"Charles de Lint - Mulengro" - читать интересную книгу автора (De Lint Charles)

was, but there was something in that fog, mister. It was up to the guy’s knees now, maybe, and there
was… things moving in it. It didn’t look like no fog I ever saw and I’ve seen a lot. I used to be a
midshipman, you know—out of Halifax. I worked hard, real hard, but old Redeye likes his bottle, you
know, and I guess they just had to let me go…”

“Then what happened, Ralph?”

Cleary looked back at his shoes. “Then the other guy—the first guy—screamed… But it wasn’t loud or
anything, you know? It was this long whispering… wet sound. Well, I just took off, mister. I dropped
my bottle and I ran, but I just didn’t get too far. I made it to the park and I just sort of couldn’t go no
more. I sat down on a bench and I been there ever since.

“I saw you boys all pulling up with your lights flashing and I knew I should tell you what I saw, but I
couldn’t get up. And I thought… maybe… you’d think I done it, you know? Whatever happened to that
guy in the alley… I thought you’d think it was me that done it. But I never hurt no one, mister.” His gaze
fastened onto Briggs, searching for confirmation, needing to know that the detective believed him.

“No one thinks you did,” Briggs assured him.

“That first guy… he’s dead, isn’t he?”


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 MULENGRO

Briggs nodded.

“Jesus…”

“Did you see the second man come out of the alley?” Will asked.

Cleary shook his head. “I just took off.”

“Was he ever in the light?” Briggs asked. “Would you recognize him if you saw him again?”

Cleary shivered. “I… I think so. He had these scars under his eyes…” He lifted a trembling hand and
touched his upper cheeks. “… right around here, but maybe… maybe it was just the way the light fell on
his face. He was dark-skinned—not as dark as you,” he added, looking at Will, “but dark. His clothes
looked all black and so did his hair. And his eyes… his eyes were like the fog… all sort of pale and
smoky…”

“You’ve been a big help, Ralph,” Briggs said as the man’s voice trailed off once more. “I want you to
know that.” He nodded to Will and the two detectives got out of the car. “What do you think?” Briggs
asked Will as his partner came around the car to stand by him.

“A defense lawyer would tear his story apart in about ten seconds.”

“Yeah. But what do you think?”

Will sighed. “I don’t know, Paddy. All this weird stuff about a fog doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”