"Karen Haber - On the Tip of a Cat's Tongue" - читать интересную книгу автора (Haber Karen)

it was golden ivory, finely grained, and then a rich umber. Now it was tinged
with red, with purple, with grey shading into black. And as the colors changed
the oval seemed to rotate upon its cushion. Seaton blinked. The piece was
clear as glass once again. It had not moved.
With a queenly and satisfied nod, Kembali Val closed the lid of the
case.
"The Bettyl Egg," Sebastian said, a touch of reverence in his smooth
basso profundo. "Carved as a gift for the Princess Talum Vera Kaan upon her
betrothal to the Ruler of Seti V, Massim Alysia, in the third cycle, vingt
deuxieme siecle, old calendar."
"Exquisite," Seaton said.
"Yes, it's quite good for a fake."
Seaton couldn't resist asking, "Are you certain?"
The glare Kembali Val gave him was filled with blue ice.
"Would I have called you here, wasting both your time and mine, if I
were not?" Sebastian demanded.
"When did you discover that the Egg was counterfeit?"
"Almost a full cycle ago. Naturally, I was quite careful to check it
several times. But the specific gravity is off, the refraction of light --
wrong, all wrong. I've had the piece charted and recharted. It's a good copy.
But it is a copy."
"Do you think the original was stolen from the collection?"
Kembali Val reared back stiffly, her nose in the air.
Sebastian fixed his yellow gaze upon Seaton as though personally
insulted. "Impossible," he said. "Besides, this is a marvelous piece but




Page 2
hardly the most valuable in Colonel Westphal's keeping. If a thief could gain
entry, why bother with a lesser object?"
"So you think that the fake was part of the original aquisition?"
Kembali Val nodded.
Sebastian began to wash his face noisily. The curator gave him a sharp
look and he desisted with a patient air.
"Of course, this all comes at the worst possible moment," the cat said.
"We're expecting proofs of the definitive catalog for the Colonel's collection
any moment. The orders have been given throughout the Three Systems: every
museum and library wants this book. Should I allow it to be published with the
error in situ? Or delay printing, costing who knows how much, and risk a
lawsuit from the publisher in order to correct the error and remove the
plate?"
Seaton felt a bit out of his depth. "What does Colonel Westphal say?"
he asked.
"Oh, she's furious. Wants the whole thing aired, villains punished, and
hang the cost. But you see..." Sebastian paused and Ms. Val looked away in
obvious embarrassment. "This happened during my watch. Although the Colonel
holds me blameless she nevertheless wants the issue publicized as a warning to
other collectors. But my reputation is at stake here. I approved that piece.