mostly. There’s not much else out there.”
“Right. And I’m supposed to believe that, I guess.”
“Well, what else would I be doing?”
“I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking. I just don’t…” Loran gave a quiet sigh instead of continuing, mostly so she wouldn’t say something she couldn’t take back.
“Don’t what?”
“Understand! I don’t understand why you wanted me to come. And now that I’m here you’re…hiding!”
“Farther along, daughter,” Maddie said.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It’s a song. About having patience because all will be revealed. Later.”
“A song. Great. Do you have any idea how much I want to help you—and how am I going to do that if you won’t let me!” The tremor in her voice was back, in spite of all she could do, and Maddie reached out to caress her shoulder.
“If it’s any comfort to you, I don’t understand what’s going on with me, either. I think I’m…filled with whims, that’s all. Well, actually, I’ve always been filled with whims. It’s just that now I’m giving in to them. And I kind of like it, you know?”
“Like…what?”
“Like eating whatever I want to eat. Going wherever I want to go.”
“Going to a cemetery in the cold with a total stranger?”
“That, too,” Maddie said, looking out the side window. There was nothing to see in the dark, nothing to see in the daytime, either. Maddie was clearly avoiding the cemetery topic again.
“So what did he mean?”
“Who?”
“Meyer, Mother. The total stranger. He said this wasn’t your day. He must have meant something. What was it?”
“He meant that you weren’t happy about me being there. And one of the locals had just left—she wasn’t happy about me being there, either.”
“Why not?” Loran asked, realizing she had probably encountered that particular local herself.
“I look highly suspicious,” Maddie said.
“Right. You look like everybody’s idea of a graveyard vandal. What about Meyer? I guess he’s suspicious-looking, too.”
“Well, the light was bad, and people here don’t like outsiders.”
“Tell me about it,” Loran said under her breath.
“What?”
“Nothing. How do you know they don’t like outsiders?”
“I’ve seen Mrs. Jenkins’s face,” Maddie said.
“She told me she was born here.”
“You can be born in a place and still be an outsider.”
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
