"The Nymphos of Rocky Flats" - читать интересную книгу автора (Acevedo Mario)CHAPTER 3MY HOME WAS MENLO PARK, California. Here in Colorado I needed a base for my investigation, and for that I needed a better place to stay than a motel. I found an ad for a two-bedroom apartment in Edgewater, a tidy enclave swallowed but not yet digested by the Denver sprawl. Edgewater seemed perfect, right off the interstate, a convenient drive both to Rocky Flats and downtown Denver. It had quiet, short streets crowded with bungalows, a trailer park or two, and a couple of shopping strips. Bars and fast-food joints faced Sloan’s Lake, which always had a stream of people jogging along its shore and dog lovers taking their mutts for a walk. I drove a Ryder rental truck with my Dodge in tow and parked in front of the apartment building. It was small, only eight units. A short, older man, maybe sixty, wearing faded bib overalls, poked a broomstick along a dormant flowerbed. “I’m looking for the manager,” I yelled to him. He straightened up and walked over, offsetting a limp by bracing against the broomstick. He hadn’t done a very good job shaving his wrinkled, dark face. “You the Standing beside my truck in his overalls and leaning on the stick, the whiskered old man looked like he’d fallen out of a Norman Rockwell painting. All he needed to complete the folksy picture was a straw hat and a pig under his arm. “Yeah, that’s me. Name’s Felix Gomez.” He squinted suspiciously at my face. “It’s a skin condition,” I said. “From the Iraq War.” “You a veteran?” “Sergeant. Third Infantry Division.” “An enlisted man, eh?” He smiled. “ I smiled back at Lopez. “No thanks.” “Didn’t think so. No one ever does.” He turned around and limped to the apartment building. “Well, come take a look at the place. Where’s your “Originally? Chihuahua, Mexico. I grew up in Pacoima, part of L.A.” “One of those California Chicanos? A troublemaker.” The twinkle in his eyes matched his smile. “I’ve been accused of that.” “I was once married to a California “Happens. How’s the food in Edgewater?” “Best goddamn pizza in town. And plenty of “What about meat markets? Butcher shops?” Lopez pointed south. “Drive down Sheridan or Federal and you’ll find your pick of It wasn’t tripe, brains, or tongue that I wanted but fresh animal blood. Any He showed me the apartment. It was recently repainted and overlooked the lake. The second bedroom would be a perfect office. The place was cable-ready, too. I inspected the kitchen, looking specifically in the cabinets, to see where I could build a false partition to hide my laptop in case someone broke into the apartment. I signed the lease and gave him a deposit. We returned to the Ryder truck. I detached the towing dolly and my Dodge, then opened the rear door of the truck. Lopez watched. “Need help? I know a couple of teenagers down the block who could use the extra money.” With vampire strength I could easily move all of my belongings, but for appearance’s sake I said yes. Lopez pointed into the truck. “What the hell’s that?” “It’s a Murphy bed,” I replied. “It folds up against the wall.” Actually, it was my coffin. Some legends are true. Vampires are nocturnal creatures, and keeping a regular human schedule wears us out after a few days. And, of course, nothing is as refreshing as a good snooze in a comfortable casket. Lopez left to find the teenagers. I started to move my belongings inside. The teenagers showed up, a chatty blond kid and his girlfriend. After we emptied the truck, I gave them each a twenty, returned the Ryder truck, and caught a cab back to Edgewater. I put away my things and took a break to inventory my contact lenses. More than any other accessory, these custom eye covers were the most important item that modern vampires need to blend in with human society. I kept extra sets stashed in my clothes, my car, and about the apartment. Unfortunately, while masking our eyes the contacts also mute night vision and block our ability for hypnosis. I practiced inserting and then flicking the contacts from my eyes into my hand. I had to be ready to go from friendly human to controlling vampire in an instant. I wished that I could’ve practiced in front of a mirror, but, well, you know. There was no formal program in becoming a vampire, not even a correspondence course, and I had learned “on the job,” so to speak. I found other vampires and learned the tricks and ways of our culture, always mindful of this warning: “Above all, don’t let the humans know we exist.” That evening I ordered delivery of the famed local pizza-pepperoni, black olive, and jalape#241;o-which I smothered with warmed cow’s blood. An hour after sunset I went outside my apartment and removed my contacts. The evening shadows became transparent to my night vision. Every animal shimmered with a red aura. I stepped behind a pine tree where I was hidden from casual view. I set my fingers and toes against the brick wall of the apartment and climbed up, stealthy as a lizard. Once on the roof, I sat quietly on the warm shingles to catalogue the sights, sounds, and smells of the neighborhood. I needed to know what normal was like so I could detect the abnormal. While I looked around, I stewed over how Gilbert had suckered me into accepting the assignment. Nymphomaniacs. Conspiracy. Only the federal government could invent such a mess. If I hadn’t heard the words from Gilbert’s mouth, I wouldn’t have believed the cockamamie story. But the offer of fifty thousand bucks did a lot to make me try and see things his way. Hell, why was I worried? I should solve this case within hours. All I had to do was interrogate the affected women under vampire hypnosis and get to the truth. A black Ford Crown Victoria cruised down the street. The Ford slowed as it approached my Dodge. The auras of the two occupants brightened, showing that they had an interest in my car. After a moment, the Ford sped up and disappeared down the street. No cause for concern. My Dodge Polara was a collector’s item. I should sell it and drive newer wheels, perhaps a Toyota with an FM radio and a CD player. I lay flat on the roof and sighed. This trip to Denver was going to be a vacation. My I dismissed my doubts. I was dealing with humans. What could go wrong? |
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