"Wilhelm-ForgetLuck(1)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wilhelm Kate)

KATE WILHELM

FORGET LUCK

Tony Manetti had not been assigned to cover the colloquium at Michigan State,
but the day before it was to start, his editor had a family crisis. Tony would
have to go. A suite was already reserved in the magazine's name at the Holiday
Inn; a rental car would be waiting at the Lansing airport.

Tony had called Georgina twice, leaving the message that meant she was to return
the call when her husband was not around, but she had not called back. Already
on her way from Berkeley, he decided. Of course, she thought Harry would be
covering the conference, and accordingly had not been in touch with Tony. Five
nights, he kept thinking five nights, and days, of course.

When he checked in at the motel, Georgina had not yet registered. He paid scant
attention to the academic papers the desk clerk handed him; the speakers would
all make certain Academic Currents received a copy of their papers. He checked
the schedule. That evening, Saturday, there would be opening ceremonies, then
people would drift away to eat and drink. On Sunday there would be a brunch,
several luncheons, teas, more eating and drinking, and on Monday the attendees
would start lecturing one another. He planned to miss it all. He could read the
papers any time, and if anything interesting happened, someone would tell him
all about it. He planned to be in upper Michigan with the gorgeous Georgina.

She had not checked in yet when he came back down, after leaving his gear in his
suite. He went to the bar, crowded with academics, ordered a gin and tonic, and
looked for a place to sit where he could keep an eye on the lobby.

Someone said, "Ah, Peter, good to see you again." A heavyset bald man was
beckoning to him.

"Dr. Bressler," Tony said. "How are you." He looked past him toward the front
desk where people were checking in in a continuous flow.

"Very well, Peter. Here, take a seat."

"It's Tony. Tony Manetti." Bressler had been his teacher for a term at Columbia;
Tony had seen him twice, once in the hall and once in class, and every time they
met at a conference, Bressler called him Peter.

"Yes, of course. You're the FBI fellow."

"No sir. I work for Academic Currents, the magazine." A new group had replaced
the old; she was not among them.

"Of course. Of course. Peter, you're just the sort of fellow I've been looking
for, someone with your training."