between them.
Queegley was making his way out of town in the direction of Barnsley. The convoy was passing a row of bungalows when Queegley suddenly braked hard and turned left through the gates into the drive of one of them. The green car had to brake and swerve out towards the middle of the road, before continuing. Angel noted the number 29 painted in white on the gatepost and sailed straight past. He drove as far as the next roundabout, circled it and came back towards the bungalow. About a hundred yards before he reached the bungalow, he pulled the BMW into the side of the road and stopped. He reached into the glove compartment, took out a pair of binoculars just in time to see the tall, black-clad figure of Alec Underwood open the bungalow door and Queegley step inside.
EIGHT
It was 8.28 a.m. on Friday morning, 29 May.
Angel arrived at the station and went straight down to the stores to withdraw three rounds of ammunition and the handgun, the Walther PPK/S, the actual weapon that was used to kill Charles Razzle. The duty stores sergeant gave them to him separately wrapped in two sealed envelopes. Angel tore open the paper, checked them, pushed them into his pocket, and signed the receipt and the list of standard conditions permitting the gun to be in his possession. It was, after all, a lethal weapon and an important piece of evidence.
He then drove the BMW down to The Manor House on Creesforth Road and parked on the drive behind DS Carter’s Ford. He went through the unlocked front door, straight down the hall to the kitchen, through the basement door and down the steps. The heavy workshop security door was wide open and the lights were on. A shaft of electric light shone outwards on to the basement floor. He went into the workshop.
DS Carter and PC Ahmed Ahaz were bending down in front of the robot arranging two sandbags on the floor where the body of Charles Razzle had been.
The blue robot seemed to acknowledge Angel’s arrival. Three tiny coloured lights in its blue translucent head kept flickering on and off in an irregular sequence suggesting that it was capable of thought as well as indicating that it was switched on.
Carter heard Angel arrive and looked up. ‘Are these sandbags all right here, sir?’
‘Aye. They’ll do fine,’ he said.
‘Did you put tapes in the CCTVs?’
‘Not yet, sir. I brought two new ones. They are here,’ she said, taking them off the top of the safe and handing them to him.
Angel took them, glanced at them and said, ‘Ahmed, put these tapes in the cameras and make sure they’re running.’
‘Right, sir,’ Ahmed said and rushed out.
Angel looked at Carter, pointed at the robot and said, ‘Where’s the remote control for that thing?’
‘On the desk, sir.’
Angel looked round, found the large, cumbersome control and said, ‘Does it work?’
‘Oh yes, sir. Just press the red button and it will walk forward … and probably start jabbering.’
Angel clicked the red button and the robot began making a low buzzing noise. It began a rocking side to side movement which progressed it towards them, at the same time, in a hollow voice, it said, ‘What do you want me to do now?’
Angel pressed the green button and it stopped. He pressed the green button again twice quickly and it walked backwards. At the same time, it said, ‘I do not understand your instruction. Would you repeat it, please?’
Angel pressed the other buttons in turn and discovered that the robot could turn right and left, turn around, and move its arm, wrist, hand and fingers on demand. The performance was firm and positive but much slower than a human.
He took out the Walther and fitted it in the robot’s hand.
Carter looked on.
Using the remote control, Angel raised the robot’s arm to the approximate position it would have needed to have been in, to have shot the first bullet at Charles Razzle while the man was standing in front of the desk.
‘What do you want me to do now?’ the
Queegley was making his way out of town in the direction of Barnsley. The convoy was passing a row of bungalows when Queegley suddenly braked hard and turned left through the gates into the drive of one of them. The green car had to brake and swerve out towards the middle of the road, before continuing. Angel noted the number 29 painted in white on the gatepost and sailed straight past. He drove as far as the next roundabout, circled it and came back towards the bungalow. About a hundred yards before he reached the bungalow, he pulled the BMW into the side of the road and stopped. He reached into the glove compartment, took out a pair of binoculars just in time to see the tall, black-clad figure of Alec Underwood open the bungalow door and Queegley step inside.
EIGHT
It was 8.28 a.m. on Friday morning, 29 May.
Angel arrived at the station and went straight down to the stores to withdraw three rounds of ammunition and the handgun, the Walther PPK/S, the actual weapon that was used to kill Charles Razzle. The duty stores sergeant gave them to him separately wrapped in two sealed envelopes. Angel tore open the paper, checked them, pushed them into his pocket, and signed the receipt and the list of standard conditions permitting the gun to be in his possession. It was, after all, a lethal weapon and an important piece of evidence.
He then drove the BMW down to The Manor House on Creesforth Road and parked on the drive behind DS Carter’s Ford. He went through the unlocked front door, straight down the hall to the kitchen, through the basement door and down the steps. The heavy workshop security door was wide open and the lights were on. A shaft of electric light shone outwards on to the basement floor. He went into the workshop.
DS Carter and PC Ahmed Ahaz were bending down in front of the robot arranging two sandbags on the floor where the body of Charles Razzle had been.
The blue robot seemed to acknowledge Angel’s arrival. Three tiny coloured lights in its blue translucent head kept flickering on and off in an irregular sequence suggesting that it was capable of thought as well as indicating that it was switched on.
Carter heard Angel arrive and looked up. ‘Are these sandbags all right here, sir?’
‘Aye. They’ll do fine,’ he said.
‘Did you put tapes in the CCTVs?’
‘Not yet, sir. I brought two new ones. They are here,’ she said, taking them off the top of the safe and handing them to him.
Angel took them, glanced at them and said, ‘Ahmed, put these tapes in the cameras and make sure they’re running.’
‘Right, sir,’ Ahmed said and rushed out.
Angel looked at Carter, pointed at the robot and said, ‘Where’s the remote control for that thing?’
‘On the desk, sir.’
Angel looked round, found the large, cumbersome control and said, ‘Does it work?’
‘Oh yes, sir. Just press the red button and it will walk forward … and probably start jabbering.’
Angel clicked the red button and the robot began making a low buzzing noise. It began a rocking side to side movement which progressed it towards them, at the same time, in a hollow voice, it said, ‘What do you want me to do now?’
Angel pressed the green button and it stopped. He pressed the green button again twice quickly and it walked backwards. At the same time, it said, ‘I do not understand your instruction. Would you repeat it, please?’
Angel pressed the other buttons in turn and discovered that the robot could turn right and left, turn around, and move its arm, wrist, hand and fingers on demand. The performance was firm and positive but much slower than a human.
He took out the Walther and fitted it in the robot’s hand.
Carter looked on.
Using the remote control, Angel raised the robot’s arm to the approximate position it would have needed to have been in, to have shot the first bullet at Charles Razzle while the man was standing in front of the desk.
‘What do you want me to do now?’ the
Similar Books
