The Cloned Identity (15 page)

“Ah, there you are, my dear. Are you all right?”

“Yes, Edward. Has that nasty man gone yet?”

“Now, don't worry about him. He can't hurt you ever again, but I need your help to take him away. Now, don't worry – he can't hurt you now. Wait here and I'll be back in a minute.”

I left her and went and found Roger's car. Using the keys I had taken from his pocket, I drove it on the grass round to the back of the lab and parked it as close to the fire door as I could. I then had a look in the boot and the glovebox and under the seat – nothing interesting. I then went back in through the front door and collected Jack. We went through to the lab. Seeing the bundle on the couch, Jack cowered against me.

“Don't worry, my love – he can't hurt you. I promise.”

I went over to the fire door and pushed it open. I had a look round outside. Satisfied, I returned to the couch and pulled it across the floor until it was as near the fire door as possible. I went over to Jack, who was standing next to my desk.

“Come on, my dear – I want you to hold the bottom and help me get him in the car; then we can take him away.”

I led her over to the couch and showed her how to lift the feet; then between us we managed to get him into the back of the car. I covered him with the blanket I had seen in the boot. I pushed the fire door closed, got Jack seated in the passenger seat and then we drove Roger home. I had been to his home a couple of times, so I knew where it was.

It wasn't long before we were turning into the lane which led up to his house. I stopped in front of the garage. Leaning over, I found the remote control in the glovebox and flashed it at the sensor. We watched in silence as the door moved slowly upwards.

‘Thank you, Roger,' I thought.

He had been like a child with a new toy, and he insisted on giving me several demonstrations on how the system worked on my previous visits. I put the headlights on and drove slowly into the garage. I wanted to make sure I left enough space to open the back door. After stopping the car, I got out and operated the switch to close the door. Finding the light switch, I turned on the light. I went back to my side of the car and turned off the car's lights. I told Jack to stay where she was; then I went through the connecting door into the kitchen, then into the lounge, putting on the lights as I went. I made sure there was nothing in the way. I also pulled the curtains in the lounge. Satisfied, I went back to the garage to get Jack. Between us we managed to carry and drag Roger into the lounge. We laid him on the floor in front of the armchair where he used to sit to watch the TV. I took from my pocket the scissors I had brought and carefully snipped open my parcel. Jack stood and watched, not understanding any of this. (Not that it would matter, as I could erase it all later.) I asked her to help with the feet and we dragged him into the chair. I repositioned him a couple of times before I was satisfied. I turned to Jack and asked her to find a carrier bag.

“There's probably one in the kitchen,” I suggested.

While she was gone, I carefully folded up the plastic sheet. She was soon back, and she helped me put the sheet in the bag; then I placed it by the front door. Turning to Jack, I smiled. Then, taking her arm, I steered her back into the kitchen. I asked her to fill the kettle and to find a mug and saucer. I searched the cupboards until I found the tin with the tea bags. I emptied the tin out on to a piece of kitchen towel, and from my jacket pocket I took a plastic bag which contained some of the tea bags from the lab. I opened the bag and gave a tea bag to Jack, who popped it in the mug. The rest of the bags I emptied into the tin, which I replaced in the cupboard. Roger's tea bags I put into the empty plastic bag. I asked Jack to put two sugars in the mug when she had put the water and milk in. Returning to the hall, I put the plastic bag of tea bags into the carrier bag. On my way past the kitchen I told Jack I was just popping upstairs. I soon located Roger's bedroom, and found what I wanted in the first place I looked: the top drawer of the bedside cabinet. It was a buff folder containing lots of handwritten notes. I read a few just to make sure, then I returned downstairs to where Jack was standing, patiently holding the mug of tea. I think the poor love thought it was for me. I put the folder in the carrier bag, then took the mug from her, went into the lounge and placed it on the small table next to where Roger was sitting. I tilted his head back and spooned some tea into his mouth; then from my other pocket I took another plastic bag containing biscuits from the lab. I put two of the biscuits in the saucer, while I put the bag back in my pocket; then I dunked one of the biscuits in the tea and put the soggy part into Roger's mouth. The rest of the biscuit I put in his hand on his lap. Taking Jack with me, I went back to the kitchen and opened the plastic box labelled ‘pig biscuits', which had been a present from a previous girlfriend, Roger had told me. I emptied the box out, and put in the rest of the biscuits from the lab. Roger's biscuits went into the carrier bag in the hall. I told Jack to wait by the front door.

I returned to the garage and had a quick look in the car, remembering to fold the blanket and return it to the boot. Then I remembered I had moved the driver's seat forward two clicks, so I put it back in its original position. After a last look round, I switched off the light.

Back in the kitchen again, I had a last look round. I placed Roger's car keys in the dish on the fridge, as he had done the last time I visited him. The kitchen light I left on. I smiled to Jack as I passed through the hall and into the lounge. I turned on the TV and put the remote control on the arm of Roger's chair. I turned on the standard lamp behind him. I then had second thoughts about the remote control and gave it a gentle push so that it fell to the floor. Over at the door, I had a last look round, then turned the main light off. It looked such a perfect picture: a man, home after a hard day, had fallen asleep in front of the TV – a scene probably repeated in numerous households throughout the world. I walked over to Jack and picked up the carrier bag.

“Time to go, my love,” I said with a smile.

Leaving the hall light on, I opened the front door and we left the house. In the lane I stopped and asked Jack to hold the carrier bag. I peeled off my surgical gloves and popped them in the bag. Taking the bag from Jack, I gave her a big smile. Then I took her arm and we walked away up the lane, just like any happy couple out for an evening stroll.

We returned to the lab, taking a bus as far as Wheyton, and then a taxi.

Sitting in my armchair, I looked round my cosy flat and realised that Roger had never been in it. I was quite proud of it really. It had once been a collection of storerooms, built on to the side of the lab. Using the remote, I energised the TV.

After a few minutes Jack came in with a tray and put a cup of tea next to me. I laughed out loud at the irony that it was almost a repeat of the scene at Roger's. Jack looked at me with surprise.

“Oh, just something that struck me as funny, my dear!”

As I sat sipping my tea, I thought of all the clever little touches. I mean, at the post-mortem if they examined his stomach contents, the tea and biscuits they would find would be the same as the ones in his house. What about the cause of death? Well, that would be heart failure. The drug I had given him (a by-product of my experiments with animals) blocked the signals from the brain which keep the heart going, so it would just stop. Oh, I know some clever clogs could probably find traces of the drug if they knew what to look for, but why would they bother? There were no suspicious circumstances, and certainly no links with me. I had already got a new identity for Jack – she was already wearing her clothes. My lady friend hadn't left in a hurry; she was still here, buried out in the grounds, a victim of earlier research. And now I had brought her back to life, given her a new body.

It was four days later when I spotted the story in the
Tolchester News
: ‘Roger Watson, a detective inspector on an exchange scheme from the Metropolitan Police, has died of a heart attack while at home…'

I put the paper down and let out a whoopee! Jack came rushing in from the kitchen.

“Edward, what's wrong?”

“Oh, nothing, my dear – just a good piece of news.”

I settled back into my chair. Nothing could stop me now, I thought. I started to go over in my mind the ideas that had formed over the last few days. I could live for ever. I could copy the data from my brain and put it in a new young body; then my knowledge would continue to grow. I could make millions by doing the same for other people. Parents could have their data transferred to their sons' and daughters' brains and live on in their bodies. Animals? I could produce freaks and sell them to shows – the domestic cat that behaves like a monkey! Oh, yes – I could have a hundred Jacks all in different bodies, all wanting to please me. I could become the most powerful man in the world. Just think, the man sitting next to you, sleeping next to you, could be me. How would a woman know if the man she kissed goodbye in the morning would be the same man who came home at night? He might look the same, but … I could offer people the chance to change their partner's mind in any way they wanted – for a price, of course. The husband could pay me to change his wife into a nymphomaniac, and pay me again not to change her back if she should ask. I could set up a data library. I could just picture it: rows and rows of brains in jars, all coupled up to computers. People could select the sort of brain they want. A sort of pick and mix!

God? Now there's a thought: why shouldn't I be a god?

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