interested in finding this young man you mentioned. Is there anything else you can tell me about him?”
“No, not really. And the only other person I’ve seen up there is Brundle’s daughter. The one with the mark on her face. She’s in every few days. They get on well … I mean, they did get on well, I suppose. She’ll be very upset at her dad’s death, God love ’er.”
“Yes, we have her details,” Manikin said. “There’s nobody else you can think of? It’s absolutely vital we speak to anyone who had recent contact with Doctor Brundle.”
“No, that’s the only ones I know about …” Mrs. Caper said, the disappointment obvious in her voice. She knew she was coming to the end of her usefulness, and therefore the end of the conversation. Her face brightened slightly. “Unless you count the muggers.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, Brundle was mugged a couple o’ weeks ago. I think that kid upstairs scared them off, but Brundle got a bit beat up—had his bag nicked. Shook ’im up, I reckon. He didn’t look very sick after it, I ’ave to say. More angry . Heard him kickin’ stuff around his place a few times after that. He was a devil for gettin’ hisself worked up at the best of times—I mind me own business, but you know what these intense fellas are like. Anyway, this was worse. I reckon he could’ve done with a bit of counselin’.”
“I see.” Manikin pretended again to add these details to her console. “And do you know if he reported this incident to the police?”
“Nah, I doubt it. He weren’t a great fan of the police. In fact, I ’eard him rantin’ out in the hallway: ‘All these bloody cameras and we’re no bloody safer! Useless, intrusive shower of spying wazzocks are never around when you need them!’ Or summink like that. Anyway, I’m pretty sure the police never showed up here, although there was that peep— … that Safe-Guard what came ’ere. I can hear anyone who goes up the stairs here, and the elevator doesn’t work.”
“Well, that’s all very useful, Mrs. Caper,” Manikin said, getting to her feet. “Thank you very much for your assistance, and … and I’d really appreciate it if you could keep my little indiscretion to yourself.”
“It’s as safe as the bank,” Mrs. Caper assured her.
“I’m very grateful. Oh, would you happen to know when Doctor Brundle’s daughter was last here? We just want to confirm her movements.”
“That’d be last Friday night,” Mrs. Caper said. “She stayed over. Usually does when she’s been out on the town. I mind me own business, but there’s her, not even sixteen and she’s drinkin’ already. Daddy must be … must have been … a softer touch than her mum. She always stayed out late when she slept over here on a weekend. God love ’er, there’ll be no partyin’ for her for a while.”
After winding up her interview with Mrs. Caper, Manikin went on to talk to as many of Brundle’s other neighbors in the building as she could, but they had little to add to her picture of the scientist’s last days. When she emerged from the building, Move-Easy’s two apes were still visible—as were Punkin and Bunny, still in their same positions, still failing to look convincingly casual. She saw the Safe-Guard was also still on the street, standing in the same place. Manikin resisted the urge to look skywards, wondering what other surveillance had been placed on the area. There was no way of telling if the Safe-Guard was here to watch the building, or just on a random posting. Remembering what FX had said about Veronica Brundle being the subject of some kind of WatchWorld-style investigation, Manikin felt a quiver of nervousness. She and her brother had never dealt with that level of heat before.
She strode right past Punkin, confident that he wouldn’t recognize her and keen to test the effectiveness of her disguise. Turning the corner, she carried on down the street towards the nearest tube station.
“No, not really. And the only other person I’ve seen up there is Brundle’s daughter. The one with the mark on her face. She’s in every few days. They get on well … I mean, they did get on well, I suppose. She’ll be very upset at her dad’s death, God love ’er.”
“Yes, we have her details,” Manikin said. “There’s nobody else you can think of? It’s absolutely vital we speak to anyone who had recent contact with Doctor Brundle.”
“No, that’s the only ones I know about …” Mrs. Caper said, the disappointment obvious in her voice. She knew she was coming to the end of her usefulness, and therefore the end of the conversation. Her face brightened slightly. “Unless you count the muggers.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, Brundle was mugged a couple o’ weeks ago. I think that kid upstairs scared them off, but Brundle got a bit beat up—had his bag nicked. Shook ’im up, I reckon. He didn’t look very sick after it, I ’ave to say. More angry . Heard him kickin’ stuff around his place a few times after that. He was a devil for gettin’ hisself worked up at the best of times—I mind me own business, but you know what these intense fellas are like. Anyway, this was worse. I reckon he could’ve done with a bit of counselin’.”
“I see.” Manikin pretended again to add these details to her console. “And do you know if he reported this incident to the police?”
“Nah, I doubt it. He weren’t a great fan of the police. In fact, I ’eard him rantin’ out in the hallway: ‘All these bloody cameras and we’re no bloody safer! Useless, intrusive shower of spying wazzocks are never around when you need them!’ Or summink like that. Anyway, I’m pretty sure the police never showed up here, although there was that peep— … that Safe-Guard what came ’ere. I can hear anyone who goes up the stairs here, and the elevator doesn’t work.”
“Well, that’s all very useful, Mrs. Caper,” Manikin said, getting to her feet. “Thank you very much for your assistance, and … and I’d really appreciate it if you could keep my little indiscretion to yourself.”
“It’s as safe as the bank,” Mrs. Caper assured her.
“I’m very grateful. Oh, would you happen to know when Doctor Brundle’s daughter was last here? We just want to confirm her movements.”
“That’d be last Friday night,” Mrs. Caper said. “She stayed over. Usually does when she’s been out on the town. I mind me own business, but there’s her, not even sixteen and she’s drinkin’ already. Daddy must be … must have been … a softer touch than her mum. She always stayed out late when she slept over here on a weekend. God love ’er, there’ll be no partyin’ for her for a while.”
After winding up her interview with Mrs. Caper, Manikin went on to talk to as many of Brundle’s other neighbors in the building as she could, but they had little to add to her picture of the scientist’s last days. When she emerged from the building, Move-Easy’s two apes were still visible—as were Punkin and Bunny, still in their same positions, still failing to look convincingly casual. She saw the Safe-Guard was also still on the street, standing in the same place. Manikin resisted the urge to look skywards, wondering what other surveillance had been placed on the area. There was no way of telling if the Safe-Guard was here to watch the building, or just on a random posting. Remembering what FX had said about Veronica Brundle being the subject of some kind of WatchWorld-style investigation, Manikin felt a quiver of nervousness. She and her brother had never dealt with that level of heat before.
She strode right past Punkin, confident that he wouldn’t recognize her and keen to test the effectiveness of her disguise. Turning the corner, she carried on down the street towards the nearest tube station.
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