"Bester, Alfred - Demolished Man, The" - читать интересную книгу автора (Bester Alfred)

Because mind-readers patrol the world. What can stop a mind-reader? Another one.
But no killer ever had the sense to hire a good peeper to run interference for
him; or if he had the sense, he couldn't make the deal. I've made the deal."
"Have you?"
"I'm going to fight a war," Reich continued. "I'm going to fight one sharp
skirmish with society. Let's look at it as a problem in strategy and tactics. My
problem's simply the problem of any army. Audacity, bravery, and confidence
aren't enough. An army needs Intelligence. A war is won with Intelligence. I
need you for my G-2."
"Agreed."
"I'll do the fighting. You'll provide the Intelligence. I'll have to know where
D'Courtney will be, where I can strike, when I can strike. I'll take care of the
killing myself, but you'll have to tell me when and where the opportunity will
be."
"Understood."
"I'll have to invade first... cut through the defensive network surrounding
D'Courtney. That means reconnaissance from you. You'll have to check the
normals, spot the peepers, warn me and block their mind-reading if I can't avoid
them. I'll have to retreat after the killing through another network of normals
and peepers. You'll have to help me fight a rear-guard action. You'll have to
remain on the scene after the murder. You'll find out whom the police suspect
and why. If I know suspicion is directed against myself, I can divert it. If I
know it's directed against someone else, I can clinch it. I can fight this war
and win this war with your Intelligence. Is that the truth? Peep me."
After a long pause, Tate said: "It's the truth. We can do it."
"Will you do it?"
Tate hesitated, then nodded with finality. "Yes. I'll do it."
Reich took a deep breath. "Right. Now here's the course I'm plotting. I think I
can set up the killing with an old game called `Sardine.' It will give me the
opportunity to get at D'Courtney, and I've figured out a trick to kill him; I
know how to fire an antique explosive gun without bullets."
"Wait," Tate interrupted sharply. "How are you going to keep all this intent
concealed from stray peepers? I can only screen you when I'm with you. I won't
be with you all the time."
"I can work up a temporary mind-block. There's a song-writer down on Melody Lane
I can swindle into helping me."
"It may work," Tate said after a moment's peeping. "But one thing occurs to me.
Suppose D'Courtney is protected? Do you expect to shoot it out with bis
body-guards?"
"No. I'm hoping it won't be necessary. A physiologist named Jordan has just
developed visual knock-out drops for Monarch. We intended using it for strike
riots. I'll use it on D'Courtney's guards."
"I see."
"You'll be working with me all along... doing reconnaissance and intelligence,
but I need one piece of information first. When D'Courtney comes to town he's
usually the guest of Maria Beaumont."
"The Gilt Corpse?"
"The same. I want you to find out if D'Courtney intends staying with her this
trip. Everything depends on that."
"Easy enough. I can locate D'Courtney's destination and plans for you. There's