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The Laughing Corpse :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 34 из 213"I wish I couldsay it's been a pleasure, but it hasn't."
"Ask your questions, chica."
"What?" The change of subject was too fast for me.
"Ask whatever you came here to ask," she said.
I glanced at Manny. "If she says she will answer, she will answer." He didn't look completely happy about it.
I sat down, again. The next insult and I'm outta here. But if she could really help … oh, hell, she was dangling that thin little thread of hope. And after what I'd seen at the Reynolds house, I was grabbing for it.
I had planned to be as polite as possible on the wording of the question, now I didn't give a shit. "Have you raised a zombie in the last few weeks?"
"Some," she said.
Okay. I hesitated over the next question. The feel of that thing moving in my hand flashed back on me. I rubbed my hand against my pants leg as if I could rub the sensation away. What was the worst she could do to me if I offended her? Don't ask. "Have you sent any zombies out on errands … of revenge?" There, that was polite, amazing.
"None."
"Are you sure?" I asked.
She smiled. "I'd remember if I loosed murderers from the grave."
"Killer zombies don't have to be murderers," I said.
"Oh?" Her pale eyebrows raised. "Are you so very familiar with raising 'killer' zombies?"
I fought the urge to squirm like a schoolchild caught at a lie. "Only one."
"Tell me."
"No." My voice was very firm. "No, that is a private matter." A private nightmare that I was not going to share with the voodoo lady.
I decided to change the subject just a little. "I've raised murderers before. They weren't more violent than regular undead."
"How many dead have you called from the grave?" she asked.
I shrugged. "I don't know."
"Give me an … " she seemed to be groping for a word "estimation."
"I can't. It must have been hundreds."
"A thousand?" she asked.
"Maybe, I haven't kept count," I said.
"Has your boss at Animators, Incorporated, kept count?"
"I would assume that all my clients are on file, yes," I said.
She smiled. "I would be interested in knowing the exact number."
What could it hurt? "I'll find out if I can."
"Such an obedient girl." She stood. "I did not raise this 'killer' zombie of yours. If that is what is eating citizens." She smiled, almost laughed, as if it were funny. "But I know people that would never speak to you. People that could do this horrible deed. I will question them, and they will answer me.
"Ask your questions, chica."
"What?" The change of subject was too fast for me.
"Ask whatever you came here to ask," she said.
I glanced at Manny. "If she says she will answer, she will answer." He didn't look completely happy about it.
I sat down, again. The next insult and I'm outta here. But if she could really help … oh, hell, she was dangling that thin little thread of hope. And after what I'd seen at the Reynolds house, I was grabbing for it.
I had planned to be as polite as possible on the wording of the question, now I didn't give a shit. "Have you raised a zombie in the last few weeks?"
"Some," she said.
Okay. I hesitated over the next question. The feel of that thing moving in my hand flashed back on me. I rubbed my hand against my pants leg as if I could rub the sensation away. What was the worst she could do to me if I offended her? Don't ask. "Have you sent any zombies out on errands … of revenge?" There, that was polite, amazing.
"None."
"Are you sure?" I asked.
She smiled. "I'd remember if I loosed murderers from the grave."
"Killer zombies don't have to be murderers," I said.
"Oh?" Her pale eyebrows raised. "Are you so very familiar with raising 'killer' zombies?"
I fought the urge to squirm like a schoolchild caught at a lie. "Only one."
"Tell me."
"No." My voice was very firm. "No, that is a private matter." A private nightmare that I was not going to share with the voodoo lady.
I decided to change the subject just a little. "I've raised murderers before. They weren't more violent than regular undead."
"How many dead have you called from the grave?" she asked.
I shrugged. "I don't know."
"Give me an … " she seemed to be groping for a word "estimation."
"I can't. It must have been hundreds."
"A thousand?" she asked.
"Maybe, I haven't kept count," I said.
"Has your boss at Animators, Incorporated, kept count?"
"I would assume that all my clients are on file, yes," I said.
She smiled. "I would be interested in knowing the exact number."
What could it hurt? "I'll find out if I can."
"Such an obedient girl." She stood. "I did not raise this 'killer' zombie of yours. If that is what is eating citizens." She smiled, almost laughed, as if it were funny. "But I know people that would never speak to you. People that could do this horrible deed. I will question them, and they will answer me.