"E. C. Tubb - Space Born" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tubb E. C)

like that. " The old man sniffed. "I've always thought of him like my own son.
I... "
"Keep to the point, " snapped Gregson impatiently. "What happened?"
"I was telling you, sir. We always put all the plant trimmings into the
organic waste chute for reclamation. Goodwin here threw them into the wrong
chute. If I hadn't seen what he did they'd have been incinerated and we'd have
lost everything but the water content. " He glanced at Carter, the other
occupant of the room. "I reported to the officer, sir, and made my charge. "
"I arrested the accused and brought them both here, " said Carter
unnecessarily. Gregson nodded.
"Defense?"
"I didn't do it!" The youth licked his lips with nervous defiance as he stared
from Gregson to his accuser. Gregson glanced towards the officer.
"Proof?"
"Here, sir. " Carter took the bag from Johnson, stepped forward, and emptied
it on the desk. About half a kilogram of brown-edged leaves and dry stalks
made a little heap of vegetation on the smooth surface. He stepped back as
Gregson looked down at it.
"You found all this?"
"I did. "
"In the inorganic waste chute?"
"Yes. "
"I see. " Gregson leaned back in his chair, the tip of one finger idly
stirring the heap of leaves. He didn't speak and, aside from the faint rustle
of the leaves and the soft, almost imperceptible vibration of the metal walls
and floor, so soft and familiar as to be unnoticed, silence filled the
courtroom.
"Waste, " said Kennedy disgustedly. "Gregson should send him straight to the
converter. "
"You think that he's guilty?" Jay narrowed his eyes as he stared at the pale,
sweating face of the accused. Kennedy shrugged.
"What... " He broke off as sound came over the speakers.
"I didn't do it, " insisted Goodwin desperately. "I swear that I didn't do it.
"
"How do you account for this vital material being found in the wrong chute?"
Gregson's voice was very soft and Jay suddenly remembered what he was reminded
of. Not a tiger, but a cat-and the gardener was a mouse. He smiled in quiet
pride at his retentive memory. Not bad considering that he had never seen
either of the animals except as pictures on a screen. He wanted to tell
Kennedy but Goodwin was speaking again so he listened instead.
"I can't account for it, sir. Unless... "
"Unless what?"
"Johnson's getting to be an old man, sir, " blurted Goodwin. "He's afraid that
I'll take over his job and he's trying to get rid of me. "
"I wouldn't throw vegetation in the inorganic chute, " said Johnson hastily.
"I know how valuable the material is too well for that. I've been a gardener
all my life, sir, and I just couldn't do it. " He shook his head in apparent
despair. "It's these youngsters-they just don't stop to think, and if they
aren't stopped they'll ruin us with their constant waste. "
"This is a serious charge, " said Gregson heavily; he didn't seem to have