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A Stroke Of Midnight :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 159 из 293Maybe Mistral wouldn’t understand why I didn’t want to see that ghostly smile, but then he didn’t know thatI’d unleashed Aisling’s smile on someone else.
“No,” Walters said.
We all looked at him. “Why not?” I asked.
“I shouldn’t have told you.”
“You’re in charge here, right? Of the human side, at least.”
“Technically, but she’s the chief medical examiner, and she’s in charge of her people. If I were the chief of police, yeah, but I’m not.”
“So you cannot make her cooperate,” Frost said.
Walters shook his head. “She’ll be pissed if she knows I told you as much as I did. If she gets pissed, she’ll be even less likely to share.”
“Then why did you tell us?” Aisling asked.
I kept my gaze on Walters this time as he said, “Because it’s got to be one of the people who were here in the hallway with us. Because they’re the only ones we took prints from. I won’t give you a name just because their print was where it shouldn’t be, not if you’re just going to kill them. But I don’t want you getting killed either.”
“Why, Major Walters, I’m touched.” I didn’t smile when I said it.
“Give me your word that the suspect won’t be harmed in any way, and I’ll help you talk to Polaski.”
“I give you my word that I will do everything within my power to keep whoever it is safe from harm.”
“Doing everything in your power isn’t the same thing as promising that they won’t be harmed,” Walters said.
“No, it isn’t, but I’m Princess Meredith, not queen. I am not absolute ruler here. You can promise me things, but if the chief of police overrides you, then where does that leave me?”
He shook his head. “Fine, talk to Polaski, but she’s not going to be happy with either of us.”
“Why should she be any different?”
“What?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Just ignore me, Walters, I’m not feeling my best.”
“If I’d had two assassination attempts on me in two days, I’d be pissed.”
I thought about that. It wasn’t getting myself killed that bothered me; it was getting everyone else killed. There’s a reason why the president and his family aren’t supposed to date the secret service agents who guard them.
There was still blood on Galen’s hand, his blood, dried, a little tacky still. Too much blood. Too much was happening in too small a space of time. Holding Galen’s hand made me start to tremble. I realized in that moment that I was going to break down.
“No,” Walters said.
We all looked at him. “Why not?” I asked.
“I shouldn’t have told you.”
“You’re in charge here, right? Of the human side, at least.”
“Technically, but she’s the chief medical examiner, and she’s in charge of her people. If I were the chief of police, yeah, but I’m not.”
“So you cannot make her cooperate,” Frost said.
Walters shook his head. “She’ll be pissed if she knows I told you as much as I did. If she gets pissed, she’ll be even less likely to share.”
“Then why did you tell us?” Aisling asked.
I kept my gaze on Walters this time as he said, “Because it’s got to be one of the people who were here in the hallway with us. Because they’re the only ones we took prints from. I won’t give you a name just because their print was where it shouldn’t be, not if you’re just going to kill them. But I don’t want you getting killed either.”
“Why, Major Walters, I’m touched.” I didn’t smile when I said it.
“Give me your word that the suspect won’t be harmed in any way, and I’ll help you talk to Polaski.”
“I give you my word that I will do everything within my power to keep whoever it is safe from harm.”
“Doing everything in your power isn’t the same thing as promising that they won’t be harmed,” Walters said.
“No, it isn’t, but I’m Princess Meredith, not queen. I am not absolute ruler here. You can promise me things, but if the chief of police overrides you, then where does that leave me?”
He shook his head. “Fine, talk to Polaski, but she’s not going to be happy with either of us.”
“Why should she be any different?”
“What?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Just ignore me, Walters, I’m not feeling my best.”
“If I’d had two assassination attempts on me in two days, I’d be pissed.”
I thought about that. It wasn’t getting myself killed that bothered me; it was getting everyone else killed. There’s a reason why the president and his family aren’t supposed to date the secret service agents who guard them.
There was still blood on Galen’s hand, his blood, dried, a little tacky still. Too much blood. Too much was happening in too small a space of time. Holding Galen’s hand made me start to tremble. I realized in that moment that I was going to break down.