‘You said–’
‘I lied. Again. Now. Again, pet. Now!’
Fox let out a cry that was somewhere between anguish and ecstasy, and her mind flared into another cosmic explosion of white-hot pleasure…
Naomi had pulled her into her arms and was spooned against her back when Fox came down again. It felt… good. ‘Now we can sleep,’ Naomi said, but Fox lay there until she heard Naomi’s breathing even out before initiating her upload to the server.
~~~
Sunday morning and the news channels were off to a slow start. They had picked up on the death of Barry Ashburton, and some were linking it to Winsford’s murder through the vote-broker angle, but none had suggested it was the same killer. Yet. It would come. Mostly, the ‘news’ consisted of political and social opinion pieces, and a healthy dose of gossip.
‘Huh,’ Fox said, ‘according to IB-two-sixty-nine, Nishi and Charlie are breaking up.’ The music star and the acerbic chat-show host had got married in September. Fox and Kit had been at the wedding, along with Helen, and Yuriko Fukui had flown in from Japan for it. Despite the media circus around the event, it had been a fairly quiet affair. Everyone had avoided mentioning Jason or any other recent events anywhere near Fox.
‘Which just goes to show that you shouldn’t trust anything they say,’ Kit replied. ‘Last time I visited Misaki, we were giggling over their renewed love life. Or sex life. They’ve been together for some time now and the… urgency was less than during their early affair. Marriage seems to have given them permission to go wild again. Which I think is rather sweet.’
‘They’re a cute couple. And that’s not something I ever expected to say about a couple with Charlie Iberson in it. Anyway, I don’t believe anything IB-two-sixty-nine says, even when I don’t have a fact checker.’
‘That’s a good–’
Belle appeared in the viron, cutting off further discussion. ‘Fox, I have Representative Toliver J. Whitton requesting to see you.’
‘To see me? He’s outside?’
‘Yes, with two bodyguards. And the request was phrased more in the form of a demand.’
‘It’s eight thirty-five on Sunday morning and he– Never mind. Let him in. Tell him he can have one bodyguard. I’ll meet him downstairs as soon as I’m ready.’
‘Of course, Fox.’
‘Keep an eye on this, Kit,’ Fox added before initiating the download to her cyberframe.
~~~
Kit was already displaying the data Palladium had collected on Whitton as Fox walked down the stairs into the hall. Ex-Army, doing two years of active service as a second lieutenant before switching to reserve status. He had never been in an active conflict zone, but that was not entirely uncommon. He was fifty-six and had been the representative for New York Metro for the past six years having worked his way up through the ranks of the national administration. He had been strongly in favour of private policing, and had endorsed the Wayden bid for his metro region. A note added by Dia Barrera, MarTech’s chief political analyst, indicated that Whitton was a career politician without the charisma for politics and actively hostile to Palladium.
Fox could believe it. Whitton was a physically big man. Not tall, but large, bulky. He was, Fox guessed, a good twenty pounds over his recommended weight and that was focused around his middle, but there were still signs of the muscle enhancements the Army had put in, mostly in the tightness of his jacket sleeves over his biceps. He managed to look as though his face was too small for his head, though he tried to hide that with a less-than-conservative, costly haircut with a low fringe and sideburns. His nose was thin and a little on the long side, his grey eyes and his mouth were smaller than you might expect, and he barely had a chin. And he had both his bodyguards with him; two ex-military bruisers in suits which did not hide their muscles or their pistols.
‘Representative Whitton,’ Fox said from halfway down the staircase, ‘what can I do for you?’ The position put her well above him, forcing him to look up. Annoyed at him turning up at all, never mind at such a ridiculous time, she had selected a slightly more opaque bodysuit, black jeans, and the running shoes she had decided she liked for work. No jacket.
‘Miss Meridian,’ Whitton said. ‘I am here to put my concerns regarding the Winsford and Ashburton murders to you.’
‘Really.’ Fox continued down the stairs, waving casually for him to follow her into the lounge. ‘At eight thirty on a Sunday morning with two armed bodyguards.’
‘It’s–’
‘When I specifically requested that you bring only one into the house.’ Fox crossed to the fireplace and turned, looking back at the representative with a blank expression. On the other hand, she knew that the two gorillas had seen the pistol attached to the back of her belt…
Whitton apparently decided that ignoring the comment about the guards was the correct way to proceed. He sat down on one of the sofas without being invited. ‘It’s about–’
‘And it’s Captain Meridian, if we’re on business.’
He was going to ignore that too, but he was getting annoyed at the interruptions. ‘I’m here to ask what you’ve done about these murders and the assassination of the reputation of a revered politician.’
‘Okay… And what makes you think you can do that, Representative? There’s an established line of communication from your office to Palladium. It’s laid down in the legislation. You communicate with the NAPA judiciary, expressing any concerns you may have or requesting information. The oversight group within NAPA will then go through the standard liaison to express those concerns or gather that information. You know this and you know the reasons for the existence of the protocol.’
‘I always had a good relationship with Don Hovering. I went to him when there were concerns, so–’
‘Donald Hovering was, and is, the director of NAPA. If you’d like to talk to him about this, be my guest. But that was one branch of government talking to another. This is a government official talking directly to a contract holder concerning individual cases and it’s not allowed under the new regulations.’
Whitton got to his feet, because he was at more of a disadvantage sitting down, or he thought so. ‘I have legitimate concerns regarding your handling of these clear cases of terrorism. You’re sleeping with the prime suspect, woman!’
Fox’s eyes narrowed. ‘First of all, there is no indication of terrorism here.’
‘Of course there is! NIX will–’
‘NIX agrees with me. Despite a slightly shaky start, we are following protocol. Both Winsford and Ashburton were killed for personal reasons. I wonder what makes you think that’s not the case? However, second point, which “prime suspect” am I sleeping with?’
‘You deny it? The whore you’ve–’
‘Okay, in the spirit of cooperation, I’m telling you now that the house AI is under orders to record all meetings I have in this house, and I’ll be packaging this whole thing up and sending it to NAPA Judicial for assessment regarding a possible obstruction of justice charge. Just to be clear, Representative, Naomi Lind is not a suspect, she has a solid alibi for the Ashburton murder and has been forensically cleared of Winsford’s, and her approval rating with the citizens of this metro is thirty-two points higher than yours. While she would probably be perfectly happy with being described as a whore, I think you’ll find that insulting her on record will probably see you out of office in short order.’
‘I’d like to see you try,’ Whitton said, his own eyes narrowing.
‘Since you asked nicely… Now, I suggest you leave and put your concerns through via the correct channels, and we’ll see what happens then, shall we? I’m guessing that you’ll get a rebuke from the judiciary for attempting to bypass them, but you never know.’
Whitton, it seemed, was not going to give up so easily. ‘Barry Winsford was a personal friend and I won’t see his name dragged through the mud like this.’
‘I know he was a friend of yours, Representative. My PA is v
ery thorough when it comes to compiling lists of known associates. None of the leaks of information have come from Palladium.’ Whitton opened his mouth, but Fox held up a hand to stop him. ‘If they had, his name would be being dragged through a lot worse than mud. You didn’t know him. I hope you didn’t. I won’t give details, but he was doing a lot worse than hiring a licensed prostitute once in a while. If we’d found out about his habits before he died, he’d be in Rikers by now. Go home, file your complaint, and tell whoever put you up to this to back off.’
‘No one “put me–”’
‘God! Give it up. Don’t you think you’ve insulted me enough today already? Get the fuck out of my house!’
~~~
‘Send that data to Dia,’ Fox said as she stepped through onto the hallway on her floor. ‘I think we’ll have to send a complaint through the judiciary to cover ourselves, but let’s see what the political viewpoint is first.’
‘Compressed, encrypted, and dispatched,’ Kit replied.
‘Great. And very efficient.’
‘Of course. Naomi is still asleep. Should I arrange some breakfast?’
Fox stopped at the bedroom door. ‘Let’s see what she wants. She may need to get back to the chapter house.’
‘As you wish,’ Kit said. Fox was sure there was a smirk in her voice.
Opening the bedroom door, Fox slipped in. It was dark: the room had no windows because Fox liked it dark when she slept, or had done when that mattered. Naomi was, however, quite visible as a heat source, partially muffled by the sheets. Fox took a step toward the bed and the heat source shifted.
‘Why’d you have to get up?’ The question was mumbled, dripping with drowsiness.
‘I got a visit from Toliver Whitton,’ Fox replied and raised the lights to ten percent, letting her see Naomi properly. It was worth doing: the sheets were now pushed down to Naomi’s waist and she looked like a blonde goddess waking from sleep driven by sexual exhaustion. She writhed against the bed, stretching languorously before turning to reveal magnificent breasts with thick, aroused nipples topping them.
‘You’re dressed,’ Naomi said. An accusation.
‘Well, yes. I had a visit from Toliver Whitton.’
‘Horrible man. Personally and because he made you dress.’
‘Someone pushed him into it. Someone who knew we’d spent the night together.’
Naomi rubbed sleepy eyes and frowned. ‘I haven’t caused you problems, have I?’
‘No. Actually, that ties a few things together I wasn’t sure about. Do you want some breakfast? I wasn’t sure when you needed to be back…’
The frown became a half-smile. ‘Want rid of me?’
‘No. There’s not much I can do on the case until Monday, but isn’t Sunday supposed to be important when you’re a nun?’
‘The Sisters of Corruption are hardly traditional nuns, Fox. We make allowances for our work and… other situations. Besides, I heard you beseeching God and Jesus Christ enough for both of us last night.’
Fox raised an eyebrow. ‘Really? Blasphemy jokes? On a Sunday, too. I wouldn’t want to be you at your next confession.’
‘We don’t do the confessional. We’re not affiliated with New Rome. Anyway, yes, I’d like some breakfast. Something light if that could be arranged. And I’m going to take advantage of your shower.’ Naomi slipped from under the sheets and started for the bathroom door. ‘You will join me.’ There was that little edge of command in her voice again. Fox could hear it and knew her own voice had the same quality when she needed it.
And Fox knew she was not going to disobey. ‘I’ll be right there,’ she said and sat down to take off her shoes.
~~~
Sam’s reaction to Naomi coming down for lunch was fairly subtle. He waited for Fox’s back to be turned, pointed at Naomi, pointed at Fox, and raised an eyebrow. Naomi gave him a smile and a nod, and a few seconds later, Fox asked what he was grinning at.
Marie was less subtle, but she waited until the food was on the table, though Fox was not eating, and everyone had a glass of wine. ‘So, you two were at it like a barn door in a hurricane last night?’ Sam almost choked on a slice of ham.
‘Oh yes,’ Kit said. Her gynoid frame was back from tower three, and also not eating. ‘Those were some interesting memories to sync, I can tell you.’
‘Naomi always was a very skilled lover,’ Sam commented after a drink of wine. ‘Exceptionally flexible.’
‘Fox has me beaten on that front,’ Naomi said. ‘With some training, she could be better than me, I think.’
‘It’s always good to know you’ve a profession to fall back on,’ Marie said.
‘Thanks,’ Fox said, ‘but I think I’ll stick with finding murderers.’ She narrowed her eyes at Marie. ‘You are so trying to work out how you can get a foursome going.’
‘I am not!’ Flushed cheeks. Widened eyes. Short pause. ‘I didn’t want to leave Kit out this time.’
Sam had to take another drink from his wine glass. ‘Me and the four of you? Are you trying to kill me, my love?’
‘No. Of course not. But speaking of inheriting the house when you die of exhaustion, I think we should do the thing with me moving in here and Kit taking the basement. Uh, with the “if Sam’s working, I can use the bed” clause. It makes sense. If Fox’s love life is picking up again, Kit should have somewhere of her own. And all my decoration is v-tagged so Belle can store my configuration and Kit can have her own, and we can swap if I’m down there and can’t stand Kit’s taste. In fact, Kit doesn’t sleep and she’s got Vali, so she doesn’t even really need the bedroom, so it works really well now I think about it.’
‘Breathe, love,’ Sam said.
Marie giggled. ‘You know I can’t when you call me that.’
Kit pursed her lips thoughtfully for a second. ‘You’re quite sure, Marie?’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘And you are sure, Sam?’
Sam nodded. ‘I don’t think she’s slept in her own bed more than twice in the last three or four months. We would just be formalising the reality of our relationship.’
‘Then it’s a deal. Belle and I will organise moving your things upstairs this week.’
~~~
Fox paused with her finger over the button which would take them to the Winsford/Ashburton murder room. ‘Are you sure about this?’ she asked.
‘I don’t think there’s anything in there which could disturb me, Fox,’ Naomi replied, ‘and I’d be interested to see how you work.’
‘Okay, but just remember this information is confidential.’
Naomi’s smile had an evil edge. ‘We’re sleeping together. All our exchanges are confidential.’
Fox pressed the button. ‘Doesn’t that only apply to clients?’
‘If it makes you feel better, you can pay me a dollar.’ The elevator doors opened and Naomi’s eyes widened. ‘Oh!’
There was nothing on display which was especially shocking, so the exclamation was not that. Fox walked out and scanned the huge connection tree which Kit had created. It was very impressive and probably looked amazing, but it was now so large as to be almost useless. Unless you knew where to look. Fox moved through the array of images, between the streams of light which formed the connections, to the ‘trunk’ of the tree where Winsford and Ashburton held pride of place along with Burrage, Neiman, and Sherman Wayden, and Deloit and Killian sat off to one side yet clearly part of the group.
Following, Naomi paused and reached out to touch one of the images. ‘You have a lot of information about me here.’
‘I like to do thorough work,’ Kit said, stepping out of the elevator. She flashed Naomi a grin. ‘Besides, you’re sleeping with my owner. I have to do a thorough background check.’
‘Of course.’
‘Anything new in, Kit?’ Fox asked.
‘We have the full forensic report on Mister Ashburton’s home.’
‘Uh-huh. Did he have a secret stash of bondage gear and dru
gs?’
‘Does a pair of handcuffs covered in pink fur count?’
‘No,’ Naomi said, ‘they don’t.’
‘In that case, no bondage equipment, but some drugs. He had a three-month stock of No Mistakes, which is not illegal of course, but they found a small supply of Party Juice and Aphrodite’s Kiss, and another bottle of the mysterious chemical found in Mister Winsford’s safe.’
‘Contraceptives and some… more consensual sex drugs,’ Fox said. ‘The labs haven’t identified that mystery one yet?’
‘There’s a note in the report indicating that they have passed the items on to BioTek for analysis.’
‘BioTek?’
‘Yes. The only thing they have managed to determine so far is that the bottles contain a nanodrug. BioTek are attempting to extract the coding and determine what it does.’
‘You found this in both men’s homes?’ Naomi asked.
‘Uh-huh,’ Fox replied. ‘A bottle like you’d use in a pressure syringe or something. No label and, so far, no idea what it does, but I don’t like the fact that it’s a nanodrug. You can do some very nasty things with nanodrugs.’
‘Like the Ghost Dolls?’
‘Probably not quite that drastic. You need a suspension tank and some medical supervision for that kind of gross body modification. What bothers me is that there aren’t that many places you can get nanodrugs from, so who’s supplying this one and what were these guys doing with it?’
‘I suspect we may know much more when BioTek figure out what it is,’ Kit replied. ‘All of the bottles we’ve found so far have been more or less full. The drug cannot have been used on many people.’
‘Let’s hope you’re right. Or this could be a lot worse than a couple of murders.’
~~~
‘All of the major channels are reporting it,’ Belle said as IB-62 played beside her. ‘It appears that the story originated on IB-two-six-nine late this afternoon and spread rapidly.’
‘Zak Zaff again?’ Fox asked.
‘Sleazeball,’ Marie commented.
‘Mister Zaff was the reporter,’ Belle said, ‘but I thought the preferred term was “maggot.”’
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