Double Check

by Malcolm Rose

  “Explain.”

  “It’s obvious. Camilla Bunker left her identity card in Coventry. If she survived, she could live rough without one, but that wouldn’t be good enough for a woman like her. She was ambitious. That’s why she killed Rowan. If she did, I mean. Anyway, she’d need an identity card to start again, to get herself a new life in the north. She’d need someone like Sadie Kershaw.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Leaving Luke and Malc in a restaurant near the centre of Derby, Jade went to Sadie Kershaw’s third-floor apartment alone. The two of them hit it off almost straightaway, especially when Sadie confessed that she’d heard quite a few of Jade’s pieces and downloaded several so that she could listen again. Jade was always delighted when she came across someone who enjoyed her music. Now, she felt thrilled and uncomfortable at the same time. She was visiting Sadie at Luke’s request to play the part of an aggrieved girlfriend wanting a new identity card. Or was her role an assistant forensic investigator? Either way, she wasn’t there as herself – as a musician or a friend – so she felt like a cheat.

  It didn’t take long for Sadie to hint that she could make Jade a new identity card but she added, “I don’t know how it’s going to help you, though.”

  “How do you mean?” Jade asked.

  Sadie laughed. “Come off it. You’re not going to give up music for anyone, are you? You love it. In a way, you’re already paired with music, not a man.”

  Jade couldn’t stand the deception any more. She became herself again. “Look, you’re being really nice to me and I’m being...”

  “A forensic investigator’s spy?”

  “Something like that,” Jade admitted, wishing she’d never agreed to go along with Luke’s scheme.

  “The thing is, he’s just doing his job,” Sadie said. “I know he’s after me, but there was something desperate and genuine in his eyes. He’d go a long way to pair with you. That’s kind of romantic.”

  “He’d go a long way to clinch a case as well,” she replied. “Once he gets his teeth into something, he doesn’t let go.”

  “I guessed that.”

  “But you’re still falling into his trap.”

  Sadie shrugged as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “He’s already got evidence against me, but he hasn’t arrested me. I don’t think it’s me he’s after. Not really.”

  ****

  In the restaurant, Luke sipped his fruit juice and then glanced in turn at his two companions. One was warm, human and never failed to make him feel good. The other was a cold metal box that never failed to provide him with assistance. Both were loyal to him but neither would hesitate to criticize him in their different ways when he was making a mistake or being too reckless.

  Luke put his drink down on the table and spoke quietly. “I still don’t understand why the Pairing Committee went ahead and matched Mollie Gazzo with Rufus Vile if one of the members got Mollie’s real age from files. Either that person was bribed in some way to tell the committee her identity card was right, or it’s all a big hoax and I’m being set up. If there’s something going on between The Authorities and the Pairing Committee designed to test me, Mollie and Rufus are just actors in the game plan. The question is, where does that leave Sadie Kershaw? Is she another actor, or are The Authorities out to get her as well?”

  Jade interrupted. “She’s on the level, I’m sure. Not acting.”

  “Maybe The Authorities know what she’s been doing and they’re after her as well as me. They might be killing two birds with one stone.”

  At once, Malc replied, “I am not aware of an avian connection. While the killing of common birds is not a crime, endangered species are...”

  Despite the seriousness of the situation, Jade giggled.

  Luke said, “Never mind, Malc. There’s something far more important in this. If The Authorities used Mollie to ask Sadie to forge her an identity card...” He fell silent as he thought about the implications.

  Malc said what was on Luke’s mind. “It would be against the law.” In Malc’s programming, truth, the law and logic came above everything else. He continued, “Incitement to commit a crime is itself a crime.”

  “Exactly,” Luke replied. “The Authorities might’ve broken the law. I hope so, anyway.”

  “Hope so?” Jade queried.

  “If they can bend the rules for their own ends, they can bend them for us.” He finished his juice and said, “Are we ready, then?”

  Jade gulped down the last of her drink as well. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  “What about you, Malc?”

  “I am always ready as long as there is power in my batteries.”

  “Yes, but I want you to record this interview and keep it to yourself. I don’t want you to pass it to The Authorities.”

  “I cannot comply because it is against my instructions.”

  “But who are we investigating?”

  “Sadie Kershaw. A programmer of secure systems.”

  “Yes,” Luke replied. “As well as Sheffield Pairing Committee, Mollie Gazzo and Rufus Vile. You wouldn’t send them details of the case against them, would you?”

  “No.”

  “But you’ve just agreed The Authorities might be guilty of inciting a crime. I’m obliged to investigate, aren’t I?”

  “Correct.”

  “Well, you can’t send case notes to the suspects. It doesn’t make sense.”

  Malc hesitated for several seconds. “I am not programmed for such circumstances.”

  “All right,” Luke said. “What’s your first duty?”

  “Upholding the law.”

  “You can do that best by keeping information to yourself until we figure out what’s going on. Agreed?”

  Malc took an extra two seconds to reach a conclusion. “Logic requires me to withhold information that might implicate The Authorities in a criminal activity.”

  “Right,” Luke replied with a grin. “Now we’re ready. Let’s get going.”

  ****

  Sadie’s quarters were at the rear of the apartment block. Behind her, there was a balcony with a view over Derwent Park and the river. Sadie herself was wearing a puzzled expression as she glanced from Jade to Malc and finally fixed her eyes on Luke. “I’m getting a mixed message here,” she said to him. “A mobile aid to law and crime tells me everything’s turned official all of a sudden. But Jade’s here, so...”

  Jade smiled at her with sympathy.

  “Malc,” Luke said, “Are you going to transmit details of this interview to The Authorities?”

  “No.”

  Sadie was astonished. “I know these machines always tell the truth,” she said, “but last time, you didn’t bring it in because you said you couldn’t stop it reporting its findings.”

  “The case has changed a bit,” Luke replied, without offering a real explanation. “Do you really fake identity cards or have The Authorities told you to pretend to be a forger?”

  Taken aback by the bluntness of his question, Sadie frowned. “What?”

  Luke didn’t need an answer. Her bewildered expression was enough to tell him that she wasn’t an agent for The Authorities. “Have you heard of Mollie Gazzo?”

  “Mollie? Yes. I was at school with her.”

  “Did you tinker with her identity card?”

  Sadie hesitated.

  “She tells me you changed her age by four years.”

  “Sounds like she’s trying to get me into trouble.”

  Luke sat down to signal that he was prepared for a long interview. “I know you’ve made illegal identity cards. You offered to do it for Jade and, last time, you told me you’d helped out a few women you felt sorry for.”

  She sighed and whispered, “Yes. You said you’d traced one back to me.”

  “So, you might as well tell me about Mollie Gazzo,” he replied. “In fact, there’s a real possibility Mollie was acting on behalf of The Authorities when she asked you to fake her age. That means they’re o
n to you. They could pick you up anytime, so your best bet is to cooperate with me.”

  While Sadie listened to him, her expression changed from confusion to alarm. “Why’s that?”

  “If I’m right, they’ve led me here – via Mollie – because they’re testing if I’ll put the law above my own interests. We’ve both been set up.”

  She glanced at Jade as if for reassurance.

  Jade nodded. “Either Mollie’s genuine and the Pairing Committee’s corrupt, or it’s a put-up job with you at one end and Luke at the other.”

  “Either way,” Luke added, “you’re in trouble so it’d be a good idea to keep me on your side.”

  “Why would Mollie agree to it, if it’s all a game? What does she get out of it?”

  “A supply of cigarettes from The Authorities and immunity from prosecution for smoking them, maybe,” Luke answered. “And certainly the man she wanted. She might’ve agreed to anything for that.”

  “So,” the programmer asked, “what are you going to do about it?”

  “I’ll carry on playing the game – if that’s what it is – till I find out for sure – without getting you into trouble.”

  Sadie smiled wryly. “You can’t really protect me, can you?”

  “If it’s all been set up to test you and me, I might be able to. If it’s a genuine corruption case...” He shrugged. “That’s trickier. But, if you help me with something else... Maybe.”

  “Help you with what?” Sadie prompted.

  “These women you felt sorry for,” Luke said. “Did they include someone called Camilla Bunker?”

  Sadie didn’t reply at once. She thought about it before answering. “No.”

  “It would’ve been two years ago. A twenty-six-year-old woman from London.”

  Sadie shook her head.

  “Let me tell you something else I think’s happened,” said Luke. “Then you won’t feel so sorry for Camilla if she was one of your customers.” He went through the plane crash, Rowan Pearce’s murder, and Everton Kohter’s terrible plight. “There’s a real possibility she faked her own death to give herself a great alibi. Then she got rid of a lazy partner who was holding her back. You might have sympathy with someone wanting a fresh start and a new identity, but I bet you wouldn’t be so sympathetic if you knew she’d killed her husband.” He gazed into her face before adding, “If you helped her, you’re partly responsible for the execution of an innocent fifteen-year-old boy.”

  “You go in for a lot of ifs, buts and maybes.”

  Luke nodded. “I’m asking you to help me clear them up. One thing’s for sure. Everton will face the death penalty on Sunday the twelfth of February. Punishment doesn’t get more certain – and irreversible – than that.”

  Sadie broke eye contact and looked nervously down at the carpet. “I don’t keep records – for obvious reasons – but, no, I don’t think she came to me.”

  Luke was still not convinced. “I just need her new name. That’s all.”

  “Even if I’d... After all this time, I might not remember the name she’d ask for. And she might not have told me her real name anyway.”

  “I can’t describe her much, but she was thin. Very thin and wiry.”

  “It doesn’t mean anything to me.”

  “All right. Is there anybody else in the game of forging identity cards?”

  Sadie reddened. Plainly, she didn’t want to get anyone else into trouble. “I can’t say.”

  Jade knelt by Sadie’s seat and put both hands on her arm. “It’s important. I think you should say if you know anything.”

  Again, Sadie shook her head.

  “All right,” Luke said, getting to his feet. “I’m going to get Malc to show you a picture of Everton Kohter when he was arrested. Thirteen years old. Malc, download it into Sadie’s computer so she can see who we’re going to execute in two weeks’ time.” He turned back to Sadie. “Have a good look after we’ve gone and think about it. Maybe then you’ll remember something about Camilla Bunker or think of someone who might’ve given her a new identity, because that someone’s condemning Everton to death. You’d better let on while there’s still time.” He pointed to the image of a young and scruffy Everton, looking utterly bewildered, drenched, bloodstained, with messy hair. “What do you see, Sadie? Vicious killer or confused lad? Contact me – soon. You don’t want this on your conscience.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  On Monday morning, three drops of deep red liquid spurted out of Luke’s mouth and landed on the white tiles opposite him. Once he’d swallowed, Luke pointed to the small stains on the hotel wall. “From the spatter pattern, I’d say these Middle Eastern pomegranates are pretty tasty.”

  “The spatter pattern does not...”

  “It’s breakfast, Malc. A time for drinking, eating a pomegranate and cracking the occasional joke.” With his little finger nail, he flicked a seed out from between two of his teeth and then concentrated on the crucial job in hand.

  After breakfast and a shower, Luke always felt refreshed and ready. His brain would fill with more ideas than there were hours in the day to pursue them. “It’s amazing,” he said, combing his long wet hair. “I didn’t think there was any link between the corruption case and Everton’s, but maybe there’s a couple. It looks like they’re both about the forging of an identity card. And, up to now, my job’s always been to prove someone’s guilty of something. With these two cases, I’m trying to prove someone’s innocent.” He put the comb down and was about to say something else when Malc interrupted.

  “I have received a transmission from Nicoletta Boniwell, requesting your presence as soon as possible.”

  “At the City Hall?”

  “No. It is not a formal meeting. She has given me her home address.”

  Luke’s brow creased. “All right, but, before I go, get me the medical records of the members of the Sheffield Pairing Committee.”

  “I can search data for members of the public but I do not have immediate access to private information on The Authorities or their committee members. I must request their permission first.”

  “If you ask, will The Authorities, Nicoletta and the rest know I’m checking on them?”

  “Confirmed.”

  “Forget it then.”

  “I cannot forget, but I will delete the task.”

  “I still don’t want the Pairing Committee to know I’m onto them, so I’m going to do it on the quiet.” Even though he knew that Malc would respond with an immediate rebuke, Luke added, “I’ll have a go at hacking into the health centre instead.”

  A mobile could not adopt a disapproving tone like an instructor. He said simply, “That is against the law.”

  “But it’s a logical way forward when I can’t afford to let the suspects know what I’m doing. Anyway, if they’ve used underhand tactics on me, I can fight back with a bit of trickery.”

  “That is incorrect. There is no excuse for breaking the law. Also, you do not have sufficient data to prove that The Authorities have acted illegally.”

  “That’s why I need those files.”

  “What is your aim?”

  “Anyone could bribe me with a box of pomegranates,” he replied, smiling to indicate that it wasn’t actually true. “If there’s a cigarette smoker on the Pairing Committee, that might explain a thing or two. If it’s a genuine corruption case, Mollie Gazzo might’ve persuaded them to ignore her real age in return for a load of tobacco. But if this whole thing’s been set up by The Authorities to test me, Mollie wouldn’t have had to do any bribing. No need for secret smokers and corruption on the committee. They’d just do what they’re told by The Authorities – and pretend to be open to bribes.” Luke sat down in front of his computer terminal. “So, I want to see if anyone on the Pairing Committee is full of cotinine. I just need to see the results from their smart toilets.”

  “I cannot participate in an illegal activity.”

  “You’d better look the other way, then. But, before
you do, just give me the panel’s names, apart from Nicoletta Boniwell.” With a cheeky grin, he added, “Knowing their names isn’t illegal.”

  Using his FI’s identity card, Luke logged on to Sheffield Medical Centre’s computer. Most software was written with security systems that could be bypassed by a mobile aid to law and crime or when presented with a forensic investigator’s identity card. That way, he found some low-level passwords used to run the network. They were predictable, like admin, password and medic. Once he got a foot in the door, he needed to force it open wider and wider until he got into restricted medical files.

  He was a little out of practice. He hadn’t hacked into a confidential system since schooldays. Yet he still had a knack for it. His method was based on the fact that all computers were designed to answer questions. That was their function so their programming compelled them to do it. He probed this one with questions and sniffed the responses coming out of it. Each little packet of information gave him a better understanding of the way it worked. Patiently, he built up a picture of the operating system. Then he fished around for its high-level password policy, like the length of its secret codes and where they were stored.

  Every time he gained access to another area, he delved deeper, relentlessly and patiently going up the ranking until he captured a medical administrator’s password. Then it was easy to get into patients’ files. For each member of the Pairing Committee, he found a list of substances found in their last few samples. Scanning laboriously and carefully down each record, he did not find a single reference to cotinine.

  Straightaway, he logged off and turned to Malc. “No tobacco addicts on the Pairing Committee.”

  “I cannot add that information to case notes because it was obtained by illegal means.”

  “It doesn’t prove anything for sure, either.” Luke flashed a smile and added, “But it’s interesting to know.”

  “Nicoletta Boniwell has sent a reminder of her invitation,” Malc informed him.

  Luke nodded. As he went for his coat, he said over his shoulder, “She’s getting impatient. Good. I’m ready for her now.”