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

тАЬFor what they believe are obvious reasons, Jaggers, Celebrity
Look-alikes do not allow cameras of any kind on premises. WeтАЩre
running the records of the street cameras right now, but Celebrity has
hundreds of client visits, inquiries, pickups, and deliveries every day.
Given this fellowтАЩs proclivities, he was probably in disguise when he
rented the rat meat suit.тАЭ
 тАЬWhat about the person who handled the sale? Someone with a
downloadable memory?тАЭ

тАЬA human natural, as our luck would have it. The agent who
handled the sale canтАЩt remember one rat customer from another. Rat
bios are quite popular costumes for some disquieting reasonтАФschool
outings, club meetings, university bashesтАФthat sort of thing. The fellow
didnтАЩt copy into the rat suit on the premises. Presumably he has the use
of a stasis bed elsewhere. I may be jumping the gun, but IтАЩm reopening
the inquiry as a possible homicide.тАЭ

I glanced down at Shad in his flying lipstick. тАЬThank you. Is that it, sir?тАЭ

тАЬAn additional unrelated matter. Quite interesting. Birdshot was
found inтАФamong ShadтАЩs remains.тАЭ

тАЬYes, sir,тАЭ I answered, looking at ShadтАЩs micro. тАЬWhen Shad was an
officer with Northern New England Wildlife Protection I believe he was
wounded during a duck hunting season.тАЭ

тАЬReally. Well, Jaggers, it appears that two of the pellets have been
positively matched to a registered microscopic barrel map of a shotgun
purchased in Burlington, Vermont, eleven years ago. The purchaser was
a bloke named John Quinn.тАЭ

тАЬJohn Quinn, you say?тАЭ

тАЬYes. He was once in law enforcement in New York City. Chief of
detectives, actually. Eventually became commissioner. Seems to have
gotten into politics. Running for state governor or something. DonтАЩt
suppose there was anything they could do about a duck hunter shooting
a duck in duck hunting season, eh?

тАЬNo, sir.тАЭ

тАЬWell, thatтАЩs all I have, Jaggers. Enjoy your picnic and best to Val.тАЭ

I bid Matheson good-bye and looked at Shad. тАЬJohn Quinn?тАЭ I said.

He was silent for a very long moment. At last he played his memory
recording of the ratтАЩs last words. тАЬтАШHi cheese eater.тАЩтАЭ
 I looked at Walter. тАЬYou watch the American news. Have you ever
seen this Quinn on the telly?тАЭ