"Hall, Adam - The Sinkiang Executive" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hall Adam)

'What?'

'Where are you staying?'

'The International.'

'Ah. Just up the road.'

'Yes.'

'I'll give you a buzz if they signal.'

'It won't be anything I want to hear.'

'Carlos?'

'Si?

'Yo tengo suo leche!'

'Pase usted, Pepita!'

She came in, a vigorous dark-eyed woman still in black for her son, a birthmark livid on her face, her gold teeth flashing. She pulled the carton of milk from the bag of groceries and put it on to the table, eyeing me with the courage of her kind and daring me to think of her as anything but beautiful.

'Pepita, este es un amigo mio, Senor Turner. Senora de la Fuente y Fuente.'

'Mucho gusto de conocerla a usted, Senora de la Fuente,' I said formally.

'Igualmente, Senor.'

Then the phone rang and Charlie spun the wheels of his chair and answered it.

'Yes,' he said. 'Half an hour ago.' He looked across at me and held the receiver out and I took it and said hallo and that was when everything started.


'Can you do anything with suede?'

'No entiendo, Senor'

'Suede. These things,' I said more loudly, pointing at them.

'Ah - si si! Sientese, Senor!'

'What?'

He motioned me into the chair at the end, taking the crutch away and leaning it against the bar, getting a wire brush and looking at my shoes with his head to one side. There wasn't much suede left: I hate buying new shoes.

The man at the bar looked English.