"Edmond Hamilton - The Sun Smasher" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hamilton Edmond)

notтАФ"

He caught her arm. тАЬShow me the books then. I'll look for myself."

She yelled and pulled away. He let her go, and she ran out of the office and down the hall, calling, тАЬMr.
Harkness! Mr. Harkness!"

Banning, in the record room, looked helplessly at the tall shelves of heavy ledgers. He didn't understand
the markings on them, he wanted to tear them all down and search them till he found the proofs that must
be there, the proofs that he wasn't crazy or lying. But where to start?

He didn't start. There was a heavy footstep, and a hand on his shoulder. It was a beefy, unperturbed man
with a cigar in his mouth. He took the cigar out and said, тАЬNow young fellow, what are you creating a
disturbance about?"

Banning began angrily, тАЬListen, whoever you areтАФ"

"Harkness,тАЭ said the beefy man. тАЬI'm Roy Harkness, and I'm Sheriff of this county. You'd better come
along to my office."

Hours later, Banning sat in the Sheriff's office and finished telling his story for the third time.

"It's a conspiracy,тАЭ be said wearily. тАЬI don't know what it's all about, but you're all in on it."

Neither the Sheriff, nor his deputy, nor the reporter and photographer from the Greenville newspaper,
laughed outright. But he could see the grins they didn't quite suppress.

'You're charging,тАЭ said the Sheriff, тАЬthat the whole city of Greenville has got together and deliberately
falsified the records. That's a serious charge. And what reason would we have?"

Banning felt sick. He knew he was sane, and yet the world had suddenly ceased to make sense. тАЬThat's
what I can't figure out. Why? Why would you people want to take my past away?тАЭ He shook his head.
тАЬI don't know. But I know that that old Mr. Wallace was lying. Maybe he's behind this."

"Only trouble is,тАЭ said the sheriff, тАЬthat I've known the old man all my life. I can tell you for certain that
he's owned that lot for forty-two years and there's never been so much as a hencoop on it."

Banning said, тАЬThen I'm lying about this? But why would I?"

The Sheriff shrugged. тАЬCould be build-up for some kind of extortion scheme. Could be a cute gag
because you want publicity for some reason. And could be, you're nuts."

Banning got up, rage flaring in him. тАЬSo that's itтАФframe this up and then tell me I'm crazy. Well. we'll see.

He started toward the door. The Sheriff made a gesture. The photographer got a fine action shot as the
deputy grabbed Banning and hustled him expertly into the jail-wing beyond the office, and into a cell.

"Psycho,тАЭ said the reporter, staring at Banning through the bars. тАЬYou can't tell by looking at them, can
you?"