"Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. The Final Circle of Paradise (англ.)" - читать интересную книгу автора

once. The suit hung on Rimeyer like a sack. Rimeyer stooped,
and his face was flabby. I thought he wavered in his walk. He
approached the elevator and I caught him by the sleeve there.
He jumped violently and turned on me.
"What in hell?" he said. He was clearly unhappy to see me.
"Why are you still here?"
"I waited for you."
"Didn't I tell you to come tomorrow at noon?"
"What's the difference?" I said. "Why waste time?"
He looked at me, breathing laboriously.
"I am expected. A man is waiting for me in my room, and he
must not see you with me. Do you understand?"
"Don't shout," I said. "People are noticing."
Rimeyer glanced sideways with watery eyes.
"Go in the elevator," he said.
We entered and he pressed the button for the fifteenth
floor.
"Get on with your business quickly," he said.
The order was startlingly stupid, so that I was
momentarily disoriented.
"You mean to say that you don't know why I am here?"
He rubbed his forehead, and then said, "Hell, everything's
mixed up.... Listen, I forgot, what is your name?"
"Zhilin."
"Listen, Zhilin, I have nothing new for you. I didn't have
time to attend to that business. It's all a dream, do you
understand? Matia's inventions. They sit there, writing papers,
and invent. They should all be pitched the hell out."
We arrived at the fifteenth floor and he pressed the
button for the first.
"Devil take it," he said. "Five more minutes and he'll
leave.... In general I am convinced of one thing, there is
nothing to it. Not in this town, in any case." He looked at me
surreptitiously, and turned his eyes away. "Here is something I
can tell you. Look in at the Fishers. Just like that, to clear
your conscience."
"The Fishers? What Fishers?"
"You'll find out for yourself," he said impatiently. "But
don't get tricky with them. Do everything they ask." Then, as
though defending himself, he added, "I don't want any
preconceptions, you understand."
The elevator stopped at the first floor and he signaled
for the ninth.
"That's it," he said. "Then we'll meet and talk in detail.
Let's say tomorrow at noon."
"All right," I said slowly. He obviously did not want to
talk to me. Maybe he didn't trust me. Well, it happens!
"By the way," I said, "you have been visited by a certain
Oscar."
It seemed to me that he started.