"K. W. Jeter - The Dreamfields" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jeter K. W)

they hire people… like Glogolt, for Pete's sake. That jerk's been here longer
than any of us and he still hasn't learned how to do the regulation knot in
his tie." Stimmitz's eyes shifted a fraction of an inch and refocused on
Ralph.

"Glogolt's got quite a stack, of deficiency notices." Ralph interposed the
beer can between Stimmitz's eyes and his own and took another swallow.

"Yeah, but they don't get rid of him. So they must have some kind of
use for him, right? But what good is somebody like Glogolt? Or any of the
people here, for that matter."

Ralph laid the cool damp of the beer can against his cheek and said
nothing. Stimmitz was poking at a group of thoughts that had been
wadding up in Ralph's gut for some time now. About the size of a
basketball, thought Ralph glumly. That's how they feel.

"I mean, this is an expensive set-up," Stimmitz's mouth moved again
beneath his hardening eyes. "This all costs money, a lot of it. How come
there's so much Muehlenfeldt money being dumped into this project while
there's a war going on?"

"Muehlenfeldt money?" Through Ralph's mind flashed a brief image of
the distinguished Senator M. cranking a printing press in a dank
basement.

"Of course. This whole thing's bankrolled through their Ultimate
Foundation."
 "So? Somebody's got to pay for it."

"Yeah, but why?" A slight increase in the volume of Stimmitz's voice
eclipsed the murmuring Bach cantata. "What's the whole project doing
here? What's it for?"

"It's for 125 dollars a week," said Ralph with beer-laden profundity.
"Plus room and board."

"Come on."

"Yeah, well, they told us what it's for, didn't they? Therapy, right? For
all those messed-up little juvenile delinquents over there at the Thronsen
Home."

Stimmitz was quiet for a moment, then spoke very softly. "Do you
believe that?"

A thin layer of Bach crept through the room for several seconds. "I
guess so," said Ralph finally. "Why shouldn't I?"

"I went into Thronsen yesterday," said Stimmitz. "Helga and I did. We