"Matt Ruff - Bad Monkeys" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ruff Matt)

are all crucial to the upcoming drama.

A woman sits in one of two chairs drawn up to a rectangular white table. Her hands are cuffed in front of
her; she is dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit whose bright hue seems dull in the whiteness. A
photograph of a smiling politician hangs on the wall above the table. Occasionally the woman glances up
at the photo, or at the door that is the roomтАЩs only exit, but mostly she stares at her hands, and waits.

The door opens. A man in a white coat steps in, bringing more props: a file folder and a handheld tape
recorder.

тАЬHello,тАЭ he says. тАЬJane Charlotte?тАЭ

тАЬPresent,тАЭ she says.

тАЬIтАЩm Dr. Vale.тАЭ He shuts the door and comes over to the table. тАЬIтАЩm here to interview you, if thatтАЩs all
right.тАЭ When she shrugs, he asks: тАЬDo you know where you are?тАЭ

тАЬUnless they moved the roomтАжтАЭ Then: тАЬLas Vegas, Clark County Detention Center. The nut wing.тАЭ

тАЬAnd do you know why youтАЩre here?тАЭ

тАЬIтАЩm in jail because I killed someone I wasnтАЩt supposed to,тАЭ she says, matter-of-factly. тАЬAs for why IтАЩm
in this room, with you, I guess that has something to do with what I told the detectives who arrested me.тАЭ

тАЬYes.тАЭ He gestures at the empty chair. тАЬMay I sit down?тАЭ

Another shrug. He sits. Holding the tape recorder to his lips, he recites: тАЬJune 5th, 2002, approximately
nine forty-five a.m. This is Dr. Richard Vale, speaking with subject Jane Charlotte, ofтАжWhatтАЩs your
current home address?тАЭ

тАЬIтАЩm kind of between homes right now.тАЭ

тАЬтАжof no fixed address.тАЭ He sets the tape recorder, still running, on the table, and opens the folder.
тАЬSoтАжYou told the arresting detectives that you work for a secret crime-fighting organization called Bad
Monkeys.тАЭ

тАЬNo,тАЭ she says.

тАЬNo?тАЭ

тАЬWe donтАЩt fight crime, we fight evil. ThereтАЩs a difference. And Bad Monkeys is the name of my division.
The organization as a whole doesnтАЩt have a name, at least not that I ever heard. ItтАЩs just тАШthe
organization.тАЩтАЭ

тАЬAnd what does тАШBad MonkeysтАЩ mean?тАЭ

тАЬItтАЩs a nickname,тАЭ she says. тАЬAll the divisions have them. The official names are too long and complicated
to use on anything but letterhead, so people come up with shorthand versions. Like the administrative
branch, officially theyтАЩre тАШThe Department for Optimal Utilization of Resources and Personnel,тАЩ but
everyone just calls them Cost-Benefits. And the intel-gathering group, thatтАЩs тАШThe Department of