"Elrod, P N - Vampire Files 05 - Fire In The Blood E-Txt" - читать интересную книгу автора (Elrod P N)

"I'll be accused of doing all sorts of things for her own good," he concluded
with a sigh of long suffering, and shrugged. "She's my daughter, but I'm damned
if I know what's going on in her mind all the time. She would accuse me of being
too nosy or something. She likes to think she's very independent and bitterly
resents any implication to the contrary. If you have, or ever have, children
you'll know what I mean. All I want is to get the bracelet back. After that it's
going into the safe until I'm gone, and then she can do what she likes with it."
"Assuming we're able to locate the bracelet, have you a preference for any
particular method of recovery?"
"Since it was stolen, I thought you could steal it back. Stan wouldn't dare
squawk."
"If he's fenced it already, we may have to purchase itЧif it is still in one
piece."
He grimaced. "I hope it is, or Marian's feelings or not, I'll have Griff fold
the little punk in two the wrong way. The bracelet's insured for fifteen
thousand, I'll go that high, but would appreciate if you could bargain things
down to the lowest possible amount."
"We'll see what we can do. I unfortunately do not have any of my standard
contracts with me."
Pierce pulled out a wallet and casually gave us each a hundred-dollar bill. It
was a sumptuous retainer when compared to Escott's usual rate. "That's all the
paperwork I think you'll need for now, Mr. Escott. If Griff trusts you, I can
trust you. If the trust is misplaced, then Griff has ways of evening the score."
"Of that I have no doubts. We'll need a description of Mr. McAlister. In fact, I
would like one of all the principals."
He was prepared and gave Escott a sheet of paper with names, addresses, and a
list of McAlister's favorite haunts. He also produced another photo. "I took
this at the party, it's a little harsh because I didn't get the flash right, but
they're recognizable. That's my daughter." He pointed to a sleek brunette.
"Fortunately for her, she took after her mother in looks. Unfortunately for me,
she has my temperament and quite a lot of her own, besides. The handsome fellow
next to her is Harry, and the two blonds are Kitty Donovan and Stan McAlister."
Escott carefully checked it over. "What does Mr. McAlister do?"
"Not very damn much, as far as I can tell. Stan has a taste for gambling and no
inclination to work."
"Does Kitty work?"
"Yes, but mostly for amusement. Her parents left her with a comfortable trust.
She augments it by designing hats for one of the big stores around here, custom
stuff. She glues a few feathers and sequins to a strip of ribbon and charges a
fortune for it. That's how she met Marian."
"What about Mr. Summers?"
"Harry's from a decent family. Not much money, but good people. Marian met him
while he was working as a waiter at some party. He'd worked his way through
school that way and now he's trying to start up his own business in radio
repair, so I give him credit for some ambition."
"Does he also gamble?"
"No, Harry's pretty much of a tight fist with his money, which is sensible if
you don't carry it too far."
"You think he does?"
Pierce nodded, amused again.