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

Chapter Five


"How are we going to get in?" Jane asked as they approached the fence.
It reminded her of fences she had sometimes seen around tennis courts: as high as a one-story building and draped on the inside with tarps.
"I can't climb over that," she said.
"Sure you can."
"Well, I'm not _going_ to."
He laughed. "Me neither. But there might be another way to get in."
They passed a corner of the enclosure, and walked along the front. Here, moonlight found its way through breaks in the trees. It showed broad, double gates at the center of the fence, and a lane of asphalt that led away toward the quad. Fixed high on the fence was the spotlight Brace had mentioned. It was apparently aimed down at the asphalt directly in front of the gates. A curve of its fixture glowed with moonlight, but its bulb was dark.
"Might've just burnt out," Brace said as they walked closer to the gates.
"I bet he climbed up there and unscrewed it a little."
"Whatever, it's just as well. I wouldn't want to be fooling around back here with that light shining on us."
Jane had hoped the gates would give her a view inside the fenced area, but now she saw that they, too, were hung with tarps. "Somebody sure doesn't want people looking in," she muttered.
"It's probably to avoid tempting the students." Brace stepped toward the padlocked chain that was wrapped around the center posts of the gates, binding them together. He crouched slightly and lifted the padlock. Then he began studying the chain. "The last thing the college needs is for some guys to break in and boost a tractor mower or some Porta-potties, or . . . all _right_!" He moved his hands together, and the chain parted.
"How . . . ?"
"Someone clipped one of the links."
"I wonder who."
Unwinding the chain, Brace said, "Maybe he figured you'd give up if you had to climb over the fence."
"He was right."
Brace let the chain and padlock fall to the ground. He pulled at the gate on the right, and it swung toward him. "Just slip in," he whispered.
Jane hesitated. "Could we go to jail for this?"
"Only if we're caught."
"I mean it."
"We'll be all right. For one thing, we aren't the ones who cut the chain. For another, I'm on the faculty. I'd have some explaining to do, that's all. Probably."
"I wouldn't want to get you fired."
"You won't. In, in."
Jane sidestepped through the narrow gap. Brace followed, then quickly pulled the gate shut.
The surrounding fences and the high limbs of trees just outside the enclosure blocked out much of the moonlight. Jane could only see dim shapes -- some black, others in grays of varying darkness. The shape directly in front of her was apparently the tractor mower Brace had mentioned. Off to the right was something that looked like a golf cart. And a bird bath. And half a dozen Porta-potties standing all in a row near the fence.
Her heart gave a lurch when she spotted the man.
He stood absolutely motionless just in front of the nearest toilet. Though his figure was vague in the darkness, he seemed to be naked.
"Brace!" She pointed.
Brace looked at the man. "Don't worry," he whispered. "I know him."
"You _know_ him?"
"It's Dave."
"Who's Dave? What's he doing here? Why's he _naked_?"
"Dave the statue. Michelangelo's David. A miniature reproduction. They stuck him away last year after a coed brought a sexual harassment lawsuit. She alleged that walking by him on her way to class was offensive and stressful."
"Oh. Okay. I was afraid it was . . . him."
"I don't think he's in here. He couldn't have done that with the lock and chains from the inside. So unless he climbed over the top afterwards . . ."
"Wouldn't rule it out."
"We'll keep our eyes peeled, just in case."
Jane scanned the area. "What is all this stuff, anyway?"
"A little bit of everything. Sort of like the university's version of a junk drawer."
"I don't see Crazy Horse."