"Bill Vaughan - The Wall" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vaughan Bill)

Leo tucked his maroon tie between the second and third buttons of his blue
shirt, shrugged on his uniform jacket (size forty-four short), swilled a cup of coffee.
His eyes never left the Wall. Finally he glanced at his watch, grabbed his cap, and
headed for the door.

Down three flights and out to the street. Leo hesitated at the front door,
brushed back his thinning brown hair, put on his cap, made sure his earplugs were
in. He opened the door, and winced as the sound of the pumps struck him.

The hot Wall breeze had not yet begun, it was chilly and damp in the WallтАЩs
shadow. A stream flowed down Avenue D, rushing into the drains at the corner of
Seventh Street. LeoтАЩs nose wrinkled as he hurried past it. His lips moved as he
chanted a sing-song litany, inaudible over the pumps:

тАЬGod damn Wall.

тАЬBastard Wall.

тАЬGod damn, son of a bitch, bastard Wall.тАЭ

Pancho Villa sets the toolbox on the concrete by the open rear door and gets
back in the car. He leaves the door open.

Between the doors, the grating comes loose. Nikolai Lenin shoves it aside and
climbs down into the storm drain.

A patrol car pulls up, an old-fashioned methanol burner, stinking of
formaldehyde. A policeman sticks his head out the window.

тАЬYтАЩ wanna move that heap right now, lady, or IтАЩll call the wrecker.тАЭ

тАЬJust a minute, officer. I think IтАЩve got it.тАЭ Carrie Nation fiddles under the
hood, gets back in the driverтАЩs seat. Meanwhile, Leo Bugleman crawls out of the car
and disappears into the storm drain.

The patrol car pulls up in front of the electric, as Carrie Nation tries the motor.
It hums to life. The policeman approaches, swaggering a little. Carrie gets out of the
car and meets him halfway. She shows him her driverтАЩs license; the name on it is not
тАЬCarrie Nation.тАЭ Her blouse buttons have come open; perhaps she shows him other
things. In any case, he does not see Pancho Villa crawl out of the car.
 тАЬNo problem, officer,тАЭ says Carrie. тАЬBad connection to the superconductor.
ItтАЩs fixed.тАЭ She goes to the hood, closes it. It doesnтАЩt quite catch. She raises the
hood again and slams it, as Pancho muscles the toolbox into the storm drain and
drops down after it. From below, several hands pull the grating back in place.

Carrie Nation saunters around the car, closing doors. She gets back in the
driverтАЩs seat, revs the engine. Preceded by the patrol car, she pulls out into traffic,
leaving three men and a heavy toolbox in a storm drain that runs beneath the Wall.

It was nearly nine.