The Final Cut by Matthew Smith

Author:Matthew Smith [Smith, Matthew]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Science Fiction
Publisher: Rebellion Publishing Limited
Published: 2009-10-05T13:00:00+00:00

"Have you any idea of the seriousness of what you're suggesting?"

"I'm fully aware of the implications, if my suspicions are proved correct, of course. I don't make a habit of casting wild accusations."

Hershey sat forward at her desk, hands clasped together in front of her. "But you're accusing a major film studio - one with links to Justice Department, I might add - of being instrumental in the kidnap and murder of several citizens?"

Dredd nodded. "Something's rotten at the heart of Catalyst, I'm sure of it. Engels disappears a few weeks after working for the company and Haigle vanishes two months after her first gig there. Fellmore appears in three of their productions before his disappearance a year later."

"I've read the report," Hershey said testily, indicating the papers spread out before her. "It might just be coincidence. If someone's murdering actors, then their places of work are all going to be fairly similar."

"It's the single unifying factor between the victims. They've all got different backgrounds, different ages, different sexes, but they all worked for Catalyst at some point in their lives. They also all seem to be single, with no close family ties."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning someone's profiling them, choosing them because nobody's going to notice they're missing for a while. I looked into their Missing Persons files and Haigle hadn't been registered missing until eighteen months after her probable time of death. Nobody knew anything about Fellmore. Both their apartments had been re-let, the presumption being that, as actors, they'd found work in another part of the city, or left the country altogether."

"But you have no evidence," Hershey reiterated. "Nothing concrete. This is all supposition."

"I know that DuNoye creep lied to me, giving me a false lead to further muddy the waters of the investigation. If he's protecting Rejin, I want to know why. Plus there have now been two attempts on my life. Somebody with a lot of money is behind them if they can afford a Mob Blitzer or hire a wrecking crew to take me out."

"But we've got no names to connect them. The drive-by shooter was identified as some lowlife called Jove Parnell, who has already done time for ARVs and who wasn't even gang-affiliated. And that perp you pulled out of Watts knows nothing. Psi-Div probed him and all they got was that he was hired by a voice on the phone to do a wrecking job."

"They're the soldiers. They're not going to be told anything if it means we can use that info to get at the creeps at the top. We're looking at systematic murder here. If we're gonna break the organisation open, we gotta get at the brains behind it."

Hershey sighed. "Erik Rejin is a staunch supporter of this office and he makes many welcome contributions to our funds. If you're wrong about this, Dredd, it could prove very costly."

"I'll stake my reputation on it," Dredd replied flatly.

The Chief Judge sat back in her chair, thinking. Finally, she said: "What are you proposing?"

"We put someone inside Catalyst.

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