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The Lunatic Cafe :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 45 из 234"
"Let me guess. It's a fight to the death."
"No killie, no new leader," he said.
I shook my head, coffee sitting untouched in front of me. "Why are you telling me all this, Irving? Why now?"
"Marcus wants to meet you."
"Why didn't Richard tell me that himself?"
"Richard doesn't want you involved."
"Why not?" Irving kept answering my questions, but the answers weren't helping much.
Irving shrugged. "Richard won't give Marcus a freaking inch. If Marcus said black, Richard would say white."
"Why does Marcus want to see me?"
"I don't know," Irving said.
"Yeah, right."
"Honest, Blake, I don't know what's going on. Something big is up, and no one's talking to me."
"Why not? You're a shapeshifter."
"I'm also a reporter. I made the mistake years back of printing an article. The lycanthrope I talked to lied, said he never gave me permission to quote him. He lost his job. Some of the others wanted to out me, too, let me lose my job." He huddled around his coffee mug. Eyes distant with remembering. "Marcus said no, said I was more valuable to them as a reporter. No one's really trusted me since."
"Not a forgiving bunch," I said. I sipped my coffee and found it cooling. If I drank it fast enough, it would be drinkable, barely.
"They never forgive and they never forget," Irving said.
Sounds like a bad character trait, but it's one of my founding principles, so I couldn't complain much. "So Marcus sent you out here to talk to me. About what?"
"He wants to meet you. To talk some kind of business."
I got up and refilled my mug. A little less sugar this time. I was beginning to wake up just from frustration. "Let him make an appointment to come to my office."
Irving shook his head. "Marcus is some hotshot surgeon. You know what would happen if even a hint of what he is got out?"
I could understand that. You might get away with being a shapeshifter on some jobs. Doctor was not one of them. There was still the dentist in Texas that was being sued by a patient. Said she contracted lycanthropy from him. Nonsense. You didn't get it from having human hands in your mouth. But the case hadn't been thrown out. People didn't have a lot of sympathy for fur balls treating their kid's sparkling teeth.
"Okay, send someone else to the office. Surely, Marcus must trust someone."
"Richard has forbidden anyone to contact you."
I just looked at him. "Forbidden?"
Irving nodded.
"Let me guess. It's a fight to the death."
"No killie, no new leader," he said.
I shook my head, coffee sitting untouched in front of me. "Why are you telling me all this, Irving? Why now?"
"Marcus wants to meet you."
"Why didn't Richard tell me that himself?"
"Richard doesn't want you involved."
"Why not?" Irving kept answering my questions, but the answers weren't helping much.
Irving shrugged. "Richard won't give Marcus a freaking inch. If Marcus said black, Richard would say white."
"Why does Marcus want to see me?"
"I don't know," Irving said.
"Yeah, right."
"Honest, Blake, I don't know what's going on. Something big is up, and no one's talking to me."
"Why not? You're a shapeshifter."
"I'm also a reporter. I made the mistake years back of printing an article. The lycanthrope I talked to lied, said he never gave me permission to quote him. He lost his job. Some of the others wanted to out me, too, let me lose my job." He huddled around his coffee mug. Eyes distant with remembering. "Marcus said no, said I was more valuable to them as a reporter. No one's really trusted me since."
"Not a forgiving bunch," I said. I sipped my coffee and found it cooling. If I drank it fast enough, it would be drinkable, barely.
"They never forgive and they never forget," Irving said.
Sounds like a bad character trait, but it's one of my founding principles, so I couldn't complain much. "So Marcus sent you out here to talk to me. About what?"
"He wants to meet you. To talk some kind of business."
I got up and refilled my mug. A little less sugar this time. I was beginning to wake up just from frustration. "Let him make an appointment to come to my office."
Irving shook his head. "Marcus is some hotshot surgeon. You know what would happen if even a hint of what he is got out?"
I could understand that. You might get away with being a shapeshifter on some jobs. Doctor was not one of them. There was still the dentist in Texas that was being sued by a patient. Said she contracted lycanthropy from him. Nonsense. You didn't get it from having human hands in your mouth. But the case hadn't been thrown out. People didn't have a lot of sympathy for fur balls treating their kid's sparkling teeth.
"Okay, send someone else to the office. Surely, Marcus must trust someone."
"Richard has forbidden anyone to contact you."
I just looked at him. "Forbidden?"
Irving nodded.