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

Banning looked stupidly back through the bars at them, unable to believe that this was happening. тАЬA
frame-upтАФтАЭ he said thickly.

"No frame-up at all, son,тАЭ the Sheriff said. тАЬYou come in and make a disturbance, you charge a lot of
people with conspiracyтАФwell, you got to stay here till we check up on you.тАЭ He turned to his deputy.
тАЬBetter wire to that New York publisher he says he works for. Give them a general descriptionтАФsix feet
tall, black hair, black eyes, and so on, just in case."

He went away, and so did the deputy and the reporter and photographer. Banning was alone in the
cell-wing.

He sat down and put his head between his bands. Bright sunlight poured through the high barred
window, but as far as Banning was concerned it was midnight, and the darkest he had ever known.
If only he had not decided to visit the old home town. But he had. And now he was faced with questions.
Who was lying, who was crazy? He could not find any answers.

Evening came. They brought him food, and he asked about arranging bail, but he could get no definite
answer. The Sheriff was out. He demanded a lawyer, and was told not to worry. He sat down again, and
waited. And worried.

For lack of anything else to do, he went over the years of his life, starting from the first thing he could
remember. They were all there. There were gaps and vague spots, of course, but everybody had
thoseтАФthe countless days in a lifetime when nothing much happened. But the main facts remained. He
was Neil Banning, and he had spent a lot of his life in Greenville, in a house that everyone said had never
existed.

In the morning, Harkness came in and spoke to him. тАЬI heard from New York,тАЭ he said. тАЬYou're all clear
on that angle."

He studied Banning through the bars. тАЬLook, you seem a decent enough young fellow. Why don't you tell
me what this is all about?"

"I wish I could,тАЭ said Banning grimly. Harkness sighed. тАЬPete's right, you can't tell by looking at them. I'm
afraid we have to hold you for a psychiatric."

"A what?"

"Listen, I've combed this town and its records. There just never were any Bannings here. There weren't
even any Greggs. And the only Lewises I could find, five on a farm twenty miles from here and they
never heard of you.тАЭ He spread his hands. тАЬWhat am I suppose to think?"

Banning turned his back. тАЬYou're lying,тАЭ he said. тАЬGet out."

"Okay.тАЭ Harkness tossed something through the bars. тАЬThis might interest you, anyway.тАЭ He went off
down the corridor. After a while Banning picked the thing up. It was the local newspaper of the previous
evening. It had a good story, the nut from New York accusing a little Nebraska town of stealing away his
past. It was a story so droll that Banning knew it would surely be on all the wire services.

Banning read it three times. He began to think that soon he really would need a psychiatrist, and probably
a straitjacket, too.