"There was an eye witness to this crime," he said, and I stared at him in consternation. I didn't know he knew. I thought I was the only one who knew.
"What do you mean," the agent demanded angrily.
"Edith saw it. Edith, the computer."
"Are you nuts?" the agent demanded.
"You forget that Edith was turned off," Thompson said.
"But Mr. Thompson, Edith's not like most cybernetic machines. She's so far advanced, that I'm not sure we understand her completely. She can't really be turned off. She has a distinct personality and that new circuit—"
Of course Edith had a personality of her own! She had more charm, more intelligence, more understanding than most women.
"—well—she'd be able to tell us who killed Ballard."
"That's ridiculous," I said, badly frightened. "A machine can't be a witness to murder."
The security officer looked dubious and shook his head. "I guess we'll have to leave that up to the coroner at the inquest."