"Kim Stanley Robinson - Sixty Days and Counting" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robinson Kim Stanley)

Silence. Then: тАЬFrank?тАЭ
She peeked around the edge of the little boathouse, looking up for him with just the
startled unhappy expression he had feared he would causeтАФ
Then she almost ran up the path. тАЬFrank, what is it?тАЭ she exclaimed as she hurried
up. тАЬWhat are you doing here?тАЭ
He found he was already halfway down the path. They met between two blueberry
bushes, him with a hand up as if in warning, but she crashed through that and
embraced himтАФheld himтАФhugged him. They clung to each other.
Frank had not allowed himself to think of this part (but he had anyway): what it
meant to hold her. How much he had wanted to see her.
She pushed back from him, looking past him up to the house. тАЬWhy are you here?
WhatтАЩs going on? How did you find me?тАЭ
тАЬI needed to warn you about that,тАЭ Frank said. тАЬAt least I thought I should. My
friend at NSF, the one who helped me with the election disk you gave us? He has a
friend who was looking into who your ex is, and what heтАЩs doing now, you know,
because they wanted to follow up on the election thing. So he wanted to talk to you
about that, and my friend told him that you had disappeared, and this guy said that
he knew where you probably were.тАЭ
тАЬOh my God.тАЭ Her hand flew to her mouth. Another body response common to all.
She peered around him again up the driveway.
тАЬSo, I wanted to see if he was right,тАЭ Frank continued, тАЬand I wanted to warn you if
he was. And I wanted to see you, anyway.тАЭ
тАЬYes.тАЭ They held hands, then hugged again. Squeezed hard. Frank felt the fear and
isolation in her.
тАЬSo.тАЭ He pulled back and looked at her. тАЬMaybe you should move.тАЭ
тАЬYeah. I guess so. Possibly. ButтАФwell, first tell me everything you can. Especially
about how this person found me. Here, come on up. LetтАЩs get inside.тАЭ She led him
by the hand, back up the garden path to the house.
She entered it by way of the sun porch door. The sun porch was separated from the
living room by diamond-paned windows above a wainscoting. An old vacation
home, Frank saw, handmade, scrupulously clean, with old furniture, and paintings on
every wall that appeared to be the work of a single enthusiast. The view of the lake
seemed the main attraction to Frank.
Caroline gestured around her. тАЬI first visited my friend Mary here when we were
six.тАЭ
тАЬMan.тАЭ
тАЬBut we havenтАЩt been in touch for years, and Ed never knew about her. I never told
him. In fact, I canтАЩt quite imagine how your friendтАЩs friend tracked down the
association.тАЭ
тАЬHe said you called a number of an old roommate, and this was her place.тАЭ
She frowned. тАЬThatтАЩs true.тАЭ
тАЬSo, thatтАЩs how he tracked this place down. And if he could, so could your ex,
presumably. And besides,тАЭ he added sharply, surprising them both, тАЬwhy did you
tell me that he was your boss?тАЭ
Silence as she stared at him. He explained: тАЬMy friendтАЩs friend said you were
actually your husbandтАЩs boss. So I wanted to know.тАЭ
She glanced away, mouth tight for just an instant.
тАЬCome on,тАЭ she said, and led him through the living room to the kitchen.
There she opened the refrigerator and got out a pitcher of iced tea. тАЬHave a seat,тАЭ
she said, indicating the kitchen table.