Dark Shadows

by Sibel Hodge

  Tears pricked at my eyes as I slapped the final file on top of the last. Then I booted up my laptop and searched for Regen Logistix. The home page didn’t give me much information. It just said they were a biomedical technology company that combined engineering and technology to solve biological or medical problems, specialising in the design of medical equipment to diagnose and treat various diseases. It said they made implantable devices such as pacemakers, cochlear implants, insulin pumps, and smart technology. There was no tab to check on their personnel details, but if Klein was being paid by them, then that was all the proof I needed he was working for them.

  There was a ‘Latest News’ tab at the top, so I clicked on it and read through a copy of a press article about a nanochip they’d recently invented.

  The groundbreaking nanochip developed by Regen Logistix and funded by the Ministry of Defence will be able to transmit vital information, including blood lactate, oxygen levels, heart and pulse rate, glucose levels, organ or tissue monitoring, and overall metabolic states of wounded soldiers or other injured patients.

  Sized just 2mm x 2 mm x 0.5 mm, this implantable device has the ability to wirelessly transmit life-saving readings via electrical signal to medical staff in the first stages of dealing with trauma, strokes, or heart attacks. Results could be transmitted in a matter of seconds to an electronic device such as a mobile phone. Getting these measurements in real time can help medics make decisions faster, help patients avoid needless X-rays or diagnostic tests, and will help save lives. Uniquely, it does not need any attached battery supply as it’s powered in vivo, using the body’s own energy sources.

  The nanochip, which is hailed as the future of medicine, has undergone first-stage testing, and developers are confident it will be tested on humans within the next six months.

  Okay, so it didn’t mention the nanochip I suspected they’d invented now, but it showed they’d already worked in conjunction with the government previously.

  I sat back, jigging my leg up and down. I was so close. I could now prove what Klein had done, but I couldn’t prove Regen Logistix had been involved in it. I had one half of the puzzle but not the rest.

  I called up online satellite images of Regen Logistix, which was a huge building set on a large site on the outskirts of St Albans. Their security would be impossible to penetrate at the best of times, but since they seemed to be involved in clandestine black ops with our own security services, then it would be impenetrable now, so if the records that proved their part in this were there, I didn’t have a hope in hell of infiltrating it on my own.

  I sat upright and ran my hands over my face, resting them on my cheeks as I thought. I needed someone who could hack into Regen Logistix’s computer systems and find more evidence, but I didn’t know anyone who could get that kind of intelligence. I needed help.

  I reached for my mobile phone to call Warren and then hesitated, chewing on my lower lip. He hadn’t just been my boss and mentor—he was a great copper who also sometimes used unorthodox methods to catch the bad guys. Everything I’d learned about being a good detective, I’d learned from him. He was also a friend that I’d trust with my life. We were kindred spirits. But I hadn’t just broken a few rules and gone behind my boss’s back to solve a case this time. I’d broken the law. And Warren was now an anti-corruption officer, investigating cops who broke the law.

  If I told him what I’d just done, there was a very real chance he could arrest me. I’d lose a career I’d worked damn hard for, and possibly go to prison. But then if I didn’t ask for his help, more people would die. And one thing I knew about Warren with absolute certainty was that his sense of justice was so strong, sometimes he broke the rules to get evidence, too.

  ‘Oh, God,’ I groaned, staring at the phone until my heart overruled my head and I dialled his number.

  ‘Morning,’ he answered. ‘I got your email earlier about not needing to feed Pickle anymore. You weren’t enjoying your holiday then?’

  ‘I wasn’t in Spain.’

  ‘No, I didn’t think you were.’

  ‘What? How did you know?’

  ‘You said the weather was good, but they’ve been having torrential rain and thunderstorms all week. I didn’t get to be a DI for nothing, you know. And—’

  ‘I need your help,’ I butted in. ‘And I can’t talk about it on the phone. Can you come to my place? It’s urgent.’

  He paused for a moment, obviously taking in the tone of my voice, which didn’t just sound urgent to my own ears. It sounded manic. ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘Yeah. But this is serious.’

  ‘I’m at police headquarters at the moment. I can be there in about ten minutes.’

  ‘That’s great. Thanks. I’ll see you soon.’ I hung up and paced the kitchen, much to the amusement of Pickle, who’d just entered the cat flap and cocked her head at me like I was nuts. I felt like I was going nuts, too.

  I went into the lounge overlooking the street so I could pace in front of the window, watching for Warren, and ramped it up to include chewing on my fingernails until I drew blood.

  As soon as I saw Warren’s car pull up outside, I darted into the hallway and yanked open the door.

  ‘God, you look awful,’ Warren said.

  I grabbed his wrist and tugged him inside.

  ‘Blimey, slow down,’ he said as he almost fell over, staggering against the wall.

  ‘I can’t.’ I pulled him into the lounge and turned to face him.

  He studied me with a concerned frown. ‘What’s going on?’

  ‘You’re not going to believe it. It’s so fucking far out there.’ I breathlessly rambled through everything that had happened with the undercover investigation, the deaths, the nanochips, Hoodie Guy, Klein, being shut down by MI5, and Regen Logistix.

  Warren’s jaw set in a rigid line as he listened, the incensed anger on his face matching what I felt. ‘Bloody hell.’

  ‘I know. It’s unbelievable, isn’t it?’

  ‘You’re right. It does sound far out. But nothing surprises me anymore.’

  ‘And… that’s not all. I’ve got… I’ve done something.’

  ‘What kind of something?’

  ‘I needed evidence. This has got to be exposed.’

  ‘I couldn’t agree more. But I can’t help unless I know what you did.’

  ‘I…’ I chewed on my lip.

  ‘Are you in danger? Do they know about you?’

  ‘No. At least, I don’t think so. Sutherby never put anything on the books about my involvement. I… I was looking for evidence, and I broke into Klein’s house and got his patient files.’ I rushed into the kitchen and came back with the files. I slapped them on the coffee table before picking up Vicky’s file and waving it at him. I took a deep breath and held it, waiting for his reaction. For him to tell me that even though we were friends, I’d committed a serious crime that could land me in prison.

  He eyed the file. ‘You broke into his house without a warrant and stole files?’

  Holding his gaze as butterflies danced in my stomach, I nodded.

  ‘You’re telling an anti-corruption officer that you broke the law in an illegal investigation you’re now carrying out yourself?’

  I nodded again. ‘Yeah, but I couldn’t just do nothing! I need to stop them before anyone else dies.’ I looked at him, eyes wide.

  He stared back at me. A few seconds passed. Then ten. Twenty. He looked at the files again. I clenched my sweaty hands.

  Then he threw his head back and laughed. Only for a moment. And it wasn’t a humorous laugh—it was one that held equal hints of disbelief and pride. ‘Bloody hell.’

  ‘Exactly.’ I flopped onto the sofa, clutching Vicky’s file to my chest, suddenly feeling exhausted.

  ‘I would’ve done exactly the same. I think there’s a very blurred line between what we’re legally allowed to do and what we should do.’ He sat next to me, put his arm around me, and pulled me towards him.

  I
rested my head on his shoulder. ‘Even if there’s no chance of them all facing justice through the courts, we need to warn people about what’s going on.’

  ‘You know as well as I do that our justice system is horrendously lacking, even through the usual channels of prosecuting offenders. But when the people involved are protected from higher sources, and you know that for the powerful ones who make the rules, there are no rules, then sometimes you have to do extraordinary things to protect the vulnerable. So let’s just say you’re not the only one who’s broken the law to save lives.’

  I twisted round to face him. ‘I know. When your investigation into Lord Mackenzie was shut down, you carried on anyway under the radar. You’ve obtained surveillance information and intelligence in the past that couldn’t have come through legal channels, so you’ve got some experience of this. You’ve got a contact somewhere, haven’t you? And I need an experienced hacker I can trust to find evidence from Regen Logistix. Even if you don’t want to get involved, you could give me your contact’s details, and I’ll get in touch with them.’

  He looked at me. ‘You’re right. I have had help in the past. It’s a really long story. One I’ve never told anyone. But my informant… I don’t actually know who he is.’

  My forehead furrowed. ‘You’ve got an informant, but you don’t know who it is? How does that work? He gives you stuff anonymously?’

  ‘Hmm… not really. It’s hard to explain. But he can get hold of intelligence that you wouldn’t believe.’ He leaned forward and looked deep in my eyes. ‘I’m glad you came to me.’ He nodded towards the file I was still clutching. ‘So… the files you took prove Klein implanted these nanothings, and they’ve been manipulating the students’ brainwaves and behaviour?’

  ‘Yes. But the files don’t specifically mention Regen Logistix. Do you want to read through them?’ I held out Vicky’s file.

  ‘Doesn’t seem like we have time for that. Besides, I trust your judgement.’ He stood up. ‘If Regen Logistix have kept records on their systems, then I’m sure my guy can get us what we want. I need to use a burner phone. Nothing can be traced back to us.’

  ‘I haven’t got one.’

  ‘There’s one in my car I always use to call him. Give me a minute. I’ll drive to the supermarket and make the call from the car park. Then I’ll come back.’

  I launched myself on him and gave him a hug. ‘Thanks.’

  I watched him leave, knowing we were stepping into the darkness with no way back from this.

  Chapter 57

  Toni

  Mitchell kept to the speed limit as he drove so we didn’t attract attention. When we’d put enough distance between ourselves and Klein’s house, Mitchell pulled off the main road into the car park of a garden centre, took a secure burner phone from the glove box, and put a SIM card inside before switching it on.

  I twisted sideways in the seat to face Mitchell, waiting for him to make the call to Detective Carter, but before he could dial, it rang in his hand.

  He looked at the screen then at me. ‘It’s Carter calling me.’ He answered and listened for a few moments before saying, ‘Well, that’s strange, because I was about to call you. For once, I was going to ask for your help.’ He explained what we’d discovered going on at the university. That we were there at Klein’s house when Becky Harris had arrived. That we had evidence proving what Regen Logistix and MI5 had been doing. But we needed the files we suspected were now in Becky’s possession.

  Mitchell was silent again as he listened to Carter, watching me. ‘Yes. Okay. Somewhere with no cameras. You still remember the forest meeting place? We can be there in twenty minutes.’ He paused again. ‘Good. See you then.’ He ended the call and fired up the engine. ‘Looks like we’ve both been hunting the same people. Becky Harris was doing a covert police investigation into what was going on at the uni. It was shut down on orders from MI5, and she’s now working alone. She’s got Klein’s patient files.’

  ‘That’s great. But if the government and secret service know what’s going on, and are actively encouraging it for their own means, and a police investigation has already been shut down, what do we do now?’

  ‘I know what I’d like to do.’ He clutched the steering wheel tightly as he drove, his lips pressed into a thin, angry line.

  ‘What? Kill them?’

  He didn’t answer, which basically meant yes. He could kill them and make it look like an accident or a suicide. He’d done it before, but only to protect the innocent and vulnerable whose lives were in danger.

  ‘Even if the top people are killed, it’s not going to stop others getting hold of this and using the technology,’ he said eventually.

  ‘So what, then?’

  ‘I don’t know. But it looks like we’ve only got twenty minutes to come up with a plan to blow this thing wide open.’ He reached for his burner phone again. ‘Actually… I’ve got an idea.’

  Chapter 58

  Mr White

  White sat at Klein’s kitchen table overlooking the garden as he sipped his coffee and waited for Klein to arrive.

  The front door opened, and Klein called out.

  ‘In here,’ White said.

  Klein walked into the room, briefcase in hand, laptop bag over his shoulder, a harried look on his flushed face. ‘You’re sure there’s no sign of a break-in?’

  White stood, his face expressionless. ‘Did you leave the French door unlocked?’

  ‘Of course not.’ Klein’s gaze darted towards the door. ‘I told you someone had been inside.’

  ‘Or you wanted to make it look that way.’

  Klein shook his head, mumbled something under his breath, and rushed out into the hallway. White followed him into the office.

  Klein went straight to the bottom drawer in the desk and stared at it as a squeak of shock escaped his lips. ‘They’re not here.’ He looked up at White, aghast.

  ‘I already told you that. Now shut up and calm down. There’s no time for pissing about.’

  But Klein still searched the rest of his desk, getting more and more frantic as he pulled out paperwork, stationery, and journals. Sweat patches soaked the armpit and collar area of his white shirt as he looked around the room. ‘Did you make this mess?’

  ‘Yes, I was looking for the files.’

  ‘They’ve been stolen. I keep trying to tell you.’

  White raised an eyebrow. ‘I don’t think so, even though your security is recklessly inadequate. I’ve shut down the undercover police operation. No one outside of our circle knows, and everyone else involved in this project is thoroughly committed to it, so that just leaves you.’

  ‘I didn’t… I haven’t… I wouldn’t…’ Klein fought for a breath. ‘I’m telling the truth. I haven’t given them to anyone.’ He wailed, rubbing a trembling hand across his sweaty forehead.

  ‘So you destroyed them? Because you were having second thoughts. Just admit what you’ve done, and I can help you.’

  ‘No. No, I didn’t destroy them.’ Klein shook his head manically, a dribble of saliva flecking his bottom lip.

  ‘Okay. Here’s what you’re going to do. You’ll sit down and rewrite everything in those files from scratch.’

  ‘But…’ Klein’s mouth flapped open and closed. ‘I can’t remember everything I wrote down. There’s so much detail.’

  ‘It wasn’t a request.’ White grabbed hold of Klein’s shoulders and shoved him into the leather desk chair. ‘You will remember. And you will write it down. Do you understand?’

  Klein squeezed his eyes shut, nodding vehemently. ‘Y… yes. Yes, I will.’

  ‘Glad that’s all clear.’ White sat on the edge of his desk and watched Klein reach for his notebook and fountain pen as a dribble of sweat trickled down his temple.

  Chapter 59

  Detective Becky Harris

  I drove along a quiet country lane, still mulling over what Warren’s contact had told him about their own covert investigation going on at the univers
ity.

  ‘Pull off here.’ Warren pointed to a small track amongst a thick forest on our left. ‘This is the place.’

  We bumped over dry earth, meandering through the dense foliage. Branches scraped at the sides of my car, tall tufts of overgrown grass beneath clonking against the underside of the metal. We drove on until the track widened slightly into a circular clearing and we were completely hidden from any drivers using the lane.

  ‘This is it,’ Warren said.

  I stopped the car, turned off the engine, and glanced around at the thick mesh of trees that had formed a canopy above us, cutting off most of the sunlight. Hundreds of tree trunks seemed to close in around us. It was completely sheltered and private. ‘You’ve been here before?’

  ‘We’ve met several times here.’

  All was quiet apart from the birdsong filtering through the open window. ‘You can definitely vouch for these people? They’re not going to take this stuff and bury it and then bump us off?’

  ‘You can trust them one hundred and ten percent. We’re not the only good guys out there.’

  ‘But you said you don’t know who he is.’

  ‘I don’t know his name. I don’t think I even want to. I call him the Vigilante. But I know who he is.’ He tapped his heart then his head. ‘In here. He’s the same as me and you, mate.’

  ‘He told you the woman is a counsellor at the uni?’

  ‘Yes.’

  I pulled my phone out of my pocket and looked up the uni’s website, found the Student Counselling page, and clicked on the list of counsellors. It brought up a page with staff photos.

  I showed Warren my screen. ‘So which one is she, do you think?’

  He took my phone then stared at the screen for a moment. He looked as if he’d seen a ghost, then a slight smile snaked up the corner of his lips. He tapped on the photo of someone called Toni. ‘I never knew her name, either. But it suits her.’ He handed me back my phone.