"Nina Kiriki Hoffman - For Richer" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hoffman Nina Kiriki)

coffee.

How had he known? How did he know anything? The man I married wouldn't have
been
able to recognize me if I was with two other brunettes,and this man knew my
secret childhood nickname. I went into the ladies room, threw out the coffee,
and sat on a toilet (the only handy piece of furniture), clutching my stomach,
which had shooting pains in it by that time.
Gretchen, my lawyer, found me there a few minutes later when she came in to
sweep all the escaping strands of blonde-brown hair back into her chignon. I
had
left the stall door open; she saw me in the minor. She stooped in front of me,
putting creases in her green satin skirt. "Penny, do you know what you want?
You're surely not making this easy for me."

"What do you mean?"

"Changing grounds in the middle of the case. This death business. Are you sure
you want to ditch the guy? I'm starting to suspect you don't."

"He's not the man I married," I said.

"You're divorcing the man you married," she said. "It would save steps if you
stopped the divorce -- that is, if you're thinking of marrying the man he is
now. God, I can't believe the level of metaphysics involved here."

"How can I want to marry him when I don't even know him?" I said. "I think I
want to marry him."

"I'm going to go talk to his lawyer and see if we can't all throw in the towel
now," she said, "unless you think Rich might be playing a little trick he
figures you'll be sympathetic. Maybe he figures you'll figure he has a
diminished earning capacity and shouldn't be soaked for a big alimony check
every month. Is this new him manipulating your thoughts in any of those
directions?"

"Don't be silly," I said. "The new Rich told the court about the Costa Mesa
property. Honestly, Gretchen. I had no idea he owned that land, and that he
had
such a big monthly income from it. Four years and I've never heard of it. Now
he
wants to give it to me as a settlement. Did you see his lawyer jumping up and
down during that part?"

"That was pretty amusing," she said. "If it was some sort of trick, Rich has a
very devious mind. I'm going to ask you one more time. Do you want me to halt
proceedings now?"

I clutched my stomach and frowned, with my eyes closed. I thought a moment.
Then