by Joe Canzano
Suzy stared at him, trying to hide her sense of shock. Was he kidding?
For an instant, she actually felt flattered.
The guy sounded sincere, and she was pretty sure it had nothing to do with sex or love or any of those half-witted hormones that made her so irresistible to all the wrong guys. This was totally about business; Blurr had never flirted with her one bit, and he was not flirting with her now. He just thought she was a nice girl who’d make a fabulous super-villain.
Think fast! It wouldn’t be a bad idea to play along. In fact, it was probably the smartest thing she could do—but of course, the smartest thing didn’t always rattle her rockets.
She looked into his eyes. “I don’t want to help you, Blurr—in any way. If I ever say I’m your friend, I’ll just be pretending. I’ll be waiting for an opening, okay? And then I’ll kill you. Are we done now?”
He blinked. And then he just stared back at her. Did she see genuine disappointment there? She was surprised that he seemed so surprised.
“All right,” he said after a long pause. “I appreciate your honesty—even though it’s the dumbest thing you can do.”
“The dumbest thing I can do is to trust you.”
He frowned. “I understand why you might feel that way, but it’s a big mistake.” Then he sighed. “I also know you’re telling the truth, and it won’t do any good to argue… I won’t enjoy what’s going to happen, Suzy. I’ll always consider it a great waste. But it won’t be the first time I’ve had to feel this way. I was trying with someone else before you, someone not nearly as good—and that didn’t work out, either. Well, what the fuck... Sometimes I just have to waste people.”
“Too many people, Blurr. That’s part of the problem.”
He shook his head as he got up. He didn’t look at her as he knocked on the door to call the guards, but he turned to her as he left.
“Don’t get too comfortable,” he said. “They’ll be coming for you soon.”
Chapter 33
Danielle Banks studied the sun-bleached ranch on the scattered outskirts of Diego Tijuana.
She’d just arrived on an air taxi from Atlanta. It had been a quick trip and she’d barely had time to do a crossword puzzle. She still did her puzzles on paper; she printed them from a digital image. There was something about an old-style pencil and a piece of paper that just felt right.
She knew many investigators preferred to do their research via digital networks, glowing screens, and hologram calls—but not her. Certainly, she made use of those tools, but she also worked with real people every day, and she knew there was a special kind of contact that only happened in a face-to-face meeting where instincts and emotions were more easily triggered.
Of course, she’d called first, because there was also a special kind of contact that happened when someone showed up unannounced to ask questions about rape and murder.
She wasn’t even sure if sexual abuse was involved, but she’d done some preliminary research into the case of Suzy ‘Spitfire’ Castillo and her deceased sister, Trish, and she knew what Andre had said—and she had a lot of experience with these situations. She spent all of her days helping victims of sexual assaults, and she’d been a victim herself. She trusted her instincts.
She rang the doorbell and was greeted by a thin woman with wispy reddish hair and jittery eyes.
“Hello,” Danielle said. “You must be Jane.”
“Yes, that’s me,” Jane said in a shaky voice. “I said I’d be home, but I don’t understand what you want.”
Danielle smiled. “I’m not here to cause any trouble, Jane. I told you when I called that I’m just trying to help Suzy.”
“Really? Well, I said I’d see you because I’ve got no choice, right?”
“No. You do have a choice, Jane. Just say the word and I’ll leave. But I really am trying to help your daughter.”
A voice from inside shouted, “Tell her if she wants to help she can paint the house!”
Jane shook her head in a wobbly way, like it was barely attached to her neck. “That’s my mother, Jenny. Don’t pay any attention to her.”
“I’d like to talk to her,” Danielle said. ”I’d like to talk to both of you. I have some questions about your daughter.”
“I keep telling you people that I don’t know where Suzy is.”
“I’m not here only because of Suzy. I also want to talk about Trish.”
Jane went pale. “What do you want?”
“I deal with this kind of thing every day, Jane. I want to help.”
Jane was about to respond but then she stopped and turned her head. Jenny was staggering toward the door.
Jane’s eyes opened wide. “What are you doing, Mom? You need to stay in bed.”
“I’m tired of being tired,” Jenny said as she grasped the doorframe. ”Is Suzy okay? Why are you here?”
“As far as I know, Suzy is fine. I want to ask you some questions about your granddaughter.”
“We don’t talk about Trish,” Jane said.
Danielle paused. “Maybe it’s time you did. It won’t bring her back, but it can help. It can help a lot.”
She stared at Jane before letting her eyes wander to Jenny. She also handed Jane a business card. Jane stared at it while Jenny looked over her shoulder.
“Maybe you’re right,” Jenny said with a sigh. “Come on in.”
“Mom, what are you doing?” Jane said. “Are you out of your mind? We don’t know anything about this woman. She could be a fraud.”
“Yeah, she could be—but I have a feeling she’s all right. Let’s talk.”
Three hours later, Danielle left the home. She felt drained, but it was nothing new. She was used to it.
She looked up at the sky and thought about her husband. As tired as she was, she wanted to get to her hotel quick. She had a message to send.
Chapter 34
Suzy knew they’d be coming, and she knew it would be ugly.
I can sit here and wait, she thought. Or I can come up with a way to kill somebody.
She searched the room for a weapon. She wasn’t expecting to find anything too obvious but she wanted something more than her fists and her feet. She wanted something small and sharp that could be carried and concealed. Modern weapons were wonderful but a spike in the eye never goes out of style.
She saw no potential weapons in the room. There were certainly no metal forks, knives, or spoons, but there was a medicine cabinet above the sink in the bathroom—and Kryl had said there were no cameras in there. The cabinet also had removable shelves made of flimsy metal.
Suzy snatched a shelf out of the cabinet and started bending it back and forth until it snapped. Then she took one of the broken halves and bent it back and forth the other way, across its horizontal axis. There was less to grip in this direction, and it was harder to bend, so she put it over the top of the sink with one hand while the other hand bent the metal over the edge. She flipped it over and went back again—over and over until it broke.
She now had a rectangular strip of metal about four centimeters wide and twenty centimeters long. It was fairly jagged but she rubbed it against the other piece’s jagged edge, using the other piece like a primitive file. She created a smooth part for her hand to hold and a jagged part for cutting. Then she pushed one corner down on the sink and bent it back, leaving a triangular shape at the top. She pulled the triangle straight with her fingers and bent it back again. She repeated this process until it broke, leaving a sharp point. Then she realized her primitive knife was too big to hide, so she bent it and broke it again, making it smaller.
She was left with a tiny blade the size of her pinky. It wasn’t fantastic, but if she found herself in a tight spot it might help her make a statement. Of course, she could always use her teeth again—but this was more versatile, and she wouldn’t have to swallow anybody else’s blood.
Now she needed a way to conceal it. It wasn’t comfortable in her bra, plus they might search that spot.
It was an obvious hiding place and also a highly grope-able location that the average goon-of-a-guard would tend to check. If she had some tape she could put it inside her boot, or tape it to a butt cheek—but those places might be hard to reach if she found herself in a wrestling match, and besides, she had no tape.
Wait! She found some bandages. They were small plastic ones with adhesive on the back—perfect. So she had some tape, and she had a blade. She just needed a place to put them.
Her hair was the best spot. She had enough of it, and she’d just washed it, and the conditioner had been terrible. This meant her hair was frizzy and extra big—perfect for hiding a makeshift stabbing device. She used two of the bandages to tape the blade behind her right ear.
She sat on the bed and congratulated herself. She wondered how long she’d have to wait. Maybe she had time to build a cannon—but no, she didn’t have that long.
The door flew open and six goons came stomping into the room. Suzy noted they were all men. There were some female goons out there, but today it was an all-male squad of professional assholes.
The biggest goon spoke. “It’s party time, honey. You’re coming with us.”
Suzy shrugged but didn’t move. “If it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll stay in tonight.”
The goon scowled and pulled out a black metal tube. It was half a meter long and buzzing like a rattlesnake.
“I was told to discipline you if you resisted,” the guy said.
Suzy looked at the guards and sensed the disdain wafting her way. Yeah, they were still irate over her escape and subsequent shenanigans.
“All right,” she said and stood up.
The guy grinned and shoved the tube into her ribs.
An explosion of stars flashed through her head—and then Suzy gasped and fell to the floor.
The white-hot pain vibrated through her body; she jerked and convulsed like someone having a seizure. All around her people were laughing.
One of the guys said, “Do it again.”
“No!” another one said. “We don’t want to end up like Loomis.”
The others murmured their agreement.
Someone kicked her in the thigh with a heavy boot. “Get up, bitch. Get up or we’ll do it again anyway.”
Suzy considered pulling out her blade and stabbing a few toes, but she didn’t think her weapon would cut through the thick footwear. Still, it wasn’t out of the question—she was feeling highly motivated.
But she didn’t do it. She needed to think about the larger picture and these people were just small scum in a big pond. She had to stay alive long enough to see the biggest piece of shit.
Not a lot of high goals today.
She stood up and two goons grabbed her. They did a quick pat down that was surprisingly professional while failing to find her little blade. Then they spun her around and handcuffed her wrists behind her back.
“Let’s go,” the big guy said. “If you try anything I’ll give you the tube again. I’ll shove it right between your legs.”
Suzy decided to stay quiet and bide her time. As Maria liked to say, “Wait for your chance.” But Suzy knew that waiting had never been her strongpoint. That chance had better come quick.
As it turned out, she made it to the interrogation room without further incident. As dumb as the goons were, she sensed their thrill over her pain had been replaced by anxiety concerning the potential wrath of Captain Banks. She wondered if she’d be seeing the stone-faced captain today. Was his presence good or bad? Certainly, no one would be laughing. Comedy wasn’t his style.
She was taken to the same dark and sweaty room as before. Not a good place to be a regular, she thought. Blurr was inside, grinning as usual. And Ricardo was strapped to the vertical table.
Dammit!
Her head swam, and her heart sank—but only for a second. She yanked her eyes away from him; she couldn’t look. Then she took a breath and pulled herself together. She was going to get through this. They were both going to get through this somehow.
She was shoved into a chair next to Blurr. The handcuffs were removed, and her wrists were buckled down, and her chest was secured. Two of the guards remained in the room.
Blurr watched with a jovial expression. “Hello, Suzy,” he said. “I told you to take that deal. Now you’re totally fucked, and you’re not even the one on the table. Just imagine how he feels. Are you really surprised?”
Suzy was hoping Blurr would come a little closer so she could spit in his face—but he’d probably penalize Ricardo for that. No, she was going to need something stronger than saliva.
“I’m not surprised, Blurr. Were you surprised I didn’t want to join you? You’re such an amateur.”
She wasn’t sure why she chose that particular word—but she saw his eyes jump a bit.
When he smirked, it seemed forced. “I’m sorry if you’re not impressed. I guess I’ll have to work harder.”
Suzy looked away from him, and she could feel his annoyance as she did it. Then he blurted, “Who are you to call me an ‘amateur’? Look at all the crap you’ve pulled! You’re impulsive, you’re reckless, you take ridiculous chances—you killed a guy and let everyone know you did it. You’ve got a lot of nerve calling me an amateur.”
“I’m a pilot, Blurr! I was never trying to build a crime empire. I killed a guy who deserved to be dead—and then I did what I had to do to stay alive. I’ve never hurt anyone who wasn’t trying to hurt me.”
“That’s your problem,” he said with a sneer. “You’re not proactive.”
“Being an asshole doesn’t make you ‘proactive’—or smart. You’ll never last.”
“Oh, yeah? I seem to be outlasting you.”
“Maybe today. But in the end, you’ll meet someone better and smarter than you, and that person will be proactive—and you’ll be gone.”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he just sat down behind the console. His face was red, and Suzy regretted what she’d said to him. It was never a good idea to annoy the guy who was about to torture you and your friend.
Meanwhile, Ricardo was still strapped to that table a short distance away. She looked at him and her stomach felt like it was upside down. This was going to be hard to watch. This was going to kill her.
Ricardo looked at her and smiled. He said, “Hi, Suzy. I like your hair today—very frizzy. Hey, a few spilt ends never comes between friends, right?” He grinned. “Who’s the best poet in the room, huh?”
She felt her heart starting to break. Then Blurr hit the button—and Ricardo’s whole body leaped against its bonds. His face went white, and he let out a scream as Suzy closed her eyes.
For an instant, her mind went blank—but only for an instant. Then it was flooded with more hate than she’d ever known.
Blurr hit the button and the pain stopped. He laughed and said, “Hey, you know, I completely forgot that I was supposed to ask you a question first.” He gave Suzy a smug glance. “Forgive me for being such an amateur.”
Suzy bit her tongue and didn’t say a word.
“Where’s the AI, Suzy?”
“Fuck off.”
“Is that the best you can do? I was at least expecting a made-up location.”
“It’s in your ass. I’d wash it before turning it on.”
Blurr hit the button again and then gave the knob a hard twist.
Ricardo screamed louder this time—his eyes bulged like golf balls, and his body convulsed with bone-rattling spasms.
Suzy snarled and tested her bonds. As expected, they were quite tight and it was so sad. Blurr was sitting close by. With just a little more wiggle room she could reach over and bite through his jugular vein. But then she realized it was a bad plan, and not because she’d once again end up with some dickhead’s blood in her mouth. No, it was a bad idea because if Blurr bled to death, who would turn off the machine?
She was so busy thinking about Ricardo and blood and vital arteries that she was shocked when a hand came slamming down
from behind and turned off the torture.
It was Captain Banks.
“Blurr, this is over!” Banks said.
Blurr’s mouth dropped open. He stared at Banks and said, “What? What are you doing, Banks? Have you forgotten who’s in charge here?”
“I’m well aware of who’s in charge—for now. Have you forgotten that you need a special order to perform this kind of interrogation?”
“What?”
“We might be on Super Station 6, but you still need special approval from Agency Command. Do you have it?”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Do I look like I’m kidding? And did you have the proper approvals to interrogate Loomis? Yeah, I heard about that... Did you have the proper approvals to do all the other things you’ve done?”
Blurr paused—and then leaped out of his chair.
“Banks, are you out of your mind?” He was shouting now and waving his arms. “Are you actually trying to stop this? You want me to fill out a piece of fucking paperwork? After I took you away from that job working with the fucking grunt squad?”
“This isn’t just about a piece of paperwork, Blurr. It’s what I believe in. If you want to carry out certain interrogation techniques on these people—fine, it’s something you’ll have to live with. But you’re not going to do it without the proper clearance. It’s the law.”
To Suzy, it all seemed surreal; she watched the argument with interest. Banks was a piece of work, no doubt about it. She wondered about her bonds; maybe if someone hadn’t checked off the right box somewhere she would be freed.
Blurr whirled toward the two guards near the door. “Arrest Captain Banks.”
But Banks had a gun out, and it was aimed at both men. He also had two more soldiers behind him now, and they also had guns.
Banks said, “I’ve already filed a report concerning this violation, Blurr. It will take a few hours to reach Agency Command on Earth. I also have these two witnesses. No more stomping all over the rules.”