Free The Shift of Numbers by David Warrington Page B

heels on a marble- effect floor crescendoed from a distant corr idor. Both men turned as an out-of-breath young woma n ran up to them . 
    “What’s going on? Where are you taking him?” asked the woma n , breathlessly. She looked past both of them to Richard and motioned with her head. Tim glanced in Richard’s direction, the cogs in his head shifting gears.
    “Who are you?” Tim asked , inquisitively.
    “I’m his fiancé e,” c ame the breathless reply.
    “We ’ re taking him to the MSD for questioning.” Tim looked over to Carl and pointed in the direction of the car outside and , to his surprise , Carl just walked his prisoner outside to the car without any mafia theatrics. Tim looked back to the woman. H is investigating eyes told him she was in her late 20s. Her salon- styled hair and expensive attire alerted him to the fact that she was no stranger to spending her fiancé ’ s money. He thought that she must be the corporate equivalent of a footballer ’ s wife.
    “You can contact the MSD for further information, ” Tim said, handing her his card just before a large man in a lab coat grabbed her and twisted her around. The man said something to her and forcefully but gently escorted her from the room. Tim watched her thoughtfully as they left, thinking that he may need to question her further.
    “Bugger , ” he thought suddenly, “ I’ve left Carl alone with the prisoner. ”

6
    “When we hang the capitalists they will sell us the rope we use.”
     
    Joseph Stalin
     
    It was getting dark as Tim and Carl made the ir way back to the MSD building and , after a brief argument in the lobby , it was decided to question Richard in Tim’s office and not in the cells. Tim figured it would help put Richard at ease; Carl , on the other hand , had no such issue with prisoner welfare.
     
    *
     
    Richard’s fiancée got off the bus and made her way to the MSD building. Shuddering from the cold, she stepped quickly inside, missing Tim and Carl’s entrance by at least half an hour. The interior lobby was well-lit but not in the least bit welcoming. After giving her details to the desk sergeant, she was instructed to take a seat and wait, but for how long she wouldn’t say.
     
    *
     
    For everyone else on the farm it was a day like any other apart from Bill had promised to buy everyone a drink in the local to celebrate the first ever advert for the Carrot Corporation™ on national television, sta r ring Bill himself. As the workers wearily made their way s out of the main gate , a sad- looking middle-aged man was waiting, apparently for Bill.
    “Hello there. W hat can I do for you?” asked Bill cheerily as the man approached .
    “Erm…I don’t really know w h ere to start wit h all this…W ell , my name is Pete. M y wife invested a l ot of money into your farm...” s aid Pete shakily.
    “Good for you , sonny. A sound investment, I can tell you that much.”
    “No, no, you don’t understand, ” Pete started waving his hands. “We lost a lot of money in your farm.”
    “I don’t understand. T he farm is doing good busine ss. The share price is going up,” s tated Bill , puzzled.
    “We invested it through the Shure Stock Company.”
    “So?” Bill was still puzzled
    “Do you not watch the news?”
    “Nope. I t ’ s always bad…” Bill turned to the workers . “C ome on , lads.”
    “WAIT! W e lost everything. Is there nothing you can do about it?”
    “GORDON !” shouted Bill. Gordon walked over to the 2 men. “What’s this gent talking about - Shure Stock and losing money? Y ou know how I am with that type of thing.”
    “It’s been on the news. All the investors lost the ir money. D id you use Shure Stock to invest?” asked Gordon to Pete. A ll the while , Bill was scratching his head.
    “Yes, we invested in this farm and lost all our money and home,” said Pete, S aying it ou t loud made it seem more real. H e sighed.
    “The farm has not hing to do with the investors. The