“Alicia, do you mind if I take it from here?”
“I do, but sure go ahead and ask her some questions.”
“From the information we have gathered, it appears that you have been against the virtual reality project, ever since you worked with the client named Raphael Raynar, about six months ago. Is that information correct?”
“Yes, Raphael was tortured and murdered, and his body is nowhere to be found. Honestly, I don’t believe that you are really here for this but unlike you people who work for the government, I have nothing to hide.”
“I don’t work for the government. I work for the Metropolitan Police which is independent from the British Liberal Party as part of a system of checks and balances.”
“Yeah, I won’t fall for that.”
For a moment, Tanaka and Alicia sat glaring at each other.
“Alicia, please let me take it from here. Relax and don’t sound defensive and alert the suspect. Remember your basic training as a police officer, you are legally allowed to lie in order to trip up a suspect.”
“Okay.”
“Other than Mr. Raynar’s case, do you have any other evidence for other cases of medical malpractice?”
“Medical malpractice? Now you are sounding more like a lawyer, even though I am one, no I am talking about human experimentation and murder as defined in the law. Yes, there are other cases which I have been collecting. Six in total so far, including Raphael Raynar.”
“What are your sources on that?”
“Well, you should know that already since you are the ones who have been arresting all of the whistleblowers involved in that damn project!”
“Stop the recording.”
There was something that I needed to ask.
“Why did Ryouta go in as a police officer rather than a private detective or some other disguise to lower her suspicions?”
The hologram of Ryouta appeared within the recording.
“That was because it would only make it more suspicious. Lord Blair would have undoubtedly investigated any fake private investigator’s background, and using a real private investigator would have been too risky. The few whistleblowers in the project were arrested and tried for leaking state secrets, and every time they were caught by undercover agents. Ryouta figured the same trick won’t work again and instead tried to make use of Ashley Tanaka’s temper to provoke her into revealing something more.”
“Resume the recording.”
“That was the military police who arrested them and tried them in military courts for leaking state secrets. It was outside the control of the MET.”
“So the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand does? Am I supposed to believe that?”
Ashley looked towards Lord Blair. It looked as if they had planned it so that she would be unwilling to divulge any new information.
“Well, if you are unwilling to cooperate with the investigation at this stage. You can always reach me through your closest police station.”
Alicia and Ashley got up, and Ashley left first, but before Alicia could leave a voice stopped her.
“Well, I could just ask you to give my regards to the Prime Minister on my behalf but it would be such a pity, after all the trouble you must have gone through to set up this meeting, and I don’t think I can eat all those cookies I baked by myself.”
“If you have any information regarding the investigation. I’d be glad to hear it, Mr Blair.”
Alicia and Lord Blair both sat back down facing each other in the living room. Blair brought some juice to go down with the cookies.
“Let me guess the real reason for your visit. You wanted to find out what connection there was between Ashley Tanaka and VHEPO, correct?”
Neither Alicia nor Ryouta answered.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Well, there was no reason for such an indirect approach. Ask and you shall be given, that’s what I always said to my voters.”
