"Edghill,.Rosemary.-.SS.Collection.-.Murder.By.Magic.v1.0.txt" - читать интересную книгу автора (Edghill Rosemary)

"Hold it," she said simply.
"How will I know if it's working?"
"You will."
"What if it doesn't work?"
"It will." She saw something in my face. She extended her left hand. After a moment I closed my right around it. "Now," she said.
I saw our free hands move out, move down, then close upon the collar. I felt the braided nylon, the slightly frayed strands where something had rubbed, the cool metal rings.
And tastedЧ
Чblood in my mouth. Blood everywhere. It splattered my legs, matting fur together; drenched my paws. Leathery pads felt it against the sidewalk, slick and slippery, drying to stickiness. I smelled it everywhere, clogging nostrils, overwhelming my superior canine olfactory sense.
Movement. The scent, the sharp tang of human surprise, fear, panic. Hackles rose from my neck to the base of my curled tail in a ridge of thick, coarse hair. I heard a man's voice, a blurt, a bleat of sound, shock and outrage. Another man's breathing, harsh and rasping; smelled the anger, the hatred, the cold fury that overwhelmed any comprehension of what he did beyond stopping it, stopping them; ending it, ending them; ending HERЧ
Чcrushed grass, leather, torn flesh, perfume, aftershaveЧ
Чaftershave I knewЧ
Чhad lived withЧ
Чit was him, HIM, the man, the man I knewЧ
Knife. Long blade, red and silver in the moonlight. A woman on the ground, slack across the concrete, pale hair a tumbled mass turning red and black and sticky.
ЧI know the manЧ
Чthe man who once fed me, walked me, petted me, praised meЧ
HIM. But what is heЧ
So much blood.
Everywhere.
Blood.
Чand the other man, falling. Bleeding. Breath running out. Two bodies on the ground.
Blood is everywhere.
I lift my voice in a wailing howl.
In the moonlight, I see him turn. In the streetlights, I see him look at me. Blackface. Familiar face.
Knife in his hand.
Blood on the knife.
Blood is everywhere.
He turns. Walks away. Back into the darkness.
I bark.
But he is gone.
Two bodies on the ground.
I bark and bark and barkЧ
I yanked my hand away from hers, let go of the collar. Felt rage well up. "That son of a bitch!"
She was white-faced and shaking. Like me, she had released the collar. It lay again on the carpet. "That poor woman."
"And the kid," I said. "Poor guy, wrong place at the wrong time, like everyone said." I closed my eyes, then popped them open again as the memory, the smells, threatened to overwhelm me. "I was the dog."
"Yes."
"We saw what he saw. The Akita."
"He was the only witness," she said, "except for the murderer."
"That son of a bitch ..." I rocked back, clasped hands on top of my head. Breathed noisily. "And it's not admissible."
"Double jeopardy," she murmured.
"But I know nowЧwe know ..." I squeezed my eyes shut.
Her voice was very quiet. "You left the department after the trial. That was the case that went bad."
I opened my eyes. "After the lawyers got through with us, I had no heart for it anymore. We knew we had the evidence. But they played the department. Played the media. And cherry-picked the jury."
Tears shone in her eyes. "You took the Akitas collar home. To find out the truth."
I grimaced. "I was desperate. I knew even if it worked, even if somehow it worked, no one would believe me. Are you kidding? But I thought maybe it would give me a lead if I could put myself there that night, behind the dogs eyesЧfind something we missed, something no one could manipulate ..." I shook my head. "Nothing. I couldn't do it. 1 didn't have the magic anymore."
She smiled. "Is that what you called it?"
"Magic? Yeah, as a kid. Hell, I didn't know what it was. I still don't. It's as good a word as any."
"I'm sorry," she said.
I nodded. "Yeah." Then the world revolved around me, began to gray out. "WhoaЧ"
"Lie down. I've got some energy bars in my purse. Lie down, Mr. Magnum."