"Martha Soukup - Things Not Seen" - читать интересную книгу автора (Soukup Martha)

robots to the extent I need to for my work."

"That's what my sister always says, that she hates dealing with computers." Drobisch ostentatiously
looked at his watch. "But she uses them more than she thinks about. I'm sure you noticed something."

"I can't think of anything."

"Well, you were working late." "We usually did."

Just working? Ginnie wondered. Probably. They had a robot watching them for the last several weeks.
"Did you have the robot assist you in any way?" The robot had been instructed not to reveal anything
about Herrera and Yonamura's work to her.

"No. Well, Dr. Herrera might have asked it to time some processes, or hold an instrument. Only very
simple things."

"That's good. Did it have trouble understanding any of his instructions that night?"

"No. Let me think about that. No, I really don't think so. As I said, he never asked it to do very much.
I'm not even certain he talked to it that night."

Now, you'd remember what Herrera did the night he was murdered, Ginnie thought. It was only five days
ago, and it had been a memorable night. "It'd be a waste to have such a state-of-the-art robot around
and not have it do anything to help out, wouldn't it? I mean, I wonder what the accountants thought about
OK'ing such an expensive piece of machinery. I guess you guys were doing something important."

"I suppose someone thought so," said Yonamura, impassively.

Ginnie could hear Drobisch breathing. The man breathed loud. He must have practiced being noticeable.
"Did either of you talk to the robot? Did it say anything?"

"It might have. I don't recall."

"I was going to ask if it was showing any difficulties with language, or if it stuttered, or repeated itself.
You don't remember if it spoke'?"

"I don't," Yonamura said.

"What about its movements? Did it seem to have any trouble navigating'?"

"Not to the best of my memory. It isn't something I'd have paid attention to."

"You're not getting anywhere here, Erickson," Drobisch said. "We all have work to do."

No kidding, I'm not, Ginnie thought. Yonamura was polite, but opaque: deliberately so, she was sure.
That might have to do with Drobisch's presence. Perhaps.

"Thank you anyway," she told Yonamura, who smiled slightly and accepted Ginnie's handshake.