"P. N. Elrod - Vampire Files 07 - A Chill In The Blood" - читать интересную книгу автора (Elrod P N)

A Chill in the Blood by P.N. Elrod

Chapter One

Chicago, February 1937

Tired to the bone, I slumped in the front seat of Shoe Coldfield's big Nash, wedged between him and
my partner, Charles Escott. The car's heater was going full blast, but I still shivered like a malaria victim.
I'd never been this cold before in my whole life, but that's what happens when you take a dive off a boat
into Lake Michigan in early February.

Coldfield, a large, grim-looking black man in his middle thirties, glared down at me with a combination of
relief and exasperation, then shifted the glare in Escort's direction. "Charles, he's half-dead. I'm taking him
to a hospital."

Escott bent forward so his pale, sharp-featured face was more or less in my field of view. The effort
made him grunt. One of his eyes had a bad shiner, the other was swollen shut, and he held his left arm
protectively close to his lean frame. He'd been through the wars tonight himself, I dimly recalled. "My
dear fellow," he said, addressing Coldfield, not me, "that really wouldn't be a good idea for any of us, and
you're well aware of it."

In response, Coldfield snarled a ripe curse as he hauled at the steering wheel. He made a smart U-turn
along the beach road and got us pointed back toward Chicago.

"Jack's a little shell-shocked, but he only needs a warm place to thaw out and rest." Escott went on,
peering at my no-doubt-glazed eyes.

"No shit. Then what? We wait for pneumonia to set in?"

I got annoyed at their talking over me. " 'M a'right," I managed to puff out through chattering teeth. Bad
idea. It made me cough. Escott thoughtfully shoved a handkerchief in my face before I dribbled more
lake water onto the overcoat he'd loaned me.

"Like hell you are," said Coldfield. He glared briefly at me again, like all this was my faultтАФand he was
rightтАФthen focused on the road and the rearview mirror. I was glad I was low enough in the seat so he
wouldn't notice anything odd about the reflection.

"Anyone following?" asked Escott.

"Not yet."

"Let's keep it that way. No hospitals, Shoe, as a favor to all of us. We must assume that Kyler's gang or
Miss Paco could have informants anywhere in the city andтАФ"

"Yeah, yeah, well, they won't have any in my neck of the woods. I'm bringing in Doc Clarson to look at
you both."

"I can manage without."

"Oh sure, I've seen how well you've managed with those busted ribs."