"Laurell K. Hamilton - Anita Blake 05 - Bloody Bones" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hamilton Laurell K)

sounded more like a beauty salon than an animating firm, but nobody had asked
me. "So what? The lowest bid gets it?"
"That was their plan," Bert said.
He looked entirely too satisfied with himself. "What?" I asked.
"Let me play it back to you," he said. "There are what, three animators in
the entire country that could raise a zombie that old without a human
sacrifice? You and John are two of them. I'm including Phillipa Freestone of
Resurrection in this."
"Probably," I said.
He nodded. "Okay. Could Phillipa raise without a name?"
"I don't have any way of knowing that. John could. Maybe she could."
"Could either she or John raise from the mass bones, not the ones in the
coffin?"
That stopped me. "I don't know."
"Would either of them stand a chance of raising the entire graveyard?" He
was staring at me very steadily.
"You're enjoying this too much," I said.
"Just answer the question, Anita."
"I know John couldn't do it. I don't think Phillipa is as good as John, so
no, they couldn't do it."
"I'm going to up the bid," Bert said.
I laughed. "Up the bid?"
"Nobody else can do it. Nobody but you. They tried treating this like any
other construction problem. But there aren't going to be any other bids, now
are there?"
"Probably not," I said.
"Then I'm going to take them to the cleaners," he said with a smile.
I shook my head. "You greedy son of a bitch."
"You get a share of the fee, you know."
"I know." We looked at each other. "What if I try and can't raise them all
in one night?"
"You'll still be able to raise them all eventually, won't you?"
"Probably." I stood, picking up my coffee mug. "But I wouldn't spend the
check until after I've done it. I'm going to go get some sleep."
"They want the bid this morning. If they accept our terms, they'll fly you
up in a private helicopter."
"HelicopterтАФyou know I hate to fly."
"For this much money you'll fly."
"Great."
 "Be ready to go at a moment's notice."
"Don't push it, Bert." I hesitated at the door. "Let me take Larry with
me."
"Why? If John can't do it, then Larry certainly can't."
I shrugged. "Maybe not, but there are ways to combine power during a
raising. If I can't do it alone, maybe I can get a boost from our trainee."
He looked thoughtful. "Why not take John? Combined, you could do it."
"Only if he'd give his power willingly to me. You think he'd do that?"
Bert shook his head.
"You going to tell him that the client didn't want him? That you offered
him to the client and they asked for me by name?"