"Mary Rickert - Don't ask" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rickert Mary)

our boys, with an amazingly chipmunky voice and an odd xylophone laugh.
She comes into the high school auditorium bearing the strong scent of the
B & B roses soap, and we think weтАЩve been duped somehow, but, once we
adjust our positions, craning our necks to see between shoulders, scooting
over to the edges of the cold hard chairs, adjusting to her unexpected size,
she commands our attention.

тАЬNow, wait a minute,тАЭ she says, laughing (and we resist the temptation
to cover our ears). тАЬWhy are you all making this so complicated?тАЭ

We explain to her again how a werewolf roams amongst us, a
monster! We shout and interrupt each other. We try to tell her how the
werewolf was once one of our own. тАЬWe donтАЩt really want to hurt him,тАЭ
someone says. тАЬWe just want him gone.тАЭ

At this she looks at us in such a way that we are all victims of her
gaze. тАЬNow wait a minute, why did you send for me? What am I doing here?
Are you hunting, or starting a zoo?тАЭ
 There is a momentтАЩs silence. After all, a zoo might be nice, a perfect
addition to our town, but from the back of the room, a voice cries out,
тАЬHunting!тАЭ The cry is taken up by all of us. Our boys have been through
enough. We will protect them at any cost.

The small pink tip of her tongue protrudes between her pretty lips and
she nods slowly, smiling. тАЬHeтАЩs not necessarily a werewolf. Not all men who
turn into wolves are, uh, wait a minute. IтАЩd like to get my fee now.тАЭ

Duped! WeтАЩve been duped after all. Suddenly it seems we have
found ourselves in the middle of a bad joke, weтАЩll pay her and sheтАЩll say
something pithy and, all right, perhaps a little funny. HereтАЩs how you do it,
sheтАЩll say and tell us something completely useless. We begin to argue this
plan, what does she think we are, country hicks? Until finally she shrugs and
nods at Hymral, who has volunteered to be her chauffeur and local guide.
He has reported that she asked him if there are any good vegetarian
restaurants in the area, which we consider further evidence against her. A
vegetarian hunter, who ever heard of such a thing? But when we confront
her with all the evidence, her small frame, her flowered suitcases, her lack
of weapons, she just shrugs. тАЬWhatтАЩs going on here, folks,тАЭ she chirrups.
тАЬIтАЩve got ten jobs waiting for me right now and I ainтАЩt gonna stay another
night, lovely as it is. If you want my expert guidance, you are going to have
to pay me up front, тАШcause the fact is, catching a wolf just ainтАЩt that hard, but
I have to earn my living somehow.тАЭ

тАЬYou gonna use your feminine wiles?тАЭ

She fixes such a look in the general direction of that question that we
all shiver and step back as if separating ourselves from the inquisitor.

тАЬI ainтАЩt no prostitute,тАЭ she says, disgusted.