Thirty Four Minutes DEAD Read Free Page A

Her flesh was pallid with blue bruising appearing on her mouth and temple. The blood had been washed from her and the fatal knife wound looked relatively innocuous without evidence of the deluge of blood that had passed through it. Her eyes had been closed as Mason felt it was more appropriate with regard to the respect the victim deserved. To Venison's left was a large laser recording screen, behind her was an array of digital gadgetry and on the slab close to her head was the ‘Vault-Splicer’, a conception created by Vain. As some of the assembly audibly drew their breath, Vain approached the marble slab and took hold of the Vault-Splicer. This instrument was three inches in length and resembled a king-sized needle with leads threaded through the eye to the digital power base behind Venison. Vain broke the apprehensive silence.
     
    "What you will see now is the Prototype featuring crude edges and obvious penetration. What will follow in subsequent months will be subtle in comparison - a sensory stimulus that won't even break the skin. Well here goes, let's go Vault hunting".
     
    Vain drove the Vault Splicer into the cerebral hemisphere. He knew through tests the exact region that would stimulate Vault response. The previously unexplored Cerebral Vault was his baby. He had located the netherworld that others had overlooked. Now it was all down to his placement and Venison's storage capacity for HVs - heightened visuals.
     
    The lights dimmed and the laser screen took precedence.
     
    The first image to appear on the screen involved three glasses of red wine placed upon a wooden bar surface. Pub background noise accompanied this visual display. The image of a uniformed bartender next appeared on the screen and the crowd heard a woman comment...
     
    "...That's right Harry, the fusty air in your old pub really brings out the body in your over priced red!”
     
    The screen temporarily blackened but after a few seconds illuminated an open hand with a necklace in the palm. A male voice commenting, "excuse me, return dreamer, is this yours?" accompanied the image. The assembly were then taken through Julia Venison's introduction to Sandford Everett, with the Memory Camera revealing Everett's appearance to the full. The Godalming Lady reference appeared as did most of the initial dialogue the two had shared. The sequence closed on Everett's card, displaying his name and professional involvement.
     
    The blackness returned, to be replaced after three seconds by an image, which drew excited gasps from the invited assembly. There on the screen was Julia Venison herself, preening her hair that was reflected in the glass covered bar wall behind the optics. All eyes flitted between this visual image and the corpse. The reflection image showed an attractive face without bruising, and this fuelled the desire of the watching assembly to fight her case for her and give her murderer the retribution they deserved.
     
    A range of faces appeared on the screen next, cross cutting with each other, accompanied by a dialogue involving congratulations for Julia and a monologue of self-interest. Julia's MC selection had made an excellent job of illuminating the shallowness of the mutual admiration society that had broken her privacy.
     
    The ‘rain in the streetlight’ sequence provided a bizarre scenic interlude on the screen. This sequence led up to the pivotal top range Jaguar visual. Julia's Memory Camera had managed to record the infamous plate number in its entirety. Everett was then ‘framed’ leaning out of the car with his lift invitation being recorded for all to hear.
     
    A murmuring briefly started amongst the assembly, as the more vocal guests started to voice their suspicions concerning Everett's probable role in the murder.
     
    The smiling friendly face of Everett left the screen, being replaced by an opposite portrait highlighting a sneering mouth and enraged eyes. The assembly recoiled as Everett's verbal tirade began.