"Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. Roadside Picnic (англ.)" - читать интересную книгу автора

front of him in a deep armchair. He was small, delicate, and neat. There
wasn't a stain on his suede jacket or a wrinkle in his trousers. A
blindingly white shirt, a severe solid-colored tie, shining shoes. A
malicious smile on his thin pale lips and enormous dark glasses over his
eyes. His low broad forehead was topped with a bristly crewcut.
"In my opinion, you're being paid a fantastic salary for nothing," he
said. "And on top of that, in my opinion, you're a saboteur as well, Dick."
"Shhhhhh!" Noonan whispered. "For God's sake, not so loud."
"Actually," Valentine continued, "I've been watching you for a long
time. In my opinion, you don't work at all."
"Just a minute here!" Noonan interrupted and waved his pink finger at
him. "What do you mean I don't work? Is there even one replacement order
that hasn't been handled?"
"I don't know," Valentine said and flicked his ash again. '.We get good
equipment and we get bad equipment. We get the good stuff more often, but
what you have to do with it I'm sure I don't know."
"Well, if it weren't for me," Noonan countered, "the good stuff would
be much rarer. And besides, you scientists are always breaking the good
equipment, and then calling for a replacement, and who covers for you then?
For example...."
The phone rang and Noonan broke off and grabbed the receiver.
"Mr. Noonan?" the secretary asked "Mr. Lemchen again."
"Put him on."
Valentine got up, brought two fingers to his forehead as a sign of
farewell, and went out. Small, straight, and well-proportioned.
"Mr. Noonan?" the familiar drawling voice spoke in the phone.
"I'm listening."
"You're not easy to reach at work, Mr. Noonan."
"A new shipment has arrived."
"Yes, know about it already. Mr. Noonan, I'm here only for a short
time. There are a few questions that must be discussed in person. I'm
referring to the latest contracts with Mitsubishi Denshi. The legal side."
"At your service."
"Then, if you have no objection, be at our offices in a half hour. Is
that convenient?"
"Perfect. In a half hour."
Richard Noonan hung up, stood, and rubbing his plump hands, walked
around the office. He even began singing some pop ditty, but broke off on a
particularly sour note and jovially laughed at himself. He picked up his
hat, tossed his raincoat over his arm, and went out into the reception area.
"Honey," he said to the secretary, "I'm off to see some clients. You
stay here, hold the fort, as they say, and I'll bring you 3 present when I
get back."
She blossomed. Noonan blew her a kiss and rolled out into the corridors
of the institute. Attempts were made to stop him a few times -- he wangled
out of conversations, joking, asking people to hold the fort without him, to
keep their cool, and finally emerged unscathed and uncaught, waving his
unopened pass under the nose of the sergeant on duty.
Heavy clouds hung low over the city. It was muggy and the first
hesitant drops of rain were scattering on the sidewalk like little black