Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 56 — page 34: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

STRANGE SUICIDE stretched out and took Dr. Robt Jaksn’s widow by the hand. “I can’t say how sorry I am that those two had to come with me. Security pro- cedure, you know.” He laughed. ““Now then, if you’ll just answer a few questions [ll try to make the whole thing as short as possible.” “Of course,’ said Ena Jaksn. There was something about this man that made her feel she was with a friend and not with a Security officer, being questioned about her husband’s suicide. Yes, that was it: with a friend. A look of Van Klark about him. And such a kind voice— such a gentle manner. If she played fair with. him he’d do the same with her and sce that she lost nothing ' because of — of the death. “Can you teli me the names and addresses of your hus- band’s closest friends, please ?”’ She saw him pull the small recording box from his pocket, saw him hold out the micro- phone and activate its null- grav beam so that it re- mained suspended near to her face. ‘“‘Well,”’ she started, 33 “‘there’s HarE Toibt; he lives at 175d, Lane 41, First Level, here in Lundn. He’s a special- ist in neurology and worked with Robt at Central Lundn Research. Then there’s Dr. Jaz: We Waseca He asked the questions; she she answered them. The microspool within the re- corder revolved and revolved and did not miss a word or single cough or solitary change in inflection. | Who were her husband’s closest friends and wiere did they live and work? How long had he known them?. How often did he see them, say in the course of a normal week? Had he been seeing any one more than the others just recently? Where did they meet? Did he ever bring them back here, to his apartment? The more answers he re- ceived to his questions the more soundly Kristofr con- ratulated himself upon not relying on a psychoprobe. For a psychoprobe revealed facts; you asked questions of a person under a psychoprobe and you got factual answers but you got no vocal inflection in the answers that might comiclooks.corn