Paul W. Fairman

“ I said, "We've got things like that. Robot brains, we call them. They figure out impossible problems."
And it came to me at that moment how we were taking for granted, through our conversation, our statements, and even our thinking, that this Dalrymple was exactly what he'd said he was—a man from another world.
He said, "I know what you refer to, but they are so childishly conceived as to be almost useless." The old sneer again.
Donovan growled. "You talk a lot but you haven't proved a damn thing."
"On the contrary. The flaws in this equation stand out by themselves. ”

“ Donovan wasn't having much to say. Dalrymple threw down the pencil. "I'll be going now. I have more important things to do."
"Can you give us the names of the two men?" I asked, and again swore at myself for being over-eager.
Dalrymple gave me a long, disgusted clinical look. "I can, but I won't. It would take another hour to round out the equation and I don't feel like doing all your work for you. If you can't take what I've given you and tie up the case, then you'd better both resign." ”

“ And I knew Donovan was rejecting something too. He turned from Dalrymple with a sneer and said, "We haven't got time to fool with psychos. We've got a murder to solve. Kick this guy out and let the white coats find him all over again."
I was sneering too. I took out a pencil and threw it at him and said, "All right, wise guy. There's one. Let's see what you can do." ”

“ A world of idiots. Really it is."
Normally I'm pretty easy going but this punk with his talent for rubbing people the wrong way, just plain got me. "If you're so damn smart why are you reading meters for the gas company?"
He grinned, and his grin said he was happy at getting a rise out of me. "I just arrived recently. The job will do until I get around to what I'm planning."
Donovan vented his hostility by hauling the guy out to the car. Dalrymple made no resistance but Donovan managed to get mildly rough regardless. ”

“ He meant it as a compliment but Dalrymple did not take it as such. "I didn't think of it, you fool. I worked it out. Haven't you understood anything I've told you? It's all here in the progression of the equation. Incidentally, that factor is the pivot of the whole sequence. Your stupid logic should carry you on from there."
"Somebody was trying to poison somebody else!" Donovan said.
"There had to be two men," I added. "They came in and ordered drinks. One poured poison in the other's drink. Then they left without—"
Dalrymple was leering at me. "How about one man and—suicide?" ”

“ Donovan growled. "He's a detective too."
Dalrymple split a sneer between us. "It's nothing but a mathematical problem. In the world I come from, students corresponding to your first-graders are started out on far harder equations."
"So you can just take a pencil and figure it out, eh?" ”

“ In such a civilization lies and evasions are unheard of because all action and motivation past, present, or future, can be evaluated and revealed in complete exactitude."
We were trying to follow along. ”

“ Then something pulled them back into the street before they had their drinks. Garver heard metal grind and thought that was probably it. Once outside, they probably forgot what tavern they'd been in because they didn't return.
Garver was glad to get rid of them. He hadn't seen the poison-pouring bit and dumped the shots into the bottle. When Davis keeled over as a result of the next shot out of the bottle, Garver was scared. He could lose his job and his boss could have lost his license for serving drunks and for pouring the whisky back. ”