"Timothy Zahn - Spinneret" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zahn Timothy)

Meredith pursed his lips. "If you tell the truthтАФ"

"Look, Colonel, I was in the Army a couple of years," Perez interrupted. "I know
how military people stick together. You just go ahead and figure out my sentence
and we can skip the show of impartiality."

"PerezтАФ" Dunlop began.

"No, it's all right, Major," Meredith cut his subordinate off, mentally berating his
own carelessness. His deliberately tactless choice of words had forced a reaction
out of Perez, all right, but driving the other into silence was a result he hadn't
counted on. A strategic withdrawal was in order. "Perez, whenever you're ready to
talk, just let me know." He opened the door and left, Dunlop and Carmen behind
him.

"I told you he wasn't very cooperative," Dunlop commented as the three of them
stopped a few meters down the hall.

"Uh-huh. What sort of charges have you filed against him?"

"Incitement, congregation with felony intentтАФa couple other minor charges.
Object lesson stuff, mostly."

"I want them dropped. Miss OliveroтАФ"

"All of them?" Dunlop looked nonplussed.

"That's right. What's the problem?тАФIf my investigation indicates he's guilty of
something, we can always charge him later. It isn't like he can skip town or
something. Miss Olivero, I want you to go back in there and talk to Perez."

Carmen turned wide eyes on him. "Me, Colonel? But I don't know anything about
interrogation methods."

"I don't want you to interrogate him, just to talk with him awhile," Meredith

file:///D|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry/De.../Zahn,%20Timothy%20-%20Spinneret%20[v1.1].html (30 of 309) [2/1/2004 3:54:12 AM]
Zahn, Timothy - Spinneret


explained patiently. "Find out what exactly his complaints are, for starters. Let
him know we're not out to scapegoat him or anyone else. You're a civilian; maybe
he'll be more open with you."

Carmen's lip twitched, but she nodded. "All right. I'll тАж try." Stepping back to the
guards, she took a deep breath, tapped once on the door, and went in.

"Keep an ear out for trouble," Dunlop advised the soldiers quietly.

"There won't be any," Meredith told him. "Let's go, MajorтАФwe have a lot to talk