AndroDigm Park 2067

by JMJ Williamson

  “The Chief’s convinced that the attack on your mother was orchestrated by a man called Larsen, who runs Action Against Androids. It’s an organisation that wants to destroy androids and anyone involved with their creation.”

  “That’s a strong motive for killing my mother.”

  “Yes, but you haven’t seen Larsen. The guy’s a weak-willed nerd, not a psychopath.”

  “But if someone is killing the assassins, doesn’t it mean that someone else is behind her murder?”

  “The assassins couldn’t have got their names onto the Guardian VIP list without some powerful backing. And Larsen was bailed by some undisclosed benefactor to the tune of ten million credits.”

  “But who could do that?”

  “Who else might have a motive to kill your mother?”

  “I don’t know. She was a successful business woman.”

  “Who were her friends, her enemies, her competitors?”

  “She had two close friends Sirena and Organa. We met them at the funeral.”

  Shelby cast his mind back and remembered them. They had said little, just offered their sympathies. In fact, they seemed quite cold towards Scarlet.

  “Tell me about them.”

  “She met them at university and never lost touch. When I was a teenager, I used to call them Aunt Sirena and Aunt Organa.”

  “They might be a good starting point.”

  “There’s a problem. I’ve never got on with Sirena or Organa. They were mum’s friends, not mine.”

  “But surely they would want to help find her killers.”

  “I suppose so. I just don’t like them. They’re into this weird sex stuff. They’re both followers of King Karma — the hedo guy.”

  “The free-love freak from the adverts?”

  “Yeah.”

  Shelby laughed. “What’s wrong with that? Most of the unmarried adult population under thirty are hedos. Sex is the only fun activity these days that isn’t taxed or regulated by government.”

  “But Sirena and Organa are like sex vampires preying on anyone they can. Even the Pizza guys are afraid to deliver to their apartment.”

  “You don’t like them?”

  “Since I was fifteen, they made my life hell. Okay, in those days I was a virgin cyber-nerd. And they teased me relentlessly about it. ‘When was I going to find a boyfriend?’ So when I found one who was a fellow cyber-nerd like me, I thought they would leave me alone. Instead, they tried to seduce the poor guy.”

  “You’re kidding?”

  “I’m not kidding at all.”

  “They sound like fruitcakes, but if we’re going to get anywhere with this investigation, we need to speak to them. Can you set up a meeting?”

  “You want to meet them?”

  “I’m a big boy. I can deal with two over-sexed mature women.”

  Scarlet paused for a moment. “Okay, then I’ll do it.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Shelby did a background check on Sirena and Organa. With so much information on social media and their business sites it was easy to build up a profile on them. They were both very successful business women and their only brushes with the law had been the occasional speeding ticket.

  When Scarlet called Sirena, she was pleased to hear from her and invited her over to her apartment. Shelby and Scarlet arrived by heli-car on the helipad above Sirena’s apartment. An android opened the door and escorted them into a large room where Sirena and Organa were busy talking together in a bubble-filled hot tub. The air smelt of jasmine: they were using the Eros pheromone.

  Sirena stood up and welcomed them. She was an attractive woman in her thirties with brown eyes, long dark hair and a Latin skin tone. She was also naked. It didn’t bother Shelby, but he could see it irritated Scarlet. Organa could have been her sister. She was about the same age, shared the same hair style, and had the same coloured eyes and skin tone.

  “I’m sorry, we’re early. Perhaps we could wait until you’re finished doing whatever you’re doing,” said Shelby.

  “Nonsense,” said Sirena, “We’ve just started. Why don’t you join us?”

  “No thank you,” said Scarlet.

  “But I thought you liked communal bathing. You did before as I recall. Remember your party six months ago?”

  Scarlet crossed her arms and her face blushed red.

  “From what I remember you were naked in the pool, off your head, with four hunky guys who were only too pleased to give you a good time. You were like a bitch on heat.”

  “That’s because you spiked my drink with Libido, you bitch and you know it,” said Scarlet spitting out her words like venom.

  “Whoa,” said Shelby. “Let’s call a truce. There’s no point about raking up the past. All we want is some answers to questions about Diane. She was Scarlet’s mother, and your friend. Don’t you want to help?”

  “Well, we’re not answering questions unless you at least join us in the tub.”

  “I can get a warrant,” said Shelby.

  “Then try. We have the best attorneys in Angel City. I wish you luck.”

  Shelby looked at Scarlet for an answer. Scarlet grimaced and nodded. “Okay, we’ll join you in the tub. But that’s all,” said Shelby.

  “You can change in the bedroom.”

  Scarlet and Shelby went into the bedroom.

  “What was that all about?” said Scarlet.

  Scarlet was far from pleased. “I’ll tell you later. I’m not playing their silly sex games.”

  “It’s no big deal. We sit in the tub and string them along. We ask them questions and then we leave.”

  “They’re manipulative.”

  “They can’t force you to do anything you don’t want to.”

  Two towel dressing gowns were set out on the bed for them.

  “Shall we?” said Shelby.

  “I don’t like this.”

  “We’ve seen each other naked before.”

  “It’s not you I’m worried about: it’s them.”

  “But if it’s the only way of getting the information about your mother…”

  She huffed. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

  A few minutes later, they were climbing into the tub together.

  “That wasn’t so difficult, was it?” said Organa. “Would you like a drink?”

  “No thank you. It’s probably spiked,” said Scarlet.

  “Are you two together in the biblical sense?” said Organa.

  “Yes,” said Scarlet, before he could answer.

  Shelby choked. He hadn't expected Scarlet's reply, but if she wanted to play games with them, he would go along with it.

  Organa laughed. “I don’t believe it, little miss goody-goody with a fit boyfriend. We thought you weren’t interested in boys unless they were cybernetic.”

  Scarlet ignored her.

  “So have you two been intimate together?”

  “Why else would he move into my apartment?”

  “So perhaps you could show us some of that intimacy.”

  “Don’t be silly,” said Scarlet.

  “Oh, come now, a little kiss wouldn’t harm anyone.”

  Scarlet went bright red.

  “See, I knew you were lying.”

  Scarlet turned to Shelby, put her hands on his cheeks, and kissed him. Her lips felt tender, sensual, engrossing. For a second, he was a teenager again excited by his first kiss and the fear he might not measure up to expectations. Then he realised he had to play his part in the charade. His arm went round her back, and he pulled her closer to him. She moved onto his lap as they continued to kiss. For a minute, he had forgotten they were not alone. And then it was over.

  Organa’s mouth dropped open. “Wow… Maybe you have grown up. I like to see a little action. So, if you want to go further, don’t let me stop you. Just pretend we’re not here.”

  Scarlet gritted her teeth and looked like she might hit Organa.

  “That’s enough. You’ve had your fun,” said Shelby. “Now we
need to deal with why we are here. You are both persons of interest in a murder case. I need some honest answers from you.”

  “Heavens. I never thought of it like that.”

  “First, you could explain your relationship with Diane Chambers.”

  Organa, took a deep breath. “Okay. We met at university, shared rooms together, and became close friends. The three of us shared everything, and I mean everything. It was the start of the free-love renaissance, and we embraced the hedonistic culture. We also shared a common interest in cybernetics. I created my own bio-cyber company. Diane built her own company, AndroDigm, to design cutting-edge android technology. Sirena went into bio-technology.”

  “That’s right,” said Sirena. “My company is a medical business specialising in genetics. We help customers produce genetically designed babies and deal with other medical problems. We all worked together. For example, Diane helped to design some of the gene sequencing software for me.”

  “And I worked with Diane on human cybernetic interfaces. Our skills sets were complimentary. We helped each other.”

  “Is there anyone, for example a competitor, who would benefit from Diane’s death?” said Shelby.

  “Not me,” said Organa. “We had just started a project together, which if successful would have been worth billions. Without Diane, it’s dead.”

  “Tell me about it?”

  She paused to think. “I suppose there’s no reason I shouldn’t tell you now. Diane was designing the software to download the human mind to an android cortex using my cybernetic-human interface.”

  “What makes you think the project’s dead?”

  “Diane’s dead. No one else could complete it. Even if they could find her research notes, I doubt if anyone could finish it. She was brilliant. And she was so secretive about her research I doubt if anyone could even find it.”

  “Who’s in charge of AndroDigm Corporation now?”

  “That’s easy, Jordan Jeffries. Jordan and Diane were the senior partners that controlled the business together. They were more than just good friends. They were lovers. Perhaps he would know who might have a motive to kill her. I’m sure he has enemies that would have wanted to stop the project going ahead.”

  Shelby stood up. “Thank you, that’s all we need to know.”

  “Thank you,” said Organa staring straight at his man parts. Shelby felt a shiver run down his back. These two women were like nothing he had met before: they were female sexual predators that enjoyed making their prey uneasy. They would have been just as comfortable in a low-life brothel as they were in a luxury penthouse suite in fashionable Angel City.

  Shelby and Scarlet left Organa and Sirena and returned to the apartment.

  * * *

  When they returned Scarlet opened a bottle of wine. “Will you have a drink with me? I want to get drunk.”

  “What’s the matter?”

  She handed him a glass of wine. “Those harpies. I hate them. They’ve ruined my life; tormented me. And still they won’t leave me alone.”

  “I can’t say, I particularly liked them either,” said Shelby.

  “They humiliated me.”

  “Was it the kiss that upset you?”

  She was pouring the next glass. “They tricked me into that. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told them we were together. I fell into their trap.”

  “It was just a kiss.”

  “Just a kiss?” She sloshed the next glass back. “Maybe to you. I…” she stopped in mid-sentence. “Forget I said that. It wasn’t the kiss.”

  “Then what was it?” He took the glass away from her. “What is really bugging you?”

  “The party they talked about… They spiked my drinks with Libido.”

  “You told me that already.”

  “They’re the reason I had an almighty fight with my mum. I told her what they did, and she just laughed. She said I should grow up and join the real world. So I said I would never speak to her again, and left.”

  “No wonder you don’t like them.”

  “It’s the reason I went to Lucifer’s Pleasure Cave. I thought, what the hell if my mother doesn’t care what I do, then why should I. I went a bit crazy.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “Can’t you work it out. It’s a sex club.”

  “So you had a good time. Young people do. So what?”

  She put her head in her hands for a moment and took a deep breath. “I was a sex addict hooked on Libido. Most of the girls there were.”

  “It’s not meant to be addictive.”

  “That’s what the pharmaceutical companies want you to believe. But great sex is addictive.”

  “Are you still taking it?”

  “I haven’t touched it since that first night in the cabin.”

  “You took it then?”

  “Didn’t you notice? I was as horny as hell that night.”

  “I thought it was just my good looks.”

  She laughed and then sighed. “I’ve news for you. You’re not as good looking as you think. It was the drug. So you see; I’m no miss goody-goody like they said. I was once, but it was a long time ago. And that young girl has gone forever.”

  “Did you know that the Morelli family owned Lucifer’s Pleasure Cave?”

  “No. I was desperate for money and they were paying sky-high rates. It was just a summer job before I could get on the staff of a university cybernetics department. I didn’t know once you join you become part of the family.”

  “They kill people, sell drugs, and abuse young girls.”

  “I know… I screwed up. Haven’t you ever screwed up?”

  “Oh, I’ve screwed up big time.”

  “Worse than me?”

  “Oh, much worse, much worse than that.”

  She stared into his eyes. “Tell me.”

  “I’m not great at talking about myself.”

  She laughed. “I would never have thought that… Please indulge me a little.”

  “Before I was a marshal, I was in Special Forces. I loved it. I couldn’t get enough of it. It was just one mission after another. But I should’ve been with my wife and daughter. I didn’t understand how much they meant to me until I lost them.”

  “What happened?”

  “They were both murdered about a year ago.”

  “Losing a loved one is unbearable. Losing two must be devastating. Did the police find the killer?”

  “They went through the motions, but they couldn’t establish who did it or why. I don’t want anyone else to be let down by the justice system like me.”

  “I’m so sorry. It must still hurt. Is that why you still wear her ring?”

  “Yeah. And someday I’ll find my wife and daughter’s killer and I’ll bring them to justice.”

  “You mean kill them.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Do you have any potential suspects?”

  “There was one: James Harrison. He was in my regiment. The guy was a psycho. One of his missions went wrong and several innocent bystanders were killed. The regiment gave him a dishonourable discharge, and he blamed me for it.”

  “Why didn’t the police arrest him?”

  “There was no hard evidence, and the police couldn’t question him.”

  “Why not?”

  “Shortly after the murder, he was in an accident that put him in a coma.”

  “So what happened to him?”

  “That’s it — I don’t know. He was taken by his family to a private hospital somewhere. But his records of where he was taken disappeared. When I have time, I’ll follow it up.”

  “And it’s my fault you haven’t got time to work on the case. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s no one’s fault. I’ll get around to it, eventually.”

  She smiled at him. It told him she cared and that they had something in common. They were both broken in different ways and both suffered from losing loved ones. They finished the bottle and said goodnight to each other.


  * * *

  The following day Scarlet was called to the offices of Diane Chambers’s legal counsel for the reading of her will. Shelby escorted her there.

  George Taylor, the executor, read out the details of the will. Scarlet was the sole surviving member of Diane’s family and was entitled to the residue of the estate after certain small bequests. The details of the estate were however quite complex involving a long list of property interests, investments and her interest in AndroDigm.

  George Taylor explained the legal structure of AndroDigm: “AndroDigm is incorporated as a Limited Liability Partnership. Twenty percent of the partnership capital is held by equity voting partners while 80% was held by a trust representing the interests of the non-voting limited liability partners. You hold 51% of the voting equity capital; and 49% is held by Jordan Jeffries,” said George Taylor.

  “What does that all mean?” said Scarlet.

  “It means you have effective control of AndroDigm’s Management Board and you are entitled to 10.2% of the partnership profits.”

  “But I don’t know anything about business.”

  “You don’t have to change anything. You can simply let the existing board continue. By all accounts AndroDigm has been extremely successful — the market leader in the cyber-tech sector. It’s up to you what you do with the business.”

  “And who are the limited partners?” said Shelby.

  George Taylor smiled. “That’s difficult to answer. The trust representing them is only accountable to them. It is clearly a device to protect their identities.”

  “Is that legal?”

  “It’s unusual. But the bank acting as trustee is a reputable bank and will need to follow its own due diligence on the limited partner investors and the sources of their funds.”

  “And what is the value of AndroDigm?”

  “I don’t have a precise number. But it’s rumoured to be in excess of one hundred billion. That makes Ms Chambers’s investment worth about 10.2 billion credits. You are a very wealthy lady, Miss Chambers.” He smiled again.

  Scarlet let out a sigh. “Bloody hell. What do I do Shelby?”

  “Mr Taylor is right. You don’t need to do anything. And it’s probably wise not to do anything before you understand the business. Give yourself time to get acquainted with the business and the people running it.”