Starting the Slowpocalypse (Books 1-3 Omnibus)

by James Litherland

  His partner glanced over at him before turning her attention to Crystal. “Now, Miss Sorenson—do you understand what this interview is about?”

  Crystal paused for a moment before nodding in silence.

  Lisa squinted. “You’ve heard that the guards on the swing and night shifts got sick? That it was food poisoning?”

  She nodded again. “It’s very sad.”

  “It’s clear they were made ill by something they ate at the late supper. Do you have any idea how it could’ve happened?”

  “We try to be careful, but I’m very sorry if I did anything that made those guards sick.”

  Lisa smiled. “I’m sure you are. But since it happened, understand that we need to find out exactly how—so that it won’t happen again. You’ll want to help us, of course?”

  “Of course. But what can I do?”

  “First, allow me to introduce ourselves, in case Mrs. Hudson didn’t mention our names. I’m Officer Lisa Courdray, and this is my partner David Belue.”

  Crystal nodded in confusion. “Crystal Sorenson—but you already know that.”

  “Yes, and that you work the second shift here at the cafeteria. I suppose you’re a FURC student and this is to fulfill your work requirement?”

  Crystal glanced at David before nodding.

  Lisa kept smiling. “A pretty girl like you—you must have quite a social life. What do you do when you’re not working or studying?”

  Crystal looked at David again before answering. “I don’t really have any time for socializing. I’ve got a second job in addition to this one. But surely you must know that as well.”

  “You’re working two jobs? I didn’t know that. What’s the other one? And do you have time to take any actual classes?”

  Crystal brushed her hair over her shoulder, and David knew that was a sign she really was nervous. “I still manage to take a couple classes. I work part-time keeping house for the deputy director. Some cooking and cleaning. It’s light work compared to what I do here.”

  Lisa pointedly avoided looking at David. “No one had mentioned that you work for Ms. Belue. I don’t suppose you live there, as a housekeeper?”

  Crystal shook her head and her long blond hair fell forward across her shoulder again. “I don’t live there anymore, but I used to. I moved back into the student dorms.”

  “I see.”

  “I’ve always had my dorm room, but for a while it was convenient to stay at the Belue home. Even after I took this job, I told Ms. Belue that I’d continue to work for her as long as she wanted me.”

  Lisa cleared her throat and stared at Crystal for a long moment. “Since you work second shift here, you must be working over at the Belue house in the mornings?”

  “Three hours in the late morning, yes. There’s not much cleaning to do really, and I prepare some meals up ahead, so that all David or his mom have to do is warm them up. Then I have my own lunch before I come to work here.”

  Even though his partner kept looking straight at Crystal, David felt like Lisa’s eyes were on him. “I understand from Mrs. Hudson that you’re on cleanup duty. You arrive an hour later than the others on your shift and stay an hour later?”

  Crystal nodded. “I’m the closer. It’s my duty to make sure everything is put away properly. Then I lock up the cafeteria when I leave.”

  “Then maybe you can help us. We want to know exactly what it was that made those guards sick, but the sisters couldn’t find anything left of last night’s meal to test. What happened to the remains of that meal?”

  “There’s never much in the way of leftovers. If there are any scraps left, I put them in a bin behind the building, and some people from the Ag Center come in the wee hours to pick it up to use for compost. It’s cafeteria policy.”

  “It’s too bad everything was tidied up so well.”

  Crystal just sat there and didn’t respond. Perhaps she hadn’t understood the barbed comment as it had been meant. She just brushed her hair back again, then placed her hands calmly in her lap, and David wondered if she knew she was giving herself away. To him at least.

  His partner frowned as she asked the next question. “Did you notice anything different last night? Anything outside of the normal routine?”

  “No, nothing.”

  “Was there anyone else around while you were preparing the food? Some of the guards or a cafeteria worker from the other shift?”

  “Mrs. Hudson was still around while we worked on the early supper but then she went home. Some of the guards might’ve come and gone. But I try to ignore them. I couldn’t say for sure if any of them had been around while we were prepping the late service. Or who.”

  Lisa sighed. “Isn’t it against policy for anyone other than you cafeteria workers to be in the kitchen when you’re preparing meals?”

  Crystal shrugged. “It is. But often a guard will come back to chat with us. And the other girls seem to like the attention, so no one tells them to leave.”

  “What about Sgt. Carruthers? How often has he drifted back into the kitchen to favor the girls with his attentions?”

  Crystal shook her head. “I don’t recall ever seeing Sgt. Carruthers chatting up my coworkers. But like I said, I try to concentrate on doing my job.”

  Lisa stood up behind the desk. “I’m sure Mrs. Hudson will have some things to say to you and the others about letting people into the kitchen, but I’m finished asking you questions. For now. You’d better go and get to work.”

  Crystal sat still for a long minute. She turned to give David a look he couldn’t interpret—so he kept his face carefully blank. She shook her head slightly and rose to leave.

  When the door had closed behind her, his partner swiveled her head to glare at him. David ducked down and finished making his notes—all the while waiting for the coming storm.

  “David. Why didn’t you tell me Miss Sorenson worked at your house? You know her. Rather well, don’t you?”

  David finished his notes and looked up into his partner’s face. “I didn’t think it was relevant.”

  “Not relevant? This is a very serious crime I’m investigating, and I need to know everything I can about every potential suspect. Are you on intimate terms with her?”

  He couldn’t help but blush. “Not intimate. We only dated a few times. But it didn’t work out.”

  “I see. And when was this?”

  David felt his face getting even redder. “She’d already moved out of our house.” Though he could not tell his partner why Crystal had felt so uncomfortable there she’d had to move back to the dorms. “It was early in the new year.”

  His partner took a deep breath. “Apparently it didn’t last long. Who broke up with who, and why?”

  “Isn’t that kind of a personal question?”

  Lisa narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you refusing to answer?”

  He sighed. “She broke it off with me a couple weeks ago—with no explanation.”

  His partner stared at him for a long time, goggling. “Don’t tell me she dumped you on Valentine’s Day?”

  David nodded. He hadn’t been upset, but it was far from the best night he’d ever had. “I hadn’t expected it would last, really. And it didn’t.”

  Lisa closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them again, the glare was back. “We’ll talk more about this later. Right now we need a tour of the kitchen and to get Mrs. Hudson to describe how everything works around here, in detail. And I expect you to note down every last bit of it.”

  David sighed. He didn’t mind the work, but it just delayed another dressing down by his partner. He wished she had got it out of her system.

  Chapter 5

  Static Interference

  4:50 p.m. Saturday, March 1st

  ANTHONY pulled himself up again until his chin was just over the bar and started easing back down. He needed to come to the gym more often. He had ended up spending more and more time behind his desk, and his nightly patrols weren’t enough to ke
ep him in shape—not the shape he needed to be in.

  He listened as Lisa stood on the mat below and finished her update on where everything stood with the investigation. Ken had called him right away to tell him the worst of it—intentional poisoning of the guards. So Anthony was able to listen calmly to her report of how it had likely been done and who’d had what opportunity.

  She saved the best for last. “The worst part was finding out my own partner had neglected to inform me that not only did my prime suspect work in his house—for the deputy director—but he’d even dated her. Briefly. I can’t continue this investigation with him as my partner.”

  Anthony sighed and let himself drop to the mat and roll. He came up standing in front of Lisa. “Do you think David is compromised?”

  She frowned. “He’s not a suspect, and I’m quite sure that he’s not involved in any way. But there’s a question of appearances. I don’t want any hint of a taint to compromise this investigation.”

  Anthony nodded. Given her history, he understood how she felt about that kind of thing only too well. But FURC Security wasn’t like the places she’d served in the past—and it never would be, as long as he had any say.

  “David knows Sgt. Carruthers and a few of the other guards as well, I believe. This is a small community, Officer Courdray. It’s inevitable that you’ll run into people you’re familiar with on a case—and I trust that you’ll be objective.”

  “Carruthers isn’t the issue, sir, Crystal Sorenson is. And it isn’t just that he knows her. It was clear when we interviewed her that he’s got a soft spot for the girl, despite being dumped on Valentine’s, that could influence his objectivity.”

  Anthony didn’t doubt David would do what the job required when it came down to it, but he could also see that Lisa wouldn’t be budged. He’d have to remove David and give her a new partner. He could use that as an opportunity.

  “Alright, Officer Courdray. I’ll see how I can rearrange the schedule to get you a new partner. For now, just write it all up and send copies to my pad and go home to your boy.”

  Lisa just stood there. “Sir, I’d like access to the personnel files on my chief suspects. I don’t want to get blindsided again like I did with Miss Sorenson.”

  Anthony began doing some light stretching before his muscles tensed up. He’d wanted to do more of a workout, but now work was getting in the way. “I’ll alter the security permissions on those files for you after I read your report. Then you can examine them at home, at your leisure.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  She turned to go, but Anthony couldn’t leave it there. She was a good detective and needed to know the whole story. “Wait, Officer Courdray. There is something I ought to tell you about Miss Sorenson that you won’t find in her file.”

  She stopped and turned to look at him with the question plain on her face. He took a few steps and lowered his voice. “She spied on the deputy director for Lt. Henson.”

  Lisa goggled at him. “And she’s not only at liberty, she’s still working in Ms. Belue’s home? And this isn’t in her file? What’s going on?”

  Anthony sighed again. “She claims Lt. Henson asked her to keep an eye on the deputy director as a potential traitor—for the good of the community. And we had no evidence to say that wasn’t the case. But a question mark hangs over her. And since we didn’t know, we felt it wouldn’t be fair to let what might be unfounded suspicion spread, and we restricted this information.”

  “Does David know about all this?”

  Anthony nodded, but before he could explain it she was already shaking her head.

  “I didn’t manage to get any of that out of him—my own partner who I ought to know. And I’m supposed to be a detective. Maybe you should be lead on this investigation, sir.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up, Officer Courdray. He isn’t supposed to be talking to anyone about it, and you are a detective, a good one. I have every confidence you’ll be able to solve this case. And if you’re worried, remember I’ll be looking over your shoulder to make sure you don’t miss anything.”

  Lisa nodded. “Yes, sir. I should probably go interview Miss Sorenson again, in light of what you’ve just told me. They’ll still be prepping the early service, but I’m sure they can spare her.”

  He tried to scowl at her. “It’s late. I told you to go home and I meant it. Grilling Crystal can wait ‘til tomorrow—after you’ve looked through those files, and I’ve had a chance to talk with you about the best way to approach her.”

  Lisa smiled. “Yes, sir. That will give her time to stew—even if she’s innocent she’s got to be worried. Considering what you just told me, she was far too composed when I questioned her earlier.”

  He nodded. “Now go home and get some rest.”

  She gave him a crisp salute. “Yes, sir. Certainly, sir.” Halfway across the room she stopped and gave him a wistful look. “I left David in the break room. Should I go break the news to him now?”

  He shook his head. “You can leave that to me.”

  She nodded with relief and continued out of the gym. As she left, Anthony hoped that she wouldn’t forget to write up her report and send him copies of everything. Looking around the empty room before leaving himself, he wished he didn’t have more important things he needed to do.

  On his way down the hall to the break room, he thought through his idea. Ken wanted more guards, and David noticed details—it was what made him a promising investigator. The kid was still learning to think, but that was why Anthony had partnered him with Lisa. To learn. But if he couldn’t use David in one way, he could in another. It’s worth a shot.

  Thankfully David was the only one in the break room, and Anthony hadn’t seen anyone in the halls. The boy was busy searching through the cupboards and failed to notice his boss entering. But that was to be expected.

  Anthony closed the door behind him, and David turned to give his boss a sheepish smile. He surely expected to be lectured to, but Lisa had likely given him enough of that.

  “Officer Belue, because of your history with one of the suspects in the poisoning case, I’m forced to remove you from the official investigation. So you’d better start drinking some coffee.”

  David grabbed his mug from the shelf. “Coffee, sir? You said the ‘official’ investigation?”

  “I’m sure you’ve had a long day already, but I’m going to ask you to head back over to the Guard HQ after you take a short break. Hence the coffee. And have some of the real stuff, not just cream, so you’ll be able to stay up late tonight.”

  Anthony shook his head as he watched the boy pour his mug half-full of cream before reaching for the coffee pot. Better than usual.

  David took a sip before asking the obvious question. “Why do I want to stay up late?”

  “I’m going to call Ken and see about getting you transferred to the guards—the night shift. You can keep your eyes open and maybe notice something.”

  David took a long swig. “You trust me to be objective, Chief? I mean, when I’ve dated Crystal?”

  Anthony grinned. “Of course. You were suspicious of her when you were trying to follow Rossiter. You even suspected your own mother, even though you didn’t want to. I know you’ll be objective.”

  “But what is it exactly that you want me to do?”

  “You know Crystal, and Carruthers and some of the others. You can get familiar with most of those who had opportunity while you’re working the night shift. Like I said, keep your eyes and ears open and report to me every morning. Every detail. Perhaps there’ll be something there to help the investigation. It’s the best way for you to be useful at this point.”

  David nodded. “Of course I’ll do it. They went to twelve-hour shifts, so that’s why you want me to stay up late. I’ll be working all night long.”

  “Not tonight. I just want you to get over there and let Ken brief you on what he will expect out of you, as a guard. But if you stay up as late as you can tonight, it’ll help
you adjust to your new schedule. I know this will be rough.”

  The boy’s eyes were wide, but he nodded. “Six p.m. to six in the morning. But I’ll do my best.”

  “I’ll call Ken and arrange for you to start tomorrow evening. But I want you to show up at five and eat with the other guards coming on shift so you can start getting to know them.”

  David gulped. “You mean eat in the cafeteria? After all those guards were poisoned?”

  Anthony tried to scowl at him. “After being the key word there. Don’t be so squeamish. It will give you the chance to interact not only with your fellow guards but also the second-shift cafeteria workers. Watch and listen and report everything to me. Understood?”

  “Clearly, Chief.” The boy slurped from his mug as he saluted with his free hand.

  Anthony rolled his eyes. “Any questions?”

  “They know I’m security—how do I get them to talk freely around me?”

  “To them you won’t be security anymore. You’ll be surprised how quickly they forget what you used to be and start acting normally around you.”

  He paused for more questions, but David only nodded and concentrated on his coffee. Satisfied he had dealt with that, Anthony crossed the corridor to the lobby and paused at the duty desk where Hope was sitting and smiling.

  He returned the smile. “Hope, do you have any idea where Ben and Susan are?”

  “Officer Wellman is in the conference room doing some reports, as is Officer Courdray. I believe Mr. Laskey is up in the Resource Room, Chief.”

  Of course he is. “I’d appreciate it if you’d go tell Susan I want to see her in my office.”

  Hope slid out of her chair, but Anthony grabbed her arm. “Paul and Sara should be arriving soon for their shift as well. Please send them into my office the second they get here.”

  “The very second, sir?”

  Anthony squinted at the girl. Perhaps it was his imagination, but Hope seemed to be getting cheeky. “As soon as. I need to go up and talk to Ben right now, but I’ll want the other three there ready to get briefed when I come back down.”