"Brian Plante - Papa Rat" - читать интересную книгу автора (Plante Brian)

"Maybe it likes its privacy. Those smart ones are weird. So, where are we going first today, Dennis?"

"Well normally we'd bomb Cacciatore's," Dennis said in a serious tone, "or do some ratting in the
Alpine." Dennis watched Billy's reaction. Billy's face didn't give anything away, but Dennis was sure of
something.

"So what's the problem?" Billy asked. "Let's get to work."

"Well, Billy, the problem is I called ahead, and both of them said they didn't need us this month. Imagine
those rat-holes not needing an exterminator."

"Wow, that's odd. Maybe they got someone else."

"Yeah, I thought of that too. And then I got this brilliant idea. I looked at the customer invoices going
back six months. And you know something funny?"

"What's that, Dennis?"

"We always seem to lose a steady customer or two right after you take a day off. In fact, since I hired
you, for every two new customers I bring in, it seems that I've lost one old-timer."

"So what are you saying, Dennis? You don't think I'm doing anything, do you?"

"As a matter of fact, I'm certain of it. I can't believe how stupid I've been not to notice it before. You
have your own business on the side and you're siphoning off my regulars. Jeez, it couldn't have been
more obvious. I asked Ralph over at the Flagship flat out and he told me all about how you've been
coming around. So get out of here, Billy; you're fired."

"But..." Billy saw he was through. He slapped his newspaper on the table and stormed out.

Now what am I going to do? thought Dennis. The past two days working alone had been a real grind.
The rats were getting harder and harder to catch, and the animal rights people were getting more and
more adamant about not killing the smart ones. Maybe it was time to think about a career change.

Dennis picked up Billy's newspaper, intending to turn to the meager listing of jobs in the back, but the
pages and pages of stock prices in the financial section caught his eye first. Lots of people make real
money from these numbers, Dennis thought. How hard can it be to figure this stuff out?

Dennis decided to take the rest of the day off. For the first time since he was in high school, he visited the
big public library on Fifth Avenue.

***

"I heard you fired Billy," Corva said, several weeks after the fact. "How are you going to carry that
business without some help?"

"I don't need Billy any more," Dennis said, entering the apartment with a stack of magazines under his
arm. "He was no good."

Corva gave Dennis a despondent look and he knew they were going to argue about money again unless