我瘫在沙发上，脑子里乱得像一团麻，可科尔之前在验尸房提的那句"海鲜饭"突然跳了出来。维克托剖开那具尸体时说过，胃里是新鲜的海鲜面，死前两小时刚吃过。梅罗德靠海，海鲜饭店多得跟沙滩上的贝壳似的，可海港附近、两小时车程或脚程能到的地方，肯定没几家。我盯着天花板，脑子慢慢转开：这线索不算大，可要是包装成"内部消息"，绝对能卖个好价钱。报社的电话还躺在那儿，马丁催猛料的声音在我耳边晃，稿费不菲，我确实心动了。
I sprawled on the sofa, my mind a tangled mess, but Cole's earlier mention of "seafood rice" in the morgue suddenly popped up. Viktor had said when he opened the corpse that the stomach contained fresh seafood noodles, eaten just two hours before death. Melrod is by the sea, with seafood restaurants as plentiful as shells on the beach, but near the harbor, within a two-hour drive or walk, there certainly weren't many. I stared at the ceiling, my mind slowly turning: this clue wasn't big, but if packaged as "insider information," it could definitely fetch a good price. The newspaper's call was still there, with Martin's voice urging for juicy details ringing in my ears, and the fee was considerable. I was genuinely tempted.
再说，警局那套密不透风的警情制度我早就看不惯了。安德利死了，他们追个勋章就完事，案子却捂得死死的，像怕谁闻着味儿。我攥着手机，犹豫了半晌，终于下定决心——与其在这儿干耗着，不如主动出击。我抓起外套，翻出笔记本，把"海鲜饭"这条线索写下来，打算加工一下投给报社。不是为了正义，就是想给这破城市捅个窟窿。
Besides, I had long been fed up with the police department's airtight system of information control. Andrey was dead, they gave him a medal and that was it, but they kept the case tightly under wraps, as if afraid someone would catch the scent. I clutched my phone, hesitating for a while, and finally made up my mind—rather than just waiting around here, I might as well take the initiative. I grabbed my coat, pulled out my notebook, wrote down the "seafood rice" clue, planning to work it up a bit and submit it to the newspaper. Not for justice, but just to poke a hole in this broken city.
与此同时，警局里，科尔也没闲着。他坐在办公室里，桌上摊着一张海港区的地图，手边堆着打印出来的饭店地址。他盯着地图，手指在几个红点上划来划去，低声对旁边的迈克说："南门附近，两小时内能到的海鲜饭店不超过五家。那家伙胃里的东西没消化完，说明他吃完没多久就死了。这是个突破口。"迈克啃着三明治，嘀咕："你还真信这能挖出啥？兴许就是个饿鬼随便找地方填肚子。"科尔皱了皱眉，没理他，转头对托马斯说："去查这几家的监控，看看昨晚有没有可疑人物。"
Meanwhile, at the police station, Cole wasn't idle either. He sat in his office with a map of the harbor district spread out on his desk and a stack of printed restaurant addresses beside him. He stared at the map, his finger moving back and forth across several red dots, and said quietly to Mike next to him: "Near the south gate, there are no more than five seafood restaurants that can be reached within two hours. The food in that guy's stomach wasn't fully digested, indicating he hadn't eaten long before he died. This is a breakthrough." Mike, munching on a sandwich, muttered: "You really believe this will dig up anything? Maybe he was just a hungry ghost looking for somewhere to fill his stomach." Cole frowned, ignored him, and turned to Thomas: "Go check the surveillance footage from these places, see if there were any suspicious characters last night."
托马斯点点头，起身走了。科尔靠在椅背上，手里转着笔，眼底闪着股执拗的光。船只信息和港口登记的内容都属于境外账户和数据库，船员也都死了，身份验证和背调，都需要特勤局那边努力，等待他们的结果。科尔认为这案子没表面那么简单，海鲜饭这条线虽小，却是目前唯一可能是撬开大门的钥匙。他正琢磨着，门开了，莱门斯走了进来，西装还是那么板正，手里拿着一杯咖啡。
Thomas nodded, got up, and left. Cole leaned back in his chair, twirling a pen in his hand, a stubborn light flashing in his eyes. The ship information and port registration details all belonged to foreign accounts and databases, and the crew were all dead. Identity verification and background checks would require effort from the Special Services Bureau, waiting for their results. Cole believed this case wasn't as simple as it appeared on the surface, and although the seafood rice lead was small, it was currently the only possible key to open the door. As he was pondering, the door opened and Lemons walked in, his suit as precise as ever, with a cup of coffee in his hand.
"科尔，"莱门斯坐下，点了点桌子，"这案子我来做主要负责人，你当副手。上面盯着呢，我得把这摊子收拾利索。"他顿了顿，笑了笑，"我快调走了，升职之后，这警长的位子，我会推荐你是第一继承人。"他语气平静，像在聊家常，可那股掌控一切的劲儿藏不住。
"Cole," Lemons sat down, tapping the table, "I'll be the main person in charge of this case, with you as the deputy. The higher-ups are watching, and I need to clean up this mess efficiently." He paused, smiled, "I'm about to be transferred, and after my promotion, for the position of police chief, I'll recommend you as the primary successor." His tone was calm, as if chatting about everyday matters, but that air of controlling everything was unmistakable.
科尔愣了下，眉头微皱："警长，我没问题配合，可这案子……"他想说点什么，又咽了回去，低头应道："好，我听您的。"莱门斯拍拍他肩膀，问道："有什么进展吗？"
Cole was momentarily stunned, his brow slightly furrowed: "Chief, I have no problem cooperating, but this case..." He wanted to say something, then swallowed it back, lowering his head and responding: "Alright, I'll follow your lead." Lemons patted his shoulder and asked: "Any progress?"
"还不算，海鲜店，低调却又有大龙虾和高端酒水的地方。"
"Not much yet, seafood restaurants, places that are low-key but serve large lobsters and high-end drinks."
"尸检的结果？"莱门斯皱了皱眉，问道。
"The autopsy results?" Lemons frowned and asked.
"是的，维克托在胃中找到了海鲜面的研磨液、价格绝不低于二百元的高端威士忌、还有上好的龙虾组织。"科尔指着报告单，说道，"这伙人吃的不错，像是被豢养的打手，哦不，是雇佣兵。"
"Yes, Viktor found ground liquid from seafood noodles, high-end whiskey priced no less than two hundred yuan, and high-quality lobster tissue in the stomach." Cole pointed at the report and said, "These guys ate well, like pampered thugs, oh no, mercenaries."
"很好，这确实是一大进展，他们临行前吃了一顿大餐，打算不做饿死鬼！保持你的谨慎，年轻人。"莱门斯笑着说道，"也许我应该让你担起第一负责人的重担，但是你能理解，我得照顾你不被政治困扰而专心经营推理。"莱门斯找了一个位置，坐了下去，"你怎么能肯定他一定去了饭店？而不是在家里做饭，然后赶过去。雇佣兵的工资可比警察十万八千里。"
"Very good, this is indeed a major breakthrough. They had a big meal before setting out, intending not to be hungry ghosts! Maintain your caution, young man." Lemons said with a smile, "Perhaps I should let you take on the burden of being the primary responsible person, but you understand, I need to ensure you're not troubled by politics and can focus on reasoning." Lemons found a place and sat down, "How can you be sure he definitely went to a restaurant? Rather than cooking at home, then hurrying over. Mercenaries' wages are worlds above those of police officers."
"他的手上没有和食物有关的化学物质，也没有找到长期被洗洁精浸泡过的皮肤和水流冲刷痕迹，而且手中有老茧，说明他至少是一个长期持枪的人，在行动前二个小时内，集结、布置任务、部署、作战，根本不可能有时间自己做饭并享用这么好的酒，我敢肯定是壮行酒！他们吃了一顿大餐然后就去了海港！"
"There were no food-related chemicals on his hands, nor any signs of skin soaked in detergent for extended periods or water flow traces. Plus, there were calluses on his hands, indicating he was at least someone who had been holding guns for a long time. In the two hours before the operation, with gathering, task arrangement, deployment, and combat, there couldn't possibly have been time to cook for himself and enjoy such good alcohol. I'm certain it was a farewell drink! They had a big meal and then went to the harbor!"
莱门斯眼神一冷，微微皱眉，站了起来，欣慰地说道："保持谨慎，小伙子，我太看好你了！眼观六路，耳听八方。"
Lemons' eyes grew cold, his brow slightly furrowed, and he stood up, saying appreciatively: "Stay cautious, young man, I have high hopes for you! Keep your eyes and ears open."
莱门斯又拍了拍科尔的肩膀，起身走了，留下一句："年轻人，你的前途无限。"科尔盯着他的背影，眼底闪过一丝复杂的光——似乎满怀期待。
Lemons patted Cole's shoulder again, got up and left, leaving with the words: "Young man, your future is limitless." Cole stared at his retreating figure, a complex light flashing in his eyes—seemingly full of expectation.
我这边，坐在桌前，已经把"海鲜饭"的消息包装好了。标题写得耸人听闻：《港口枪战疑犯最后晚餐曝光，海鲜饭藏致命线索？》，内容模糊了关键信息，只提了"内部人士透露"尸体胃里有新鲜海鲜面，地点指向海港附近。我没写具体饭店，留了点悬念，既能勾人胃口，又不至于露馅。写完我发了邮件给马丁，心里有点虚，可更多的是种报复的快感。
On my end, sitting at the table, I had already packaged the "seafood rice" news. The headline was sensational: "Port Gunfight Suspect's Last Supper Revealed, Seafood Rice Conceals Deadly Clue?" The content blurred key information, only mentioning "insider sources revealed" that fresh seafood noodles were found in the corpse's stomach, pointing to somewhere near the harbor. I didn't write about specific restaurants, leaving a bit of suspense, which could both whet people's appetites and avoid giving away too much. After finishing, I sent an email to Martin, feeling a bit uneasy, but more than that was a sense of vengeful satisfaction.
窗外，戒严后的街道冷清得像鬼城。我点了根烟，吐出去，看着烟雾散开。
Outside the window, the streets after martial law were as desolate as a ghost town. I lit a cigarette, exhaled, watching the smoke dissipate.