"Barry B. Longyear - The Hangingstone Rat" - читать интересную книгу автора (Longyear Barry)

intelligent, his frown made him appear less stupid.

тАЬNo,тАЭ I answered him.

тАЬSorry?тАЭ he said, frowning more deeply. From grin to grimace in
five-point-three seconds: Welcome to JaggersтАЩ World.

тАЬNo,тАЭ I repeated. тАЬI donтАЩt know where D.S. Shad was standing when
the explosion happened. I wasnтАЩt looking in his direction.тАЭ

тАЬI see,тАЭ he said, looking once more into his palm. тАЬAnd where were
you?тАЭ

I answered him, and with additional questions from Storel I eventually
came to realize he was filling out an accident report. I just wanted the ordeal
over with as soon as possible. I answered the stupid questions, made no
more comments, and closed my eyes when he finally left.

тАЬJaggers,тАЭ said Matheson at last, тАЬare you all right?тАЭ

тАЬOkehampton is treating it like a range accident.тАЭ

тАЬForget Storel, Jaggers. ABCD is pulling out all the stops to
investigate this tragedy. WeтАЩll get to the bottom of this.тАЭ
 тАЬA four-key organ doesnтАЩt have all that many stops to pull, does it,
Superintendent?тАЭ I opened my eyes, rolled my head gently to the left, and
described what happened out at Hangingstone Hill as best I could and
urged him to have my bio reader tapped to download my memory record of
the event. тАЬThen start the inquiry at this end by tracing the original call. No
one out there in the north end of Dartmoor ever heard of a dead bio on
Hangingstone Hill, SuperintendentтАФnot at Okehampton Station, nor at the
army camp. Find out who rang us with the report and from where. Anything
left of the cruiserтАЩs computers?тАЭ

He slowly shook his head. тАЬIтАЩm afraid itтАЩs hopeless. Whatever hasnтАЩt
been burned, melted, or shattered has been vaporized.тАЭ

тАЬAny backups of ShadтАЩs engrams anywhere?тАЭ

тАЬNothing we can find. D. C. Parker inquired of North American
BiotronтАФthey produced Guy ShadтАЩs duck bio for those American insurance
advert producers. However, Shad failed to have his engrams on file there
or anywhere else.тАЭ

тАЬAre you certain thereтАЩs nothing in the tower mainframe?тАЭ I asked,
already knowing the answer.

MathesonтАЩs eyebrows arched. тАЬNone of us have our engrams copied
into the computer, Jaggers. I suppose we ought, but itтАЩs not like our end of
law enforcement is violent. Not usually.тАЭ