by Pam Uphoff
"That's pretty conclusive." Koil was all bright eyed. "My first major break!"
Ra'd glared.
"No. There's one more thing I want to look into." Ebsa turned toward the city center. "I want to talk to the coroner."
"It's almost midnight. We'd better come back in the morning." Koil sighed. "Early. Why?"
"I want to know what Edge was wearing. If that was his gi he threw at Wedge, then he probably went upstairs to change clothes. So his death had nothing to do with Nighthawk at all."
Paer nodded. "And I'm going to send a copy of both the security recording and Koil's interview to Paris." She looked over her shoulder at the two hovering guards. "Assuming that someone will indeed follow orders."
The York News led with "Nighthawk was Endi's Lovechild" in all caps, size extra large. And below it "Will Endi Seek Revenge for the Execution of his Murderous Daughter?"
By the time they saw it, it had been picked up by other papers, the famous spy's absence from Disco was known, his current whereabouts were not known . . .
The coroner glared. "Of course he died from the fall down the stairs. Multiple injuries from the tumble. That was no judo throw, whatever starry-eyed nonsense you news idiots are trying to pull. Want a picture?" He tapped a keyboard, a picture flashed up on the screen. Fortunately face down. Blood and . . . whatever, twisted limbs stretching back up the stairs. Dark shirt and slacks.
Ebsa glanced back at Koil.
"Got it." She looked pale.
"Got what?" The coroner looked irritated.
They swapped glances. Nods.
"Security footage, from the next door neighbor's porch." Ebsa slid a memory card into the reader. "Note that they are both wearing karate gear. White. Note that Nighthawk stops on the porch and refuses his invitation. Note that he pulls her in. Note that she comes right back out.
"Please especially note that not enough time passed for Edge to run upstairs and change into the black shirt and slacks he died in. Then note the object thrown from inside at the laughing man who claimed to have found his friend dead at the base of the stairs. It looks rather like a white karate jacket."
"Oh . . . One."
"Simple canvassing of the neighborhood should have turned that up. They ran a cursory questioning of a few neighbors, and confiscated the records of the next door neighbor. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt, and assuming they didn't actually look at the recordings. They didn't actually want to find anything. They knew what happened. Wedge and City told them. But they had a war to start. Keep the card. We've got lots of copies." Ebsa turned his back on the coroner. "C'mon, let's go talk to the Chief of Police."
They were turned away at the door of the Police Headquarters building.
"We need to find him in public and accost him." Paer wiped at tears on her cheeks.
Koil shook her head. "I have to go write this up. Upload the vid. I have to."
"Yeah. Go." Ebsa looked at his watch. "Not that I've studied, mind you, but we could go take the Intro to Magic test. And once that vid airs, I suspect we'll be arrested and dragged in to see Chief Wrde."
They all nodded, and ran for the bus. Made it in time to hustle through the questions. Some of them he used common sense to answer, some were "common knowledge" and few he remembered from the lectures. And for some he just picked a random answer. It was the best he could do, and he'd just have to take it over again next semester.
A mix of campus and city police were waiting outside the lecture hall.
"So whose bright idea was that? Faking evidence in a criminal case is a felony." A city policeman, looking belligerent.
Ra'd stalked up to him. "Do you have evidence that my recordings are not copies of genuine security footage? I doubt there's been enough time for you lot to fake up some good counter evidence."
Ebsa eyed him.
:: I have an idea. Stay close, if you can. :: Ra'd mental voice was choked down to a minimum, but the focused attention of a hunter with his prey in sight was strong.
"All right, that's enough to guarantee you a ride downtown. Put both your hands up . . ."
Oh shit . . . Ra'd I'm trusting you to know what you're doing!
Ebsa crossed his arms and lifted his chin. "We're going to advertise for car cam recordings of the incident. I'm willing to bet we'll get plenty of corroboration of our evidence."
That earned Ebsa a policeman all his own to loom at him.
"You were in the vid, claiming to be a reporter. I think you need to place your hands on the wall . . . "
I can only hope my mother never hears about this! They were whisked away in separate police cars.
Police headquarters. Twelve floors of modern stone and glass. Filling the whole block except for a narrow landscaped verge and the centuries-old oaks lining the street.
He was starting to really hate it.
Ebsa spent three hours repeating everything they'd discovered, every damning abuse of the justice system to a stream of policemen. The last group was led by a short blonde man. What's-his-name from that dinner at Government House.
"Yid, check that security company. See when it was hacked, versus when that footage was first replayed. Onri? Find the other kid and see what he's saying." Two young men ducked out. Shorty looked at one of the city cops. "I don't see any evidence to charge him, or even hold him."
The cop scowled. "Right." He turned and stomped out.
Shorty looked at the last cop. "Uncuff him."
The man growled, and complied, lifting Ebsa's hands just a bit too high to be comfortable as he was released, and shoved him out of his chair. "Get out of here."
Shorty gestured him out. Frowned at the collection of men in suits waiting in the hallway. "I'm Subdirector Izzo, Interior. Usually Pacific Region, but Urfa wanted me on this." He glanced back at Ebsa. "Why don't you head home, and I'll concentrate on springing Ra'd?"
"Sorry, all out of trust, just now. I think I'll come with you."
Shorty—Izzo—eyed him, but shrugged. Eyed the suits silently, then turned and walked away.
Ebsa trailed him through a short maze of hallways and into an interrogation room that looked just like the one he'd left.
Ra'd had an oozing scrape on his left cheek bone, and was developing a beauty of a black eye.
The chief looked around and glared at Izzo. "You are out of your jurisdiction."
"Oh? Planning another murder are you? Without even the scant cover of a closed trial this time? I'm not leaving without Ra'd."
The chief stiffened. "Are you implying . . . "
"Of course he is, you moron." Ra'd sneered. "Or is that eunuch moron?"
"I'm sick and tired of your attitude, Wuck Lou. Boy from Makkah. Where does an asshole without a single relative to his name get off insulting an officer of the law? Do you think you're a better man than I am?"
"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I'm certain I'm a better man than you. I have never committed a cold-blooded Judicial Murder."
"Listen you stupid little punk . . . " The policeman's grin spread. "Why, I do believe the reason you're running frantically about counterfeiting evidence is guilt. Did you kill Edge?"
Ra'd rattled his handcuffs and lifted his nose. "I know my rights. If you want to truth me, get a contract and two priests to monitor it. I'll sign the contract, but only with the priests present." He glanced over Ebsa's head. "And the newspersons. I'm sure they'll want to record this."
Ebsa swallowed. How much of what we've done is illegal? Car theft, ID tampering . . . the chief probably has a century of experience controlling a truth session . . . "Ra'd, don't be stupid. Excuse us, Chief Wrde but we have classes in the morning. If you could just take off those handcuffs I'll get him out of here . . ." He glanced toward the door. One! Jiffy the reporter and Koil the student reporter. She's recording this already. And all those important looking people in suits . . . there's the External Director, again. And . . . that's some politician, right? Ra'd is screwed.
"Hold it right there, smart
ass. I'll get to you soon enough. Wqlw Withione Nicholas Makkah, you are under arrest for suspicion of obstructing justice. We'll escalate the charges after we find out how naughty you've been." Wrde's grin widened. "And how many of your friends helped you."
Chapter Twenty-one
15 Ramadan 1402 yp
"He can't sign the contract with his hands cuffed behind his back. Won't sign it until the Priests are here to witness everything." Ebsa tried to keep his voice neutral, knew he was failing badly.
The chief glowered his direction. "He stays cuffed until the priests get here." He returned the glower to Subdirector Izzo. "So, does Efge know you've turned into one of Urfa's little pets?"
Ebsa edged around and thumped Ra'd on the shoulder. The most shielded flash of power he was capable of, the faintest hint of a merge . . . :: You're going to need to use my complexity. ::
:: Yes. ::
Izzo shrugged. "Of course. Efge's much too canny to leap at an opportunity before he thoroughly scouts the pitfalls. Pity you weren't so cautious."
"What? You believe that faked security record?"
A stir at the door. Two priests, in the traditional arab robes so many adopted. One dark, one light. Otherwise nearly indistinguishable.
"Right. Uncuff him." The chief grabbed the paper an aide offered and signed it.
Ra'd rubbed his wrists and took the pen. Signed the paper.
Both Priests signed.
Four people, all swearing that they are voluntarily opening their minds to each other. They will merge. They will all see everything. Including things ordinarily walled off. The chief will order Ra'd to lower even his innermost barriers. Or rather, the merge will require it. The chief, leading, will direct the questions away from anything that might implicate himself.
Ra'd . . .have you miscalculated, or are we about to see how strong you really are?
Ebsa felt the merge, faint in the forefront of his mind. Stiffened his inner barriers as hard as he could. They must not know I'm here. Must not feel that Ra'd is holding a second merge. He stepped back and leaned casually against the wall.
They sat around the table, like his mother and her pals trying to have a séance.
Hands touched. And the mental glow brightened. He dare not raise his outer shields, cut Ra'd off from whatever help he could give. Ra'd's a virgin, I'm a father. Maybe. I've got a complexity to my magic that Ra'd lacks. That he needs, right now. Ebsa set himself to endure as the four glows became one.
:: Why are you investigating? ::
The chief doesn't really have anything to ask Ra'd. He's just fishing for something to charge him with.
:: Because you didn't. Show me what you learned from Wedge. :: Not a question, a demand.
A mental explosion as the priests tried to override Ra'd . . . and failed. Ra'd's solid gleaming strength shocked them :: Obey me. I am a Warrior of the One and I will have the truth, here and now. ::
The chief tried to wrench his mind out of the merge.
The priests held him. Ra'd borrowed complexity wormed through the Chief's shields. Power flowed, the merge deepened.
"You can't do this to me! I'm the expert, I always control . . . "
:: You have just made a serious mistake. Over confidence can be dangerous. Tell me, show me, how you found out about Edge's death. ::
Mental thrashing, but the chief couldn't escape. :: My nephew called me. An opportunity to hurt Xen Wolfson. I called the Governor. Orcu saw it as a chance to destroy Comet Fall, to make a war look like their fault. Just half an hour after a fight with that native girl, Edge fell down the stairs, and was quite indisputably dead. ::
:: Communications with Europe . . . ::
:: Orcu's tech hacked into the system, took down the cable traffic . . . Satellite transmissions were already bad, due to sunspots, just a bit more and it looked natural. Just for a few hours, until we could block your specific communications. ::
Ebsa held his outer shields open, his head throbbing.
Voices . . . he realized the men were saying out loud what he was 'hearing' mentally. Hope the vid cams can get that.
:: Director Ujmw was delighted to hold a drill, block all communications and traffic to Embassy. He didn't know why, and came to find out. And withdrew quickly. He said we were fools. But he continued the drill. :: The chief squirmed mentally, still fighting. Angry, knowing he was losing.
:: We were fools. I'm a fool. You tricked me. But it doesn't matter. She's dead, and there will be a war. We have enough on the president's daughter now that we can control him. Damned pacifist can't stop us now. ::
"Nighthawk was pulled through the door," Ra'd murmured.
Their voices were getting louder, the merge loosening.
"Yes, City saw, from down the block."
"Edge was furious, changed clothes, tripped."
Chief Wrde gritted his teeth, and tried again to leave the merge. Failed. "Over a side table he'd kicked over. Furious, her fault."
"And you deliberately . . . "
"Sent the judge to the One because he didn't know squat, imbecile with a brain tumor, we'd have never gotten that evidence past any other judge."
"You murdered Nighthawk." The shake of anger in Ra'd voice was echoed in the painfully sharp flicks of power in his glow.
"Stupid native girl. Pity I never got a chance to fuck her."
The merge snapped. Ebsa slammed his shields closed. Deep breathing, fists clenched.
Ra'd was a solid ball of fury, hands clenched on the table edge for control.
Wrde surged to his feet, hands reaching for Ra'd's throat.
Ebsa threw himself forward. Grabbed the Chief's wrists and pushed him back. He released the chief's left hand and twisted the right up behind his back. "I'd advise against touching him, right now," He reached for the cuffs laying there on the table and snapped one around the chief's wrist.
Izzo brought the man's other hand around and Ebsa cuffed that one too.
Damn, I'm sort of overstepping . . . oh to hell with it.
"Wrde Withione, you are under arrest for malfeasance in office and premeditated murder through the deliberate obstruction of court proceedings." Ebsa paused. "Well. I expect there will be other charges too."
"Got that from a vid show, sonny? You're as good as dead."
"Oh yeah, you have the right to remain silent. You have . . . err."
Izzo snorted. "I believe I had better take over now." He looked over his shoulder. Horrified policemen. The older men in suits, External Director Ujmw and other important looking people he probably ought to recognize . . .
They all listened in, mentally and physically. They heard it all.
Izzo studied the other policemen. "Actually, Senior Investigator? Take over. You will send people to arrest Wdge and Icty. Did you catch all the people involved? Good. Arrest all of them as well. Then we'll start sorting them out." Izzo stared at the man. "Anything even slightly out of line will look even worse. A single accidental death will result in the decimation of this department. Stay on top of your people."
Ra'd flicked a glance at Ebsa. "Check on the others, while I get the paperwork processed."
Ebsa nodded and slipped away. All the electronic security let him pass. Guess I'm not under arrest any more. Well, I wasn't formally arrested. Drat. Can't put that on my exciting resume.
The main doors faced west, the setting sun gleamed through breaks in the clouds as he trotted down the steps, until the tall oaks hid it. The others were waiting in the dark shadows under the trees. Professor Ivy and Sensei Arvi were there. Glued to Azko's monster. They were watching a vid cast of the truthing. And looking shocked.
Only Paer looked up as Ebsa joined them.
"Ra'd completely turned the tables on the chief. That guy Urfa sent, Izzo, has arrested the chief. Ra'd ought to be out shortly."
"I know. I think Ra'd was broadcasting most of that. Probably every Oner within a kilometer radius saw what that man did. And now the vid is being streamed." Professor Ivy s
cowled. "I don't believe this is happening. How the One Bloody Hell could they pervert the One?"
"Because the One is divided and weak. And political. Don't fool yourself about that." Paer blinked away tears. "There he is."
Arvi and Ivy headed up the steps.
Heak's breath caught. "Is that the Governor of North America?"
Ah. That's who that is. Pity they didn't arrest him immediately. I'll just have to hope that will happen soon. "Let's just stay down here, and keep out of this vid." Ebsa watched Koil slip to the side, stepping back into the shadows and aiming her shoulder-mounted video camera.
Ra'd turned away from all the officials and walked down three steps. He stopped and looked up at the sky. The patchy cloud cover was leaking a bit of moonlight to augment the lights around the entrance. He stood still for a long moment. Then he glowed. No words. A mental impression. Kissing Nighthawk. Love. Lust. Then Ra'd's shields clamped down hard.
Ra'd turned back to the cluster of powerful men. "Oh, perhaps I should mention that Captain Wolfson arrived at the last moment and swapped a morphed lamb for Nighthawk. She's alive. Home, no doubt."
Startled movements up the stairs and down under the trees.
Ebsa dived to catch the monster as Azko fumbled it.
"What!" Paer's incredulous yelp.
Ra'd was frowning at Izzo. "He's really pissed, but I suspect that's a lot less dangerous than grieving. Perhaps, with a bit of good faith and honesty we can dodge a war. Not that any of you lot seemed to care about the lives of soldiers, or anything else but your perverted power games."
He turned his back to them and sidestepped Ivy and Arvi.
The light on Koil's vid cam was still green.
She caught the glares of every one of the powerful men she was recording and smirked. "Good thing I'm streaming all this back to the office, isn't it? I wonder how much of it they've already broadcast?"