STRANGE BODIES (a gripping crime thriller)

by Antonia Marlowe

  ‘Computer, Commander Nicholas Adams can now be cleared to top level minus one. Please acknowledge.’

  A deep masculine voice emerged from one of the smaller screens, a screen that swirled with a pattern like a heavy mist that masked the view of a person or shape, something or somebody forever seeming about to come into view.

  ‘I am delighted to meet you, in the flesh, as it were. I have long looked forward to this day, Commander, having been appraised of your wisdom and intelligence many a long …’

  ‘Oh, for goodness sake, Merlin. Have you been reading Shakespeare, again?’

  ‘My dear Dr Burne, I am merely expressing my delight at …’

  ‘Oh, put a sock in it,’ she said rudely.

  Nicholas was convulsed with laughter at the interchanges. ‘Verity, pray continue. May I be introduced to this illustrious entity?’

  Verity rolled her eyes at that. ‘Not you too. Knock it off. Okay, okay, this is my AI. He changes his name every now and then, but it’s Merlin at the moment.’

  ‘That seems a little unfair,’ said Nick, tongue in cheek. ‘What say you to that, sir.’

  ‘I am in full agreement with you.’

  ‘Bloody hell, I don’t believe it. A copper and a computer in cahoots! And you can stop laughing or you’re out,’ she scowled fiercely at Nicholas. ‘Now that we had our fun let’s get some work done. Merlin, extended search required. Names are Orlando Gray, other names unknown, and Lara Nash, born USA. Other names also unknown.’

  ‘Both of those people have been in this house. I have their profiles on record. What exactly are we looking for, Dr Burne? Level five search?’

  ‘Confirmed, level five. I want Gray’s and his mother’s backgrounds. I suspect a connection with a member of the InterPharm board. Maybe his mother lost a lot of money she’d invested with them.’

  ‘Is this the AI you were working on for your doctorate, Verity?’

  ‘Yes and no. This is a much more advanced version of that, thanks to Marcus. What you see here is an extension. I set the actual brain up on the satellite … I hope I never have to go up there again.’ She shuddered at the thought.

  ‘You’ve been up there! On the commsat!’ Nick pointed to the ceiling, then just shook his head.

  Verity continued, ‘The whole house, all three houses are protected by Merlin.’

  ‘What about Jeannie?’

  ‘Briefly, Jeannie is an extension of Merlin, a near autonomous arm that runs the house, but she is unaware of Merlin. Merlin is aware of everything and steps in when necessary, usually in the persona of Toby. You saw that when the bomb was neutralised.’

  ‘I have the information on Gray and Nash you requested. Where do you want it?’

  ‘Thanks, Merlin. On my Tyle. I’ll go over it tomorrow.’ She pulled out a drawer, took out a silver card and handed it to Nicholas saying, ‘An early Christmas present. Put it on that pad and press the corner.’

  It unfolded itself in the way that was becoming familiar.

  ‘Merlin, information on this unit too, please, for Commander Adams from now on, unless I over-ride. Your Tyle is now in sync with mine and with Merlin, Nick.’

  He picked it up, quite bemused at the events of the evening. Obviously both Verity and Marcus had decided he was part of their small family circle. He wondered how this would sit with the fact that he was a copper, but he’d worry about that later.

  ‘I really am going to bed now,’ said Verity. ‘Come on. I’ll take you back downstairs. There are still a few no-go areas, so please don’t try to get into that area on your own. And that’s more for your own protection than anything else.

  ‘I’m going into the Circe office early, couple of things to tidy up, so you can let yourself out. I’ll adjust the security programming to allow for that. Goodnight, Nick.’

  Chapter 34

  Verity had arranged to meet Milton Cavendish in his office at Medea House. He was an old and trusted friend, and she had very few secrets she kept from him.

  After filling him in on the main events of the past few days, she said, ‘I think it’s time I cut out of all this Circe stuff, Milton. And Adelaide can find someone else for RAZZ! too. I want to get back to my research full time. At Versa we’re in the middle of a new … thing and they need my input.’

  ‘Well, my dear, I don’t altogether blame you but I’d really appreciate it if you could do that interview with Misty Maddison. It’ll be after Christmas, so her people informed me.’

  Verity frowned. ‘Okay, but that will be the last one. Oh, apart from Oscar’s story. If I send you the data you could write it yourself.’

  Milton laughed. ‘Good try. Okay send it on and I’ll think about it.’

  After the meeting she spent some time tidying up loose ends, having a word with some colleagues before taking the elevator to the car park. As she approached her car, she saw a figure squatting beside Marcus’ car which was parked next to hers. Moving quietly she came to within two cars’ lengths then yelled as loudly as she could.

  ‘Hey, you!’

  The man jerked upright and turned, clutching what looked like a knife in his right hand.

  Verity reacted automatically as her self-defence training kicked in. She was already in motion as he came within reach. His blow missed her and while he was off balance she drove a kick to the side of his leg. Her foot connected and his knee collapsed. As he fell he clutched at her with his free hand; they spun and fell together, Verity on top. She heard a dull crunch as his head hit a car on his way to the ground, but the object he was still holding pierced her shoulder as she fell on it.

  It didn’t hurt at first, the shock of the fall cushioning the pain. But then it started … a sharp searing pain, burning deep into her shoulder. She tried to move away, not realising how she was joined to him, and that was a mistake, a big mistake. The world swirled then went black. She wasn’t sure how long it was, maybe seconds, maybe minutes before she felt herself lifted, voices spoke soothing words, other voices barked orders. She opened her eyes briefly and mumbled, ‘What?’. A sharp pain as a shot of something was pumped into her arm. Then darkness.

  Verity awoke to find herself on a narrow cot in an emergency room with a nurse doing something to her shoulder.

  ‘What happened? Where am I?’ She tried to sit up but fell back as pain swept through her.

  ‘Easy, miss, try to keep still. You’re in hospital, the Emergency Department. You were stabbed in the shoulder and your ankle is swollen. We’ll need to scan it and the shoulder. A few scrapes and bruises, badly bruised hip, one nice big lump here. We’re checking for concussion.’ The nurse touched the side of Verity’s forehead gently, ‘I’ll let the doctor explain the rest.’

  ‘I can’t remember what happened,’ Verity said agitatedly. ‘Where was I?’

  ‘Oh, and the cops want to interview you. You’re a heroine.’

  ‘What do you mean? I don’t want to talk to anyone. Let me up!’ said Verity, trying to struggle up from the cot. She fell back with a yelp of pain. ‘What do you mean, heroine?’

  The nurse merely said, ‘I’ll go and get the doctor.’ She pressed a syringe to her arm and within seconds Verity had relaxed.

  It was about five minutes before a face appeared around the flimsy curtain and a body followed. ‘Hello, Verity.’

  ‘Who are you?’ said Verity, twitching awake. Now that the pain had diminished she was feeling angry and needed to take it out on someone. ‘Nobody will tell me what happened.’ She blinked to try to focus her eyes. ‘Richard, is that you?’

  ‘Hi, Verity. How are we doing in here?’ he asked calmly.

  She tried to focus. ‘God, my head. I don’t know what happened. And I don’t know about you but this we is bloody awful! Aargh! Don’t do that.’ She yelped as the doctor lifted the dressing off the wound in her shoulder and gently probed it.

  ‘Sorry about that. I thought you’d like to know Adelaide’s here. She’s demanding to see you but they won’t let her in, and n
either will I,’ said the doctor with a smug grin.

  ‘Oh, for God’s sake. You don’t imagine that’ll stop her.’

  And it didn’t. A second later there she was, fully made up, dressed to kill.

  ‘Verity! Oh, Verity, you’re alive. I thought you were dead too.’ She would have flung herself on Verity but the doctor blocked her.

  He said, furiously, ‘How the hell did you get in here!’

  Adelaide looked at him, big blue eyes swimming with tears and said with a tiny sob in her voice, ‘Oh, Richard, how can you be so cruel. This is my darling Verity. I have to be with her.’

  ‘I’m trying to take care of her, if that’s alright with you.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Richard, I just wanted to see her.’

  ‘Look, Adelaide, give me a break. I haven’t slept for two nights. Whoa, missy. Now just hang on a tick, you’re not dragging cameras in here again! Verity has a serious wound in her shoulder. She has a possible concussion and we also need to look at her ankle. That means a scan and then some repair work. I’m still in charge of this madhouse and I don’t need a repeat of last time, thank you,’ he said.

  ‘No, not again,’ he repeated. ‘And no phones in here. No phone calls. No cameras. This is a sick woman.’

  Verity said drowsily, ‘Will you two bloody shut up and take your damn fighting outside. I’m trying to get some bloody sleep here.’

  The doctor looked at her then pointed outside the curtain and walked into the hall followed by Adelaide.

  ‘What’s happened to Verity,’ said Adelaide agitatedly. ‘She never swears, not like that. What have you given her?’

  ‘Just a standard painkiller, I think.’ He glanced down at the chart in his hand. ‘Yes, Panamor, that’s all. Does she usually react to it?’

  ‘I don’t know, but it’s just not her style.’

  ‘My guess is it’s just the slight concussion. Now, apart from the fact that your cousin is injured, why are you here?’

  ‘In case you didn’t know this is big news. That fellow she killed had planted a bomb and they disarmed it only minutes before it was due to go off. One of the security guards at the entrance heard a noise, someone yelling, and ran down to see what it was. When he saw Verity and the man lying there he called the Security Chief who called the medics and the cops.

  ‘Next thing you know the place is full of people, including Marcus whose car had the bomb under it. All running around like crazy ants.’

  The doctor obviously hadn’t heard any of this and was listening almost open mouthed. ‘So how did they know there was a bomb? She killed him!’

  ‘It just so happened the security chief had been in a bomb disposal unit and he actually smelled the explosive, so he said. Before I was rich and famous, ha-ha,’ she fluttered her fingers, ‘I was a news reporter. I haven’t lost the skills entirely, so the station boss and the news chief decided to send me along to cover the story. They figured if anyone could get in it’d be me. It’ll just be one teeny little camera, you’ll hardly notice it, I promise,’ she wheedled.

  ‘Hmm, I seem to remember someone saying that before …’

  She turned one of her melting looks on to the doctor and grabbed his hand. ‘You can clear it for me, can’t you, Richard? Please.’

  The nurse came back and said, ‘Doctor, there are police, cameras and reporters all over the place. The chairman of the hospital board wants to speak to you … that extension.’

  ‘Thanks, nurse. What’s going on?’

  ‘I think the Channel 17 big boss has persuaded the hospital chairman to let Ms Browne get her story. I’m guessing a hefty donation, perhaps.’

  There was a brief flurry as a small Asian man with a long black pony tail, toting a small camera scuttled into the hallway, a voice protesting loudly in the background.

  ‘Hello, Herbie. Richard, meet Herbie. Dr Richard Wainwright, Herbie Lee, my cameraman, well, the station’s cameraman, but he’s the best news cameraman in the business,’ Adelaide said flatteringly.

  ‘She’s quite right, mate, I am the best,’ said Herbie in a broad Australian accent. ‘Okey dokey, let’s get this show on the road.’ He had flicked the camera on without anyone noticing.

  The doctor turned to Adelaide. ‘Looks like I can’t stop you but have some consideration, please.’ He turned to leave when Adelaide took his wrist.

  ‘Richard, tell me how bad is it with Verity. Seriously.’

  ‘I really can’t discuss that with you, Miss Browne,’ he said stiffly. ‘That camera’s on. Look, I’d rather you and your camera got lost but I’m under orders from the boss so …’ He shrugged.

  The nurse had gone back to her patient and now reappeared. ‘I think she’s coming around. Do you want to speak to her, doctor,’ she said formally.

  ‘Yes, I’ll take another look at her pupils, check the concussion. Any word from the scan people yet? I need to get her up there and into theatre asap.’

  ‘I’ll check again. Excuse me,’ she said coolly as she brushed past Adelaide who was hovering.

  ‘Verity, it’s Richard. Can you hear me? Adelaide is here with me.’

  Verity opened her eyes and looked around groggily. ‘Where am I? What happened?’

  ‘You’re safe, darling,’ said Adelaide, coming over to the side of the cot. ‘You were attacked in the car park. The security guard found you and now you’re in hospital and my lovely doctor is looking after you.’

  Verity frowned. ‘I can’t remember. The last thing I remember was leaving the office and walking to the lift, talking to someone. And that’s all till I woke up here. What’s wrong with me?’

  The doctor said, ‘You have a slight concussion, you were stabbed in the shoulder, you twisted your ankle underneath you and it may be broken or just sprained. A few bruises and scrapes.’

  ‘Don’t hold back, doctor. Is that all … hang on. Oh, bloody hell, it’s coming back to me.’

  Adelaide said, knowingly, ‘My guess would be she attacked a man who was doing something suspicious and shouldn’t have been there anyway.’ Richard looked at her nonplussed. ‘Verity can usually look after herself.’

  ‘So who was the man? Does anyone know what he was doing there? I came out of the lift, saw him and yelled something. He came rushing towards me and that’s all I can remember at the moment. What happened to him?’

  The doctor said evasively. ‘He hasn’t been brought in here. Must have gone elsewhere.’

  ‘Verity, my sweet. I just found out … they think it was a terrorist in the car park and he was planting a bomb under Marcus’s car. He’s dead, the terrorist, not Marcus.’

  ‘A terrorist. A bomb. Dead,’ said Verity faintly, and promptly passed out.

  ‘Thanks, Adelaide. Well done. Didn’t you notice I was being tactful.’

  ‘Well, Richard, you always tell me not to lie,’ Adelaide said ingenuously.

  ‘To me, you idiot. I said not to lie to me. Now she’s out again, and you’d better be too.’

  The nurse came back. ‘We can send her up for the bio-scan now. Theatre will be ready by the time they’ve finished. There’s a couple of policemen out at the reception desk, asking for whoever’s in charge, doctor … I’d say that’s you. One of them is in plain clothes. Adams he said.’ She turned to Adelaide. ‘He says he knows both of you. Tall, slim, very good looking, posh English accent?’

  ‘Ah, yes. Commander Adams.’

  ‘I can’t leave here. Adelaide, would you bring him in here, please?’

  The lobby and reception area was as noisy as a kindergarten at playtime. Cameras and microphones were waved and thrust in all directions, people were yelling into lapel mikes, at each other. Adelaide spotted the Commander and Sergeant Fraser standing at the front desk. She beckoned them over then led them to Richard.

  ‘Can we take them to a quieter spot? Have you got an office somewhere here?’

  ‘We, what is this we? I’ll just see what they want,’ he said sternly.

  Adelaide signalled
Herbie to keep recording as he slid quietly along behind the doctor and angled a tiny long range mike stuck on his cap at the foursome as they stood talking in the hallway. It was amazing, thought Adelaide, how he could almost disappear. No one had paid the slightest notice of him the whole time; it was as if he became invisible as soon as he turned on his camera.

  ‘I’m taking them to my office. You might as well come too if you like,’ Richard said to Adelaide offhandedly.

  ‘Hello, Nicholas, Bob. Any more news? Do they know who he was and what he was doing? Was it a big bomb? Were there any demands made? What killed him?’

  The three men looked at each other and grinned.

  ‘What?’ demanded Adelaide. ‘What’s wrong with you lot? I’m just asking. I just want to know what’s going on. I need to know for the story.’

  ‘Adelaide Browne, if you’d shut up occasionally and just listen you might find out without having to ask a million questions and never waiting for the answers,’ said the doctor impatiently.

  All the eyebrows went up, amazed at how he had spoken to her and to her credit, Adelaide looked abashed. ‘Sorry,’ she muttered. ‘I’m just worried about Verity.’

  They all went into a small cluttered office, the desk piled high with files and paperwork, disk cases, data sticks in a bowl, a computer and an intercom. Under an aircon vent a sagging metal bookcase held dozens of ancient heavy books as well as plastic boxes of what were probably e-text books. A bunch of framed certificates hung on the wall behind the desk, above a battered looking credenza which held a printer and a coffee machine. A small fridge was built in to one side and from one of the half open drawers on the other side of the console more papers spilled out.

  ‘Sorry, there’s only one chair. No room for more anyway.’

  Adams said smoothly, ‘Perhaps Ms Browne would be more comfortable in the waiting room.’

  Before he had finished Adelaide had slid into the chair. No one noticed Herbie who had slithered his way just inside the door and was still recording everything.