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Isle Of The Dead :: Zelazny Roger
Страница: 28 из 110CanI fix you a drink?"
"Are you sure it'll be safe?"
He thought about it for a moment, then said, "Yes."
"Then I'll have bourbon and water if you've got it."
He withdrew into the next room and returned after about a minute with two glasses. His was probably filled with tea if he was planning on talking any kind of business with me. I couldn't have cared less.
"So what's up?" I asked him.
"Damn it, the stories they tell about you are true, aren't they? How'd you find out?"
I shrugged.
"But you're not going to move in on me on this one, not the way you did on those Vegan mining franchises."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said.
"Six years ago."
I laughed.
"Listen," I told him, "I don't pay much attention to what my money does, so long as it's there when I want it. I trust various people to handle it for me. If I got a good deal in the Vegan system six years ago, it's because some good man in my employ lined it up. I don't run around shepherding money the way you do. I've delegated all that."
"Sure, sure, Frank," he said. "So you're incognito on Driscoll and you arrange to run into me the night before I deal. Who'd you buy on my staff?"
"Nobody, believe me."
He looked hurt.
"I'd tell _you_," he said. "I won't hurt him. I'll just transfer him somewhere where he won't do any more harm."
"I'm really not here on business," I said, "and I ran into you by pure chance."
"Well, you're not going to grab the whole thing this time, whatever you've got up your sleeve," he said.
"I'm not even in the running. Honest."
"Damn it!" he said. "Everything was going so smoothly!" and his right fist smashed against his left palm.
"I haven't even seen the product," I said.
He got up and stalked out of the room, came back and handed me a pipe.
"Nice pipe," I said.
"Five thousand," he told me. "Cheap."
"I'm really not much of a pipe-smoker."
"I won't cut you in for more than ten percent," he said. "I've been handling this thing personally, and you're not going to queer it."
And then I got mad. All that bastard thought about, besides eating, was stacking up his wealth. He automatically assumed I spent my time the same way, just because a lot of leaves on the Big Tree say "Sandow." So, "I want a third, or I make my own deal," I said.
"A third?"
He leaped to his feet and began screaming. It was a good thing that the room was soundproof and debugged.
"Are you sure it'll be safe?"
He thought about it for a moment, then said, "Yes."
"Then I'll have bourbon and water if you've got it."
He withdrew into the next room and returned after about a minute with two glasses. His was probably filled with tea if he was planning on talking any kind of business with me. I couldn't have cared less.
"So what's up?" I asked him.
"Damn it, the stories they tell about you are true, aren't they? How'd you find out?"
I shrugged.
"But you're not going to move in on me on this one, not the way you did on those Vegan mining franchises."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said.
"Six years ago."
I laughed.
"Listen," I told him, "I don't pay much attention to what my money does, so long as it's there when I want it. I trust various people to handle it for me. If I got a good deal in the Vegan system six years ago, it's because some good man in my employ lined it up. I don't run around shepherding money the way you do. I've delegated all that."
"Sure, sure, Frank," he said. "So you're incognito on Driscoll and you arrange to run into me the night before I deal. Who'd you buy on my staff?"
"Nobody, believe me."
He looked hurt.
"I'd tell _you_," he said. "I won't hurt him. I'll just transfer him somewhere where he won't do any more harm."
"I'm really not here on business," I said, "and I ran into you by pure chance."
"Well, you're not going to grab the whole thing this time, whatever you've got up your sleeve," he said.
"I'm not even in the running. Honest."
"Damn it!" he said. "Everything was going so smoothly!" and his right fist smashed against his left palm.
"I haven't even seen the product," I said.
He got up and stalked out of the room, came back and handed me a pipe.
"Nice pipe," I said.
"Five thousand," he told me. "Cheap."
"I'm really not much of a pipe-smoker."
"I won't cut you in for more than ten percent," he said. "I've been handling this thing personally, and you're not going to queer it."
And then I got mad. All that bastard thought about, besides eating, was stacking up his wealth. He automatically assumed I spent my time the same way, just because a lot of leaves on the Big Tree say "Sandow." So, "I want a third, or I make my own deal," I said.
"A third?"
He leaped to his feet and began screaming. It was a good thing that the room was soundproof and debugged.