Part 1 (2/2)

A cop handed Hoddan a garment. He put it on. He became aware that the cop was scared. So was Derec. Everybody in the room was scared except himself. Hoddan found himself incredulous. People didn't act this way on super-civilized, highest-peak-of-culture Walden.

”Who'd I kill?” he demanded. ”And why?”

”You wouldn't know him, Bron,” said Derec mournfully. ”You didn't mean to do murder. But it's only luck that you killed only him instead of everybody!”

”Everybody--” Hoddan stared.

”No more talk!” snapped the nearest cop. His teeth were chattering.

”Keep quiet or else!”

Hoddan shut up. He watched--dressing the while as his clothing was inspected and then handed to him--while the cops completed the examination of his room. They were insanely thorough, though Hoddan hadn't the least idea what they might be looking for. When they began to rip up the floor and pull down the walls, the other cops led him outside.

There was a fleet of police trucks in the shaded street outdoors. They piled him in one, and four cops climbed after him, keeping stun-pistols trained on him during the maneuver. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Derec climbing into another truck. The entire fleet sped away together.

The whole affair had been taken with enormous seriousness by the police.

Traffic was detoured from their route. When they swung up on an elevated expressway, with raised-up trees on either side, there was no other vehicle in sight. They raced on downtown.

They rolled off the expressway. They rolled down a cleared avenue.

Hoddan recognized the Detention Building. Its gate swung wide. The truck he rode in went inside. The gate closed. The other trucks went away--rapidly. Hoddan alighted and saw that the grim gray wall of the courtyard had a surprising number of guards mustered to sweep the open s.p.a.ce with gunfire if anybody made a suspicious movement.

He shook his head. n.o.body had mentioned Zan, so this simply didn't make sense. His conscience was wholly clear except about his native planet.

This was insanity! He went curiously into the building and into the hearing room. His guards, there, surrendered him to courtroom guards and went away with almost hysterical haste. n.o.body wanted to be near him.

Hoddan stared about. The courtroom was highly informal. The justice sat at an ordinary desk. There were comfortable chairs. The air was clean.

The atmosphere was that of a conference room in which reasonable men could discuss differences of opinion in calm leisure. Only on a world like Walden would a prisoner brought in by police be dealt with in such surroundings.

Derec came in by another door, with a man Hoddan recognized as the attorney who'd represented Nedda's father in certain past interviews.

There'd been no mention of Nedda as toying with the thought of marrying Hoddan then, of course. It had been strictly business. Nedda's father was Chairman of the Power Board, a director of the Planetary a.s.sociation of Manufacturers, a committeeman of the Banker's League, and other important things. Hoddan had been thrown out of his offices several times. He now scowled ungraciously at the lawyer who had ordered him thrown out. He saw Derec wringing his hands.

An agitated man in court uniform came to his side.

”I'm the Citizen's Representative,” he said uneasily. ”I'm to look after your interests. Do you want a personal lawyer?”

”Why?” asked Hoddan. He felt splendidly confident.

”The charges-- Do you wish a psychiatric examination--claiming no responsibility?” asked the Representative anxiously. ”It might ... it might really be best--”

”I'm not crazy,” said Hoddan, ”though this looks like it.”

The Citizen's Representative spoke to the justice.

”Sir, the accused waives psychiatric examination, without prejudice to a later claim of no responsibility.”

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