Captain?”
“For now. Send your report through
as soon as it’s ready.”
“I will.” Harriman walked out,
closely followed by Woods.
Once out of earshot of Ridley’s
office, Woods whispered, “Weird how Corman knows everything we’re doing.”
“Not so weird. That son of a
bitch has got us bugged. Our office, forensics, probably Ridley’s office.”
“No way,” Woods said, looking
around uncomfortably. “Really? Is he allowed to do that?”
“You heard him, it’s national
security. That means he can do anything he damn well wants.”
“Are we going to help him?”
“We have no choice,” Harriman
said, cooling off. “Who knows, he might actually be doing something important.
But, if you’ve ever got anything confidential to tell me, ask me if I want
coffee and doughnuts, and we’ll go for a walk. Then we’ll decide what to tell
him.”
Woods grinned. “I like doughnuts!”
* * * *
Craig locked his office door, pulled
the dead SK officer’s cell phone from his pocket and called the unknown number.
“Hello, Yegor?” A woman answered
anxiously. “I was getting worried.”
Craig waited, unsure what to say.
“Yegor, are you there?” she
asked.
“Yegor is dead.”
There was a stunned silence, then
the woman said, “Who is this?”
“Craig Balard.”
“You killed him?”
“No, he was dead when I got there,
but I saw the man who did it. He was a big guy, well built, really short hair.
Kind of tough looking.”
“I’m surprised you escaped.”
“I can still make the trade.”
“It will have to be tomorrow.”
“I just need to know one thing,”
Craig said, “did you murder Goldstein and McCormack?”
“No!” she snapped. “We are not
killers.”
“Who did?”
“Probably the same man who killed
Yegor. And now that he knows about you, you’re in danger. You need to disappear
for a while.”
“That’s a little inconvenient
right now.”
“I will contact you with an
address where we can meet.”
“OK. What’s your name?”
“Valentina.”
“Valentina Petrovna?” he asked,
surprised.
“How do you know my name?” she
demanded suspiciously.
Craig sighed, shaking his head in
confusion. “It’s a long story. All I can say is, I think I’m supposed to give
you this file, but only if you tell me what happened to my father.”
“I’ll tell you what I know,” she
said, and hung up.
* * * *
August 10, 2276
“You found another death certificate?”
Wilkins asked.
“Sort of,” Mariena said. “It’s the
same day, just a different time and location.”
“So you failed?”
“Not quite. I delayed his murder.
This is a new event, in a different timeline. That’s why I have to try again.”
“But if you go to these new temporal
coordinates, you’ll only be giving him a few minutes.”
“We have no choice,” Zikky said.
“It’s the only location we can identify, where we know he’ll be. We have to
time it close, or we’ll miss him.”
“Suppose he ignores what you tell
him?” Wilkins asked.
“Then he’ll be dead,” Mariena
said.
“He’s clearly listening to her,”
Zikky said emphatically. “The last reset proves it. We know he wasn’t killed in
the restaurant.”
“Let’s hope he keeps on listening
to you,” Captain Wilkins said, “For our sake, as much as his.”
* * * *
Present Day
Craig took the elevator up to his
apartment from the underground carpark. When he stepped off the elevator, he
froze. His front door was ajar. He listened a moment, but no sound came from
inside. Cautiously, he pushed the door open to discover a tornado had hit his apartment.
The sofa cushions were slashed, chairs were overturned, his computer was
missing and his personal possessions littered the floor. He entered the
apartment warily, finding nothing had been stolen from the lounge room.
In the bedroom, the drawers and
all his clothes were on the floor, the lining of his jackets had been slashed
and the
“For now. Send your report through
as soon as it’s ready.”
“I will.” Harriman walked out,
closely followed by Woods.
Once out of earshot of Ridley’s
office, Woods whispered, “Weird how Corman knows everything we’re doing.”
“Not so weird. That son of a
bitch has got us bugged. Our office, forensics, probably Ridley’s office.”
“No way,” Woods said, looking
around uncomfortably. “Really? Is he allowed to do that?”
“You heard him, it’s national
security. That means he can do anything he damn well wants.”
“Are we going to help him?”
“We have no choice,” Harriman
said, cooling off. “Who knows, he might actually be doing something important.
But, if you’ve ever got anything confidential to tell me, ask me if I want
coffee and doughnuts, and we’ll go for a walk. Then we’ll decide what to tell
him.”
Woods grinned. “I like doughnuts!”
* * * *
Craig locked his office door, pulled
the dead SK officer’s cell phone from his pocket and called the unknown number.
“Hello, Yegor?” A woman answered
anxiously. “I was getting worried.”
Craig waited, unsure what to say.
“Yegor, are you there?” she
asked.
“Yegor is dead.”
There was a stunned silence, then
the woman said, “Who is this?”
“Craig Balard.”
“You killed him?”
“No, he was dead when I got there,
but I saw the man who did it. He was a big guy, well built, really short hair.
Kind of tough looking.”
“I’m surprised you escaped.”
“I can still make the trade.”
“It will have to be tomorrow.”
“I just need to know one thing,”
Craig said, “did you murder Goldstein and McCormack?”
“No!” she snapped. “We are not
killers.”
“Who did?”
“Probably the same man who killed
Yegor. And now that he knows about you, you’re in danger. You need to disappear
for a while.”
“That’s a little inconvenient
right now.”
“I will contact you with an
address where we can meet.”
“OK. What’s your name?”
“Valentina.”
“Valentina Petrovna?” he asked,
surprised.
“How do you know my name?” she
demanded suspiciously.
Craig sighed, shaking his head in
confusion. “It’s a long story. All I can say is, I think I’m supposed to give
you this file, but only if you tell me what happened to my father.”
“I’ll tell you what I know,” she
said, and hung up.
* * * *
August 10, 2276
“You found another death certificate?”
Wilkins asked.
“Sort of,” Mariena said. “It’s the
same day, just a different time and location.”
“So you failed?”
“Not quite. I delayed his murder.
This is a new event, in a different timeline. That’s why I have to try again.”
“But if you go to these new temporal
coordinates, you’ll only be giving him a few minutes.”
“We have no choice,” Zikky said.
“It’s the only location we can identify, where we know he’ll be. We have to
time it close, or we’ll miss him.”
“Suppose he ignores what you tell
him?” Wilkins asked.
“Then he’ll be dead,” Mariena
said.
“He’s clearly listening to her,”
Zikky said emphatically. “The last reset proves it. We know he wasn’t killed in
the restaurant.”
“Let’s hope he keeps on listening
to you,” Captain Wilkins said, “For our sake, as much as his.”
* * * *
Present Day
Craig took the elevator up to his
apartment from the underground carpark. When he stepped off the elevator, he
froze. His front door was ajar. He listened a moment, but no sound came from
inside. Cautiously, he pushed the door open to discover a tornado had hit his apartment.
The sofa cushions were slashed, chairs were overturned, his computer was
missing and his personal possessions littered the floor. He entered the
apartment warily, finding nothing had been stolen from the lounge room.
In the bedroom, the drawers and
all his clothes were on the floor, the lining of his jackets had been slashed
and the
Similar Books
