"Webb-TheEvilMiracle" - читать интересную книгу автора (Webb Don)

Rheims represented the appearance of love to her. Perhaps she even loved him.
His name was John.

It was early in the morning and the maids hadn't arrived. Martha turned on the
lawn sprinklers. Just so. Any more and people's cars would get wet, any less and
the grass wouldn't. She said good morning to Mrs. Abrams, who was already on her
way to sit in the ICU waiting room. Promised her that she'd pray for Mr. Abrams.
She removed the web across the office door and went inside to make her first pot
of decal

Across the quiet highway she noticed one of her guests doing something very
strange.

The fellow had checked in over a week ago. Martha had been preparing for bed --
the Starlight hadn't had a night clerk in three years -- when someone hit the
buzzer in front. Wearing her peach-colored fuzzy bathrobe, she had checked him
in. He wore this khaki outfit; if he had a pith helmet, she would've sworn he
was on safari. He had known her name.

"You're Martha Wills, right? That's what I was told, Martha Wills."

It was late and she hadn't asked who or why, but she wondered. Folks always talk
about the Starlight, never about Martha. She didn't think anyone had mentioned
her by name since she won $100 by being the ten thousandth customer at a Food
King.

But the strange man in khaki -- what was his name? -- was picking up bits of
spider web with tweezers. He was putting the webs in some kind of tiny glass
test tube. One strand per tube. He capped each tube with a black rubber stopper,
then carefully put the tubes into a case specially fitted to hold them.

Her secret was out. This was some kind of scientist here to study the spiders.
Her heart sped up. Her doctor had told her to avoid excitement and coffee. Her
heart sped up and this scared her. It was almost a pain to feel this feeling in
her chest.

She gripped the smooth wooden counter with the thumb and index finger of her
left hand. She could feel her pulse through her fingertip. She would have to
relax -- have to use the method she learned at Amarillo Community College.
Relax, now, relax. Relax between each beat. When she felt calm, she looked at
the tar-brown nail of her thumb and wished for the millionth time she could give
up smoking.

She couldn't see the strange man from the window of the motel office.

His name was Olin Fletcher, and immediately it became Dr. Fletcher in her mind.

She decided to call a realtor that afternoon. The realtor came along with a
photographer. He shot the Starlight from several angles while his boss drank
iced tea with Martha. They agreed on the truths and lies that could be used to