by Tom Andry
I responded, "Why, what do you mean Detective Rasher? I'm just trying to do my civic duty."
He pulled back, giving me a hard look, "It's Detective Mahoney."
"Ah, right." I smiled as he grabbed Shawn's arm and led him out. Shawn threw me a confused look as the door closed and Mahoney loudly announced to the crowd that they were on their way out to fix the city.
"Rasher?" Nissa asked me as we both took a seat in the two chairs facing the desk.
"It's what they call bacon in a couple of other countries," Officer Clark responded.
"Very good," I turned to him, "you're smarter than your average..."
"Pig?" he interrupted.
I shrugged, unwilling to feel any guilt for the popular slang for cops.
"Think I'm worried about the glory on one little case?" Clark crossed and took Mahoney's seat. "Mahoney's a relic. I think you know that. He could parade The Bulwark through there and he'd still come back to this desk." He kicked his feet up, "But me, I'm at the beginning of my career. I've got nowhere to go but up. And my uncle, he told me enough about you to know that you owing me one is in my best interest."
"Whoa, me owing you one? How you figure that, cop?" We were heading into a negotiation and we both knew it.
"That super? Don't get me wrong, he's going to be a great help, but you didn't walk in here with him without a reason. You need something. Something big."
"Not as big as you'd think."
"Yeah? Let me guess. Someone shaking you down?"
"Actually," I smiled pointedly at Officer Clark, "someone tried, but I sent them packing."
His eyes avoided mine for a moment, the reference not lost on him. Apparently he would have bet the farm on his first guess. "So it's something else. Protection?"
I shook my head.
"Um...got a body to hide?"
I laughed.
"Okay, I give."
"Just information."
"That's it?" he seemed genuinely surprised.
"If you have the information I need, we'll be square."
"And if I don't?"
"Well, either the super finds better things to do or you still owe."
He thought for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth as he considered the possibilities. I glanced at Nissa. She was watching the exchange with eyes narrowed. She sat still as if she were afraid if she made a move, we'd attack her like dueling lions. Her eyes sought mine and locked. Her face was an unreadable mask. I'd made a good decision with this hire. Smart, observant, sexy, and capable of learning.
"I'm trying to figure the angle where I have a choice."
"I wouldn't be here if you did. Mahoney's right about one thing: that's not how I work." I shifted in my seat, "You heard about the explosion at TOP?"
"The Tippy Outreach Program office? Yeah. Late last night or early this morning, right?"
"You tell me."
"As far as I know, it was an accident. If that's what you're asking."
"That's not what I'm asking. You're still thinking like a cop. I don't care what you can prove or what the preliminary report shows. I care what you know. What you've heard. There must be someone out there with a clue. With an idea. I just want to know it was an accident. That there wasn't someone involved."
He stared at me for a long moment before responding, "Okay. Okay. I'll see what I can do." He stood and, after a moment, grabbed the phone. He dialed a three quick digits, apparently an internal call, and waited, "Sydney, yeah Ben here. Who d'you know downtown?" He paused for a moment listening, "Well, call everyone. I need some definitive answers on the TOP incident." Another pause, "Yeah, anything. Doesn't have to be firm." A third pause, "No, call here. Mahoney's office. Yeah, right away if you get anything. Just tell whoever answers what you got. I've got a few things to check out as well." Clark put the phone down slowly. "Sydney's the best. He's been around forever and everyone who is anyone knows him. He'll figure something out. I'll check a few of my own sources, but I don't have much faith. I'll see what I can do."
I nodded, "Sounds good. So I just answer the phone?"
"If I'm not back in time, yes. Be back in a few."
Clark walked out briskly, leaving me and Nissa alone. I turned to her.
"So, what did you get from that?"
"This about Liz?"
I nodded.
"You never told me how bad it is."
I sighed, "I honestly don't know. She's in the burn ward."
"Damn."
"Yeah."
"And they didn't tell you anything?"
"It was early."
"You want me to find a phone? Make a few calls? See what I can find out about her condition?"
I cocked my head, "You know, you're not still on the clock, right?"
She shrugged.
"Great. Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks."
She stood and leaned in, planting a kiss on my forehead. I tried, unsuccessfully, not to look down her shirt. I caught a glimpse of green and purple near her collarbone. Looked like scales. I was paying more attention to other things. She pulled back, smiling. "No problem, boss. This one's on the house."
After a moment, I was left alone. In a cop's office, surrounded by police, waiting on information that I was now sure would never come. It was a dead end. The upside was that I had made another "friend" in the police force. My other friend, Officer Kent, hadn't been available, but with two inside, I had a much better chance of having one of them around when I needed them.
I shook my head - enough of that. If this Raven guy had his way, all the favors in the world weren't going to help. I had to take matters into my own hands. I stood and grabbed the phone from Mahoney's desk, spinning it toward me. I dialed the twenty-three numbers that would get me a direct line to a certain super's communication device. Most low-level supers didn't know they could be dialed directly. The ones that did wouldn't give the number out to just about anyone. When I'd had access to Mind, I'd had them all. I had only committed one to memory. I'd never used it before today.
"Hello?"
"Gale? It's Bob."
She paused. The sound of wind and rain were overpowering, "Bob," she sounded stressed, "bit busy here."
"I know. But it's Liz."
"Liz? What happened?" Gale’s voice took on a new level of intensity. Gale and Liz were never close, per se, but given how Liz and I had grown up together, they knew each other. Since the divorce, they’d actually seemed to become closer. I wasn’t sure why. I grimaced, mad at myself for knowing so little about one of my closest friends.
"An explosion. I don't know how. That's why I'm calling."
"Bob, you know I'd help if I could, but I'm sort of busy. That floating island under the coliseum? It was held together by a super. When he died, the whole thing went down. Add to that the force of the explosion and you've got a tsunami of massive proportions. I'm trying to reduce it, but it is getting harder and harder as it gets further away. I'm not sure how much I can do. Did you ask Ted?"
"I thought of it, but Ted isn't exactly in the information business. Have you been in contact with anyone else?"
"No one that could help you. Not with this."
"Hey, was that the space station? Earlier?"
She paused again, "Yeah, we think so. Haven't heard from anyone that we know was on it and Mind is completely offline. I figure he hit there first, before the games."
"Damn."
"Yeah, Bob. Damn's a bit of an understatement. Listen, I'll keep my ears open, you know I will. Anything for Liz."
"Yeah, thanks." I hung up. No sooner had it hit the receiver than it rang anew.
"Hello?"
"Ben?"
I didn't recognize the scratchy voice on the other side, "No. I'm the 'whoever answers' Clark mentioned."
"Oh...okay. The only thing I could get is a shaky report of some people running out of the office just before the explosion."
"Shaky? How shaky?"
"Not enough to stand up in court, but reliable."
My stomach knotted, "Damn it!" I started pacing, the phone cord nearly pulling the phone off the desk. "Any leads on who?"
"That's just the thing, no one's talking. I've tried everyone."
"You sound confused."
"I am. You know these types...well maybe you don't, but I do. They'd sell out their own mother for a leg up. And I've got plenty to offer."
"And they still aren't talking?"
"Nope."
I scratched my chin, "So you're saying they're afraid."
"I'm not just saying it, it's true. They all but screamed and slammed down the phone when I started asking about it."
"Damn."
"Only place I can think of where you might get what you want is Inhumanitas."
"Inhumanitas?"
"Inhumanitas? I've heard of that place." It was Nissa. She'd returned, unnoticed, while I was one the phone.
"Yeah," the phone continued, "it's sort of an S&M club for supers and tippys. I thought everyone knew of that place? Run by this guy, Tay. They say he's a real nutjob. He claims to be a tippy, but they say he can't be killed. I've heard a ton of stories of attempts, but it never works. Sometimes those who try come back, most times not. We don't even bother looking for the bodies any more. But if anyone will talk, it's him. He's usually got his fingers in everything and hears about everything else. While he might not talk, he's not afraid of anything. So, whatever the rest are afraid of won't affect him. Might be your best bet."
I nodded, "Thanks."
"Sorry I couldn't do more, bub."
I replaced the phone and turned to Nissa, "So, what do you know about this Inhumanitas?"
"I know we're going to have to stop by my place first."
# # #
Chapter 11
"You never answered my question."
"You never answered mine."
The wind was whipping past us. It was a cool evening for the top to be down. It seemed to always cool down at night, but I didn't buy a convertible to put the top up every time the temperature dropped a few degrees. Maybe if it rained, but not just because of the cold. Plus, I was wearing a jacket. Nissa had grabbed my overcoat and draped it across her as we got moving. My hand was on the stick shift, hers on the emergency brake. She was massaging it absently as we spoke. I was having a hard time concentrating on the road.
"It was Gale. I was asking if she'd heard anything."
"How'd you get in touch with her? I called her all last night and got nowhere."
I shrugged, "I have my ways."
"And you're not going to tell me."
"No."
Not yet. I liked this girl, but it was early. So far, she knew the basics of the business, but that was about it. I had years of secrets to reveal. Khan had been there when I started hiding them, helped me really. Actually showing someone was totally different. I wanted to trust Nissa, but we'd only known each other for a few weeks.
"So what question didn't I answer?"
"What you learned."
Confusion marred her olive-complected face as she rummaged through her brain for the reference, "Oh, with you and Officer Cocky?"
"Really, cocky?"
"You didn't think so?"
"Now that you say it, maybe. But seemed to me he had a pretty good handle on the situation. Don't mistake confidence for cockiness."
She shrugged, "Whatever you say, boss. This is what I don't get - how'd you know you'd have him over a barrel?"
"You tell me."
She thought for a few blocks as I avoided another mob. We'd passed one a few minutes ago, the one that Flamer...Fireannach was mediating. They'd lit him up like a bonfire and half the crowd was cheering and the other half was running. I gave that name a twenty percent chance of sticking. I just hadn't wanted to say "Flamer" in front of a bunch of cops. It would have been a hard enough conversation without having to deal with a bunch of snickering.
"Well, you had no idea that cop would be there."
"I'd hoped."
"But you couldn't have known. So your plan had to be without him in the mix."
"Go on."
"So the point was that you had something they wanted."
"I did."
"But they didn't have to give you the information."
"Didn't they?"
"What do you mean?" she bit the end of her thumb. "Of course they didn't."
"Really?"
"Natch. They could have just taken O'Malley and told you to kiss off."
"Could they?"
"Will you stop that!" she kicked the dash with her high-top sneaker. "You tell me then."
"Remember, Nissa, the nature of man..." I tried not to steal another glance at her chest, "and here I'm talking about mankind, not just men. Mahoney, that fat asshole, wants control. More than anything. He wants his power back so he can control his job, his subordinates, his life. Did you see the awards on his wall?"
"Yeah?"
"No, you didn't really see. Otherwise you’d know he hadn't gotten one in years. But he has them plastered all over. Clark saw it. He knew. But he also knew that bringing in that super was important. And everyone knew that while Mahoney was out showboating, he was still in with the two who had brought the super in. He couldn't chance that I would take O'Malley away."
She wagged her finger as she spoke excitedly, "And it didn't matter that it was Clark! The cops are so desperate for supers, you could have asked for anything..."
"Did you hear what he offered me?"
"Yeah, protection and stuff."
"And don't think for a moment that he wasn't lowballing me. He was hoping to get off easy with protection. I'm not sure what he really would have done, but don't think the hiding a body offer was a joke."
"Serious?" her eyes were wide.
"As a heart attack. When he guessed protection, I knew I had him. Mahoney was right about one thing - I play the angles. I have to. And if you are going to stay in this business, you will too."
She paused, thinking. "What about Khan?"
My head snapped back as if I'd been slapped, "Khan?"
"Did he play angles?"
I exhaled a short, sad laugh, "No, he never did."
I stared ahead. Khan was probably the best person I'd ever known. If you had asked me who would get that honor forty-eight hours ago, I don't know if I would have said the same thing. But now, I knew he was. I sniffed in a short breath. Stupid wind was making my eyes water.
"Anyway," Nissa had her flattened hand out the window, gliding it on the rushing air, "we have to stop by my place so I can change. There is no way you're getting in that place alone."
I studied my assistant. Her mohawk was taking a beating by the wind but was holding its own. There were breaks in the ranks, but most of her soldiers were fighting the good fight. She was staring ahead at the road, biting the end of her thumb again.
"What do you mean?"
"I've never been there...but I think we can get in together."
"Are you sure?"
"Not really, Bob, but I have friends. They've been. Or tried. Most of them. From what I've heard, you have to buy your way in with either cash or looks."
"I've got cash."
"I've seen your safe, Bob; you ain't got enough."
I thought about it. What Nissa knew of my finances was minimal, but she did know the contents of my safe. There was probably only a couple grand in there. I had about ten times that hidden around the apartment that she didn't know about. And I wasn't ready for her to know yet.
"So...what, you're my ticket in?"
"I'm thinking together. A tippy and a super? Seems like it should work."
"Super? Now you're the one not making sense."
She turned to me and smiled coyly, "Don't worry, I got the perfect outfit for this."
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.
"What did your friends tell you about the place?"
"Follow the rules."
"That helps."
"I swear; that's all they say
."
"I can't believe I haven't heard of this place."
"Honestly, Bob, I can't either. I thought you knew everything. I gotta say, I'm a bit disappointed."
I scowled at the comment. Nissa responded with a wry smile.
She nodded, "It's right up here on the left."
I glanced left to a large, older, multi-story apartment complex. The walls weren't exactly crumbling, but it didn't look like it would be too many years until they started doing so.
"Don't I pay you better than this?"
"Hey, I just started," she protested. "Just park on the street. There won’t be any cops around to ticket."
"No doubt."
I did as instructed and pulled up just to the right of the front door. It was a legal spot, but I was supposed to have a tag of some sort. If I parked right in front, I'd be begging for a ticket or a tow. In a legal spot they'd have to stop and check. No way they were doing that with everything that was going on.
Nissa lived on the twenty-eighth floor though the elevator only went to the twentieth. Nissa climbed the stairs easily with the vigor of youth, or just of practice. I tried to keep my huffing to a minimum.
"Elevator broke night before last. Supposed to be fixed, but doesn't look like they got around to it."
So much for practice.
"You coming, Bob?"
"Yeah," I huffed, "right behind you."
The interior of the building was no more impressive than the exterior. Not a single corner seemed to have intact tiling or paint, and much of the molding featured chips and more flaking paint. There was style here, no doubt, but it was an old, neglected style. I felt sorry for the building. Like one of those kids you see on TV with a fly crawling on their eye. All the place needed was a little love and an ass load of paint and spackle and it'd be good as new.
"Place was state of the art back in the day. Or that's what the landlord says. Pretty cool layouts of the units. I've been here since college. Rent is controlled, so it doesn't pay to move." She stopped, realizing I wasn't behind her, "Bob?"