JК
Bag of Bones :: Кинг Стивен
Страница: 84 из 425“You don’t know how bizarre this is for me,” Mattie said. “One of my favorite writers comes out of nowhere and saves my kid. I knew you had a place on the TR, that big old log house everyone calls Sara Laughs, but folks say you don’t come here anymore since your wife died.”
“For a long time I didn’t,” I said. “If Sara was a marriage instead of a house, you’d call this a trial reconciliation.”
She smiled fleetingly, then looked grave again. “I want to ask you for something. A favor.”
“Ask away.”
“Don’t talk about this. It’s not a good time for Ki and me.”
“Why not?”
She bit her lip and seemed to consider answering the question—one I might not have asked, given an extra moment to consider—and then shook her head. “It’s just not. And I’d be so grateful if you didn’t talk about what just happened in town. More grateful than you’ll ever know.”
“No problem.”
“You mean it?”
“Sure. I’m basically a summer person who hasn’t been around for awhile. . which means I don’t have many folks to talk to, anyway.” There was Bill Dean, of course, but I could keep quiet around him. Not that he wouldn’t know. If this little lady thought the locals weren’t going to find out about her daughter’s attempt to get to the beach by shank’s mare, she was fooling herself. “I think we’ve been noticed already, though. Take a look up at Brooksie’s Garage. Peek, don’t stare.” She did, and sighed. Two old men were standing on the tarmac where there had been gas pumps once upon a time. One was very likely Brookshe himself; I thought I could see the remnants of the flyaway red hair which had always made him look like a downeast version of Bozo the Clown. The other, old enough to make Brooksie look like a wee slip of a lad, was leaning on a gold-headed cane in a way that was queerly vulpine. “I can’t do anything about them,” she said, sounding depressed. “Nobody can do anything about them. I guess I should count myself lucky it’s a holiday and there’s only two of them.”
“Besides,” I added, “they probably didn’t see much.” Which ignored two things: first, that half a dozen cars and pick-em-ups had gone by while we had been standing here, and second, that whatever Brooksie and his elderly friend hadn’t seen, they would be more than happy to make up. On Mattie’s shoulder, Kyra gave a ladylike snore. Mattie glanced at her and gave her a smile full of rue and love. “I’m sorry we had to meet under circumstances that make me look like such a dope, because I really am a big fan.
“For a long time I didn’t,” I said. “If Sara was a marriage instead of a house, you’d call this a trial reconciliation.”
She smiled fleetingly, then looked grave again. “I want to ask you for something. A favor.”
“Ask away.”
“Don’t talk about this. It’s not a good time for Ki and me.”
“Why not?”
She bit her lip and seemed to consider answering the question—one I might not have asked, given an extra moment to consider—and then shook her head. “It’s just not. And I’d be so grateful if you didn’t talk about what just happened in town. More grateful than you’ll ever know.”
“No problem.”
“You mean it?”
“Sure. I’m basically a summer person who hasn’t been around for awhile. . which means I don’t have many folks to talk to, anyway.” There was Bill Dean, of course, but I could keep quiet around him. Not that he wouldn’t know. If this little lady thought the locals weren’t going to find out about her daughter’s attempt to get to the beach by shank’s mare, she was fooling herself. “I think we’ve been noticed already, though. Take a look up at Brooksie’s Garage. Peek, don’t stare.” She did, and sighed. Two old men were standing on the tarmac where there had been gas pumps once upon a time. One was very likely Brookshe himself; I thought I could see the remnants of the flyaway red hair which had always made him look like a downeast version of Bozo the Clown. The other, old enough to make Brooksie look like a wee slip of a lad, was leaning on a gold-headed cane in a way that was queerly vulpine. “I can’t do anything about them,” she said, sounding depressed. “Nobody can do anything about them. I guess I should count myself lucky it’s a holiday and there’s only two of them.”
“Besides,” I added, “they probably didn’t see much.” Which ignored two things: first, that half a dozen cars and pick-em-ups had gone by while we had been standing here, and second, that whatever Brooksie and his elderly friend hadn’t seen, they would be more than happy to make up. On Mattie’s shoulder, Kyra gave a ladylike snore. Mattie glanced at her and gave her a smile full of rue and love. “I’m sorry we had to meet under circumstances that make me look like such a dope, because I really am a big fan.