STRANGE BODIES (a gripping crime thriller) (12 page)

‘Yes, that’s the current market value in Australian dollars,’ said Sir Marcus blandly. ‘You’re quite a catch.’ He laughed at the stricken look on the Commander’s face. ‘It’s not really that huge when you consider a house like Verity’s would cost you about $5 million today.’

‘Does Ms Burne, Verity know about this? I have to see her tonight about those Richardson murder scenes that were sent to her computer. We have to try to trace their origin, find who sent them.’

Marcus leapt up, his chair clattering against the console behind him.

‘What pictures? What are you saying? Did some bastard send her scenes from that murder?’ He was standing now, no longer a smiling, affable man, but a fierce warrior, ready to defend at all and any cost. Nicholas stood too and though he was a little taller he felt overwhelmed by his presence.

He realised for the first time that this was the real Marcus, the brilliant but ruthless businessman who owned so much, who had expanded his grandfather’s and his father’s businesses, had created dozens of new ones, had doubled and redoubled his holdings until it was impossible to even estimate his worth; it must be in the billions. He persuaded governments and built moon bases, satellites, space stations, solar collectors. His companies created an oasis in the very heart of Australia. The power generated by that amount of money and influence was now evident—it radiated from him in waves. Then he sat and it was gone as abruptly as it had appeared.

‘She got them last night. She said the bodies were lying on the ground and partly covered up and some shots showed something carved on their backs. Only the murderer could have sent them to her.’ Nicholas said.

‘So who have you found to do a search? He’d have to be bloody good. If Verity can’t trace the bastard I’d find it hard to believe anyone else could.’

‘Is she really that good?’ asked Nicholas. ‘I didn’t realise. Maybe I should cancel …’

‘No, don’t do that. This hot shot just might find something she’s missed. And besides it gives you a chance to see her again.’ His eyes positively twinkled as he said that.

‘She doesn’t respond to me in that way. Well, we talked but she’s made it pretty clear she’s not interested. She’s not still in love with her late husband, is she?’

‘Nicholas, you are cleared to near top security. You can access all records, national and international way up to Top Secret level. So why haven’t you?’

‘I didn’t feel it was justified at this stage of the investigation. She is not a suspect. And it didn’t feel right, intruding on her privacy.’

Marcus thought for a few seconds.
Is now the time to tell him, to tell Nicholas why I engineered his move to Australia? He was the right man for the job, but he was also the right man for Verity
. He smiled inwardly.
I bet no one would have guessed that.

‘I appreciate your delicacy in this, Nick. It just reinforces my opinion of you. Let me tell you a little about Verity’s husband.

‘Terry Maguire, Major Terence Maguire, was a specialist in psych warfare with the US Army. Putting it simply, he was a good looking charmer from a respectable Irish-American family, who was discreetly let go by the US Army after 15 years of service.

‘Verity had spent most of her life to this point in academic research, a little naïve and unworldly perhaps and not much for socialising. Early on she discovered a knack for electronics and was usually in front of a computer or in a lab. She developed a talent for science writing at some stage and often contributed articles to various publications, wrote a couple of pop science books, explaining complex things in simple ways. Of course there was a shortage of new equipment and research funds were scarce—I helped a bit there.

‘She and Maguire met at her PhD ceremony, introduced by his sister who was an associate. He literally swept her off her feet and they were married only a few weeks later. I was away at the Kaguya moon base, down in Shackleton crater, setting up the solar lab. It was one of the few times I was incommunicado, or I would have found some way to stop it.’ He looked quite savage as he spoke.

‘For some reason, the lunar-synchronous satellite wasn’t working so we had to rely on our suit radios and relay bounces—quite tedious and time consuming.

‘Although Maguire was from a good solid Boston family, I discovered he’d always been … a bad seed, let’s say. Verity had a large apartment and he moved in with her, which made sense as he was away on duty a lot of the time and she was working on her AI research. I didn’t see her too often and apart from being paler and quieter than usual she seemed alright. I suppose I just thought she had been working too hard, which she often did. I must admit I had other things on my mind.’

He paused for a few brooding seconds. ‘My beloved Elizabeth had just been diagnosed with the inoperable brain tumour that eventually killed her. By law, and for good medical reasons, nanobots can’t work on brain tissue. If that tumour had been anywhere else in her body …’ His voice trailed away and he sat silently before shaking his head as if to clear it of sad memories.

‘How ironic that we have eliminated most of the diseases that plagued our planet but we are still helpless with some of nature’s worst curses,’ said Nicholas quietly.

‘I heard things, of course. I had people watching him and had a very good idea of what he was up to. I don’t want to get into all the details but I’ll simply say he deserved to be shot, and he was.’

Nicholas gave him a hard look.

‘No, Nicholas, not on my orders. Not my style. No, Major Maguire had made plenty of enemies and the only surprise is that he lasted as long as he did.’

‘So how did Verity take it? Is she still grieving for him?’

Marcus snorted. ‘Ha. By that time they’d been married for three years and she knew exactly what he was. She tried to leave him a few times but he always found her and dragged her back, or had her dragged back by one of his cronies. Adelaide was in New York then and told me that when they spoke Verity nearly always blocked vision, so she only heard her voice.’

Marcus stood and walked over to the coffee pot and poured two cups. He handed one to Nicholas, sat, drank some coffee then continued.

‘Let me just say what happened to Verity in the hands of that fucking creature is …’

Nicholas could see the rage building in him again and reached out for his coffee, clattering the spoon, and, hoping to distract Marcus, said, ‘I don’t know what to say. I’m guessing from what you
haven’t
said that he mistreated her physically, and quite badly.’

Marcus’ colour subsided. He said quietly, ‘Fortunately I had someone close by watching over her. The day after he was found shot in New York, my watcher found her half dead. They had to operate on her, but it’s the mental scars that took so long to heal.’ He took out a handkerchief and dabbed under his eyes.

‘I love those girls. We never had children but I’ve always felt they are all as much my children as if they were born to Elizabeth and me. After she came out of hospital, Amy took her to New York and they stayed with Adelaide for a few months.’

‘Amy? Do you mean Amy Lightfoot? My sergeant knows her too. I gather they grew up together in Scotland. I met her at Miss Browne’s place.’

‘Yes, that Amy. Fortunately she and Adelaide hit it off and when Verity was ready to move on, Adelaide offered her a job and she jumped at it. I was sorry to lose her but happy she was staying in the family, as it were.’

Both men sat in silence for a minute after Marcus finished speaking.

‘I almost wish you hadn’t told me all this,’ said Nicholas eventually. ‘I feel as though I’ve intruded on her privacy somehow.’

Marcus said fiercely, ‘If he hadn’t died that night, he would have died very soon after.’

‘Don’t tell me that. I’m still a copper, Marcus.’

‘Ah, well, it’s maybe just wishful thinking now, hindsight talking.’

‘How do I deal with this? I don’t know … has she had professional help?’

‘Yes, she was seeing one of the top people here for a couple of years, I believe. She came straight to Sydney where I had a job and a therapist lined up for her. The complete change was good for her and she bought that house from me … wouldn’t let me give it to her, then threw herself into redesigning it from top to bottom. It’s an astonishing place. Simple, but full of surprises.’

‘Nicholas, I told you all this because I think you may be the one to get through to Verity. In spite of all you’ve seen and done in your job, you have a gentle soul and a generous heart. I know all about your late wife, and I also know how you cared for your mother during the last, lost years of her life.’

‘I don’t know whether to thank you or curse you, Marcus. You’ve given me two heavy burdens today, wealth and sorrow. Sorrow for Verity. And a smidgen of hope, too, I must admit. I’ll try one step at a time and hope she will learn to trust me. The money, I won’t even think about that yet. All of the income coming to me from my father’s trust fund goes to charities. I am quite comfortable now on the very generous salary I’m paid.’

‘You might consider buying a house, Nicholas—I strongly recommend it. And I would also suggest you supervise every step of the security arrangements if you do so. In fact I would get Verity to do that.’

‘What are you telling me or rather, not telling me? Is my apartment bugged? Don’t be ridiculous. Why on earth … ?’

‘No, it probably isn’t, but have it swept occasionally, is my advice. This is a society that takes the security of its citizens very, very seriously. The benefits are huge but we have to sacrifice some personal privacy. I’ll say no more … even here.’ He looked around the room and Nicholas could have sworn even he looked a little apprehensive.

‘This day just gets more and more confusing. And now I’d better get back to work.’

‘I’ll have to take you. The system is security coded to me and to Gray only.’ He slid up a small panel next to the elevator door and pressed his thumb on a concealed button. After giving his own name and ID number he asked Nicholas to speak. He slid the panel down then said, ‘Nick, my boy, you are now in. Take us down!’ He whispered in a conspiratorial voice, ‘Don’t tell Gray or Nash.’

They entered the lift together and Adams placed his hand on the panel. Before the doors re-opened Marcus handed Nicholas what looked like a small lapel pin with the company’s logo etched into its silvery surface.

‘This is a special sat-phone, just like Verity’s, and it will signal me wherever I am on or off the world. It’s linked through my private satellite, untraceable and untappable. I leave for New Zealand in a couple of days and then the States after that. They’ve finally decided to expand the SunSat network right across the USA. If they’d done it years ago when Australia did, it would have cost them a lot less.’

As they stepped out of the elevator he grinned wolfishly showing his big white teeth. ‘Serves them right. Australia wasn’t afraid to embrace new technology and that’s why we have such cheap, clean electricity here. Remind me to tell you that story one day.’

He handed Nicholas a small silver wand and a sealed envelope. ‘On that are your trust fund details. There is another one in the envelope with more information about Verity and Maguire. Up to you if you listen. Goodbye and good luck, my boy.’

They shook hands warmly. Adams nodded goodbye to Mrs Tennant as he left.’

Lara Nash escorted him down to the foyer. She stepped out of the lift before saying, ‘It was real good to meet you, Commander. Any time you feel like a bit of hand-to-hand just give me a call.’

As Nicholas set off back to his office he mused,
nothing reticent about that young lady
. He recalled the possessive grasp of Orlando Gray on her arm and guessed he wouldn’t have been too pleased with the idea of another man going hand-to-hand with Ms Nash.

Suddenly he changed his mind and crossed the road to take a walk in Hyde Park where summer had come early this year and there seemed to be hundreds of people enjoying the fresh air and hot sunshine, the soft green of new foliage.

Today had been … eventful. That was a good word. He could think of a lot of others but that would do. He sat on a secluded bench and stretched his legs out, closed his eyes and tried to blank his mind for a few minutes.

He switched his mind to the astonishing news that he was a wealthy man. And also wondered if Marcus was telling him something about his apartment. He decided to arrange a security sweep as soon as he was back in his office. Did the government really keep such a close eye on its citizens? Or was Marcus just a little paranoid? He knew all computers were linked to
BigSys
, that all streets were monitored, that all citizens were on record. In his position he had access to most of it, but the constant surveillance didn’t seem to bother anyone except newcomers and a few dissidents.

But what was Marcus telling him about Orlando Gray? It seemed odd that he didn’t want him to know that Nick now had access to the private elevator. And not forgetting the sat phone. He pulled it out of his top pocket and studied the design, marvelling at the fact that this tiny piece of metal could reach anywhere in the world or even to the moon and the satellites. Presumably Gray and Lara Nash had one of these, so why didn’t Marcus want them to know he had one? Mysteries for another time.

He liked the idea of owning a house in Australia then he realised he’d had little idea of what was available and what prices were likely to be. Millions it seemed.