了他的尸体。）”
雅荻的目光开始散乱，显然已经进入了一种迷茫的状态。她已经被恐惧吓住了。
孟晓云知道到了关键时刻，雅荻显然说了真话，贝西和柯南一定是杰娜掐死的。不过，雅荻不仅在场，而且是做了帮凶，她一直生活在这样的恐惧里。
孟晓云一把抱紧雅荻。“Listen to me, Adhi, you have to turn yourself in, tell the truth, and lead them to The bones of Conan. I'll testify and have the cops turn you into a witness.（听我说，雅荻，你必须倒警察局求自首，说出一切真相，带他们去找到柯南的尸骨。我会给你作证，让警察把你转为污点证人。）”
雅荻抬起头望着孟晓云。“What is a witness?（什么是污点证人？）”
“A stain witness refers to a person who, in order to reduce or exempt himself from criminal responsibility, cooperates with the police as a witness for the prosecution and testifies against other criminals. The stain witness is a special kind of witness. The difference between him and the ordinary witness is that he is a participant in the criminal activities and has a stain on the crime rather than an innocent person. His behavior has the constituent elements of criminal law.（污点证人是指犯罪活动的参与者为减轻或免除自己的刑事责任，与警方合作，作为控方证人，指证其他犯罪人犯罪事实的人。污点证人是较为特殊的一种证人，与一般证人的区别在于，他是犯罪活动的参与者，有犯罪污点，不是清白的人，其行为已具有刑法上犯罪的构成要件。）”
孟晓云耐心做着解释，“Yadi, you were part of the crime by not stopping Jenna at the scene of the crime, and by helping to bury the body. Except you weren't directly involved in killing them. If you are willing to cooperate with the police, provide jenna's facts and relevant evidence, and testify in court, you can be a witness for the prosecution.（雅荻，你在犯罪现场没有阻止杰娜，而且帮助掩埋尸体，这些都是参与了犯罪。只不过你并没有直接参与杀害他们。如果你愿意与警方合作，提供杰娜犯罪事实和相关证据，并且出庭作证，就可以成为控方污点证人。）”
雅荻忽然抓紧孟晓云的手。“Sister China, will you help me?（中国姐姐，你愿意帮我吗？）”
孟晓云握紧她的手，非常诚恳地说，“Listen, Adhi, if you're willing to help the police find evidence and testify, I will.（听好，雅荻，只要你愿意帮助警方找到证据，并且出庭作证，我一定帮你。）”
“But will the police believe me?（可是，警察会相信我吗？）”
“Will. I'll make sure the police believe.（会的。我一定让警察相信。）”
“Sister China, you asked me to think about it.（中国姐姐，你让我考虑一下。）”雅荻开始犹豫。
孟晓云并没有去逼迫她，而是主动换了一个其他话题。
“Okay, just think about it. I want to ask you another question. Would you like to stay in school if you could?（好，你抓紧考虑。我想问你另一个问题，如果可以，你愿意继续上学吗？）”
雅荻紧张的情绪明显放松，扬起头露出少有的惊喜。“Are you telling the truth? Can I go back to school? But my family has no money.（你说的是真的？我真可以重新去上学？可我家没有钱。）”
“Of course it's true. We will find ways to sponsor you dropouts to go back to school.（当然是真的。我们会设法赞助你们这些辍学的儿童，重新回到学校去。）”
孟晓云说出了自己的真实想法。她已经想好了，回去以后说服鹿鸣，赞助斯哥特伍德小镇几个失学的孩子。她相信鹿鸣会同意的。
“Thank you Chinese sister.（谢谢你中国姐姐。）”雅荻变得活泼起来。“I really enjoyed my days at school.（我真的很喜欢在学校的那些日子。）”
“Yadi, I will help you realize your wish to go back to school. But you must also correct the mistakes you have made. Try to go to the police station earlier surrender, help the police find out the truth.（雅荻，我会帮助你实现重新上学的愿望。可是你也一定要纠正自己已经犯下的错误。争取早一点去警察局自首，帮助警察查明真相。）”
“I'll think about it, and I'll find you, okay? If we go to the police, I need your help.（我一定会好好想一想，然后去找你好吗？如果去警局，我需要你的帮助。）”
“Of course. I've been waiting for you.（那当然，我一直等着你。）”
孟晓云牵着雅荻的手走出小阁楼。
院子里，刘三喜的画作到了尾声，他居然仅仅根据斯特朗老太太的描述，在老太太坐着的肖像背后，添上了一个栩栩如生的斯特朗老头。老太太看着画像，眼泪都流下来。
