"Laurell K. Hamilton - Anita Blake 15 - The Harlequin" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hamilton Laurell K)

"I want justice."

"The law isn't about justice, Malcolm. It's about the law."

"She did not do the crime she is accused of, as our wandering brother Avery Seabrook was innocent of
the crime you sought him for." He called any of his church group who joined Jean-Claude "wanderers."
The fact that Avery, the vampire, had a last name meant he was very recently dead, and that he was an
American vampire. Vampires normally only had one name, like Madonna or Cher, and only one vamp
per country could have that name. Duels were fought over the right to use names. Until now, until
America. We had vampires with last names, unheard of.

"I cleared Avery. Legally, I didn't have to."
"No, you could have shot him dead, found out your mistake later, and suffered nothing under the law."

"I did not write this law, Malcolm, I just carry it out."

"Vampires did not write this law either, Anita."

"That's true, but no human can mesmerize other humans so that they help in their own kidnappings.
Humans can't fly off with their victims in their arms."

"And that justifies slaughtering us?"

I shrugged again. I was going to leave this argument alone because I'd begun to not like that part of my
job. I didn't think vampires were monsters anymore; it made killing them harder. It made executing them
when they couldn't fight back monstrous, with me as the monster.

"What do you want me to do, Malcolm? I have a warrant with Sally Hunter's name on it. Witnesses saw
her leave Bev Leveto's apartment. Ms. Leveto died by vampire attack. I know it wasn't any of
Jean-Claude's vampires. That leaves yours." Hell, I had her driver's license picture in the file with the
warrant. I have to admit that having a picture to go with it made me feel more like an assassin. A picture
so I'd get the right one.

"Are you so certain of that?"

I blinked at him, the slow blink that gave me time to think but didn't look like I was thinking furiously.
"What are you trying to say, Malcolm? I'm not good at subtle; just tell me what you came to say."

"Something powerful, someone powerful, came to my church last week. They hid themselves. I could not
find them in the new faces of my congregation, but I know that someone immensely powerful was there."
He leaned forward, his calm exterior cracking around the edges. "Do you understand how powerful they
would have to be for me to sense them, use all my powers to search the room for them, yet not be able
to find them?"

I thought about it. Malcolm was no Master of the City, but he was probably one of the top five most
powerful vampires in town. He'd be higher, if he weren't so terribly moral. It limited him in some ways.

I licked my lips, careful of the lipstick, and nodded. "Did they want you to know they were there, or was
that part an accident?"