"Robert Reed - Treasure Buried" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reed Robert)

тАЬBut you almost did it.тАЭ A womanтАЩs voice. A girlтАЩs. Nobody Wallace knew, and he
turned his head before shyness could engage, the girl watching Mekal with a mixture
of concern and wariness. тАЬMaybe you should warm up,тАЭ she continued. Then she
added, тАЬDear?тАЭ with a quieter voice.

Mekal came out of the spell, finding his old resolve. He snorted and said,
тАЬYeah, right.тАЭ His glove . . . where was it? Then he said, тАЬWallace? Tell you what,
since youтАЩre here and all, why donтАЩt you chart MarketingтАЩs hits? All right? Which
field and how far, that sort of data. Give us an edge next time.

Will you do that for me, pal?тАЭ

тАЬIтАЩll try. Sure.тАЭ

тАЬTry?тАЭ Mekal laughed and shook his head. тАЬDo!тАЭ

тАЬGood luck,тАЭ offered the girl; and again Wallace looked at her, her pretty face
a little too round for the current fashion, her long blonde-white hair worn simply,
blue-white eyes radiant, both hands reaching through the chain-link and their
smoothness implying true youth, one finger adorned with a diamond-heavy ring a
gold band nestled beside it. She said, тАЬDarling тАФ ?тАЭ


тАЬYouтАЩd better get back in the stands,тАЭ Mekal told her. тАЬItтАЩs all right. IтАЩm fine.
Fine.тАЭ

She nodded, tried a smile and then tried to say, тАЬJust do,тАЭ with her husbandтАЩs
intensity. That was MekalтАЩs rallying cry in R&D. тАЬJust do.тАЭ Except it didnтАЩt have the
impact, coming from her mouth. A couple other R&D players smiled at the sound of
her voice, and Mekal made the dramatic walk to the pitcherтАЩs mound. As much as
Marketing, the R&D players were glad that the long fly ball had been caught.
Wallace could sense it, smell it. Because if Mekal won this game single-handedly,
they knew he wouldnтАЩt be bearable for at least a week. HeтАЩd prance and grin, making
life miserable in the labs, which is why some of them giggled now, taking their
warm-up throws out of the dirt and joking about the oncoming rout.

Wallace himself didnтАЩt dislike Mekal. Not really. He assumed some kind of
insecurity fueling the man, some partly hidden weakness or flaw, and with that in
mind Mekal was bearable. Sometimes amusing. Even friendly, given the right
circumstances. But then again, Wallace was a legend for his easygoing attitudes. His
ego genes were deleted, making room for more important talents. A different kind of
fuel driving him. . . .
 And now MekalтАЩs wife retreated, Wallace studying her bare legs тАФ a little
thick but firm тАФ and the way she carried herself, not with submissiveness but with
an enduring patience, allowing a couple screaming children to play chase around her
legs and then stopping to help some grandmother off the wooden bleachers. Mrs.
Mekal; a strange concept. But then Wallace was always surprised by peopleтАЩs
private lives . . . and now the girl took a seat up high, near the center, her gaze steady
and honest and her applause genuine whenever R&D managed to make an out
against the juggernaut from Marketing.