Chapter 2: Four years later Almost four years had passed since that fatal night when Sara

McNish had died and if you asked any of its residents they would have told you Leeds village hadnt changed that much since then, well except for a few things. There was a new estate that had been built and added to the village. The three shops that were in operation back then were now all closed. So actually for a small village in the countryside quite a lot had changed in the last four years. It was late at night and I was sitting at my desk in my bedroom typing away some Business Studies coursework on my PC. My Business Studies coursework was Business At Work and for this unit we had to write about the day to day running of a business including the businesss longterm and short-term objectives. The business that I had chosen to study was the fast growing computer software business King & Son Technologies. This was my second year of studying Business Studies at my first and only secondary school Valley Park Community School and I was hoping to study the same subject at an advanced level in sixth form. With my fingers a millimetre above the keys itching to type, I stared at a small leaflet that was to the left of my computer that was propped open against some of my other school books. My mouth began to feel dry, so I leant forwards and picked up my can of Diet Coke that was on the right hand side of my computer. To get a better read of the leaflet, I placed my can of Diet Coke on my desk and picked up the King & Son Technologies leaflet with both hands. I looked up and down on the leaflet staring intently at each line hoping to find something that would help me write something new to type out on my coursework. In the middle of the leaflet was a picture of the son Max King just above a few paragraphs of text talking about the new strategic direction the company was going in. He was a young man with short brown hair with a big smile on his face sitting on a brown wooden desk with a PC beside him, which conveniently had the King & Son Technologies logo on it, which was a gold crown over a greyish computer. It was then when I felt the cold night hair brushing against my face and realised that one of my bedroom windows was open. I placed the leaflet beside the keyboard of my PC; I walked across my room, leant on the wall beside the window and saw a huge black sky with shinny glittering stars scattered all over it surrounding a full moon that had risen high above the tall woods trees situated surrounding my house. I then grabbed the window handle, pulled my window too and walked back to sit on my chair at my desk. I remembered I needed to go on the Internet for my Business Studies coursework as it was suggested by my teacher that there was a website that would be a good source of information for this particular coursework. So I minimized my Word document, moved my mouse cursor to the Internet browser icon and double-clicked. It took just a few seconds for the browser to load on my screen and when it did the Google search engine appeared as was set to my homepage. In a small white text box in the middle of the screen, I typed King & Son Technologies and in just a few seconds a list of websites appeared on the screen that all had something to do with King & Son Technologies. I paused for a moment and tried to hear the distant sound of my brother Michael opening the front door. But he still hadnt arrived. I knew it must have been getting late as my eyes were beginning to feel itchy with tiredness. I clicked on the website that was on the top of my screen, which had Info on King & Son Technologys in blue writing, but once I clicked on that website the writing turned red as the website appeared on my screen full of pictures and text about the company. I began to read more and more about the company building my knowledge of the company so I would have all the necessary information when it would come to writing up the rest of my coursework. Having finished reading up on King & Son Technologys, I saved my work, exited Word and the Internet and shut down my PC. I then leant over my keyboard and picked up my mobile phone that was beside my computer monitor. Whilst swinging on my chair from left to right I turned on my mobile phone on to see if I had received any text messages since I had last used it. But

then before I could see whether I had or not I heard the squeaky sound of my front door opening followed by a loud shout from the person who walked in. Dan? Michael called from the kitchen. A smile then appeared on my face as it had just been over six months since I had last seen my brother Michael and his long-time Irish girlfriend Emma. I immediately placed my mobile phone on my computer desk, headed out of my room, sped along the landing and down the stairs so fast that my feet barely touched a step and finally along the hallway. There I saw Michael and Emma standing in the kitchen in a pool of suitcases (not ones for travelling light) with big smiles on their faces. And behind them was my oldest brother Garry who had picked them up from the airport. All right, I said. All right, Dan, replied Michael. Hows things? Yeah, Im all right, I replied. How are you both? Yeah, were all right, replied Emma. So how was the journey? I asked. Oh, that wasnt so good. Thats why were a bit later than we were planning, Michael partly explained. This wasnt that surprising as there had been a few times now when Michael has been travelling from Cork Airport to London Stanstead Airport that he has had to be searched as so many other visitors to this country are. It was all due to all the new security checks that have been put in place since the horrific events on September 11th 2001. But of course Michael didnt complain one bit because if it helped terrible instances like this from happening again then it didnt matter how much inconvenience it caused people. Oh, Ive got some good news for you, Dan, said Garry. This was curious as I couldnt think what it was. I quickly searched my mind, then I realised that a week or two ago I asked Garry whether he could see if he could get me a weekend job where he works or at a neighbouring company. He was a web developer and occasionally designed web based software applications also. Well, the good news is that I have got you a job interview at King & Son Technologies and it will be working with the son who actually owns the business called Max. But the bad news is that the job interview is tomorrow morning, Garry explained. Oh, wicked, I said excitedly pleased with what I was hearing. So do you think youll be able to make it? Garry asked. Yeah, totally. Cheers for this Garry, I replied really appreciative. Oh, no problem. When youre a big shot business man just give me a several grand every so often as thanks, Garry said jokingly or at least I hope he was. I couldnt believe how lucky I was to be getting a job interview at King & Son Technologies. I know it wasnt certain that I was going to be getting the job, but it did mean that I had a chance of getting a job at one of the biggest computer software companies in the world and not only that but the man who was going to be conducting my interview is one of the owners of the actual company. Anyway I better be off. Ive got work early in the morning and I havent seen Louise since this morning, said Garry. Louise was his soon-to-be-wife. Garry then said goodbye to Michael, Emma and myself. Michael and Emma thanked him for giving them a lift from the airport, I thanked him once again for getting me a job interview at King & Son Technologies and then he was off. Of course I expected that they hadnt got it with all the waiting they had to do at the airport, but I asked nonetheless, Did you get the film? Of course, replied Michael.

Michael knelt down, rummaged through all his bags and pulled out a white plastic bag with the blockbusters logo on it. He then held out the bag for me to take and I grabbed the bag and peered inside to find a DVD case and a tube of Crme & Onion Pringles inside. Oh, thanks, I said whilst pulling out the DVD case with the Blockbusters logo on the front of it and pulled out a new thriller film that I had wanted to see for ages. Uh cool. Ive heard this is a wicked film. Have you seen it yet? No. But its suppose to be very good, replied Emma. How about you go and put it on and well be down in a bit and we can watch it together. Weve just gotta go and put our stuff upstairs first, said Michael. Alright, then. Do you need a hand at all with the bags? I asked. No thats ok. We can manage, replied Michael as he and Emma both picked up their suitcases and took them upstairs to the bedroom that they were both going to be staying throughout the duration of their stay. When I had entered the living room, I immediately went over to the television and turned it on. It was the regional news that appeared on the television and before turning the channel over to see what else was on; I brought my tube of Pringles that was dangling from my right hand up so it was directly in line with my neck. I then pulled of the translucent lid, ripped off the greyish cardboard sealer that had black Pringle logos all over it and helped myself to a few Pringles. But before actually eating some Pringles, I looked up and saw a young female News reporter halfway through a news report on a murder investigation of a man in Maidstone. She was standing outside the burnt house of the man who had been murdered. She had long brown hair, slim and looked as if she was in her late twenties. This is the third incident like this in as many weeks. Although Police are not certain whether the murders are in fact connected, a Police officer that I spoke to this morning did mention that the one connection that all the victims had was that they were all software application architects. Whether this is significant or not, they cannot confirm at this present time in their investigation. Many people are now calling these murders the Kent tech murders and many think that these terrible murders are far from over, reported the News reporter. Footage then appeared on the television screen that had happened earlier on today of this big house here in Kent that was on fire and a Kent Fire crew were battling the blaze. Just as Michael had entered the room without Emma, (she was still upstairs unpacking), another story appeared on the television. There a female newsreader who was in her mid forties with short blonde hair who was joined by a guest who was none of than Max King. It was weird that the person who was going to be doing my job interview with me tomorrow was right in front of me on the television right now. What was all that about those houses being set alight? Michael said in curiosity from just seeing the footage on television of houses around the South East of the country on fire. Oh, this bloke was murdered. Apparently, its just like 2 other murders that have taken place over the last few weeks. Theyre speculating on here that it could be a serial killing as all these victims were computer geeks, I said explaining the News story. Its quite weird, if you hear a News story and its on about someone being murdered somewhere else in the country you dont really give it a second thought, but when it is somewhere that is only several miles away it seems to stick in your mind as its just too close to home. Tonight we are joined with the young multi-millionaire Max King, the part owner of the company King & Son Technologies, said the newsreader introducing her guest as she looked directly into the camera. The cameras direction was alternating from the newsreader to Max King and back again as they spoke. Mr King, your company is one of many companies trying to create a new piece of technology that would allow the syncronisation of any multi media devices within the home called Pegasus365. Could you tell us a bit about it? The Pegasus365 is a piece of technology that many of the major technology producing companies in the world were trying to create in 2003. What it basically does is it enables

people to communicate with each other by using either their television, mobile phone and even their landline telephone. The roadmap for this technology was to unite all multi-media devices utilising one application. The way how it works is if you were trying to trying to get hold of someone, but couldnt because someone was on the landline you could just ring your television, which would have its own individual number. Also if you didnt know where somebody was you could use your television to locate them. Once youve asked the television where someone is it would reply by saying the name and wherever they are located. The way it works is it tracks the persons mobile phone signal, which would be helpful in finding the culprit if you ever had your mobile phone stolen. But if your mobile phone was switched off then your television would say their name, that their mobile was switched off, but they were last located at and then wherever the owner was before the mobile phone was switched off. Of course the device connected to your television would need to be programed with the mobile numbers for it to be able to locate them. It is the most sophisticated piece of technology to ever exist. It will change the world we live in and will bring people much closer together. No longer will parents be completely unaware of where their children are, but if only this technology had been created a few years ago some of the tragic events that have taken place over the last few years may have been prevented, Max King explained. I thought what Max King had just said was very intelligent. Not only did he mention the amazing capabilities that Pegasus365 will have, but he also drew the viewers attention to some of the terrible incidents that have taken place over the last few years of sick men killing young children and that this technology would be help to prevent such incidents like this. Although, this may or may note be true, the viewers at home who were watching would want to purchase this just to keep their children safe. Yes, and well be able to see two of the television advertisements advertising Pegasus365 after this interview that are exclusive to us, said the newsreader. About ten minutes later, all three of us were seated and began watching the movie. I know it sounds odd that three people start watching a film at 2am in the morning, but whenever Michael arrives back in this country at night we normally just stay up chatting watching DVDs. It a sort of a tradition that we have had since Michael moved abroad when he was 16 first of all in Germany and then a couple of years later to Republic of Ireland. So how are the kids? Michael asked referring to our older brother Rickys three children Claire, Pete and Liam. Yeah, theyre all right. Although Ricky and Chloe were a bit disappointed at Claires parents evening the other week. Apparently her behaviour hasnt been that good, I replied. (Chloe is the mother of Rickys oldest child Claire). Oh, it didnt have anything to do with her accidentally throwing up over her school dinner that time? Michael asked. No. They actually said that it was quite normal for the kids at the school to do that. It had something to do with her selling all her teachers belongings on Ebay, I explained. Michael then laughed rather impressed that someone as young as Claire managed to do that, he then asked, What about Pete and Steve? Yeah, theyre all right. Pete is speaking new words all the time, I said. Hmm maybe its time to teach Steve some new words, Michael said jokingly referring to teaching them abusive words. Oh I think someone has already beaten you to it. Lets just say a couple of months ago everyone kept complimenting him when he said flag. It wasnt until he kept saying you dirty old flag at women at the supermarket that people began to realise what he was actually saying, I replied with a smile on my face appreciating the comedic value of my young nephew. After all the trailers of all the films soon to be out at the cinema and films soon to be out on video or to rent, we began to watch the film. About twenty minutes into the film my tiredness began to creep up on me. First of all my eyelids began to feel heavy as if they were made out of lead and finally I fell asleep.