13 Degrees of Separation

by Hechtl, Chris

  It could be mob related he thought, maybe things were getting tense. Someone, a rival pimp or mob group muscling into someone else's turf. They could off the competition at the source, dress it like a nut job and then muscle their own people in. Yeah, it could be that. He'd know for sure it was if there was a pickup of drive by shootings and mob hits in the next week or so. Until then he'd focus on his own theory.

  The back of his neck itched, a sure sign he was being followed. He avoided the urge to look over his shoulder, and he didn't give in to pretending to stop to tie his shoe lace either. Both were a dead giveaway he knew he was being followed.

  No, instead he turned and oriented on an alley. A vehicle slowed and then stopped.

  Nohar however had outsmarted himself, it goes to show that you really should know your terrain in such situations. A 5 meter brick wall put a stop to any attempt at cutting through the alley to any escape on the other street. Oh he could scale it, but with people watching from the windows in the apartment up above, and the sounds of kids playing on the other side of the wall, it all made him think twice. He turned as the air car pulled up to the curb behind him.

  “Let's talk Tigger,” a human voice said from the car. “Just talk,” he said.

  “That damn cat called you didn't she?” he snarled. She was the only one who could have done so.

  “Yup.”

  “I'll have her guts for garters,” Nohar growled.

  “Nope,” the driver said climbing out of his car to stand in front of it. Nohar noted the holster under the open shirt and dampened his rage. A cop maybe, he thought. He wasn't sure. Driving a sporty passion red aircar though? The thing was well taken care of, it had been painted and clear coated. It was centuries old, but still flying. It said something about the tech from his time and the present day's tech.

  This yahoo was a human, one with black hair, a mustache, one who wore dark sunglasses, white shorts, and of all things, loud Hawaiian shirts. A red shirt to match the red car.

  Nohar held up his badge. “Bug off, I'm not taking autographs,” he growled.

  “What a coincidence,” Magnum replied affably, showing his own brass badge and ID. “I've got one too,” he said as Nohar swore silently. “It's a small town,” the human said, arms crossed in front of the red air car.

  Nohar crossed his own arms, eyes narrowed. He tried to keep it light, he knew there were plenty of witnesses. “You mean not big enough for the two of us?” Nohar asked, amused.

  “Well, now that you mention it...”

  “Relax pink skin, I'm just here on assignment. As soon as its' over I'm back north. I don't like it this hot anyway,” Nohar replied.

  “Great, so, um, what brings you to town anyway?” Magnum asked.

  Nohar eyed him with a scowl. Magnum scowled back. “As if I'd tell you,” the tiger finally ground out.

  “Well, can't say I tried. Need a lift?” Magnum asked, making a show of getting into the car. Nohar knew better than to say yes. Besides, the bastard would probably make a crack about too bad and take off.

  “Pass, I'm on to, I mean I'm follow...” he stopped and sighed. “I'm good.”

  “Been in the business very long?” Magnum asked with fresh amusement.

  “Longer than you've been alive probably,” Nohar replied, turning, trying to keep a lock on the scent. It was fading into the background fast. He needed to get rid of the irritating human quick so he could lock onto it or he'd lose it for sure.

  “Really, didn't think... oh wait!” Magnum looked at the artificial arm. “Yeah that's right, you're a sleeper!” he pretended to slap his head. “Gee, some detective I am huh?”

  “Very funny,” Nohar drawled. “Can you move along or something?”

  “Sure,” Magnum replied, revving the turbine engines of the red car. It floated, drifting a bit in the wind on its repulser fields. From the look of the thing it had a canted read repulser to give it some more oomph in the movement department. Sexy, but not very bright in town where you had to make turns. He didn't know why the damn human used it. Air cars were a pain in the ass this low to the ground. He probably had it to show off, a chick magnet. Yeah, that might be it, Nohar thought.

  “You do know air cars aren't supposed to be used in town right?” Nohar asked.

  “Yeah well,” Magnum adjusted his sunglasses and then wiggled his mustache. “That's for you out of towners. I'm a local. See you Tigger,” he said. He popped the air car into gear and sped off. Nohar winced when he banked around a corner and heard a horn blare loudly right along the screeching of tires.

  “Yeah right,” the Neo tiger said shaking his massive head.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  He found the local crime scene after he got a hold of a paper. It wasn't hard to track down, once he had the cross streets he just walked down one until he found the yellow crime scene tape boxing the area off.

  It wasn't much, the area was in a crummier part of the city. Seedy, run down, whatever adjective someone liked to describe a slum. Way past its' prime and then some. The buildings were brick, red fire brick, simple roofs. 2 and 3 story buildings about 4 meters apart from each other along both sides of the concrete road. It was surprising to see a concrete road, he hadn't expected it. Tar he knew was out, tar didn't exist on this planet. But concrete? Someone had put some effort into this area for some reason.

  He took a long look at the crime scene from across the street, soaking it in. Narrow alley, a decrepit wood fence about 10 meters in cutting off that path, a pair of dirty dumpsters on either side. The dumpsters reeked even from here. That would cut off just about anyone's sense of smell.

  He looked around, trying to gauge the light level at night, when they said the attack happened. It would have been dark, little light in the alley. He went further along, checking. No, the buildings on either side had chain link or wrought iron fencing blocking off their alleyways. On his side of the street there was a long warehouse building, no help there. The back had a gate to a parking lot. There was no place to hide other than that alley, not for at least half a block. He crossed the street and headed back to the crime scene.

  “We gotta stop meeting like this,” Nohar sighed, noting the scent of the offensive cologne the other PI wore before he spotted him.

  “How'd you know it was me?” Magnum asked, and then looked down at his loud Hawaiian shirt. “Was it the shirt? Wait, don't Neo's have problems with color?” he asked.

  Nohar snorted. “Smell. You reek,” he said, pinching his nose and waving his right arm in front of his face. “And you aren't helping me you know, distracting me.”

  “Good.”

  “No, it's' bad. You are getting to be an annoying pest. I thought you had a job?” he asked.

  “I do,” Magnum said shrugging. “I think we're on the same case,” he said looking at the crime scene Nohar was staring at. There was police tape around it, but they both knew the cops had gotten what they wanted. What they were really after here was to see if someone would step over the tape. Only a few would do that, reporters, or criminals. Or someone who just didn't give a shit. He sighed as a woman yanked the tape down and then stormed through the area. She ducked under the other tape and kept going on her way as if without a care in the world.

  “Sucks,” Magnum sighed.

  “Yeah,” Nohar said and turned quickly to the human. “If that was my case. Which its' not.”

  “Right. And if it wasn't my case, which it isn't. Now that we've got that out of our systems,” Magnum replied with a half smile. “Maybe we can figure this out.”

  “Together you mean? Share the reward?” Nohar asked.

  “What reward?” Magnum asked with a laugh. “You and I both know the authorities aren't going to care about a loose Neo getting killed. Unless your client is offering one?” he asked suggestively.

  “Just stay out of my way human,” Nohar sighed. He went over to the tape and sniffed, pitching his head up to try to smell the area. He keyed his right eye to record, doing a s
low pan. It wouldn't help much, the camera didn't do a good job, but it would help jog his memory.

  “Getting anything with your animal senses?” Magnum asked from behind him. Nohar didn't turn, though his fur on the back of his neck itched to do so.

  “A headache from a certain pest,” he growled.

  “Sorry,” Magnum said, backing off. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned against a pole, crossing his ankles. “I'm still trying to get the report. From what my sources tell me, no witnesses, little if any forensics. No prints, no weapon.”

  “If you don't have the report how do you know all that?” Nohar asked.

  “I have my sources,” Magnum said with a diffident shrug. He took his glasses off and cleaned a lens with his shirt tail. “She said the detectives aren't pushing the issue though. That much figures,” he said.

  “She huh?” Nohar asked, turning back to the crime scene. He caught the human grimace slightly at the dig at his slip up. “Good to know,” Nohar rumbled. “I'm not sure...” he knelt, looking at it from a different angle. “Any idea on the height of the victim?”

  “One hundred ten centimeters, she was a vulpine. Arctic fox,” the human said.

  “I knew it was a Neo,” Nohar murmured. “What the hell was someone like her doing in a place like this though?” he asked softly. “This is no place for a long furred fox,” he grumbled.

  “People got to eat,” Magnum said. “After all, you're here right?”

  “Right,” Nohar murmured. He moved his head from left to right slowly. If he went any faster the video pan would be garbage. When he finished he hit pause and then moved to get a different angle. He had software on his computer back in his room that would put the two views together into a 3D image of the crime scene... if the damn camera worked. He tapped at his right temple when it went out for a moment.

  “Problems?” Magnum asked.

  “Aren't there always problems?” Nohar replied absently. “Blood splatter is on the right wall and dumpster. That means... crap, I don't know the injury profile,” he sighed.

  “Throat slit,” Magnum replied.

  Nohar turned enough to look over his shoulder. “You sure?”

  “Yeah, Right to left.”

  “Huh,” Nohar grunted. He looked at the blood spatter once more. “There is no void,” he murmured.

  “No what? Void?” Magnum asked, coming closer.

  “Void. There isn't a void. Which means the attacker killed her from behind,” Nohar said, moving to where the attacker had been. “Which means she was either running from her attacker or knew and trusted them to have them at her back.”

  “Like you trust me to have me at your back?” Magnum asked. Nohar snorted. “Yeah, I see what you are getting at. Had the attacker been in the front there would have been a void. A place where the blood would have hit him.”

  “Or her. No gender specifics here,” Nohar replied.

  “Female serial killers are rare,” Magnum riposted.

  Nohar turned in surprise. “You've done your homework,” he said.

  “I've walked the beat a few times,” Magnum replied. He noted a few people shooting them curious looks. “But unless you want to be talking to flat foots for a couple hours we better get out of here soon. We're attracting too much attention,” he said, jerking his head to the people giving them sidelong looks down the road.

  Nohar caught the look and looked at the witnesses. “And no one saw anything huh?” he asked sarcastically.

  “In broad daylight like it is now? Yes! In the dark?” Magnum asked, shrugging.

  “Right,” Nohar sighed. “I'll need to see this at night.”

  “Why?”

  “To see where the shadows lay. If the attacker came from here... did they know each other? Or was she taking a short cut and he ambushed her? Or did he chase her in here and catch up to her? Was this crime scene a place of opportunity? Or a planned kill zone?” he asked.

  “Good questions,” Magnum replied. “Hey, you are pretty good at this,” he said.

  “I try.”

  “Army Ranger huh,” Magnum asked as the tiger straightened.

  “501st. Want to make something of it?” Nohar asked coldly.

  “No, just curious. Under General Richmond?”

  “No, he had the 502nd. Wait how...”

  Magnum flashed a smile. “You aren't the only sleeper in town you know,” he said straightening. “Navy, tail end of the damn war actually,” he said sighing. “So I didn't get the same implants you did. I didn't get any actually, just my basic civy one,” he said, holding up his left hand.

  “Well, I'll be,” Nohar murmured, noting the gold circuitry embedded in the human's hand. Magnum snorted as he let his hand fall.

  “Come on, I'll buy you a beer and lunch. There is a place around the corner we can kick back at. Pick up some talk and get a feel for the area,” the human said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

  “What about your air car? Aren't you afraid someone will hot wire it?”

  “Jack it you mean? Not with it implant blocked. It's a rental,” Magnum replied with a shrug. “And there isn't much of a market for air car parts. Besides, I parked it in a secure parking lot,” he said with another smile.

  “Fine,” Nohar sighed, rubbing the small of his back. “The steak better be rare,” he growled as they turned to walk to the restaurant.

  “Thought you Neo's liked it raw?” Magnum asked.

  “Never worked with Neo's before?” Nohar asked.

  Magnum shrugged. “Not many in the Navy, most ended up in the Marines or army. Running around in a skin suit usually drove a Neo nutty.”

  “True,” Nohar admitted. “And no, I don't like cold meat. Not even cold cuts. Warm. Slightly burnt is fine, but I got this thing about my teeth...” he pointed to his teeth.

  “Corona?” Magnum asked, looking at the titanium canine.

  “Yeah.”

  “Sucks.”

  Nohar sighed. “Yeah, you have no idea...”

  ...*...*...*...*...

  Outside the restaurant Nohar stopped, smelling blood. “What?” Magnum asked. Nohar closed his good eye and head high sniffed.

  “Like being with a blood hound,” Magnum grumbled.

  “Shut it, let me concentrate here,” Nohar growled. He turned, orienting on the smell. It was close by. Vulpine blood, he was sure of it. He opened his eye and pointed. “That way,” he said, pointing to the alley behind the restaurant.

  “What's that way?”

  “Our crime scene, or at least the first point of contact. I'm getting the smell of fox blood.”

  “Crap,” Magnum breathed, following the tiger, hunching slightly. He was very much aware at how exposed they were. The tiger seemed more interested in the scent.

  “It's fresh,” Nohar growled.

  “How fresh?”

  “A day old or...” Nohar went to round the corner and then froze. Magnum went to go wide and Nohar put his left arm out blocking him. “Body,” Nohar growled.

  “Shit,” Magnum muttered. He looked under the Neo's arm to see a foot. A chewed off foot. “Spirit of space...” he breathed.

  “It's not an arctic fox's either,” Nohar observed. He could see the red and black fur on the remains. He crouched, noting the red pump the foot was strapped in. “More parts,” he said, indicating the gap under the trash bin. The caster wheels gave it some space underneath. Either someone had swept up the body under it...” he was tempted to put his hands on the ground and peek. He couldn't though, he'd contaminate the crime scene. “We need to call this in,” he said.

  “Damn it,” Magnum cussed.

  “You want to do it? You're the local,” Nohar said.

  “Tracy, it's Tracy,” Magnum said, hand going to his face. He took his glasses off to rub at his face and then turned.

  “Tracy? Friend? CI?” Nohar asked, indicating a Confidential Informant. “Or did her pimp hire you to find her?”

  “None of your damn business Ti
gger,” Magnum snarled. He walked to the end of the block and oriented on the restaurant.

  “What are you doing?” Nohar asked.

  “They've got a phone,” Magnum called back.

  “I am so not hungry right now,” Nohar said, making sure to record everything carefully.

  “Me neither, something made me lose my appetite,” Magnum replied, yanking the door to the restaurant open. “Milo? Yeah, we need to use your phone man...”

  Chapter 4

  A good fifteen minutes later he heard a ground vehicle show up. He turned, aware that they hadn't gone all lights and siren. Either they were smart and didn't want to make a scene, or weren't taking the situation very seriously.

  Magnum showed them the body. The patrol officer gagged, turning away and rushed to his squad car to call in back up. After that things got interesting as dozens of cars pulled up, some marked, some unmarked.

  A few were vans, one had a Forensic symbol on the side. “Why not just put an ad out in the paper,” Nohar sighed, looking around. He ignored the keystone cops, he was more intent on the witnesses. If the killer was among them, then he would hopefully get a face in his recording.

  Nothing malevolent jumped out at him though, no one jumped up and down and screamed 'here I am!' he snorted at the very thought. Nor did anyone have a black cape and top hat on. No, but they could still be there, using their anonymity to watch. Many serial killers did it, they loved to gloat. And again, no sign of that expression either. No, that would make it too easy.

  He turned as Magnum continued to patently explain to one cop after another what had transpired. A pair of cops had pulled other people aside, each isolated so they wouldn't be able to share details or compare stories. It was a typical tactic, divide and conquer, allowing investigators to see who was telling the truth. Nohar knew it was his turn as soon as they were finished questioning any potential witnesses, the owners of the buildings, and other people. From the look on the restaurant owner's face, he wasn't at all happy about the police presence and the sudden notoriety and negative publicity this would bring down on him. “It's bad for business, is what it is,” Milo, a white Neo mutt kept saying over and over.