"Eric Frank Russell - The Witness" - читать интересную книгу автора (Russell Eric Frank)

remarked Mr. Defender, tartly. "indeed, I am really sorry for you. Can you detect
sorrow in my face?"
"I dunno," said Nall, feeling that his throne before the cameras was becoming
somehow like a bed of nails.
"In other words, you cannot recognize remorse when you see it?"
"Objection!" roared Mr. Prosecutor, coming up crimson. "The witness cannot
reasonably be expectedтАФ." He stopped as his opponent sat down. Recovering
swiftly, he growled, "Next witness!"
Number two was big, beefy, clad in blue, and had all the assurance of one long
familiar with courts and the tedious processes of the law.
"Name?"
"
Joseph Higginson. "
"You are an officer of the Dansville police?"
"
Correct."
"You were summoned by the first witness?"
"I was."
Mr. Prosecutor wore the smile of one in complete com-mand of circumstances as
he went on, "Discovering what had occurred, you tried to apprehend the cause of it,
did you not? "
"I sure did." Officer Higginson turned his head, threw a scowl at the golden eyes
pleading in the box.
"And what happened?"
"It paralyzed me with a look."
The judge on the left interjected, "You appear to have recovered. How extensive
was this paralysis, and how long did it last?"
"It was complete, Your Honor, but it wore off after a cou-ple of hours."
"By which time," said Mr. Prosecutor, taking over again, "this outlandish object
had made good its escape?" Lugubriously, "Yes."
"It therefore obstructed a police officer in the execution of his duty, assaulted a
police officer, and resisted arrest?" "It did," agreed Higginson, with emphasis.
"Your witness." Mr. Prosecutor seated himself, well satis-fied.
Mr. Defender arose, hooked thumbs in vest-holes, and in-quired with disarming
amiability, "You can recognize another police official when you see him?"
"Naturally."
"Very well. There is one at present seated in the public section. Kindly point him
out for the benefit of this court."
Higginson looked carefully over the small audience which represented in person
the vaster audience beyond. Cameras swung in imitation of his search. Judges,
reporters, officials, all looked the same way.
"He must be in plain clothes," declared Higginson, giving up.
 The middle judge interposed mildly, "This court can hardly accept witness's
inability to recognize a plain clothes officer as evidence."
"No, Your Honor," agreed Mr. Defender. His plump fea-tures registered
frustration and disappointment which glad-dened the heart of his watching opponent.
Then, satisfied that the other had reached the heights, he plunged him to the depths
by brightening and adding, "But the said official is in full uniform."
Mr. Prosecutor changed faces like swapping masks. Hig-ginson got a crick in the
neck as he took in the audience again.