The Fund. Jeff Edwards

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      ‘Wonderful! This could be a lifesaver,’ said Eliza.

      ‘It’s certainly a place to start,’ agreed Chuck.

      ‘So, this is an example of your low tech goods. What about the high tech?’ asked Toby.

      Chuck smiled. ‘Do you really want to know?’

      ‘I’d love to know!’ enthused Eliza. Both she and Justine were always the first to adopt the latest technology that came onto the market. Neither had lived in a world where computers did not exist.

      Reaching into his briefcase again, Chuck extracted what looked to be a small coin with a very thin wire protruding from it. ‘Since the end of the Cold War all sorts of things have come onto the market. I purchased this in Russia recently. They have scientists over there with far too much spare time on their hands.’

      ‘What is it?’ asked Eliza.

      ‘It’s a personal communications system. You can transmit and receive messages or speak to your base and anyone else with the same communicator.’

      ‘How does it work?’

      ‘It’s actually inserted beneath your skin.’

      ‘My god!’ said Suzie. ‘What next?’

      ‘Oh, this is old technology. The next generation of gadgets will have even smaller versions of this that would barely show up on an X-ray.’

      ‘I’m almost too afraid to ask, but what sort of things can they do?’ asked Ali.

      Chuck looked around at their enthralled faces. ‘Imagine that what you are seeing and hearing is also being transmitted to a central computer for others to watch and hear as well. That‘s just the start. They’re working on connecting it all directly to a computer. The agent could request information and the computer would supply it directly to the receptor inside his body.’

      ‘The agent would be able to access the computer from anywhere?’ asked Justine.

      ‘Anywhere that the satellites are able to receive and forward the signals.’

      ‘How long has that sort of thing been in use?’ asked Toby.

      Chuck shrugged. ‘I’ve been out of the “official” spook trade for a while now. So there are probably agents walking around with them inserted right now. Check out the next person who wins Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? They could be wired.’

      ‘I’m glad we’re going for low tech,’ said Toby. ‘I wouldn’t feel comfortable having my brain permanently wired to a computer somewhere. Imagine what would happen if there was a power surge.’

      Chuck laughed. ‘I’m sure the scientific boffins have thought of that. Anyway, let’s get back to the equipment we have. If you’ll gather around I’ll show you how to operate it.’

      Chapter 9

      With all the files read thoroughly and pages of notes written, Sloane and the two agents were considering their next move.

      ‘Should we make a call on Dr Rani Smith? She wouldn’t talk to Sloane, but maybe if we put some official government pressure on her she’ll open up,’ said Sam Tait.

      ‘I doubt if Dr Smith would bow to pressure from anyone. She’s much too sure of her position. At her age, no one can tell her what to do,’ explained Sloane. ‘However, that doesn’t include her children. Perhaps they can shed some light on matters.’

      ‘Would they know much?’ asked Bree.

      ‘You never know what sort of information has been revealed to them over the years.’

      Sam nodded. ‘I’ll get a list of names and addresses and then we’ll do a little background checking before we interview them.’

      ‘Actually, while you’re doing that, I suggest you do some background checking on a Colleen Hicks. She and Dr Smith were both mentioned in Green’s will,’ suggested Sloane.

      ‘Colleen! Hang on! There was a Colleen mentioned somewhere here!’ said Bree as she searched through her notes. ‘The mention of Colleen and Dr Rani Smith in the same sentence brought it back to me. Here it is! Immediately after you tried to interview Dr Smith she made two phone calls. The second one was to someone at The Fund, but the first person she contacted was an unlisted number in New York. That number belongs to a Colleen Cross, but the records show that she has been married several times and one of them was a John Hicks. She’s Colleen Hicks!’

      ‘What were her other names?’ asked Sloane.

      ‘So far she has been a Colleen Cross, a Hicks, Jones, plus Adams and Dunkley.’

      ‘What was her maiden name?’

      ‘Dunkley.’

      ‘Colleen Dunkley, eh!’ said Sloane as he too dived into his files. ‘Interesting! I just knew these old hospital records would come in handy. During the war Jade Green was admitted to hospital with abdominal stab wounds. Her doctor was Dr Rani Smith and the person who signed her admission papers was a certain Colleen Dunkley. I checked out the incident in police archives and Colleen Dunkley was with Green at the time of the assault. Green was heavily pregnant and lost the child as a result.’

      ‘Who stabbed her?’ asked Bree.

      ‘Dunkley / Hicks / Cross claimed she didn’t know.’

      ‘Is any of this significant?’ asked Sam.

      ‘You never know,’ replied Sloane. ‘It may be a dead end or it could be the clue to open up the whole mystery. The more information you have, the clearer the picture becomes. The answer may not relate to your line of questioning, but it’ll let you know if someone’s lying or sending you in the wrong direction.’

      ‘So, background checks on Smith’s children as well as this Colleen person?’ asked Bree.

      ‘Check Colleen Dunkley out for children as well and do backgrounds on them. It looks as though she may have been one of Jade Green’s “girls”. If so, she should have a great deal of interesting information.’

      ‘If she’ll talk to us,’ said Sam.

      ‘Ask the right questions. That’s the clue,’ smiled Sloane.

      ‘How did you find out about the assault?’ asked Bree.

      ‘I was looking for Green’s criminal record and do you know what?’

      ‘What?’ asked Bree.

      ‘Up until she was arrested and sent to prison, she never had one.’

      ‘What? You mean she operated the most high profile bordello in the city for decades and was never arrested! Not once?’ asked Bree in amazement.

      ‘Not once. Now what does that tell you?’

      ‘That she had some high-placed friends.’

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