Mountains of Dawn

"Malcolm Clark graduated summa cum laude from Dromouth University, receiving his doctorate in medicine. In 1971, following the death of his wife-a victim of an unpunished crime-he joined law enforcement. In 1990, he was awarded the 'Commonwealth Medal of Honour' for his extraordinary contributions in the service of his country. In 1996, he founded 'Invicta,' an international private agency for the active protection of citizens against crime.

"The Invicta prides itself on including among its employees former officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and of other high-profile police departments around the country and abroad.

"Malcolm Clark received recognition from all over the world for his ability to solve intricate, at times mysterious, cases."

The Web page continued with several headings, each a hot link to another page. The first read 'Articles of the Press on Malcolm Clark,' the last, simply, 'Malcolm Clark.'

"Want to see a short movie of the man?" Judith asked.

"Sure," Tanya replied, still trying to figure out how all of that information reached Judith's computer in a matter of minutes.

Judith clicked on the last line with her mouse. Approximately twenty short video clips appeared, one after the other, showing the former chief of police in the midst of a crowd of reporters as he made statements following the arrest of wanted criminals.

"Impressive?" Judith asked.

"It certainly is," Tanya replied. "How about 'Fees and Related Issues?'"

"Sure."

The page appeared, basic text with no graphics, no pretty pictures to distract the eyes of the reader. "Basic fees are charged according to services requested and difficulty of case. Final fees depend on time and number of agents involved."

"That doesn't tell me anything," Tanya said with disappointment.

"Oh, yes, it does," Judith said. "It tells you that the services of the Invicta are expensive…very expensive. It tells you they're too expensive to specify, and worth every penny." She grinned.