第56部分(第4/7 頁)

〃Anyway；　I　went　on　up　to　Purdom　County　to　check　Wharton's　court　records　…　all　we　had　here　were　the　reports　on　the　murders　that　got　him　to　the　Green　Mile。　The　end　of　his　career；　in　other　words。　I　wanted　the　beginning。〃

〃Lot　of　trouble？〃　Brutal　asked。

〃Yeah。　Vandalism；　petty　theft；　setting　haystack　fires；　even　theft　of　an　explosive　…　he　and　a　friend　swiped　a　stick　of　dynamite　and　set　it　off　down　by　a　creek。　He　got　going　early；　ten　years　old；　but　what　I　wanted　wasn't　there。　Then　the　Sheriff　turned　up　to　see　who　I　was　and　what　I　was　doing；　and　that　was　actually　lucky。　I　fibbed；　told　him　that　a　cell…search　had　turned　up　a　bunch　of　pictures　in　Wharton's　mattress　…　little　girls　with　no　clothes　on。　I　said　I'd　wanted　to　see　if　Wharton　had　any　kind　of　history　as　a　pederast；　because　there　were　a　couple　of　unsolved　cases　up　in　Tennessee　that　I'd　heard　about。　I　was　careful　never　to　mention　the　Detterick　twins。　I　don't　think　they　crossed　his　mind；　either。〃

〃Course　not〃；　Harry　said。　〃Why　would　they　have？　That　case　is　solved；　after　all。〃

〃I　said　I　guessed　there　was　no　sense　chasing　the　idea；　since　there　was　nothing　in　Wharton's　back　file。　I　mean；　there　was　plenty　in　the　file；　but　none　of　it　about　that　sort　of　thing。　Then　the　Sheriff　…　Catlett；　his　name　is　…　laughed　and　said　not　everything　a　bad　apple　like　Bill　Wharton　did　was　in　the　court　files；　and　what　did　it　matter；　anyway？　He　was　dead；　wasn't　he？

〃I　said　I　was　doing　it　just　to　satisfy　my　own　curiosity；　nothing　else；　and　that　relaxed　him。　He　took　me　back　to　his　office；　sat　me　down；　gave　me　a　cup　of　coffee　and　a　sinker；　and　told　me　that　sixteen　months　ago；　when　Wharton　was　barely　eighteen；　a　man　in　the　western　part　of　the　county　caught　him　in　the　barn　with　his　daughter。　It　wasn't　rape；　exactly；