Gotta B Read online

  Apart from Tal and Allyx, the only other guest was one Audrey Farront had particularly requested – Victor O’Dell, his mother’s long-time mentor at Farront. He’d been retired for many years, but had played an important role in her career. Although now an old man, O’Dell was still highly regarded as an authority on the communications industry. His website was frequently first with breaking news and his opinion was often sought by the media.

  Steven Grant dropped Allyx off in mid-afternoon. Her father was slightly built, with thick, greying brown hair and a neat, darker beard. Like Tal’s mother, he was a single parent and worked in the same industry, being an executive with Brownbolt Communications, a huge company in direct competition with Farront International.

  There was a friendly rivalry between the two. ‘Steven,’ Tal’s mother said, kissing his cheek, ‘got any company secrets you care to share?’

  He laughed. ‘Not today, Grace. Better luck next time.’

  After he’d gone, Tal’s mother reminded Allyx not to mention her father was with Brownbolt in front of Audrey Farront.

  ‘I’ll be careful,’ said Allyx agreeably.

  Tal groaned. ‘Give it a rest, Mum. This must be the hundredth time you’ve brought this up. There’s no reason for Allyx to mention her father. And even if she did, why would Audrey care?’

  ‘I doubt she’d appreciate my son having a personal link to one of Farront’s main competitors.’

  ‘Yeah, right!’

  ‘Look, Tal, you know how important this promotion is to me. There’s no detail too small for Audrey to notice. I don’t want anything negative to affect her judgement.’

  ‘If she’s that obsessive, she’ll probably already know about Allyx.’

  His mother sighed. ‘Just for once can you do what I ask without talking it to death?’

  ‘He’ll be good,’ said Allyx, taking his arm, ‘won’t you, Tal?’

  ‘I’ll try,’ he said, thinking that Allyx could always get around him in the nicest way.

  When they were alone, Allyx said, ‘What did your mum say about helping Rick get reconnected?’

  ‘She hasn’t got very far. No one seems to know exactly what’s going on. She’s beginning to doubt there’s much she can do.’

  ‘Same with my dad. He said disconnection for more than a few minutes is very serious, because normally there are so many automatic fail-safe reconnection protocols that kick in to restore it.’ She shook her head. ‘Poor Rick. I was going to message him this morning, then I realised it wouldn’t get through.’

  ‘We should go see him tomorrow, but how can we let him know we’re coming?’

  ‘Actually,’ said Allyx, ‘Rick’s grandparents don’t have comms. They’ve still got a landline. Rick mentioned it ages ago.’

  ‘A landline phone? Unbelievable.’

  Old-fashioned instruments like this were extremely rare, although the communications companies were forced by law to provide line-connected telephones to those dwindling few who insisted on hanging on to outdated technology.

  A thought struck Tal. ‘Rick could have used the landline to call any one of us. It’s only electronic devices like iZods that won’t work for him.’

  ‘Whatever the reason,’ said Allyx, ‘he hasn’t called.’ She pulled out her communicator – a bright pink BeauBrute, since her father worked for Brownbolt. ‘How about I try Petra, Jennie and David? Maybe we can all meet at Rick’s place tomorrow.’

  ‘Jennie mightn’t make it,’ said Tal. ‘Her family usually has church stuff on Sunday, but try her anyway.’

  As he watched Allyx enter the messages, Tal wondered whether deep down she sometimes resented the closeness that existed between the Five. If he was in Allyx’s place, Tal thought, he probably would.

  Everything was in order by the time Rob Anderson arrived in the late afternoon. Rob, tall and lanky, towered over Tal’s mother. He was in his late forties, Tal knew, but he looked younger. There was no grey in his dark hair and no extra weight on his lean body.

  Tal tried to see him through his mother’s eyes. Rob wasn’t handsome, having a long, beaky nose and jutting chin, but he looked as pleasant as he really was.

  He worked for FinagleAlert.com, an organisation run by a foundation and partly funded by public donations. FinagleAlert’s purpose was to expose fraud and waste in both government and private industry, and it had an enviable reputation for fair but stringent investigative reporting.

  Tal knew it was unfair to expect his mother to run her life entirely to suit him, but he couldn’t help wishing they’d stay dating and not talk of marriage. In some ways he felt it would be a betrayal of his long-dead father.

  ‘They look good together,’ said Allyx, coming up behind him.

  ‘You think so?’

  ‘Don’t you?’ she asked.

  ‘Never given it much thought.’

  Allyx laughed and jabbed him in the ribs. ‘Liar,’ she said.

  Tal and Allyx were assigned the role of welcoming committee and sent to the front of the house early, as Audrey Farront valued punctuality. As expected, his mother’s boss appeared in her chauffeur-driven car before anyone else.

  Audrey Farront didn’t look like a supremely powerful businesswoman, Tal thought, but more like a sweet-faced grandmother. She had springy white hair, a rather stocky body and a soft, precise voice. There was, however, a hint of command in her piercing dark brown eyes and resolute mouth.

  Tal had met her several times, and found she always wore a simple dress, no doubt expensive, in a muted colour. Today was no exception, even though a barbecue was a casual occasion. Her dress was olive green, her sensible shoes the same shade, her only jewellery a slim gold watch and wedding ring – she’d been a widow for many years.

  ‘Hello, Talbot,’ she said, putting out her hand to shake his.

  ‘Hi. Nice to see you,’ he replied, deliberately not using her name. Tal had never been comfortable calling her just ‘Audrey’, despite her protestations. It seemed easier to avoid saying her name altogether.

  ‘And this must be Allyx,’ she said, smiling.

  ‘Ms Farront,’ said Allyx politely, shaking the proffered hand.

  ‘My dear, everyone calls me Audrey. I hope you won’t be an exception.’

  ‘Of course not … Audrey.’

  ‘That wasn’t so hard, was it?’

  Allyx smiled. ‘Not at all.’

  ‘And how’s your father?’

  Taken aback, Allyx said, ‘My father? Why, he’s fine.’

  ‘I haven’t seen Steven for some time, but I believe he’s doing very well at Brownbolt.’

  Tal hid a rueful smile. So much for his mother’s worries about mentioning Allyx’s dad to Audrey.

  As they’d been speaking, another car had driven up. A man leapt out of it and hurried to join them. ‘Sorry, Audrey, I would have had to run a red light to keep up with you.’

  ‘Well, you’re here now,’ she said, obviously displeased. She turned to Tal and Allyx. ‘Joe Villabona, my right-hand man.’

  ‘Call me Joe,’ he said, his teeth very white against his olive skin and dark moustache. He had a slight accent Tal couldn’t place. He wasn’t tall, but was powerfully built, his tight sports shirt and tailored jeans calling attention to the many hours he spent bodybuilding.

  ‘We’re the first to arrive?’ Audrey asked.

  ‘Yes, except for Rob.’

  She nodded. ‘Ah, yes, Rob Anderson.’ Her tone was chilly.

  Tal looked at her with surprise. His mother had told him that Audrey had met Rob on a number of occasions and clearly liked him.

  ‘I can only deplore the direction he and FinagleAlert have taken lately with their investigative focus on Tacitcomm,’ she said.

  Along with Brownbolt, Tacitcomm constituted Farront International’s main competition in global communications. FinagleAlert had been so successful in exposing deceptive marketing activities and outright fraud at Tacitcomm that an official government investigation was now unde
rway.

  Curious, Tal asked, ‘Doesn’t it help Farront to have a main competitor in trouble?’

  Audrey’s expression was grim. ‘FinagleAlert’s campaign against Tacitcomm unfairly shines an unwelcome light upon the communications industry as a whole. Naturally Farront adheres to the highest ethical standards and business practices, but even so, should there be any official audit of our operations, it would be a serious distraction.’

  Tal was about to say he couldn’t see what was wrong with exposing fraud, when Audrey effectively ended their conversation by turning her back on him and saying to Joe Villabona, ‘Is the doctor on schedule?’

  ‘I called. He’s running late.’

  Audrey gave an irritated click of her tongue. ‘Joe, stay here until he arrives. Then point out that I value punctuality at all times.’

  At that moment, Uncle Ian’s ancient Toyota screeched to a halt in a cloud of exhaust fumes. Tal said to Allyx, ‘Can you look after my aunt and uncle? I’ll take Audrey through to Mum.’

  As he ushered Audrey up the front steps, she said, ‘I’ve taken the liberty of inviting an additional guest. I’m sure Grace won’t mind.’

  Tal almost said, ‘Who?’ but one look at Audrey’s face decided him to keep his mouth shut.

  Intrigued, he lingered long enough to hear Audrey tell his mother the name of the extra person she’d invited to the barbecue. Maybe there was something in Rick’s rumour. Hurrying back to tell Allyx, he ran into his aunt and uncle.

  ‘Uncle Ian, Aunt Wendy. Hi.’

  ‘What do you think of this?’ asked Uncle Ian, showing Tal a sleek miniature camcorder. He added, beaming, ‘Just got it today. Professional standard, 3-D capacity, audio like you wouldn’t believe.’

  Aunt Wendy sighed. ‘Tal isn’t interested in your latest toy.’

  A big man, Uncle Ian described himself as ‘comfortably cuddly’. Others might have called him fat. His wife certainly did, but he just laughed it off.

  For as long as Tal could remember, Aunt Wendy had been vainly trying to keep her husband on a diet that would help him lose weight. As if she were a living example of what he might achieve, she was very slim, with masses of frizzy light brown hair that made her head look too heavy for her thin neck.

  ‘Took a panning shot of the big Mercedes parked in the drive and then zoomed in for a close-up of the chauffeur,’ said Uncle Ian, handing Tal the camcorder. ‘Take a look. Ivan, his name is. Pleasant enough bloke, but very careful what he says about his boss.’

  Uncle Ian took back his tiny camcorder. ‘And I reckon that other bloke hanging around the front of the house – Joe someone – is camera-shy. When I went to take a shot of him, he put up his hand and said a definite “no”.’

  Uncle Ian was settling in for a long chat, but Aunt Wendy took his arm. ‘Come on, Ian, Tal’s needed in the front.’

  ‘Oh, right,’ he said. ‘Victor O’Dell was just arriving in a taxi. Your girlfriend might need a bit of help getting him up the path.’

  ‘Allyx,’ Tal heard his aunt say as the two of them continued down the hall.

  ‘What, dear?’

  ‘Her name is Allyx.’

  ‘Odd name for a girl.’

  Tal found Joe Villabona and Allyx on either side of a stooped old man, helping him negotiate the path from the front gate. Villabona was saying something about a motorised wheelchair.

  ‘A wheelchair? When I’m crippled I’ll have a wheelchair. I’m not crippled yet!’ He caught sight of Tal and flashed his teeth in a very white smile. ‘Hello, Talbot.’

  ‘Hello, sir.’

  ‘Sir? Respect for one’s elders, eh?’ He cackled a laugh. ‘And there’s not many elder than me.’ Tal couldn’t argue with that. Victor O’Dell was a frail ninety-five, but still mentally sharp as a tack.

  ‘I’ll take over,’ Tal said to Villabona.

  ‘Where’s Audrey?’ the old man asked. ‘Holding court?’

  ‘I guess so.’

  ‘She’s been that way since she was a girl. Queen Audrey, we used to call her. I remember that she even tried to boss her father around. Frank Farront was a hard man, but fair. He made sure she started at the bottom of the company, but he encouraged her to work her way up through the ranks.’

  ‘I admire her,’ said Allyx. ‘She made it right to the top.’

  ‘Audrey’s a sharp businesswoman,’ O’Dell conceded. ‘If she has a weakness, it’s that she trusts her own judgement too much.’

  With Tal on one side and Allyx on the other, the three of them headed slowly in the direction of the backyard.

  ‘I know who Audrey’s mystery guest is,’ Tal said over the old man’s bent head. ‘It’s Carter Renfrew.’

  ‘You’re kidding me!’

  ‘I’ve known Carter since he was a precocious kid,’ said Victor O’Dell. ‘Good brain, but he’s become a bit of a fame junkie.’

  ‘What do you think of Dr Renfrew’s book?’ Tal asked.

  ‘In a word? Bulldust.’

  ‘Our science teacher agrees. He says the whole idea is absolute garbage.’

  ‘It’s not absolute garbage,’ said O’Dell. ‘Instinctively people realise there’s a grain of truth in the theory. You kids are different.’

  ‘And are we better, too?’ Allyx asked with a cheeky smile.

  ‘Better, you ask?’ Victor O’Dell’s cackle turned into a coughing attack. Concerned, Allyx patted him on the back.

  When he’d caught his breath, he wheezed, ‘Indubitably better.’

  EIGHT

  The barbecue was well underway and the designated cooks, Rob and Uncle Ian, were overseeing sizzling chops, steaks and sausages, when a man came striding around the side of the house, closely followed by Joe Villabona.

  ‘Sorry I’m late!’ the man boomed in a resonant bass voice.

  Tal immediately recognised him from countless publicity shots, TV interviews and online videos. Seeing Dr Carter Renfrew in reality was a little disappointing. On the screen he was a handsome, magnetic, larger-than-life personality. In the flesh, he looked older and more like an average person. He wore nondescript brown shorts and a tan sports shirt. His receding hair was cut so closely that it formed a reddish fuzz over his scalp. As if to demonstrate that his fair skin didn’t tan, his sunburnt nose was red and peeling.

  ‘He looks kind of ordinary,’ Allyx whispered to Tal.

  As Tal’s mother stepped forward to greet the new arrival, he seized both her hands in his. ‘You must be Grace Blair,’ he said warmly. ‘It’s so very generous of you to extend hospitality to an unexpected guest. I’m absolutely delighted to be here.’

  ‘Here at last,’ observed Audrey with a tart smile.

  Switching his attention to her, Dr Renfrew exclaimed, ‘Audrey, forgive me! When I get caught up in my research, I don’t notice the time flying by.’

  ‘Well, at least you’re here now,’ she said, a little more agreeably.

  ‘Believe me, I did my best to be on time –’ he spread his hands contritely – ‘but my best just wasn’t good enough.’

  For some reason this amused Tal’s Aunt Wendy. She brayed a loud laugh that ended in a series of hiccupping sounds.

  Audrey, who was about to say something, looked startled, then irritated. She raised her voice: ‘If I may have your attention, I have an important announcement to make.’

  She glanced around, daring anyone to keep talking. Oblivious, Uncle Ian continued telling one of his long, complicated jokes to Victor O’Dell, who was balanced precariously on a folding metal chair.

  ‘Ian! Shush!’ hissed Aunt Wendy.

  ‘What? Oh, sorry.’

  Audrey gave Uncle Ian a frosty look, then summoned up a tight smile as she said, ‘The name Dr Carter Renfrew will be familiar to all of you. A recognised authority in the field of youth psychology, his latest book, Brains in Flux: Evolution and the Teen Mind, has ignited passionate debate in the scientific world.’

  She paused for a moment to let this sink in, then went on, ‘It
is with great pleasure, therefore, that I announce that Dr Renfrew has taken a consultancy role with Farront International. Our company is seeking to enhance the totality of the communications experiences young people enjoy, and thus further grow that vital segment of our market. To that end, Farront will be fully funding Dr Renfrew’s new research project to map the developing teen mind.’

  His mother was so obviously surprised at Audrey’s announcement that Tal realised she was hearing it for the first time.

  Audrey smile grew warmer as she looked over at O’Dell. ‘Victor, I’m pleased to say that an exclusive media release is being forwarded to you as I speak. You’ll be the very first with this breaking news. And may I say on a personal note, how much I’ll value your endorsement for this cutting-edge project.’

  Her smile faded as she glanced in Rob’s direction. ‘FinagleAlert will also be provided with the media release, but with the proviso that you not use it until Victor has broken the news of Farront’s innovative research program.’

  Joe Villabona began to clap enthusiastically. After a pause, everyone else joined in, except for Victor O’Dell.

  Allyx said to Tal, ‘Mr O’Dell doesn’t look very happy.’

  ‘He sure doesn’t.’

  When the applause petered out, O’Dell, still perched on his spindly metal chair, said to Audrey, ‘I’m afraid I won’t be breaking the story. I’m troubled by research that submits young people to intrusive psychological probing. For this reason I’m not willing to put my seal of approval on this initiative of yours until I’ve fully analysed Dr Renfrew’s research protocols.’

  Associating Victor O’Dell’s prestigious name with the project would have been a publicity coup for Farront. Tal saw his mother’s anxious expression as she realised Victor wasn’t going to fall in with Audrey’s plan. Tal’s mother had described Audrey’s disconcerting rages when things didn’t go her way. A glance at Audrey’s expression made it clear there was a good chance they were all about to see a demonstration of her fury.