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." He took a deep breath and tried to recoverhis professional calm."Jay, if you need to talk or something, feel free totalk with my receptionist and she'll fit you in.We don't have to even call itan appointment if you'd rather not, but right now I really need to get some ofthis paperwork done before this afternoon's round of patients.Sorry to shove you out the door, but if you'll excuse me.""Sure.No problem.I guess I'll see you later or something." The operativeheld up both hands in a gesture of acceptance and backed through the door,shutting it behind him.The doctor watched him go and sat staring at, or really past, the closed doorfor a minute.I don't have any rational reason I can put my finger on, otherthan minor little annoyances like what happened just now, but I just plainPage 92ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmldon't like him.I've never caught him doing anything underhanded well, morethan any operative has to and there's nothing in his file, test results arefine, but I just can't stand the littleweasel.And this whole Cally O'Neal mess is extra stress I did not need thisweek.Dammit, I told them years ago what would happen if she ever found outthat rat bastard was alive.I told them to keep that secret and keep her outof Chicago to reduce the risk of an unfortunate coincidental meeting.Sosomebody doesn't listen well enough and now the mess lands in my lap.God, Ineed a vacation.* * *Vitapetroni answered the knock on his door at ten after three.It was like herto be early.It would take longer to jot down his impressions than it would tomake them.Subject was neatly but casually dressed.Faded but neat jeans and olive drab T-shirt consistent with Cally persona.Head carried slightly awkwardly.Probably uncomfortable with a hair color andtexture that doesn't match current role.No contact lenses, eyes naturalcolor."Cally, how are you? Come in and have a seat." As he took her hand, he notedthat the nails were bare of polish and dull, as if polish had been recentlyremoved.Also consistent with Cally persona.Good."Hi, Doc." She smiled brightly, but he noticed as she sat in one of hiscomfortably, if cheaply, upholstered chairs that her arms stayed close in toher sides and her body tilted at an angle, not facing him straight on.Herhands were not clasped, but they were together in her lap, the fingertipslightly touching.He cocked an eyebrow at her and waited, as he grabbed a seat in his deskchair.The desk itself was pushed against the wall to keep it from comingbetween him and the patient.He waited, but she'd been around long enough toknow that game, and they trained them out of any tendency to chatter.Shedidn't fill the silence."It wasn't a rhetorical question.I meant it.How are you?""I've been better.Work's been a bit stressful, lately." Her tone was stillfalsely bright."But it wasn't work that caused your current problem, was it?" He made acouple of notes on his secondPDA, the only one in the room at the moment, which was unusual in that it hadno AI at all.He didn't trust them.He met too many really warped programmersin his profession to trust their imitations of the human mind withconfidential patient data.It had nothing to do with his having tried to treata buckley once.It had ended badly."Oh, I think that's a matter of opinion, don't you?" Her voice had a definiteedge to it."Well, they told me you killed a Bane Sidhe agent.When you were supposed tobe on vacation.That's their opinion, as you said.I'd like to hear yours." hesaid."Okay.There was an individual on the Targets of Opportunity List who wasmistakenly listed as dead.Ibecame aware of the mistake and the target's location.I had time, I felt liketaking a trip, I took the target, I filed my report.If the organizationdoesn't want a specific individual dead, then perhaps, just perhaps, theorganization shouldn't have that individual on the TOL." She smiled thinly."Petane was on the TOL? Okay.Well, look, it's not really my job here todebrief you for the organization.That's an ops function.My job is to assessyour mental state.Since you and everybody else agree that you did kill him,why don't we start with how you felt about him and what your feelings werewhen you decided to kill him?""What feelings? He was alive.He was supposed to be dead.I fixed that."Page 93ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"Come on, Cally.Don't make this worse than it has to be.Any thoughts ofsuicide?" he asked."Hell, no." She looked affronted."Do you actively feel a desire to live?" He made a note on his pad."Sure," she said."Then you can show that by talking to me.Please try to remember what you feltwhen you decided to kill Colonel Petane." He looked up, he needed to watch herbody language especially closely here."Love your bedside manner, Al." Her smirk had a bitter, sardonic twist to it."You'd rather I lied to you? I don't think so.Do you remember where you werewhen you decided to kill Petane?" he insisted patiently."Charleston.At home," she said."And how did you feel when you made the decision?""Annoyed, okay? I felt annoyed, frustrated." Her fingers tapped nervously onher purse and after what looked like a little mental debate, took out acigarette and lit it."Maybe a little betrayed?" He pushed an ashtray towards her."Wouldn't you?" she said."Maybe.Did you feel just a little betrayed?" he repeated."Yeah, I did." She sighed.She was clenching and unclenching her hands [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]