The Case of the Missing Books. Ian Sansom

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СКАЧАТЬ phone rang for a long time before it was answered. Israel imagined the sound of it ringing in Gloria’s lovely pale satinwood, soft-furnished, little-bit-of-the-Mediterranean-in-the-heart-of-the-city, inspired-by-the-World of Interiors-but-not-slavish-in-the-pursuit-of-fashion flat near Borough Market. He could almost smell the fresh bagels and orange juice.

      ‘Hey!’ shouted Israel, relieved and excited when Gloria finally picked up.

      ‘ ,’ said Gloria indistinctly. It was a bad line.

      ‘It’s me,’ explained Israel, his voice echoing round the room like a condemned man’s in a prison cell.

      ‘ .’

      ‘Israel.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘Shit.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘Sorry. I forgot what time it was—’

      ‘ .’

      ‘I’m sorry.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘I said I was sorry.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘Sorry.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘I know. I tried. There’s no coverage here.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘Oh. It was unbelievable.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘It’s some farm in the middle of nowhere.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘No, not exactly.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘No. It’s not a joke. It’s terrible. There are chickens in my bed.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘Right. Yes. Ha, ha.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘No. But that’s not the worst of it. You’re not going to believe this…’

      ‘ .’

      ‘No, not that. I’m serious. There’s no library.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘It’s been shut.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘ .’

      ‘I know they can’t.’

      ‘ .’

      They want me to drive a mobile library instead.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘I’m glad you think it’s funny.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘Yes, as a replacement.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘No, I told her I wouldn’t accept it.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘It’s not an opportunity.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘What do you mean? I can hold down a proper job.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘Anyway. I’m coming back in a couple of weeks’ time.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘I can.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘No. You don’t understand. This isn’t a stepping stone. You haven’t seen this place.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘Oh. You’re not?’

      ‘ .’

      ‘I see. Why, where are you going?’

      ‘ .’

      ‘Right. Well, I’m sure you’ll have a great time.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘No, of course not.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘Anyway, what else is happening there?’

      ‘ .’

      ‘Oh, really?’

      ‘ .’

      ‘No. That’s great. No, you deserve it.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘Yeah, sure.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘But…’

      ‘ .’

      ‘Yeah, I’ll try and ring you later.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘Yep. OK.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘No. I understand.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘Love you.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘OK, yeah. Bye.’

      ‘ .’

      ‘Bye.’

      His head hurt.

      It was not the most cheering and successful conversation Israel had ever had: discovering that his girlfriend was going skiing with friends on the proceeds of her more-than-generous Christmas bonus, and that there was a possibility she was about to get an unlooked-for but richly deserved promotion, while he was stood listening, shivering in a decrepit farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, staring at photographs of men in bowler hats and sashes with peculiar moustaches and glints in their eyes, while wearing someone else’s combat trousers which were too tight and too short, and a hoodie, and a T-shirt saying ‘Niggers With Attitude’.

      He returned to the kitchen even more depressed than before.

      Breakfast was on the table, Brownie and the old СКАЧАТЬ