"Laurell K. Hamilton - Anita Blake 09 - Obsidian Butterfly" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hamilton Laurell K)

found them today."
"How long had they been dead?" I asked.
"Days, nearly two weeks for one family."
"Jesus, why didn't someone miss them sooner?"
"In the last ten years almost the entire population of Santa Fe has
changed. We've got a huge influx of new people. Plus a lot of people have what
amounts to vacation homes up here. The locals call the newcomers
Californicators."
"Cute," I said, "but is Ted Forrester a local?"
"Ted lives near the city, yeah."
A thrill went through me from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.
Edward was the ultimate mystery man. I knew almost nothing about him, really.
"Does this mean I get to see where you live?"
"You'll be staying with Ted Forrester," he said.
"But you're Ted Forrester, Edward. I'll be staying at your house, right?"
He was quiet for a heartbeat, then, "Yes."
Suddenly, the whole trip seemed much more attractive. I was going to see
Edward's house. I was going to be able to pry into his personal life, if he
had one. What could be better?
Though one thing was bothering me. "When you said families were the
victims, does that include kids?"
"Strangely, no," he said.
"Well, thank goodness for small blessings," I said.
"You always were a soft touch for the kiddies," he said.
"Does it really not bother you to see dead children?"
"No," he said.
I just listened to him breathe for a second or two. I knew that nothing
bothered Edward. Nothing moved him. But children ... every cop I knew hated to
go to a scene where the vic was a child. There was something personal about
it. Even those of us without children took it hard. That Edward didn't,
bothered me. Funny, but it did.
"It bothers me," I said.
"I know," he said, "one of your more serious faults." There was an edge of
humor to his voice.
"The fact that you're a sociopath, and that I'm not, is one of the things I
take great pride in."
"You don't have to be a sociopath to back me up, just a shooter, and you
are that, Anita. You kill as easily as I do, if the circumstances are right."
I didn't try and argue, because I couldn't. I decided to concentrate on the
crime instead of my moral decay. "So Santa Fe has a large transient
population."
"Not transient," Edward said, "but mobile, very mobile. We have a lot of
tourism, and a lot of people moving in and out on a semi-permanent basis."
"So no one knows their neighbors," I said, "or what their schedules should
be."
"Exactly." His voice was bland, empty, with that thread of tiredness
underneath, and under that was something else. A tone – something.
"You think there's more bodies that you haven't found yet," I said. I made
it a statement.
He was quiet for a second, then said, "You heard it in my voice, didn't