I stopped in the hallway. Put him on.
Lukas’ voice came out of my comm. “Major Bhaajan? My greetings.”
“Greetings, Del Quida. What did you find?”
“It’s a note from Mara.” He sounded better today. “She hid it on the house mesh. It’s a present she had for me, one set to surprise me on my birthday. That’s today. She got tickets for the two of us to vacation on Parthonia.” He inhaled audibly. “I’d been talking about how I missed being with her when she was working on the Metropoli deal. This was her response.”
From the sound of his voice I suspected he’d been struggling with the fear that she’d left him. This simple birthday note offered evidence that Mara Quida intended to continue her life as normal after the gala. People like that didn’t fake their deaths and frame their husbands for murder. It didn’t mean someone else hadn’t killed her, though.
“That could be useful evidence,” I said.
He spoke quietly. “I realize it doesn’t help find Mara. But perhaps it will convince Detective Talon to drop this idea that I murdered my wife.”
“Talon is still on that kick?” I’d had my fill of this blasted Scorpio detective. “I’ll talk to her. And make sure you have an outside EI copy and authenticate the message you found before you give it to her team.” I didn’t trust Talon as far as I could throw her. If the message didn’t fit her script, she might “accidentally” lose it. “My EI can do it for you, if you’d like.”
“I’ll send it to you.” He paused. “Whatever the truth, I can face it. But I need to know.”
“I’ll let you know as soon as I find anything.” I remembered losing a friend in my youth, when she died in a tunnel collapse. I’d agonized for days over her disappearance. It wasn’t until we found her body buried under debris that the vise grip of my denial finally released. Lukas needed closure, and so far I’d failed miserably in giving it to him. I had to find answers, and soon, before Talon’s zeal to implicate someone ended up getting him executed.
I stopped by the glass door of the VA, gazing at Commodore’s Plaza. Last time I’d left this building, I’d been about five meters out the exit when the knife hit me. I paused, trying to sense any nefarious types lurking about. Nothing.
This Kyle business doesn’t work, I thought to Max. The only “ability” I could manage was technology induced.
You should be at home, resting, Max thought.
I suppose. I have to get there without being followed.
I don’t detect your shadow.
You figure out who she is yet?
Not yet.
It shouldn’t be this hard. No one is completely off-grid.
Even I can’t break into every grid, and I’m one of the best there is at such investigations.
Healthy ego there, haven’t we?
Ego is not a property of Evolving Intelligences. I’m stating a verifiable fact.
All right. I sent him my amusement. Besides, he had a point. He was damn good at what he did. I don’t think she’s the one who knifed me. She’s not acting like a killer. More like a spy. Except she’s not that good at spying, either.
Why do you say that? She’s managed to keep her identity secret.
Yah, but she hasn’t hidden her presence from us. I pondered the thought. I doubt she works for the military. She’s probably a private contractor.
That gives me some ideas for how to expand my search for her identity.
Let me know if you find anything.
I will. He paused. Are you going outside?
I guess I should. I settled my pack with the jammer on my shoulders. Keep me shrouded.
Done. His thought lightened. You look like a college student with that pack. Or a hiker.
That’s my disguise. I stopped, hit with an idea. Max, turn off my shroud.
You aren’t planning to leave the building?
Sure I am. I want my shadow to see me.
It’s not safe.
After the attack yesterday, the city amped up its protection. I opened the door. Besides, it would be stupid for whoever knifed me to try something in the same place the next day.
I hope you’re right.
You and me both. I stepped outside and stood there while breezes rustled my hair. With my awareness so heightened, the city looked incredibly vivid, its colors vibrant. The air smelled good, too, with no irritants or haze, just the delicate scent of the desert-blooming lilies in pots around the plaza.
Max, toggle my combat mode.
You aren’t threatened, at least not at a level that suggests the need for combat.
I know. I avoided combat mode in non-hostile situations because my enhanced reflexes went so fast, I could end up attacking an innocent person before I stopped myself. Trust me on this one.
Mode toggled, Max answered.
I crossed the plaza, every sense sharpened. The scent of the lilies drenched the air. My boots clicked on the bluestone tiles and the city rumbled like muted thunder. The drone of a flyer growled in the distance, far enough away that I couldn’t see it with all the city towers rising around me, their glassy surfaces reflecting the endless blue sky.
Your shadow is back, Max thought.
I headed down a path leading away from the plaza. Where?
She’s to the east, standing by that grove of trees.
I glanced at the trees beyond a stretch of lawn. I can’t see her.
Look at the feather-elm farthest to the left.
I still couldn’t make her out. So I took out my green beetle-bot. It was why I wore a jacket in the middle of the desert; its climate controls kept me cool and I could hide stuff in the pockets. I tossed the beetle into the air. Go find her. Max, transfer me to the beetle.
I was suddenly seeing the park from higher up. As I neared the grove, a blur did indeed become visible by the tree Max had indicated. She didn’t hide well, though. If she’d stood closer to the tree, under the feathery vines that draped its branches, it might have enhanced her camouflage enough that I couldn’t have seen her.
Time to visit, I thought.
Visit what? Max asked.
My shadow. I left the path where I’d been walking and strode toward the trees.
You’re going to get a ticket for walking on the grass. Max sounded irked. You are also going to get yourself beaten up or knifed again. You need to take better care of your health.
I’ll be fine. Transfer vision back to me.
My aerial view vanished so I saw only through my own eyes. As I neared the trees, I focused on the tree hiding my shadow. She wasn’t the only one who had noticed me. A small craft was floating across the park toward us, a robotic craft about one meter long and one meter above the lawn. Its little turbines flattened the lush carpet of grass.
That monitor is coming after you, Max thought.
If I can’t walk on the lawn, I grumbled, I don’t see why those monitors get to fly over it. Their turbofans mess up the grass more than I ever could.
Your shadow is retreating.
I was close enough now to see her blurred figure jogging across the grass. I broke into a sprint. As I chased to my shadow, the silver monitor closed on us both. When I was a few paces away from my shadow, she glanced back with enough panic that I saw the alarm on her face even through the camouflage of her holosuit.
Got you. I lunged forward and tackled her, throwing us both to the ground. She grunted as we thudded into the grass. Rolling over, she threw me to the side. I twisted away, grabbing her arm, and flipped her onto her back. Despite my augmented reflexes, my responses were off today, delayed by my injuries, and she twisted away. When she tried to jump to her feet, I kicked her legs out from under her, and she toppled like a felled tree. She grabbed my neck from behind, pulling my head back in a wrestling hold. Pain jabbed my side where I’d torn open the knife wound yesterday, and blackness swam in my vision. With a heave, I wrenched free. She struck me from the side, going for my kidneys probably, but she caught my stomach instead. Gritting m
y teeth, I slammed her onto her back. Raising my fist with enhanced speed and strength—
Bhaaj, stop! Max thought.
I froze an instant away from smashing her face. I was angrier than I’d realized, furious with these people shooting at me, throwing knives, exploding bombs. I really, really wanted to punch someone. She stared at my raised fist, her face flushed. This close, the shroud didn’t hide her, it just blurred her features.
I lowered my fist and sat back on my heels. “Why the bloody hell are you following me?”
The monitor craft hummed up to us. Shaped like a teardrop, it kept its narrow end pointed in our direction. A drone-pilot with a silver dome for a head was installed in its back end. Red lights blinked all over the spherical body of the drone.
“You are in violation of city ordinance nine thousand six hundred and two,” the drone said.
“Nine thousand six hundred two?” I asked. “Got enough ordinances, do you think?”
“Probably not,” the drone said. “I have to give you a ticket. Both of you must deactivate any shrouds or combat enhancements you are using.”
Combat mode deactivated, Max thought.
My shadow turned off her shroud. She looked stocky and fit, like an athlete. She’d pulled her brown hair into a braid that fell down her back. Her ordinary face would fit into any crowd so well, no one would notice her.
“This woman attacked me,” I told the drone.
“Like hell I did.” My shadow stood up and brushed off her clothes, a light jumpsuit.
“It appeared that you attacked her,” the drone told me.
I clambered up to my feet. “I had to stop her from following me. You couldn’t see it because she was shrouded from your monitors.”
“My monitoring functions have been increased by three hundred percent since yesterday, due to a previous attack in this area.” The drone paused. “In fact, according to my records, you were the victim in that attack.”
“Yes, that was me.” I motioned at my shadow, who stood glowering at both me and the drone. “I had to defend myself.”
“Her following you doesn’t constitute an attack.” The drone swiveled its head to my shadow. “However, following a person without their permission while shrouded violates city ordinance three thousand nine hundred and eighty-six. I must also give you a ticket.”
“For flaming sake,” my shadow said.
“Giving her a ticket isn’t sufficient,” I told the drone.
“That seems sufficient,” it said.
“We’re resisting your authority. You have to arrest us.”
“What the fuck,” my shadow said. “I’m not resisting anyone.”
“You are both arguing with me,” the drone said. “Although this could be called resistance, that would be a rather severe interpretation.”
“Even so,” I said. “To be thorough, you should arrest us both and take us into the station.”
I fail to see the point of this, Max told me.
Bear with me, I thought.
“An arrest isn’t warranted,” the drone said. “However, I will bring you to the authorities for questioning.” It turned its teardrop car toward the east, in the direction of the Cries police station. “It isn’t far. You are both fit enough to walk. Please follow me.” With that, it hummed off, inflicting its turbine fans on the lawn. I was surprised Cries didn’t have an ordinance about that, too.
My shadow stalked past me. “You’ll regret this,” she muttered.
I fell into step with her. “Why?”
She ignored me, staring at the monitor as it glided above the lawn. Tough. I’d let the cops ask her the questions I wanted answered.
Bhaaj, Max thought. You’re getting a message from an aide at the Majda palace.
What do they want?
Apparently you are supposed to send them information about protecting General Majda. They’d like you to go to the palace and talk to security.
Well, shit. Great timing. Tell them I can’t now, but I’ll be in contact soon.
The drone left us with an officer in the lobby of the police station, a spacious room designed in chrome and glass. Its floor-to-ceiling holoscreens showed displays about the Cries police force, with cops who were far too good-looking and well-dressed to be real. The images included as many male as female officers, showing Cries gave equal opportunity to everyone. Yah, sure. One officer had blond hair, apparently proving you didn’t have to look like a Majda to succeed here. I mean, seriously, this glossy tourist attraction was supposed to be a police station? Welcome to Cries.
The officer took us to a back room that looked like someone’s office. The someone turned out to be a stocky woman with her black hair clipped sensibly short and the air of a police chief. She wore a blue uniform, crisp and neat, with the emblem of the city police on her arms, a blue triangle. When we entered, she was standing by a screen on the wall reading a display of statistics, like how many times the park lawns were mowed or how many evil criminals walked on the grass.
“So.” The chief came over as our escort left the room. “I understand you two had an altercation in the park.”
My shadow motioned at me. “She had the altercation. I was minding my own business.”
The chief raised her eyebrows. “Is that why you were shrouded?”
“She’s been following me the past few days,” I said. “I have no idea why.”
The chief glanced at me. “You were at the VA.”
“That’s right,” I said. “I see an adept there.”
She tilted her head, studying me. I just looked back at her. My doctor appointments were confidential and none of her business.
“You were the person attacked yesterday outside the VA,” she said.
“That’s right.” I motioned at my shadow. “I thought she was going to attack.”
The chief turned to her. “Why were you following her?”
“I wasn’t,” my shadow said. “I had the shroud up because I didn’t want my employer to know I’d gone to the park instead of telecommunicating from my home.”
Yah, right. A military-grade covert shroud so she could play hooky from work? Sure.
The chief didn’t look like she believed it any more than I did. “I can’t find your ID in the system,” she told my shadow. “Why is that?”
I think I’ve identified her, Max thought.
“My name is Ti Callen,” my shadow was saying. “I used to work on covert ops for the army. That’s why I’m not in your database.”
She’s lying, Max thought. Her name is Tandem Walkerdale. She’s a circus performer from the planet Metropoli.
And I’d thought this couldn’t get any stranger. A circus performer? Are you kidding?
I’m quite serious. Nothing about her says military to me.
That could just mean she’s good at going undercover.
A former operative wouldn’t so easily reveal she’d been a spy.
“I’ll need your ID chips,” the chief told her.
A knock came at the door, which was still open. We all turned. The officer who had brought us here stood in the archway, her young face pale. “My apology, ma’am,” she told the chief. “But we have, that is, I mean—someone is here. To pick up Major Bhaajan.”
Pick me up? That made no sense.
“Are you all right, lieutenant?” the chief asked.
“Yes, ma’am.” The lieutenant looked terrified.
“You can tell this visitor that Major Bhaajan isn’t going anywhere.” The chief frowned at me. “Not until I get to the bottom of this.”
The officer gulped. “Ma’am, I—I don’t think I can tell her that.”
The chief put her fists on her hips. “And why is that?”
A woman spoke behind her in a resonant voice. “Enough of this.” A tall figure strode past the lieutenant and into the office. “So, Major Bhaajan,” Colonel Lavinda Majda said. “You seem to be in trouble again.”
CHAPTER XII
NEW STEPS
We were sitting on a bluestone bench in a courtyard by the station, cooled by the shadow of a modern sculpture with abstract curves. The thing looked far too artistic to be at a police station, but what the hell. I liked it. Or maybe I just liked that Lavinda had extricated me from the cops. I wanted to know more about Ti Callen, my circus shadow, aka Tandem Walkerdale, whatever that meant. What was she in tandem with? Still, I’d achieved my goal, to find out what Walkerdale had to say about herself.
“She’s been following me for two days,” I said.
Lavinda didn’t look impressed by my excuse. She sat tall and easy, somehow managing to appear regal without being stiff. The breeze rustled her hair, tousling it around her shoulders.
“I’m sure many people have followed you,” she said. “I doubt you beat them all up.”
“Yah, well, no one was trying to kill me those other times.”
Her annoyance shaded into concern. “How is your injury?”
It was a lot worse than it should have been, given my skulking around the palace and unceremonious exit down the cliff, not to mention wrestling with Tandem Walkerdale.
“It’s fine,” I said. “How did you know I was at the police station?”
“My aide told me you put her off when she contacted you. So I looked into the matter.”
I reddened. “Sorry about that.” She had that focused look she got when she was trying to read a person. I imagined my mind as a fortress with me inside and her outside.
Lavinda winced and rubbed her temple. “It’s been a long day.” She lowered her arm. “I checked into the Desert Winds club. I didn’t find anything unusual.”
“It’s the only obvious link between Quida and Starchild.”
“When I talked to the investigators on the Starchild case, they didn’t mention any concern for my sisters or myself.”
She was following this even more closely than I realized, if she’d questioned people about Chiaru Starchild. “I’m paranoid. It’s a drawback of my profession.”
Lavinda spoke wryly. “What are you not telling me?”
Good question. I had the same one for her. She had the look again, trying to read my body language, if not my mood. At least, I hoped she couldn’t get my mood. I could bamboozle many people, but not Lavinda. I needed to tell her something, and it had to be at least a partial truth, because she was too savvy to fool.
The Vanished Seas (Major Bhaajan series Book 3) Page 17