"Dan Simmons - Vanni Fucci is Well and Living in Hell" - читать интересную книгу автора (Simmons Dan)

offered. The large "bay window" on the homey set of the Hallelujah Break-fast Club
was actually a $38,000 rear-projection television screen which played the same
fifty-two minute tape of a glorious May sunrise each morning. On Brother Freddy's
Hallelujah Breakfast Club, it was always spring.
"What's the line-up like?" asked Brother Freddy as he took a sip of his coffee, his
little finger lifted delicately, the pinky ring gleaming in the light of the overhead spots.
It was eight minutes until air time.
"First half hour you got the usual lead-in from Brother Beau, your opening talk and
Prayer Partner plea, six-and-a-half minutes of the Hallelujah Breakfast Club Choir
doing "We're On the Brink of a Miracle" and a medley of off-Broadway Christian
hits, and then your Breakfast Guests come on," said Brother Billy Bob Grimes, the
floor director.
"Who we got today?" asked Brother Freddy.
Brother Billy Bob read from his clipboard. "You've got Matt, Mark, and Luke the
Miracle Triplet Evangelists, Bubba Deeters who says he wants to tell the story again
how the Lord told him to throw himself on a grenade in 'Nam, Brother Frank Flinsey
who's pushing his new book After the Final Days, and Dale Evans."
Brother Freddy frowned slightly. "I thought we were going to have Pat Boone
today," he said softly. "I like Pat."
Brother Billy Bob blushed and made a notation on his thick sheath of forms.
"Yessir," he said. "Pat wanted to be here today but he did Swaggart's show last
night, he has a personal appearance with Paul and Jan at the Bakersfield Revival this
afternoon, and he has to be up at tomorrow's Senate hearing testifying about those
Satanic messages you can hear on CDs when you aim the laser between the
grooves."
Brother Freddy sighed. It was four minutes until air time. "All right," he said. "But
try to get him for next Monday. I like Pat. Donna Lou? How're we doing with the
Lord's work these days, little lady?"
Sister Donna Lou Patterson adjusted her glasses. As comptroller of Brother
Freddy's vast conglomerate of tax-exempt religious organizations, corporations,
ministries, colleges, missions, amusement parks and the chain of Brother Freddy's
Motels for the Born Again, Donna Lou was dressed appropriately in a beige
business suit, the se-riousness of which was lightened only by a rhinestone Hallelujah
Breakfast Club pin which matched the rhinestones on her glasses. "Projected
earnings for this fiscal year are just under $187 million, up three per cent from last
year," she said. "Ministry assets stand at $214 million with outstanding debts of $63
million, give or take .3 mil-lion depending upon Brother Carlisle's decision on
replac-ing the Gulfstream with a new Lear."
Brother Freddy nodded and turned toward Sister Betty Jo. There were three minutes
left until air time. "How'd we do yesterday, Sister?"
"Twenty-seven broadcast share Arbitron, twenty-five point five Nielsen," said the
thin woman dressed in white. "Three new cable outlets; two in Texas, one in
Montana. Current cable reaches 3.37 million homes, up .6 per cent from last month.
The mail room handled 17,385 pieces yesterday, making a total of 86,217 for the
week. Ninety-six per cent of the envelopes yesterday included dona-tions.
Thirty-nine per cent requested your Intercession Prayer. Total envelope volume
handled this year is 3,585,220, with an approximate 2.5 million additional pieces
projected by the end of the fiscal year."
Brother Freddy smiled and turned his gaze on George Cohen, legal counsel for
Brother Freddy's Born Again Ministries. "George?" Two minutes remained until air