Martins was right (Мартинс был прав)! I had made a complete fool of myself (я сделал полного дурака из себя), but remember that police work in an occupied city (но помните, что полицейская работа в оккупированном городе) is not like police work at home (не похожа на полицейскую работу дома = на родине). Everything is unfamiliar (/здесь/ все незнакомо): the methods of one's foreign colleagues (методы твоих иностранных коллег): the rules of evidence (правила доказательства = нормы доказательственного права): even the procedure at inquests (даже процедура при допросах). I suppose I had got into the state of mind (я полагаю, что я впал в такое состояние мысли/духа) when one trusts too much to one's personal judgement (когда ты доверяешь слишком много своему личному суждению; to judge — судить). I had been immensely relieved by Lime's death (я испытал огромное облегчение: «я был очень облегчен» от смерти Лайма). I was satisfied with the accident (я был удовлетворен /считать это/ несчастным случаем). I said to Martins: "Did you look inside the newspaper kiosk (вы заглянули внутрь газетного киоска) or was it locked (или он был закрыт)?"

"Oh, it wasn't exactly a newspaper kiosk (это не был в точности газетный киоск = это был не совсем…)," he said. "It was one of those solid iron kiosks (это была одна из тех крепких железных будок/тумб) you see everywhere plastered with posters (которые ты видишь везде обклеенными плакатами)."

"You'd better show me the place (вы бы лучше показали мне это место)."

"But is Anna all right (но Анна в порядке)?"

"The police are watching the flat (полиция наблюдает за квартирой). They won't try anything else yet (они не будут пробовать = предпринимать пока чего-либо еще)."

satisfied ['sxtIsfaId], compare [kqm'peq], assistant [q'sIst(q)nt], adjoining [q'GOInIN], junior ['Gu:nIq], enthusiastic [In"Tju:zI'xstIk], enthusiasm [In"Tju:zI'xz(q)m], opportunity ["Opq'tju:nItI], colleague ['kOli:g], procedure [prq'si:Gq], immensely [I'menslI], relieve [rI'li:v], solid ['sOlId], iron ['aIqn]

WHILE MARTINS told me how he went back to Anna's and found her gone, I did some hard thinking. I wasn't satisfied with the ghost story or the idea that the man with Harry Lime's features had been a drunken illusion. I took out two maps of Vienna and compared them: I rang up my assistant and keeping Martins silent with a glass of whisky asked him if he had located Harbin yet. He said no: he understood he'd left Klagenfurt a week ago to visit his family in the adjoining zone. One always wants to do everything oneself: one has to guard against blaming one's juniors. I am convinced that I would never have let Harbin out of our clutches, but then I would probably have made all kinds of mistakes that my junior would have avoided. "All right," I said, "go on trying to get hold of him."

"I'm sorry, sir."

"Forget it. It's just one of those things."

His young enthusiastic voice (if only one could still feel that enthusiasm for a routine job: how many opportunities, flashes of insight one misses simply because a job has become just a job), his voice tingled up the wire: "You know, sir, I can't help feeling that we ruled out the possibility of murder too easily. There are one or two points ..."

"Put them on paper, Carter."

"Yes, sir. I think, sir, if you don't mind my saying so (Carter is a very young man) we ought to have him dug up. There's no real evidence that he died just when the others said."

"I agree, Carter. Get on to the authorities.