"Roger Zelazny - Amber Chronicles, The 06 - Trumps of Doom" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zelazny Roger)

it, lit it, puffed it, and mused. The cards were functional all right, not
some clever imitations, and though I did not understand their purpose, that
was not my main concern at the moment.
Today was April 30, and I had faced death once again. I had yet to
confront the person who had been playing with my life. S had again employed
a proxy menace. And that was no ordinary dog I had destroyed. And the cards
. . . where had Julia gotten them and why had she wanted me to have them?
The cards and the dog indicated a power beyond that of an ordinary person.
All along I had thought I'd been the subject of the unwelcome attention of
some psycho, whom I could deal with at my leisure. But this morning's events
put an entirely different complexion on the case. It meant that I had one
hell of an enemy somewhere.
I shuddered. I wanted to talk to Luke again, get him to reconstruct
their conversation of the previous evening, see whether Julia had said
anything that might provide me with a clue. I'd like to go back and search
her apartment more carefully, too. But that was out of the question. The
cops had pulled up in front of the place as I was driving away. There'd be
no getting back in for some time.
Rick. There was Rick Kinsky, the guy she'd begun seeing after we'd
broken up. I knew him on sight-a thin, mustached, cerebral sort, thick
glasses and all. He managed a bookstore I'd visited once or twice. I didn't
know him beyond that; though. Perhaps he could tell me something about the
cards and how Julia might have gotten into whatever situation it was that
had cost her her life.
I brooded a little longer, then put the cards away. I wasn't about to
fool with them any further. Not yet. First, I wanted as much information as
I could get.
I headed back for the car. As I walked I reflected that this April 30
wasn't over. Suppose S didn't really consider this morning's encounter as
aimed directly at me? In that case there was plenty of time for another
attempt. I also had a feeling that if I began getting close S would forget
about dates and go for my throat whenever there was an opening. I resolved
not to let my guard down at all henceforth, to live as in a state of siege
until this matter was settled. And all of my energies were now going to be
dire toward settling it. My well-being seemed to require the destruction of
my enemy, very soon.
Should I seek counsel? I wonder. And if so, from whom? There was an
awful lot I still didn't know about my heritage . . .
No. Not yet, I decided. I had to make every effort to handle things
myself. Besides the fact that I wanted to, I needed the practice. It's
necessary to be able to deal with nasty matters where I come from.
I drove, looking for a pay phone and trying not to think of Julia as I
had last seen her. A few clouds blew in from the west. My watch ticked on my
wrist, next to unseen Frakir. The news on the radio was international and
cheerless.
I stopped in a drugstore and used a phone there to try to reach Luke at
his motel. He wasn't in. So I had a club sandwich and a milkshake in the
dining area and tried again afterward. Still out.
Okay. Catch him later. I headed into town. The Browserie, as I
recalled, was the name of the bookstore where Rick worked.