"Asimov, Isaac - Anniversary" - читать интересную книгу автора (Asimov Isaac)

billions in his possession on that trip?"

"How could anyone possibly say?"

"How about Dr. Horace Quentin? How about that, Warren? He's
the one people remember because he was so important. What about
the papers he might have had with him? Details of a new discovery,
maybe. Damn it, if I had only seen him on that trip, he might have
told me something, just in casual conversation, you know. Did you
ever see him, Warren?"

"Not that I recall. Not to talk to. So casual conversation with me
is out too. Of course, I might have passed him at some time without
knowing it."

"No, you wouldn't have," said Shea, suddenly thoughtful. "I think
I remember something. There was one passenger who never left


Ms cabin. The steward was talking about if. He wouldn't even come
out for meals."

"And that was Quentin?" said Brandon, stopping his pacing and
staring at the spaceman eagerly.

"It might have been, Mr. Brandon. It might have been him. I
don't know that anyone said it was. I don't remember. But it must
have been a big shot, because on. a spaceship you don't fool around
bringing meals to a man's cabin unless he is a big shot."

"And Queotin was the big shot on the trip," said Brandon, with
satisfaction. "So he had something in his cabin. Something very im-
portant. Something he was concealing."

"He might just have been space sick," said Moore, "except
that—" He frowned and fell silent.

"Go ahead," said Brandon urgently. "You remember something
too?"

"Maybe. I told you I was sitting next to Dr. Hester at the last din-
ner. He was saying something about hoping to meet Dr. Quentin on
the trip and not having any luck."

"Sure," cried Brandon, "because Quentin wouldn't come out of
his cabin."

"He didn't say that. We got to talking about Quentin, though.
Now what was it he said?" Moore put his hands to his temples as
though trying to squeeze out the memory of twenty years ago by