《The Software Detective》24. Meet the Walters
Advertisement
I stopped the car directly in front of the butler. "You can leave the keys in the car; the valet service will take your car to the parking garage." The butler said, waving at a younger man dressed in a suit and tie. He ran over to where I was standing, and I gave him the keys. "You must be the programmer that Master Bret told us would come to his place. My name is Bennet, I am the head butler in this house. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Watching my car drive off "Hey Bennet, my name is called Tom. Bret had said the Walters was a wealthy client, but I wasn't expecting all of this. I mean, the ride to the castle alone was beautiful."
"Ah yes, you must mean the topiaries. Yes, the Ukrainian sculptor Kuzma Bondar is renowned for his amazing work. If you want to find his work, just look for the cow eating a chicken at a dinner table." Bennet said. "I'll explain the Walter family history as we head to Master August, the current head of the Walter family." He ushered me into the castle.
The foyer of the house was enormous. There were two staircases that lead to the second floor. We walked past the staircase and went down the long hallway with knights standing guard on either side. "The Walters is a family amassed their wealth from the sale and production of oil. The originally started with the sale of oil and production of many types of plastics." Leaving the hallway was now in a large room with two doors on either side and to in front of us. Bennet went to the door in front of us. On the left, it opened up to an indoor garden.
Advertisement
As we walked through the beautiful garden, there were fresh flowers all around us. Bennet continued as we walked towards the exit. "About a century ago, the former head of the family and great grandfather of the current master decided that all the gasoline and plastic they were producing was harming the environment, so he started funding research into alternatives to energy created from fossil fuels. His son found that nuclear was the best solution and to this day they are working towards making a future that is nuclear."
Bennet opened the door to the outside garden. The area was filled with trees, fountains and more topiary. "I have served in the Walter family for many years, and I have to say this is the most interesting bunch that I have had the pleasure of working with."
"Interesting? What do you mean?" I said.
"Well Tom, I don't want to spoil the surprise, so I will let you see for yourself." Bennet said. In the distance, a large building became more visible. "The reason Master August has summoned you here today is because an intruder murdered his wife, Nelka. Master August was away on business, while Nelka and a few of the nighttime butlers on shift were the only people in the castle. An intruder broke into the house. This was the first time this had happened. With the castle so secluded in the woods, we don't receive many guests, so we never planned for this to happen." Once we were in front of the large building, Bennet opened the door, letting me walk through first. He then guided me to the elevator at the end of the hall.
"Nelka was as fiery as her red hair. According to the burglar, she attacked him from all angles will look stunning in the moonlight. Pardon my French, but essentially, she handed his ass to him." Bennet pressed the button to the elevator, and we walked in. After he press the button for the floor, the doors closed. "The only thing that saved him was he threw his knife, and it lodged itself into her stomach. By this time the night crew finally arrived to find a bleeding out Nelka and a beaten criminal with wet pants."
Advertisement
The doors opened, greeting us with another hallway. This time, there were multiple doors on either side of the hallway and a single door at the end of the hallway. "The night crew working that night were all fired and were replaced with combat trained security guards." Now at the end of the hallway, Bennet put his hand on the door. "Before we meet Master August, I want to mention that his three daughters are home. I would recommend staying away from them because those bitches are crazy."
"Uh, thanks for the heads up?" Tom said.
"My pleasure." Bennet said, opening the door. Sitting in the middle of the room around papers on the floor and large white boards with math equations covering them, was a man eating a cereal from a bowl.
The man had large spikey black and grey hair that looked as if he stuck a fork in an electric socket. The man swiveled around on his stool. His cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk. Taking a big swallow, his cheeks returned to normal and a huge smile came across his face. "Ah, you must be the programmer told me about!" the man got off his stool and walked over to us.
Using one hand to hold the cereal bowl, he wiped his right hand on his pants and extended it for a handshake. "I'm August Walters. It's a pleasure to finally meet you!"
"Hi, my name is Tom. I heard the story about your wife from Bennet. I will do my best to make sure your home is secure." I said, shaking his hand.
As we pulled our hands back from the handshake, he took a spoonful of cereal. "Oh, perfect. Now there is no time to delay. If you're anything like Bret, you must be a busy man." He said with his mouth full.
"Master August, we discussed this before its impolite to speak with your mouthful." Bennet said, annoyed.
August swallowed. "Oh right sorry, cereal is such a delicate food. Let it soak too long, and the result is death by mushy food. But enough of that, let me show you around the place you have to set up the system.
The butler nudged me. "We're just getting started." We both followed August to the end of the hallway towards the elevator.
Advertisement
- In Serial59 Chapters
Stray Cat Strut
In the year 2057, the world has become a corporate-run utopia for the super-rich, and a hellhole for all the rest. Catherine 'Cat' Leblanc is an orphan that is about as far from super-rich as one can be. When the Incursion alarms start blaring and the sky starts raining hungry xenos, it's just another blemish on an already piss-poor afternoon. A cyberpunk magical-girl alien-invasion LitRPG. It’s exactly as wild as it sounds.
8 121 - In Serial18 Chapters
The Alterra Project
A hundred years from now, the Earth is now reduced to several domed cities after the last war raised the temperature across the planet, thus raising the sea level. The most common escape for everyone is virtual reality. A new game, Alterra Online, is set to release and promises to be the most realistic mecha/military/political simulation to date, as well as the first full dive massively multiplayer virtual reality game. Gray Wilhelm, like so many others, wants to be one of the first to play. What is Alterra Online's secret? Why do players feel more alive in the game than in real life? And why is the government and Alterra Corporation working on it together? Features:- NO Systems, Reincarnations, Supernatural Powers, harems, or brain dead females that chase after MC.- Believable characters (Moving from WebNovel to RoyalRoad and fixing the novel.)
8 160 - In Serial49 Chapters
The Unexpected Engagement of the Marvelous Mr. Penn
In May, 1899, a hundred and fifty unassuming envelopes are delivered to households across the city. Most of them will be picked up by butlers and carried on silver trays to their recipients. All of them contain invitations to the wedding of Lady Eleanor Serrs to Mr. Ryce Penn. When the newspapers hear about it, they start buzzing. Who can blame them? This would be the wedding of the century! She’s the daughter of Duke Erravold Aubrey-Serrs, and the Marvelous Mr. Penn is one of the most famous men in the country. But Penn is famous for being the city’s most notorious thief. He’s an unrepentant attention-seeker with a taste for gems and danger. And Eleanor swears that she’s never met him. Chief Inspector Lucas Haley, Penn’s long-time nemesis, is called in to protect the Aubrey-Serrs family and try to figure out what the master thief is planning. He’ll need all his experience and tenacity for this case, as it quickly becomes obvious more is at stake than the reputation of an innocent woman.
8 93 - In Serial7 Chapters
The Queen of School
Hi there, my name is Jason Corvus, you can call me Raven. My parents really (like a lot) wanted to have a boy, so when they found out that I was a girl, they still put me a boyish name. When my father was alive he always wanted to go to Tyndall Quantic Soren high school, but to the common people it was known as an elite school, but in reality, it is a school for those who are more than simple humans. My mother told me to fulfill his last wish and go to that school, but I am not that excited about it. Well, whatever. This time things seem more complicated than before, and I have no idea how long this time will last.
8 112 - In Serial155 Chapters
PICTURES IN CARS: Traveling with Instagram
I like pictures taken in cars. Driving at night is kinda mysterious, an intimate thing - and what shall I say? Imagination's a wild thing, and there are stories hidden in your smiles.Instagram is so much more than a vanity thing. Sure, there are a lot of people out there, bloggers, starlets and so-called stars just promoting themselves, but there are also the lovers, the travelers, the real artists playing and inspiring with visuals and words, and so Instagram first of all things means worldwide traveling to me. Here's what I found on my travels there, I wanna share it with you!Title "Pictures In Cars" is inspired by a photo of wonderful hannahtaha.Cover photo © Hannah Taha Visuals belong 2 the artists and travelers. Words belong 2 me.© All Rights Reserved
8 145 - In Serial50 Chapters
REAPERS - Book Two: The Hunger and the Sickness
The ancient legends say the goddess of Fate, daughter of Old Trickster, was born without a heart in her hollow breast-and never has it seemed more true. Reaper Team 3 has been shattered and reforged, sent far beyond the front lines and into the remote hinterlands in search of their lost comrades and a meaning behind the strange works of the hobgoblin empire. Meanwhile, intrigue unfolds in the capital city of Camshire, where powerful figures battle with words and knives over the destiny of the Reaper program and the geopolitical landscape as a whole. Familiar faces return changed and new ones emerge to be tested as the future of the Nation and humanity itself swing in the scales.---REAPERS is an epic set in a sprawling dark fantasy universe of tragic characters, complex villains, and shocking story turns.BOOK TWO is a novel-length collection of the Staves 8 through 14, continuing the story from BOOK ONE.Written by THE THORNTON BROTHERS.Visit our Author Page to learn more: http://www.amazon.com/author/thorntonbrothersOr check out our website at: www.themthorntons.com
8 116

