The Red Haze (The Webber and Ko Series Book 1)

by D. M. Wicks

  Faye looked at Declan and I. The EMT was just finishing up as he had stopped momentarily to hear the confession. "You two are a mess," she laughed.

  Declan grinned. "You should look in a mirror. You would think someone tried to kill you today, lieutenant. Good thing I was there to help you out. Who knows what you would have done without me."

  "I'm sure I would have managed somehow, detective. I managed for years before I met you. Besides, all it would take to beat you would be a needle to pop your ego balloon."

  "Touché lieutenant."

  "So, what will you do now?" I asked, wincing as the medic patched up a large gash in my side.

  "Well, I need to cage the crazy then wrap up the case with Alan Dublouse. You found the connection with the donation center, Oda. Now I just have to send some people to quarantine the blood she donated and case closed. What about you two? Don't you still have to solve the case about the junkie?"

  I sighed. "Well, even before we started helping you, I already ran into a dead end with the girlfriend. All I know is that the Crew killed him."

  "Well, I'll keep an eye out for anything similar and I'll send it your way."

  "Thanks, I appreciate it."

  The EMT stood up. "You two should really go to the hospital. All I managed to do was to patch you up, but you both need a doctor's attention, especially you, Oda. How are you even still standing, let alone talking?"

  I chuckled. "How little you humans know about blue eyes amazes me."

  The room was silent at the comment and I realized I must have hit a little too close to home. "Sorry, too soon?"

  Declan busted out laughing. "Definitely, way too soon, like robbing the cradle too soon."

  I leaned heavily on Declan as we followed Faye out the door and into the hallway. "What are you two going to do then if your trail has run cold?"

  "We keep sniffing," Declan said and I nodded, smiling.

  "Then I'll leave you to it. Thanks again for the help. I owe you one."

  "Damn straight you do. I'll hold you to it, lieutenant," Declan grinned.

  "Okay, don't make me regret it. By the way, you two should wait around here for a while. The streets might still be in chaos. I wouldn't feel right sending you out there right now."

  "You want to keep us all to yourself? I'm flattered."

  "Shut up detective, I'm just doing my job of social justice. If you must leave now at least get an officer to drive you. I don't want you guys bleeding all over the streets."

  "Sure thing. Wouldn't want to make more work for the lady, right Oda? We're stand up citizens after all."

  Faye laughed as she climbed onto the elevator and gave a mock salute before the doors closed. Declan turned to me. "What do you want to do, partner? Personally, I could use a shower."

  "I agree. I don't want to be cooped up here anyway."

  Declan dragged me to the elevator and we waited for it to come back down. When we climbed on I saw a uniform escorting Patricia out of the interview room and down the hall in the opposite direction. As the elevator doors closed I had the feeling that she somehow got exactly what she wanted. Then the doors closed and the feeling was gone. That night, I slept like the dead and didn't wake until late the next day.

  Chapter Twelve

  The next day I woke around ten in the morning, dressed, and took the bus to the donation center where it all began. When I got there the police had already blocked it off with caution tape. I flashed my badge a few times and managed to get around dressing in a quarantine suit before I finally found the person I was looking for. I found Marcie in the waiting room talking softly to another employee. Her face broke out into a smile and then drooped to a frown when she saw me.

  "Oda? What on Earth happened to you?" she greeted when I reached her.

  "Hello Marcie. I'm glad I found you. I was worried they would have whisked you away for quarantine or something."

  "Not the humans. They took some of the red eyes away in a truck not long ago. I think everyone was called in today. Does this have anything to do with what happened yesterday?"

  "Something like that."

  "Care to shed some light on all of this or are you just here for moral support?"

  "The second one. I can't stay long; I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

  She smiled and brought me closer for a hug. "Thanks, Oda, that means a lot to me."

  I blushed and cleared my throat. "Sorry that I can't really tell you anything."

  "I guess it can't be helped, it's your job after all. Just tell me, are they going to tear this building down?"

  I shook my head. "I don't think so. They shouldn't need to in my opinion anyway."

  She let out a breath. "Good, I was worried when they started carrying away all the blood bags."

  "It's somewhat of a precaution, nothing more for you to worry about. The center will survive this just maybe with less stock of blood than yesterday."

  "Oda, they took all of it, the blood I mean. It's all gone."

  "Like I said, a few less than yesterday."

  Marcie gave a small smile. "You're ever the optimist. That's what I like about you."

  "After working with my boss for a few months I have to be or else I would probably just jump off a cliff or something. He really has no hope for humanity. So it leaves me with the responsibility of being the hopeful one."

  "Aren't you the trooper carrying such a heavy burden?"

  I brushed my nails on my jacket then blew on them. "It's a big responsibility, but I can handle it."

  Marcie laughed and finally relaxed her tense stance. She had been standing rigid with her arms crossed over her chest, but when she laughed she dropped her arms and let them hang a minute before folding them behind her back.

  "Thanks."

  "Everything will be back to normal by tomorrow and you will be able to resume your life. How is the med school thing?"

  "Did I tell you I got in? I can't remember. Anyway, I'll be starting next semester. I'll finish my last month working here before I register and move out to the dorms on campus."

  "Oh, you're moving." I frowned at the realization.

  "Yeah, of course. I want to be close. I don't like long commutes, but I'm sure I'll see you around. Who knows? Maybe I'll volunteer here on the weekends or something."

  I smiled. "Yes, sure. I wasn't worried or anything, just a little surprised, that's all."

  I looked down when my phone buzzed and slipped it out of my pocket to see that Declan was trying to reach me. I sighed when it wasn't my sister. She had been trying to reach me since this morning and I wasn't looking forward to going home. I slept at the office the previous night to prolong the inevitable. I read his text quickly, which basically told me to get my ass down to the office, and then turned back to Marcie. "Well, I need to get to work. My partner is calling me."

  She smiled and brought me in for a quick hug before releasing me. "Keep safe, Oda, and always remember to donate on time. I'd hate for anything bad to happen to you."

  I nodded, turned and left without another word. More work was waiting for me. I wasn't finished with my case yet.

  ***

  Faye

  When Faye and Liam entered the interview room, Alan Dublouse practically spilled his guts and confessed without much effort on their part. Liam played good cop and was kind and understanding, while Faye basically sat back and watched the show. No bad cop necessary when the suspect had a guilty conscience. After the confession she pulled out her cell phone and called the number one pain in her ass.

  "Detective?"

  "Lieutenant."

  "I have some things to tell you, one of which you are not going to like."

  "Tell me that part last then."

  "Okay, the good news is that Alan Dublouse confessed to the murder and the attempted cover up, so that all went well. He's being booked on account of murder and impeding an investigation as we speak."

  "Good. What's the part I'm not going to like?"

  "Well
, the case I gave you, the one about the junkie, I think the guy’s name was Alcott. You have to back off of it for now. The commander and the chief have been in meetings all morning with the Father of the Dimitri branch."

  The other side of the line was silent. "Are you still there, detective? Declan?"

  "Yeah, I was just thinking about how much I hated being right all the time."

  "So you saw this coming? What gave it away?"

  "I knew something like this would happen once my suspicions of him being a Crew member were confirmed by his girlfriend. At least I got her away from you all. I suspect your commander would have handed her over or, as he would say, 'accidentally' misplaced her and the kid would have never seen the light of day."

  "Hey, Ace, that's unfair. We're supposed to be the good guys. The commander has everyone's best interests at heart."

  They were both silent as she thought over what she just said and how the morning went. Faye sighed and said, "Jesus, Declan, you're probably right. What I just said was naive and ignorant. Cut me some slack though, I'm still getting used to how this system works. Just yesterday I was under the impression that cops always did what is best for people. I was sure there was a crooked cop or two every once in a while, but overall I believed most of us were good."

  "Lieutenant, it's not a matter of being good or bad. It's simply about compromises to get what is needed done in a timely manner. The commander understands this better than anyone. Maybe he's too much of a politician to see justice anymore. Now all he sees is the number of dead bodies and he acts in a way to minimize the casualties."

  "I'm going to change that."

  Declan chuckled. "You and what army?"

  "I don't need an army. All I need is power and everything will fall into place. The Crew are powerful so I just need to surpass them."

  "And how the hell are you going to do that? You're just a police lieutenant, you barley get paid enough to feed yourself."

  "I don't know, but I'll figure it out. I told you once already; I don't ever want to be like you. I don't know how it happened or the circumstances behind it, but Declan, you've given up on humanity. No, it's worse than that, you've given up on the world and you're barely pushing thirty-four."

  "You're crazy, Faye. You don't know what you're talking about."

  "Maybe you're right, but I'm seeing a lot more clearly then you are. All you can see at the end of the road is a dead end and darkness. Well, guess what, Declan? I'm going to force you into the light. You're going to help me achieve my goal whether you want to or not. You're like my long distance partner or something," she laughed.

  Declan grumbled before answering. "Do whatever you want just don't drag me into it. I'm very comfortable with how my life is right now. Between you and Oda, I can't catch a break. Maybe I should close up my business just to get an ounce of peace. I'll play checkers in the park or something."

  "You still wouldn't get rid of us. You're stuck with us for life now, partner."

  "You keep telling yourself that, lieutenant, and when you can't find me one day don't forget what I just said."

  "I'd like to see you try to escape me. My network reaches far and wide."

  "What bloody network?"

  "My invisible one. It works while we sleep."

  "You're daft, woman. I'm hanging up before any of your craziness leaks over to my side."

  Faye smiled. "Talk to you later, Mr. Grumpy pants."

  She heard a snort before the line went dead and she hung up her phone, slipping it into her pocket. Liam was standing next to her and he smiled.

  "Talking to your boyfriend?"

  She sneered, "Good one. If you don't want to be pissing blood you better change topic."

  His smile disappeared in an instant and he cleared his throat. "So, lieutenant, what do we do next? What have they done with Patient X?"

  "I hope you don't call her that to her face. You would just be feeding her ego."

  "Right. Of course. Sorry."

  Faye glanced over to him then back as they climbed onto the elevator. "The commander is personally taking care of everything dealing with Patricia Xenia. You don't need to worry about it."

  "But it was kind of our case. I heard he was speaking with the head of the Dimitri branch, Alphonse Dimitri, this morning."

  "You would do best to hear less and work more, detective."

  "Come on. Fill me in."

  Faye looked at him again. He was a good-looking man, a bit young for her taste. She could see the ego in the way he grinned at her and heard the naivety in his words. She was a lot like him in a way. Maybe that's what would make them good partners. For now though, he was annoying her as he still had much left to learn about the way things worked in her department. She would just have to teach him the ropes personally then. It was nothing a little deskwork wouldn't fix. Soon he would be begging her to take him out into the field and maybe he would be more conforming to her way of doing things. Yeah, she was going to enjoy breaking him in.

  ***

  Oda

  I didn't believe it. How could he betray me like this? I really thought we were partners. Setsuna grabbed and forced me into a hug as soon as I entered the office. She was crying on my shoulder while Declan was smiling from behind his desk. My sister pulled back from me only to smack me in my bad arm.

  "Ow!"

  "You deserve that! How dare you check out of the hospital without telling me? Do you have any idea how worried I was? I've been calling you all day. If it wasn't for Declan calling me I don't know what I would have done. Maybe I would have gone to the police or something!"

  "Setsuna, you're being ridiculous."

  She smacked me in my bad arm again. I saw Declan cringe as I cried out, "What the hell? Quit hitting me!"

  "How dare you say that I'm overreacting? I get a call yesterday saying that my twin brother is in the hospital dying on the operating table, bleeding out, and that his arm has been amputated!”

  I turned to Declan. "What the hell, man?"

  He had the audacity to shrug. My sister rounded on me again. "Don't blame him for trying to help you. You're the jerk who wouldn't answer any of my calls. You could have been dead in a ditch for all I knew. Why didn't you answer any of my calls?

  "Because I was still working on a case and you would have locked me away in the apartment until I was healed."

  "That's it? That's your excuse?"

  I looked down, thoroughly scolded, and nodded. "Oda, I'm your sister not your keeper. I just wanted to know you were still alive for Heaven’s sake. We could have talked about it. We needed to talk about it, but you didn't even trust me enough for that. You're my brother and I love you!" She broke off in tears and threw herself at me crying into my good shoulder. I now felt like the world’s biggest idiot.

  "I'm sorry.”

  She pulled back to smack me once again in my bad arm. "That's not enough!"

  "What do you want me to do?"

  "You have to go with me to Mom’s for dinner this week."

  I stared at her and nodded. "That's it? I can do that."

  A smile broke out on her face. "Just a warning, she hasn't donated this month yet."

  Realization struck and I frowned. "That's cheating! You didn't give me all the information."

  Her tears suddenly gone. she sang, "Too late. You already agreed."

  "Setsuna!" I whined.

  "Are you two finally done with your sibling spat? I have work to do," Declan said.

  I looked up at my sister. "Can I finish out this case?"

  Her smile fell. "You're not done yet?"

  "No, there are a few loose ends to clear up before I can close the file for good."

  "It's fine as long as you come home tonight. The dinner is tomorrow and you're not getting out of it."

  I sighed and nodded, pulling her in for a quick hug. She clapped her hands together and laughed. I smiled at her antics. She played me like a fiddle and I couldn't find it in me to be mad.

  "I'll see
you tonight, Oda. Be careful, I don't want you broken beyond repair." She turned on Declan next. "Take care of my brother or I'll come after you next, mister."

  Declan nodded and Setsuna smiled. She slammed the office door on her way out to punctuate her meaning, leaving the two of us a little worse for wear.

  Declan spoke first. "That was interesting."

  "If by interesting you mean a tornado, then I agree."

  He grinned. "She was kind of cute though."

  "Keep your old man hands off my twin."

  "I'm not old."

  "Could have fooled me, grandpa."

  "I could fire you for a comment like that."

  "Then you would have to deal with her even more pissed off."

  "She doesn't scare me."

  "Oh, I forgot to mention my mom would probably join in. Imagine my sister times ten."

  Declan frowned. "I like having you around anyway. It's annoying having to interview and hire new secretaries anyways."

  "Sure."

  "What?"

  "Nothing."

  "Whatever."

  "Are we going to finish the Dublouse case or what?"

  "It's already done. Faye texted me earlier to tell me that the kid caved. Her partner played a very convincing good cop, apparently, and the kid was eating it up."

  "Oh, then what about our original case then? The Alcott one."

  Declan's face went completely blank when he answered, "I think that case is best left unsolved for now, Oda."

  I frowned. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

  "It means exactly what I said. Don't fight with me on this one. Just do as I say."

  "No! The lieutenant already hired us for it. We have to finish it."

  "Have you checked your bank account lately? We've already been paid to close it."

  "What?" I pulled out my phone and logged into my account to see that my balance had increased. "I can't believe this. They solve their case and leave us hanging.”

  "It's not like that, Oda, and you know it."

  "Then what the hell is it like, Declan? I'd like to be enlightened."