"Cook, Robin - Invasion Txt" - читать интересную книгу автора (Cook Robin)

"Shit, it's heavy for its size," Beau said. He handed it to Pitt, who hefted it in the palm of his hand. Pitt whistled and made an expression of amazement. He gave it back to Beau.

"What's it made of?" Pitt asked.

"Feels like lead," Beau said. With his fingernail he tried to scratch it, but it didn't scratch. "But it ain't lead. Hell, I bet it's heavier than lead."

"It reminds me of one of those black rocks you find once in a while at the beach," Pitt said. "You know, those rocks that get rolled around for years by the surf."

Beau hooked his index finger and thumb around the margin of the object and made a motion as if to throw it. "With this flat underside I bet I could skip this thing twenty times."

"Bull!" Pitt said. "With its weight it would sink after one or two skips."

"Five bucks says I could skip it at least ten times," Beau said.

"You're on," Pitt said.

"Ahhh!" Beau cried suddenly. Dropping the object, which again half buried itself in the sand and gravel, Beau grabbed his right hand with his left.

"What happened?" Pitt demanded with alarm.

"The damn thing stung me," Beau said angrily. By squeezing the base of his index finger, he caused a drop of blood to appear at the tip.

"Oh, wow!" Pitt said sarcastically. "A mortal wound!"

"Screw you, Henderson," Beau said, grimacing. "It hurt. It felt like a goddamn bee sting. I even felt it up my arm."

"Ah, instant septicemia," Pitt said with equal sarcasm.

"What the hell's that?" Beau demanded nervously.

"It would take too long to explain, Mr. Hypochondriac," Pitt said. "Besides, I'm just pulling your leg."

Beau bent down and retrieved the black disc. He carefully inspected its edge but found nothing that could have accounted for the sting.

"Come on, Beau!" Cassy called angrily. "I gotta go. What on earth are you two doing?"

"All right, all right," Beau said. He looked at Pitt and shrugged.

Pitt bent down and from the base of the latest indentation the object had made in the sand, lifted a slender shard of glass. "Could this have been stuck to it somehow and cut you?"

"I suppose," Beau said. He thought it unlikely but couldn't think of any other explanation. He'd convinced himself there was no way the object could have been at fault.

"Beauuuuu!" Cassy called through clenched teeth.

Beau swung himself up behind the wheel of his 4X4. As he did so he absently slipped the curious domed disc into his jacket pocket. Pitt climbed into the backseat.

"Now I'm going to be late," Cassy fumed.

"When was your last tetanus shot?" Pitt questioned from the backseat.