A Dangerous and Cunning Woman

by Ethan Johnson

  The technician swiped and tapped at his tablet, nodding his approval. “Levels are strong. Minimal feedback.”

  The masked man gestured to another group of technicians. “Weapons assessment.”

  “Yes, sir,” said a man wearing a white lab coat over blue scrubs. “Primary weapon, go.”

  Diane felt something vibrating against her right thigh. She looked down and saw a handgun slide out of a hidden compartment and rise to meet her waiting hand. She drew the gun and pointed it at the masked man. He showed no reaction to this. Diane put the gun back in its slot as instructed. The extra magazines and three stabbing implements were pointed out to her by the technicians. All of it was high-tech and impressive, but she liked her rifle best.

  As though he had read her mind, the masked man turned to the lead technician. “Is her rifle ready for deployment?”

  The technician nodded and produced a long back case. He unsnapped a series of butterfly enclosures and revealed her rifle, polished to a high shine. Ten cartridges were stored neatly beside it.

  Diane’s eyes widened, then moistened. “Ten?”

  The masked man nodded. “For the ten most wanted. Unless you require more?”

  She shook her head and wiped her eyes with her knuckle. “No, that’ll do it.”

  “That’s what I am counting on. We will undergo field testing tomorrow. You are free this evening.”

  Diane cocked her head. “I don’t feel free, being stuck in this armor and trapped in this strange place.”

  The masked man raised his hand and Diane heard something clattering into the room. A rack of dresses swayed as they came to a halt. Three women wearing black outfits stood beside the rack. “My staff will see to you. You have done well. Your benefactor wishes to reward you. You will be taken to the Panther Division to meet with the Lieutenant, then a car will be sent for you to take you to dinner. I expect you will be handsomely rewarded.”

  Diane felt dizzy. Benefactor? She hadn’t looked that word up yet. Nobody had ever used it before. She hoped she would remember it when she had the opportunity to flip through her dictionary. “My… benefactor? I don’t understand.”

  The mask seemed to give a knowing smile to this. The masked man stepped forward and clapped her shoulder. “Very soon, you shall. Enjoy your dinner. Tomorrow, we will put your upgrades to the test.”

  He led the technicians and the medical staff from the room. The door hissed as it closed behind them. Her attendants set about freeing Diane from her armor and explaining how to put it on and remove it. Suiting up was much easier than the prior version, she found. She was stripped to her bra and panties and given different dresses to try on. The lead stylist looked her over and made comments as to what went with what and used terms like “skims” and “accentuates”. Diane just wore clothes. She didn’t feel comfortable with the fuss.

  Her hair was brushed, and makeup was applied. Once she met the lead stylist’s approval, a full-length mirror was placed before Diane. She stepped forward and gazed at herself in the mirror. Her mascara ran as tears streamed down her cheeks.

  Her skin was radiant. Whatever Goodwin had done to her face had been fixed so thoroughly as to give no hint anything bad had happened. Her shoulders were bare. The scar on her left shoulder was gone. She felt… reborn.

  The lead stylist made a tch sound and set about fixing her makeup. After giving her final approval, Diane was given a black clutch and ushered down a long hallway to a glowing white room. A black SUV stood in the center. The back door was wide open. Diane looked expectantly at the lead stylist who gave her approval to get in the vehicle. Diane obeyed and strapped herself in. The door was closed behind her and the room went pitch black.

  After a few uncomfortable moments in the darkness, a beam of light appeared through the windshield. The vehicle shifted into gear on its own and Diane was whisked away through a maze of city streets to the Panther Division facility. She was dropped off at the main entrance, and her door opened by itself. Diane removed her lap belt and grabbed her clutch. The desk sergeant’s face was a mask of surprise at the sight of her as she entered the lobby. He stood and pressed a button to his right. “Hey, Pembrook. Good to see you. Looks like you’re none the worse for wear.”

  The man was unfamiliar to her. Diane read his name plate. “You too, Atkins. I’m here to see—”

  Lieutenant Kenner stepped out of his office and waved her over. “Pembrook. Right this way.”

  “Lieutenant,” she said stiffly. He ushered her into his office and closed the door gently behind her.

  “Have a seat. Drink?” He strode over to his mini-bar.

  Diane lighted on one of his guest chairs and shook her head. “Not now. You wanted to see me?”

  “I did. You got here quicker than I thought.” He poured himself a drink from a purple soda can and glugged it down. He sat behind his desk and gave her a plaintive look. “Listen, I owe you an apology. We all do.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Diane nearly fell out of her chair. She fought to maintain her cool exterior. Internally, she sifted through a rush of emotions and tried to decide how to react. Rage? Relief? Annoyance? She decided to play dumb and draw him out. After all, she reasoned, maybe this was all a trick. She gave him a tight smile. “Oh? What for?”

  Kenner let off a nervous chuckle. “Fair enough, Pembrook. I’m here to make amends, so, fine, I’ll spell it out for you. That’s all part of the process, isn’t it? Let’s see, where do I start? Well, I’ll go for the first thing that comes to mind: I’m sorry we puffed up Goodwin. That was the wrong play. It was wrong of me to favor him over you. I won’t make that mistake again.”

  Diane gave him a withering stare. “He couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn if it was two feet away. Hell, he didn’t know how to cock his freaking gun. You guys called him ‘Gunslinger’.” She crossed her arms tightly and glowered at him.

  Kenner raised his hands defensively. “I got bad intel, Pembrook. I don’t know what else to say. After… what happened… it got back to me that the guys were calling him ‘Gunslinger’ as a joke.”

  “A joke? The guy tried to kill me. Point blank. He’s damned lucky I didn’t blow his head off when I had the chance.”

  “Yeah, no, you didn’t, and I appreciate that. You had every right, don’t get me wrong. And if it’s any consolation, he’s in solitary pending command review. I don’t expect it to take long. He’s looking at death by firing squad before month-end.” He sipped his cola. “So, there’s that.”

  “Yeah, there’s that.” Diane relaxed a little. “What about Lyssa?”

  Kenner coughed. “Oh, your uh, significant other. Well, of course, she’ll be cleared of all charges relating to assaulting Goodwin. We’ll have to review the rest and determine if she’s completely in the clear, and if not, we’ll proceed with legal action as per usual. She shouldn’t be looking at more than a year. Maybe a $50,000 fine. I’ll let you know when I hear back.”

  Diane’s cheeks reddened. “She didn’t do anything wrong. Goodwin got you guys to throw the damn book at her. And don’t think I don’t know why. You’ve got a thing about lesbians.”

  “Not true,” he said, looking into his glass. “I enjoy them.” He coughed and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Which is to say, I uh, I’m fine with whatever you people get up to on your own time as long as it isn’t performance-affecting. “

  “You people?”

  “I mean, you police officers. That I command. Listen, I want to make this right. You say the word, and I’ll fire every last swinging dick in the joint. Anybody not on Team Pembrook says adios, how does that sound? Help me help you.”

  Diane sat back in her seat. She didn’t like Lyssa’s fate being left undecided, but Kenner appeared to be sincere. “I’ve got a few names in mind.”

  “That’s my girl. I mean, get that to me ASAP and I guarantee this place is going to be much quieter. We’ll have to jigger some schedules around and step up the recruiting, but if this
place needs an enema, I say let it rip.”

  “I can do that.”

  Kenner rose from his desk. “Great. Looking forward to it. I hear you’ve got another appointment to get to, so I won’t keep you. See you in Briefing Room 1A tomorrow, 0730 sharp.”

  Diane stood and shook his hand firmly. “Sure thing. But… I thought I was reassigned.”

  Kenner looked confused. “I’m not aware of anything. Reassigned where?”

  “The Special Neighborhood Operations something or other. That super-secret group you sent me to.”

  “I don’t know anything about that. You’re riding with Gupta tomorrow. That’s all I’ve got for you.”

  Diane frowned at this, then nodded. “Good talk.”

  Kenner walked her to the door. He patted her back and paused before opening the door. “I wouldn’t mention that other thing. Not to anyone. Not even me. Understood?”

  Kenner’s grave stare spoke volumes. Diane nodded and smiled. “Officer Pembrook, reporting for duty.”

  He patted her butt. “That’s my girl. See you tomorrow, bright and early.”

  Diane waved goodbye to Sergeant Atkins as she made her way to the exit. She stepped outside, then wondered what she was doing. A car was supposed to be coming for her, she thought, but what car? When? Who was supposed to call for it? She paced around anxiously, wondering if there was something in her clutch that gave the answer. She looked up and saw a dark blue sedan pull up to the curb. It looked oddly familiar. There was a card tucked into the rear passenger-side window that said PEMBROOK. Diane pulled the door open and got in. To her surprise, the car was driverless. She strapped herself in and closed the door. The car immediately pulled away from the curb.

  Diane examined the vehicle and craned her neck forward to look at the front seat. There wasn’t anything indicating who owned the car or who sent it. “Where are we going?”

  The car did not reply. It navigated through the busy city streets until gliding to a stop beside a very familiar destination. Diane’s eyes lit up as she saw the double doors, flanked by white-gloved doormen. An attendant opened her door and helped her onto the sidewalk. “Welcome to the Cotillion, miss.”

  “Thank you. I’m supposed to be meeting someone here.”

  The attendant smiled. “Just check in with the hostess.”

  Diane started to walk toward the doors, then doubled back. She snapped open her clutch, unsure of its contents. “Here, I need to give you a tip. Let me see what I’ve got in here.”

  The attendant waved her off. “That won’t be necessary. Enjoy your evening.”

  Diane nodded to the doormen as they pulled the heavy wooden doors apart, granting her entry. The opulence sparkled all around her as she saw men in fine suits, women in fancy dresses, and the wait staff wearing crisp attire. The hostess looked up from her monitor and gave her a wide smile. “Welcome to the Cotillion. Do you have a reservation?”

  Diane shook her head. “No, I’m supposed to be meeting someone. The valet guy told me to see you.”

  The hostess nodded and pursed her lips. “Of course. I’m happy to assist you. Name please?”

  “Diane Pembrook.”

  The woman nodded and called over the Maître D’. A polished gentleman in a black tuxedo glided over in response to her summons. “Yes?”

  The hostess gestured to Diane. “Miss Pembrook is here.”

  He raised his chin and clapped his hands together. “Ah! Yes, of course. Right this way. You are expected.” He led her past the bar and main dining room to a row of doors. A brass placard inscribed with PRIVATE TWO gave the only clue as to where she was going. He rapped at the door, then pushed it open. He led Diane into the room and presented her with a flourish. “Your guest has arrived. Service will begin at your command.” He bowed and left the room. The door clicked softly behind Diane as he disappeared.

  Her benefactor rose from her seat. She raised her wine glass in a salutary gesture and motioned for Diane to sit. She obeyed, eyeing her host warily. “Sapphire? I don’t understand what’s going on. Why am I here?”

  Sapphire sipped her wine and raised a shushing finger. “You really are dense, Pembrook. This is your favorite restaurant. I invited you here to say thank you for everything you’ve done for me. That’s how rewards work. You do nice things for me, I do nice things back.”

  Diane sat back in her chair, her head swimming with thousands of questions. “But… you can’t afford this. The ramen. The place you saved up for. Your parents cut you off.”

  “Yuh yuh yuh,” Sapphire mocked. “That’s what I like best about you, Pembrook. You hear a story, and that’s the gospel. No fact-checking, no doubts whatsoever. It makes you a flaming idiot, frankly, but it also makes you an effective tool. Here, let me help you with this. My name isn’t Sapphire. My last name isn’t Sorrellis. My dad doesn’t work for ARCTURUS. Well, he did, but that was years ago. Good grief, Pembrook, one quick search on your stupid tablet and you could have found half of that out. But no, you watched your stupid stories. I told you to broaden your horizons, but you know what they say about bringing horses to water.” She took another sip of wine and shook her head. “Actually, I take that back. No, you wouldn’t know thing one about that. My mistake.”

  “I… I don’t understand. Who are you? What did I supposedly do for you?”

  Sapphire laughed. “To make things easy on you, and to not fill your pretty head up with useless trivia, keep calling me Sapphire. It’s my favorite gemstone, so it’s not a terrible name to saddle myself with. Easy to remember. Anyway, you’re what I like to call a problem-solver. I had a problem, quite a few, actually, and you made them all,” she snapped her fingers, “disappear.”

  Diane puzzled over this. “I shot Booker. Was he talking to you?”

  “There you go, you’re not a complete moron. Yes, he was, and as I told him, he wasn’t long for this world with you on his tail. I enjoyed watching him die. When you need a job done right, you call in the professionals.”

  “B-but, the drugs in the warehouse. Those were yours? You’re some kind of… criminal mastermind? Holy crap, Sapphire, I’m running you in. I can’t believe you’re admitting everything like this.”

  Sapphire laughed again. “Running me in for collecting empty crates? Oh no, there’s a new sheriff in town.” She glared at Diane. “False. You’re my employee, and you’re going to have a nice dinner with your boss. If you’re good, I have some treats for you I’m sure you’ll enjoy.”

  “I don’t work for you. I’m a sworn officer of the law. I can have this place crawling with cops in five minutes.”

  Sapphire sighed and turned on the television monitor that hung at the far end of the dining room. Lyssa was tied to a chair, gagged, with a gun to her head. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed into the camera. “She’ll be dead in one. Your call.”

  Diane’s stomach soured at the sight of Lyssa’s ordeal. She hated Sapphire in that moment with every fiber of her being. Still, Sapphire had the upper hand. She had no choice but to cooperate. She intended to bring the full force of the law down on her later, once she knew Lyssa was safe.

  “Forget I said anything, boss.”

  Sapphire eyed her suspiciously, the shrugged. She turned off the monitor and summoned the servers.

  Dinner was exquisite. Diane ate the best meal of her life and hated every bite of it. She hated every sip of wine, every crumb, every morsel. She sat and nodded dumbly as Sapphire regaled her with an accounting of her grand plans to build a headquarters tower in the city center.

  Diane couldn’t help herself. “That’s a great location. Maybe your building will get blown up next.”

  Sapphire cocked her head, then laughed. “Oh, that? Yeah, that’s called clearing the deck. Booker and his buddies set off a few bombs, drove the real estate prices way down, got everyone in a panic thinking the place is no good, then one of my shell corporations swooped in and snapped it up for peanuts.”

  “Booker can’t help you anymore
.”

  “No, thanks to you. He was a loose end. He got the job done, but he was sloppy. My plans were almost ruined when you found his associate in his hidey-hole. Fortunately, your merry gang of secret agents weren’t able to get much out of him before they incinerated him. I wasn’t expecting that, Pembrook. When that happened, I knew I was backing the right horse.”

  Diane sipped her wine. “Wait, why would a criminal mastermind hang around the Panther Division and work as an admin? If you’re so rich and powerful, why put up with Griggs? I don’t understand you.”

  Sapphire chuckled sardonically. “No, you don’t, Pembrook. You’re so stinking thick, you didn’t even bother to take note of that book I kept reading back in our dorm room. If you had paid the slightest bit of attention, you would have known it was The Art of War. Among other things, it says, ‘All war is based on deception.’ You’d have read that, too, if you would have shown an interest in it.”

  “So, you pretended to be an admin? What does that accomplish?”

  “Well, for one, it puts me in touch with everyone’s employee files, Jane Doe. I won’t bother laying out what having unfettered access to police data files did for me, let’s just save lots of time and say it was very good for business.”

  “But now you’ve lost that access.”

  “Says who? I don’t have to pretend to be a peon with a badge, if that’s what you mean, but I don’t have to leave my office to get the dirt I want, now that everything is in place on the back end.”

  “They’ll find it. Whatever you’re doing to hack in, they’ll find it.”

  “Pfft. Please. I’m so sure they won’t that I could run ads for a month on InTelNet saying I’m wired into the police servers and nobody would have the first clue where to look.”

  Diane picked at her dessert and sulked.

  Sapphire rose from her seat and set gift bags on a table under the television monitor. “Oh, you poor baby. This will cheer you up. Have a seat over here.”

  Diane grudgingly plopped down on the leather couch across from the monitor and folded her arms. She very much doubted Sapphire had anything of value to give her. That is, nothing she would keep. Whatever it was would be tossed straight into the garbage when she got back home, she thought darkly.