Read Online A Borrowed Man by Gene Wolfe - Free Book Online Page B

long bright sunroom that ran along the south side of what appeared to be the oldest part of the house. Earlier, we had come into the house from the kitchen. Now we left through French doors. Without the least idea of where I was going, I walked off over the lawn.
    â€œYou’re trying to get away from the listening devices, aren’t you?”
    â€œCertainly. But a little fresh air may do both of us good. It clears the head.”
    â€œYou did a whole lot of talking up there.”
    â€œI did, with a purpose. Your father’s secret is hidden somewhere in that book. Do we agree on that?”
    â€œAbsolutely!”
    Colette was hurrying to keep up, and I slowed my pace accordingly. “Suppose we find it. Suppose we open those two doors or break them down. Suppose we learn exactly how your father gained his sudden wealth. What good will it do you if the people you fear have planted all these listening devices—the people who strip-searched us in your apartment—are still at large? I want to get them out into the open. If I’m guessing right about them, they won’t dare kill us until they have the secret. But once we learn it, their learning it will be a snap. Capture either or both of us. Use drugs, torture, or brain scans. Any of the three ought to work quite well.”
    â€œAnd I’m just a woman.” Colette’s smile was a trifle bitter.
    â€œThey could wait until I’m back in the library and check me out.” I pointed. “There’s a gate in that wall. Where does it go?”
    â€œTo the garden. Would you like to see it?”
    â€œNot particularly, but we’re approaching a fence. Perhaps we’d better go in.”
    We did. There were trees and shrubs that probably bloomed in spring but now (at the dry height of summer) looked half dead. The flower beds were choked with weeds and the grass uncut. We sat in the shade on a granite bench in front of a marble fountain that no longer played.
    â€œI’m going to fix this,” Colette declared. “I have all this money. I’ll hire our old gardener back and tell him to find a couple of assistants.”
    â€œGood. May I ask who cuts the lawns? Do you have a service?”
    â€œNo, the ’bots do it. They’re based in the barn. They’ll water and weed this if I tell them to, but they’re not real gardeners. No planting or planning or anything like that. Do you want to talk to them?”
    I shook my head. “The police will have questioned them. I know there’s a ’bot in the house. What about human maids?”
    â€œNot until Mother died. She couldn’t stand them and Father didn’t want them. People who’ve never had servants think you can just pay them and leave everything up to them, but in the real world they take a lot of supervision. Humans steal, gossip, drink, and snort dope. ’Bots are sick half the time. Besides, they do crazy things and think they’re just fine. Have you ever argued with one?”
    I smiled. “Once or twice.”
    â€œThen you know how it is. If it’s what they were programmed to do, they think it’s perfectly fine no matter what the situation is. A friend of mine who survived a crash told me the steward kept passing out refreshments when their flitter had lost power and was headed for the mountains. I believe her! They can be exactly like that.”
    I said, “Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are when you’re angry?”
    â€œYes!” Colette raised her fist. “Usually it’s just before I hit them.”
    â€œSeriously now, ’bots are capable of a great deal of intelligence, and they make devoted workers. They’re so complex that they’re frequently in the shop; I’ll grant you that.”
    â€œNice of you. But the more intelligent they are, the more they cost. That’s up-front cost, and my father said you can often spend as much up front as