The Robot Brains [with w_cat] | страница 12

206 Christian bent over Miller. The man was dead. He looked at the gun... it was very much like his own. He took it to read the number - and did not believe his eyes: it was his own gun.

207 Christian stared at the gun and then at Miller. He could not understand it. He knew that he had left his gun -

208 The door behind him closed softly and a key turned on the outside. Christian jumped to the door and pulled it, but in vain. He was locked in.

209 By now the old pub was coming to life. He heard movement and voices and steps in the corridor.

210 Someone knocked on the door and shouted: "Mister Miller, are you all right?"

211 Christian answered: "Open this door - Miller is dead, and his murderer is running away!"

212 There was a pause; then the key turned and the door opened. The red-faced owner of the pub stood there with a heavy stick in his hand. He was looking at Christian who was still holding the gun, and at Miller's body.

213 "Let me go out," said Christian.

214 "Not so fast - you will have to explain something"

215 "Listen, I was working with Miller. He was waiting for me. Someone shot him and-"

216 "Maybe," said the red-faced man. He stepped back, quickly closed the door and locked it again. "You will stay here till I bring the police," he said.

217 For the first time Christian realized his own position. He had been found, alone, in a looked room, with a dead man, holding the gun - his own gun. It would be difficult to convince the police that he was not the murderer.

218 And how had his gun got here from the trailer?

219 But now, Christian understood, there was no time for thinking about that. He opened the window. Looking down, he saw Miller's car.

220 He jumped out of the window, ran to the car and got in. The red-faced owner of the pub came out, shouting and waving his stick. Christian started the car and drove away at full speed.

221 He drove back to the Fair. He was determined to find the Brains and speak to them. Instinct told him they were responsible; they knew, that Miller had been watching them, and so they killed him. And they killed Miller with Christian's gun because they wanted to take revenge on him: they had not forgotten that he had interfered when they were speaking with Jo.

222 When he came to the Fair, he parked the car and got out of it. It was dark. Only one light was seen in the distance - it came from the Brains' trailer. Christian walked towards it.