"Barry B. Longyear - The Hangingstone Rat" - читать интересную книгу автора (Longyear Barry)

тАЬGet a match on the voiceprint?тАЭ

тАЬNo. Someone not in the system.тАЭ There was a long uncomfortable
pause on the line.

тАЬWhat is it, Parker?тАЭ I said rather more irritably than was polite.

тАЬWe have orders from London to drop the entire matter. TheyтАЩve
concluded that ShadтАЩs death was simply a piece of rotten luck.тАЭ

тАЬLuck,тАЭ I repeated flatly.

тАЬYes, sir. ThereтАЩs some suggestion,тАЭ he continued, тАЬthat Shad might
have set the thing off himself.тАЭ

тАЬWhat?тАЭ

тАЬThey say he might have touched something out there.тАЭ

тАЬIt was a possible crime scene, Parker! Of course he touched
something! That was his bleeding job!тАЭ My headache began ricocheting
from one side of my skull to the other, and I forced myself to calm down.
тАЬShadтАЩs an experienced detective, Parker. When he was a human nat in the
NYPD he even had bomb disposal unit experience. He wouldnтАЩt beat on a
bomb fuse with a hammer just to see what would happen. They canтАЩt be
serious.тАЭ
 тАЬSerious enough for Dartmoor National Park Authority to consider
billing ABCD to have that logan stone put back in its original position.тАЭ

тАЬBollocks! Great roiling oceans of bloody flipping bilge!тАЭ I closed my
eyes as molten steel seemed to pour into my brain pan, all of which left me
somewhat suspended between uncontainable pain and unexpressed
expletives. When I risked opening my eyes I noticed Val sitting in the
doorway. тАЬSorry, dear.тАЭ

Her deep aqua eyes studied me for a moment. тАЬHarry, are you all
right?тАЭ

тАЬManaging, dear. Ralph Parker and I were having a wag on the
phone.тАЭ

тАЬThe doctor said getting upset would probably worsen your
headaches.тАЭ

тАЬIтАЩm astounded he took the time from selling his old trusses.тАЭ

тАЬWhat?тАЭ

тАЬIтАЩm pleased to report my own research supports Dr. TruscottтАЩs