dk.coldfire-第77节

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　A　male　nurse　with　a　flashlight　was　at　the　fireplace。　He　was　squinting　up　into　the　flue；　past　the　cracks　around　the　damper；　trying　to　see　if　any　birds　were　trapped　up　in　there。　
　The　shrieking　was　now　overlaid　by　the　frenzied　flapping　of　wings。　
　〃Jimmy　would　touch　an　item　and　know　where　it'd　been；　bits　and　pieces　about　who　owned　it。　Not　everything　about　them；　mind　you。　He　just　knew　whatever　he　knew；　that　was　it。　Maybe　he'd　touch　a　personal　item　of　yours　and　know　the　names　of　your　parents；　what　you　did　for　a　living。　
　Then　he'd　touch　a　personal　item　from　someone　else　and　only　know　where　they'd　gone　to　school；　names　of　their　children。　Always　different　things；　he　couldn't　control　it。　But　he　always　came　up　with　something　when　he　tried。〃　
　The　nurse；　trailed　by　three　patients　offering　advice；　had　moved　away　from　the　fireplace　and　was　frowning　up　at　the　air…conditioning　vents。　
　The　quarrelsome　sound　of　birds　still　echoed　through　the　room。　
　〃Let's　go　out　to　the　courtyard；〃　Holly　said；　getting　up。　
　〃Wait；〃　Henry　said　with　some　distress；　〃let　me　finish　this；　let　me　tell　you。〃　
　Jim；　for　God's　sake；　Holly　thought；　hold　on　another　minute；　just　another　minute　or　two。　
　Reluctantly　she　sat　down。　
　Henry　said；　〃Jim's　specialness　was　a　family　secret；　like　Lena's　and　Jamie's。　We　didn't　want　the　world　to　know；　e　snooping　around；　call　us　freaks　and　God　knows　what。　But　Cara；　she　always　wanted　so　bad　to　be　in　show　business。　Jamie　worked　down　there　at　Warner　Brothers；　which　was　where'd　he'd　met　her；　and　he　wanted　what　Cara　wanted。　They　decided　they　could　form　an　act　with　Jimmy；　call　him　the　boy…wonder　mentalist；　but　nobody　would　ever　suspect　he　really　had　a　power。　They　played　it　as　a　trick；　lots　of　winking　at　the　audience；　daring　them　to　figure　out　just　how　it　was　all　donùwhen　all　the　time　it　was　real。　They　made　a　good　living　at　it；　too；　and　it　was　good　for　them　as　a　family；　kept　them　together　every　day。　
　They'd　been　so　close　before　the　act；　but　they　were　closer　than　ever　after　they　went　on　the　road。　No　parents　ever　loved　their　child　more　than　they　loved　Jim…or　ever　got　more　love　given　back　to　them。　
　They　were　so　close。　。　。　it　was　impossible　to　think　of　them　ever　being　apart。〃　
　Blackbirds　streaked　across　the　bleak　sky。　
　Sitting　on　the　redwood　bench；　Jim　stared　up　at　them。　
　They　almost　vanished　into　the　eastern　clouds；　then　turned　sharply　and　came　back。　
　For　a　while　they　kited　overhead。　
　Those　dark；　jagged　forms　against　the　seared　sky　posed　an　image　that　might　have　e　from　some　poem　by　Edgar　Allan　Poe。　As　a　kid　he'd　had　a　passion　for　Poe　and　had　memorized　all　of　the　more　macabre　pieces　of　his　poetry。　Morbidity　had　its　fascination。　
　The　bird　shrieks　suddenly　stopped。　The　resulting　quiet　was　a　blessing；　but　Holly　was；　oddly；　more　frightened　by　the　cessation　of　the　cries　than　she　had　been　by　the　eerie　sound　of　them。　
　〃And　the　power　grew；〃　Henry　Ironheart　said　softly；　thickly。　He　shifted　in　his　wheelchair；　and　his　right　side　resisted　settling　into　a　new　position。　
　For　the　first　time　he　showed　some　frustration　at　the　limitations　of　his　stroke…altered　body。　〃By　the　time　Jim　was　six；　you　could　put　a　penny　on　the　table；　and　he　could　move　it　just　by　wanting　it　to　move；　slide　it　back　and　forth；　make　it　stand　on　end。　By　the　time　he　was　eight；　he　could　pitch　it　in　the　air；　float　it　there。　By　the　time　he　was　ten；　he　could　do　the　same　with　a　quarter；　a　phonograph　record；　a　cake　tin。　It　was　the　most　amazing　thing　you　ever　saw。〃　
　You　should　see　what　he　can　do　at　thirty…five；　Holly　thought。　
　〃They　never　used　any　of　that　in　their　act；〃　Henry　said；　〃they　just　stuck　to　the　mentalism；　taking　personal　items　from　members　of　the　audience；　so　Jim　could　tell　them　things　about　themselves　that　just；　you　know；　astonished　them。　Jamie　and　Cara　figured　to　include　some　of　his　levitations　eventually；　but　they　just　hadn't　figured　out　how　to　do　it　yet　without　giving　the　truth　away。　Then　they　went　to　the　Dixie　Duck　down　in　Atlanta。　。　。　
　and　that　was　the　end　of　everything。〃　
　Not　the　end　of　everything。　It　was　the　end　of　one　thing；　the　dark　beginning　of　another。　
　She　realized　why　the　absence　of　the　birds'　screams　was　more　disturbing　than　the　sound　itself　The　cries　had　been　like　the　hiss　of　a　sparking　fuse　as　it　burned　down　toward　an　explosive　charge。　As　long　as　she　could　hear　the　sound；　the　explosion　was　still　preventable。　
　〃And　that's　why　I　figure　Jim　thought　he　should've　been　able　to　save　them；〃　Henry　said。　〃Because　he　could　do　those　little　things　with　his　mind；　float　and　move　things；　he　thought　he　should've　been　able　maybe　to　jam　the　bullets　in　that　crazy　man's　gun；　freeze　the　trigger；　lock　the　safety　in　place；　something；　something。　。　。〃　
　〃Could　he　have　done　that？〃　〃Yeah；　maybe。　But　he　was　just　a　scared　little　boy。　To　do　those　things　with　pennies　and　records　and　cake　tins；　he　had　to　concentrate。　
　No　time　to　concentrate　when　the　bullets　started　flying　that　day。〃　
　Holly　remembered　the　murderous　sound：　chuda…chuda…chuduchuda。　。　。　
　〃So　when　we　brought　him　back　from　Atlanta；　he　would　hardly　talk；　just　a　word　or　two　now　and　then。　Wouldn't　meet　your　eyes。　Something　died　in　him　when　Jamie　and　Cara　died；　and　we　could　never　bring　it　back　again；　no　matter　how　much　we　loved　him　and　how　hard　we　tried。　His　power　died；　too。　Or　seemed　to。　He　never　did　one　of　his　tricks　again；　and　after　a　lot　of　years　it　was　sometimes　hard　to　believe　he'd　ever　done　those　strange　things　when　he　was　little。〃　
　In　spite　of　his　good　spirits；　Henry　Ironheart　had　looked　every　one　of　his　eighty　years。　Now　he　appeared　to　be　far　older；　ancient。　
　He　said；　〃Jimmy　was　so　strange　after　Atlanta；　so　unreachable　and　full　of　rage。　。　。　sometimes　it　was　possible　to　love　him　and　still　be　a　little　afraid　of　him。　Later；　God　forgive　me；　I　suspected　him　of。　〃　〃I　know；〃　Holly　said。　
　His　slack　features　tightened；　and　he　looked　sharply　at　her。　
　Your　wife；　she　said。　〃Lena。　The　way　she　died。〃　
　More　thickly　than　usual；　he　said；　〃You　know　so　much。〃　
　〃Too　much；〃　she　said。　〃Which　is　funny。　Because　all　my　life　I've　known　too　little。〃　
　Henry　looked　down　at　his　culpable　hands　again。　〃How　could　I　believe　that　a　boy　of　ten；　even　a　disturbed　boy；　could've　shoved　her　down　the　mill　stairs　when　he　loved　her　so　much？　Too　many　years　Later；　I　saw　that　I'd　been　so　damned　cruel　to　him；　so　unfeeling；　so　damned　stupid。　By　then；　he　wouldn't　give　me　the　chance　to　apologize　for　what　I'd　done。　。　
　what　I'd　thought。　After　he　left　for　college；　he　never　came　back。　Not　once　in　more　than　thirteen　years；　until　I　had　my　stroke。〃　
　He　came　back　once；　Holly　thought；　nineteen　years　after　Lena's　death；　to　face　up　to　it　and　put　flowers　on　her　grave。　
　Henry　said；　〃If　there　was　some　way　I　could　explain　to　him；　if　he'd　ust　give　me　one　chance。　。　〃　〃He's　here　now；〃　Holly　said；　getting　up　again。　
　The　weight　of　fear　that　pulled　on　the　old　man's　face　made　him　appear　even　more　gaunt　than　he　had　been。　〃Here？〃　〃He's　e　to　give　you　that　chance；〃　was　all　that　Holly　could　say。　
　〃Do　you　want　me　to　take　you　to　him？〃　The　blackbirds　were　flocking。　Eight　of　them　had　gathered　now　in　the　sky　above；　circling。　
　Once　upon　a　midnight　dreary；　while　I　pondered　weak　and　weary　Over　many　a　quaint　and　curious　volume　of　forgotten　lore　While　I　nodded；　nearly　napping；　suddenly　there　came　a　tapping；　As　of　some　one　gently　rapping；　rapping　at　my　chamber　door　To　the　real　birds　above；　Jim　whispered；〃　Quoth　the　Raven；　Never　more。〃　He　heard　a　soft　rhythmic　creaking；　as　of　a　wheel　going　around　and　around；　and　footsteps。　When　he　looked　up；　he　saw　Holly　pushing　his　wheelchair…bound　grandfather　along　the　walkway　toward　the　bench。　
　Eighteen　years　had　passed　since　he　had　gone　away　to　school；　and　he　had　seen　Henry　only　once　before　in　all　this　time。　Initially；　there　had　been　a　few　telephone　calls；　but　soon　Jim　stopped　making　those　and；　eventually；　stopped　accepting　them　as　well。　When　letters　came；　he　threw　them　away　unopened。　He　remembered　all　of　that　now…and　he　was　beginning　to　remember　why。　
　He　began　to　rise。　His　legs　would　not　support　him。　He　remained　on　the　bench。　
　Holly　parked　the　wheelchair　facing　Jim；　then　sat　beside　him。　〃How　you　doing？〃　Nodding　dumbly；　he　glanced　up　at　the　birds　circling　against　the　ashen　clouds；　rather　than　face　his　grandfather。　
　The　old　man　could　not　look　at　Jim；　either。　He　studied　the　beds　of　flowers　intently；　as　if　he　had　been　in　a　great　rush　to　get　outside　and　have　a　look　at　those　blooms　and　nothing　else。　
　Holly　knew　this　was　not　going　to　be　easy。　She　was　sympathetic　toward　each　of　the　men　and　wanted　to　do　her　best　to　bring　them　together　at　last。　
　First；　she　had　to　burn　away　the　tangled　weeds　of　one　last　lie　that　Jim　had　told　her　and　that；　consciously　if　not　subconsciously；　he　had　successfully　told　himself　〃There　was　no　traffic　accident；　honey；〃　she　said；　putting　a　hand　on　his　knee。　〃That　isn't　how　it　happened。〃　
　Jim　lowered　his　eyes　from　the　blackbirds　and　regarded　her　with　nervous　expectation。　She　could　see　that　he　longed　to　know　the　truth　and　dreaded　hearing　it。　
　〃It　happened　in　a　restaurant〃　Jim　slowly　shook　his　head　in　denial。　
　〃…down　in　Atlanta；　Georgia…〃　He　was　still　shaking　his　head；　but　his　eyes　were　widening。　
　〃…you　were　with　them〃　He　stopped　denying；　an