The Ghost in the Doll (Fox Meridian Book 6) by Niall Teasdale Page A

anomaly?”’
    ‘A rise in the number of random infections and rejections following operations. Of course, the hospital has and is conducting an investigation to see whether there’s a medical cause, but so far they’ve found nothing. The statistics seem to suggest it’s nothing more than an unlikely blip.’ Runyard shrugged. ‘That’s what I’m told anyway. I’m no doctor and statistics don’t mean much to me unless they’re related to voting.’
    ‘Huh, me neither, but I do know people tend to see more in odd numbers than is actually there.’
    ‘I don’t,’ Kit said into Fox’s mind.
    ‘Yeah, well, do a check on the statistics too, since you seem to be so concerned.’
    ‘That’s true,’ Runyard said, ‘and they will as soon as they notice.’
    ‘I’ve been hearing a few stories. It’ll probably break soon.’
    ‘I have no doubt. However, handling that will be down to the hospital’s PR department.’
    ‘Huh, sometimes I think the formalisation of memetics was the worst idea anyone ever had.’
    Runyard grinned. ‘Possibly, but it certainly makes politics more interesting.’
    2 nd April.
    Waking up was weird in the confines of the portable unit. At home, in her server, Fox awoke in a viron which copied her apartment. The same had been true on the Moon. Here, there was no sensory information until she sought it out. The unit had video and audio systems, but they did not automatically sync with Fox’s mind and she was left with nothing but her thoughts while her data was uploaded to her body. Two minutes of mildly claustrophobic isolation which was hard to get used to.
    ‘I checked the statistics,’ Kit said into the silence. ‘It is theoretically possible that this is a random coincidence of unrelated events, if a highly unlikely one.’
    ‘And good morning to you, Kit,’ Fox responded. ‘How do you deal with this… floating existence?’
    ‘Good morning, Fox. I have never had to adapt. Being alone with my thoughts is more of a natural state for me.’
    ‘Makes me feel like I’m shut in a box. Which, I suppose, I am. Okay, so the statistical anomaly idea is valid, but you think it’s still worth chasing.’
    ‘That would sum up my feelings on the matter. Mister Alton’s death – Samuel Alton was Mister Wade’s friend – was put down as the result of an undiagnosed CRS condition. However, his liver was replaced without incident three years earlier.’
    ‘Bart said the heart was cybernetic. The liver would likely have been a biomod.’
    ‘Yes, that could explain the discrepancy.’
    ‘Have you had anything back from Palladium?’
    ‘Yes. There is no investigation other than the one Mister Runyard mentioned. Neither the Watch nor NAPA have been involved in the cases.’
    ‘NAPA still provides medical forensic services. They should’ve–’
    ‘Autopsies were not required since the subjects died of diagnosable causes following recent hospital visits. Frequently, death occurred in hospital as the subjects became sick prior to their demise.’
    Fox sighed. ‘Hang on, I’m switching to my body.’ There was a second of discontinuity and then Fox opened her eyes, sat up in bed, and began disconnecting herself. ‘Kit?’
    ‘I am here.’
    ‘Okay. Do you have addresses for the people involved in this?’
    ‘Several of them, yes.’
    ‘Then we’ll go talk to some of them. Maybe there’s some connection no one’s noticed.’
    ‘We are investigating?’
    Fox could hear the burst of enthusiasm in Kit’s voice. ‘Yes, we’re investigating. Happy now?’
    Kit appeared beside the bed, beaming. ‘Very happy.’
    ‘Yeah, well, we’ll see how happy you are after we’ve talked to a few grieving relatives.’
    ~~~
    ‘He was only eighty-five.’ Samuel Alton’s daughter was about the same age as Fox’s mother, but she had not had much cosmetic work done and looked more like her real age. Recent circumstances had, in all probability, made her look older: she had taken her