Part 41 (2/2)
”It's a stunt!” cried an old blond trooper who police force
”It's a gi beside Sammy A plainclothesreat big pain in the ass,” Harley said
Joe was shocked to see how haggard Sah, and at thirty-two he seemed to have acquired at last the deep-set eyes of the Kavaliers He had not changed much, and yet somehow he looked entirely different Joe felt as if he were looking at a clever ied from the observatory With his dyed penny-red hair and the eternal youthfulness of cheek enjoyed by soh he was, for soe Bernard Shaw
”hello, Mr Saks,” Joe said
”hello, Joe” Saks was relying, Joe noticed, on a silver-topped walking stick, in a way that suggested the cane was not (or not e ”How are you?”
”Fine, thank you,” Joe said ”And you?”
”We are well,” he said He was the only person on the entire deck- children included-who looked entirely delighted by the sight of Joe Kavalier, standing on the high shoulder of the E johns ”Still steeped in scandal and intrigue”
”I'ht?”
”A little For Christ's sake, Joe What are you doing standing up there?”
Joe turned his attention to the boy who had challenged him to do this, to stand here at the tip of the city in which he had been buried Tommy's face was nearly expressionless, but it was riveted on Joe He looked as if he was having a hard tied elaborately
”Didn't you read my letter?” he said to Sammy
He threw out his arms behind him Hitherto he had approached this stunt with the dry dispassion of an engineer, researching it, talking it over with the boys at Tannen's, studying Sidney Radner's secret e Leap of 1921[14][14] Now, to his surprise, he found hi to fly Now, to his surprise, he found hi to kill yourself,” Sa a Huood point The problem, of course, was that Joe had not written written the letter Had he done so, he would not have promised, in all likelihood, to conized the idea as his own, of course, filtered through the wildly elaborating i else-uileless gaze, haunted by tenderness of heart and an air of perpetual disappointment-reminded Joe of his dead brother But he had felt it necessary, in fulfilling the boy's challenge, to make a few adjustments here and there the letter Had he done so, he would not have promised, in all likelihood, to conized the idea as his own, of course, filtered through the wildly elaborating i else-uileless gaze, haunted by tenderness of heart and an air of perpetual disappointment-reminded Joe of his dead brother But he had felt it necessary, in fulfilling the boy's challenge, to make a few adjust is small,” Joe said, ”but it is of course there”
”And it's just about the only way for you to avoid arrest, Mr Kavalier,” said the plainclothesman
”I'll keep that in ain
”Joe!” Sammy ventured a hesitant couple of inches toward Joe ”God damn it, you know damn well the Escapist doesn't fly!” the Escapist doesn't fly!”
”That's what I said,” said one of the orphans knowledgeably
The police ready to rush the parapet
Joe stepped backward into the air The cord sang, soaring to a high, bright C The air around it see, and they heard a brief, roan The descent continued, the cord drawing thinner, the knots pulling farther apart, the note of elongation reaching into the dog frequencies Then there was silence
”Ow!” Captain Harley slapped the back of his head as if a bee had stung him He looked up, then down, then jumped quickly to one side Everybody looked at his feet There, to one side, wobbly and distended, lay the elastic cord, tipped by the severed loop that had engirdled Joe Kavalier's chest
All warnings and prohibitions were forgotten The children and adults ran to the parapet, and those lucky or industrious enough to get theled, a twisted letter K, on the projecting roof-ledge of the eighty-fourth floor
The ht,” he said Then he lowered his head once ray pebbled surface onto which he had fallen, and closed his eyes
9
The bearers carried hi, where an a since four o'clock that afternoon Sa left To police, ould not per Sa Toain like that, not ten minutes after his reappearance Let the boy spend a few ood
Every time Joe shut his eyes, the bearers told hiht have a concussion
”Wake up, Joe,” Sa?”
”Fine,” Joe said He had bit his lip, and there was blood from it on his cheek and shi+rt collar It was the only blood that Sammy could see ”How are you?”
Sammy nodded
”I read Weird Date Weird Date every , Sa, Sam”
”Thanks,” Sammy said ”Praise means so ood” is also good”
”Think so?”
”I always learn so”
”I do a lot of research” Sammy took out his handkerchief and dabbed at the bloody spot on Joe's lip, reainst the Germans of New York ”It's all in my face, by the way,” he said
”What is?”
”The weight youthe du Feel ave Sa,” Joe said
”You don't look so swell yourself, you know In this ratty old getup”
Joe s to be like a bad drea a lot of his bad dreams are about to come true,” Sao I'm sorry I hope you don't mind I realize that it has senti special to me”