"Kim Newman - The Serial Murders" - читать интересную книгу автора (Newman Kim)

was just becoming a major dark presence in the world. Leech was taking an ever-greater interest in television,
so his representation here should not be a surprise. This woman sat on the Devil's left hand and fed him
fondue.
"And this is General Skinner. He's with NATO."
The general was in uniform, with a chest-spread of medal-ribbons and a pearl-handled sidearm. Over
classically handsome bone structure was stretched the skin of a white lizard, making his whole face an
expressionless, long-healed scar. He was the single most terrifying individual Richard had ever met. How long
had this man-shaped creature walked among humanity? Some of his medals were from wars not fought in
this century. Not a lot of people must notice that.
"Mr. Jeperson," said Skinner. "You. Have. Been. Noticed."
No response was required. A restraining order had been served. Richard was eager to look away from the
shark to consider the trailing minnows.
"Mr. Topazio and Mr. Maltese are тАж"
"Olive-oil importers?" Richard suggested.
The little old men with scarred knuckles and gold rings caught the joke at onceтАФit was a reference to the
legitimate business of the Corleones in The GodfatherтАФbut it went over Squiers' head. These must be his
longest-standing clients, the fellows who had interests in seeing Jamie Hepplethwaites and Queenie Tolliver
out of the picture. Did they feel uneasy at the ever more high-flying company? How could their poor little
organised criminal business compete with government departments out to declare psychic war, a monster
with the resources of the military-industrial master-planners at his disposal, or the tentacles of a hellfire-fed
multimedia empire? Richard wondered if old-fashioned crims would even get bones thrown to them when
Squiers took The Northern Barstows up in the world.
He had been worried about ad-men getting hold of Squiers' voodoo. NowтАФthough Derek Leech had his claws
deep into that business tooтАФhe saw there were worse things waiting. He had a bubble of amusement at the
thought of what would have to be written into The Barstows if these powers took overтАФearthquakes in
countries a long way from Northshire, economic upheavals on a global scale, mass suicides among
unfriendly governments. The poor old Barstows would have to expand their field of operations, spreading
misery and devastation wherever they went.
If Richard knew who Squiers' guests were and what they represented, Squiers was still puzzling over
Richard's third extra guest.
"Have we met?" Squiers asked.
"Good heavens no," said Lady Damaris Gideon, casting a pink eye over the fellow. "Whyever should we
have? On the Amalgamated Rediffusion Board, we don't care to deal with tradesmen."
Maybe Squiers saw what was coming. His grin almost froze.
Lights went down and sound came up on the televisions. There was a hustle to get into seats. Richard found
himself between Barbara, who held his hand fiercely, and Onions, who settled back with a prawn cocktail in
one hand and a tiny fork in the other. The Barstows theme came out of all the speakers.
"This is going out to an estimated audience of nineteen million nationwide," said Squiers, over the music.
"Five OAPs and a dog are watching the Dad's Army repeat on BBC1. If BBC2 are putting out the test card
instead of the classical music quiz literally no one will notice. Our poltergeist plot has pulled in new viewers.
Under other circumstances, we'd keep Roget and Canberra on board. They've proved popular. However, you
know what they say in writing class, 'Kill your darlings.'"
In the first scene, Ben Barstow was down the Grand Old Duke, sinking pints of Griddles and blathering about
the horrific events up at the Barstow house. All the extras were impressed. Bev the barmaid crossed herself.
Then Roget and Canberra were on screen, setting up mystical equipment in the loungeтАФan electric
pentagram, bells on strings, black-out sheets scrawled with white symbols.
Onions snorted at this arcane nonsense.
"There's no science in that."
The academic was shushed from all around the room. Mavis had a "When I were a lass" speech coming up.
At the end of the scene as scripted was a moment when the fraudsters let their guards slip after Mavis has