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

father’s death quite badly. ‘We expected him to be telling us how easy we had it these days for at least another couple of decades and then…’
    ‘It’s true,’ Bart said, nodding sadly. ‘Sam could be a real grump about the old days.’ Fox had figured that her neighbour might be able to introduce her a little more easily than just turning up on the doorstep. Despite the deference generally given to the old man, he had handled sitting on the back of Fox’s Q-bug perfectly well. Possibly a little too happily, actually.
    ‘Could you tell me precisely what happened, Mrs Crabtree?’ Fox asked.
    ‘Well… Dad had been having some trouble. Shortness of breath, chest pains. We had him move in here… My husband’s in investments so we can afford a fairly big place. Having Dad here was no big thing, but it made me feel a little better, knowing he was close in case anything happened.’
    ‘Of course.’ They certainly did have a fairly large house. Not huge, but it was a four-bedroom ranch-style place on the northern side of the city, and it had a pool. The latter was something of an extravagance in the Kansas Belt.
    ‘Anyway, he was eventually diagnosed with a heart condition and they recommended a replacement. We paid for it. Dad didn’t have insurance to cover that. Uh, so we made sure he got the best and we got Mister Napier to do the surgery. He’s one of the best cybernetics surgeons in Topeka.’
    Fox watched as Kit found and displayed a number of LifeWeb feeds and Napier’s personal page, all laden with testimonials. He certainly seemed to be a reliable, well-respected doctor.
    ‘Dad had a new lease of life after the op,’ Crabtree continued. ‘For about two weeks, it was like he was forty years younger. And then he just…’ She swallowed hard, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. ‘We found him in his room, collapsed on the floor. The paramedics weren’t able to do anything for him. They said it was probably a stroke.’
    ‘I understood there was CRS?’
    ‘Yes… His body rejected the heart, partially. Blood clots formed and one… one of them broke free and blocked an artery into his brain. It can happen in older people, I understand. Bart’s been lucky. And an absolute gem. Really, Bart, I don’t know what we’d have done without you the last few days.’
    Bart waved that away. ‘I’ve known Sam since fourth grade. I’ve known you since you were in diapers.’
    ‘Just a couple more things, Mrs Crabtree,’ Fox said. ‘Your father had his liver replaced a few years ago?’
    ‘Dad drank like a fish,’ Crabtree replied, grinning weakly. ‘We always said that was what would get him. So he had a hardened liver put in… three years ago. Of course, that didn’t stop him drinking, but it did stop him suffering so much from it.’
    ‘No problems with that?’
    ‘None. Mister Napier said that CRS didn’t always affect biological implants.’
    ‘No. That’s true. Bart has a computer implant to monitor his cybernetics. Your father didn’t?’
    ‘Oh, he was dead set against having anything plugged into his brain. Said it was unnatural.’
    ‘I told him he was missing out on a great source of gossip,’ Bart said, ‘but he wouldn’t have it.’
    ‘Okay,’ Fox said. ‘Thank you for your time, Mrs Crabtree. And again, I’m sorry for your loss.’
    ~~~
    ‘Of course,’ Bart said as they walked back out to the Q-bug, ‘they made me take an implant. Wouldn’t do the heart without the computer. I wasn’t as averse as Sam, but still…’
    ‘Yeah,’ Fox said. ‘It does seem a little shoddy for a respected surgeon. Lower profit margin, I’d imagine, too. Still, if his heart was giving out and the alternative was letting him die, I guess some doctors would go ahead and suggest more frequent check-ups.’
    ‘Maybe. Yeah, you might be right.’
    ‘Come on. I’ll take you back home and then I’ll go talk to a few more people.’
    ‘Sounds good to me.’ There was a distinct