"Shadow Game" - читать интересную книгу автора (Feehan Christine)

by the president of the corporation to take over her father's work. She hadn't
dared appear too eager and had stayed locked up in her home, mourning her loss,
grieving privately, away from even those whom she called family, all the while
planning carefully her every move to find her father's murderer.
She had searched for a hidden laboratory in her enormous home, but there were so
many rooms, hidden and not, that it seemed an impossible task. There were secret
passageways leading belowground and up to the attics. She had meticulously gone
over the blueprints and the floor plans, but to no avail. So far she had not
found her father's secret world, and she hoped he'd left her a clue to its
whereabouts in his office at Donovans.
Lily moved quickly through the rows of bottles and burners, through two rooms
filled with computers to halt at another door. Firmly she pressed her palm and
fingertips into the print scanner and leaned close to speak her coded phrase,
waiting as an unseen computer analyzed the combination of her speech patterns
and hand scan to verify her identity. The heavy door slid aside and she went
into another, much larger complex.
The laboratory had muted lighting, turning the world into a bluish, tranquil
setting. It was filled with plants and trickling waterfalls. The sound of water
added to the calm atmosphere kept at all times in the lab. In the background was
the continual sound of the ocean playing on a tape, waves rushing the shore and
retreating, adding to the soothing ambiance of the laboratory.
"How was he last night?" Lily asked after greeting the dark-haired lab tech, who
had snapped to attention in his chair when she entered. She had known Roger
Talbot, her father's assistant, for five years. She had always liked and
respected him.
"Not good, Dr. Whitney; he didn't sleep again. He's pacing back and forth like a
wild animal. The level of aggression and agitation has risen daily this last
week. He's asked for you repeatedly and has ceased all cooperation with testing.
His pacing is driving me crazy."
Lily pinned him with a sharp gaze. "From what I read in the reports, his hearing
is extremely acute, RogerЧI doubt if he cares much for your admission. You're
not the one locked up, now, are you?" Her voice was low but it carried a lash of
reprimand.
"I'm sorry," Roger apologized immediately. "You're right. I don't have an excuse
for being so unprofessional. I'm letting the colonel get to me. Colonel Higgens
has been extremely difficult. Without your father around to provide some kind of
a buffer, we're allЕ"
"I'll see what I can do to keep him out of here for a while," she soothed.
"About your fatherЕ" Roger trailed off as she continued to look at him. "It must
be difficult for you," he tried again.
Lily was monitoring his emotions as she had with the other technician. Roger had
no idea how her father could have disappeared and he was desperate for his boss
to return. She tilted her chin. "Yes, it is difficult not knowing what happened
to him. Take a break, Roger, you've earned it. I'll be here for some time. I'll
beep you when I leave."
Roger glanced around the room as if they might not be alone. He lowered his
voice. "He's getting stronger, Dr. Whitney."
She followed his gaze toward the other side of the lab, waited a heartbeat, her
mind assimilating the information. "What gives you the impression he's growing
stronger?"