The Clone who Didn't Know (The Genehunter) Read Online Free PDF

searching for the best place to hide.
    ‘Mrs. Douglas? Please? I only need a moment of your time.’
    She’d taken some finding. Devi’s address had turned out to be vague: the name of a street. Simms had asked around all morning. Most people hadn’t wanted to speak to him. Those that did knew nothing about Dr. Grendel’s granddaughter. People liked to keep to themselves. He got that. But eventually, by a process of elimination, he’d tracked her down. The ruined old house, plants growing from cracks in its walls, was the only one he hadn’t tried. He’d actually walked past it several times, assuming it was derelict.
    An old woman finally answered the door, her face a mass of wrinkles peering through the chained gap between door and frame. Patches of pink scalp were visible through her thinning, grey hair. She was well over a hundred years old if the records were correct. Her eyes focused on Simms and he saw some fire flare up in her. She shut the door, fumbled with the pathetic chain that would keep no one out, then opened the door wide. She looked frail, like she could snap in two at any moment, but before Simms could speak she stepped forward and slapped him hard across his face with a leathery hand.
    ‘You get out of here,’ she said, genuine spite in her voice. ‘You’re not welcome.’
    Simms stepped back, surprised. The woman looked like she was ready to strike him again. It couldn’t be good for her.
    ‘But you don’t know who I am, Mrs, Douglas,’ he said. ‘You don’t know what I want.’ She was clearly senile, imagining he was someone from her past. They had never met. Although she did look familiar. Reminded him of someone.
    ‘I know exactly who you are,’ she said, her voice quavering. ‘Go away and don’t ever come back. I’ve told you before.’
    She shook now, her initial fury gone. She shrank into herself. She would have been tall, once, the same height as Simms, but now she stooped over so that she had to turn her head to peer up at him.
    ‘I’m sorry,’ said Simms. ‘But we’ve honestly never met. I’m here to ask about your grandfather. Dr. Grendel. I’m trying to find out about him.’
    ‘You already know everything you need to know.’
    ‘I don’t know anything, Mrs. Douglas. It appears he was a very secretive man.’
    ‘You really don’t know?’
    ‘No. That’s why I’m here.’
    The old woman’s eyes narrowed, almost disappearing within her skin. Then she started to make a strange noise, great shudders heaving through her body. For a moment Simms thought she was having some sort of attack. Then he realised she was laughing.
    ‘You really don’t, do you?’ she said.
    ‘I know Grendel was involved in cloning in the early days. I’m trying to find out more about his activities. I believe there may even be some of his clones surviving to this day. Perhaps second of third generation. I’d like to track them down.’
    ‘And why would you want to do that?’
    ‘I’m a genehunter. I’ve been employed to do so.’
    ‘Have you now? And by whom?’
    ‘I can’t say. But I can assure you my employers want only to help any surviving clones.’
    The woman looked like she was about to start laughing again. Instead she shook her head and said, ‘What’s you name?’
    ‘Simms.’
    Now she did laugh once more. ‘Simms. Very good. You don’t even get the joke, do you?’
    The old wreck was clearly crazy. His chances of discovering anything useful from her were slim. Still, he had no other leads. Dr. Grendel was proving to be a very difficult target to track down.
    ‘Please. If you can tell me anything it could be very useful.’
    The woman stopped laughing and looked serious. He couldn’t keep up with her mood switches. ‘I’ll tell you this,’ she said. ‘So far as I know there is only one surviving clone of that evil bastard running about. The rest are all dead.’ She took a step towards Simms and prodded her finger into his chest. ‘And if I had my way,