The Buddha of Brewer Street. Michael Dobbs
Чтение книги онлайн.

Читать онлайн книгу The Buddha of Brewer Street - Michael Dobbs страница 17

Название: The Buddha of Brewer Street

Автор: Michael Dobbs

Издательство: HarperCollins

Жанр: Триллеры

Серия:

isbn: 9780007390441

isbn:

СКАЧАТЬ club! He’d been a fool, felt deceived. But he also felt responsible. All those parental conversations he had tried to launch before retreating in embarrassment. That had been his part of the deal and he had failed. He had owed her more than that. Now she was paying the price, not only for her own weakness but for his, too. His fault. More guilt.

      And after the guilt came panic. What to do? He didn’t know, had no idea. He’d never been a grandfather before.

      And who was the father? Bryan? Bryan! He’d kill bloody Bryan-the-little-bastard. Or whoever. Perhaps it wasn’t Bryan. Still more panic. No, he wanted it to be Bryan, he didn’t want a whole list of suspects.

      Little Sam!

      He swore, most vividly, but it didn’t help. And outside he thought he could hear a Black Dog braying, waiting for him. So, lacking any other inspiration and ignoring the fact that it was still only eleven o’clock, Goodfellowe rose unsteadily from the bed and fixed himself a drink.

      A different bed, still more makeshift than the first. Little more than a mass of complaining springs, no mattress, supported by four short and rusting iron legs. It was to the legs that they had tied her.

      Sherab should never have returned to Tibet. Such trips always involved risk. She was only a functionary, not a mighty maker of decisions, no more than a manager of Potala Travel in McLeod Ganj. But she handled all the travel arrangements for the Dalai Lama’s office and anyone with those sort of connections becamea subject of interest to the Chinese. A target. Yet her mother was gravely ill; it might be a final chance for Sherab to see her. She had no choice.

      Luck had not travelled with her. Sherab was riding in the back of a vegetable lorry along an ancient Khampa trade route, avoiding the main roads which were heavily patrolled, but every mile took her further east, to where the Chinese presence was most evident and oppressive, drawing her deeper into danger. Her head was covered to protect her from the swirling dust of the high plateau and the stench of burnt diesel, so she did not see the Chinese patrol at the side of the road. They weren’t looking for her and had little interest other than in liberating a few vegetables to accompany the yak broth they were brewing, but they became suspicious when they found Sherab hiding in the back, covered, and grew still more interested when they found the money belt packed tight with the savings she had intended for her mother. This was no ordinary peasant, concealed behind sacks, and with such soft hands. They could read fear in her eyes, and fear spelled guilt. Anyway, if she wasn’t guilty of something they would have to hand back the money pouch. So she had been apprehended, and Sherab’s life was squandered for an armful of vegetables.

      She had been taken to Gutsa Gaol to the east of Lhasa, not in the main section but in a wing reserved for the politicals. It was there they unravelled her true identity by matching sex, age, accent and eventually her face to their files. ‘Sherab Chendrol,’ they had said, ‘we believe you wish to be a good citizen. Please co-operate.’ And to encourage her they had put her in a ‘cooperation’ cell fourteen metres square with one overspilling bucket and twenty hideous women, every one of whom was disfigured by some malevolent skin disease that she presumed to be highly contagious. There was no room to hide, no place to wash, and several of the hags had made a point of brushing up against her. When in the morning she had begged to be put in another cell, she was brought down many musty flights of concrete stairs to this new place. It was below ground, dank, with only a single bare light bulb hanging awkwardly from the ceiling and condensation seeping down the walls. But she felt, at first, relief; at least it had a bed. And she was alone, except for the guards, three male and one female, who accompanied her. There seemed to be very little noise down here; it was a long way from any other part of the prison. She wondered why there was no latrine bucket; perhaps that meant she would not be staying here long. It was only then she realized this could be no ordinary cell.

      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.

iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAh4AAAK8CAIAAAAvdSH4AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA BGdBTUEAALGOfPtRkwAAACBjSFJNAAB6JQAAgIMAAPn/AACA6QAAdTAAAOpgAAA6mAAAF2+SX8VG AACKG0lEQVR42mLkYnZjGKyAk5P9+JlpquoyDKNgFIyCUTAKhg4ACCCm0SAYBaNgFIyCUUBdABBA o1XLKBgFo2AUjAIqA4AAGq1aRsEoGAWjYBRQGQAE0GjVMgpGwSgYBaOAygAggEarllEwCkbBKBgF VAYAATRatYyCUTAKRsEooDIACKDRqmUUjIJRMApGAZUBQACNVi2jYBSMglEwCqgMAAJotGoZBaNg FIyCUUBlABBAo1XLKBgFo2AUjAIqA4AAGq1aRsEoGAWjYBRQGQAE0GjVMgpGwSgYBaOAygAggEar llEwCkbBKBgFVAYAATRatYyCUTAKRsEooDIACKDRqmUUjIJRMApGAZUBQACNVi2jYBSMglEwCqgM AAJotGoZBaNgFIyCUUBlABBAo1XLKBgFo2AUjAIqA4AAGq1aRsEoGAWjYBRQGQAE0GjVMgpGwSgY BaOAygAggEarllEwCkbBKBgFVAYAATRatYyCUTAKRsEooDIACKDRqmUUjIJRMApGAZUBQACNVi2j YBSMglEwCqgMAAJotGoZBaNgFIyCUUBlABBAo1XLKBgFo2AUjAIqA4AAGq1aRsEoGAWjYBRQGQAE 0GjVMgpGwSgYBaOAygAggEarllEwCkbBKBgFVAYAATRatYyCUTAKRsEooDIACKDRqmUUjIJRMApG AZUBQACNVi2jYBSMglEwCqgMAAJotGoZBaNgFIyCUUBlABBAo1XLKBgFo2AUjAIqA4AAGq1aRsEo GAWjYBRQGQAE0GjVMgpGwSgYBaOAygAggEarllEwCkbBKBgFVAYAATRatYyCUTAKRsEooDIACKDR qmUUjIJRMApGAZUBQACNVi2jYBSMglEwCqgMAAJotGoZBaNgFIyCUUBlABBAo1XLKBgFo2AUjAIq A4AAGq1aRsEoGAWjYBRQGQAE0GjVMgpGwSgYBaOAygAggEarllEwCkbBKBgFVAYAATRatYyCUTAK RsEooDIACKDRqmUUjIJRMApGAZUBQACNVi2jYBSMglEwCqgMAAJotGoZBaNgFIyCUUBlABBAo1XL KBgFo2AUjAIqA4AAGq1aRsEoGAWjYBRQGQAE0GjVMgpGwSgYBaOAygAggEarllEwCkbBKBgFVAYA ATRatYyCUTAKRsEooDIACKDRqmUUjIJRMApGAZUBQACNVi2jYBSMglEwCqgMAAJotGoZBaNgFIyC UUBlABBAo1XLKBgFo2AUjAIqA4AAGq1aRsEoGAWjYBRQGQAE0GjVMgpGwSgYBaOAygAggEarllEw CkbBKBgFVAYAATRatYyCUTAKRsEooDIACKDRqmUUjIJRMApGAZUBQACNVi2jYBSMglEwCqgMAAJo tGoZBaNgFIyCUUBlABBAo1XLKBgFo2AUjAIqA4AAGq1aRsEoGAWjYBRQGQAE0GjVMgpGwSgYBaOA ygAggEarllEwCkbBKBgFVAYAATRatYyCUTAKRsEooDIACKDRqmUUjIJRMApGAZUBQACNVi2jYBSM glEwCqgMAAJotGoZBaNgFIyCUUBlABBAo1XLKBgFo2AUjAIqA4AAGq1aRsEoGAWjYBRQGQAE0GjV MgpGwSgYBaOAygAggEarllEwCkbBKBgFVAYAATRatYyCUTAKRsEooDIACKDRqmUUjIJRMApGAZUB QACNVi2jYBSMglEwCqgMAAJotGoZBaNgFIyCUUBlABBAo1XLKBgFo2AUjAIqA4AAGq1aRsEoGAWj YBRQGQAE0GjVMgpGwSgYBaOAygAggEarllEwCkbBKBgFVAYAATRatYyCUTAKRsEooDIACKDRqmUU jIJRMApGAZUBQACNVi2jYBSMglEwCqgMAAJotGoZBaNgFIyCUUBlABBAo1XLKBgFo2AUjAIqA4AA Gq1aRsEoGAWjYBRQGQAE0GjVMgpGwSgYBaOAygAggEarllEwCkbBKBgFVAYAATRatYyCUTAKRsEo oDIACKDRqmUUjIJRMApGAZUBQACNVi2jYBSMglEwCqgMAAJotGoZBaNgFIyCUUBlABBAo1XLKBgF o2AUjAIqA4AAGq1aRsEoGAWjYBRQGQAE0GjVMgpGwSgYBaOAygAggEarllEwCkbBKBgFVAYAATRa tYyCUTAKRsEooDIACKDRqmUUjIJRMApGAZUBQACNVi2jYBSMglEwCqgMAAJotGoZBaNgFIyCUUBl ABBAo1XLKBgFo2AUjAIqA4AAGq1aRsEoGAWjYBRQGQAE0GjVMgpGwSgYBaOAygAggEarllEwCkbB KBgFVAYAATRatYyCUTAKRsEooDIACKDRqmUUjIJRM
СКАЧАТЬ