"Timothy Zahn - The Green and the Gray" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zahn Timothy)

that? Someone tried to..."
She trailed off, staring at Melantha's throat. The dark bruises that had been there the night before
were now barely visible. "Someone tried to strangle you," she continued slowly, touching the girl's

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throat gently with her fingertips.
Melantha twitched away from her touch. "I know," she said.
"Who did it?" Roger asked. "The man with the gun?"
"No," she said firmly. "He was... trying to help."
"Then who?" Roger demanded.
Melantha flinched. "I don't know."
Roger looked at Caroline. Liar, his expression said. "What about your family?" Caroline asked,
deciding to try that approach again. "Is there someone we should contact, to tell them you're all
right?"
A shiver ran through the girl. "No," she said, biting hungrily into one of the dinner rolls and
following it with a mouthful of cheese.
Caroline looked at Roger. He shrugged microscopically; reluctantly, Caroline nodded agreement.
Whatever the girl knew, she wasn't ready to talk about it.
They watched in silence as Melantha finished off the rest of the sliced cheese and two more rolls.
"That was good," she said, draining her glass. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Caroline said. "Do you understand that we want to help you?"
Melantha stared down at her empty plate. "Yes," she said.
"Then tell us what happened," Caroline urged. "You can trust us."
Melantha's eyes were still on the empty plate, but Caroline could see her lips making uncertain little
movements. As if she was trying to think, or about to cry. "Melantha?" she prompted.
"Because if you don't," Roger added, "we'll just have to call the police again."
It was probably the worst thing he could have said. Melantha's thin shoulders abruptly tightened, her
wavering emotional barriers suddenly slamming up full strength again. "I'm real tired," she said, all
the emotion abruptly gone from her voice. The barriers there had gone back up, too. "Is there
someplace I could lie down for awhile?"
"Certainly," Caroline said, throwing a frustrated glare at Roger and getting a puzzled look in return.
Clearly, he didn't even realize what he'd done. "Would you prefer the couch or the bed?"
"The couch is fine," Melantha said, staggering slightly as she stood up. "No, that's okayтАФI can get
there by myself," she added as Caroline took a step toward her. "Thank you."
She left the kitchen. A moment later, Caroline heard the faint but unmistakable sound of couch
springs settling under a load. "Well, that was brilliant," she muttered to Roger, keeping her voice
low. "Did it ever occur to you that it might have been the police she's afraid of?"

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"So?" Roger countered, pitching his voice equally low. "You want to sugar-coat it, or you want to
give her reality? If she doesn't let us help her, then she has to go to the police. Unless you want to
throw her back out into the street."
"She's scared, Roger," Caroline said with exaggerated patience. "And you towering over her like that
doesn't help any."
"Maybe not," Roger said, half turning and picking up the knife Caroline had been using to cut the