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The Colorado Kid :: Кинг Стивен
Страница: 69 из 81I was convinced he must have bought that pack there, unless he got it out of a vendin machine at a place like the Red Roof or the Shuffle Inn or maybe Sonny’s Sunoco. The way I figured, he must have finished his smokes while wanderin around Moosie, after gettin off the ferry, then bought a fresh supply. And Ialso figured that if he got em at the News, he must have gotten em shortly before eleven, which is when the News closes. That would explain why he just smoked one, and only used one of his new matches, before he died.”
“But then you found out he wasn’t a smoker at all,” Stephanie said.
“That’s right. His wife said so and Cathcart confirmed it. And later on I became sure that pack of smokes was a message: I came from Colorado, look for me there. ”
“We’ll never know for sure, but we both think that’s what it was,” Dave said.
“Jeesus,” she almost whispered. “So where does that lead you?”
Once more they looked at each other and shrugged those identical shrugs. “Into a land of shadows n moonbeams,” Vince said. “Places no feature writer from the BostonGlobe will ever go, in other words. But there are a few things I’m sure of in my heart. Would you like to hear em?”
“Yes!”
Vince spoke slowly but deliberately, like a man feeling his way down a very dark corridor where he has been many times before.
“He knew he was goin into a desperate situation, and he knew he might go unidentified if he died. He didn’t want that to happen, quite likely because he was worried about leaving his wife broke.”
“So he bought those cigarettes, hoping they’d be overlooked,” Stephanie said.
Vince nodded. “Ayuh, and they were.”
“But overlooked bywho?”
Vince paused, then went on without answering her question. “He went down in the elevator and out through the lobby of his building. There was a car waitin to take him to Stapleton Airport, either right there or just around the corner. Maybe it was just him and the driver in that car; maybe there was someone else. We’ll never know. You asked me earlier if Cogan was wearing his overcoat when he left that morning, and I said George the Artist didn’t remember, but Arla said she never saw that overcoat no more, so maybe he was, at that. If so, I think he took it off in the car or in the airplane. I think he also took off his suitcoat jacket. I think someone either gave him the green jacket to wear in their place, or it was waitin for him.”
“In the car or on the plane.”
“Ayuh,” Dave said.
“But then you found out he wasn’t a smoker at all,” Stephanie said.
“That’s right. His wife said so and Cathcart confirmed it. And later on I became sure that pack of smokes was a message: I came from Colorado, look for me there. ”
“We’ll never know for sure, but we both think that’s what it was,” Dave said.
“Jeesus,” she almost whispered. “So where does that lead you?”
Once more they looked at each other and shrugged those identical shrugs. “Into a land of shadows n moonbeams,” Vince said. “Places no feature writer from the BostonGlobe will ever go, in other words. But there are a few things I’m sure of in my heart. Would you like to hear em?”
“Yes!”
Vince spoke slowly but deliberately, like a man feeling his way down a very dark corridor where he has been many times before.
“He knew he was goin into a desperate situation, and he knew he might go unidentified if he died. He didn’t want that to happen, quite likely because he was worried about leaving his wife broke.”
“So he bought those cigarettes, hoping they’d be overlooked,” Stephanie said.
Vince nodded. “Ayuh, and they were.”
“But overlooked bywho?”
Vince paused, then went on without answering her question. “He went down in the elevator and out through the lobby of his building. There was a car waitin to take him to Stapleton Airport, either right there or just around the corner. Maybe it was just him and the driver in that car; maybe there was someone else. We’ll never know. You asked me earlier if Cogan was wearing his overcoat when he left that morning, and I said George the Artist didn’t remember, but Arla said she never saw that overcoat no more, so maybe he was, at that. If so, I think he took it off in the car or in the airplane. I think he also took off his suitcoat jacket. I think someone either gave him the green jacket to wear in their place, or it was waitin for him.”
“In the car or on the plane.”
“Ayuh,” Dave said.