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The Lunatic Cafe :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 164 из 234One of his favorite traps was ananimal skin that would attach itself to whomever touched it first. Took a witch to remove it."
"Was it dangerous?" MacAdam asked.
"One man suffocated when it attached itself to his face."
"How the hell did his face touch it first?"
"Hard to ask a dead man. Animating wasn't a profession in the seventies."
MacAdam stared off across the water. "Okay, how do you find out if it's dangerous?"
"Has anyone been in the water yet?"
He jerked a thumb at Dolph. "He wouldn't let us, and Sheriff Titus said to leave everything for some hotshot monster expert." He looked me up and down. "That you?"
"That's me."
"Well, make like an expert so my people and I can get in there."
"You want the spotlight now?" Dolph asked. They'd had the place lit up like an opening night at Mann's Chinese Theatre. I'd made them turn off the lights after I'd gotten the first glance. There were some things that you needed light to see, other things only showed themselves in the dark.
"No light yet. Let me see it in the dark first."
"Why no light?" Dolph asked.
"Some things hide from light, Dolph, and they might still take a chunk out of one of the divers."
"You're really serious about this, aren't you?" MacAdam asked.
"Yeah, aren't you glad?"
He looked at me for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. How are you going to get a closer look? I know the weather just got cold the last few days, so the water should be about forty degrees, but that's still cold without a suit."
"I'll stay on the rocks. I might dip a hand in to see if anything rises to bait, but I'll stay as dry as I can."
"You take the monsters serious," he said, "I take the water serious. You'll get hypothermia in about five minutes in water this cold. Try not to fall in."
"Thanks for the advice."
"You're going to get wet," Aikensen said. He stood just above me, leaning against a tree. His Smokey Bear hat was pulled low over his head, thick woolly collar pulled up near his chin. His ears and most of his face were still bare to the cold. I hoped he got frostbite.
He put his flashlight under his chin like a Halloween gag. He was smiling. "Didn't move a thing, Miss Blake. Left it just where we found it."
I didn't correct him on the "miss." He'd done it just to irritate me. Ignoring it irritated him. Great.
The Halloween smile faded, leaving him frowning in the light.
"What's the matter, Aikensen? Didn't want to get your delicate toes wet?"
He pushed away from the tree.
"Was it dangerous?" MacAdam asked.
"One man suffocated when it attached itself to his face."
"How the hell did his face touch it first?"
"Hard to ask a dead man. Animating wasn't a profession in the seventies."
MacAdam stared off across the water. "Okay, how do you find out if it's dangerous?"
"Has anyone been in the water yet?"
He jerked a thumb at Dolph. "He wouldn't let us, and Sheriff Titus said to leave everything for some hotshot monster expert." He looked me up and down. "That you?"
"That's me."
"Well, make like an expert so my people and I can get in there."
"You want the spotlight now?" Dolph asked. They'd had the place lit up like an opening night at Mann's Chinese Theatre. I'd made them turn off the lights after I'd gotten the first glance. There were some things that you needed light to see, other things only showed themselves in the dark.
"No light yet. Let me see it in the dark first."
"Why no light?" Dolph asked.
"Some things hide from light, Dolph, and they might still take a chunk out of one of the divers."
"You're really serious about this, aren't you?" MacAdam asked.
"Yeah, aren't you glad?"
He looked at me for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. How are you going to get a closer look? I know the weather just got cold the last few days, so the water should be about forty degrees, but that's still cold without a suit."
"I'll stay on the rocks. I might dip a hand in to see if anything rises to bait, but I'll stay as dry as I can."
"You take the monsters serious," he said, "I take the water serious. You'll get hypothermia in about five minutes in water this cold. Try not to fall in."
"Thanks for the advice."
"You're going to get wet," Aikensen said. He stood just above me, leaning against a tree. His Smokey Bear hat was pulled low over his head, thick woolly collar pulled up near his chin. His ears and most of his face were still bare to the cold. I hoped he got frostbite.
He put his flashlight under his chin like a Halloween gag. He was smiling. "Didn't move a thing, Miss Blake. Left it just where we found it."
I didn't correct him on the "miss." He'd done it just to irritate me. Ignoring it irritated him. Great.
The Halloween smile faded, leaving him frowning in the light.
"What's the matter, Aikensen? Didn't want to get your delicate toes wet?"
He pushed away from the tree.