"Alexander Jablokov - Dead Man" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jablokov Alexander)

with was a flash of red LEDs and festoons of cable harnesses, the fevered vision of
a dying man.

тАЬIтАЩd interrupted him,тАЭ he said.

тАЬWho?тАЭ I asked.

тАЬThe guy. Whoever it was. The one who upped me. I was all bloody, you
know, but still, when he grabbed me to pull me up onto the pallet, he got barbecue
sauce all over me. He even got it in my hair, when he was sticking the electrodes on.
I mean, didnтАЩt he even have a Wet Wipe, or something? Sharp, sweet smell, like
amplified blood.... What a way for me to go! What was wrong with him? The bag
from the takeout was crumpled on the floor, and the ribs were lying in one of those
cardboard trays. He even took a few more bites while he was working on me, like I
wasnтАЩt dying right in front of him.тАЭ

If there was a decent place for barbecue in Grand Island, Nebraska, I knew
whoтАЩd be able to find it.
 What the hell was Barnaby up to, uploading random dying strangers he found
on the highway? And then coming up with elaborate schemes to enable the body to
escape detection? HeтАЩd dropped out of the business a long time before. None of it
should have mattered anymore. My old friend and mentor. I had no desire to track
him down.

My mother would know where he was.

****

I yanked at the slider. It ground to a halt in its track. тАЬDammit!тАЭ I put my
weight into it, but that just wedged it deeper.

тАЬYou should clean the sand out of that regularly.тАЭ

Like any parent, my mother knew how to offer utterly necessary advice in
such a way that it would automatically be disregarded.

тАЬI know, Ma.тАЭ

тАЬHowтАЩs everything going?тАЭ

тАЬGood, good. Sorry itтАЩs been a while. IтАЩve had some demanding clients.тАЭ

тАЬIтАЩm sure some of them take a lot of emotional investment.тАЭ

тАЬYou donтАЩt know the half of it. I knew youтАЩd understand, Ma. Hey, I was just
remembering some things, and I was wondering...тАЭ

тАЬYou should just say things, honey.тАЭ

I took a breath. тАЬI know that.тАЭ