sienn: переводы

→Denise took it only because wadding it up and throwing it at him would look questionable. “Thank you.”

→He stood, bobbing his head. “Here’s my card if you remember anything else.”

→A flash of relief crossed the officer’s face. It only made Denise want to smack him more. “Sure. I can arrange for a squad car to take you.”

→Well, she knew people who’d believe her enough to investigate.

→Of course, she could relay none of this to the officer. He already looked at her like she was teetering on the crazy end of distraught. It hadn’t escaped Denise’s notice that when she’d been treated for pepper spray, her blood had also been taken, presumably to check her alcohol levels. She’d already been asked multiple times how much she’d drunk before leaving the bar. It was clear nothing she said, even leaving out mention of the supernatural, would be taken seriously if the medical examiner ruled that Paul had died of a heart attack.

→Now Paul was dead—of an apparent heart attack. Just like Amber and Aunt Rose. Denise knew she hadn’t imagined the man who’d been immune to both pepper spray and silver nitrate. The one who’d disappeared in a blink—and the big dog that had come out of nowhere.

→“He’s only twenty-five years old!” Denise burst, then stopped. Ice slid up her spine. Who has a heart attack at twenty-three? Paul had asked just hours ago, followed up with a statement she’d summarily dismissed. I think I’m being followed, too.

→The officer glanced away. “No, ma’am. The medical examiner hasn’t looked at him yet, but the paramedics didn’t see any signs of strangulation. They did say they found evidence of cardiac arrest…”

→Denise’s temper snapped. “That’s because they were inside when we were attacked. Look, the guy choked my cousin; doesn’t Paul have bruises around his neck?”

→“No one at the bar saw anyone out there, ma’am,” the officer said for the third time.

→“As I said, when I looked up, the killer was gone.”

→The police officer couldn’t quite keep the disbelief out of his tone. Denise fought the urge to slap him. She didn’t know how much more she could take. She’d already had to call her family and tell them this unthinkable news, then grieved with them as they arrived at the hospital, then gave her report to the police. The one they seemed to have such trouble believing.

→“You’re saying the man just…disappeared?”

→She didn’t stop until the paramedics arrived, seemingly an eternity later. When they pulled her off, Paul still wasn’t breathing.

→Through her blurred vision, she saw her cousin’s face turning a darker shade of blue. His mouth was slack, his chest motionless under her hands. But Denise continued to pound on his chest, cupping her hands around his mouth to blow into it without her lips coming into contact with more pepper spray.

→“Call a goddamn ambulance,” she got out, pounding on Paul’s chest and trying to blow into his mouth even though she could hardly breathe herself. “Come on, Paul! Don’t do this!”

→Almost a dozen people stood over her, but none of them seemed to be reaching for their cell phones.

→Coughing and gasping, Denise saw a young man try CPR on Paul and then fall back, choking as well. She pressed her fingers to Paul’s throat. Nothing.

→“Someone call 911!” Denise exclaimed, noting with horror that Paul wasn’t breathing. She placed her mouth over his, blowing hard—and began to choke as she tasted pepper spray.

→Denise glanced up. The stranger was gone. A large German shepherd sat a few feet off, its mouth open in a doggy grin. It turned around and ran when a handful of people from the bar came over to them.