"Brian Lumley - Necroscope 2 - Wamphyri!" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lumley Brian)

'Krakovitch?' the phone barked at him. (Was this really the Party Leader?)


'Er, yes, sir, Felix Krakovitch. I was on Comrade Borowitz's staff.'


'Felix? Why tell me your first name? You expect me to call you by your first name?' The voice
had a hard edge, but it also sounded like its owner was eating something mushy. Krakovitch had
heard several of Brezhnev's infrequent speeches; this could only be him.


'I... no, of course not, Comrade Party Leader.' (How the hell did one address him?) 'But I - '


'Listen, are you in charge there?' 'Yes, er, Comrade Party - '


'Forget all that stuff,' Brezhnev rasped. 'I don't need reminding who I am, just answers. Is
there no one left who is senior to you?'


'No.'


'Anyone who's your equal?'


'Four of them, but one's a madman.'


'Eh?'


'He went mad when... when it happened.' There was a pause; then, the voice went on, a little
less harshly: 'Do you know Borowitz is dead?'


'Yes. A neighbour found him in his dacha at Zhukovka. The neighbour was ex-KGB and got
in touch with Comrade Andropov, who sent a man here. He's here now.'


'I know another name,' Brezhnev's thick, gurgling voice continued. 'Boris Dragosani. What of
him?'


'Dead,' and before Krakovitch could check his tongue, 'thank God!'


'Eh? You're glad one of your comrades is dead?'
 'I... yes, I'm glad.' Krakovitch was too tired to answer in any way but truthfully, straight from