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

“I told you.” Her voice rose. “He wants to ... do away with me. I fear
for my life. I can’t go back there. I’m sure he’s trying to find me.” She
blinked a few times, obviously trying to calm down. She succeeded, and
continued in her previous, reasoned tone of voice. “I’m working on getting
access to my accounts without giving away my location. I can have some
money for you in a day or two.”

“My fees are one hundred dollars an hour, plus expenses. Travel,
anything that I need to pay for. I require a retainer of a thousand dollars.”

“I will have to owe you.”

What else did I have to do?

On the other hand, my soul was just about the only thing I still owned
and it seemed a good thing to have.

She must have noticed my indecision.

“There is one more thing,” she said, wiping her eyes with a tissue.
“We might be real.”

“You mean that he might not really have re-created you after the
accident.”

“Yes.”

“Then it would be murder.”

“Yes.”

“So it seems that you are not entirely sure about whether they were
artificial or real.”

She hesitated a second. “No.”

I sighed. It was something. “I would be glad to investigate the
possible murder of your mother and your sister, Ms. Quick, for the
aforementioned fees. Do you have any photographs of them?”

“Ah ... yes, but ... why would you need them?” She looked confused
and a bit irritated.

An interesting reaction. Most people want to provide the detective
with all the information they have, no matter how irrelevant. “For my
investigation.”

A tiny frown creased her forehead. She dug into her purse, took out a
wallet, and tossed two photos onto my desk.
 “And your father too?”