Constable Poulson waited for the explosion to die down before answering their question.
“I have finally worked out what has been happening since you left New Caledonia some two weeks ago, you two, together with at least two more of your crew murdered the others on your ship to keep whatever you found on Retem a secret. You murdered your two engineers either because it meant that there would be less of you to share whatever it is you found, or because you could not trust them to stay quiet about it. As for the five murders here on New Caledonia, your two accomplices, the two who came through the body scanning room after you had walked through it, killed them to throw a smokescreen around your activities. The fact that there were no murders last night tends to prove this, for if there really were two alien creatures rampaging around New Caledonia, they would have continued feeding.” Poulson said triumphantly.
“Constable, tell me please, are we to be officially charged with murder?” Kramer asked.
“Not today Captain, but within the next few days, until then you will be held here on a holding charge if necessary, that of importing two dangerous creature to New Caledonia.” Poulson replied.
“But you do not believe in the invisible alien creatures!” Captain Kramer replied in exasperation. He and Maria Alejandra looked at each other and both of them felt like screaming in exasperation, instead they finally insisted on seeing a lawyer, something that Constable Poulson agreed to.
**********
Meanwhile, Professor Collinson and Patricia Poulson had finished their lunch and were ready once again for their self imposed task, normally the professor would work through the day before stopping due to exhaustion and hunger, after his lunch today he decided that maybe this way was better, he found he had more energy with which to work on their task.
Sitting down on the large sofa that took up much of the front room, they ran both of the the recordings, the one made in the cell block corridor and the other one made in the scanning room, on the family multi media machine, a machine more meant for high quality recordings rather than poor quality ones. They could see some blurred figures on the second of the recordings, but they were badly out of focus, as Daniel had said, and there was also a lot of interference. The recordings were also rather short, as the electrical parts of the CCTV cameras had both finally short circuited, although no one could offer a reason as to why.
“We are not going to get a lot out of those recordings Grandfather, the recordings are not much better than the previous lack of recordings from the Galileo were.” Patricia said down heartedly, for she had hoped to be able to help her husband solve what was a particularly difficult case.
“I am not so sure Pat, I think that with the equipment that I brought with me, and that is stored up in the bedroom that you so kindly made available to me, we should be able to improve quite a lot on the picture quality, and maybe even rid ourselves of the interference.” Professor Collinson declared boldly. “Do you think the Daniel will mind if we transfer my equipment to his office, it should not take up too much space?”
“No, Dan will not mind, especially if we can help him, he is in so much need of any sort of assistance right now, so a computer and some other hardware will not annoy him.”
With this decided Patricia followed Professor Collinson up the single flight of stairs to his bedroom and stood by the bed while Professor Collinson pointed out all the equipment they would need, she had not realised just how much equipment had been stored away inside the small bedroom, there was hardly room for the Professor to get into his bed. All this equipment had been delivered two days before the professor had arrived, he had chosen a slightly longer but more comfortable route for his person.
“Grandfather we will have to see about moving some of your boxes into the garage, there simply is not room for you and all of your things in this small room.” Patricia declared.
“We shall see after we move the items that I indicated to you down into Daniel`s office.” Professor Collinson said by way of an answer, for he liked to have his equipment where he could see it.
They had soon manoeuvred all of the items required, back down the flight of stairs, and then Professor Collinson set them up in the office. Patricia frowned as she looked at the small amount of space left to her husband, but she knew it would be worth it if they found something to help him.
Once Professor Collinson was happy with his equipment he began to adjust the settings on a slim black box. Then he connected it up to a large monitor and a series of other units each having many dials, gauges and flashing lights on the front of them, finally he was pronounced himself ready and he turned to Patricia.
“Right Pat, insert the recording taken in the body scanning room into that device next to you, the one that has the USB insignia on the front.” Pat did so and then sat down to watch the show.
The slim back box which was the master processor began to process the digital recording, automatically applying various filters, it simulated an increase in the exposure of the digital picture while using a polarising filter in tandem with a UV filter and various coloured filter. It was supposed to have automatically screened out all of the interference but when the computer had finished with the picture they still found themselves watching a rather blurred recording of the action within the body scanning room.
“Damned computers, they never seem able to just do what you want them to do.” Professor Collinson complained and immediately began to fiddle with the controls on all of the various pieces of technology spread around the room. Finally there appeared on the monitor before Patricia Poulson a slightly imperfect picture which showed two men dressed in what appeared to be the uniforms of the crew of the Galileo.
“Are that`s better Pat.” Professor Collinson declared as they watched the two figures walk past the body scanner but them the recording stopped, that is all there was of it.
“It is true Grandfather, what Daniel has said all along, the murderers are human and they look to be two of the Galileo`s crew. There are no invisible alien creatures rampaging around New Caledonia!” Patricia Poulson gasped in surprise.
“It certainly appears to be so Pat, and this must mean that Captain Kramer and Professor Alejandra are guilty as charged. Pat do you have a copy of the flyer showing the crew of the Galileo.” Professor Collison asked grimly.
“Yes there is one under this file.” Patricia Poulson said picking up the file and handing the flyer made by her husband to Professor Collinson.
The professor looked at the monitor showing the two figures and then put the flyer up against it. “I know that the picture of the two men on my monitor is not that good Pat, but I believe that it shows two different people.” He said thoughtfully. “The taller of the two is too well built to be one of the male members of the crew, while the smaller one I believe is a woman, and one who is too tall to be one of the women who crewed on the Galileo. I suppose they could be two of the security personnel, although why they would dress in the crew`s uniform is beyond me.”
“Well does that mean that nothing escaped from the Galileo, Grandfather?” Patricia Poulson asked. She had not expected this scenario.
“I do not know Pat, maybe Daniel will be able to tell us who our two mystery figures are.” Professor Collinson replied.
They then watched the recording taken in the cell block, however no amount of fiddling with the computers managed to clear up the picture and it also stopped rather suddenly.
They were both quite excited by their work on the one recording that they had managed to clean up, and also by their discussions regarding the two mystery people. When Constable Poulson returned home for a rest, prior to the coming night`s vigil to halt the attacks on the citizens of New Caledonia, they showed him the upgraded recording and awaited his reaction.
After looking at the two figures on the monitor Constable Poulson also looked confused. “I agree Grandfather, these two people do not resemble any of the members of the crew of the Galileo, they do not even resemble any of the secu
rity team at the spaceport, and I met them all over the last couple of days. I will call Francis Strom and have him come by to look at our two mystery people, maybe he can throw a little light on just who they are. As to why they would be wearing the uniforms of the crew of the Galileo, well I have no idea, unless it was a bad attempt to throw even more suspicion upon our two main suspects. Ten minutes later and a confused Francis Strom was looking at the monitor.
“Even though the quality of the recording is still not perfect I can definitely say that I have never seen either of those two people, and as they must have come along the security tunnel it also means that they came off the Galileo. Once again we return to the same answer, we have two of our murderers safe and secure in the security wing of our spaceport building, now all we have to do is catch the other two, whoever they are.”
“And as I have said repeatedly, there are no invisible creatures here on New Caledonia, simply a pair of men with a fancy gizmo that interferes with CCTV cameras.” Constable Poulson declared confidently to them. However, he was very relieved by this new evidence for even he had begun to believe in the possibility of the invisible creatures.
“Constable Poulson, this recording shows that we need to speak to the men of my security team working at the spaceport. They need to explain how these two strangers walked past them without anyone challenging them.” Francis Strom said, his day had finished badly after showing such promise.
***********
After Constable Poulson and Francis Strom had left to interrogate Kramer and Alejandra, and to show them this new evidence, Professor Collinson and Patricia Poulson discussed the evidence that they had procured for Daniel Poulson.
“Grandfather, I can not understand why Captain Kramer and Professor Alejandra would make up such a poor scenario as the one we are asked to believe, and to kill all of those people, people who were their friends, and just to gain some unknown riches, riches that they can only have known about after they had landed on Retem. No, all of it is really too impossible to believe, and their defence attorney will tear the case to bits.” Patricia Poulson said in a worried voice, for she could see that it would also cast a bad light upon her husband.
“Let`s go over everything that we do know Pat.” Professor Collinson said in an equally worried voice. “Captain Kramer in his statement said that it appeared that Professor Palin had actually seen one of the creatures, it was just before he was killed by it. I hardly think that the creature was carrying around some sort of personal cloaking device as Daniel originally thought possible, it would surely be too bulky an item to manhandle around the bridge of a starship. It seems more likely to be a form of super chameleonic ability, under certain conditions you might see fleeting movements, maybe to do with the way the light shines upon the creatures.” Professor Collinson theorised.
“On the bridge of a starship there would be any solid blocks of single colours mixed in with all the computer screens filled with data, if you are correct Grandfather, maybe it was impossible for even this creature to effectively blend into such a background.” Patricia Poulson said thoughtfully. “However, for your theory to be correct it means that its chameleonic ability must work in 3D, or is it 4D?” Patricia wondered for a moment before continuing. “As in 3D they would be visible to someone to the rear of them, is that not so?”
Professor Collinson looked thoughtfully at Patricia Poulson as he thought about her arguments, however, he was not technologically minded enough to give her an answer just yet. Across from him Patricia Poulson was also silent for a moment as she rehearsed what she now wanted to add to their discussion. “Grandfather, I really do not think that 4D is possible, maybe for a robot with a computer, but not for a flesh and blood creature. Grandfather, if Captain Kramer and Professor Alejandra are innocent, as they say they are, then it follows that we actually do have two creatures that make it hard to be seen, by some means as yet unknown.” Patricia Poulson said and she suddenly felt quite exhausted by it all, which is just how her husband felt.
**********
Ten minutes after leaving his home Constable Poulson, together with Francis Strom, were speaking to Captain Kramer and Professor Alejandra within the security room at the spaceport.
“This is a photograph showing the two figures that followed on behind you through the body scanner room, it shows two people unknown to either myself or to Mr Strom, maybe you can tell us who they are?” Constable Poulson demanded to know and he passed the photograph across to his two prime suspects.
“I would add that they can only have entered the scanning room from the security tunnel, this means that they must have come from the Galileo, now come on, tell us the truth, you two were involved in the murder of your crewmen.” Francis Strom said accusingly.
Kramer and Alejandra looked at the photograph and then at each other, it was obvious to Poulson that they were stunned by the photograph, and maybe a little perplexed.
“Mr Strom, you had at least one guard in the security tunnel, how on earth could these two people get by him without your security guard noticing them, I mean one of the two is a big guy.” Kramer demanded in return. “Mr Strom, shouldn`t you be asking your questions of whoever was left inside the security tunnel after your people escorted the two of us through to the changing rooms?”
“That is what we fully intend to do Captain, and after we have spoken to my security men I will gladly let you and Professor Alejandra know their answers.” Strom replied quietly, temporarily thrown by Kramer`s reply to his accusation.
It was now that Maria Alejandra took over the meeting, her mind had long found answers to difficult questions and now was no different.
“Let me go over what we all know and agree on. First something or somebody began to murder the crew of the Galileo both on the planet Retem and on the survey ship itself, this we all agree on.” Poulson, Strom and Kramer all nodded their agreement to her words so she continued with her summing up. “Two murderers then left the Galileo in broad daylight and followed us past the security men stationed there to prevent this very thing from happening, they then followed us into this room. I am correct when I say that all the other doors leading off the corridor that travels from the scanning room to this room are always kept locked, correct Mr Strom.” Maria Alejandra waited until Strom had nodded in some what of a daze before continuing. “The same two murderers may then have followed us into the cell block, and then calmly walked into the cells without anyone seeing them. Later, during the early morning, probably during the electrical storm, they then killed Chief Mayers and engineer Milano, in this very secure security building. They then somehow escaped, and all this without being invisible for some of the time? Now please answer these two questions gentlemen, does it seem at all possible and is it not proof the innocence of Captain Kramer and myself?”
“Let me think some more about this for a moment Professor Alejandra, before I answer you.” Constable Poulson said. He had recorded all that Maria Alejandra had said, so as to be able to use it against her at the trial. Now quietly deflated, as was Strom, he replayed the recording time and time again before replying to her demand.
“I agree Professor Alejandra that we need to ask the security personnel about the two people shown on the recording, however it is still possible that the murder of the two ship`s engineers could have been carried out by you or the captain here. As to how these two people walked along the security tunnel, through the corridors of this building and then managed to get out of the building is a very good question, and one that I will need some more time to answer. First though, Mr Strom and I will speak to his security personnel to question them about the two strangers, and one of us will return to give you a full answer to your questions. You are correct in the final part of your summation, if we can not offer any reasonable explanation to your questions, we will have to release the both of you.”
Kramer and Alejandra were elated and Kramer shook her hand and congratulated her on her summation of the important facts of the case,
and especially getting Constable Poulson to admit that he might have to let them go free.
A very worried Poulson and Strom spent two further hours questioning the security personnel, however, not one of them admitted seeing the two mystery people, and for no one to see them at sometime posed a very serious question, could these two people have the ability to turn invisible.
Poulson decided to sleep on the matter before releasing what had up until now been his two prime murder suspects. One other thing was clear to him, unless the security men were in on the murders, and that would make the list of conspirators far too long to be practicable, Lydia Mann must also be innocent. This meant that invisible creatures could well be living and killing in New Caledonia. Poulson now damned and blasted himself for ignoring this very distinct possibility, one that, as Revere had said earlier, fitted all of the facts.
Francis Strom returned to the cell block to inform his two prisoners all that had been said by his security men. “I believe that Constable Poulson will order your release sometime very soon, for the moment he is sleeping on the matter. You will agree that it is all very hard to take in.” Strom said. “I will apologise to you both then, in front of others. I would like to add in my defence, I did not lie to you, I fully believed that my team had done as I had ordered. Unfortunately I found out today that they wasted five minutes searching for the seal of the tunnel, something that they should already have had with them. The deaths of so many people will forever lie on my conscience.”
**********
It was now that a constructive way to help his grandson occurred to Professor Collinson, and as Constable Poulson did not return home Professor Collinson called upon him at the police station where the professor found that he had just returned moments ago.
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