Doctor Who - Bernice Summerfield - 22 - The Joy Device by Justin Richards

Author:Justin Richards
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Juvenile Fiction, Space Opera, General, Science Fiction, Adventure, Fiction
ISBN: 0426205359
Publisher: Virgin Publishing
Published: 1999-01-02T08:00:00+00:00

* * *

Just as Jericko Klench was deciding that things could not

really get any worse, the lift arrived with a „ding‟. He had not

noticed anyone in the shop below on the security camera, but

then he had been staring into a space just in front of where

Linn was swinging her legs.

The lift doors slid open. And things got worse.

Clarence stopped in mid-step. „Oh,‟ he said. Then, as if that

settled it, he started walking again.

„Oh?‟ Jason asked. „What do you mean “Oh”? We‟re back to

“Oh” now, are we?‟

„I can still monitor the listening device on the window of

Klench‟s office,‟ Clarence said. „I haven‟t been listening, of

course. Now that we no longer have a professional interest, it

wouldn‟t be...‟ He shrugged.

„Polite?‟ Jason suggested.

Clarence nodded.

„So,‟ Jason said, „what is it that you haven‟t heard?‟

They had moved Linn gently to another table. Apparently in

the belief that she was either an imbecile or drunk, or maybe

both. The larger of the two extremely large men – the younger

one - had simply lifted her bodily from the desk and

deposited her on a side table. Her smile never faltered, and

her legs never stopped swinging. Dorpfeld‟s Prism remained

concealed behind the flimsy material of her blouse. Klench

tried to keep his eyes off it, which he found difficult enough

at the best of times.

This was not, he could already tell, the best of times. He sat

shaking silently behind his desk as Linn was cleared from it.

There were four of them: the two heavies, a young woman

with short, straight, dark hair, and Mrs Winther. Klench

shrank back into his seat as Mrs Winther sat down opposite

him. She was smiling. It was not pleasant.

„I think, Mr Klench, that you can help me,‟ she said. „I think

you have something I want.‟

„Oh?‟ He tried very hard to keep his voice level and calm.

The result was a noise like a pig in pain. But at least he had

the capacity to make some sort of sound. His confidence

boosted by this first minor success, he struggled on. „And

what is that, Mrs Winther? An antique for your collection?

Nice painting?‟

She had stopped smiling. Suddenly Klench appreciated her

smile, now that it was gone. „You know what I mean,‟ she

said.

He shook his head dumbly. She was bluffing.

„Er, is this because of those... those two loon-lunatics I just

threw out?‟ he stammered.

„They ain‟t lunatics, and you didn‟t throw them out,‟ the

older man said.

„But thank you for telling us they were here,‟ Mrs Winther

said.

Klench swallowed. He could hear Linn humming to herself

again. It didn‟t help.

„No,‟ Mrs Winther went on, „we found you from this.‟ She

snapped her fingers, though in fact they made a noise more

like jelly being dropped. In response the older of the two

heavies tossed something to Klench.

He fumbled it, nearly dropped it, caught it at last. It was a

personal communicator. It was Miklos Frunt‟s. Klench tried

to look confused.

„Now,‟ Mrs Winther said as if explaining to a child, „that

belonged to the man who stole the commodity that we – that I

- desire.‟

Klench was definitely not looking at Linn now. He was

certainly not staring at her blouse.

„There is only one number preprogrammed into that.

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