"Ludlum, Robert - Covert One 2 - The Cassandra Compact" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ludlum Robert)

ROBERT LUDLUM'S

THE CASSANDRA COMPACT

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A COVERT-ONE NOVEL

BOOK TWO

ROBERT LUDLUM'S

THE CASSANDRA COMPACT

by Robert Ludlum and Philip Shelby


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CHAPTER

ONE



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The caretaker stirred when he heard the crunch of tires on gravel. There was barely any light left in the sky, and he had just made coffee and was reluctant to get up. But his curiosity got the better of him. Visitors to Alexandria seldom ventured into the cemetery at Ivy Hill; the historic town on the Potomac had a brace of other, more colorful attractions and amusements to offer the living. As for the locals, not many came out on a weekday; fewer still on a late afternoon when the April rains lashed the sky.

Peering through his gatehouse window, the caretaker saw a man get out of an ordinary-looking sedan. Government? He guessed that his visitor was in his early forties, tall and very fit. Dressed for the weather, he had on a waterproof jacket, dark pants, and workman's boots.

The caretaker watched the way the man stepped away from the car and looked around, taking in his surroundings. Not government--- military. He opened the door and came out under the overhang, observing how his visitor stood there, gazing through the gates of the cemetery, oblivious to the rain matting his dark hair.

Maybe this is his first trip back here, the caretaker thought. They were all hesitant their first time, loath to enter a place associated with pain, grief, and loss. He looked at the man's left hand and saw no ring. A widower? He tried to remember if a young woman had been interred recently.

"Hello."

The voice startled the caretaker. It was gentle for such a big man, and soft, as if he'd thrown the salutation like a ventriloquist.

"Howdy. If you're fixin' to visit, I got an umbrella I can let you have."

"I'd appreciate that, thank you," the man said, but he didn't move.

The caretaker reached around the corner into a stand made from an old watering can. He gripped the handle of the umbrella and stepped toward the man, taking in his visitor's high-planed face and startling navy blue eyes.

"Name's Barnes. I'm the caretaker. If you tell me who you're visiting, I can save you wandering around in this mess."

"Sophia Russell."

"Russell, you say? Doesn't ring a bell. Let me look it up. Won't take but a minute."