Friends Come in Boxes by Michael G. Coney

Author:Michael G. Coney [Coney, Michael G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, science fiction
ISBN: 9780575129351
Google: _VA2AgAAQBAJ
Amazon: 0722124600
Goodreads: 19146717
Publisher: Gateway
Published: 1973-05-01T00:00:00+00:00

Man Phillip Ewell and the police inspector were silent for a long time after I described these events. Eventually the inspector spoke. “He might be a homosexual,” he observed. “He just might.”

“But it doesn’t seem likely,” added Ewell.

“At least we know why the mother drew the money from the bank,” the inspector continued. “An illegal Transfer Surgeon would insist on cash. Anstead would take her into the bank and receive the cash on her behalf, on her verbal authority. At some time between collecting the cash and arriving at the illegal Transfer shop, Anstead became aware that he was carrying a lot of money with him, and the temptation got the better of him, if he hadn’t already planned the thing. So he abandoned the box and later, to be on the safe side, applied for a Premature Transfer, not knowing that the bank had by then got nervous about the huge withdrawal, and called us.”

“Of course,” said Ewell. “Mother Anstead would have had to withdraw all her savings, because once she had assumed a new identity there would be no way she could get her hands on the funds.”

“You’re right. So Anstead had in his pockets all the cash he was likely to get, even if his mother applied for Total Death. But she wasn’t applying for Total Death; far from it, she intended to live as long as she could.” The inspector smiled thinly. “In a way I don’t blame Anstead. The temptation must have been irresistible.”

I was beginning to get impatient; time was slipping by and I had work to do. These two seemed to be playing at detectives instead of applying themselves to the obvious solution. “When did you tell Anstead to come back for his Transfer?” I asked Ewell.

“This afternoon.”

“Why not just pick him up when he arrives at the Transfer Centre?” I asked reasonably. “What’s the idea of all this theorizing? Why not just ask him what happened, when you’ve got him under arrest?”

The inspector smiled a patient smile. “Man Wimborne, do you think it likely that Anstead will turn up at the Transfer Centre, when his name is on the indicator boards all around the area?”

I hadn’t thought of that one. I decided to leave it to the experts. “If you don’t mind, I’d better be getting back to Horton,” I said.

“You may still be able to help us, Man Wimborne,” the inspector said as I rose to go. “There’s a possibility that Anstead will turn up at the Horton Arms before he leaves the area, or whatever he intends to do. I suppose there’s always the chance,” mused the man, “that he’ll use part of the money to get an illegal Transfer for himself, now that he knows he’s wanted.”

“In that case, it’s not likely he’s going to call at the inn.”

“Oh, it’s very likely. An illegal Transfer takes time; they’ve got to find a host body and they won’t do that until they’ve got the cash in their hands. And Anstead’s an alcoholic; he’ll need his supply of liquor.

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