The Robot Brains [with w_cat] - [2]

39 "Who wrote 'The Count of Monte Cristo'?"

40 "Are there such things as ghosts?"

41 The Brains answered the questions in turn. The half-hour passed quickly, and the curtain fell.

- 3 -

42 Miller was a big man with short hair and a soft voice. He never hurried. When he reached his office, he was called to the Old Man. He walked along the corridor, knocked at the door and entered.

43 "Sit down, Miller," said the Old Man.

Miller sat down.

44 "I want you to make an investigation," said the Old Man. "I have a report from the police. The report concerns these murders. Have you read about them?"

45 "I've read the newspapers," said Miller.

46 "All the victims have been beheaded. No heads have been found; the neck of each beheaded body was cauterized. It is supposed that the heads were totally destroyed. Of course, we are interested to know what sort of weapon was used."

Miller nodded.

47 "The murders," went on the Old Man, "look like the work of one man or one organization..."

He paused.

48 "Now they have a report from a certain Doctor Fox. He thinks that the murderer is connected with the Burkholder Fair. It is now at Reading. I want you to go to Reading and see what you can find."

"Who is this Fox?" asked Miller.

49 "An unusual person. He is a scientist who has an opinion of his own on everything. He writes a lot for the newspapers on such subjects as flying saucers and teleportation."

"Is that all?" asked Miller.

"I think so," said the Old Man.

Miller stood up.

50 "I'll send a report as soon as I have something."

"All right," said the Old Man. "And, Miller, - don't lose your head."

- 4 -

51 The motor yacht Sea Mist lay in a quiet and peaceful part of the Thames. She was a good ship, her paint was spotless and her metal parts well polished. Everything about her pointed to the fact that her owner was a good sailor and proud of his ship.

In the long cabin Captain Christian sat reading the day's newspapers and smoking a thin black cigar. He was a tall man, well-dressed; he had a blond beard and sea-blue eyes. As he turned the pages of the newspaper, the light of the lantern shone on the headline:

52 GIRL SCIENTIST NEW VICTIM OF STRANGE MURDERER

53 Lovely Margaret Greenways, research biologist, is a new victim of the killer. Her body was found early this morning, beheaded, as all the victims of this madman.

54 Miss Greenways has been working on a secret method to improve the quality of potatoes.

55 As usual, the head was not found - the fifth murder of this kind. When will the police make an arrest? The public have a right to...

56 Christian remembered the newspaper articles about the other murders of this kind:

57 A headless body... the neck cauterized.

58 He put the newspaper aside, stood up, put on a cap and went upstairs. He felt he needed fresh air.

59 When he was on desk, he heard the sound of a motorcycle. Soon he saw a telegraph boy riding towards him.

The young man stopped his motorcycle and called:

"Captain Christian?"

60 "That's me." Christian took the telegram and read it quickly. "No reply," he said.

61 The young man rode away, and Christian started the diesel of his yacht and headed it up the Thames. Standing at the wheel, he re-read the telegram from his old friend:

62 Need your help at once stop Life and death Stop Meet me Bull Hotel Reading stop Fox.

- 5 -

63 As soon as Christian entered the Bull Hotel in Reading, Fox came running to meet him.

64 Christian smiled, pressed his friend's hand and said: "Well, what is it this time? A fall of frogs? Lights in the sky? Or some servant girl who set fire to a house by simply thinking of it?"

65 "Murder," Fox replied quietly and led Christian into the bar. They took two glasses of beer and sat down at a table.

66 "I think," said Christian, "you have some theory which explains the murders."

He lit his cigar and prepared to listen.

67 "That's right, Chris," said Fox "I've been to the police, but - it was no good, of course. They did not take me seriously."

68 The captain smiled a little; many times in the past, he had laughed at his friend's theories, but in the end it usually turned out that the doctor was right.

69 "Well, what have you discovered?"

70 "I think I know something," said Fox "Each time one of these murders takes place, the Burkholder Fair is nearby. Every time - I checked carefully. The Fair is here now."

71 "So that's why we meet in Reading," said Christian.

Fox nodded.

72 "I went to the Fair and saw a show called the Brains... three dwarfs with huge heads who answer questions. There is something strange about them, besides their appearance They know a lot."

He paused.

73 "You know me, Chris. It's not easy to fool me. Well, I shot questions at the Brains - questions on physics, history, literature, mathematics, anything that came into my head that I could answer myself. They knew all the answers."

74 "So?" said Christian.

75 "I want you to see them for yourself. I didn't like them - and neither did the public. They are evil. I feel it. I want to know who they are, where they came from and how they got their great knowledge."