Death -- Fiction; Immortalism -- Fiction; Science fiction
_New York--Police are searching the Hudson River this morning for
the body of 58-year-old Wayne Janson, who allegedly jumped to his
death from the lower level of the George Washington Bridge late
last night._
"_Wayne was in a state of despondency since submitting to the
Beller reanimation technique two months ago," said Jonathan Bryant,
of 312 W 79th St., a close friend of the dead man._
"_He suffered a stroke in February and placed himself in the hands
of the Beller people. I was notified of his death and reanimation
early in March, but when he returned to Manhattan he seemed to be
entirely changed. His whole personality had changed. He--"_
"Excuse me," Harker muttered to his wife. Clutching the paper, he ran
to the phone and tapped out Mart Raymond's number.
"Mart? Jim. Have you seen this Wayne Janson thing in the paper?"
"What's that?"
Harker rapidly read the article. Raymond was silent for a moment, then
said, "Huh? Who does he think he's kidding?"
"What do you mean?"
"We've never had anyone of that name here. Bryant's obviously
fabricating something."
"I figured that when I saw his name in the article. You better check
the records, though. We've got grounds for a suit if you're right."
"Jim, I tell you we've never carried out any reanimations on anyone
named Wayne Janson. Bryant is obviously trying to smear us."
"Smear me," Harker corrected. "But I guess it amounts to the same
thing."
"What are you going to do?"
"Nothing yet," Harker said. "I'll wait until the police find the body
and then demand proof from Bryant."
"But there _is_ no body, Jim! It's just a hoax!"
Grimly Harker said, "It may be a hoax, but I'm willing to bet there's a
body. Jonathan isn't _that_ foolish!"
* * * * *
The long-delayed Richard Bryant will hearing took place at last at
half-past-ten that morning, in the gray-walled, luminolit chambers of
District Judge T. H. Auerbach. The affair was almost a farce; it lasted
no more than twenty minutes.
Jonathan Bryant was not there. His sister Helen was the official
representative of the Bryant children, and she explained curtly that
Jonathan was overcome with grief at the death of a very dear friend
last night and would not attend.
Six other Bryants were in court, all of them hungry for the old man's
millions. They had retained a lawyer named Martinson who briefly and
concisely explained that the old man had not been in sound mind at the
time of making the will, and that it was therefore invalid.
It was a flimsy stand, and Harker said so. He spoke for no more than
ten minutes. Judge Auerbach smiled politely, said he had studied the
briefs from both sides with care, and ruled in favor of upholding the
will.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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