JК
The Colorado Kid :: Кинг Стивен
Страница: 56 из 81“We needn’t trust the countergirl, who wasn’t run off her feet the way she would have been in July, but who was doubtless busy all the same, it bein the supperhour and all.”
Stephanie nodded. In this part of the world supper came early. Dinner—pronounceddinnah — was what you ate from your lunchpail at noon, often while out in your lobster boat.
“Let this finger be six o’clock,” he said. “The time of the last ferry.”
She nodded again. “He had to be on that one, didn’t he?”
“He did unless he swam the reach,” Dave said.
“Or chartered a boat,” she said.
“We asked,” Dave said. “More important, we asked Gard Edwick, who was the ferryman in the spring of ’80.”
Did Cogan bring him tea? she suddenly found herself wondering.Because if you want to ride the ferry, you’re supposed to bring tea for the tillerman. You said so yourself, Dave. Or are the ferryman andthe tillerman two different people?
“Steff?” Vince sounded concerned. “Are you all right, dear?”
“I’m fine, why?”
“You looked…I dunno, like you came over strange.”
“I sort of did. It’s a strange story, isn’t it?” And then she said, “Only it’s not a story at all, you were so right about that, and if I came over strange, I suppose that’s why. It’s like trying to ride a bike across a tightrope that isn’t there.”
Stephanie hesitated, then decided to go on and make a complete fool of herself.
“Did Mr. Edwick remember Cogan because Cogan brought him something? Because he brought tea for the tillerman?”
For a moment neither man said anything, just regarded her with their inscrutable eyes—so strangely young and sweetly ladlike in their old faces—and she thought she might laugh or cry or do something, break out somehow just to kill her anxiety and growing certainty that she had made a fool of herself.
Vince said, “It was a chilly crossing. Someone—a man—brought a paper cup of coffee to the pilot house and handed it in to Gard. They only passed a few words. This was April, remember, and by then it was already going dark. The man said, ‘Smooth crossing.’ And Gard said, ‘Ayuh.’ Then the man said ‘This has been a long time coming’ or maybe ‘I’ve been a long time coming.’ Gard said it might have even been ‘Lidle ’s been a long time coming.’ There is such a name; there’s none in the Tinnock phone book, but I’ve found it in quite a few others.
Stephanie nodded. In this part of the world supper came early. Dinner—pronounceddinnah — was what you ate from your lunchpail at noon, often while out in your lobster boat.
“Let this finger be six o’clock,” he said. “The time of the last ferry.”
She nodded again. “He had to be on that one, didn’t he?”
“He did unless he swam the reach,” Dave said.
“Or chartered a boat,” she said.
“We asked,” Dave said. “More important, we asked Gard Edwick, who was the ferryman in the spring of ’80.”
Did Cogan bring him tea? she suddenly found herself wondering.Because if you want to ride the ferry, you’re supposed to bring tea for the tillerman. You said so yourself, Dave. Or are the ferryman andthe tillerman two different people?
“Steff?” Vince sounded concerned. “Are you all right, dear?”
“I’m fine, why?”
“You looked…I dunno, like you came over strange.”
“I sort of did. It’s a strange story, isn’t it?” And then she said, “Only it’s not a story at all, you were so right about that, and if I came over strange, I suppose that’s why. It’s like trying to ride a bike across a tightrope that isn’t there.”
Stephanie hesitated, then decided to go on and make a complete fool of herself.
“Did Mr. Edwick remember Cogan because Cogan brought him something? Because he brought tea for the tillerman?”
For a moment neither man said anything, just regarded her with their inscrutable eyes—so strangely young and sweetly ladlike in their old faces—and she thought she might laugh or cry or do something, break out somehow just to kill her anxiety and growing certainty that she had made a fool of herself.
Vince said, “It was a chilly crossing. Someone—a man—brought a paper cup of coffee to the pilot house and handed it in to Gard. They only passed a few words. This was April, remember, and by then it was already going dark. The man said, ‘Smooth crossing.’ And Gard said, ‘Ayuh.’ Then the man said ‘This has been a long time coming’ or maybe ‘I’ve been a long time coming.’ Gard said it might have even been ‘Lidle ’s been a long time coming.’ There is such a name; there’s none in the Tinnock phone book, but I’ve found it in quite a few others.