dk.coldfire-第17节

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　She　hadn't　heard　him　leave。　Tommy　was　gone；　as　well。　She　was　alone。　
　She　got　another　cup　of　coffee；　and　it　didn't　taste　as　bad　as　it　had　before。　
　The　brew　hadn't　improved；　her　sense　of　taste　had　just　been　temporarily　damaged　by　the　first　two　cups。　
　Eventually　Newsweb　located　eleven　stories　in　March　through　May　that　fit　her　parameters。　After　examining　the　printouts；　Holly　found　only　one　of　them　of　interest。　
　On　May　15；　in　Atlanta；　Georgia；　a　blue…eyed　Jim　had　entered　a　convenience　store　during　an　armed　robbery。　He　shot　and　killed　the　perpetrator；　Norman　Rink；　who　had　been　about　to　kill　two　customers…Sam　Newsome　twenty…five；　and　his　five…year…old　daughter　Emily。　Flying　high　on　a　cocaine；　Ice；　and　methamphetamine　cocktail…Rink　had　already　killed　the　clerk　and　two　other　customers　merely　for　the　fun　of　it。　
　After　wasting　Rink　and　assuring　himself　that　the　Newsomes　were　unhurt；　Jim　had　slipped　away　before　the　police　arrived。　
　The　store　security　camera　had　provided　a　blurry　photograph　of　the　heroic　intruder。　It　was　only　the　second　photo　Holly　had　found　in　all　the　articles。　The　image　was　poor。　But　she　immediately　recognized　Jim　Ironheart。　
　Some　details　of　the　incident　unnerved　her。　If　Ironheart　had　an　amazing　ability…psychic　power；　whatever　to　foresee　fatal　moments　in　the　lives　of　strangers　and　arrive　in　time　to　thwart　fate；　why　hadn't　he　gotten　to　that　convenience　store　a　few　minutes　sooner；　early　enough　to　prevent　the　deaths　of　the　clerk　and　other　customers？　Why　had　he　saved　the　Newsomes　and　let　the　rest　die？　She　was　further　chilled　by　the　description　of　his　attack　on　Rink。　
　He　had　pumped　four　rounds　from　a　12…gauge　pistol…grip　shotgun　into　the　mad　man。　Then；　although　Rink　was　indisputably　dead；　Jim　reloaded　and　fired　another　four　rounds。　〃He　was　in　such　a　rage；〃　Sam　Newsome　said；　〃his　face　red；　and　he　was　sweating；　you　could　see　the　arteries　pounding　in　the　temples；　across　his　forehead。　He　was　crying　a　little；　too；　but　the　tears。　
　they　didn't　make　him　seem　any　less　angry。〃　When　done；　Jim　had　expressed　regret　for　cutting　Rink　down　so　violently　in　front　of　little　Emily　He'd　explained　that　men　like　Rink；　who　killed　innocent　people；　brought　out　〃a　little　madness　of　my　own。〃　Newsome　told　the　reporter；　〃He　saved　our　lives；　yeah；　but　I　gotta　say　the　guy　was　scary；　almost　as　scary　as　Rink　Realizing　that　Ironheart　might　not　have　revealed　even　his　first　name　some　occasions；　Holly　instructed　Newsweb　to　search　the　past　six　months　for　stories　in　which　〃rescue〃　and　〃saved　the　life〃　were　within　ten　words　of　〃blue。〃　She　had　noticed　that　some　witnesses　were　vague　about　his　physical　description；　but　that　most　remembered　his　singularly　blue　eyes。　
　She　went　to　the　john；　got　more　coffee；　then　stood　by　the　printer。　
　As　the　find　was　transferred　to　hard　copy；　she　snatched　it　up；　scanned　it；　tossed　in　the　wastecan　if　it　was　of　no　interest　or　read　it　with　excitement　if　it　was　about　another　nick…of　time　rescue。　Newsweb　turned　up　four　more　that　indisputably　belonged　in　the　Ironheart　file；　even　though　neither　first　nor　last　name　was　used。　
　At　her　desk　again；　she　instructed　Newsweb　to　search　the　past　six　months　for　the　name　〃Ironheart〃　in　the　national　media。　
　While　she　waited　for　a　response；　she　put　the　pertinent　printouts　in　order　then　made　a　chronological　list　of　the　people　whose　lives　Jim　Ironheart　saved；　incorporating　the　four　new　cases。　She　included　their　names；　the　location　of　each　incident；　and　the　type　of　death　from　which　the　person　had　been　spared。　
　She　studied　that　pilation；　noting　some　patterns　with　interest。　
　But　she　put　it　aside　when　Newsweb　pleted　its　latest　task。　
　As　she　rose　from　her　chair　to　go　to　the　laser　printer；　she　froze；　surprised　to　discover　she　was　no　longer　alone　in　the　newsroom。　Three　reporters　an　an　editor　were　at　their　desks；　all　guys　with　reputations　as　early　birds　including　Hank　Hawkins；　editor　of　the　business　pages；　who　liked　to　be　at　work　when　the　financial　markets　opened　on　the　East　Coast。　
　She　hadn't　been　aware　of　them　ing　in。　Two　of　them　were　sharing　a　joke；　laughing　loudly；　and　Hawkins　was　talking　on　the　phone；　but　Holly　hadn't　heard　them　until　after　she'd　seen　them。　She　looked　at　the　clock：　6：10。　opalesant　early…morning　light　played　at　the　windows；　though　she　had　not　realized　that　the　tide　of　night　had　been　receding。　She　glanced　down　at　her　desk　saw　two　more　paper　coffee　cups　than　she　remembered　getting　from　the　vending　machine。　
　She　realized　that　she　was　no　longer　wallowing　in　despair。　She　felt　better　than　she　had　felt　in　days。　Weeks。　Years　She　was　a　reporter　again；　for　real　She　went　to　the　laser　printer；　emptied　the　receiving　tray；　and　return　with　the　pages　to　her　desk。　Ironhearts　evidently　were　not　newsmakers。　
　There　were　only　five　stories　involving　people　with　that　surname　in　the　past　six　months。　
　Kevin　Ironheart…Buffalo；　New　York。　State　senator。　Announced　his　intention　to　run　for　governor。　
　Anna　Denise　Ironheart…Boca　Raton；　Florida。　Found　a　live　alligator　in　her　family　room。　
　Lori　Ironheart…Los　Angeles；　California。　Songwriter。　Nominated　for　the　Academy　Award　for　best　song　of　the　year。　
　Valerie　Ironheart…Cedar　Rapids；　Iowa。　Gave　birth　to　healthy　quadruplets。　
　The　last　of　the　five　was　James　Ironheart。　
　She　looked　at　the　heading。　The　story　came　from　the　Orange　County　Register　April　10；　and　was　one　of　scores　of　pieces　on　the　same　story　that　had　been　published　statewide。　Because　of　her　instructions；　the　puter　had　printed　out　only　this　single　instance；　sparing　her　sheafs　of　similar　articles　on　the　same　event。　
　She　checked　the　dateline。　Laguna　Niguel。　California。　Southern　California。　The　Southland。　
　The　piece　was　not　acpanied　by　a　photograph；　but　the　reporter's　description　of　the　man　included　a　reference　to　blue　eyes　and　thick　brown　hair。　She　was　sure　he　was　her　James　Ironheart。　
　She　was　not　surprised　to　have　found　him。　She　had　known　that　with　determined　effort　she　would　locate　him　sooner　or　later。　What　surprised　her　was　the　subject　of　the　piece　in　which　his　full　name　appeared　at　last。　She　expected　it　to　be　yet　one　more　story　about　snatching　someone　out　of　death's　grasp；　and　she　was　not　prepared　for　the　headline：　LAGUNA　NIGUEL　AlAN　WINS　SIX　MILLION　LOTTO　JACKPOT。　
　Having　followed　the　rescue　of　Nicholas　O'Conner　with　his　first　untroubled　night　of　sleep　in　the　last　four；　Jim　departed　Boston　on　Friday　afternoon；　August　24。　Gaining　three　hours　on　the　cross…country　trip；　he　arrived　at　John　Wayne　Airport　by　3：10　P。M。　and　was　home　half　an　hour　later。　
　He　went　straight　into　his　den　and　lifted　the　flap　of　carpet　that　revealed　the　safe　built　into　the　floor　of　the　closet。　He　dialed　the　bination；　opened　the　lid；　and　removed　five　thousand　dollars；　ten　percent　of　the　cash　he　kept　there。　
　At　his　desk；　he　packed　the　hundred…dollar　bills　into　a　padded　Jiffy　envelope　and　stapled　it　shut。　He　typed　a　label　to　Father　Leo　Geary　at　Our　Lady　of　the　Desert；　and　affixed　sufficient　postage。　He　would　mail　it　first　thing　in　the　morning。　
　He　went　into　the　family　room　and　switched　on　the　TV。　He　tried　several　movies　on　cable；　but　none　held　his　interest。　He　watched　the　news　for　a　while；　but　his　mind　wandered。　After　he　heated　a　microwave　pizza　popped　open　a　beer；　he　settled　down　with　a　good　book…which　bored　him　He　paged　through　a　stack　of　unread　magazines；　but　none　of　the　articles　was　intriguing。　
　Near　twilight　he　went　outside　with　another　beer　and　sat　on　the　patio　The　palm　fronds　rustled　in　a　light　breeze。　A　sweet　fragrance　rose　from　star　jasmine　along　the　property　wall。　Red；　purple；　and　pink　impatiently　shone　with　almost　Day…Glo　radiance　in　the　dwindling　light；　and　as　the　sun　finished　setting；　they　faded　as　if　they　were　hundreds　of　small　lightbulbs　on　a　rheostat。　Night　floated　down　like　a　great　tossed　cape　of　almost　weightless　black　silk。　
　Although　the　scene　was　peaceful；　he　was　restless。　Day　by　day；　week　by　week；　since　he　had　saved　the　lives　of　Sam　Newsome　and　his　daughter　Emily　on　May　15；　Jim　had　found　it　increasingly　difficult　to　involve　himself　in　the　ordinary　routines　and　pleasures　of　life。　He　was　unable　to　relax。　
　kept　thinking　of　all　the　good　he　could　do；　all　the　lives　he　could　save；　the　destinies　he　could　alter；　if　only　the　call　would　e　again：　〃Life　line。〃　
　Other　endeavors　seemed　frivolous　by　parison。　
　Having　been　the　instrument　of　a　higher　power；　he　now　found　it　difficult　to　settle　for　being　anything　less。　
　After　spending　the　day　collecting　what　information　she　could　find　on　James　Madison　Ironheart；　with　only　a　two…hour　nap　to　pensate　for　the　night　of　sleep　she　had　lost；　Holly　launched　her　long…anticipated　vacation　with　a　flight　to　Orange　County。　On　arrival；　she　drove　her　rental　car　south　from　the　airport　to　the　Laguna　Hills　Motor　Inn；　where　she　had　reserved　a　motel　room。　
　Laguna　Hills　was　inland；　and　not　a　resort　area。　But　in　Laguna　Niguel；　Laguna　Niguel；　and　other　coastal　towns　during　the　summer；　rooms　had　been　booked　far　in　advance。　She　didn't　intend　to　swim　or　sunbathe　anyway。　
　Ordinarily；　she　was　as　enthusiastic　a　pursuer　of　skin　cancer　as　anyone；　but　this　had　bee　a　working　vacation。　
　By　the　time　she　arrived　at　the　motel；　she　felt　as　if　her　eyes　were　full　of　sand。　When　she　carried　her　suitcase　into　her　room；　gravity　played　a　cruel　t