The Last Campaign (The Near-Earth Mysteries)

by Martin L Shoemaker

  “But . . . you still believe in Free Mars?”

  “Of course I do. I just don’t believe some party Steering Committee is going to make it happen. The people doing the work will make Mars free, not the people who think they’re entitled to tell them what to do.”

  “All right.” I hesitated. “Then just for Anthony. I will tell him that.”

  “Tell Gutierrez. He’s in charge of the campaign. Anthony is just along for the ride.”

  “All right, I shall tell them both. You will campaign for them?”

  “I did promise,” Nick said. And then, in a lower tone he added, “I always keep my promises.”

  The way he looked at me made it an accusation. I should have left it alone, but I was just too tired after the past week. “I do not need that, Nick.”

  “And I don’t need to see you on every news feed dining out with Marcus while I’m eating alone.”

  “Nick! It was a working dinner.”

  “Every night for the past two weeks has been a working dinner. How many of those were with Marcus?”

  “We have had two murders and two long days. I can’t not talk to him, he is the coroner! This was not fun, this was discussing cases.”

  “You have all day to discuss cases. You have email, comm messages. Once in a while, maybe you should try being at home.”

  “We have always worked long hours, whatever it takes to get the job done. You have never complained before.”

  “You’ve never gone out to Zeb’s with your ex-fiancé before!”

  “What do you want? Do you want me to give up my job? After I just made a point of how important it was on interplanetary media? Abandon the city now, abandon Anthony, when I just made the case for how much they need me?” Nick looked blankly at me, not answering. “Do you?”

  Still he did not answer. After seconds of silence, I turned around and left the embassy.

  28. JURISDICTION

  After such a long day, I should not have been surprised that I was still tired when I woke up the next morning; but it was becoming a bit of a habit, and I did not like it. I was sleeping poorly, not getting enough rest, and I was starting to feel the effects.

  Not to mention I was getting tired of waking up alone.

  There was no sign that Nick had come back to our apartment at all. I did not know whether to get mad or sad, so I shoved that aside, checking my comm.

  And already it was starting up: 0600, and I had a message waiting from Hogan. He wanted a meeting at my earliest convenience. The usual place.

  So I quickly showered and made my way back to the port anteroom. Hogan was waiting. I sat down, and the door slid shut behind me. “Thank you, Chief,” I said.

  Hogan had trouble looking at me. “I . . . think you might want to hold off on thanking me until you hear what I have to say.”

  That got my attention. “What is it?”

  He took a long breath before answering. “I have orders out from Earth that I’m to take jurisdiction of Boomtown.”

  “What!”

  He shook his head. “Ma’am, it makes sense. Yes, you located them, but they’re outside of Maxwell City territory. In clear violation of the Compact.”

  “I have jurisdiction over the Compact!”

  He shook his head. “No, you have cojurisdiction. Within your territory.”

  “And on incidents that initiate within my territory.”

  “That has its limits,” he answered. “Certainly you can’t claim jurisdiction on Luna or Earth. And we don’t know that this violation initiated within your territory.” He paused, visibly trying to stay calm. “This is out of my hands, ma’am. And if you thought like an admiral for once, you’d see that too.”

  “I . . . You have a point. I am not thinking like an admiral, because admirals do not have a stake in what happens here. We have to manage our own affairs.”

  “The people in charge don’t think you can. You made a pretty good speech yesterday, but they’re not convinced. They don’t think one honest police chief can clean up what looks like a corrupt town.”

  “But you would not even know about Boomtown if we had not dug them out.”

  “Damn it, ma’am, you think I don’t know how unfair this is? How idiotic it is? We’re not an investigative division. The Inspector General’s Office up on Phobos is formally taking charge of the investigation, but they don’t have the resources. If I had any say in this, I would lock the place down and let you run a proper investigation. But the decision’s being made way over both of our heads.”

  I had to tell myself to calm down. Hogan was not to blame. It took admirals to be this stupid—admirals and bureaucrats.

  Finally I was able to speak without bitterness. “So what happens now?”

  “Now . . . we’ve locked the facilities down. When the inspector general finds the time and personnel, they’ll go in to gather evidence.”

  “I need that evidence now. I have cases pending. I have prosecutors and magistrates ready to act, but they need solid evidence to back them up.”

  “I know!” Hogan slapped the table. “You have to give me a little time. Inspector General Rand knows what he’s doing, he’s prosecuted plenty of big cases. I’ve talked with him privately, and he wants you to have the evidence as much as you want it. He’s ready to let you take an investigative team in, as long as it’s supervised. But he has to get approvals from all of the higher-ups he answers to. With light-speed delay, and all the decisions that have to be made back on Earth, I can’t promise any access. Officially.”

  I looked up at that. “And unofficially?”

  “Unofficially . . . he thinks he can get clearance for a small team by tomorrow.”

  “Then why didn’t you say so?” I asked. “That is a whole different story. I would rather get started right away, but I can manage a one-day delay.”

  Hogan shook his head. “I didn’t promise a day. That’s unofficial, remember. Rand is trying to balance out several competing forces. There’s a significant contingent in the Initiative who are ready to have the whole thing shut down until a security brigade can take charge. They’re making noises that Martians can’t be trusted.”

  “They are always making those noises.”

  “But this business gives them a much bigger megaphone. So he can’t promise me, and I can’t promise you. And if he can put it together, he might not be able to keep it together. So we need to move quickly if it happens. Have your best team ready to go in and gather everything they can as quickly as they can. I’ll do what I can to give you time. But officially . . . Boomtown is off-limits.”

  I made my way back to my office. This time I almost managed to beat Vile in. She was just opening our access door when I walked up the tunnel. “Good morning, Ms. Morais,” she said. It might have been a good act—or maybe just a difference in years—but she sounded rested and fresh.

  I hoped I did as well. “Not much good about it,” I said.

  “How’s that?”

  So I explained the lockdown of Boomtown. By the time that was done, we were both seated in my office. Vile responded, “We’ll just hope for the best. It’s all we can do.”

  “I know. We will have a team ready and wait for word.”

  “What are your thoughts on a team?”

  I sighed. “That is a good question. At this point, it is about investigation, not interviews and policing. So we will have to start with Dr. Costello and the forensics crew.”

  Vile nodded. “That’s what I expected. You’ll still need some patrol officers, just as a backup, right?”

  “Maybe,” I answered. “Hogan will be sending a Rapid Response Team as escorts, but it would not hurt to have our own people too.”

  “So Dr. Costello and his team, Rapid Response troops, patrol officers. Anyone else?”

  I paused for a deep breath. “I really should send Gale. He knows the locations. But . . .”

  “But you can’t send him. He’s out of your jurisdiction, so you don’t have a say in t
hat.”

  “Right.”

  “So just ask Nick. That should be simple enough.”

  “I wish . . .”

  Vile sat silently for several seconds. Finally, quietly, she asked, “Is that a problem, Ms. Morais?”

  “Nick and I . . .” I had to say something. “We had a big fight.”

  Vile shook her head. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I shouldn’t have asked. It’s not my business.”

  “No,” I said. “I . . . It is not right to discuss this with you, Vile. It is not workplace appropriate for a superior to discuss her personal life with the people she works with.”

  Vile leaned forward. “Ma’am, who cares about appropriate? You’ve got something you need to talk about. I’m here to listen.”

  “I appreciate that, Vile. I need to talk to someone.”

  And so I did. I unloaded. There were things I could not say, trusts I had to keep; and I had to respect Nick’s privacy. But I told as much as I could.

  When I was done, Vile asked, “So he’s upset because you missed a few dinners?”

  I shook my head. “It is not about the dinners. And it is not . . . it is not about Marcus. Well, it is, Marcus has always been a sore subject between us.”

  “But in the end, you chose Nick over Marcus.”

  “I did. But I chose Nick before, and then we broke up over career stress. And then he had his disastrous marriage to Hannah. I had other relationships. Our path has never been easy.”

  “So he’s jealous. He’s insecure.”

  “No . . . I think that is just what he latches on to. Nick Aames is not an insecure person. It is . . . São Paulo.”

  “Brazil?”

  I shook my head. “No, São Paulo, Mars.” I gave her a brief overview of our vision of someday striking out on our own on Mars. Our own research base, where we could do our own exploration.

  “It sounds wonderful,” Vile said.

  “It would be.” I sighed. “And now I think Nick thinks we are losing that.”

  “I can see that.”

  “It makes sense. He sees me suddenly becoming so involved in Maxwell City. We cannot very well set course across Mars when I am the police chief here.”

  “Then quit.”

  I managed to grin. “Are you after my job, Vile?”

  She grinned back. “Not yet. Unless you need me to be. But you don’t owe anyone anything, ma’am. You’re doing what you think is right, and I respect that. But maybe Nick and your dream are more important.”

  “They are!” I said. “But that is why I cannot leave.”

  “You’re confusing me.”

  “Don’t you see, Vile? São Paulo cannot happen under the Compact’s current development restrictions. And those restrictions will not be lifted by the Initiative. They will not be lifted . . .”

  “. . . until Mars is free. I get it.”

  “And so I have to do whatever I can to give Free Mars a chance.”

  “And you think that won’t happen without a strong police chief on duty.”

  “Exactly. It is what I can do to make it happen.” I looked over at the pile of virtual files on my desk. “Look at this. Yes, we broke a major corruption scam. But we still have two unsolved murders, with no real clues yet. The city is a mess. And that is becoming more obvious, more people can see it. People will lose faith in the administration. And they will never vote for independence then. The one thing I can do to make São Paulo happen is to get the crime in this city under control.”

  That discussion clarified things for me. I was grateful to Vile for it. The only way to get the future I wanted was to make it by crushing the crime. Starting with two unsolved murders.

  Only it was three murders, two unsolved and one unresolved. Plus three other victims of Adam’s plan. We had Adam’s confession and concrete evidence that he had killed Jacob; but we did not know who had trashed his office looking for what evidence. I had been so busy with the docket of cases that had opened officially when the force started, that I had lost track of this case that predated us. And possibly others. I would have to work harder on culling those records.

  Adam had disappeared; and Adam had left behind a message for Nick, one that the searchers had not found. Either they were not very good, or they had not had enough time for a thorough search. But they had been after something.

  Or maybe they had found what they were after, and had stopped looking after that, and that was how they had missed Adam’s confession. They had been quick and just thorough enough to get what they wanted, and then they had gotten out before they could be detected.

  That made more sense, but it was still just a hypothesis. I needed evidence one way or the other.

  I needed Marcus.

  I knew how that would sound to Nick, and I just did not care. Space it! This was a professional matter, and we could act like professionals.

  Well, I could. Marcus had been sending signals. I knew him too well to miss them. I had brushed them off, and I had told him to stop when he had kept going. But the signals were there.

  And I had not told Nick. I could tell myself that that was because I did not want to instigate a confrontation between them. And there was truth to that. But was I ashamed of the signals? Had I somehow encouraged them?

  Nonsense. That was the exhaustion talking. I thought over my encounters with Marcus, and there had been no signals on my part. If he saw any, he had imagined them.

  Still, I would have to reinforce my barriers. I couldn’t leave any room for doubt. Not on Marcus’s part, and not on Nick’s. We were professionals, and we had jobs do. Our past did not change that. I pulled open my comm, and I put in a call to Marcus.

  He answered on the first buzz. “Yes, Ms. Morais?”

  “Dr. Costello, I am pushing over to you an old file that we have not closed yet. It is a crime scene that could use another investigation. Simons Brothers Labs.”

  Marcus’s eyes grew wide. “Simons. That case was a month ago. The scene could be hopelessly contaminated by now.”

  I checked the file. “No,” I said. “Ownership is still tied up in probate. Adam has not been declared legally dead yet, and Althea has sacrificed her interests, as has Ilse. So ownership is still a gray area; and until that is established, the city has the place sealed. I cannot rule out the possibility that someone has broken in since our investigation. But if so, we will want to know that too.” I explained the case and our search of the premises, and I pointed out all the relevant information in the current case file.

  “I understand, ma’am,” Marcus said. “My team and I will get right over there. We should have a follow-up report late tonight.”

  Another late night. “No, I said it is important, but you do not have to rush. I am sure tomorrow will be fine.”

  “I’m afraid we’ll be too busy tomorrow,” Marcus said. “Chief Hogan has commissioned us to do the forensics scan of Boomtown.”

  Oh. Of course. “All right, send it overnight then.”

  “We will.” And I noted that he said we, not I. Maybe he was getting the message.

  “Thank you.” I disconnected, being sure not to show annoyance in my face. I kept my expression blank as I called Chief Hogan. “Chief, Dr. Costello says you have contracted his team for your investigation?”

  “Wasn’t I supposed to?”

  How could I answer that? It was a smart move on his part. I had no reason to object. “It was just a surprise,” I said.

  “I checked with Inspector General Rand,” Hogan explained, “and contracting local experts was their idea. As long as I could vouch for their reputation. Otherwise we’re going to have to wait for their own team to arrive, which could be weeks.”

  “That makes sense,” I answered.

  “And Dr. Costello had a long, exemplary record with the Initiative, so he was easy to sell to the IG Office. And besides . . .”

  “Besides what?”

  Hogan took a breath. “Ma’am, there are matters of appearance here. Boomtown is a Liber
tist scandal, and Dr. Costello is a prominent Realist. There’s no reason to believe that he would participate in any cover-up.”

  “Oh.” How had I not known that? Marcus had voiced Realist sympathies at our dinner two nights before, but that was different from being a party member, known to the Initiative Security mission.

  But I did not want to show surprise, so I nodded. “That makes sense, Chief. And they are certainly qualified.”

  Hogan paused. “And so are the . . . other additions to the team, ma’am.”

  “Other additions?”

  “We really need an insider’s perspective, ma’am. We’ve asked Horace Gale to join the inspection team. And he agreed on one condition: that Mr. Aames accompany him as escort.”

  At that, I am sure my surprise showed, my eyebrows rising and my mouth gaping. “Nick? But the Initiative hates him. For that matter, they do not much trust Gale.”

  Hogan shook his head. “You can’t have forgotten: the Initiative is not one opinion. Your husband has plenty of supporters still. And Senior Inspector General Park is among them. She approved both additions to the team; and though Inspector General Rand looked like he just swallowed a lemon when he said it, he passed along Park’s orders to approve the additions. I’ve already contacted Aames, and he and Gale have agreed. I . . . sort of expected you knew already.”

  “No,” I said, but I did not go into details. Instead I said, “Chief, I need to be on that team. As a personal favor to me, if I can ask. And I think you are going to need me.”

  At that, Hogan seemed surprised. “I would’ve asked you first,” he said, “but I assumed you were too busy.”

  “No,” I answered. “Not too busy for this. If you will have me.”

  “Absolutely! I’ll send you the assignment, and I’ll see you at 0600 tomorrow morning.”

  I closed the comm channel. Hogan was definitely going to need me. Without me, Nick and Marcus might kill each other.

  29. ENTERING BOOMTOWN

  The crawler was cramped. It was an Initiative model, and thus utilitarian. Seats and storage, all in the minimum space. It might have held fifteen, in an emergency; but wearing suits and carrying all our gear, the ten of us were cramped inside. Except for the driver up in his pod: he had room, but some of us would have to vacate if he wanted to climb down.