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

тАЬBecause I knew the young lady involved.тАЭ

тАЬAnd you donтАЩt think she was the type who might kill herself?тАЭ

тАЬThat I canтАЩt say. All I do know is that she did not care for heightsтАФshe told me so herselfтАФand yet she
fell from a fifth-floor balcony.тАЭ

Floyd closed his eyes, wincing. He thought of the smashed double bass, splintered on the cobbles. He
hated fallers. He hated the idea of fallers, suicidal or otherwise. He sipped the brandy, willing the drink
to blast away the image in his mind.

тАЬWhereтАЩs the body now?тАЭ he asked.

тАЬDead and buriedтАФcremated, as it happensтАФas per her wishes. She died three weeks ago, on September
the twentieth. There was a post-mortem, I gather, but nothing suspicious came to light.тАЭ

тАЬWell, then.тАЭ Mentally, Floyd was already preparing to cross out his line of notes, convinced that the
case was a nonstarter. тАЬMaybe she was sleepwalking. Or maybe she was upset about something. Or
maybe the railings on the balcony were loose. Did the police speak to the landlord?тАЭ

тАЬThey did. As it happens, I was her landlord. I assure you, the railings were perfectly secure.тАЭ

ItтАЩs nothing, Floyd told himself. It might be worth a day or two of investigative time, but all they would
end up doing was reaching the same conclusion as the police. It was better than no case at all, but it was
not going to solve FloydтАЩs deeper financial malaise.

He put down the fountain pen and picked up a letter knife instead. He slit open the first of several
envelopes he had collected from his pigeonhole and spilled out a demand from his landlord.

тАЬMonsieur FloydтАФare you still there?тАЭ

тАЬJust thinking,тАЭ Floyd said. тАЬIt seems to me that itтАЩd be difficult ever to rule out an accident. And


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without evidence of foul play, thereтАЩs not much I can add to the official verdict.тАЭ

тАЬEvidence of foul play, Monsieur Floyd, is precisely what I have. Of course, the unimaginative idiots at
the Quai didnтАЩt want to know. I expect rather better of you.тАЭ

Floyd wadded the rent demand into a ball and flicked it into his wastepaper basket. тАЬCan you tell me
about this evidence?тАЭ

тАЬIn person, yes. I would ask that you visit my apartment. Tonight. Does your schedule permit that?тАЭ

тАЬI should be able to slot you in.тАЭ Floyd took down BlanchardтАЩs address and telephone number and
agreed a time with the landlord. тАЬJust one thing, monsieur. I can understand the Quai not being