"Robb, J D - In Death 10 - Loyalty in Death (1)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robb J D)

Obviously overcome, he buried his face in his hands. "I'm sorry. J. C. wouldn't
want me to fall apart this way. It doesn't help. But I can't -- I don't think
any of us can take it in. We're closing down for a week. The whole operation.
Offices, factories, everything. The memorial ..." He trailed off, struggling.
"The memorial service is scheduled for tomorrow."
"Quick."
"J. C. wouldn't have wanted it to be drawn out. How could she have done it?" He
fisted the damp cloth in his hand, staring blindly at Eve. "How could she have
done it, Lieutenant? J. C. adored her."
"You know Lisbeth Cooke?"
"Of course."
He rose to pace, and Eve could only be grateful. It was difficult to watch a
grown man grieve while he was sitting in a chair shaped like a pink elephant.
Then again, she was sitting in a purple kangaroo.
It was obvious, with one look at the late J. Clarence Branson's office, that
he'd enjoyed indulging in his own toys. The shelves lining one wall were loaded
with them, from the simple remote-control space station to the series of
multitask minidroids.
Eve did her best not to look at their lifeless eyes and small-scale bodies. It
was too easy to imagine them popping to life and... well, God knew what.
"Tell me about her, Chris."
"Lisbeth." He sighed heavily, then in an absent gesture adjusted the sunshade
tint on the wide window behind the desk. "She's a beautiful woman. You'd have
seen that for yourself. Smart, capable, ambitious. Demanding, but J. C. didn't
mind that. He told me once if he didn't have a demanding woman, he'd end up
puttering and playing his life away."
"They spent a lot of time together?"
"Two evenings a week, sometimes three. Wednesdays and Saturdays were standard --
dinner with theater or a concert. Any social event that required his presence or
hers, and Monday lunch -- twelve-thirty to two. A three-week vacation every
August wherever Lisbeth wanted to go, and five weekend getaways through the
year."
"Sounds pretty regimented."
"Lisbeth insisted on that. She wanted conditions spelled out and obligations on
both sides clear-cut and in order. I think she understood J. C's mind tended to
wander, and she wanted his full attention when they were together."
"Any other part of him tend to wander?"
"Excuse me?"
"Was J. C. involved with anyone else?"
"Involved -- romantically? Absolutely not."
"How about just sexually?"
Chris's round face stiffened, the puffy eyes went cool. "If you're insinuating
that J. Clarence Branson was unfaithful to the woman he'd made a commitment to,
nothing could be more false. He was devoted to her. And he was loyal."
"You can be sure of that? Without question?"
"I made all of his arrangements, all professional and personal appointments."
"Couldn't he have made some of his own, on the side?"
"It's insulting." Chris's voice rang out. "The man is dead, and you're sitting
there accusing him of being a liar and a cheat."
"I'm not accusing him of anything," Eve corrected calmly. "I'm asking. It's my