"Terry Dowling - La Profonde" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dowling Terry)

тАЬJust to the next station. You ever take this line?тАЭ

тАЬYou kidding? IтАЩm a city boy. I never get out this far.тАЭ

тАЬRight. Well, GreenwoodтАЩs just another little station like Morley back
there. Brand new. They all are once you get past Belmont. Just a platform,
a shelter, some steps up to a bus-stop for a feeder bus line that doesnтАЩt
seem to be operating yet, not much else. Not much of a train service on a
Sunday out here, not yet anyway. WhatтАЩs that term they use a lot nowadays:
abandoned in place?тАЭ

Derwent nodded and uh-huhтАЩd. HeтАЩd adjusted again, had worked out a
new strategy, all predictable really. тАЬYou did this as a kid?тАЭ His tone was
pitched to invite sharing.

тАЬItтАЩs where we played a lot. I still love walking the tracks.тАЭ

Derwent knew his cue. тАЬWe never knew stuff like that, Jay. That you
had a thing for trains -тАЭ

тАЬNot so much the trains, Dee. More the landscape you find around
railway lines, the narrow strip of land they run through. Even out here where
itтАЩs not too built up yet you get the same no-manтАЩs-land corridor you find in
cities and the inner suburbs. The moment a line is opened up, there they
are: the same lines of fences and plantings, the same cuttings, power
poles, the chain-link barriers and supply sheds. Look at all this! Grass,
bushes, mounds of soil. Rails and sleepers for repair work, future track
development. Today IтАЩve seen an old tanker bogey left on a spur not even
joined to the main track. Not even joined! Then half a dozen cattle trucks,
just left out here. Go figure. ThatтАЩs all part of it.тАЭ

Derwent didnтАЩt miss a beat. тАЬSo how far have you walked today, Jay?тАЭ

Jay knew exactly how far to the precise mile and yard, the exact
metre, but he pretended to think. тАЬLetтАЩs see. I drove out early and parked at
Silverton, then caught the 9:40 back to Belmont. Now IтАЩm walking back to
the car. ThatтАЩs five stations so far. One more to go: Greenwood, then itтАЩs
Silverton again.тАЭ

тАЬI caught the train out like you said. IтАЩll need to get back.тАЭ

Jay nodded. тАЬI can give you a lift. I can drop you off once we settle
this.тАЭ

That clearly made Derwent feel better. тАЬAnd just how do we settle
this? Like I said. Jay. It wasnтАЩt personal. I can pay you back something if -тАЭ

тАЬIt canтАЩt be about money now, Dee,тАЭ Jay said, and looked at his watch
again. There was a double coming up, he was sure of it.
 тАЬHey, youтАЩre counting!тАЭ Derwent said. HeтАЩd only just noticed.