"Laymon, Richard - InTheDark" - читать интересную книгу автора (Laymon Richard)

The question made Jane's stomach go cold. She shook her head. "I don't know. I'm not even sure what I'm _supposed_ to do."
"Horse around."
"Whatever that means." She slid the book back to him, his library card on top.
Brace tucked the card into his wallet, then glanced at his wristwatch. "Not quite nine-thirty yet. You've got a while to figure things out." He met her eyes. "I'd be glad to help. Do you need to be anywhere right now, or . . . ?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"Maybe we could go to a restaurant, or something?"
She stared at him.
She liked his looks. Especially his eyes. They seemed warm and friendly, intelligent -- and they looked like the eyes of someone who had known many troubles but had never forgotten how to laugh.
He had the looks of a good and decent man.
But she hardly knew him at all. She wasn't sure she _wanted_ to know him. He seemed all right, but he might be the man behind the peculiar notes. For that matter, he might be a rapist or a killer. You just never knew. Even if he was harmless, he could turn out to be jealous and possessive enough to make her life miserable, or a womanizer who would get what he could and dump her. He might be none of the above, but already married.
All sorts of ways for Jane to get hurt -- or worse -- by this guy.
Then again, she thought, he might be just what he seems.
_Figure it one chance in a thousand._
"A wedge of pie," he said. "A cup of joe, and thou."
Her small cough of laughter took her completely by surprise.
"What do you say?" Brace asked.
"Sure, why not?"


At Ezra's, a block from the library, they sat at a corner booth and Brace plucked two menus out from behind the napkin holder. He handed one to Jane. "Hope you don't mind if I order a full meal. Do the same, if you'd like. It's on me."
"What happened to the wedge of pie and cup of joe?"
He grinned. "I only said that for effect. Thing is, I skipped my supper tonight."
"On purpose?"
"Forgot about it."
"You forgot to _eat_?"
A waitress came to the table. Jane ordered a Pepsi and chili-cheese fries. Brace ordered a bacon cheeseburger, seasoned curly fries, and a root beer.
When the waitress was gone, he said, "I suddenly got this bug to read _Youngblood Hawke_. Does that ever happen to you? There's some book or author you've always wanted to try, and all of a sudden you _have_ to?"
"Oh, yes. Sometimes, I need an 87th Precinct fix. Or I get a sudden a craving for a Travis McGee. And there are times I feel like I can't get through the night without reading a Hemingway story."
"Really? Unusual tastes for a woman. But I did have you pegged for a book nut."
"Must've been quite a leap, considering I'm a librarian."
Brace laughed. Takes one to know one. I teach lit. over at D.U. Anyway, I got the urge to read _Youngblood Hawke_, so I went over to the university library. Their only copy was checked out, so then I tried the B. Dalton -- no luck -- the Waldenbooks -- no luck. Finally, I gave your library a try. Success! I grabbed the book and hurried over to the nearest carrel to start reading. Thus did I miss my supper."
"And thus did you miss closing time."
"My powers of concentration are awesome. And often a pain in the rear. Give you an example. I picked up an F. Paul Wilson novel at an airport gift shop last Christmas. I was supposed to fly home to spend the holidays with my family. While I was waiting for the jet to start boarding, I began to read the book there in the waiting area by the gate. A very _crowded_ waiting area. When I came out of the book, the crowd was gone. So was my flight."
She saw the glint in his eye. "You're kidding."
"It's the truth. Stuff like that happens to me all the time."
"But that's awful!" she gasped, trying not to laugh.
"Oh, everything balances out. Tonight, for instance, my little problem introduced me to you."
"Lucky you."
"You're quite an improvement over your predecessor."
"You knew her?"
"Oh, yes. Old Phyllis Favor. An awful thing."
"Her death?"
"Her life."
Jane laughed. "That's _terrible_."
"You never met her, did you?"
"No, but . . ."
"I know people who stayed away from that library because of her. Real book-lovers, too. Including myself, when I finally couldn't stomach any more of that woman. I've seen her make people burst into tears by the way she _looked_ at them. Not a nice person, may she rest in peace."
"I've heard she was . . . unpleasant."
"The earth is a far a better place, now that she's beneath it."
Jane tried not to laugh, but couldn't stop herself. "And you seemed like such a _nice_ man."