"c32" - читать интересную книгу автора (Burt Andrew - Noontide Night)

6:10 A.M., Friday, December 31, 1999
Agate, Colorado

It took Nate over an hour to drive into Denver. He sat in the car for another. Amber never came out of her apartment. One of the two cars her roommates shared was here; that was inconclusive. She should have left for work by now. Should have walked right past his ugly blue '87 Mazda 323 hatchback. Right past the front fender that was gray primer. Nate sat. He meant to paint that fender years ago. For someone who planned out his days months in advance, this slip greatly annoyed him. He thought about crawling under the dash to fix the radio, which had gone out again not ten minutes after he'd left. But if the neighbors saw legs dangling out a car door at six in the morning, they might think he was hot-wiring a car and call the cops. Nate finally screwed up his courage and went to her door. Maybe, he thought, his breath frosting on the second floor's landing, maybe she's decided to skip work and she's packing right now so she could come to the bolt-hole and... Nate knocked. "Hey." Amber's roommate, Alsatia, left the door open for him. She plunked down in a well-worn spot on the floor in front of the TV, her back against the couch. Toonman blared, "T-t-t-toon off dat music!" "Amber here?" Nate closed the door, stood just inside it. "Naww," she said, spooning in a milky mouthful of Lucky Charms. "Where is she, at work?" "Dunno." "What time'd she leave?" Alsatia shrugged. "Never came back last night."

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Chapter 3.2

6:10 A.M., Friday, December 31, 1999
Agate, Colorado

It took Nate over an hour to drive into Denver. He sat in the car for another. Amber never came out of her apartment. One of the two cars her roommates shared was here; that was inconclusive. She should have left for work by now. Should have walked right past his ugly blue '87 Mazda 323 hatchback. Right past the front fender that was gray primer. Nate sat. He meant to paint that fender years ago. For someone who planned out his days months in advance, this slip greatly annoyed him. He thought about crawling under the dash to fix the radio, which had gone out again not ten minutes after he'd left. But if the neighbors saw legs dangling out a car door at six in the morning, they might think he was hot-wiring a car and call the cops. Nate finally screwed up his courage and went to her door. Maybe, he thought, his breath frosting on the second floor's landing, maybe she's decided to skip work and she's packing right now so she could come to the bolt-hole and... Nate knocked. "Hey." Amber's roommate, Alsatia, left the door open for him. She plunked down in a well-worn spot on the floor in front of the TV, her back against the couch. Toonman blared, "T-t-t-toon off dat music!" "Amber here?" Nate closed the door, stood just inside it. "Naww," she said, spooning in a milky mouthful of Lucky Charms. "Where is she, at work?" "Dunno." "What time'd she leave?" Alsatia shrugged. "Never came back last night."


back | next home