"Kate Wilhelm - Deepest Water" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wilhelm Kate)

cool. And not raining,тАЭ he added, making a leisurely examination of the foyer, of Brice and Abby,
everything. He was a stocky man in his forties, heavy through the shoulders and chest, with dark hair
turning gray at the temples, and dark eyes. Everything about him seemed too deliberate, too slow, as if he
never had rushed in his life and would not be rushed now.

тАЬThis way,тАЭ Brice said, steering them toward the living room, where he and Abby sat on
thTl^fa7~and~r├╝e lieutenant and detective sat in identical tapestry-covered chairs. The detective did not
relax, but Caldwell settled back, crossed his legs, and examined the living room with the same methodical
scrutiny he had given the foyer.

тАЬNice house,тАЭ Caldwell said finally.

Abby could feel her stomach muscles tightening harder and harder. The house was nice, with good,
maybe Danish furniture, good original art on the walls, even if not very much it. There was a grouping of
netsuke on the mantel; the lieutenantтАЩs gaze lingered on it as if in appraisal.

Expensive, she wanted to say. Too expensive. Brice had brought home two of them from a trip to Los
Angeles, her first anniversary gift, startling her. Take them back, she should have said; we canтАЩt afford
them. But they were so beautifulтАж

тАЬWell, weтАЩre not selling and youтАЩre not buying, so letтАЩs get on with it,тАЭ Brice said, glancing at his watch. тАЬI
already told you weтАЩve given statements to the local police. What more do you need?тАЭ

Lieutenant Caldwell faced Abby and Brice then. тАЬYou see, Mr. Connors, that place where the crime
happened is sort of in a no-manтАЩs-land, the lake and all. Part in one county, part in another, it makes for
confusion. In cases like this they often call in the state investigators, and thatтАЩs what happened this time.
And just to keep things straight in my own head, IтАЩd like to go over your statements again, get it firsthand,
so to speak.тАЭ He shrugged, almost apologetically, it seemed. тАЬAnd, of course, you might have
remembered something during the past few days that you didnтАЩt think of when the sheriff talked to you.тАЭ

тАЬI can only repeat what I said before,тАЭ Brice said wearily. тАЬOn Friday I drove to Portland for a business
meeting with associates from my company. We had dinner together and talked until about ten-thirty. I
went to bed around twelve. I had to make notes about the meeting; it took a while. On Saturday morning
I checked out, drove down to Salem and had breakfast there, and then drove home. I gave the sheriff
copies of the log of my trip and my receipts. And they already took our fingerprints, they said for
elimination purposes. ThatтАЩs all I can tell you.тАЭ

Caldwell had been listening intently, consulting a notebook from time to time. He nodded. тАЬYour firm is
Hartmann and Fine Financial Services?тАЭ

тАЬYes. The head office is in Bellingham; thereтАЩs an office in Spokane, one in Olympia, in Portland, Salem,
and here in Eugene. A representative from each office attended the meeting.тАЭ

тАЬYour company in trouble?тАЭ

тАЬNo. ItтАЩs not like that! If you read the newspapers, you know how the marketтАЩs been for over a year,
crazy swings up and down. We have clients who get antsy when it gyrates like that. WeтАЩve been having
these meetings once a month over the past year. Purely routine.тАЭ

тАЬYou always go?тАЭ