Doctor Who_ Warlock - Andrew Cartmel [47]
She sat down in front of the screen, set the keyboard in her lap, and punched in the international dialling code for England.
* * *
The Doctor came into the sitting room and bent over the TV. He took an antique M56 Telefunken microphone and a tangle of cables and adaptors out of his pocket.
‘The communication screen in the garage went down,’ he said. He was alone in the room and appeared to be talking to himself. ‘Right in the middle of your call.’
The Doctor turned the TV on. After a moment the dark screen flashed into colour and an image coalesced. Benny stared out from the TV, her mouth opening and closing silently.
‘So I had to patch you through to here,’ continued the Doctor. He fitted a series of cables to the microphone, linking them with the small metal adapters. The final adapter he plugged into the back of the TV. ‘Hello, Benny,’ he said, speaking into the Telefunken. On the screen Benny’s face lit up with a smile. He turned the sound up on the television. ‘Did you manage to get samples of the white pill?’ the Doctor asked.
‘No,’ replied Benny. ‘They’re all in the IDEA research lab, under lock and key.’
‘Do you think you can get access to them?’
‘It could be tricky. The security here is very tight.’
‘Don’t take any unnecessary risks,’ said the Doctor. ‘If they’re going to analyse the tablets in their own laboratory you could just get me a copy of the test results.’
‘“Just”, he says. Oh, and by the way, they’re calling this drug “warlock”.’
‘How appropriate,’ said the Doctor.
* * *
Chapter 11
Ace wondered what sort of man had so many clothes that he had to keep them in his office as well as in his bedroom.
She had never seen so many suits in her life. The interior of the wardrobe was mirrored, doubling the apparent number, but even allowing for that there were more men’s clothes here than you saw in a lot of boutiques.
Ace watched as the man selected a tastefully patterned silk tie from a neatly folded pile on a shelf and shut the door of the wardrobe. The doors were wooden panels set flush with the wall and as they closed the lights inside the wardrobe winked out.
‘Forgive me,’ said the man as he knotted the tie under the collar of his clean white shirt. ‘I’ll just be a moment more.’ He adjusted the tie by feel then took his jacket off the back of the chair where he’d carefully draped it a moment earlier. Ace didn’t go a bundle on fashion but she recognized the cut of the jacket as being something expensive and Italian. ‘That’s better,’ he said, slipping the jacket on. ‘It’s one of my peculiarities that I feel I must dress for a meeting, even if it’s at –’ he consulted his wristwatch ‘– one in the morning.’
He sat down, facing them across the circular table Ace had glimpsed through the farmhouse window. She was seated beside Shell and Jack in a small arc. ‘Now. My name is Dieter. I’m manager here at the laboratories. Maxine is going to get us some light refreshments. Please feel free to ask for tea or coffee. We may even have some biscuits. Have a look, would you please, Maxine?’
Dieter smiled politely, waiting. Behind him sat the couple Ace had seen playing backgammon. Sean, the blond animal rights enthusiast, was standing beside them. The other woman, the one called Maxine, was waiting for Ace to say something.
‘Coffee,’ said Ace, ‘milk and two sugars.’ She wanted the caffeine and glucose in her bloodstream. There might be an opportunity to make an escape at any time.
Maxine asked Shell and Jack what they wanted. Jack wouldn’t meet her eyes. He had been completely freaked out since the guns had been pointed at him. If there was a chance to make a break for it, Ace was by no means certain he would be any help. ‘I’ll have tea, please,’ he said, his voice barely audible. Shell was in no better shape. She sat with her head down, sobbing over the bright polished wood of the table. Jack looked up apologetically at Maxine. ‘She’ll have tea as well, please,’ he said, a little louder now. Ace kept watching him. Maybe he was getting