by David Wake
“Reuben Mantle is an important man, rich, and he has powerful friends,” she said. “But you don’t need me to tell you that or even your Noodle.”
“Of course not.” Braddon noodled anyway and remembered that Reuben Mantle was the CEO of CC, Inc., the leaders in celebrity endorsements, and thus rich. Wow, that is rich – the world’s first trillionaire and then some.
“So, we thought it best if I came along to ensure some sensitivity.”
Thought it best how, Braddon thought, but he said, “Well, he’s hardly likely to be here, is he?”
“He has a penthouse apartment in Sentinel House.”
“Really?”
“He’s present there on average six days out of every twenty.”
“Odd number.”
“Even numbers.”
“And he stays there?”
“It’s out of the way. It’s not New York, Dubai or Singapore.”
How can it be ‘out of the way’ when everywhere is connected to the Thinkersphere. And all that aviation fuel polluting the air just to go somewhere for real! “Are there international ramifications here?”
“Not that I’m aware of… at the moment.”
“And… who do you work for, exactly?”
“I can’t say.”
“The Secret Service?”
“I can’t say.”
“There’s no such thing.”
She arched her eyebrow again: “Why do you say that, Detective Sergeant?”
“Because since the iBrow became widespread, it’s impossible to keep secrets.”
“You’d be surprised.”
Braddon looked at the card again, tapped it against his fingers and then, for want of anything better to do with it, he slipped it into the breast pocket of his jacket.
They finished their coffees.
He didn’t like not knowing. He was a police officer after all, but more so, it was an unfamiliar feeling. All human knowledge had been available to him since he’d turned eleven and his mother had taken him to the clinic for his fitting. He vaguely knew it had been different during his childhood, but there were no memories of that time in his Thinkerfeed. Those years weren’t relevant. Anything worth knowing he could remember now with a minimum delay and no fuss.
This noisy conversation, however, was like a childish game: hide and seek.
The sort of behaviour impossible for an adult.
Steiger dabbed the corners of her mouth with a paper towel, although the pastry had left no crumbs. They were finished here.
Braddon shook his head: Children’s games.
“So,” she said, “where do we start?”
“We don’t start anywhere,” he said. I don’t want to play. “There’s no case to investigate.”
“But–”
“My call – suicide.”
...and you can read the rest by going to Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.
Also by David Wake
NOVELS
I, Phone
The Derring–Do Club and the Empire of the Dead
The Derring–Do Club and the Year of the Chrononauts
Hashtag
The Derring–Do Club and the Invasion of the Grey
Crossing the Bridge
Atcode
NOVELLAS
The Other Christmas Carol
ONE–ACT PLAYS
Hen and Fox
Down the Hole
Flowers
Stockholm
Groom
NON–FICTION
Punk Publishing (with Andy Conway)
Do you fear technology? We have an App for that.
Your phone is your life. But what if it kept secrets from you? What if it accidentally framed you for murder? What if it was also the only thing that could save you?
In a world where phones are more intelligent than humans, but are still thrown away like yesterday’s fashions, one particular piece of plastic lies helpless as its owner, Alice Wooster, is about to be murdered…
In this darkly comic near–future tale, a very smart phone tells its own story as events build to a climactic battle. Can it save all the virtual and augmented worlds? Can it save the real one? Can it order Alice some proper clothes?
“Excellent novel – by turns strikingly original, laugh–out–loud funny and thought provoking.”
★★★★★
“Want to read it again soon…”
★★★★★
“A thoughtful, tense and funny look at a future that seems to be already upon us.”
★★★★★
This novel is available at Amazon.com and at Amazon.co.uk.
A ripping yarn of cliff–hangers, desperate chases, romance and deadly danger.
Earnestine, Georgina and Charlotte are trapped in the Eden College for Young Ladies suffering deportment, etiquette and Latin. So, when the British Empire is threatened by an army of zombies, the Deering–Dolittle sisters are eager to save the day. Unfortunately, they are under strict instructions not to have any adventures…
…but when did that ever stop them?
“Think ‘Indiana Jones pace’. It’s fast and dangerous and does not involve embroidery!”
★★★★★
“A brilliant, fast paced steampunk adventure, trains zombies and zeppelins, what more could you want?”
★★★★★
Putting their best foot forward,
without showing an ankle, since 1896
The first novel in the adventure series is available at Amazon.com and at Amazon.co.uk.
A ripping yarn of time–travel, rocket–packs, conspiracy and sword fighting!
The plucky Deering–Dolittle sisters, Earnestine, Georgina and Charlotte, are put to the test as mysterious Time Travellers appear in Victorian London to avert the destruction of the world…
…but just whose side should they be on?
“Loved it! […] Fast paced and exciting another great adventure for three Victorian Young Ladies.”
★★★★★
“…if I had been wearing a hat, I would have taken it off to David Wake.”
★★★★★
Putting their best foot forward,
without showing an ankle, since 1896
The second novel in the adventure series is available at Amazon.com and at Amazon.co.uk.
A ripping yarn of strange creatures, aerial dog–fights, espionage and pirates!
Strange lights hover over Dartmoor and alien beings abduct the unwary as the plucky Deering–Dolittle sisters, Earnestine, Georgina and Charlotte, race to discover the truth before the conquest begins…
…but betrayal is never far away.
“Well–written, fast–paced, and dangerously addictive – but with some extra thinking in there, too, should you choose to read it that way.”
★★★★★
“As with previous adventures I really enjoyed the imaginative scene setting, building intrigue into unexpected twists and a spectacular ending.”
★★★★★
Putting their best foot forward,
without showing an ankle, since 1896
The third novel in the adventure series is available at Amazon.com and at Amazon.co.uk.
A tonic for the Xmas Spirit
Being Santa’s daughter would be a dream come true for any child, but for Carol Christmas the fairy tale is about to end. Evil forces threaten the festive season, and only Carol can save the day…
A grim fairy tale told as a children’s book, but perhaps not just for children at all.
“This starts out as a delightfully childlike modern take on the Christmas myth – the kind of Pixar–esque story that can play to the kids and give the adults a knowing wink or two, but it gets dark. Very dark.”
★★★★★
This novella is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and an audiobook CD or download.
A bloke–lit tale of political intrigue and beer
Guy Wilson lives in the past.
Every year, he and his friends re–enact rebellion.
Every year, they celebrate the Jacobite’s retreat.
Every year, they have a few drinks and go home…
…except this year, they go too far.
An unstoppable boozing session meets an unbreakable wall of riot police in this satirical thriller. Guy struggles against corrupt politicians, murderous security forces and his own girlfriend in a desperate bid to stop a modern uprising.
And it’s all his fault.
Will anyone survive to last orders?
“Witty, warm and well–written, “Crossing The Bridge” was so enjoyable that I didn’t want to finish it.”
★★★★★
“My sort of book. Couldn’t put it down. Comedy, tension and an uncanny resemblance to the moral fibre of some of our elected representatives.”
★★★★★
This novel is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
First published in Great Britain by
Watledge Books
Copyright © 2014 David Wake
All rights reserved
The moral right of David Wake to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publishers.
This book may not be lent, hired out, resold or otherwise disposed of by any way of trade in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published, without the prior consent of the publishers.
Cover by Sean Strong
www.seanstrong.com
Table of Contents
About the book
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
EPILOGUE
About the author
ATCODE: WEEK ONE – FRIDAY
Also by David Wake