Roll Call

by Malcolm Rose

  “That is not possible,” Malc replied. “There are no frequencies in the human range that can set up harmful resonances...”

  Luke interrupted. “Forget it, Malc.”

  “I do not forget anything. Human memory is poor because a person loses thirty million brain cells over an average lifetime. I am regularly upgraded so my processing capacity increases.”

  “Show-off,” Luke muttered. “Now, shush. It’s about to start.”

  Jade raised her eyebrows. “You sound like Barbara Backley.”

  Luke was about to ask who Barbara Backley was when the curtain fell back to reveal a singer swamped by a huge green dress.

  Jade steeled herself for the ordeal.

  Trying to ignore the star’s overpowering voice, Luke sat back and thought about two other young women with the same name. He was wondering if his murder victim and the girl from Dundee could be mistaken for the opera singer. Malc had been no use at all. With his sophisticated face-recognition system, he would never confuse them because he could measure many features that were dissimilar. But that wasn’t the point. It was down to the human eye and Luke wanted to see the singer in the flesh.

  He’d checked out Emily’s contacts in Woburn and the man who’d discovered her body in the wood. None of them was remotely suspicious and there had not been a breakout from Woburn Prison. Luke hadn’t picked up a worthwhile scent. The pathology report hadn’t helped with the stabbing weapon. There were no marks on the victim’s body, other than the stab wound which had been caused by an unknown round instrument. Unknown. Luke had got fed up of hearing that word. From the wound, the pathologist had concluded only that Emily had been pierced by something clean and about one centimetre in diameter. It had been sharp but it had not scratched her bone.

  The pathologist’s notes had cleared up one mystery. Emily was an unusual person because she had the condition called situs inversus totalis. For every eight thousand normal births, there would be one baby born with this quirk. All of her internal organs were on the wrong side, so her heart lay to the right side of her chest instead of the left. Whoever had killed her was lucky or knew that she had a wrong-way-round body. The unknown implement had punctured the right ventricle of her heart, leading to rapid death through internal haemorrhage.

  Luke had not been assigned officially to the death of EW1, as he and Malc referred to the young woman in Dundee, but he’d made a few informal enquiries. In the sophisticated north, everyone’s health was monitored regularly. Samples were analysed automatically by smart toilets. An unusual result would be transmitted directly to the person’s health centre. According to her medical records, EW1 had died from an unexplained condition while she was perfectly healthy. It didn’t seem like natural causes to FI Luke Harding.

  On the stage, another EW was warbling and shrieking. Luke was trying not to wince, just like he did when he had to approach a dead body. Around him, most of the audience in the Concert Hall seemed to be awestruck. Jade looked shell-shocked. Luke guessed that she was annoyed. She was annoyed that he’d dragged her along and annoyed with herself for not bringing earplugs.

  Luke glanced at her, smiled and squeezed her upper arm. Almost every day he’d spent in the south, he’d seen her image on his telescreen while they chatted, but she was so much more attractive close up. Her nearness made his heart race. If Jade had been in the habit of indulging his tastes, she would have been redheaded for this reunion. But Luke knew that she was too busy in her sound studio and far too independent to pander to him. Her hair was several shades of blue. It didn’t really go with her skin, somewhat lighter than the normal tan, but he loved her for turning her back on convention.

  The last two hours of the year seemed everlasting, but eventually Emily Wonder’s tour de force came to an end with a sustained note that seemed to rattle Luke’s brain. She finished exactly on cue as the clock struck midnight. The rapt audience clapped and cheered wildly, Luke and Jade welcomed the birth of a new year with a kiss, and Emily Wonder bowed repeatedly.

  When the applause finally faded, Luke whispered in Jade’s ear, “I think we should go backstage to meet her.”

  “What? But...” Jade paused and then nodded knowingly. “This is something to do with your case, isn’t it? That’s why you brought Malc. You said you’ve got a dead body of someone called Emily Wonder. You also said you’d come to see me – celebrate Year Birth with me – but you really came to see a different Emily Wonder! Well, this one’s alive and kicking. My poor battered ears prove that.”

  Luke couldn’t deny it. “She was a good excuse, that’s all. I wanted to see you, she was appearing here, so... here I am, squeezing as much juice as I can out of the occasion.”

  “She’ll be surrounded by bouncers. You’ll never get in. She’s famously protective of her privacy.”

  Luke flashed his identity card. “Remember an FI’s power.”

  Jade was partly right. The corridor was packed with well-wishers, people carrying lavish bouquets, and security staff. Luke, Malc and Jade cut through it all. Inside Emily’s dressing room, the overexcited Concert Hall manager was gushing about the performance. Barbara Backley had both hands to her cheeks as if flushed with emotion. “You are unique. What a voice. Brilliant! Thank you so much.” Distracted by Luke and Malc, she turned and said, “Who are you?” There was an accusation in her tone. She appeared irritated that anyone should intrude while she was praising the celebrity singer. It seemed like she wanted Emily to herself. She also seemed to be protecting the star, even from a forensic investigator. Then, seeing Jade Vernon and knowing her as a local musician, she softened her manner. “Ah. Jade. So pleased you were here to see it.”

  Another woman came up to Emily and handed her a decorative card. Emily read the message and smiled. “Thanks, Freya. Put it with the others.”

  Realizing that Freya was the singer’s assistant, Luke held out his identity card towards the Concert Hall manager and Emily Wonder. “FI Luke Harding.”

  “What do you want?” Barbara demanded jealously.

  Looking at Emily, Luke said, “I need to ask you a couple of things.”

  Emily nodded as if she’d already figured out his questions. “Yes?”

  “I wondered if you’ve been threatened in the last few months.”

  Emily’s face changed at once. “But I thought...”

  “What?” Luke asked.

  “I thought you’d just used your status to get in here to meet me. I thought you were going to ask me about opera, my interpretation and so on. Everyone else does. I didn’t know...”

  “I’m an investigator,” Luke explained. “I investigate.”

  “What are you investigating? It’s twelve thirty and I’ve been singing for two hours.”

  Barbara butted in. “I don’t think this is the right time and place...”

  At the door, Freya collected another bouquet and thanked someone whom Luke could not see. Freya shut the door and added the flowers to the growing pile.

  “I’m sorry,” Luke said, “but, if I don’t ask now, the opportunity’s gone. So, has anyone harassed you or tried to hurt you?”

  Emily pulled a face. “I have secret admirers, not enemies.” She waved at the mountain of bouquets. “See? People throw flowers at me, nothing else.” Then she turned to Barbara and said, “It’s all right. You can leave us. I’m sure he won’t keep me long.”

  Barbara frowned at Luke, nodded towards Jade, and then left.

  “Why do you want to know?” Emily’s voice was quiet and ordinary, unlike her booming vocals when she was on stage.

  “It’s just routine security.”

  “Freya looks after me. She’d know if I got any threatening messages.”

  From the other side of the room, Emily’s minder shook her head.

  Emily said, “Check the pile of cards if you like. They’re all good will. Most tell me I’m an angel – and a quite a few want to pair with me.” She smiled sweetly.

  “You’ll be twenty next year...
I mean, later this year. You’re coming up to The Time.”

  “That’s right.”

  Exhausted, the singer was sitting down. She was agreeably plump but a lot smaller than her voice and her stage dress. Looming over her, Luke could tell that she was not tall. He estimated that she was about the same height as Jade. He said, “So, no one’s bothered you at all?”

  She smiled weakly. “Only an FI after a gruelling performance.”

  “I’m nearly done,” Luke replied. “I guess you move around a lot.”

  Emily nodded and sipped a fruit dink that Freya handed to her.

  “Have you been to Woburn?”

  “Woburn?” She looked shocked at the notion. “Isn’t it a prison and not much else? I’ve never been south of Coventry. I don’t think people down there would take to me. Or me to them.”

  “How about Dundee?”

  She nodded. “They have a beautiful music hall.”

  Jade said, “Very fine acoustics.”

  Emily looked at her for a moment and said, “You’re a musician. That’s why Barbara knows you.”

  Jade nodded.

  Trying to get back on track, Luke asked, “Were you there – in Dundee – this summer? July?”

  Emily wiped away the sweat on her face with a towel and then shrugged. “You’ll have to ask Freya. She keeps my diary.”

  “Never mind,” Luke replied. “I can check a database of your appearances. I meant, did you go socially, to see friends or whatever?”

  “No.” Then, after a pause, she added, “Music’s my friend.”

  “All right. I’ll leave you in peace.”

  Luke was about to leave when Emily said, “Investigator Harding?”

  “Yes?”

  “You didn’t say if you enjoyed my recital.”

  “Um. It was... amazing voice.”

  Emily chuckled at his discomfort. “I’m glad you didn’t tell me it was fantastic if you didn’t like it. I appreciate honesty. What about you, Jade?”

  Jade smiled. “Oh, I agree with you. I appreciate honesty as well.”

  Chapter Four

  Wrapped up against the night chill, Luke asked Jade about Barbara Backley. “She seemed a bit... fanatical.”

  “She’s... old-fashioned. A purist,” Jade replied, stamping her feet on the pavement outside the concert hall. “She’s the type that scowls at anyone who dares to cough during a performance. She didn’t have to worry about tonight. The place was deadly quiet – just how she likes it.” Jade hesitated before saying, “Anyway, aren’t you off-duty now, FI Harding?”

  “I guess so.” Feeling that he ought to make it up to Jade, he said, “Come on. Let’s go out to the hills.”

  “What? It’s one o’clock in the morning! And it’s freezing.”

  “What else are you going to do? Go to sleep? I like the night and I want to see the Peaks covered in snow.”

  “You won’t see much.”

  “Look.” Luke pointed up into the sky. “Plenty of moon. It’ll be great. Come on. I could go with you or Malc. You’ll be warmer, though.”

  At once, Malc objected. “I can heat...”

  Luke interrupted. “Yeah. But are you warm-blooded?”

  “No.”

  “Will you enjoy snowy hills by moonlight?”

  “I do not have the capacity to enjoy anything,” Malc answered.

  “That’s it then. It’s got to be Jade.”

  Malc replied, “I should accompany you.”

  “Don’t you need a recharge?” Luke asked him.

  “No.”

  Luke smiled. “Can’t you take a hint?”

  “I perform better when given a clear instruction.”

  “Okay. This has got nothing to do with the case. You go back to the hotel and wait.”

  ****

  Luke’s identity card in the freeway reader brought an electric cab to a halt outside the hall. “Where do you suggest?” he asked Jade, as they clambered inside.

  “I like Millstone Edge, by Hathersage. There’s a viewpoint.”

  Towards the microphone, Luke said, “The viewpoint on the route to Hathersage.”

  Immediately, the cab took off at speed. The freeway through Sheffield was busy with noisy revellers celebrating Year Birth. It wasn’t like London and the other southern cities. There, late-night antics would be very dangerous and anyone roaming the freeways after dark was not likely to be friendly. Leaving Sheffield behind, a calm settled around them. Suddenly, Luke and Jade seemed to be the only people on the planet.

  On Burbage Rocks, high above Sheffield on its south-western side, the new silvery geothermal power station glinted. Three columns of steam rose thickly into the night air from its chimneys. The station pumped cold water five kilometres down into the earth where the planet itself boiled the water. Converted underground into superheated steam, it returned to the surface where it was used to drive a turbine and make the city’s electricity. Snow and ice above ground, red-hot rock below.

  Beyond the power station, just before the corridor plunged down to the tiny village of Hathersage, there was a spectacular view over the fells, looking towards Derbyshire. It was cold and crisp and utterly still, like a painting. “Brilliant!” Luke whispered.

  “You sound like Barbara Backley talking to Emily Wonder,” Jade said with a grin as she grasped his hand.

  “I guess I do. It’s just that... you know... I don’t get this down south.” He pulled his hand away from hers and instead wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “And I don’t get you. We’ve got to make the most of our time together.”

  “You told me you were working on your case in Woburn. You didn’t say there was a Dundee connection.”

  “Another Emily Wonder died there in summer, but it could’ve been natural. Maybe it’s just coincidence.”

  “You don’t believe that.”

  Jade had always been able to read his mind. “No.”

  “Georgia Bowie’s in Dundee,” said Jade sadly.

  Luke looked away from the peaceful sub-zero moorland and gazed at his forbidden girlfriend. He could see that she was bitter about the biologist who would be paired with him. “And there’s an artist here in Sheffield. You haven’t even told me his name but The Authorities will pair him with you, come The Time.”

  “Yeah.” Having no other words, she hugged Luke instead.

  “You never know what the new year might bring.”

  Jade stared upwards. “Look at the sky.”

  It was as clear and perfect as the projection that Malc threw onto Luke’s bedroom ceiling to help him sleep. He smiled. “I know what you’re thinking.”

  “It’s just like the night we left Birmingham. Really starry.”

  “At school, you said it felt naughty, silly and romantic.”

  Jade laughed softly. “I don’t remember Malc being there, recording what I said.”

  “I don’t need Malc to remember everything that night.”

  Jade squeezed him. “It’s a pity you can’t get The Authorities to overhaul the pairing rules now you’re an FI.”

  Luke nodded. “True. But I’m supposed to uphold the law, not change it.”

  ****

  Back in the warm hotel room, Luke looked at Malc and said, “Well? Did you spot anything in Emily Wonder’s dressing room?”

  “As you requested, I scanned every available surface with visible light. I recorded too many artefacts to read to you. Are you interested in any particular finding?”

  Luke smiled. Stating what seemed obvious to him, he said, “Yes. A contact lens. In particular, one that fits the prescription for EW2 in Woburn.”

  “Not detected.”

  “That’s pretty much what I expected,” Luke replied. “If the contact lens shot out of her eye when she was attacked, it could’ve lodged on the killer’s coat. The opera star’s coats weren’t on view. Anyway, the instruction stands, Malc. Every time I interview someone, scan every accessible surface for the contact lens. If they’re wearing
a coat, do a fine scan over it.”

  “Logged.”

  “I’m not going to ask you for a result every time. Just tell me if you come across it. Right now,” he said, looking at the time glowing on the telescreen, “I’m going to bed. If I’m lucky, I’ll get to sleep before it’s time to wake up.”

  ****

  Instructor Clint Garrett stepped forward with a strange smile frozen on his lips. “This morning,” he announced to Edinburgh School’s Year 7, “I killed someone.” He paused, glaring at every single one of the students, waiting for the shock to sink in. “Murder,” he said grimly, as if he were excited, ashamed and proud simultaneously. “I took the knife and held it high over my victim’s head.” Raising an arm dramatically, he acted out the scene. “She was scared stiff by what was about to happen to her. Totally unable to move. You should have seen the terror on her face. While she was still transfixed, I plunged the knife down deep into her chest and there you are. The deed was done. I threw the knife down and ran away.”

  Earl Dimmock nudged the girl sitting next to him, nodded towards the window and whispered, “It’s snowing again.”

  “Shush,” Tina said, “I’m listening.”

  “Ooh, sorry, I’m sure.”

  Tina loved the thick snow, the slides on the hillside, the glassy smoothness of ice, the snowball fights, and breath that came out like steam, but she liked Instructor Garrett’s lessons more. Next year, Tina would specialize in criminology. And when she left school, she was determined to be a forensic investigator.

  Mr Garrett lowered his arm and broke into a smile. “I’m going to say that a forensic investigator will dash in here in a few minutes with a mobile aid to law and crime and charge me with murder. Why?”

  Tina put her hand up. “Because you’ve left too many clues.”

  “Like what?”

  “Your clothes’ll be covered in blood. You’ve left footprints in it probably. And the knife. It’ll be traced to you, especially if you’ve left fingerprints on it.”

  Standing in front of the school’s bright green wall-hanging, Instructor Garrett smiled. “Exactly. And that’s just for starters. A good FI will find a hundred other clues that point straight at me.” He hesitated and shook his head. “No. That’s not the way to do it. The most important piece of evidence at the scene of any violent crime is the weapon. That’s what links the victim to the perpetrator. It always provides clues – fingerprints, traces, manufacturer, supplier – and they all lead to the culprit. So, if I want to be a successful murderer, I don’t leave a weapon. And I don’t hide it. Hidden weapons are found – sooner or later – by an FI and a mobile. A knife or a gun thrown in a lake – not a frozen one,” he added with a smirk, “will be found one way or another. Mobiles can perform scans that penetrate water to a depth of a metre or so. Divers can be brought in to search. Sometimes an FI might demand to have a pond or reservoir drained. No. I’m going to tell you, the best way of making sure the weapon’s never found is to use one that can be destroyed afterwards without leaving a trace. If I don’t want to get caught, I should always destroy the weapon. Without fail. And I don’t use a gun because a gun leaves a bullet and that’s another link between me and the crime scene.”