gazing down at the freshly vacuumed carpet. Troy decided that a rapid retreat was the best policy. Heading for the door, he said to Dylan, ‘Well, I’m sorry to bother you. I wouldn’t have if I’d known about your condition.’
As they walked away, Troy waited for a cutting comment from Lexi, but it didn’t come. Inside the car, he said, ‘You seem … thoughtful.’
‘Yeah.’
‘And …?’
Plugging her life-logger into her laptop, she said, ‘I liked his carpet. Clean with a nice pile.’
‘So?’ Troy prompted.
‘We all leave clear footprints on a carpet after it’s been vacuumed.’
‘You recorded his?’
‘Larger than average, standard leather shoe.’ She showed Troy the imprint on the laptop screen. With her forefinger, she marked the position of the toe. Then she slid her finger across the image to the heel and a cursor followed her movement. She lingered for a moment on the back of the shoeprint. At once,the measurement appeared alongside the cursor:
29.5 cm
. ‘Thought so,’ she muttered. ‘Size twelve.’
‘But not the same as the trainer near the bodies.’
‘No,’ she replied.
Troy regretted that majors and outers wore the same types and sizes of shoe – and walked in the same way. The two human races could not be distinguished by their footwear.
‘I’d write it off as a coincidence,’ Lexi continued. ‘But …’
‘What?’
‘There was a letter on the little table in the hall. Addressed to Farthing Family Butchers.’
‘He’s a butcher?’
‘Meaning he knows his way around a dead body. And he’s handy with a sharp knife.’
SCENE 13
Wednesday 9th April, Early evening
‘Tomorrow night feels right. I am content. I’m ready. Everything’s in place. It’s a good time to go.’
Troy sat back, checked what he’d written and smiled. ‘That’s a cat I’m putting among the pigeons.’
Lexi shook her head. ‘Sometimes you talk in riddles.’
‘It’ll force Charon Angel’s hand,’ said Troy, hitting the return key to post the comment online.
Replies began to arrive within a minute.
‘I implore you to seek help.’
‘What you’re thinking of doing is wrong. The taking of any life is against God’s law. Choose life.’
‘Forget the past. Whatever happened there is over. You must look to the future and recognize its potential. Start afresh.’
After three minutes came the message that Troy most wanted to see. Charon Angel wrote,
‘The day after tomorrow – or next week, next month or whatever – some full-of-life girl might step off the road in front of a speeding cab. You might have been the one person close enough to yank her back, to save her life. Perhaps she would have gone on to be a leading politician, making the world a better place. That’s what I meant about you – and everyone else – having unknown value. If you go ahead, your absence will change the way things are supposed to be. It’s a shame to deny the world your contribution.’
Troy let out a sigh and shut his eyes for a few seconds. ‘His tone’s changed,’ he muttered. ‘Why?’
‘I don’t know,’ Lexi replied, ‘But he’s in the clear. “It’s a shame to deny the world your contribution.” That’s no way for anyone to get their hands on your kidneys.’
Troy nodded slowly. ‘Unless Sergio Treize tipped him off. Warned him we’re watching. Now he’s coming over all innocent.’
‘That’s a bit devious.’
‘But possible.’
‘Maybe it’s just you getting desperate for a suspect,’ Lexi said.
‘Not desperate. Imaginative,’ Troy replied with a grin. ‘Don’t forget I’m the perceptive one.’
Lexi checked out an incoming message on her life-logger and then said, ‘We’ll see. Terabyte’s on his way.’
The computer technician had a real name but no one used it. A lot of the people who asked for Terabyte’s help didn’t even know what he was actually called.
He’d first made a name for himself at school. He’d won himself and every
As they walked away, Troy waited for a cutting comment from Lexi, but it didn’t come. Inside the car, he said, ‘You seem … thoughtful.’
‘Yeah.’
‘And …?’
Plugging her life-logger into her laptop, she said, ‘I liked his carpet. Clean with a nice pile.’
‘So?’ Troy prompted.
‘We all leave clear footprints on a carpet after it’s been vacuumed.’
‘You recorded his?’
‘Larger than average, standard leather shoe.’ She showed Troy the imprint on the laptop screen. With her forefinger, she marked the position of the toe. Then she slid her finger across the image to the heel and a cursor followed her movement. She lingered for a moment on the back of the shoeprint. At once,the measurement appeared alongside the cursor:
29.5 cm
. ‘Thought so,’ she muttered. ‘Size twelve.’
‘But not the same as the trainer near the bodies.’
‘No,’ she replied.
Troy regretted that majors and outers wore the same types and sizes of shoe – and walked in the same way. The two human races could not be distinguished by their footwear.
‘I’d write it off as a coincidence,’ Lexi continued. ‘But …’
‘What?’
‘There was a letter on the little table in the hall. Addressed to Farthing Family Butchers.’
‘He’s a butcher?’
‘Meaning he knows his way around a dead body. And he’s handy with a sharp knife.’
SCENE 13
Wednesday 9th April, Early evening
‘Tomorrow night feels right. I am content. I’m ready. Everything’s in place. It’s a good time to go.’
Troy sat back, checked what he’d written and smiled. ‘That’s a cat I’m putting among the pigeons.’
Lexi shook her head. ‘Sometimes you talk in riddles.’
‘It’ll force Charon Angel’s hand,’ said Troy, hitting the return key to post the comment online.
Replies began to arrive within a minute.
‘I implore you to seek help.’
‘What you’re thinking of doing is wrong. The taking of any life is against God’s law. Choose life.’
‘Forget the past. Whatever happened there is over. You must look to the future and recognize its potential. Start afresh.’
After three minutes came the message that Troy most wanted to see. Charon Angel wrote,
‘The day after tomorrow – or next week, next month or whatever – some full-of-life girl might step off the road in front of a speeding cab. You might have been the one person close enough to yank her back, to save her life. Perhaps she would have gone on to be a leading politician, making the world a better place. That’s what I meant about you – and everyone else – having unknown value. If you go ahead, your absence will change the way things are supposed to be. It’s a shame to deny the world your contribution.’
Troy let out a sigh and shut his eyes for a few seconds. ‘His tone’s changed,’ he muttered. ‘Why?’
‘I don’t know,’ Lexi replied, ‘But he’s in the clear. “It’s a shame to deny the world your contribution.” That’s no way for anyone to get their hands on your kidneys.’
Troy nodded slowly. ‘Unless Sergio Treize tipped him off. Warned him we’re watching. Now he’s coming over all innocent.’
‘That’s a bit devious.’
‘But possible.’
‘Maybe it’s just you getting desperate for a suspect,’ Lexi said.
‘Not desperate. Imaginative,’ Troy replied with a grin. ‘Don’t forget I’m the perceptive one.’
Lexi checked out an incoming message on her life-logger and then said, ‘We’ll see. Terabyte’s on his way.’
The computer technician had a real name but no one used it. A lot of the people who asked for Terabyte’s help didn’t even know what he was actually called.
He’d first made a name for himself at school. He’d won himself and every
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