Page 155 of Crocodile Tears

“You thought he had, didn’t you? Maybe you even thought you were protecting him, because he killed Dacre, but he didn’t. He doesn’t have anywhere near enough money to buy you, because he prioritised regaining the use of his legs over you, and although he feels guilty about that, I don’t think he’s losing any sleep over it. Your father is in no position to help, either, in case you were wondering.”

It was one of those rare times when he caught a glimpse of something real and honest in Alexander’s eyes – there was no hiding how genuinely upset he was.

“Charles didn’t make an offer to buy me out of servitude?”

“No, he didn’t. He didn’t even know your seven years were up.”

“Then who was the oth—?” Alexander broke off abruptly.

It was the first real chink Josiah had seen in his armour, and he pressed home the advantage. “You knew there’d been two offers to buy your contract since June, didn’t you?”

Alexander shrugged. “Elliot mentioned it.”

“You knew, and you thought you knew the identity of them both, so now you’re confused because Charles isn’t one of them. That means you know who the other bidder was.”

Alexander gave a wry smile, and his mask was back in place. “It sounds like you have it all worked out, Investigator Raine.”

Josiah sighed. “I’m trying to help you. I don’t believe you killed Elliot Dacre, but I think you’re protecting whoever did. Maybe you thought that person was your brother. Now you know it isn’t, you need to tell me who else it could be.”

“You’ve met my brother, Investigator Raine,” Alexander said wearily. “Do you really think he’s capable of murder?”

Josiah thought of good-natured, ineffectual Charles Lytton, with that easy, empty smile. “No,” he admitted.

“Then why would I be protecting him from a crime nobody could ever believe he’d commit?”

“It’s been seven years. People change. Now, tell me who else wanted to buy your contract.”

Alexander stood there in silence, unmoving.

“I can’t help you if you won’t trust me.”

“Oh, and I really can’t think of any reason not to trust you,indiehunter.”

“Fine.” Josiah rocked back on his heels. “Then I’m going to re-tread every step you’ve ever taken and find out precisely who you are. You can try and hide behind that infuriating mask you wear, but I’m an excellent investigator, Alexander – you can’t hide from me forever.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

JUNE 2088

Alex

Alex was expecting to be taken back to his cell after saying goodbye to Charles, but instead he was escorted to a section of the prison he’d never visited before. There was a name stamped in black letters on the steel grey door:Indentured Servant Detention Centre.

Once he’d passed through the door, he was immediately ordered to strip.

“You don’t own anything now,” one of his guards told him, with a vicious grin. “The court has ordered that your clothes and personal effects are to be sold to pay off your debt. So, take off that fancy suit, and the watch, the earring, and the rings – they aren’t yours anymore.”

Alex had never cared much about possessions, but it hurt to remove his own personal choice of clothing for what might be the last time. It was like ripping off his skin, removing his identity with each layer, leaving him raw and exposed. Whoever bought his contract could give him another name, new clothes, a new haircut – an entirely different identity.

He finished undressing, placed his socks and underwear on top of the pile of garments, and then stood, naked and shivering, aware of his own vulnerability.

He was ordered into a cold shower. When he emerged, he wasgiven a grey robe to wear, then sent to a small box of a room where a medibot asked him hundreds of personal questions about his medical history and health.

“You’ll now be given a full examination for insurance purposes,” the bot explained. “Prospective buyers will want to know how much they’ll have to pay for the premium.”

The medibot resembled a grey box with various arm attachments, run by AI. Most medibots were standard household items, able to administer first aid and call for an ambulance where they judged it necessary, but medical facilities used a more sophisticated version like this one, to run basic tests.

His lung capacity, blood pressure, heart rate, and countless other things were assessed and vials of blood and urine taken. He was weighed and every inch of him was measured.

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