dk.coldfire-第79部分

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at　was　missing　from　the　left　side。　His　grandfather's　name　was　there；　as　it　should　be；　engraved　at　the　same　time　that　Lena's　had　been：　HENRY　JAMES　IRONHEART。　And　the　date　Of　his　birth。　But　that　was　all。　The　date　of　his　death　had　never　been　chiseled　into　the　stone。　
　The　iron　sky　was　pressing　lower。　
　The　trees　seemed　to　be　leaning　closer；　arching　over　him。　
　Holly　said；　〃Didn't　you　say　he　died　eight　months　after　Lena？〃　His　mouth　was　dry。　He　could　hardly　work　up　enough　spit　to　speak；　and　the　words　came　out　in　dry　whispers　like　susurrant　bursts　of　sand　blown　against　desert　stone。　〃What　the　hell　do　you　want　from　me？　I　told　you。　
　。　。　
　eight　months。　。　。　May　twenty…fourth　of　the　next　year。　。　。　。〃　
　〃How　did　he　die？〃　〃I。　。　。　I　don't。　。　。　I　don't　remember。〃　
　〃Illness？〃　Shut　up；　shut　up！　〃I　don't　know。〃　
　〃An　accident？〃　〃I。　。　。　just。　。　。　I　think。　。　。　I　think　it　was　a　stroke。〃　
　Large　parts　of　the　past　were　mists　within　a　mist。　He　realized　now　that　he　rarely　thought　about　the　past。　He　lived　totally　in　the　present。　
　He　had　never　realized　there　were　huge　holes　in　his　memories　simply　because　there　were　so　many　things　he　had　never　before　tried　to　remember。　
　〃Weren't　you　your　grandfather's　nearest　relative？〃　Holly　asked。　
　〃Yes。〃　
　〃Didn't　you　attend　to　the　details　of　his　funeral？〃　He　hesitated；　frowning。　〃I　think。　。　。　yes。　。　。〃　
　〃Then　did　you　just　forget　to　have　the　date　of　his　death　added　to　the　headstone？〃　He　stared　at　the　blank　spot　in　the　granite；　frantically　searching　an　equally　blank　spot　in　his　memory；　unable　to　answer　her。　He　felt　sick。　
　He　wanted　to　curl　up　and　close　his　eyes　and　sleep　and　never　wake　up；　let　something　else　wake　up　in　his　place。　。　。　。　
　She　said；　〃Or　did　you　bury　him　somewhere　else？〃　Across　the　ashes　of　the　burnt…out　sky；　the　shrieking　blackbirds　swooped　again；　slashing　calligraphic　messages　with　their　wings；　their　meaning　no　more　decipherable　than　the　elusive　memories　darting　through　the　deeper　grayness　of　Jim's　mind。　
　Holly　drove　them　around　the　corner　to　Tivoli　Gardens。　
　When　they　had　left　the　pharmacy；　Jim　had　wanted　to　drive　to　the　cemetery；　worried　about　what　he　would　find　there　but　at　the　same　time　eager　to　confront　his　misremembered　past　and　wrench　his　recollections　into　line　with　the　truth。　The　experience　at　the　grave　site　had　shaken　him；　however；　and　now　he　was　no　longer　in　a　rush　to　find　out　what　additional　surprise　awaited　him。　He　was　content　to　let　Holly　drive；　and　she　suspected　that　he　would　be　happier　if　she　just　drove　out　of　town；　turned　south；　and　never　spoke　to　him　of　New　Svenborg　again。　
　The　park　was　too　small　to　have　a　service　road。　They　left　the　car　at　the　street　and　walked　in。　
　Holly　decided　that　Tivoli　Gardens　was　even　less　inviting　close　up　than　it　had　been　when　glimpsed　from　a　moving　car　yesterday。　The　dreary　impression　it　made　could　not　be　blamed　solely　on　the　overcast　sky。　The　grass　was　half　parched　from　weeks　of　summer　sun；　which　could　be　quite　intense　in　any　central　California　valley。　Leggy　runners　had　sprouted　unchecked　from　the　rose　bushes；　the　few　remaining　blooms　were　faded　and　dropping　petals　in　the　thorny　sprawl。　The　other　flowers　looked　wilted；　and　the　two　benches　needed　painting。　
　Only　the　windmill　was　well　maintained。　It　was　a　bigger；　more　imposing　mill　than　the　one　at　the　farm；　twenty　feet　higher；　with　an　encircling　deck　about　a　third　of　the　way　up。　
　re　〃Why　are　we　here？〃　she　asked。　
　〃Don't　ask　me。　You're　the　one　who　wanted　to　e。〃　
　〃Don't　be　thick；　babe；〃　she　said。　
　She　knew　that　pushing　him　was　like　kicking　a　package　of　unstable　dynamite；　but　she　had　no　choice。　He　was　going　to　blow　anyway；　sooner　or　later。　
　Her　only　hope　of　survival　was　to　force　him　to　acknowledge　that　he　was　the　The　Enemy　before　that　personality　seized　control　of　him　permanently。　
　She　sensed　that　she　was　running　out　of　time。　
　an　She　said；　〃You're　the　one　who　put　it　on　the　itinerary　yesterday。　You　said　they'd　made　a　movie　here　once。〃　She　was　jolted　by　what　she　had　just　said。　
　let　〃Wait　a　sec…is　this　where　you　saw　Robert　Vaughn？　Was　he　in　the　movie　they　made　here？〃　With　a　bewildered　expression　that　slowly　gave　way　to　a　frown；　Jim　turned　in　place；　surveying　the　small　park。　At　last　he　headed　toward　the　windmill；　and　she　followed　him。　
　Two　historical…marker　lecterns　flanked　the　flagstone　path　in　front　of　the　mill　door。　They　were　all…weather　stone　stands。　The　reading　material　on　the　slanted　tops　was　protected　behind　sheets　of　plexiglass　in　watertight　frames。　
　The　lectern　on　the　left；　to　which　they　stepped　first；　provided　background　information　about　the　use　of　windmills　for　grain　milling；　water　pumping；　and　electricity　production　in　the　Santa　Ynez　Valley　from　the　1800s　until　well　into　the　twentieth　century；　followed　by　a　history　of　the　preserved　mill　six　to　in　front　of　them；　which　was　called；　rather　aptly；　the　New　Svenborg　Mill。　
　line　That　material　was　as　dull　as　dirt；　and　Holly　turned　to　the　second　lectern　over；　only　because　she　still　had　some　of　the　doggedness　and　appetite　for　facts　rises　that　had　made　her　a　passable　journalist。　
　Her　interest　was　instantly　piqued　The　title　at　the　top　of　the　second　plaque…THE　BLACK　WINDMILL：　BOOK　AND　MOVIE。　
　〃Jim；　look　at　this。〃　
　He　joined　her　by　the　second　marker。　
　There　was　a　photograph　of　the　jacket　of　a　young…adult　novel…The　in　it　Black　Windmill　by　Arthur　J。　Willott；　and　the　illustration　on　it　was　obviously　based　on　the　New　Svenborg　Mill。　Holly　read　the　lectern　text　with　s　was　growing　astonishment。　Willott；　a　resident　of　the　Santa　Ynez　valley　in　Solvang；　not　Svenborg…had　been　a　successful　author　of　novels　for　young　from　adults；　turning　out　fifty…two　titles　before　his　death　in　；　at　the　age　of　petals　eighty。　His　most　popular　and　enduring　book；　by　far；　had　been　a　fantasynches　adventure　about　a　haunted　old　mill　and　a　boy　who　discovered　that　the　ghosts　were　actually　aliens　from　another　world　and　that　under　the　milliosing　pond　was　a　spaceship　which　had　been　there　for　ten　thousand　years。　
　；　deck　〃No；〃　Jim　said　softly　but　with　some　anger；　〃no；　this　makes　no　sense；　this　can't　be　right。〃　
　Holly　recalled　a　moment　from　the　dream　in　which　she　had　been　in　Lena　Ironheart's　body；　climbing　the　mill　stairs。　
　When　she　had　reached　the　top；　she　had　found　ten…year…old　Jim　standing　with　his　hands　fisted　at　his　sides；　and　he　had　turned　to　her　and　said；　〃I'm　scared；　help　me；　the　walls；　the　walls〃　At　his　feet　had　been　a　yellow　candle　in　a　blue　dish。　Until　now　she'd　forgotten　that　beside　the　dish　lay　a　hardcover　book　in　a　colorful　dustjacket。　
　It　was　the　same　dustjacket　reproduced　on　the　lectern：　The　Black　Windmill。　
　〃No；〃　Jim　said　again；　and　he　turned　away　from　the　plaque。　He　stared　around　worriedly　at　the　breeze…ruffled　trees。　
　Holly　read　on　and　discovered　that　twenty…five　years　ago；　the　very　year　that　ten…year…old　Jim　Ironheart　had　e　to　town；　The　Black　Windmill　had　been　made　into　a　motion　picture。　The　New　Svenborg　Mill　had　served　as　the　primary　location。　The　motion…picture　pany　had　created　a　shallow　but　convincing　millpond　around　it；　then　paid　to　restore　the　land　after　filming　and　to　establish　the　current　pocket　park。　
　Still　turning　slowly　around；　frowning　at　the　trees　and　shrubs；　at　the　gloom　beneath　them　that　the　overcast　day　could　not　dispel；　Jim　said；　〃Something's　ing。〃　
　Holly　could　see　nothing　ing；　and　she　believed　that　he　was　just　trying　to　distract　her　from　the　plaque。　He　did　not　want　to　accept　the　implications　of　the　information　on　it；　so　he　was　trying　to　make　her　turn　away　from　it　with　him。　
　The　movie　must　have　been　a　dog；　because　Holly　had　never　heard　of　it。　It　appeared　to　have　been　the　kind　of　production　that　was　big　news　nowhere　but　in　New　Svenborg　and；　even　there；　only　because　it　was　based　on　a　book　by　a　valley　resident。　On　the　historical　marker；　the　last　paragraph　of　copy　listed；　among　other　details　of　the　production；　the　names　of　the　five　most　important　members　of　the　cast。　No　big　box…office　draws　had　appeared　in　the　flick。　Of　the　first　four　names；　she　recognized　only　M。　
　Emmet　Walsh；　who　was　a　personal　favorite　of　hers。　
　The　fifth　cast　member　was　a　young　and　then…unknown　Robert　Vaughn。　
　She　looked　up　at　the　looming　mill。　
　〃What　is　happening　here？〃　she　said　a