"Scott Nicholson - Must See to Appreciate" - читать интересную книгу автора (Nicholson Scott)

put together by looking at the floor joists. A house needs a good
foundation, especially when itтАЩs clinging to the side of a ridge.тАЭ

Damn, Reynolds thought. тАЬDavid, youтАЩre a man after my own heart. A
real fixer-upper, IтАЩll bet. Not that youтАЩll need to do much work on this house.тАЭ

Even though every corner is slightly out of square.

Reynolds thought about slapping David gently on the back to
punctuate the statement, then decided against it. David seemed more like
the firm-handshake, no-nonsense type. A tough sell. A man that was hard to
sucker. The kind of man who wore a little tape measure on his belt.

Reynolds headed toward the door that led to the basement stairs.
The chill crept over him as he palmed the door handle. He put an ear to the
door, pretending to check the hinges when actually he was listening for the
spook. Damned thing had cost him a commission three times already. He
made a show of looking at his watch. тАЬYou said you had to meet your wife at
the airport?тАЭ

тАЬYeah,тАЭ David said, studying the blown gypsum ceiling for cracks.
тАЬBut thereтАЩs plenty of time.тАЭ

тАЬTraffic can be a bear around here. You may have noticed that all the
roads are twisty, and youтАЩre bound to get behind some flatlander
touristтАФno offense, mind you.тАЭ

David stepped to the basement door. тАЬIтАЩll manage.тАЭ

тАЬDavid, this is a whole lot of house for the money, David,тАЭ Reynolds
blurted. Had he said DavidтАЩs name twice? In realtor finishing school, heтАЩd
learned that you used the name of the potential buyer as much as possible.
But maybe he was overdoing it. He was losing his concentration. Sweat
pooled in the armpits of his shirt and stained his serge jacket. He lightly bit
his lip to bring himself under control. The bite turned into a disguising smile.

David smiled back. The man was too patient, in ReynoldsтАЩ opinion.
One of those forty-somethings who had already finished his lifeтАЩs work, his
bank account probably set for the downhill run. Had a kid at Duke and one in
an academy somewhere, a tennis-playing wife who probably came from old
textile money. Reynolds saw no troubles in that tan, placid face, and a flare
of jealousy rocketed across his heart.

But it wasnтАЩt DavidтАЩs fault that Reynolds dropped eighty grand in a
sour time-share deal. No, not time-share. Interval ownership was the new
gold-plated term for it. But by any name, Reynolds was in the hole and had
a lot riding on this sale. Haunted house or not.

David switched on the flashlight. Reynolds turned the knob and let the
basement door swing fully open. The hinges creaked like an old womanтАЩs