"Brian Lumley - E-Branch 1 - Defilers" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lumley Brian)

what she told me, and I'm the one who would know it if she ... if she didn't mean it."
"Neither have I," Millie said. "Read anything in your mind that shouldn't be there, I mean."
"Am I that innocent?"
"No, you're just straight. It's the other side of your talent, Ben. You give what you expect to
get."
"Maybe it's just that I'm careful where telepaths are concerned," he said.
"And maybe you shouldn't be," Millie answered. "I'm a big girl. I could stand the occasional
shock, I think."
Then the waiter came . . .
Everything was off except room-service fare,- if Trask was anyone but Trask, they wouldn't get
served at all. "A little ham, mustard, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, and some fresh white bread," he


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told the portly, fussy, pseudo-Italian waiter. "White wine for the lady and a large Wild Turkey
for me, on the rocks. But do please remember, Mario: the ice is for cooling it down, not for
diluting it."
"Of course, sir," and then they were on their own again.
"That Swiss bank has a list of these so-called charities," Trask said. "They know who, or at least
where, that money went to. Of course they do because they sent it."
"But getting it out of them could take time," she said.
"Probably more time than we've got."
"Even if we told them Manchester's death was suspicious?"
"They'd freeze his accounts," Trask said. "Now that they know he's dead they've probably already
done so, but even with the Minister Responsible on the case I can't see them giving in too easy.
Why, they might even see it as their 'duty' to inform the charity that it's under investigation-
especially since Mr. Milan is/was Manchester's 'bona fide' partner! And knowing that Jimmy Harvey
has been into their files, they may even have done that already, too . . . or first thing in the
morning, when their computer starts telling tales on us."
"And that's my fault," she said, looking downcast. "Fools rush in, and like that. So maybe you
should speak to the Minister Responsible tonight?"
"That's not a should but a must," Trask said. "I'll do it when we've eaten. Maybe he can pull some
strings, do something we haven't thought of."
"It makes me wish I were a bank robber!" she said.

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"Well, you've made a very good start to your new career!" Trask told her without a trace of
humour. "Damn it all, but if we had Jake Cutter up and running we wouldn't need to break in. He
could simply . . . well, go there, take Jimmy Harvey with him, be in and out like a couple of
ghosts, and to hell with all the Burger Finanz Gruppe's gadgets!"
She looked at him. "So that stuff I've been hearing about Jake-the stuff you left out of your
initial report-is for real? He really did do his thing out there in Australia?"
"If he hadn't," Trask answered, "you'd be talking to yourself right now. And incidentally, since I
hadn't planned on making it general knowledge until he had it down pat, until it was routine,
where did you 'hear' about it anyway?" He already knew the answer to that one.
Millie nodded. "I am what I am," she said, and fell silent while their meal was delivered . . .
But while they ate:
"Something else you mentioned during your pep talk," Millie said. "That you were pretty sure