Peter Hamilton - The Mandel Files

“Of being discovered,” Bursken spat. “Of being stopped.”

“Did you take precautions? Did you clean up afterwards.”

“The Lord is no fool.”

“You followed his instructions?”

“Yes.”

“To the letter? Right afterwards, I mean the minute after you had spread those lungs, you would start cleaning up?”

“Yes.”

“No hesitation? No gloating?”

“None.”

“During, what about during? Did you take care then?”

“Yes.”

“It was hard work, bloody work, and there was always the danger someone might stumble in on you. The fear. You’re seriously telling me your concentration never wavered?”

“Never,” Bursken said gleefully. “The Lord cleansed me of mortal weaknesses for my task. My thoughts remained pure.”

“Every single time?”

“Every single time!”

“The police found some skin under Oliver Powell’s fingernails. Your skin. You missed that, didn’t you?”

“They lied. There was no skin. Powell was struck from behind. He cried out but once before I silenced him. A plea. In his heart he knew his sin, he did not attempt to thwart the Lord’s justice.”

Greg could read it from his mind, the supreme pride in what he had done. The glowing sense of accomplishment, a kind Greg had encountered before in sports tournament winners, someone receiving favourable exam results. Healthy dignity. “Jesus!” Stupefaction pushed Greg back in his chair.

Staring in bewilderment at the creature opposite, it had flesh and blood and bone, but that wasn’t enough to make it human, nowhere near. “He’s not fucking real.”

Stephanie exchanged an embarrassed glance with one of the guards and made a cutting motion across her throat.

“Was there anything else, Greg?” she asked.

Greg shut down his gland secretion. Defeated, soiled and shamed by having been privy to Bursken’s thoughts. “No. Absolutely nothing.”

The lunatic sneered contemptuously as the guards led him away.

Julia’s Rolls-Royce passed under a broad stone arch, watched by a pair of silent moss-laden griffins perched on either side. The wrought-iron gates swung shut as the car sped down the long gravel drive.

Even with the new year’s punishing weather, Wilholm’s grounds were maintained in pristine condition. Formally arranged flowerbeds alternated with cherry trees along the side of the drive. Broad lawns dotted with dumpy cycads rolled away to a border of glossy shrubs; behind them a thick rank of Brazilian rosewoods completed the shield against prying eyes. The Nene was a couple of kilometres away to the south-east. In the summer she could look out of the manor’s second-storey windows and watch the little sailing boats cruising up and down the river, dreaming of the freedom they possessed. But this time of year always saw the valley floor flooded by the monsoon rains, the boats safe on dry land. The water was deeper each year as more and more soil was washed away by the powerful current. Further down, between the Al and the tail end of the Ferry Meadows estuary, it became a permanent salt marsh, fetid and unfertile.

But the secluded Wilholm estate remained a passive refuge, protected from environmental ravages by a wall of her money, changeless apart from the spectacular cycle of flowers which varied from month to month. Philip Evans had bought it as soon as he returned to England, paying off the communal farmers who had occupied it under the PSP’s auspices. Landscape teams had laboured for months, returning it to its former splendour. Actually, it was probably a lot better than it used to be, she suspected, especially after she saw how much it had cost. Grandpa hadn’t cared, he wanted elegance, and by God that’s what he got.

It was worthwhile, though. Wilholm was easy on the eye, time flowed just that fraction slower across its trim lawns and through the sumptuous interior. The fact that she never, but never, used it for business of any kind helped strengthen the sensation of relief she always experienced when she crossed that invisible, and ultra-secure, threshold. Wilholm was for parties and lovers and friends. Today counted as friends, the Kitchener case was too intriguing to be classed as work.

She pursed her lips in self-chastisement; calling the murder intriguing in front of Cormac Ranasfari would never do.

Royan Access Request.

Expedite, she told the nodes.

Hi, Snowy.

She grinned broadly. On the jump seat opposite, Rachel gave her an expectant look then went back to the view across the lawn. A black-furred gene-tailored sentinel panther was just visible loping along the grass in front of the shrubs.

Royan was the only person to call her that. It was her middle name, Snowflower, bestowed by the American desert cult with which she had spent her childhood. She never used it, but there was no unit of data on the planet Royan couldn’t access.

Hello to you, she answered. Talking to Royan was always a real opiate. He had taught her all sorts of programming tricks.

Thanks to him she could write better hotrod software than half of England’s professional hackers. She wasn’t sure what he got in return, probably just the satisfaction of having someone outside his concrete eyrie who would listen. That and the fact she was the Julia Evans. Whatever, they had been firm friends ever since Greg’s first Event Horizon case. He was another of those rare people who was honest with her.

Eleanor has been to see me.

I don’t know. All these girlfriends.

I like Eleanor.

All you men like Eleanor.

Jealous jealous jealous. Is what you are.

Certainly am, all I’ve got is money.

How is Patrick?

Fine, I suppose.

Oh, Snowy, you haven’t finished with him already? You Only met him five weeks ago.

Don’t you start, I get quite enough of that from Grandpa and Morgan and Greg.

They care. I care, Snowy. It’s nice to have people who care.

Yah.

I saw you on the channels this morning.

Did you now?

Yes yes yes. Would you like me to put out a snuff contract on Jakki Coleman?

I would truly love you to put out a snuff contract on that bitch.

Really?

The only trouble is, everyone would know I was behind it. Lord, I hope nothing does happen to her! I never thought of that before. The way conspiracy theories are flying round at the moment…

Guilty guilty guilty. Chuckle. Serves you right.

Yes. Well, you would spring me from jail, wouldn’t you?,

For a price.

Thanks a bunch, some friend you are.

Seriously, I could glitch her ‘cast something chronic. How about superimposing a blue AV recording? Give the porno starlet her face.

Julia had to rub her hand over her mouth to stifle the laugh. Rachel didn’t look this time, she had probably guessed what was going on.

Don’t tempt me! Julia implored. I’ll get that Coleman slag, one day. You see if I don’t. It won’t be public, but she’ll know and I’ll know. And thats what truly counts.

Let me know if you need a hand.

Yes, I will. Thanks.

I’ve been going through the Launde Abbey security ‘ware for Greg and Eleanor.

Yes, and…?

You were really looking out for Kitchener, weren’t you?

Not me, I didn’t even know a thing about him until two days ago. Apparently Cormac Ranasfari insisted on upgrading the security at the Abbey. He’s always been concerned that Kitchener didn’t have adequate protection, and this was a perfect opportunity to insist.

Oh. Well, that security system your people installed is top grade. The guardian bytes are hot hot hot stuff.

You can’t melt through?

Didn’t say that. I could. And possibly another five or six people in the country could. But its tough.