"Alastair Reynolds - Century Rain" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reynolds Alastair)

тАЬReceptionists?тАЭ

тАЬAnswering machines. They employ magnetic tapes. I saw a model for sale in rue des Rosiers only last
week.тАЭ

тАЬWhat a fascinating scientific world we live in.тАЭ Floyd pulled out his chair and lowered himself into it.
тАЬMight I askтАФтАЭ

тАЬIтАЩm sorry. I should have introduced myself. My name is Blanchard. I am calling from the thirteenth
arrondissement. ItтАЩs possible that I have a case for you.тАЭ

тАЬGo ahead,тАЭ Floyd said, half-convinced that he must be dreaming. After everything that had happened
latelyтАФGreta walking out, the lack of work, the incident at the checkpointтАФa case was the one thing he
hadnтАЩt dared hope for.

тАЬI should warn you that it is a serious matter. I do not believe it will be a quick or simple investigation.тАЭ

тАЬThatтАЩsтАжnot a major problem.тАЭ Floyd poured brandy into a waiting shot glass. тАЬWhat kind of case are
we talking about, monsieur?тАЭ Mentally, he flipped through the possibilities. Cheating spouses was
always a lucrative line of work. Sometimes they had to be tailed for weeks on end. The same went for
missing cats.

тАЬItтАЩs murder,тАЭ Blanchard said.

Floyd allowed himself a bittersweet sip of the brandy. He felt his spirits plummet just as quickly as
theyтАЩd risen. тАЬThatтАЩs a real shame. We canтАЩt take on a murder case.тАЭ

тАЬNo?тАЭ

тАЬHomicideтАЩs a job for the boys in the bowler hats. The boys from the Quai. They wonтАЩt let me touch that
kind of work.тАЭ

тАЬAh, but that is precisely the point. The police do not consider the incident to have been murder, or
тАШhomicideтАЩ as you call it.тАЭ

тАЬThey donтАЩt?тАЭ



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 CenturyRain

тАЬThey say that it may have been suicide or misadventure, but in either case they are not interested. You
know how it is these daysтАФthey are far more interested in pursuing their own investigations.тАЭ

тАЬI think I get your drift.тАЭ An old habit already had him taking notes: Blanchard, 13th arr., poss.
homicide. It might amount to nothing, but if the conversation was interrupted, he would do his best to
contact the caller again. He scribbled the date next to his note and realised that it was six weeks since he
had last made an entry on the pad. тАЬSupposing the police are wrong, what makes you think it wasnтАЩt
suicide or an accident?тАЭ