"Aldridge, Ray - Filter FeedersV1" - читать интересную книгу автора (Aldridge Ray)

She looked.

The blue Gulf was a beautiful soft dream, the first time she saw it. She parked her old car along a stretch of undeveloped beach, and felt the sun soak through the windows, warming her. There was an energizing tang to the air, she'd never filled her lungs with such delicious stuff before.

She got out and looked out across the ocean, marveling at the subtle gradation of hues, from the pale aquamarine in the shallows to the dense metallic purple at the horizon. A gentle onshore breeze carried a faint scent of seaweed and fish, an exotic smell, not at all unpleasant, with an even fainter undertone of coconut oil. The beach was almost deserted, in comparison to other beaches she had known -- only a few sunbathers were scattered over the brilliant white sand.

She felt a complex mixture of hope and anxiety, but the emotions were just a buzzing background to the lovely sensations of the moment. She'd left Atlanta in a frenzy of anger and disappointment, driven all night, thinking dark thoughts. All forgotten, at least for now.

She opened the trunk and got a cream soda from the ice chest. She sat on the hood, looking out over the Gulf, sipping the soda. She rolled the taste of it on her tongue -- vanilla was such a round perfect flavor.

The sun felt so good. Later it might be too hot for comfort, but now, in mid-morning, it was perfect. She wanted to take off her blouse and let the sun touch her breasts, like a lover's warm breath,

Happiness surged through her, but it was a feeling that lived far away from her ordinary thoughts and emotions. She might have thought it very strange, were she not so full of delight.

By the time the sun rose, they were far out in the Gulf, the Destin condominiums sinking below the edge of the sea. Thomas showed her how to steer the course, how to watch the set of the sails, and then went below.

An hour later he came on deck with Linda's body wrapped in a sheet and weighted with rusty chain.

He gave her to the water without ceremony.

"What now?" Teresa asked.

"We will go south, to an island where no one lives, and the tidal range is large enough to careen Rosemary. She needs new bottom paint."

He took the wheel, and Teresa went to sit in the comer of the cockpit, where there was a little shelter from the wind.

She could not say she was happy, but at least she felt no pain. She could not say she had hopes, but at least she had expectations.