Murder -- Fiction; Psychiatrists -- Fiction; Psychological fiction; Science fiction; Short stories; Space stations -- Fiction
"Okay." Wolf came to a decision. "We'll give it one more try, and then
we'll call for help. First thing tomorrow morning. In the meantime,
there are two things I want. First I want Britten to have a complete
physical examination. The works. Inside and outside. Blood tests,
electro-encephalograph, tissue specimens, complete x-rays--everything
they can think of. Then I'll spend tonight keeping company with Britten
while the technicians pull down some overtime pay analyzing the
examination results."
"You have an idea?"
He nodded. "At least one idea. But it needs feeding."
* * * * *
That evening Morris Wolf walked down the hospital corridor past the
door of Britten's room. He entered the next door and found himself in a
tiny chamber already occupied by Bill Grady. This was no surprise, for
he knew that Grady and Jones kept Britten under constant surveillance.
He motioned for Grady to keep his seat, and made himself comfortable in
another chair, which he placed so that he could watch Britten through
the one-way window set in the wall. Through this window he could see
every move which Britten made, and through a loudspeaker he could hear
every sound.
It was not clear in Wolf's mind precisely what he expected to find by
watching Britten, but he knew that if he was to unravel his puzzle, he
must know everything about the boy, including the way he walked and
talked and combed his hair.
For a time Britten sat and read, then paced the floor restlessly, as
if waiting for something. Finally he picked his guitar up from the bed
and sat down on his chair, tuning the instrument. When he began to
sing, it was quietly, as though to himself. Wolf had heard him sing
before, generally folk songs from the Southern and Midwestern states.
Now there intruded into Wolf's mind a thought which had previously been
on the edge of consciousness, and simultaneously his hand reached out
to touch the start button on his tape recorder. The manner in which a
person sings should reveal a great deal about his early life--about the
kind of language he grew up with, down to the very vocal structure
which has developed in his body since childhood.
As a result there are many types of voices: French voices, Tennessee
voices, Italian voices, Texas voices, each with its own flavor caused
by the way in which the vocal muscles have been trained by the native
language, and also by the way in which people are accustomed to singing
in those places.
When Wolf went home that night he carried a tape of Britten's song with
him. It was convenient that he did not have to go far for an expert
opinion to corroborate what he had already decided as an amateur.
He entered his house, the pleasant place with the warm colors, the rows
of books, the grand piano, and of course his wife.
"Sorry I had to stay late, dear, but there's something important going
on. Something really important. And you can be a big help to me right
now."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account