"John DeChancie - Castle 01 - Castle Perilous" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dechancie John)

тАЬLet me up.тАЭ
тАЬI could let you drop.тАЭ
Dalton started to raise himself.
тАЬI could, you know. I doubt if any of the other Guests would bat an eye.тАЭ
Dalton тАЩs body shook and grew rigid again. тАЬPl-please!тАЭ he managed to say in a strangled gasp. His left hand
withdrew from the rail.
тАЬThere you dangle, eighty stories up,тАЭ Jacoby said. тАЬSubject to my will.тАЭ
Dalton emitted a muffled scream.
тАЬI could let you drop.тАЭ JacobyтАЩs body relaxed, his jowls going loose once again. тАЬBut not today.тАЭ
Dalton тАЩs left arm shot up to hook over the rail. With some effort he hauled himself upward until he was able to
throw one leg over. Struggling, he inched upward until he was straddling the rail again, then slid off and fell to
the flagstone floor of the balcony. After a long moment he got up on all fours, then lurched to his feet. His face
was bloodless, tinted with ghastly shades of green.

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Jacoby looked at his glass. тАЬI need a drink,тАЭ he said, and walked inside.
It was some time before Dalton followed.
Elsewhere
тАЬMR. FERRARO?тАЭ
тАЬHere.тАЭ
A tall, curly-headed, dark-haired man, about thirty, rose from among the Waiting Dead. Apex Employment
Agency was busy that day. At least three dozen people occupied chairs in the reception area. Most had been
sitting, slumped and hopeless, for hours. Gene Ferraro was lucky, having had only a forty-minute wait.
тАЬHi. Jerry Lesko.тАЭ
Gene took the kidтАЩs hand тАФ Lesko was no more than twenty-five, probably a good deal younger. тАЬA pleasure.тАЭ
тАЬCome on back.тАЭ
тАЬSure.тАЭ
Gene picked up his attach├й case and followed Lesko through a maze of desks and partitioned offices until they
came to a cluttered cubicle, which they entered. Lesko took a seat behind a gray steel desk and motioned for
Gene to sit in the small hard-backed chair next to it.
тАЬFirst we gotta get you to sign this,тАЭ Lesko said, placing in front of Gene a large yellow filing card densely inked
with small lettering. тАЬRead it and sign if you want to.тАЭ
Glancing over it, Gene recognized it as the usual agreement to fork over a certain percentage тАФ in this case a
healthy fifteen percent тАФ of the signeeтАЩs yearly salary, payable immediately and in full should the signee accept
any job offer resulting from the agencyтАЩs referral. Fine. You pay to work. Dandy.
Gene signed it, slid it across the desk to Lesko.
тАЬGood. Now fill this out.тАЭ
тАЬWhat is it?тАЭ
тАЬCredit check.тАЭ
тАЬWhy?тАЭ
тАЬCompany policy. You may have to borrow to pay the fee. Fifteen percent of your salary, you know. Just put
down your bank account, and list any major credit cards.тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt have a bank account, at least not a checking account. No credit cards either.тАЭ
тАЬOh. Did you ever have a student loan? Says here you have a degree тАж couple degrees, in fact.тАЭ
тАЬNever did. Scholarships, fellowships, teaching assistantships, that sort of thing. My parents covered whatever
shortfalls there were.тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩre lucky. Must be pretty smart. Well тАж have a savings account?тАЭ
тАЬYes.тАЭ