"Brad Ferguson - To Tell The Troof" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ferguson Brad)

Edith considered it. тАЬSome achy, kind of tired, but nothing too bad.
Better than I have a right to. How long was I asleep?тАЭ
McAleer looked at the clock. тАЬA bit more than twelve hours. Want some
coffee? ThereтАЩs some ready.тАЭ
тАЬCoffee. What a wonderful idea. Yes, please.тАЭ
тАЬI hear voices,тАЭ came a high-pitched voice from upstairs. EdithтАЩs
eyebrows raised.
McAleer smiled. тАЬThatтАЩs Zweebl. HeтАЩs my assistant.тАЭ Walking to the
doorway of the study, he said loudly, тАЬCome on down if you want to,
Zweebl. Our patientтАЩs awake and feeling fine.тАЭ
тАЬBe down in flash, Father.тАЭ
тАЬтАШFatherтАЩ?тАЭ Edith said. тАЬOops. But of course тАФ you said this was a
mission. Called you тАШmisterтАЩ before, didnтАЩt I? Sorry. IтАЩm still a little slow, I
guess тАФ тАЭ
McAleer laughed. тАЬMiss Daney тАФ тАЭ
тАЬEdith.тАЭ
тАЬEdith, donтАЩt worry about it. ItтАЩs not important. Okay?тАЭ
Edith smiled. тАЬThanks. Now, whereтАЩs the coffee?тАЭ тАЬKitchen. IтАЩll get it.тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩll help.тАЭ
After two quick cups of McAleerтАЩs coffee, both the pilot and the priest
felt a great deal more human. Zweebl, content with a cup of suffra milk
cut with water, sat quietly and listened to their conversation.
For his part, McAleer was fascinated. HeтАЩd already found out that Edith
Manus Daney had been born Presbyterian but hadnтАЩt been a churchgoer
since her early teens, and that sheтАЩd also been born Manus; sheтАЩd ditched
Daney in an uncontested divorce action three years before.
McAleer also found out Edith was a small-time smuggler. Edith told
that to McAleer only after she decided she could trust him. It hadnтАЩt taken
long, though.
тАЬSmuggling?тАЭ McAleer asked, surprised. тАЬReally?тАЭ
тАЬSure,тАЭ Edith shrugged. тАЬI had to make a living. I went partners with
the guy I took up with about a year after the divorce. Jimmy, his name
was; he had the ship when I met him. Drugs, weapons, furs, gems, liquor,
electronics, luxury foods тАФ you name it, we brought it in.тАЭ Edith paused.
тАЬJimmy got killed on some piece of shit called Matter of Fact a year and a
half ago. Some bastard took him down in a bar for no damn reason at all. I
went solo after that.тАЭ
McAleer nodded.
тАЬThe stuff I had aboard was bound for Conrad; somewhere along the
way, my exchanger fused and the backups failed. She was an old ship;
Jimmy was forever trying to hold her together, and I wasnтАЩt as good at
maintenance as Jimmy was. Anyway, after she went bad on me, I came
out of warp and spent eight days solid trying to get here, environmental
controls gone and the ship in near-vacuum all the way. DidnтАЩt get more
than ten or fifteen minutes of sleep at a time. Best damned flying I ever
did, youтАЩll pardon me. Um, I hope you donтАЩt consider smuggling a sin or
something.тАЭ
McAleer thought about it, running a hand through what was left of his
hair. тАЬRender unto Caesar, you know. But IтАЩm no judge.тАЭ
тАЬGoing to turn me in?тАЭ Edith asked calmly.