Day of the Predator

CHAPTER 18

2001, New York

‘What? Jealous?’ Maddy shook her head emphatically. ‘Jealous of Bob Version Two?’

Sal had a mischievous look on her face. ‘Just asking.’

‘Oh, come on, of course not! It’s not even human… it’s just… it’s just a clone. It’s not even a genuine copy of a human — it doesn’t have a proper human brain!’

‘But she looks very human.’

‘And so does a storefront mannequin, or a GI Joe action figure or a Barbie doll.’

Sal shrugged and grinned mischievously. ‘Liam seemed impressed.’

Maddy had noticed. His eyes had been out on stalks. ‘No different to any other boy, I guess… one thing on their minds all the time.’

Sal giggled. ‘True.’ She spun in the office chair beside the computer desk. ‘So, you don’t… so you’re not jealous?’

Maddy took off her glasses and wiped them on her T-shirt. It was decidedly odd having Bob looking like that, like some athletic-fit catwalk model, some Amazonian beauty. And yes… having something like that gliding beautifully around was enough to make any female feel inadequate, plain in comparison. But then Maddy was used to it.

On the other hand, if Sal was asking in a roundabout way whether she had feelings for Liam… well, the answer was no, not those sort of feelings. Liam was nice-looking, charming in an old-fashioned gentlemanly way, but what she felt for him, more than anything else, was pity, a choking sadness.

Every time I send him through… I’m killing him just a little bit more.

She looked at Sal. ‘No, I’m not jealous. I’m not, you know, like… after him — ’

› Maddy, it is time to activate the return window.

‘OK,’ she replied, turning to face the desk. She began to tap the retrieval coordinates into the computer.

‘But he’s nice,’ said Sal.

‘Sure he’s nice,’ said Maddy. ‘I’m sure he had girlfriends back in Ireland, but… but, I’m a couple of years older than him anyway and… and it’s more like he’s a little brother, or a nephew really, than, you know… sort of boyfriend material.’

Maddy double-checked the coordinates. ‘Anyway… My God, Sal — ’ she grimaced at her — ‘I can’t believe you’re being so personal!’

‘Sorry,’ said Sal, flicking a tress of dark hair out of her eye. ‘Oh… I just remembered! You’ll never guess what I saw in a junk store down-’

‘Just a moment, Sal. I need to concentrate…’