"Kathleen Ann Goonan - The Bridge" - читать интересную книгу автора (Goose Mother)

“Tell me the truth. Why is it that you want these copies?”

“To prove—” she took a breath and looked out the window for a
second before continuing. She cleared her throat. “To prove that my father
committed this crime.”

“How? If what is in the safe is simply their original copies—”

She shook her head. “My sister and my mother had a system which
was constantly updated. The information is embedded in the eye, which is
removable and which does not degrade. When their copies are re-infused
into a body, the information will be there.”

“Which of your eyes is it in?”

She blinked, staring at me once again. The light was dim, of course,
but both looked perfectly normal to me. But then, I supposed, they would.

She stood. “You have all the information you need. I’m working on
getting the money. I’ll be back with it tomorrow.” Her voice held an edge of
hostility. She left in a hurry.

I slipped on my coat, waited for a moment, then followed her.

She walked downhill, towards Key Bridge.

She stepped onto the bridge and began to walk.

I could not believe it. No one crossed that bridge.

She walked casually; quickly; not as one who was afraid. Her hands
were in her pockets and her head was up.

She disappeared into the fog.

I felt a stab of fear for her.

From this side, the city sometimes looked the same. The obelisk of
the Washington Monument gleamed whitely in the sun, along with the
Capitol dome. It appeared that people were inside, going about some kind
of business. But often light was refracted from the city in strange ways,
blurring what was visible. Binoculars sometimes revealed blocks where the
city was older, where buildings torn down a hundred years ago had
reappeared. Sometimes, it was claimed, famous Washingtonians like Duke
Ellington or various dead presidents were spotted.

A team of scientists went in, at the beginning, wearing what they
believed were impermeable suits. They never emerged. Other people
disappeared from time to time as well. Crossing the bridge was widely