"Allen Steele - Free Beer and the William Casey Society" - читать интересную книгу автора (Steele Allen)

тАЬWe already had LennyтАЩs number by this time, of course,тАЭ Bob said,
тАЬand we tended to leave him alone.тАЭ

тАЬWhat do you mean, you had his number?тАЭ

Bob sipped his beer. тАЬHe came aboard Skycan, from day one,
passing out Caseyite leaflets, trying to make converts out of his bunkmates,
claiming that certain members of the command crew were Russian
sleepers. Lenny used to get into these brain-damaged rants in the rec room
about how we were all commie dupes, that sort of thing. He even insisted
on changing his bunk assignment regularly, saying that he was being
bugged or something.тАЭ

I shrugged. тАЬThere were a lot of weird cases on Skycan. He should
have fit right in.тАЭ

Bob shook his head. тАЬYeah, but not hostile weird like that. Even Virgin
Bruce wasnтАЩt that twisted. Even the religious fanatics got the hint when to
shut up. Lenny the Red thought he was on a vital mission to save the
world.тАЭ He grinned. тАЬWe used to have some fun with him, like the time
Suffering Fred casually pulled out a copy of Das Kapital in the rec room
and started reading it aloud. Blew LennyтАЩs mind. ThatтАЩs one thing about
fanatics, Al. No sense of humor whatsoever.тАЭ

So Lenny the Red found himself ostracized. That made the situation
even worse. Now Lenny Gibson began to suspect that the situation was
even worse than George White had predicted; somehow, most of the
Skycan beamjacks had been brainwashed, had become willing commie
dupes. How else could he explain this complete rejection of his claims?

So Lenny the Red changed tactics. Instead of seeking converts, he
began to carefully observe the behavior of his fellow beamjacks, watchful
for indications that a conspiracy was afoot. Lenny the preacher became
Lenny the spy, the guy who sat quietly in the comer, listening, watching,
waiting.

тАЬAnd sending coded messages,тАЭ Bob added. тАЬThe communications
officers who worked in command, yтАЩknow, handled the phone calls which
crewmembers made to the folks back home. They sometimes listened in
for kicks, and they used to tell us about these bizarre calls Lenny would
make to some number in Baltimore. тАШTell Aunt Jane to water the begonias.
Repeat, tell Aunt Jane to water the begonias. The Moon is red. How is
Uncle George?тАЩтАЭ Cowboy Bob chuckled. тАЬGod knows what that shit meant,
but it was obviously reports to the Casey Society.тАЭ

тАЬYou didnтАЩt get bothered by this?тАЭ

тАЬNaw. He was basically harmless.тАЭ Bob paused and sighed, his eyes
rolling up toward the ceiling. тАЬUntil he caught the rumors about the Free
Beer Conspiracy, though.тАЭ