"Katherine Kurtz - Adept 01 - The Adept" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kurtz Katherine)

"All right," he said. "If you think I can do it, I'll give it a try. Just tell me when and where."
Adam nodded, considering. "How about tomorrow? I've got to go into Edinburgh in the morning to offer
testimony in a case before the High Court. One of the other men scheduled to be present is someone I'd like
you to look at very closelyтАж."

chapter seven

THE following day dawned gusty and changeable. Peregrine and Adam left Strathmourne House shortly
before nine, with Humphrey behind the wheel of the reliable blue Range Rover that was the workhorse of
Adam's stable of motorcars. By the time they reached the Forth Road Bridge, most of the morning's rush
hour traffic had subsided, leaving the roads relatively clear into the center of the city.
Humphrey let his passengers out on the front steps of Parliament House, directly across from St. Giles'
Cathedral. Peregrine shifted the strap of his small artist's satchel on his shoulder and hunched down in the
collar of his trenchcoat as he and Adam headed up the steps.
"You don't let a chap start out easily, do you?" he said. "I think I understand what you're hoping for, and I
have to admit that the case is fascinating. But I'd still be curious to know why you want me to concentrate on
sketches of the arresting officer, rather than the defendant or any of the witnesses."
Adam reached ahead to open the door into the courthouse building, holding it so that Peregrine could pass
through ahead of him.
"Oh, you can sketch the others as well, if you feel up to it - though I'm not too sure I'd dwell on the defendant,
at this early stage of your training. I'd rather not go into any further detail, though, because I don't want your
reactions to be influenced by anything I might say. You'll understand better, I think, once you've had a chance
to put your gifts to use."
"All right," said Peregrine, somewhat dubiously. "I'll do my best, in blind faith."
The case was being tried in a courtroom on the third floor. It had been in the papers for months - a gradual
buildup of bizarre events involving threats of retaliation by black magic, a series of bizarre animal executions,
and culminating in an attempt to bum down a house belonging to an elderly woman who kept dozens of cats.
Initially, Adam had been called in to construct a psychological profile of the probable perpetrator. When the
police eventually arrested the son of a prominent and wealthy businessman, Adam had been asked to
perform a psychiatric evaluation on behalf of the courts - and would be presenting testimony as an expert
witness in that regard today. He had reviewed his notes on the way in, familiarizing Peregrine with the
essential background of the case. Now, as they stood waiting for the lift, Peregrine glanced speculatively at
his mentor.
"Your suspect - he really took all of that black magic nonsense seriously, didn't he?"
"That black magic nonsense, as you so eloquently phrase it, should be taken seriously," Adam replied,
though a faint smile softened any rebuke that might have accompanied the bald statement. "Some of what
the uninformed call black magic can be put down to psychological aberration and delusion, I would be the first
to admit. But as you yourself have cause to know, the lines between delusion, illusion, and fact can be very
fine, indeed."
The stark reference to Peregrine's own situation produced the desired surprised silence, just as a soft chime
announced the arrival of the lift. The doors opened, discharging a bewigged trio of barristers in their black
courtroom robes. When Adam headed briskly into the empty car, Peregrine had to scramble a few steps to
keep up.
"Let me see if I've got this right," Peregrine said, when the doors had closed. "Are you saying that the
suspect really was working black magic?"
"Oh, there's little doubt he was trying," Adam replied.
Peregrine stared at Adam in shock.
"Did he succeed!" he asked.
"No." The flat denial hung in the air between them as Adam gazed somewhat distractedly through the lift's
control panel. "This wretched young man, not content with the material advantages he already had, aspired to