"Kathleen Ann Goonan - The Bridge" - читать интересную книгу автора (Goose Mother)

тАЬNo.тАЭ

тАЬNever mind. I remember you now. Private eye. HavenтАЩt seen you in a
while. WhatтАЩs your question?тАЭ

тАЬDo you recall seeing these bodies here?тАЭ I showed her the photos
that Julia had left with me.

тАЬNo. Should I?тАЭ She looked more closely at the information on the
sheet I handed her. тАЬFour years ago? Are you kidding?тАЭ

тАЬYou signed their death certificates, here.тАЭ

She looked again; touched a circle at the bottom. тАЬThatтАЩs not my
signature.тАЭ

тАЬThanks. The other two?тАЭ

She shook her head, frowning. тАЬNo, these are all ... forgeries. But you
got them...тАЭ she touched the first one again. тАЬYou just got them over at
registry.тАЭ

тАЬSo these people didnтАЩt die?тАЭ

She looked at me impatiently. тАЬYou know as well as I do that all IтАЩm
saying is that these documents are fake. Some hacker has been in the
system.тАЭ She sighed. тАЬWell, itтАЩs nothing new. I told them they were rushing
into this too fast. Look, is that all?тАЭ
 тАЬThanks.тАЭ

****

Julia returned that afternoon, still wearing the blue suit, but now
wrapped in a dark wool cape with a hood.

I was glad that she showed up. I felt as if my morning had been a
waste of time and I half-thought that I would never see her again, that she
had been visited upon me by the gods of futility, who seemed to have
made themselves comfortable in just about every area of my life. First the
marriage, then my business, now the world...

On the other hand, she had provided me with something to be curious
about. Something to make me want to live another day, just to see what
happened.

She settled into the chair and again refused my offer of a drink.

I sipped carefully today. It was my last ounce and I was glad not to
have to split it. My breakfast and lunch had been donuts.