"Janet Kagan - Mirabile" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kagan Janet)

another colony elsewhere.
I turned to get a better look, maybe count noses to get a rough estimate of
numbers. I counted six, eight, nine separate ripples in the water. Something seemed a
little off about them. I got a firm clamp on my suspicious mind and on the stories IтАЩd
heard all day and tried to take an unbiased look. They werenтАЩt about to hold still long
enough for me to get a fix on them through the branches and the shadows that were
deepening by the moment.
One twined around an overhang. I could see the characteristic tail but its head was
lost in a stand of water lilies. Good fishing there, I knew. The trout always thought
they could hide in the water lilies and the otters always knew just where to find them.
Then I realized with a start that the water lilies were disappearing.
I frowned. I untied the boat and gestured for Leo to help me get closer. We
grabbed at branches to pull the boat along as silently as possible. To no avail: with a
sudden flurry of splashes all around, the otters were gone.
тАЬHell,тАЭ I said. I unshipped the oars and we continued on over. I was losing too
much of the light. I thrust down into the icy water and felt around the stand of lilies,
then I grabbed and yanked, splattering water all over Leo. He made not a word of
complaint. Instead, he stuck a damp match into his shirt pocket and tried a second
one. This one lit.
It told my eyes what my fingers had already learned: the water lily had been neatly
chewed. Several other leaves had been nipped off the stems as wellтАФbut at an earlier
time, to judge from the way the stem had sealed itself. I dropped the plant back in
the water and wiped my hands dry on my slacks.
Leo drowned the match and stuck it in his pocket with the first. It got suddenly
very dark and very quiet on the loch.
I decided I didnтАЩt want either of us out here without some kind of protective gear.
I reached for the overhang and shoved us back toward the sunlit side of the loch. It
wasnтАЩt until IтАЩd unshipped my oar again that I got my second shock of the day.
That branch was the one IтАЩd seen the otter twined around. That gave me a belated
sense of scale. The тАЬotterтАЭ had been a good eight feet long!
I chewed on the thought all the way back to the lodge. Would have forgotten the
violets altogether but for LeoтАЩs refusal to let that happen. I put my pole back in its
place and took the scarlet violet and its clump of earth from him. Spotted Susan and
said, тАЬLeo wants to see a gene-read. Can you have Chris send rock lobster for two
up to my room?тАЭ
тАЬItтАЩs on its way.тАЭ She paused to glance at the violets. тАЬPretty,тАЭ she said, тАЬI
hopeтАФтАЭ
 тАЬYeah, me too.тАЭ
тАЬHey!тАЭ she said suddenly. тАЬI thought you were here for a break?тАЭ
тАЬHow else can I lure Leo up to my room?тАЭ
тАЬYou could just invite him, Mama Jason. ThatтАЩs what youтАЩre always telling us:
Keep it simple and straightforwardтАжтАЭ
тАЬI should keep my mouth shut.тАЭ
тАЬThen you wouldnтАЩt be able to eat your lobster.тАЭ With that as her parting shot,
Susan vanished back into the dining room. I paused to poke my head around the
cornerтАФempty, just as Chris had predicted.
We climbed the stairs. I motioned Leo in, laid down the clump of violets and
opened my gear. тАЬViolets first,тАЭ I said, тАЬas long as weтАЩre about to be interrupted.тАЭ
I took my sample and cued up the room computer, linked it to the one back at the
lab. There was a message from Mike waiting. тАЬThe daffodils have perked up, so