"HARRISON, Harry - 08 - The Stainless Steel Rat Sings The Blues (V1.0)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harrison Harry)

what you want me to do?"
"In good time," he said, sitting down across from me. "Captain Varod asked me to
send his regards. And to convey the message that he knee you were lying when you
promised to give up a life of crime."
"So he had me watched?"
"You're catching on. After this last criminal assignment for us you will become
an honest man. Or else."
"Who are you to talk!" I sneered and drained the glass. "A crooked shyster who
is theoretically paid to uphold the law. Yet you stand by and let the thugs here
on Paskonjak pass legislation to have trials after an execution-then you employ
a criminal to commit a criminal act. Not what I would call sincerely
law-abiding."
"First," he said, lifting a finger in a very legalistic way, "we have never
condoned the secret law in the Mint. It was only recently produced by the
overly-paranoid management here. Yours was the first arrest-and will be the
last. There have been numerous job replacements already. Secondly," another
finger rose to join the first, "the League has never condoned violence or
criminal acts. This is the first occurrence and has been produced by an .unusual
series of circumstances. After great deliberation the decision was made to do it
just this one time. And never again."
"Millions might believe that," I sneered disbelievingly. "Isn't it time you told
me what the job is?"
"No-because I don't know myself. My vote was cast against this entire operation
so I have been included out. Professor Van Diver will brief you."
"But what about the thirty-day poison?"
"You will be contacted on the twenty-ninth day." He stood up and went to the
door. "It is against my principles to wish you good luck."
This was his puritanical pontificatory exit line. Because as he went out an
elderly type with a white beard and a monocle entered.
"Professor Van Diver I presume?"
"Indeed," he said extending a damp, limp hand for me to shake. "You must be the
volunteer with the nom de guerre of Jim about whose presence I was informed, who
would await me here. It was very good of you to undertake what can only be
called a rather diligent and difficult assignment."
"Rather," I intoned, falling into his academic mode of speech. "Is there any
remote possibility that I might be informed of the nature of this assignment?"
"Of course. I have the requisite authority to provide augmentive information to
you concerning the history and tragic circumstance of the loss. Another
individual, who shall be nameless, will supply the assistance that you will
require. I shall begin with the circumstances that occurred a little over twenty
years ago . . ."
"A beer. I must have refreshment. Will you join me?"
"I abstain from all alcoholic and caffeine-containing beverages." He glared at
me glassily through his menacing monocle as I refilled my mug. I sipped and sat
and waved him into action. His voice washed over me in turgid waves and soon had
me half-asleep-but the content of his talk woke me up fast enough. He went on
far too long, with far too many digressions, but despite this it was fascinating
stuff to listen to.
A stripped-down version wouldn't have been half as much fun for him and would
have taken only a few minutes to tell. Simply, Galaksia Universitato had sent an