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

main force. "I can't give you the exact words, of course, but it was
something about Quentin being very theatrical or a slave of drama
or something like that, and they were heading out to some scientific
conference on Ganymede and Quentin wouldn't even announce the
title of his paper."

"It all fits." Brandon resumed his rapid pacing. "He had a new,
great discovery, which he was keeping absolutely secret, because he
was going to spring it on the Ganymede conference and get maxi-
mum drama out of it. He wouldn't come out of his cabin because he
probably thought Hester would pump him—and Hester would, I'll
bet. And then the ship hit the rock and Quentin was killed. Trans-
space Insurance investigated, got rumors of this new discovery and
figured that if they gained control of it they could make back then-
losses and plenty more. So they took ownership of the ship and have
been hunting for Quentin's papers among the pieces ever since."
Moore smiled, in absolute affection for the other man. "Mark,

that's a beautiful theory. The whole evening is worth it, just watch-
ing you make something out of nothing."

"Oh, yeah? Something out of nothing? Let's ask Multivac again.
I'll pay the bill for it this month."

"It's all right. Be my guest. If you don't mind, though, I'm going
to bring up the bottle of Jabra. I want one more little shot to catch
up with you."

"Me, too," said Shea.

Brandon took his seat at the typewriter. His fingers trembled with
eagerness as he tapped out: What was the nature of Dr. Horace
Quentin's final investigations?

Moore had returned with the bottle and glasses, when the answer
came back, on white paper this time. The answer was long and the
print was fine, consisting for the most part of references to scientific
papers hi journals twenty years old.

Moore went over it. "I'm no physicist, but it looks to me as though
he was interested in optics."

Brandon shook his head impatiently. "But all that is published. We
want something he had not published yet."

"We'll never find out anything about that."

"The insurance company did."

"That's just your theory."