Going Down (Nightmares Prequel)

Part 17

The next day dawned and Michael managed to drag himself back to work. It was time to call in the other witnesses and find out what they knew.

First, he tried Vanessa Wood-Jones.

Three rings and he heard a laughing voice. "Hi, you've reached Vanessa. Sorry I can't take your call right now…"

Michael left his details after the beep before he ended the call.

Second, he tried Althea. The phone didn't ring at all. "Hello, this is Althea. I'm with a client right now, but if you…"

Michael swallowed his swearing and left his details as ordered.

The last number he had was for the miracle electrician. He shrugged and tried that number, too.

"Yea'llo, this is Joe," a voice said.

Michael waited for the rest of the message.

"Joe Fisher, Fisher and Sons Electrical Contracting. Can I help you?" the voice said with an edge of irritation.

Michael realised his mistake and hurried to correct it. "Yeah, hello. This is…" He proceeded to briefly explain who he was and his task. "So, I'd like to speak to you about the events of the 28th February on a matter of national security," he finished.

Joe laughed. "What, right over the phone? I don't know any terrorists or even anyone who wants to take over the world. I'm a sparky who works fly-in-fly-out and fishes the lobster season up at the Abrolhos. Unless the lobsters are trying to take over the world…what do you want with me?"

Michael forced himself to be patient. Maybe the electrician wasn't the brightest globe in the box. "I'd prefer to meet you in person, so we can discuss this in a formal interview that I can record. Would you be able to come to our offices?"

Joe's laughter ended and he cleared his throat. "Well, I seem to have cleared the whole day's jobs this morning, so if there aren't any more emergency calls, I can be up at your office just after lunch." He paused and Michael could hear his breathing on the other end. "Any extra information you want me to bring?"

Michael considered for a moment, then said, "Anything about jobs for the Hell Corporation building. Details of work done and your contact details for the staff who contracted you."

"Sure, mate," Joe's voice said easily. "I'll stop by the office and pick up the paperwork. Last financial year, that'd be archived by now, but we should still have it. That's the building where the air conditioning and the lifts broke on that really hot day in February, isn't it?"

"You tell me," Michael replied.

"Big company like the Hell Corporation would have decent employees, I'd have thought. Then the air conditioning and lifts breaking on the same hot day in February? Seems pretty damn suspicious to me. Their security guard was a bit of a weirdo, too. Looked at me like I was his boyfriend and I'd never seen the bloke before in my life." Joe laughed, then quickly finished with, "Not that there's anything wrong with being gay, though. Just that he looked like he fancied me and I definitely prefer boobs, mate."

Michael wondered if the electrician had ever seen the security footage from the lifts. Maybe he'd show the bloke a bit, sweeten the deal and jog the bloke's memory. On second thought, he could do with a good view of a pair of boobs himself. It was going to be a long day and it'd just begun.

He stood up to get a coffee from the kitchen.

The phone on his desk shrilled, so he turned back and picked up the receiver. "Hello, this is Michael."

"Michael? I believe you left a message on my phone…"

Michael sat back down and listened.