by Abi Silver
‘On the 10th of October, the day of the crash, can you tell us what you and James were doing?’
‘He was working in the study. I took him in a coffee and some juice and then I left.’
‘What time was that?’
‘About nine.’
‘So he started early?’
‘He’s a morning person.’
‘Where did you go?’
‘To the gym. You don’t say much,’ Martine squawked at Constance.
‘Do you know the expression “still waters run deep,” Mrs Salisbury?’ Judith replied. Judith flicked through her notes and Martine shrugged and began to collect up her parcels. ‘Is that it then? I told you I didn’t know anything.’
***
Judith and Constance sat in silence after Martine’s departure. Eventually Judith spoke.
‘What did she put in her coffee?’ she asked.
‘Hazelnut shot. Some people like it.’
‘Are they all people like Martine?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Oh never mind. That’s the old Judith speaking. The new enlightened Judith would not sneer at hazelnut shots.’
‘I didn’t realise you were undergoing some kind of metamorphosis?’
‘Really? Well, perhaps it’s not so noticeable. What did you think of Miss ex-model, shop till I drop?’
‘I thought it was interesting that when she mentioned the modelling, her voice dropped. She sounded full of regret for something.’
‘Yes. Well spotted, it might be as simple as her being too old now.’
‘Naomi Campbell’s still working, and Kate Moss. They’re both in their forties.’
‘True. I’m not sure Martine Braithwaite was ever in their league, though. Dig around. There might be something there.’
‘What do you mean? What am I looking for?’
‘The usual.’
‘But this was a car crash and she wasn’t there.’
‘We only have her word for that so far. I know it’s unlikely, but look into her background and keep an open mind. Anything else?’
‘She wasn’t exactly helpful with the names of people who came to the house.’
‘Well, I don’t know. There was Dean McQueen wasn’t there?’ Judith laughed aloud this time. ‘Do you think his parents really thought that one through when they christened him? Oh forgive me. Ask her for a list of all their tradesmen; plumbers, electricians, gardeners, with phone numbers, if she has them. Tell her to ask the housekeeper too. Let’s make Martine do a little work, shall we?’
‘You seriously think someone messed with James’ car?’
‘Look. James is certain there will be something on that black box which will make everything all right. I’m not. We have to have other defence options. Going back to our lovely Martine, what was lacking?’
‘She didn’t ask us anything at all.’
‘Yes. Very good. No “What’s going to happen to James?” “Will there be a trial?” “Could he go to prison?”’
‘Maybe she’s already had advice via their company lawyer, the one who recommended me.’
‘Or maybe she doesn’t care. Oh, you’re probably right and I’m reading too much into it. She wanted some light relief from her heavy retail day, not to sit with two dour-faced lawyers and contemplate the prospect of her husband behind bars. It might seriously curtail her shopping habit.’
‘Speak for yourself.’
‘What do you think she does all day, children away, James travelling?’
‘There’s her volunteering.’
‘Yes, but that’s only twice a week. And the gym, she said. Shall we go? It’s getting late.’ Judith rose and stretched out her shoulders and back.
Constance switched off her tablet and tucked it into her bag.
‘Hm, but do you know what?’ Judith said.
‘I’m sure you’re going to tell me.’
‘I might try one of those shots in a coffee to go. Just for research purposes, that is. Which would you recommend?’
40
CONSTANCE AND Judith entered SEDA’s flagship building. In the central, all-glass atrium, a white car stood vertically on its nose. Judith walked all around it. The means of suspension was not at all obvious and from the entrance it appeared to be floating through the air, its open doors flapping in the breeze, like wings. Judith had the sense of something dynamic and vibrant happening in this place.
Tracking the reception area were photographs of SEDA’s various models of autonomous vehicle. Most of these had the tell-tale, revolving, aerial-like structure on their roofs, which they both now knew concealed a LIDAR, a combination of laser and radar technology. Constance pointed out James’ 2016 model in the middle of the row of images; a chunky, large, conventional hatchback. The later versions, including the up-to-the-minute Go! had become sleeker and more streamlined, with a definite futuristic design brief.
‘Hello. Are you Constance?’ Toby was ambling towards them.
‘Yes. And this is Judith.’
‘I’m Toby, deputy CEO. I suppose acting CEO when James is out and about. Hope you found us easily. James asked me to show you round. I thought we could start at the factory and then you can ask questions afterwards, if anything isn’t clear.’
Toby led them along some equally shiny corridors and a walkway, linking the various buildings on the sprawling site, until they entered a large rectangular hangar. Running down the centre was a production line with cars in various stages of construction, surrounded by a series of robotic arms.
‘This is where all our production happens,’ Toby announced proudly.
‘How many people work here?’ Judith asked, raising her voice over the combination of music and mechanical noises.
‘In the factory? Up to twenty at any time. It’s a small team. We’re keeping production low for now, but there’s capacity here to make loads more if we need. But because we have the robots, it’s probably equal to having at least another twenty staff.’
‘And is it efficient using the robots?’
‘Yes. They’re very cost-effective. The maintenance cost is low. And the plant has a really low carbon footprint. It’s one of our big selling points. All our electricity is generated locally either through solar, wind or bio. We insist that all the packaging we get in from suppliers is reusable and that anything we use ourselves is recycled too. Here, let me show you one of the cars close up.’
He marched them to the far end of the room, where the cars were nearing completion and the volume of the music was lower.
‘We work with water-based adhesives and we’ve swapped petrol-based seating for soy foam. All much better for the environment. Take a look. You can’t tell.’
Constance crouched down and leaned inside the car. There was a sweet, spicy smell, reminiscent of cinnamon, completely unlike the rubbery scent she had expected.
‘Well done,’ Toby giggled as Constance’s nose wrinkled. ‘Do you like it? We’re doing research on the most attractive consumer smell, although it’s not easy because people are always changing their minds. And, can you believe this? Now we’ve got rid of VOCs, people are complaining that they don’t have the new car smell any more. Amazing isn’t it? You’d think they would be satisfied that we’d reduced the chance of them getting cancer, but no they all miss the smell.’
‘What are VOCs?’ Judith asked.
‘Volatile organic compounds. The stuff we used to put in car interiors gave them off. They can give you cancer. The new stuff doesn’t.’
‘And is the music supposed to help production too? Like with plants?’
‘It is a bit loud, I agree, and not everyone likes it,’ Toby laughed. We let a different member of the team pick the music each day. James says if they’re happy at work, they’re more productive.’
Constance c
ast a quick look around to try to guess who had picked today’s dirgey playlist.
‘Do you have other factories?’
‘Oh yes. We’re in six countries, the biggest is China. We are selling out there already, very profitable, although we did it quietly. James wants the UK to be the big launch. Did you know, in China, you’re not allowed a toilet break? You have to wait till your lunch. And if you take a day off because you get sick, you lose your job.’
‘I’m sure Mr Salisbury would not condone those practices in his factory though?’ Judith interrupted.
‘What? Yes. I meant in the competitors’ factories, not ours. But this is our flagship, as we are a British company.’
‘Would it be all right for Constance to take some photographs? It’s all so interesting. We don’t want to miss anything.’
‘I’m sorry but we have a strict no photographs rule,’ Toby said. ‘We had to let one of our best workers go a few weeks back, after he took a selfie in front of one of the side panels. Competitors, you understand.’
‘Yes, of course.’
‘Would you like to go for a test drive?’
‘Yes please,’ Judith replied for both of them.
Toby led them outside to a line of five identical cars. These cars were just like the one they had viewed in its nearly-finished state; there was no steering wheel or gear stick and the dashboard was pared back to a narrow elliptical screen.
He grabbed some keys from a table, muttered a few words to a nearby technician and then invited Constance to sit in the back and Judith in the front, while he took the driver’s seat.
‘There’s no steering wheel,’ Judith remarked.
‘No. This is a new model, not out on the roads yet.’ Toby pressed a start button with his index finger and then announced ‘Test drive one’ in a loud voice. The car moved off smoothly. He folded his arms and sat back. Judith shivered and gripped the sides of her chair.
‘This car is fully autonomous then?’ she said.
‘Yes and no. It’s level four. The car is totally in control except there is an emergency brake. It’s tucked away near my right foot. You probably didn’t notice. That’s all.’
‘Is there a level five?’
‘There will be, yes. All computer-operated with no option to get involved. But we won’t be trialling level five until more people have level three and four on the road. There’s no point.’
‘So where are we going on our test drive?’
‘We’ve built a model village. It covers around half a mile. We’ve tried to make it authentic with different road situations, but the houses are just wooden fronts. And we add things or change them each month too.’
‘Why do you do that?’
‘We don’t want the cars, well the computers, to learn the routes too well. We like to mix things up a bit. Give them new experiences.’
The car stopped at a red traffic light on the outskirts of the man-made town.
‘It’s smoother than I imagined,’ Judith commented.
‘Most people say that. But that’s logical isn’t it? The car is better than humans at anticipating how it should ride the bends. I always think it’s like when the dentist cleans your teeth and he keeps catching your gums. You know, yourself, how to do it without making them bleed.’
‘Yes, very true.’ Judith resisted the impulse to cast a disparaging look at Constance. ‘How fast can it go?’
‘We do tests up to eighty miles per hour, on another track. But the cars can go much faster.’
‘Does it avoid other vehicles effectively?’
‘Wouldn’t be much good if it didn’t, would it? Each car is aware of the positioning of other cars on the road. That’s why they can’t collide. But our cars also talk to each other.’
‘But don’t they only talk to other SEDAs?’
‘For now, yes, but we want to reach agreement with other manufacturers as well. That’s where James is now, in fact, although I can’t say anything more about it. Top secret.’ He tapped the side of his nose.
‘But then you’ll have to share data with those other companies, won’t you?’ Judith persisted. ‘And aren’t they your competitors too?’
‘You ask all the hardest questions,’ Toby joked. ‘We are exploring ways to do it. There are lots of tricky bits, I know. And it’s hard to know what to share without giving too much away.’
‘Toby?…’ Constance leaned forward to get his attention. ‘I understood these cars can talk?’
Toby pressed a button on the dashboard and a small red light began to blink.
‘Hello VERA. Toby here. How are you today?’ he chuckled.
‘Hello Toby. This is VERA. I am your voice-activated, enhanced, road-experience assistant. How may I help you today?’
‘That’s why I turn it off,’ he told Judith and Constance in a loud whisper. ‘I hear VERA in my sleep, saying the same old thing over and over. James chose her voice. VERA is actually the computer, so she’s here all the time, even if you can’t hear her.’
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t understand what you wanted,’ VERA intoned. ‘Please repeat your instruction.’
‘I wasn’t talking to you, VERA. Can you continue on test course one, please.’
‘Yes, thank you. Can I ask who are the other occupants?’
‘You can ask but I’m not going to tell you.’
‘Oh Toby. Please can I try?’ Judith pleaded. ‘This is so fascinating for me.’
Toby shrugged his acceptance, delighted that his guests were enjoying themselves so much.
‘Hello VERA. My name is Judith Burton. I’m a ventriloquist. Do you know what that is?’
‘Hello Judith Burton. A ventriloquist is a person who can make their voice appear to come from somewhere else.’
‘Very good. VERA. If I said that I wanted you to take a right turn at the next roundabout, could you do that please?’
‘At the next roundabout, there is no right turn.’
‘Thank you. I am asking you to turn right please.’
‘Judith Burton. There is no right turn. Not able to turn right. I will continue on test course one, travelling straight ahead.’
‘VERA. Can you drive straight into that house on my left, the big one with the blue front door?’
‘Judith Burton. I can only drive on the road.’
‘I have some heavy shopping. It would be better if you could drive closer.’
‘No shopping detected in the car, Judith Burton. Are you requesting me to park?’
‘All right. Can you park please VERA outside that house on the left, the one with the pale blue door.’
The car slowed, the left indicator lit up and it came to a smooth halt, parked neatly around 1cm from the kerb and directly outside the house Judith had indicated.
‘Impressive,’ Judith mumbled. ‘Thank you. I would like to continue on test course one now please.’
The car indicated then pulled out smoothly.
‘Watch out!’ Judith shouted without warning. Toby leaped out of his seat, his head just missing the roof of the car. But the car continued, without any deviation from its route or change in speed.
‘VERA. Can’t you see the people on the crossing?’ Judith called out again. Finally realising that this was Judith’s method of putting the car through its paces, Toby began to giggle hysterically, after checking there really was no one on the crossing. This time the car slowed noticeably before speeding up again.
‘Judith Burton. You are mistaken. There is no one on the crossing.’
They returned to their starting point outside the hangar and exited the car. Toby, still sniggering to himself, pressed the key fob and the car reversed itself into its parking space.
‘I know what you were doing in there, Judith,’ he wagged his finger at her, which Judith accepted graciously. ‘But you c
an’t trick VERA,’ he continued.
‘How does this car differ from the one which was involved in the accident – Mr Salisbury’s car?’ Judith asked.
Toby’s eyes narrowed for the first time. ‘Does anyone know what happened yet?’ he asked. ‘Why it crashed? I mean, James doesn’t remember.’
‘The car is going to be examined to determine precisely what happened. Mr Salisbury is supportive. Given your…extensive knowledge, do you have any particular concerns?’
‘Oh no. Not that. Not concerns. You’ve seen how the cars perform. What were you asking me? Oh yes, differences. James’ car was a level three. That means it operates in normal driver or autonomous mode.’
Toby began walking quickly back towards the main reception. Judith and Constance struggled to keep up.
‘But when it was in autonomous mode, it would be just like the car we tested?’ Judith persisted.
‘Yes.’
‘And how do you know if you are in one mode or the other?’ She stopped deliberately, so Toby was forced to stop walking too, or shout his answer from some distance.
‘Usually when you switch on, it’s in autonomous mode and, after you’ve done the whole “Hello I’m VERA” thing,’ he rolled his eyes theatrically, ‘she’ll ask you if you want to move to manual. If not, she’s in charge.’
‘And can you choose to take back control later on?’
‘Yes. In James’ car, whenever you like.’
‘What about the software?’
‘What about the software?’
‘Is it developed here?’
‘Yes. But I can’t take you to that part. It’s top secret, I’m afraid.’
‘Why’s that?’
‘Competitors.’
‘Yes. I should have guessed.’
‘We can’t risk letting anyone unauthorised in.’
‘What kind of things are you still working on – if the cars are ready to be sold to the public?’
Toby ran his hand over his chin and began to walk away again, but more slowly this time.
‘Lots of things. The LIDAR equipment is very expensive. We want to find cheaper ways of navigation which are just as safe. And other things I can’t talk about.’
