Doctor Who_ Beyond the Sun - Matthew Jones [19]
‘Professor Summerfield, this is a very serious matter. We suspect that your husband has been involved in the sale of arms in this sector. We have information which links him – ’ The detective broke off as his partner entered the room, carrying the small crystal figurine and a sheaf of hard copy. They moved to a corner of the room and conversed for a few minutes before the detective returned, placing the female figurine on the table in front of her. Bernice stared at its crude face, before looking up at the detective’s solemn one. He seemed disappointed about something. ‘It seems you’re free to leave.’
Bernice blinked. ‘I’m sorry?’
‘We had assumed that the statue contained some kind of encrypted data related to the sale of arms. It seems it doesn’t. We have no reason to keep you. You’re free to leave. If your husband makes any attempt to contact you, I would very much appreciate that you contact me.’ He handed her his ’puter address.
‘Have you been listening to a word I’ve been saying? Jason has been kidnapped. For all I know he could have been murdered. I very much doubt that he’s going to be in a position to give me a ring or drop in for a chat.’ She leant forward. ‘If you’re so interested in speaking to him, why don’t you try and find him?’
The detective shrugged and began to close down his ’puter terminal. ‘I was operating on information I received concerning this artefact. I haven’t been able to find any evidence which directly links your husband to arms dealings. I have no reason to authorize the expenditure for a search.’
‘No reason? I’ve just told you that he’s been bloody kidnapped!’
He shrugged. ‘Then inform the local police. It’s hardly a Trans-System matter.’
‘Thanks. So it’s a Trans-System matter if he’s dealing weapons, but not if his life’s in danger, is that it?’
Bernice could tell that the detective was tiring of this conversation.
He nodded. ‘If you like, Professor Summerfield. You’re an intelligent woman. Why don’t you search for him yourself? You’re far more likely to be successful than we are, anyway.’
‘Thanks for the vote of confidence.’
The detective got up and made to leave. ‘I was merely suggesting that you probably have a good idea as to where to begin such a search. Thank you for your time, Professor.’
‘Look, just tell me one thing: what did you suspect you’d find encoded in the figurine?’
The detective hesitated for a moment. ‘You really don’t know, do you?’
‘Well, I’d hardly bother asking if I did, would I?’
‘Very well. A lot of hardware went unaccounted for during the war. Military hardware. There’s a lot of money to be made in its recovery. For the last year, we’ve been hearing rumours about a powerful weapon being assembled. Several of these rumours have mentioned your ex-husband and his accomplice. Apparently they’ve spent much of the last year travelling across the galaxy searching for it. We received a tip-off that the activation codes for the weapon were being carried by your husband and his accomplice in that artefact.’ He pointed at the figurine and shrugged.
‘We tried every kind of test we’ve got, but found nothing. Legally, I’m obliged to return it to you.’
Bernice still couldn’t believe that Jason was involved in the arms trade. ‘Just how powerful is this weapon supposed to be?’
The detective opened the holding cell door and gestured for Bernice to leave. ‘The information we received was that the weapon had powers beyond that of a sun.’
4
OBJECT
The harsh blue light of the scanner traced the rough contours of the little figurine which stood in the centre of the table. As the scanner completed its task, a three-dimensional image of the crude sculpture appeared on a nearby ’puter screen. The image spun silently, tiny measurements of its dimensions appearing around it.
‘Neat,’ Tameka said as she strode into the room, black hair flailing behind her, and caught sight of the image. ‘Except the cops have