Lunatic City

by T. Allen Diaz

  The man brought me one. I ordered some algae paste pulling duty as sausage and fried potatoes. It was hours before shift change at ManaTech.

  I wanted a change of clothes. I was gonna stand out among the computer programmers and engineers, but I didn’t dare leave. They started filing out right at four. I left a twenty note for a nine bill meal. It was the least Katsaros could do for this working stiff.

  I moved among the geeks and started chatting them up as they walked down the street. “Hey, fellas,” I said to two of them. “You work at ManaTech?”

  Their demeanor wasn’t welcoming.

  “Yeah,” said one of the nerds. He was tall with blondish hair.

  “I’m looking for someone who used to know this guy, Keith Moss.”

  “You’re Keith Moss’ friend?” said the other.

  I smiled and thought about Jessica Kingsley calling Moss a jerk. “Keith Moss was a fucking asshole. He died owing a friend of mine a lot of money.”

  The two shared a look. “What kind of money?”

  Got ’em!

  “Well,” I said, “I guess that depends on who’s asking. Enough to pay for a little information.”

  They shared another look. “Okay.”

  “I’m looking for a guy who Keith might have left his money with. I don’t know his name, but I know what he looks like: bronze fella, pretty blond hair, looks like he might have been cut out of one of these Moon rocks.”

  The first nerd opened his mouth. He even made a sound, but the second one put a hand on his arm. “You said something about money.”

  I pulled out a pair of fifty bill notes. “One for each of you.”

  “I think you’re gonna have to do better than that, Mr.—?”

  “I’m doing the paying not the talking,” I said. “Don’t outsmart yourself, here, junior. There’s dozens of other nerds just like you. Someone’ll likely give me what I want for twenty bills, total. I’m trying to speed things along by giving you a sporting offer, but don’t mistake that for desperation.”

  I could see he wanted to keep the negotiations going. I could also see he wouldn’t. “Ok. Fifty a piece.”

  They reached out. I pulled the bills back.

  “Answers?”

  “Yeah,” said the first one. “You’re talking about Tommy Henson.”

  I pulled out the grainy pic. “This him?”

  The men both nodded.

  The first one said, “He’s a project manager.”

  “Like Jessica Kingsley,” I said.

  They both gaped.

  “We’ve met,” I said. “So, what can you tell me about him?”

  “Tommy?” said the first nerd.

  I nodded my head.

  “Well, for starters,” said the second nerd, “Tommy Henson isn’t gonna have anything from Keith Moss.”

  “You saying they didn’t like each other?”

  “You said yourself: Keith was an asshole. Tommy. Tommy’s a—”

  “They hated each other,” said the first nerd.

  “So,” I said. “What was their deal?”

  “I’m not sure,” said the first nerd. “No one really cared for Keith. Too Lower City. Ya know?”

  “No offense,” said the second nerd, glaring at the first one.

  “None taken,” I said. “So how exactly was Keith too Lower City?”

  “He was always bragging about what a badass he was,” said the first nerd.

  “Yeah,” said the second nerd. He chuckled. “Some badass.”

  “Do you think Tommy killed Keith?”

  The two men broke out into laughter.

  “No way,” said the first nerd.

  “Yeah,” said the second. “Keith might not have been bad enough to keep himself alive on the street, but he was more than a match for poor Tommy.”

  “Yeah,” said the first nerd. “His face is probably still messed up.”

  I remembered the bruises from the picture. “Keith gave Tommy that black eye?”

  “Uh-huh,” said the first nerd. “Almost got him fired.”

  “Jessica saved his job,” said the second nerd.

  “How’d Tommy feel about that?”

  “The two of them had a screaming match in her office,” said the second nerd.

  I nodded. “Tommy and Jessica?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You know about what?”

  The two men shared a glance.

  “I’m paying you fellas fifty bills a piece. I’m not gonna have to take that out of you another way, am I?”

  They looked me over and must’ve thought me more intimidating than Keith Moss. “There was a rumor.”

  I waited.

  “That Tommy and Keith were fighting over a girl.”

  The revelation put a lot into focus. “This girl, she got a name?”

  “It wasn’t an office romance, if that’s what you mean,” said the first nerd.

  “Yeah,” said the second. “Supposed to be some girlfriend from The Lower City.”

  I nodded. “So, where can I find Tommy-boy these days?”

  The two men shook their heads.

  “Tommy’s been out of work for the last two weeks,” said the first nerd. “Some kind of family emergency.”

  I’ll bet. “Do you know where he lives, or how to find him?”

  “Nope,” said the first nerd. “The office should be able to help.”

  “Well,” I said, “let’s assume that I have to use more unofficial channels. Who would I talk to?”

  “BB’s his ex. She could tell you.”

  “BB?”

  “Barbara Bennett. She’s another project manager. She gets off at six, like the others.”

  I looked at my watch: it was closing on four-thirty. “Ok, what does she look like?”

  “Short, brown hair, kinda frumpy.”

  “Nothing remarkable, really,” said the second nerd. He said it as if he and his partner were contenders for Mr. Universe.

  “You remember what she was wearing?”

  Both men struggled to remember. If she’d been two meters tall with legs to her neck, they wouldn’t have had to think so hard.

  “Something blue, I think,” said the first nerd.

  “No,” said the second nerd. “She was wearing a gray shirt and black pants.”

  Awesome. “Thanks.”

  *******

  I didn’t go back to the café. I walked around the blocks a few dozen times. Six o’clock took forever to arrive. When it did, BB didn’t. Six-fifteen turned into six-thirty, six-thirty into six forty-two. I thought for several horrified seconds that she might have a car and had flown off the roof of the building while I was standing down here in all the foot traffic.

  That’s when a group stepped into the lobby. Jessica Kingsley was among them. A pear-shaped woman wearing a brown sweater over an olive blouse and black pants was with them. She was short and frumpy-looking. Brown and green over black. Close enough. And she had brown hair which she’d put in a tight bun. I tried to hang in the doorway of the office building across the street. They were all chatting and laughing. That was good: I always like cold calling on people when they’re happy. It bodes well for my chances.

  The group broke up. BB made for the exit opposite where I was standing. Jessica Kingsley was coming right at me. I tried to watch BB to see which way she was going. She turned to my right. Jessica stepped out onto the street, looked around turned to her right, my left.

  I hugged my side of the street and moved to pick BB up on the far side of the ManaTech building. Foot traffic was high, so it was a tough thing to do, especially when your target was short, wearing dull clothes and had “nothing remarkable” about her. I muttered and wondered how come I never had to trail a two-and-a-half meter giant with o
range-red hair wearing a hot pink tuxedo.

  I almost ran her over. She was walking a slow pace from my left to right. I released my tension and kept the same slow pace. She moved to the nearest rail station and climbed to the platform. This would be my chance.

  I cozied up next to her and smiled.

  She smiled back.

  “Miss Bennett?”

  Her smile fell, and her face became wary. “Yes?”

  “I’m sorry to trouble you, ma’am, but I’m investigating the—”

  “You’re that phony cop Jess was talking about!” she said. “Get away from me!”

  She turned and started to walk away.

  I wasn’t gonna get too many chances to work this angle. It was now or never. I took off after her. “I was told that you used to date Tommy Henson!”

  “I said, ‘leave me alone’.”

  She’d actually said, ‘Get away from me’ but I didn’t see fit to argue.

  “Ma’am,” I said. “I’m trying to help!”

  “Help! Help!” she said to the crowd. “Please, somebody!”

  I looked over the crowd and saw a lot of stern faces, some worried, but none moved. There were no heroes in this bunch, at least not yet.

  “Lady!”

  “Help me!”

  The train was coming. Its brakes squealed, and it whooshed into place, helping to drown out BB’s cries. I couldn’t follow her onto that train with her like this. There’d be no escape for me if things went south.

  I had to take a chance. I caught her, grabbed her by the wrist and turned her to face me.

  “Do you care about Tommy? Do you? Because I think he’s playing a game that’ll get him killed. Him, and a girl I’m trying to help! If you don’t help me, I don’t know how I’ll find them!”

  I watched the fear leave her eyes. She started to study me. Those nerds were wrong: Barbara Bennett might not be the most physically beautiful woman on the floor, but she was remarkable.

  People around us were climbing onto the train.

  I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Is there a problem here, ma’am?” The familiar squawk of a police radio played in the background. I turned. It was a TA police officer. Fantastic!

  I looked down at BB. She was still studying me.

  “Hi, officer,” I said. “I was just trying to have a conversation with the nice lady.”

  “Maybe she doesn’t want talk to you, Mr.—?”

  I flashed his pReC.

  He read my file. “Detective Parker.”

  I could see her head shift just a little at the title.

  “Yeah,” I told him. “I’m trying to help find a missing pers—”

  “Says here you’re suspended pending an investigation into—”

  “I know,” I said. “This is a private investigation.”

  “I hope you don’t have any weapons on you.”

  I held my hands out to my side and let him pass the wand over me. Jupiter was safe in the train station locker in The Lower City.

  The cop frowned and looked at BB. “Is he bothering you, Miss?”

  She looked at him for several long seconds and then at me for several more. Her eyes moved back to him. “No officer,” she said. “It was a misunderstanding. We’re fine.”

  He looked at me as if she’d just ruined his day. “You’d better watch who you harass, Mr. Parker. I’d hate to have to detain a fellow officer.”

  Sure you would, pal. “Thanks, officer. It would be a real shame to have you try.”

  He bared his teeth. “You have a nice day.” He turned to BB and nodded. “Miss.”

  I waited until he was well out of earshot. “Thank you.”

  “Save your thanks,” she said. “I’m still not sure this isn’t a mistake, but I can’t have anything happen to Tommy, even if he is a big jerk.”

  “How ’bout I buy you dinner. Someplace very ritzy, someplace very public and someplace that would throw me out on my ear if I dared give you a hard time.”

  “You have a place in mind?”

  I shook my head. “I thought I’d give you that option. That way it’s your home turf.”

  She nodded. “Ok, what’s our budget?”

  I thought of Katsaros and smiled. “The sky’s the limit.”

  She smiled back. “Then I have just the place.”

  *******

  The Terra Suite Hotel was owned by Louie Miller, one of Katsaros’ chief competitors and bitter rivals. It would have galled Katsaros to know he was paying top bill at this place. I couldn’t have chosen better.

  The restaurant was one of the most chic in the city. It was suspended between the two towers of the Terra Suite. The impressive round chamber was all glass, right down to the floor. The rumor was the whole place was cleaned and polished every day. I’d heard about their prices and didn’t doubt it for a minute.

  I walked out onto the restaurant floor and felt disoriented. It was a hundred-plus meter drop to the street below. The visual effect of walking on thin air was not for everyone, and quite a few patrons had to dine in the more traditional venue tucked in one of the massive towers on either side.

  I glanced down and realized I’d have to keep my eyes forward. I couldn’t let this woman see me stress over the empty space below me. The waiter brought us some wine. We ordered an outrageous meal, and he left us.

  It was quite the crowd. This place was a long way from Fernando’s. The wait staff almost outnumbered the patrons. It was quiet and carried itself with a snobby, conceited sophistication that made me feel puny and unwelcome. I resented the whole damned restaurant, and it was taking some of the allure out of spending Katsaros’ money.

  “I’ve never been to a place like this,” she said.

  “This isn’t the kind of place you eat on a cop’s salary.”

  She studied me. “How come you’re getting fired?”

  I wanted to tell her that it was none of her damned business, but she’d be likely to tell me the same thing when it came to my questions. “I was investigating something off the record.”

  “Personal vendetta?”

  “You might say that.” I looked into her face. “It was my partner’s murder.”

  Her face softened a little. The accusation left her voice. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  I nodded. “How could you know?”

  “So, what’s the urgency with Tommy?”

  “I think he’s trying to help someone, someone who’s in a lot of trouble.”

  “The someone is this girl you’re looking for?”

  I nodded.

  “She’s a prostitute?” She smiled at my surprise. “Tommy and I were together for eighteen months. He’s a real knight-in-shining-armor. He wanted to be a cop, a cyber-guy, you know, catch all the bad guys on the net.”

  “What happened?”

  “The real world. Justice isn’t the same for all. He couldn’t deal with that.”

  I gave a sour smile.

  “Anyway, he gave up a life of chasing bad guys on the net and came to work at ManaTech.”

  “And that’s where you met him?”

  The waiter brought our appetizers.

  “Yeah,” she said. “He has a real gift for computers. It’s like code is his native language. I’ve never seen anyone like him.”

  “So, how’d you know this girl’s a prostitute?”

  “I thought you were a detective. Who the hell do you think he was chasing on the net? Tax evaders? He was a real crusader for sex crimes.”

  “Someone close to him a victim?”

  She glared. “Is that how it always has to be?”

  I shrugged. “That’s usually how it works.”

  “Well, nothing about Tommy is usual. That’s just how he is. Get involved. Do something. Make a difference. I think that’s wh
y he took on the blog.”

  “Blog?”

  It wasn’t often people made me feel stupid when they looked at me. “The blog. His blog. The Lunar Crusader! He wrote on it religiously until two months ago.”

  “When Keith Moss came to town.”

  Her smile was bitter. “Yeah, Keith. Tommy hated him.”

  “I heard. Do you know why?”

  “You tell me, detective. Why do you think?”

  I thought about what the two nerds had told me earlier: about how he bragged what a badass he was and that he and Tommy had been fighting over a girl. I leaned forward and rubbed my head. Keith Moss wasn’t Lenny’s boyfriend: he was her fucking pimp! He was a talent scout for The Lunatics, a miniature version of Mikey E-Rod Taylor. The Lunatic file calling him a boyfriend was code!

  Intel had indicated that the Lunatics encourage some of their peripheral members to seek a life in The Upper City. It was how they maintained a presence north of The Street. The measure was believed to be an adjustment to Ramirez’s gang incentive and was good for business. It had had mixed results and many of their Upper City plants were sniffed out. You could take the boy out of the hood, but not the hood out of the boy. “Because Keith hurt Tommy’s sexual predator sensibilities.”

  “Maybe you are a detective, after all,” BB said. “Keith was trying to win favor with some of his superiors by saying that he could set up a ‘real party’. He told ’em he could bring girls and boys, said he had a lot of friends that would make it happen.”

  “That’s why they went berserk on him!”

  She looked at me with a puzzled expression.

  “This bad blood between Tommy and Keith, did Tommy write about it on his blog?”

  BB looked out the window. “I don’t read his blog, detective.”

  I could understand that. “Well, that’s what the fight was over. Right?”

  The food arrived. Our appetizers were untouched. I hadn’t even noticed the salads.

  BB took a bite. It looked like real steak. The smells excited my stomach.