"Christopher Pike - The Last Vampire 01 - The Last Vampire" - читать интересную книгу автора (Pike Christopher)

investments, to provide protection, when necessary, and to get hard-to-find background information on
certain individuals."

I smile. "And to spy."

He blinks. "I do not spy, Miss Perne."

"Really." My smile broadens. I lean forward, the tops of my breasts visible at the open neck of my black
silk blouse. "It is late, Mr. Riley. Tell me what you want."

He shakes his head. "You have a lot of confidence for a kid."

"And you have a lot of nerve for a down-on-his-luck private dick."

He doesn't like that. He taps the open folder on his desk. "I have been researching you for the last few
months, Miss Perne, ever since you moved to Mayfair.

You have an intriguing past, as well as many invest-ments. But I'm sure you know that."

"Really."

"Before I begin, may I ask how old you are?"

"You may ask."

"How old are you?"

"It's none of your business."

He smiles. He thinks he has scored a point. He does not realize that I am already considering how he
should die, although I still hope to avoid such an extreme measure. Never ask a vampire her age. We
don't like that question. It's very impolite. Mr. Riley dears his throat again, and I think that maybe I will
strangle him.

"Prior to moving to Mayfair," he says, "you lived in Los Angeles--in Beverly Hills in fact--at
Two-Five-Six Grove Street. Your home was a four-thousand-square-foot mansion, with two swimming
pools, a tennis court, a sauna, and a small observatory. The property is valued at six-point-five million.
To this day you are listed as the sole owner, Miss Perne."

"It's not a crime to be rich."

"You are not just rich. You are very rich. My research indicates that you own five separate estates
scattered across this country. Further research tells me that you probably own as much if not more
property in Europe and the Far East. Your stock and bond assets are vast--in the hundreds of millions.
But what none of my research has uncovered is how you came across this incredible wealth. There is no
record of a family anywhere, and believe me, Miss Perne, I have looked far and wide."

"I believe you. Tell me, whom did you contact to gather this information?"
He enjoys that he has my interest. "My sources are of course confidential."