"Zelazny, Roger - My Lady Of The Diodes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zelazny Roger)

I jammed my hands into my pockets, resting the left one on the infrared flashlight and the right on the door-couple. I counted to ten slowly and walked into the room, just as the lights went out.

Kicking the door shut, I clapped the couple-bar across the lock-plate and the frame. Then I ran the polarizer rod along it, and it snapped tight. I switched on the flash and moved across the room to the central exhibit cases.

Everyone stood around stupidly as I removed the hammer and broke the glass. A couple of the salesmen began groping toward me, but much too slowly. I put away the hammer and filled the bag with the gold wire, the platinum wire, the silver wire. I wrapped the more expensive crystals and jewel components in wads of tissue.

Haifa minute, maybe, to fill the bag. I opened out the stamped, self-addressed carton as I made my way back across the room. I stuffed the bag inside, into a nest of shredded newsprint. Cigarette lighters and matches flared briefly about me, but they didnТt do much, or for very long.

There was a small knot of people before the door. УMake way here!Ф I said. УI have a key.Ф They pushed aside as I depolarized the couple-bar. Then I slipped out through the door, closed it, and coupled it from the outside.

I took off my gloves, put away the flashlight and changed my glasses as I strolled out, pipe between my teeth. I dropped the package into the mailbox on the corner and walked back to the parking lot. I parked on a side street, reversed my dark blue suit jacket into a light gray sport coat, removed my glasses, hat and pipe, and reintroduced the hearing aid.

УAllТs well,Ф I said.

УGood,Ф said Maxine. УNow, by my estimate, they only owe you two million, one hundred twenty-three thousand, four hundred fifty dollars. LetТs return the car and take a taxi out to the scene of your alibi.Ф

УCheck. WeТll pick up a bigger piece of change in Denver, doll.

I think IТll buy you a new carrying case. What color would you like?У

УGet me an alligator one, Danny. TheyТre elegant.Ф УAlligator it is, baby,Ф I replied as we headed back toward the rent-a-car garage.

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We hit Denver two months ahead of time, and I began programming Maxine. I fed her the city directory, the city history, all the chamber of commerce crap, and all the vital statistics I could lay my hands on. I attached the optical scanner and gave her the street guides and the blueprints to all the public buildings and other buildings I found in the files at City Hall. Then I photographed the conference hotel, inside and out, as well as the adjacent buildings. Every day we scanned the local newspapers and periodicals, and Maxine stored everything.

Phase Two began when Maxine started asking for special information: Which roads were surfaced with what? What sort of clothing was being worn? How many construction companies were currently building? How wide were certain streets?

As a stockholder, I received my brochure one day, explaining the big conference. I fed that to Maxine, too.

УDo you want to cancel the debt completely?Ф she asked. УThis includes court costs, attorneyТs fees and 7 percent compound interest.Ф

УHow?Ф

УThis will be the first showing of the Seekfax 5000. Steal it.Ф

УSteal the whole damn machine? It must weigh tons!Ф

УApproximately sixty-four hundred pounds, according to the brochure. LetТs steal it and retire. The odds against you keep going up each time, you know.Ф

УYes, but my God! What am I going to do with Seekfax 5000?Ф

УStrip it down and sell the components. Or better yet, sell the whole unit to the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Sao Paulo. TheyТre looking for something like that, and IТve already mapped out three tentative smuggling routes. IТll need more dataЕФ

УItТs out of the question!Ф

УWhy? DonТt you think I can plan it?Ф

УThe ramifications areЕФ