"Mack Reynolds - Once Departed" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reynolds Mack)

"Oh." Bart Digby suddenly grinned a boyish grin that went with the
crew cut. "I wanted to meet this Nicolas Ferencsik. Ronald said he'd be
here."

"Interested in surgical medicine, or looking for a pet?"

"A pet?" Digby said blankly.

They'd reached the penthouse and the elevator boy opened the door for
them.

Quint Jones chuckled. "Didn't you read about that latest experiment of
Nicolas Ferencsik's? He grafted a second head on a dog and it lived for
over a month. Now, that's something I could use around the apartment A
two headed dog. Talk about a conversation piece."

They were both laughing as they entered the penthouse foyer. There was
no one there to greet them but party sounds erupted from several
directions. The elevator door closed behind them.

"At any rate," Bart Digby said, "if Ronald Brett-Home isn't already here,
I wonder if you'd, well, sort of introduce me to our hostess?"

Quint had to chuckle again. "You just won't believe me, eh? By this time
of the evening Marty Dempsey is probably so stoned she doesn't know
she's the hostess and this is her own home."

To make a liar of him, a fluttery woman in her early fifties and making
no attempt to hide the years, zeroed in on them.

"Quentin," she screamed. "Dahling!"

Quint winced. "My mistake," he muttered. "Marty must be taking the
cure again." He turned on the faucet of his charm, kissed her on the cheek,
then turned back to his new-found companion.

"Martha, may I present an old, old friend of mine, Bart Digby. Mrs.
Dempsey, our hostess. You might say Bart and I came up together, Marty.
Side by side we rose to the heights."

Marty Dempsey simpered at the newcomer. "How thrilling. So both of
you dahlings are writers."

"Writers?" Digby said blankly. He looked at Quint in accusation. "Quint
Jones," he said. "She called you Quentin. Holy smokes, you're Quentin
Jones."

Marty Dempsey looked from one of them to the other. Didn't get it.
Decided it was beyond her. Looked vague. Said, "I suppose you dahlings