JК
Burnt Offerings :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 249 из 286"Then why stage the scene at his business? Why give himself grief?"
"Her human boyfriend wanted to pay her to do it. She didn't want him to know she was seeing Harry. Harry went along with it because he thought it would look funny if his place was the only vamp-owned business not hit by the fanatics."
"So Harry knew what she was using the information for?" I said. I was finding it hard to believe that any vamp would do it, let alone one as old as Harry.
"He knew. He took his cut of the money," Dolph said.
"Why?"
"When we find him, we'll ask."
"Let me guess. He's vanished."
Dolph nodded. "Don't tell your boyfriend, Anita."
"The vampires may be your only hope of catching Harry now."
"But will they turn him over to us or kill him?"
I looked away, not meeting his eyes. "They're going to be pretty pissed."
"I can't blame them for that, but I want him alive, Anita. I need him alive."
"Why?"
"We didn't get every member of Humans First. I don't want them out there with some new nasty surprise waiting."
"You have Vicki. Won't she tell you?"
"She asked for a lawyer, finally, and now she's suddenly developed amnesia."
"Damn."
"We need him to tell us if there's one last big nasty coming our way."
"But you can't find him," I said.
"That's right."
"You don't want me to tell Jean-Claude."
"Give us twenty-four hours to locate Harry. If we fail, then you can put out a vampire all-points. Before they kill him, try to get information from him."
"You say that like I'll be there when he dies," I said.
Dolph just looked at me.
I met his eyes this time. "I don't kill for Jean-Claude, Dolph, no matter what the street says."
"I wish I believed that, Anita. You don't know how much I wished I believed that."
I lay back against the pillows. "Believe what you like, Dolph. You will anyway."
He walked out then without another word, as if what he wanted to say was too painful, too final. Dolph kept pushing against us, against me. I was beginning to worry that he was going to keep pushing until he pushed us apart. We'd be working together but we wouldn't be friends. The headache was getting worse, and it wasn't just the drugs wearing off.
48
1 was given a clean bill of health. The doctors were amazed at my recuperative powers. If only they knew. Pete McKinnon called late in the day. He'd found that there were fires similar to those set by our firebug in New Orleans and San Francisco.
"Her human boyfriend wanted to pay her to do it. She didn't want him to know she was seeing Harry. Harry went along with it because he thought it would look funny if his place was the only vamp-owned business not hit by the fanatics."
"So Harry knew what she was using the information for?" I said. I was finding it hard to believe that any vamp would do it, let alone one as old as Harry.
"He knew. He took his cut of the money," Dolph said.
"Why?"
"When we find him, we'll ask."
"Let me guess. He's vanished."
Dolph nodded. "Don't tell your boyfriend, Anita."
"The vampires may be your only hope of catching Harry now."
"But will they turn him over to us or kill him?"
I looked away, not meeting his eyes. "They're going to be pretty pissed."
"I can't blame them for that, but I want him alive, Anita. I need him alive."
"Why?"
"We didn't get every member of Humans First. I don't want them out there with some new nasty surprise waiting."
"You have Vicki. Won't she tell you?"
"She asked for a lawyer, finally, and now she's suddenly developed amnesia."
"Damn."
"We need him to tell us if there's one last big nasty coming our way."
"But you can't find him," I said.
"That's right."
"You don't want me to tell Jean-Claude."
"Give us twenty-four hours to locate Harry. If we fail, then you can put out a vampire all-points. Before they kill him, try to get information from him."
"You say that like I'll be there when he dies," I said.
Dolph just looked at me.
I met his eyes this time. "I don't kill for Jean-Claude, Dolph, no matter what the street says."
"I wish I believed that, Anita. You don't know how much I wished I believed that."
I lay back against the pillows. "Believe what you like, Dolph. You will anyway."
He walked out then without another word, as if what he wanted to say was too painful, too final. Dolph kept pushing against us, against me. I was beginning to worry that he was going to keep pushing until he pushed us apart. We'd be working together but we wouldn't be friends. The headache was getting worse, and it wasn't just the drugs wearing off.
48
1 was given a clean bill of health. The doctors were amazed at my recuperative powers. If only they knew. Pete McKinnon called late in the day. He'd found that there were fires similar to those set by our firebug in New Orleans and San Francisco.