"Mercedes Lackey - Urban Fantasies" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lackey Mercedes)

“Nice place,” Kayla muttered, looking up at the darkened house. She glanced at Elizabet. “How much
does the police department pay you, -anyhow?”

“I also have a private practice,” Elizabet said, -unlocking the front door. “Besides, child, I bought this
house fifteen years ago, before the rich folks decided that Laurel Canyon was the perfect place to build a
fancy house. You'll see, it's not much on the inside.”

Maybe you think so,Kayla thought, walking into the wood-paneled room,But I can sure spot a few
things that would get me some good bucks at Mel's Gun and Pawn. She paused to look at a
collection of crystal dolphins on a shelf in the hallway.I wouldn't even think of hocking those—they'd
probably break when I was carrying 'em out. But the VCR, that looks like it's new, and it's one of
the better brands . . . that could be worth something. . . .

A moment later, she noticed something else: the house wasquiet. Not just from noise, but from the
jangling pressure she'd felt for the last months, the sensation that the world was tightening down on her
and making her crazy. Her headache faded as she looked around in surprise.Totally weird.

“I'm getting something to drink from the fridge. Would you like anything?”

“A glass of milk would be great,” Kayla said, and Elizabet walked away. Kayla studied one of the
-crystal dolphins; it seemed to float in midair, caught forever in a leap out of the water. Only the tip of its
tail touched the cut-glass water, the dolphin sculpture delicately balanced on that point.

“Do you like that one?” Elizabet asked, walking up behind her with two glasses of milk. “I like to think
of it as a representation of life, balanced perfectly at a single moment.”

Kayla took the offered glass from Elizabet's hand. “Thanks.” She sipped the milk, then looked wistfully
in the direction of Elizabet's kitchen.

“Of course, you must be hungry, child. I probably have some sandwich fixings in the fridge. I'll show you
where everything is.”

Kayla followed her into the kitchen, and as Elizabet took out a plate and silverware from the cupboards,
she asked, “Why did you say, `of course'?”

Elizabet was silent for a moment. “Make yourself whatever you'd like to eat, then we'll sit down and
talk.”

“Yeah, sure.” Kayla decided not to be polite about the fact that she felt like she hadn't eaten in weeks,
and made a huge sandwich out of a whole wheat roll and several different kinds of cheeses. She sat
down across from Elizabet at the kitchen table, alternating quick bites of the sandwich with swallows of
milk. The older woman watched without speaking as Kayla finished the sandwich. “So, what did you
want to talk about?” she asked hesitantly, uncomfortable with Elizabet's long silence.

“We have a few things to discuss,” Elizabet said thoughtfully. “Like what happened to you earlier this
evening.”

“You read Officer Cable's report,” Kayla -offered. “It has everything in it. Did you want to know about