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The Laughing Corpse :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 32 из 213"
I didn't much like thatlast part. "You're not going to help us. You're just going to play cat and mouse. Well, this mouse is leaving." I turned to leave, keeping a watchful eye on Enzo. He wasn't an amateur.
"Don't you wish to find the little boy that Manny said was taken? Three years old, very young to be in the hands of the bokor."
It stopped me. She knew it would. Damn her. "What is a bokor?"
She smiled. "You really don't know, do you?"
I shook my head.
The smile widened, all surprised pleasure. "Place your right hand palm up on the table, por favor."
"If you know something about the boy, just tell me. Please."
"Endure my little tests, and I will help you."
"What sort of tests?" I hoped I sounded as suspicious as I felt.
Dominga laughed, an abrupt and cheery sound. It went with all the smile lines in her face. Her eyes were practically sparkling with mirth. Why did I feel like she was laughing at me?
"Come, chica, I will not hurt you," she said.
"Manny?"
"If she does anything that may harm you, I will say so."
Dominga gazed up at me, a sort of puzzled wonder on her face. "I have heard that you can raise three zombies in a night, night after night. Yet, you truly are a novice."
"Ignorance is bliss," I said.
"Sit, chica. This will not hurt, I promise."
This will not hurt. It promised more painful things later. I sat. "Any delay could cost the boy his life." Try to appeal to her good side.
She leaned towards me. "Do you really think the child is still alive?" Guess she didn't have a good side.
I leaned back from her. I couldn't help it, and I couldn't lie to her. "No."
"Then we have time, don't we?"
"Time for what?"
"Your hand, chica, por favor, then I will answer your questions."
I took a deep breath and placed my right hand on the table, palm up. She was being mysterious. I hated people who were mysterious.
She brought a small black bag from under the table, as if it had been sitting in her lap the whole time. Like she'd planned this.
Manny was staring at the bag like something noisome was about to crawl out. Close. Dominga Salvador pulled something noisome out of it.
It was a charm, a gris-gris made of black feathers, bits of bone, a mummified bird's foot. I thought at first it was a chicken until I saw the thick black talons. There was a hawk or eagle out there somewhere with a peg leg.
I had visions of her digging the talons into my flesh, and was all tensed to pull away.
I didn't much like thatlast part. "You're not going to help us. You're just going to play cat and mouse. Well, this mouse is leaving." I turned to leave, keeping a watchful eye on Enzo. He wasn't an amateur.
"Don't you wish to find the little boy that Manny said was taken? Three years old, very young to be in the hands of the bokor."
It stopped me. She knew it would. Damn her. "What is a bokor?"
She smiled. "You really don't know, do you?"
I shook my head.
The smile widened, all surprised pleasure. "Place your right hand palm up on the table, por favor."
"If you know something about the boy, just tell me. Please."
"Endure my little tests, and I will help you."
"What sort of tests?" I hoped I sounded as suspicious as I felt.
Dominga laughed, an abrupt and cheery sound. It went with all the smile lines in her face. Her eyes were practically sparkling with mirth. Why did I feel like she was laughing at me?
"Come, chica, I will not hurt you," she said.
"Manny?"
"If she does anything that may harm you, I will say so."
Dominga gazed up at me, a sort of puzzled wonder on her face. "I have heard that you can raise three zombies in a night, night after night. Yet, you truly are a novice."
"Ignorance is bliss," I said.
"Sit, chica. This will not hurt, I promise."
This will not hurt. It promised more painful things later. I sat. "Any delay could cost the boy his life." Try to appeal to her good side.
She leaned towards me. "Do you really think the child is still alive?" Guess she didn't have a good side.
I leaned back from her. I couldn't help it, and I couldn't lie to her. "No."
"Then we have time, don't we?"
"Time for what?"
"Your hand, chica, por favor, then I will answer your questions."
I took a deep breath and placed my right hand on the table, palm up. She was being mysterious. I hated people who were mysterious.
She brought a small black bag from under the table, as if it had been sitting in her lap the whole time. Like she'd planned this.
Manny was staring at the bag like something noisome was about to crawl out. Close. Dominga Salvador pulled something noisome out of it.
It was a charm, a gris-gris made of black feathers, bits of bone, a mummified bird's foot. I thought at first it was a chicken until I saw the thick black talons. There was a hawk or eagle out there somewhere with a peg leg.
I had visions of her digging the talons into my flesh, and was all tensed to pull away.