dk.coldfire-第21部分

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is　grandparents'　farm。　To　a　young　boy　born　and　raised　in　the　city；　there　mill　had　been　an　exotic　and　mysterious　structure；　a　perfect　place　to　play　and　fantasize；　a　refuge　in　a　time　of　trouble。　He　could　not　understand　why　he　was　having　nightmares　about　a　place　that　held　only　good　memories　for　him。　
　After　the　frightening　dream　passed　without　waking　her；　Holly　Thor　slept　peacefully　for　the　rest　of　the　night；　as　still　as　a　stone　on　the　floor　the　sea。　
　Saturday　morning；　Holly　ate　breakfast　in　a　booth　at　the　motel　coffeeshop。　
　Most　of　the　other　customers　were　obviously　vacationers：　families　dressed　almost　as　if　in　uniforms　of　shorts　or　white　slacks　and　brightly　colored　shirts。　Some　of　the　kids　wore　caps　and　T…shirts　that　advertised　Sea　World　or　Disneyland　or　Knott's　Berry　Farm。　Parents　huddled　over　maps　and　brochures　while　they　ate；　planning　routes　that　would　take　them　to　one　of　the　tourist　attractions　that　California　offered　in　such　plenitude。　There　were　so　many　colorful　Polo　shirts　or　Polo…shirt　knockoffs　in　the　restaurant　that　a　visitor　from　another　planet　might　have　assumed　that　Ralph　Lauren　was　either　the　deity　of　a　major　religion　or　dictator　of　the　world。　
　As　she　ate　blueberry　pancakes；　Holly　studied　her　list　of　people　who　had　been　spared　from　death　by　Jim　Ironheart's　timely　intervention：　May　15　Sam　（25）　and　Emily　（5）　Newsome…Atlanta；　Georgia　（murder）　JUNE　5　Louis　Andretti　（28）…Corona；　California　（snakebite）　JUNE　21　Thaddeus　Johnson　（New　York；　New　York　（murder）　JUNE　30　Rachael　Steinberg　（23j…San　Francisco；　California　（murder）　JULY　S　Carmen　Diaz　（30）…Miami；　Florida　（fire）　JULY　14　Amanda　Cutter　（30）…Houston；　Texas　（murder）　JULY　20　Steven　Aimes　（57）…Birmingham；　Alabama　（murder）　AUGUST　1　Laura　Lenaskian　（28）…Seattle；　Washington　（drowning）　AUGUST　8　Doogie　Burkette　（11｝…Peoria；　Illinois　（drowning）　AUGUST　12　Billy　Jenkins　（8）…Portland；　Oregon　（traffic　fatality）　AUGUST　20　Lisa　（30）　and　Susan　（10）　Jawolski…Mojave　desert　（murder）　AUGUST　23　Nicholas　O'Conner　（6）　Boston；　Massachusetts　（explosion）　Certain　patterns　were　obvious。　Of　the　fourteen　people　saved；　six　were　children。　Seven　others　were　between　the　ages　of　twenty…three　and　thirty　Only　one　was　older…Steven　Aimes；　who　was　fifty…seven。　Ironheart　favored　the　young。　And　there　was　some　evidence　that　his　activities　were　increasing　in　frequency：　one　episode　in　May；　three　in　June；　three　in　July　and　now　five　already　in　August　with　a　full　week　of　the　month　remaining。　Holly　was　particularly　intrigued　by　the　number　of　people　on　the　list　who　would　have　been　murdered　without　Ironheart's　intervention。　
　Far　more　people　died　each　year　in　accidents　than　at　the　hands　of　others。　
　traffic　fatalities　alone　were　more　numerous　than　murders。　Yet　Jim　Ironheart　intervened　in　a　considerably　greater　number　of　homicides　than　accidents；　eight　of　the　fourteen　people　on　the　list　had　been　spared　from　the　malevolent　intentions　of　murderers；　over　sixty　percent。　
　Perhaps　his　premonitions　more　often　related　to　murder　than　to　other　forms　of　death　because　human　violence　generated　stronger　psychic　vibrations　than　accidents。　。　。　
　Holly　stopped　chewing　and　her　hand　froze　halfway　to　her　mouth　with　another　forkful　of　blueberry　pancake；　as　she　realized　just　how　strange　the　story　was。　She　had　been　operating　at　a　breathless　pace；　driven　by　reportorial　ambition　and　curiosity。　Her　excitement；　then　her　exhaustion；　had　prevented　her　from　fully　considering　all　of　the　implications　and　ramifications　of　Ironheart's　activities。　She　put　down　her　fork　and　stared　at　her　plate；　if　she　could　glean　answers　and　explanations　from　the　crumb　patterns　and　smears　in　the　same　way　that　gypsies　read　tea　leaves　and　palms。　
　What　the　hell　was　Jim　Ironheart？　A　psychic？　She'd　never　had　much　interest　in　extrasensory　perception　and　strange　mental　powers。　She　knew　there　were　people　who　claimed　to　be　able　to　〃see〃　a　murderer　just　by　touching　the　clothes　his　victim　wore；　who　sometimes　helped　police　find　the　bodies　of　missing　persons；　who　were　paid　well　by　the　National　Enquirer　to　foresee　world　events　and　forthing　developments　in　the　lives　of　celebrities；　who　said　they　could　channel　the　voices　of　the　dead　to　the　living。　But　her　interest　in　the　supernatural　was　so　minimal　that　she　had　never　really　formed　an　opinion　of　the　validity　of　such　claims。　
　She　didn't　necessarily　believe　that　all　those　people　were　frauds；　the　whole　subject　had　bored　her　too　much　to　bother　thinking　about　it　at　all。　
　She　supposed　that　her　dogged　rationality…and　cynicismcould　bend　far　enough　to　enpass　the　idea　that　now　and　then　a　psychic　actually　possessed　real　power；　but　she　wasn't　sure　that　〃psychic〃　was　an　adequate　description　of　Jim　Ironheart。　This　guy　wasn't　just　going　out　on　a　limb　in　some　cheap　tabloid　to　predict　that　Steven　Spielberg　would　make　another　bit　picture　next　year　（surprise！）；　or　that　Swartzenegger　would　still　speak　English　with　an　accent；　or　that　Tom　Cruise　would　dump　his　current　girlfriend；　or　that　Eddie　Murphy　would　still　be　black　for　the　foreseeable　future。　This　guy　knew　the　precise　facts　of　each　of　those　impending　deaths。　。　。　who；　when；　where；　how…far　enough　in　advance　to　derail　fate。　He　wasn't　bending　spoons　with　the　power　of　his　mind；　wasn't　speaking　in　the　gravelly　voice　of　an　ancient　spirit　named　Rama…Lama…Dingdong；　wasn't　reading　futures　in　entrails　or　wax　drippings　or　Tarot　cards。　He　was　saving　lives　for　God's　sake；　altering　destinies；　having　a　profound　impact　not　only　on　those　he　saved　from　death　but　on　the　lives　of　the　friends　and　families　who　would　have　been　left　shattered　and　bereaved。　And　the　reach　of　his　power　extended　three　thousand　miles　from　Laguna　Niguel　to　Boston！　In　fact；　maybe　his　heroics　were　not　confined　to　the　borders　of　the　continental　United　States。　She　had　not　researched　the　international　media　for　the　past　six　months。　Perhaps　he　had　saved　lives　in　Italy；　France；　Germany；　Japan；　Sweden；　or　in　Pago　Pago　for　all　she　knew。　
　The　word　〃psychic〃　definitely　was　inadequate。　Holly　couldn't　even　think　of　a　suitable　one…word　description　of　his　powers。　
　To　her　surprise；　a　sense　of　wonder　had　possessed　her；　like　nothing　she　had　felt　since　she　was　a　kid。　Now；　an　element　of　awe　stole　over　her　as　well；　and　she　shivered。　
　Who　was　this　man？　What　was　he？　Little　more　than　thirty　hours　ago；　when　she　had　seen　the　story　about　young　Nicholas　O'Conner　in　Boston；　Holly　had　known　she　was　on　to　a　big　story。　By　the　time　she　examined　the　material　that　Newsweb　found　for　her　she　felt　it　might　be　the　biggest　story　of　her　career；　regardless　of　how　long　she　worked　as　a　reporter。　
　Now　she　had　begun　to　suspect　that　it　might　grow　into　the　biggest　story　of　this　decade。　
　〃Everything　okay？〃　Holly　said；　〃Everything's　weird；〃　before　she　realized　that　she　had　not　asked　the　question　of　herself　The　waitress…Bernice；　according　to　the　name　embroidered　on　her　uniform　blouse…was　standing　beside　the　table；　looking　concerned。　Holly　realized　that　she　had　been　staring　intently　at　her　plate　while　she'd　been　thinking　about　Jim　Ironheart；　and　she　had　not　taken　a　bite　in　some　time。　
　Bernice　had　noticed　and　thought　something　was　wrong。　
　〃Weird？〃　Bernice　said；　frowning。　
　〃Uh；　yeah…it's　weird　that　I　should　e　into　what　looks　like　an　ordinary　coffeeshop　and　get　the　best　blueberry　pancakes　I've　ever　eaten。〃　
　Bernice　hesitated；　perhaps　trying　to　decide　if　Holly　was　putting　her　on。　
　〃You。　。　。　you　really　like　'em？〃　〃Love　them；〃　Holly　said；　forking　up　a　mouthful　and　chewing　the　cold　sodden　pancakes　with　enthusiasm。　
　〃That's　nice！　You　want　anything　else？〃　〃Just　the　check；〃　Holly　said。　
　She　continued　to　eat　the　pancakes　after　Bernice　left；　because　she　was　hungry　and　they　were　there。　
　As　she　ate；　Holly　looked　around　the　restaurant　at　the　colorfully　decked　out　vacationers　who　were　absorbed　in　discussions　of　amusements　experienced　and　amusements　yet　to　e；　and　the　thrill　of　being　an　insider　coursed　through　her　for　the　first　time　in　years。　She　knew　something　they　did　not。　She　was　a　reporter　with　a　carefully　husbanded　secret。　When　fully　researched；　when　written　up　in　crystalline　prose　as　direct　and　yet　evocative　as　Hemingway's　best　journalism　（well；　she　was　going　to　try　for　that；　anyway）；　the　story　would　earn　front…page；　top…of　the…page　exposure　in　every　major