The Detectives Daughter

Chapter 37: The Hound Of Baskerville: Just A Drug

Stapleton led us to Major Barrymoors office. She went into the office and began to log on into the computer.

"Project H.O.U.N.D, I must have read it," Dad spoke up.

"Knowing you, you probably deleted it," I muttered.

Dad ignored my comment and went over to the computer but I stayed by the door with John.

Stapleton typed in her password but it was denied. "That's as far as my access goes I'm afraid," She told us.

"Can't you try another one, I someone higher up than you?" I suggested

"I'd imagine so, but that'd be Major Barrymoores," She told me.

Dad started looking around his office. "Password, password, password," He muttered to himself then sat in his chair. "He'd have sat here when he thought it up. Describe him to me."

"You've seen him," Stapleton told him.

"Just describe him," I told her.

She thought for a moment. "He's a bloody martinet, a throwback, the sort they'd have sent in Suez," She told us.

"Good, excellent. Old- fashioned, a traditionalist," Dad said as he looked around the room.

I looked at his office; kid's drawings. "Would he use his kid's names?" I asked.

"No of course not. He loves his job, proud of it and this is work related. So what's eye level?" Dad asked himself then began to ramble on about everything he could see that was eye level. He turned to a picture. "Mid 1980's at a guess. Farther and son, Barrymoore senior? Medals. Distinguished service order?" Dad turned to John, who looked at the photo.

"That date? I'd say Franklands veteran," John told him.

"Thatcher's looking more likely than Churchill," Dad muttered.

"So that's the password Thatcher?" I asked as I walked over to the computer.

"No! With a man like Barrymoore only first names would do," Dad corrected me.

He typed 'Margaret' but the computer corrected it to 'Maggie'. The password was accepted and a bunch of test results came up? A picture came up with information under it. I read some of the information, H.O.U.N.D is a drug.

"Project H.O.U.N.D. A new deliriant drug which renders its users incredibly suggestible," Dad described.

"It says here that it was going to be used as a weapon against enemies by scaring them, but they shut the project down in 1984," I told them.

"Because of what it did to the subjects they tested on?" Stapleton suggested.

"And what it did to the others to," Dad clarified. "Prolonged exposure drove them insane. Made them almost uncontrollably aggressive."

"Do you think someone's been carrying on the experiments?" I asked.

"Attempting to refine it for the last 20 years," Dad confirmed. "Those names mean anything to you, Dr Stapleton?"

"No, not a thing," she told him.

Dad sighed. "Five principle scientists, 20 years ago. Maybe our friends somewhere in the back of the picture. Someone who was old enough to be there at the time of the experiment in 1986." He looked over the photo. "Maybe someone who say's 'cell phone' because of the amount of time spent in America, John?"

"Who are you guys on about? Remember I wasn't here the first time you broke in," I piped up.

"Mmm- hmm," John confirmed.