“Oh, that makes sense.” I pressed the phone even closer to my ear. “Can you speak up? It’s a little hard for me to hear you.”
“Sorry about that. I’m at work right now downstairs near the washing machines; that’s probably the noise you’re hearing right now. It’s easier for me to get away with talking to you like this if my stick-in-the-mud supervisor can’t hear me.”
“Are you sure you won’t get in any trouble?”
Hati continued, “Yeah. Kari just called me during her lunch break. She also wanted you to know that Jo has asked her to throw away any mail he has coming in from that collection agency so that his uncle won’t see it.” So Jo was keeping his huge mountain of debt a secret from his uncle. “That’s pretty much all she wanted me to tell you. So I’m gonna get back to work before I get caught.”
“Wait hold on! I wanted to ask you a quick question.”
“What is it?”
“Do you know a girl named Pan?”
“Oh Pan! Yah, she’s one of my co-workers. I’m a little worried about her, though.”
“Why are you worried about her?”
“The last time I saw her was the day before the robbery. She had clocked in and then she left. She said that she wasn’t feeling well and that she wanted to go home.”
“You didn’t see her at all during the interrogation process?”
“Nope. I don’t know where she’s hiding, but I really want to check up on her and make sure that she’s okay.”
“Alright. Thank you, Hati.” In Hati’s defense, there were a lot of women crammed into that flimsy house. It’s possible that maybe she just didn’t see Pan amid all of the chaos and disarray. Also, I remembered how panicky Pan sounded on the phone while she was talking with me earlier. After everything that happened that day, she had to be scared and probably even more afraid after seeing Mr. Hayate go into Mima’s house with that black box. I’m sure she probably wanted to lay low for a while.
Once again, I started to comb through the long call entry list in front of me. All of the entries were starting to look the same to me, so I started to skip over a few at a time. I had just skipped over three call entries in which people were calling, trying to find out what the source of the loud noise was, when something caught my eye. It wasn’t a prank call and it wasn’t someone complaining about the anti-Martian gathering; the call came from a gentleman who was in a hover scooter accident. Mr. Thomas Jenkins’s hover scooter had been struck by someone who was also driving a hover bike at 9:15 a.m. Mr. Jenkins had said he couldn’t see the driver’s face and the location he gave was on level B. He said the driver struck him as he was driving away and it looked like purple plumes of smoke were coming off his scooter. I let out a devilish little laugh as I thought about what those girls said to me earlier about Jo and how they referred to his hover bike as his second girlfriend. This was definitely worth looking into. I dialed up the number Mr. Jenkins used to call in his emergency. After two rings, the call was picked up. “Hello, this is Miss Caprica. I’m calling from security. I was hoping that I could meet up with a Mr. Jenkins in regards to a call in for a scooter accident.”
Mr. Jenkins and I decided to meet on level B near the employee elevator. Mr. Jenkins was a plump older gentleman with silver hair and a comb-over that was fooling absolutely nobody except himself. “Well, it’s about time somebody got back to me about my scooter!” Mr. Jenkins huffed.
“I’m sorry for the delay, Mr. Jenkins. We received a lot of calls that day and unfortunately we’re just now getting to yours. I’m so sorry, sir.”
Mr. Jenkins eyes slowly scanned my entire body. “Now that I can see you, I must say you’re awfully young. You sounded much older on the phone earlier. Are you sure you can find the guy who did this without any assistance?”
I was one hundred percent certain that what he really meant to say was, “I don’t feel comfortable with a girl handling this situation. Can a guy be assigned to me instead?” After I blinked my eyes several times, then forced what had to be my fakest smile into existence, I said, “Well, Mr. Jenkins, you can either have me help you or you can wait even longer for someone else.”
Mr. Jenkins let out a little huff. “Fine, then. I brought my scooter so I can show you the damage.” I followed behind Mr. Jenkins. He had parked his red hover scooter next to a crystal palm tree. Toward the bottom of the tree’s trunk were several thin black scrapes. “Just look at this! The same scrapes that are on this tree are on my scooter!” On the left side of the scooter, close to the end, were two thick black scrapes.
“So tell me, how did this happen, Mr. Jenkins?”
“Well, this blasted ship is so huge and I got myself lost. I couldn’t find this restaurant my wife said she was going to meet me at after I got up. You see, she’s an early riser and I’m not.” Mr. Jenkins took about eight steps away from his scooter and he stood next to a small oasis pool. “I remember on the way here, I heard this loud booming noise. I kind of ignored it. I thought maybe they were working on something somewhere. Then, when I reached this oasis pool, I stopped so I could listen to the emergency message that was being played over the loud speaker. I didn’t know what to do. I was kind of in a panic state. I didn’t know where my wife was. We were told to go back to our rooms for safety. I guess that’s why I didn’t notice the other driver when he came near me.” I watched as Mr. Jenkins started to reenact what happened to him. “I drove past this pool and when I looked back up, I was face to face with a man dressed in black on a matching black hover bike. We were about to hit each other, but his reflexes were better than mine; he swerved out of the way just in time and avoided hitting me head on, but he ended up striking the back end of my scooter. His recklessness caused me to crash into the side of this blasted palm tree! I tried to get the guy’s attention, but he had already flown over the oasis pool and was gone.”
“Can you describe the driver for me?”
“The driver was definitely a man. I can’t give you a great description other than he had on black boots, pants, long-sleeve shirt, and a black ski mask. Oh, and he was smoking one of those fancy black cigarettes kids these days like.” He must have been talking about Stellar Sticks!
“Is there anything else you can tell me about your accident or the driver?”
Mr. Jenkins tapped his fingers on his chin. “I remember this purple-looking smoke coming from out of the back end of the hover bike. I figured it must have been from where the driver hit the tail end of my scooter.” A suspicious man dressed in black, purple smoke coming from the hover bike all just a few feet away from the elevator that led up to the security room floor. Mr. Jenkins clearly had come in contact with someone who played a part in the robbery.
“Did you happen to see a second passenger on the hover bike, a woman, perhaps a Martian woman?”
Mr. Jenkins shook his head no. “Just a man dressed in black.” Darn! That was okay; Mr. Jenkins had given me a ton of valuable information. “Are you going to be able to find the guy who hit my scooter or not?” Mr. Jenkins said with a sneer. I was not sure what this guy wanted; he admitted that he wasn’t paying attention while he was operating a scooter and he got into an accident that never would have happened if he had simply paid attention.
“Now that I’ve collected more information, I’m going to turn this information over to my supervisor. I’ll make sure that he calls you back as soon as possible!” I knew that hearing the word “he” would put Mr. Jenkins at ease and he would leave me alone.
“Good. Be sure to have your supervisor call me back as soon as possible.”
“Oh I will,” I said in a fake professional tone of voice. As Mr. Jenkins drove away on his scraped-up hover scooter, I started to write down every detail that he gave me. Once I was finished, I packed my notepad into my purse and walked over to the oasis pool that the driver of the hover bike flew over. I just couldn’t stop thinking about how this incredibly suspicious driver was a man; was the driver Jo or Cole? And just where in the world di
d Phoebe go? It was possible that she handed the rings off to this driver and then she went her own separate way, but there was no way she could have done this on foot. She would have very easily been caught in a matter of seconds. This robbery was very calculated and efficient, leaving no room for error. I couldn’t see any of the suspects making such a dumb mistake. Maybe she had her own separate vehicle waiting for her? Maybe. Well, out of my three suspects, the only one I knew who smoked Stellar Stick cigarettes and drove a hover bike was Jo, so I thought I’d go back to his place and see if I could take a look at his hover bike.
I let out a sigh as I glanced down at the crystal-clear oasis pool; tiny little bubbles floated up to the surface of the water from the three suction tubes on the edge of the oasis. I thought they were supposed to keep the oasis clean by catching any trash that fell in. The one right below my foot was barely putting out anything. Every few seconds, a bubble or two would emerge at the top of the water. Something must be lodged inside of the tube. I took out the pen I used to jot down my notes and shoved it into the suction tube below me. After fishing around for a bit, the tip of my pen bumped up against something hard. I twirled my pen in several different directions; it was in the shape of an oval and it was a near perfect fit for this suction tube. I took the top of my pen and I pressed it against the side of the oval-shaped object. I applied as much force as I could to help jimmy the thing out of the tube. A clear piece of glass appeared at the end of the tube. I reached down and pulled it out. It was a broken piece to a headlight! This must have come from the person who was riding on the hover bike that hit Mr. Jenkins. If this piece of glass matched with Jo’s hover bike, then that proved he was the person who was driving away from the scene of the crime and that he hit Mr. Jenkins in the process! I placed the cracked piece of glass in my purse and raced toward Greip Gardens.
As I ran toward Greip Gardens, I hoped and prayed that Mr. Hayate and Jo were at the house and that they wouldn’t get in the way of my investigation. I didn’t have any time for games right now. By the time I reached Mr. Hayate’s home, I felt like my legs were going to pop out of my hips. I probably should have asked for a taxi. After I rang the doorbell, Kari greeted me with a small smile. “I need to speak with Jo. Is he here?” She shook her head yes, then she motioned for me to come inside. Kari nervously shuffled toward a door that was only a few inches away from the entrance. Directly beside the door was a small panel with a single green button and a small speaker. Kari bit down on her lower lip, then she pressed the green button.
“What do you want, Kari!” Jo bellowed through the speaker.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, sir, but Miss Caprica is here to see you.”
Loud, thunderous stomps could be heard coming through the doorway before Jo burst into the foyer. He quietly shut the door behind him. His eyes shot toward Kari. “Don’t you have some dishes you need to wash or something?” Kari clasped her hands together and she quietly left the room. God, this guy was a huge jerk. “What do you want? I’ve already proved that I’m innocent.”
“I’m checking up on a possible lead. I believe that the jewel thief had an accomplice who drove a hover bike. So tell me, do you own a hover bike?”
Jo shrugged his shoulders. “I use to own one, but it was stolen.” How incredibly convenient and completely unbelievable!
“When was the last time you saw your hover bike, Josuke?”
“I was sleeping off a mean hangover at Kazuma’s about a week ago and when I got up the next morning, my bike was gone.” No, no, I didn’t believe this at all! Also, he couldn’t tell me that his uncle hadn’t done everything in his power to find his nephew’s hover bike for him. No, I smelled a lie and a cheap cover-up. I was done with this guy.
“Well, okay then. Thanks so much for clearing that up, Josuke.” I turned around and made a beeline for Kazuma’s apartment complex. I doubted what Josuke was saying was true, but I needed to know.
My timing could not have been any more perfect when I reached Kazuma’s apartment building. A group of guys were running through the entrance door; before the door slammed shut, I slipped through it and into the apartment lobby. I really didn’t want to talk to Kazuma outside. I remembered from the apartment roster that Kazuma’s apartment was apartment number twelve. I dashed up the flight of stairs leading to the first row of rooms. Thankfully, they were even numbered, which made finding Kazuma’s room easy; it was at the end of the hallway. I placed my hand over the door’s peephole before I started knocking.
“Hold on; I’m coming,” Kazuma shouted. He quickly flung the door open, then immediately realized the mistake he had made and slammed the door shut in my face. But it was already too late; in the four seconds that he’d left his door open, I had the chance to see the black hover bike that was sitting in the middle of his front room.
Chapter 21
No wonder he was so nervous about me coming into his apartment earlier! At the bottom of Kazuma’s door was a mail slot. I crouched down and I pushed the slot open. “Kazuma, you have one of two choices. You can let me in or I can call in for reinforcements! They can bust this door down and we can take the bike out by force. I’m sure your neighbors would love to see that!”
As I peeked through the mail slot, I watched as Kazuma stood in front of the door, probably trying to contemplate what the best course of action would be for himself. Thankfully, he made the right decision and opened the door. I absolutely forgot about Kazuma the moment I stepped over the threshold into his apartment. I headed straight for Josuke’s hover bike. Just like Mr. Jenkins said, the bike was all black; on the left hand side of the bike near the front were four marks that were the same shade of red as Mr. Jenkins’s hover scooter. I continued to examine the rest of the bike until I came to the end where the taillights were. The taillight to the left was cracked open; jagged pieces of clear glass were sticking out of it. I reached into my purse and pulled out the broken piece of glass that I’d found in the oasis pool earlier and placed the piece of glass into the broken taillight. It was a perfect fit. I turned around toward Kazuma. “Mind telling me what Josuke’s hover bike is doing here in your front room?”
After letting out a long sigh, Kazuma walked past me, then he sat down on a black chair next to Josuke’s hover bike. “Jo is always pulling me into his drama and issues with his life.” Kazuma ran his hand over top of his face. “He just showed up to my place the day that robbery happened with his scooter. It was really early in the morning and I was just getting up. I didn’t have the energy to argue with him or question why he wanted me to hold on to his bike for him.”
“What time did he show up? Did he give you a reason why and was anybody with him when he came?”
“I think it was close to eight twenty when he showed up. He told me that he was in an accident that morning and he wanted to hide it from his uncle. The both of us were going to work on his bike together later and no, no one else was with him when he came.” Kazuma kicked the front end of the hover bike with his shoe. “Jo is always pulling me into his drama and, afterward, he expects me to help clean up his mess. Jo’s not a good friend. I should have stopped hanging out with him years ago. I know he talks about me behind my back because I’m not as cool as he is, but then when he’s in a pinch, he comes to me for help. This is the last straw for me!” Kazuma’s hands were clenched together into a tight fist; the top of knuckles were fiery red. “Look, just do whatever it is that you need to do. I don’t want to get into any trouble at all because of Jo. I’m done covering for him.”
That was absolutely fine by me. I could examine this bike for evidence in peace. Attached to the end of the hover bike was a wide trunk with a silver lock on it. Kazuma got up from his seat, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a silver key. “Let me open that for you. Jo has been working on his bike, adding different parts to it. He’s been talking about packing up all of his belongings and just going on a trip of self-discovery through space.” Replace trip of self-discovery with running away with
stolen merchandise and hoping to pay off his huge debt; that sounded like the more accurate definition of his plans.
As Kazuma slipped the silver key into the lock’s hole, a wonderful thought came to me. Maybe my previous hypothesis was correct and Phoebe handed the rings over to Josuke so she could make a fast getaway on her own separate vehicle! Perhaps the rest of The Rings of Saturn were stashed away in this oversized trunk that was locked away with a key that only Kazuma had! I held my breath as the lock popped open and Kazuma flipped open the trunk, only to expose a large, empty space. I had gotten my hopes up for nothing. The inside of the trunk was lined with black soft fabric. I pressed my hands against the inside of the trunk, hoping that maybe I could find something, any sort of evidence that could help me close this case. As I glided my fingers across the top of the black lining on the back of the trunk, two of my fingers slipped in between a small piece of the fabric and the trunk itself. Something soft and stringy was lying against the tips of my fingers. I pulled the little strings off of the black fabric and up to my face so I could get a better look at them. Upon closer inspection, I found that the strings were orange and very curly. I rubbed the curly strings between my thumb and index finger; this fine, coarse texture couldn’t be string or something from a piece of clothing; these were definitely strands of hair! Perhaps I was wrong and I needed to throw out my previous hypothesis about Phoebe having her own getaway car. Maybe she hid herself inside this oversized trunk! I unzipped the inner pocket of my purse and I carefully dropped the orange hairs inside.
“Kazuma, I need to test something out. After I get in this trunk, can you close the top of it please?” I carefully stepped inside of the trunk. After I sat down, I lay on my side with my knees up to my chest. “Okay, see if you can close the top of the trunk.” Kazuma slowly brought the top of the trunk down; he was actually able to close it. The top of the trunk was maybe three inches away from my head. Phoebe had a very small frame; she could easily fit in here along with The Rings of Saturn. “Okay, you can let me out now.” Kazuma helped me get out of the trunk. I appreciated that because I was starting to feel claustrophobic.
Cosmic Callisto Caprica & the Missing Rings of Saturn Page 23