by John Bowers
“But you’re not a bad person, Nick. If you did bad things, it was because you had to.”
He nodded again. “Trouble is, it got to the point that I enjoyed doing them. That’s what scared me.”
She looked into his eyes, her lips parted with wonder.
“Do you still enjoy it?” she dared to ask.
Nick hesitated, then thought back to recent events—shooting Capt. Guthrie, shooting Benny Silva, laying Turd Murdoch out with his .44. He blinked once and met her open gaze with trepidation in his eyes. He nodded slowly.
“Yeah. I do.”
Chapter 24
Nick made love to Misery again, then they shared coffee and conversation for an hour.
“How long will you be gone?” she asked as he strapped on his gun belt and snugged the .44 under his shoulder.
“Couple of hours, maybe. After I see Maynard I want to run by the office for a little bit. If you want to hang around it wouldn’t break my heart. I’m sure we could find something to do for the rest of the day.”
She giggled and bit him on the ear.
“Maybe I’ll grab a nap and charge up my batteries. I feel like electricity already.”
He took her head in both hands and they mated mouths, exploring with their tongues, then he let her go. He was already becoming aroused.
“Two hours,” he said. “Tops.”
He went out the door.
Nick stepped across the hall and knocked on Judge Maynard’s door; she let him in with a smile.
“Good morning, Nick! Enjoy your night out?”
He stepped inside and she locked the door behind him. “Who said I had a night out?”
“Well, you said you had plans, it was Friday night—I took a wild guess. Ready for some coffee?”
He wasn’t—he was all coffee’d out—but he said yes. Monica poured him a cup and set it on her dining table, ushering him into a chair across from her. She was wearing a white bathrobe that contrasted nicely with her dark skin, and showed him more skin than was necessary. She had apparently also put on some perfume, and smelled magnificent.
“How’s your investigation going?”
He shot her a blank look. “Which investigation?”
“Whichever one you’re afraid to talk about. Farrington Industries, isn’t it?” She locked gazes with him, an open challenge. Nick’s eyes narrowed minutely.
“What do you want to know?”
“I’d like to know what you’re investigating. Maybe I can help.”
“You invited me over on a Saturday morning to ask me that?”
She waved a careless hand. “It’s too hectic through the week. You’ve seen how it is.”
“Yeah, it does look pretty wild.”
“I sensed your urgency the other day; I could tell it was important to you, and I thought, well, maybe it would be easier if you could talk to someone who was around when it happened. Whatever it was.”
Nick nodded slowly, turning his coffee cup with his fingers.
“You’ve been a judge how long?”
“Almost nine years. I’ve sat on hundreds of cases. Thousands.”
“You can’t possibly remember them all.”
“Of course not. Most of them are routine plead-outs and no contests, but a lot of others stand out. And I have records.”
Nick pursed his lips briefly, then made a show of coming to a decision.
“Do you remember a defendant named Nikki Green?”
Monica blinked once, then frowned in thought.
“Nikki Green. That does sound familiar. About two years ago?”
Nick nodded. “She bit a man’s ear off.”
Monica snapped her fingers and pointed at him. “That was it. I remember now.”
“Whatever happened to her?”
“She went to lockup. I think I gave her a year.”
“She said she was defending herself from rape, but you convicted her.”
Monica looked surprised at his accusing tone. “Nick, she bit off a man’s ear! That’s a pretty serious injury.”
“Not life threatening.”
“It’s disfigurement! In a Terrestrial court she might have gotten more than a year.”
“She said she’d been raped. The medical report seems to back that up. You didn’t believe her?”
“The testimony was four to one, Nick. It wouldn’t be the first time a woman cried rape just because things got a little too rough.”
“You think that’s what happened?”
“I don’t know! Maybe she agreed to do one of them and he brought his friends. Maybe she agreed to do three of them and they brought a fourth. In some of these cases it’s impossible to tell who’s lying and who isn’t. In a lot of cases everyone involved is lying, so good luck at getting the truth.”
Nick sipped his coffee, giving her a moment.
“What about reasonable doubt? I saw a picture of that girl. She had vid-star looks. She could get any man in Solar System with the wink of an eye. Why would she voluntarily fuck four microbe-infested creeps from Ceres?”
Monica’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.
“Nick…are you accusing me of something?”
He shrugged. “You said you wanted to help. Help me understand this.”
She stood up and turned away, tightening her bathrobe at the throat. She took a few steps across the room, then turned back.
“It isn’t easy being a judge, Nick. Sometimes you can rely on your instincts, but other times your instinct is dead wrong. I’ve made a couple of serious errors that I regret making, but all I can do is move forward and try not to repeat them. As much as possible, I rely on the evidence presented in court, the same as a jury would do—”
“But you have better resources than a jury. You can rule to exclude evidence, which means you get to see the evidence beforehand. You can’t be one hundred percent impartial all the time.”
“That’s true. I am human and prone to mistakes, but the good news is that I only sit in judgment of the minor cases. Big stuff always goes to a jury.”
“By ‘big stuff’ you mean murder and rape?”
“Yes, felonies that draw long sentences. In the smaller cases, like assault and minor theft, we’re talking about short sentences, so if I get it wrong I’m not stealing someone’s entire lifetime.”
“What’s the average sentence for something like that?”
“Three months to a year, sometimes even less.”
“You gave her a year and a day—”
“Because it was a felony. That’s the minimum I could give.”
“But where is she now?”
Monica blinked. “What do you mean?”
“That was two years ago. I checked the records, at least the ones I can access, and I found no indication that she was ever released. According to Airlock Authority records she never left the asteroid, and there’s no death certificate on file.”
Monica was frowning in alarm.
“What are you saying, Nick?”
“I think she’s still a prisoner in lockup.”
“But—that’s impossible! Her time would have been served a year ago.”
“Exactly. Where is she now?”
Monica took her chair again, a little unsteadily. “You’re sure she wasn’t released?”
“No, I’m not sure. That’s why I’m asking. There’s no record of her release in the courthouse database.”
“But—why would Farrington Security keep her if her time was up? What’s in it for them?”
“Twenty-five terros a day.” And another year of good-ole-boy rape and torture, he didn’t add. “Can you find out?”
“Yes, of course. I’ll do it right away.” She stood again and headed for the comm set.
“Monica, wait.”
She turned back. “What?”
“Don’t call just yet. I’m waiting to hear from Dave Tarpington.”
“About what?”
“About this, what we’re talking about.�
��
“You told Tarpington? Why didn’t you come to me first?”
“I saw him last night in a bar. He was there, so I asked him. He promised to look into it this morning.”
Monica stood there a moment, looking indecisive. He saw her swallow involuntarily, and his scalp tingled in sudden awareness. Jesus Christ! She’s scared!
“Well…” She sat down again. “If he doesn’t get any answers, then I’ll look into it.”
“Fair enough. In the meantime, I need a favor.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“I need a warrant. To inspect the Farrington lockup.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What for?”
“I think they’re abusing prisoners there.”
“Based on what?”
“Based on several things—my own observation of how they treat prisoners in the courtroom; information I received from a CI; and the fact that when I requested permission to look around they got downright hostile. That makes me real suspicious.”
She considered that for a moment, looking, he thought, indecisive…again.
“I’m afraid that’s not enough, Nick. What you saw in the courtroom happened in the courtroom—”
“Exactly! If they did that in the courtroom where they could be observed, how much worse is it behind stone walls where no one can see?”
“—testimony from a CI is always hearsay,” she continued, “and their hostility toward you could be interpreted any number of ways.”
“Like what?”
“Personality clash, for one. Their perception of your attitude when you requested permission…they could argue any number of scenarios. I need something more definitive.”
“Okay, how about this—if Nikki Green is still in lockup a year past her release date, does that qualify?”
She gazed at him for a long moment, breathing slowly.
“It could be just a clerical error,” she said finally.
“Yes, it could. It could also be something a whole lot worse! Christ, Monica, doesn’t anything make you suspicious!”
“As a matter of fact, yes! I’m starting to wonder why you’re so hell-bent on getting inside Farrington! You’ve been after them since the day you got here! What the hell do you expect to find?”
Nick was silent a moment, watching her, judging her demeanor. Her pulse had increased, as evidenced by her heavy breathing, and her hands were trembling slightly. The gleam was gone from her eyes as she glared at him. So far he’d told her only a little of what he suspected, and her reaction surprised him. She actually seemed to be defending Farrington Industries, and that was out of character for the woman he thought he knew. His skin tingled at the possible implications and he hoped he was wrong. There was one way to find out.
“I think Farrington is dirty,” he said quietly.
“You th—what! What do you mean, dirty? Dirty how? What the hell are you talking about!”
“Dirty,” he repeated. “Inside and out, top to bottom. Dirty, rotten, putrid, starting with the Farrington brothers themselves. I think they acquired their holdings illegally and hurt a lot of people along the way.”
Her mouth had dropped open and she stared at him as if he had two heads.
“Nick, what—where did you get this idea? What kind of…evidence do you have?”
He reached across the table and seized her wrist, squeezing it lightly.
“You give me that warrant and I’ll find out for sure. I’ll either hang them or I’ll clear them. And if I’m wrong I will not only leave them alone, I will publicly apologize in the Solar System press. And pay restitution for any harm I’ve caused.”
He leaned back and held her gaze while an array of emotions danced across her face.
“So, can I have the warrant?”
She looked away finally, then glanced back.
“Let’s see what Tarpington finds out. If that girl is still there, then you can have the warrant.”
Nick smiled and relaxed a little. If she had said anything other than what she’d just said, he would have been forced to add her to his list of suspects. It felt really good to be wrong.
“Nick.” She was staring across the room at the holo-fireplace. “Do you have any idea what would happen if Farrington got shut down? How many lives would be affected?”
“You’re talking about the water supply to the Outer Worlds?”
“Yes.” She turned to face him again. “And Mars, and every settlement in the Belt. Not to mention the jobs that would be lost here on Ceres. This asteroid would dry up.”
“There are three other companies.”
“Yes, but all three combined don’t produce a fraction of the water that Farrington does. It may titillate your moral fancy to shut them down over a few technical issues, but if you did that it would harm literally millions of people.”
Her gaze intensified, her brow tightened.
“You do understand that, I hope. Don’t you?”
He nodded again.
“Yes, I am aware of all that. I hope all that can be avoided. But one thing you need to understand about me, Monica, is that I would do it anyway. In the Star Marines we had a policy—leave no one behind. Call me youthful or idealistic or whatever clichés you care to apply, but I am not prepared to sacrifice one innocent person for the so-called ‘greater good’.”
His jaw clenched firmly.
“You can take that to the ATM.”
Government Annex - Ceres
He had just parked the E-car in Government Annex when his porta-phone rang.
“Nick Walker.”
“Nick, it’s Dave. I just talked to someone in Farrington lockup.”
Nick’s pulse quickened. He stood in the artificial sunlight and felt it warm his skin.
“What did you find out?”
“Nothing.”
“They wouldn’t talk to you?”
“Oh, they did talk to me, but there was nothing to report.”
Nick frowned. “I don’t get it.”
“My friend works in prison records. She did several searches and did not find any indication that Nikki Green was ever released.”
Nick’s heart surged with adrenaline. “Then we’ve got ‘em!”
“Not so fast, there, Solarman, that’s not all.”
“I’m listening.”
“There’s also no record she was ever locked up. Her name didn’t come up anywhere, past or present.”
Nick turned in a circle, staring at the ground.
“Whoa-whoa-whoa, what are you talking about! We know she was sent there!”
“Yeah, well, we thought we did. According to court records she was sent there for incarceration, but she was never logged in as a prisoner.”
“That doesn’t make any sense!”
“Maybe it does. If she was never logged in, she wouldn’t have to be logged out. You said she was a hot body, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, from the flat photo in her file.”
“And didn’t you just kill two Farrington Security guys for trying to steal a pair of other hot bodies a few days ago?”
Nick felt suddenly weak, and leaned back against the E-car.
“Oh, Jesus Christ! You think they’re pimping her?”
“I dunno, but it would seem to fit. I think you need to get inside that lockup, my friend. And I’ll tell you something else—when you do, I’m going with you.”
Centerville - Ceres
“Hello?”
“How did it go with Walker?”
“Not well.”
“Explain.”
“He’s idealistic and single minded.”
“What’s his agenda?”
“He found out about Nikki Green.”
Long silence.
“How much does he know?”
“He knows she should have been released a year ago. And he’s pretty sure she wasn’t.”
“Can you head him off?”
“I tried. I gave him the song and dance about the greater good, but
he isn’t buying it. He sees this as some kind of moral crusade.”
“Sell it to him.”
“I can’t! If I try, he’ll suspect me!”
“Did you do the fur and pole trick?”
“No, he’s too smart for that. Besides, I think he’s found another fur.”
Silence.
“You better figure something out. You have a lot at stake here, and killing a U.F. Marshal has got to be the absolute last resort.”
“Goddammit! I’m a Federation judge! I’m too high profile to do what you want! I can only do so much.”
“Do more. Charley’s counting on you.”
Click.
Tears. Sobs.
The comm rang again.
Chapter 25
Government Annex - Ceres
Nick unlocked the office and stepped inside, turning on the lights. The coffee pot was on, which indicated that someone had been there, but whoever was working wasn’t here now. Nick sat down at his desk, his head spinning. He briefly ran through things he had to do and prioritized them in his mind, then reached for the comm and punched in a number. It rang six times.
“Hello?”
Her video was off, but Monica Maynard sounded weak and subdued, as if she’d just woke up…or been crying.
“Monica, this is Nick. I need that search warrant.”
He heard a cough, then she blew her nose. She coughed again.
“Sorry about that, Nick. My allergies are flaring up, I guess.”
Allergies? On Ceres?
“Maybe you’re allergic to me,” he said. “I just left there.”
Her laugh sounded strained. “I don’t think that’s it. So…”
“Search warrant.”
“You found the girl? She’s still there?”
“No, she isn’t there…well, she may be, but I won’t know until I go over there and look for myself.”
“I don’t understand. You still need probable cause, and this isn’t it.”
“I think it is. The girl was never logged in as an inmate—”