JК
Desperation :: Кинг Стивен
Страница: 35 из 422Not that Kirstiewas still. She wriggled and twisted on his lap, hands held out to her mother.
“My doll, Mummy, my doll! Melissa!”
“Officer—” Ellie began.
“No time,” the cop said. “Can’t. Tak!” He U-turned across the road and headed east in a spew of dust. The rear end of the car fishtailed briefly. As it steadied again, it occurred to Ralph how fast this had happened—not ten minutes ago they’d been in their RV, headed down the road. He’d been about to ask David to play Twenty Ques-tions, not because he really wanted to but because he had been bored.
He sure wasn’t bored now.
“Melissa Sweeeeeeetheart!” Kirstie screamed, and then began to weep.
“Take it easy, Pie,” David said. It was his pet name for his baby sister. Like so many other things about David, neither of his parents knew what it meant or where it had come from. Ellie thought it was short for sweetie pie, but when she had asked him one night, David had just—shrugged and grinned his appealing, slanted little grin “Nah, she’s just a pie,” he had said. “Just a pie. that’s all “But ‘Lissa’s in the dirty old dirt,” Kirstie said, looking at her brother with swimming eyes.
“We’ll come back and get her and clean her all up,” David said.
“Promise.”
“Uh-huh. I’ll even help you wash her hair.”
“With Prell.”
“Uh-huh.” He put a quick kiss on her cheek.
“What if the bad man comes.” Kirstie asked. “The bad man like Mr. Big Boogeyman.
What if he dollnaps Melissa Sweetheart.”
David covered his mouth with his hand to hide the ghost of a grin. “He won’t.” The boy glanced up into the rearview mirror, trying to make eye contact with the cop. “Will he.”
“No,” the cop said. “The man we’re looking for is not a dollnapper.” There was no facetiousness Ralph could detect in his voice; he sounded like Joe Friday. Just the facts, ma’am.
He slowed briefly as they passed a sign which read DES-PERATION, then accelerated as he turned right. Ralph hung on, praying that the guy knew what he was doing, that he wouldn’t roll them. The car seemed to lift slightly, then settled back. They were now heading south. On the hori-zon, a huge bulwark of earth, its tan side cut with cracks and zigzag trenches like black scars, loomed against the sky.
“What is he, then.” Ellie asked. “What is this guy. And how did he get hold of the stuff you use to stop speeders. The watchamacallit.”
“Highway carpet, Mom,” David said.
“My doll, Mummy, my doll! Melissa!”
“Officer—” Ellie began.
“No time,” the cop said. “Can’t. Tak!” He U-turned across the road and headed east in a spew of dust. The rear end of the car fishtailed briefly. As it steadied again, it occurred to Ralph how fast this had happened—not ten minutes ago they’d been in their RV, headed down the road. He’d been about to ask David to play Twenty Ques-tions, not because he really wanted to but because he had been bored.
He sure wasn’t bored now.
“Melissa Sweeeeeeetheart!” Kirstie screamed, and then began to weep.
“Take it easy, Pie,” David said. It was his pet name for his baby sister. Like so many other things about David, neither of his parents knew what it meant or where it had come from. Ellie thought it was short for sweetie pie, but when she had asked him one night, David had just—shrugged and grinned his appealing, slanted little grin “Nah, she’s just a pie,” he had said. “Just a pie. that’s all “But ‘Lissa’s in the dirty old dirt,” Kirstie said, looking at her brother with swimming eyes.
“We’ll come back and get her and clean her all up,” David said.
“Promise.”
“Uh-huh. I’ll even help you wash her hair.”
“With Prell.”
“Uh-huh.” He put a quick kiss on her cheek.
“What if the bad man comes.” Kirstie asked. “The bad man like Mr. Big Boogeyman.
What if he dollnaps Melissa Sweetheart.”
David covered his mouth with his hand to hide the ghost of a grin. “He won’t.” The boy glanced up into the rearview mirror, trying to make eye contact with the cop. “Will he.”
“No,” the cop said. “The man we’re looking for is not a dollnapper.” There was no facetiousness Ralph could detect in his voice; he sounded like Joe Friday. Just the facts, ma’am.
He slowed briefly as they passed a sign which read DES-PERATION, then accelerated as he turned right. Ralph hung on, praying that the guy knew what he was doing, that he wouldn’t roll them. The car seemed to lift slightly, then settled back. They were now heading south. On the hori-zon, a huge bulwark of earth, its tan side cut with cracks and zigzag trenches like black scars, loomed against the sky.
“What is he, then.” Ellie asked. “What is this guy. And how did he get hold of the stuff you use to stop speeders. The watchamacallit.”
“Highway carpet, Mom,” David said.