Page 202 of The Examiner

No, because she told him what it was in that phone call. I can’t pretend he doesn’t know now without raising suspicion.

Ludya

Suze, what did your mole say about the location of the adt?

Suzie

Turn left along the corridor from the museum. Three doors along.

Ludya

Yet the security network runs clockwise. Based on the codes alone, I’d say the turn was right.

Suzie

She said left, so I turned left. Whatever this unit is, how can Jem or Patrick have got that voice out of it? She’s blind, FFS, and has only done a basic electronics course. He needs help charging his phone.

Ludya

Don’t underestimate Jem. She made her own testing circuit that emits sound rather than light. After just an introductory class? That’s pretty awesome.

Suzie

We need to get the unit off them without winding Jem up. Then we can investigate the voice ourselves. Find out what it is we’ve got.

Jonathan

This is the plan: Suzie will continue to reassure Mae – as Cameron. She’ll message Gela – again, as Cameron – and ask her to leave the unit at the rear doors. One of us can pick it up and bring it back to the house. Done. We get to examine the unit, and everyone is happy.

Ludya

Except Jem.

Jonathan

Gela will think of something to tell her.

Ludya

Until they realise Cameron isn’t showing up.

Suzie

He’s off-radar on a new job. He’s messaging his clients and colleagues all the time. Everyone, including Gela, knows he coordinates a team of investigators, each working on different jobs. He’ll assure Mae the unit is safe – and that’ll give us time to work out what it is.

WhatsApp chat between Jonathan Danners, Ludya Parak and Patrick Bright, 14 February 2024:

Jonathan

This is important, Patrick. When you worked on that old radio with Jem, could she have altered the tech?

Ludya

What Jonathan means is: could the voice be a recording, put there deliberately by Jem?

Patrick

I didn’t want her touching anything electric, so kept her away from the insides. Once I got power to it, we closed the case and played with the tuning dial. That’s all.