"William Morrison - Hiding Place" - читать интересную книгу автора (Morrison William)

When the proper time comes, when people are differentтАФ"
 Bales waited, but Burroughs didn't finish the sentence.
"You mean you have the secret written down some place?" asked Bales.
"I didn't say that."
"You talk of killing yourself to keep the secret from falling into our hands. And then you say that
when the proper time comes, people will be able to use it. Even though you're dead, they'll be able to use
it."
"There does seem to be a contradiction, doesn't there?" said Burroughs. "Stupid of me. But as I told
you, I've been resting my mind. These days I say many stupid things."
"Not many. Just this one. You've admitted that the secret is easily accessible."
"Have I? Why don't you take it then?"
"We probably will," said Bales pleasantly. "You see, Burroughs, we can say and do stupid things,
and in the long run they won't do us much harm. But all you have to do is make one slip, like this
oneтАФand you're finished."
Burroughs stared at him and then turned to look at the huge dog. The animal quivered with
excitement, and Burroughs said soothingly, "Easy; Arthur. Nothing for you to do."
Then he turned back to Bales. "You're lucky."
"Not lucky. Just patient."
"No, you're lucky that I'm the kind of man I am. That I'm the kind of damn fool, as you'd put it,
who'd give up millions in royalties just because I know that my discovery would kill off a good part of the
human race. That I'm the kind of damn fool who won't order the dog to kill you, just because I hate
bloodshed. Even though you're the only man who has drawn the conclusion that the secret is easily
accessible."
"I won't be lucky until I've found it."
"You won't be lucky then either," said Burroughs. "Get out." Bales got out.
The man who was waiting for him at the corner said nothing. His look asked, "Well?"
"I've got a hunch, Ridley, that the thing can be found," said Bales. "A hunch?"
"A hunch. Nothing more." No use telling Ridley about the slip Burroughs had made. Nor about the
way the man had thrown him out. In this business it didn't pay to tell everything yon knew. When you told
too much about other people, you also told too much about yourself.
Ridley said, "Is it in the apartment?"
"It can't be. When he got away from the other place, he didn't have a chance to take anything with
him."
"I don't know. He didn't come home that time, but he might have found a way to manage."
"He didn't find any way," said Bales flatly.
"Well, he didn't have the thing on him."
"I know," said Bales. "You searched him."
Ridley said, with a certain amount of irritation, "Not in his apartment, not on his person. Where do
you think it is? Put away in some locker room somewhere? Not after all these years. A safety deposit
box? He'd have to pay the rent for it year after year, and we'd have traced it. Left with a friend? He had
only one friend who was close to him, and we searched that one's home too. And besides, the man is
dead now."
"So I've been told. I never heard how he died."
"Heart attack," said Ridley. "Don't worry, Bales, we had nothing to do with it. We didn't go around
murdering."
"Good for you. By the way, how much do you yourself get when we find what we're looking for?"
"I get ten thousand," said Ridley. "Maybe an extra-special bonus if I'm very smart. You must get
more. Maybe an even more extra-special bonus if you are smart. Still, it's out because there's no sense to
it. This friend of his was another Latin teacher. He had nothing to do with science. And he was no man to
keep secrets, either. We had him under our eyes for a couple of months, and he didn't even suspect it.