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

appreciated by his wife. Much appreciated by Shad, too, principally as a
target for his humor. CouldnтАЩt recall ShadтАЩs jokes just then. Not much of
anything seemed funny except the new face.

Storel was a human natural who resembled a twenty-first-century
Middle Eastern historical figure whose name I hadnтАЩt managed to retain. He
was short, thin, puny looking, his mousy brown hair brushed forward, his
face displaying uncertain intentions of growing a beard and moustache. He
wore a butternut colored windbreaker over a buttoned up necktie-barren
white shirt. Raised eyebrows and a permanent simpletonтАЩs grin on his face
completed the picture. Instead of evidence of brain damage, his facial
configuration was, one hoped, merely a stab at putting me at ease.
Matheson sat in a chair next to my left side. Storel remained standing at the
foot of my bed.

The superintendent leaned toward me. тАЬD. C. Storel has a few
questions.тАЭ

тАЬIndeed.тАЭ

Storel looked down into his chip pad. After ID formalities were
concluded, he asked, тАЬDo you know where the bird was standing when the
dud went off?тАЭ

тАЬHis name is Detective Sergeant Guy Shad,тАЭ I said.

тАЬSorry, Inspector. No offense.тАЭ

тАЬHas that been determined?тАЭ

He looked up from his pad and grinned even more widely. тАЬSorry?тАЭ
 тАЬIndeed. Has it been determined that the explosion was an artillery
shell? A dud?тАЭ

тАЬOf course...тАЭ The grin faded and he looked confused. тАЬWell, what
else could itтАЩve been?тАЭ

тАЬD. C. Storel, that explosion might have been an IED, a land mine, a
booby trap, a bomb, a robotic missile, or movie set special effects for a
British remake of No Time For Sergeants. Perhaps weтАЩre getting too
bleeding close to making that first contact with alien lifeforms and this was
some half-arsed Nebulan bugger-eyed monsterтАЩs way of warning us the hell
off!тАЭ

тАЬSteady,тАЭ warned Matheson quietly as he placed a gentle hand on my
forearm. It was silent in the room for a long moment, D. C. StorelтАЩs face a
rosy hue. I was a little warm myself.

тАЬWhat exactly caused the explosion, Inspector, has yet to be
determined,тАЭ said Storel. Mercifully his grin was gone. Although not more