“What murders?” the woman shot back. Confusion. She’d seen them on the news but knew nothing otherwise.
The man had concealed everything from her.
“She doesn’t know anything, but bring her along anyway. Keep her apart from him. And I want to talk with those in the last five places. Bring them to the station.”
The officers threw the two in separate vehicles and with lights flashing, they headed out.
“Easy as that?” Red asked as Rivka pointed toward the house. “These things are always so anti-climactic. We’re running with our hair on fire, and then the perp’s in custody. We wipe our hands of it and go on our merry way.”
“I’m happy that we stopped the killer. That we did it quickly, in a relative sense, is an added bonus. We couldn’t have done it without Ankh, our newest and most valuable member of the team.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Jay said, grimacing as she looked in the wardrobe at the smattering of off colors and discordant designs.
They opened drawers and lifted mattresses while they waited for the officer to retrieve the weapon.
“What’s taking so long?” Rivka said and started up the ladder into the attic crawlspace. Red grabbed her.
“You get the feeling that something is wrong? Let me go first,” he said.
Red raised his pistol and pulled his knife. With one in each hand, he carefully climbed the ladder. He poked his head through the opening and ducked back out.
“Officer’s down,” Red whispered. “Looks empty, but no one come up here until I give the all clear.”
He lifted himself through the opening and into the attic, crouching low to move toward the downed petro. The man’s skin had already turned purple. He’d only been dead for a few minutes.
Red examined what he could see before flipping the man over. A needle lashed out from beneath and scratched the back of Red’s hand, burning like fire. Red rubbed it on his vest, clenching his teeth against the pain.
Rivka had climbed the ladder and was watching him.
“Don’t touch the body. Poison trap.” Red cradled his hand as his nanocytes fought against the invading toxin. He studied the flipped body. With his boot, he stomped the activation triggers and destroyed the traps arrayed around the weapon. He poked with the butt of his railgun to make sure there weren’t additional traps before levering the rifle from its place. He held it up. “Got it.”
“Anything else in there?”
Red scooped out a small bag. “Ammunition, and there’s not much of it.” Red stepped aside so Rivka could look in. The scratch on his hand was already closed. He wiggled his fingers. “Still tingling.”
“If that had happened a few months ago, you would have been dead.”
“Maybe. I’m quite the specimen if you haven’t noticed.”
“Really?” Lindy called from the opening where she stood on the ladder. She glanced toward the body. “Is he dead?”
“I’m afraid so,” Rivka replied. She took hold of his ankles. “Grab his arms.”
Red crouched to lift his end of the officer and crab-walked toward the opening. They sat the body upright, and Rivka let him fall over her shoulder before she descended the ladder. The Magistrate continued down the stairs and into the yard. Supra Harpeth groaned and hurried to help.
“There was a trap in the attic. Poison.” Rivka felt bad for the officer and his family. The perp had been caught. There was no reason for anyone else to die. When she’d seen the malice in his mind alongside the image of the rifle, she hadn’t seen the trap he’d set. To him, it was a trivial thing. To the officer on the ground, it had been life and death.
Evil saw the world differently. Psychopaths had no remorse. Ever. Rivka didn’t look forward to further interrogations, but she needed to know.
Where was the bomb-making equipment?
Chapter Thirteen
Rivka’s crew was subdued when they arrived at the law enforcement center. Harpeth hadn’t made it yet since he’d taken the body to the morgue. He also committed to turning the rifle in for forensic examination.
The Magistrate wanted to send a message to the ambassadors, but in a couple of hours, they would be together to talk about the serial killer. In the meantime, Rivka intended to further interrogate the perp.
It appeared that the guvna had different plans. He intercepted Rivka and her crew. “I cannot thank you enough for your help in resolving this case,” he said in a slimy politician’s voice. He thrust out his hand, and when Rivka took it, he pumped hers over-enthusiastically.
Get off my planet! screamed in his mind. Rivka chuckled and pulled him close. “We’re not leaving until I talk to him.”
The guvna’s smile faded slowly. “I’m sorry, but in this matter, we’ve reinstated an ancient law that allows capital punishment. In accordance with Federation Law, if we apply the Federation standard in the adjudication, we can reestablish jurisdiction as long as the accused is a Collum Gate citizen, which he is.”
“You’re refusing to let me see him?” Rivka said in a stone-cold tone. Red rolled his shoulders to make sure his railgun clanked against his gear.
“Refuse? That’s a sensational word. We are freeing you to return to your duties. It’s a big galaxy, and we’re only one small planet. Our issue is between us and our people. We need to resolve it. I’m sure you understand.”
“I do understand, Guvna. I understand that you want to take credit for the apprehension. I don’t care about the credit, but I do care about the resolution. I don’t think he worked alone, and I need to talk with him and get confirmation. That’s what I want. You can grandstand all you want, but I have a case that isn’t closed until I say it’s closed.”
“I’m afraid you have no case. It is back in our hands now. If all goes as we expect, he’ll be executed by this evening.”
“What?” Rivka was outraged. “Why in the hell would you rush that?”
“We have everything we need. Do you know that under our law, an execution is carried out using the convicted’s own weapon?”
Rivka shook her head. She was trying to think through the law, but she was too angry to make sense of it. “We’ll return to my ship, but this isn’t over. Not by a long stretch.”
The guvna held his hands out, palms out by way of an apology. Rivka stormed from the station to find the hover-van parked without a driver.
“Do you think they recalled their driver, now that they consider the case to be closed?”
“Undoubtedly,” Jay said. “It’s what my parents would do. Make the situation so uncomfortable that the person ended up doing what they wanted. Our presence here has been uncomfortable from the word go. Now that you’ve done their job for them, they’re ratcheting up the pressure.”
“You have wisdom beyond your years, Jayita. Thanks for joining the team.”
“I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. I haven’t contributed much on this one, but I will protect Ankh while the others protect you. You two are doing all the legal work. I guess you can refer to me as the hired muscle.” To emphasize her point, Jay lifted her arms and flexed her biceps.
Red laughed out loud, recovered quickly, and went back to watching for threats.
“No driver. Looks like you’re the wheelman, Red.”
“Wheelman in a vehicle with no wheels. No one up front with me, please. Lindy by the side door. Everyone else, stay frosty. I don’t trust anyone on this planet.”
“You’re not alone.” Rivka joined Vered in an examination of the hover-van. A bomb would ruin their day. “Ankh, can you look under there and see if there’s anything that’s not supposed to be there?”
“Why me? Is it because I’m short?” It sounded harsh despite Ankh’s even tone.
“Of course not! It’s because you know electronics and what should or shouldn’t be there.”
“Okay.” Ankh bent down to look under the vehicle. Rivka nodded and held her hand out to show how tall the Crenellian was.
Once A
nkh gave the all-clear, Red climbed in. Jay slid the side door open. “Hang on,” Red told her. “Why don’t you guys stay clear until after it’s running? I mean, put a building between this thing and yourselves.”
“You heard the man,” Rivka told them. Lindy didn’t want to leave. “It’ll be fine. This is for Red’s peace of mind, not ours. Ankh didn’t find anything, and we all trust him, don’t we?”
They trooped to the other side of the parking area. All clear, Rivka passed.
They couldn’t tell that the vehicle was running until Red drove it erratically toward them.
“Maybe we are safer out here,” Lindy ventured. The hover-van settled near them, and the side door popped.
“All aboard!” Red shouted from the driver’s seat.
They reluctantly climbed in. Once they were inside, Red drove without issue, staying in the travel corridors while Ankh worked his magic to ensure traffic control favored their route. When they reached the spaceport, Red maneuvered around the side of the arrivals terminal and accessed the parking area directly using the Magistrate’s carte blanche. They left the van next to Peacekeeper and climbed aboard.
Rivka immediately sequestered herself on the bridge and called Grainger.
Fifteen minutes later, Lindy had showered and changed into something that didn’t have dried blood all over it. Everyone ate something, too, except the Magistrate, who was still behind a closed door.
“She’s pretty mad,” Jay ventured.
“She got her man, but didn’t, and then she was prevented from closing the case. I’ve never seen her not resolve a case. It has to chap her ass,” Red added.
“There is more case,” Ankh said. The others turned to listen. “Erasmus and I planted tracking programs on the communication tendrils leading from our original message. There is a channel that’s still active.”
Lindy and Red looked at each other, jaws clenched as they became angry with the local law enforcement.
“Bureaucrats,” Red said under his breath.
Jay said what needed to be said. “The Magistrate was right. There’s more than one killer.”
Red hurried to the bridge and banged on the hatch before opening it. The Magistrate was pacing, and the High Chancellor was on the screen. “Is that you, Vered?” the older gentleman asked, looking past the bodyguard.
“Lindy is dressed this time,” Red answered, mouth open to continue. The High Chancellor interrupted, speaking quickly.
“That’s not what I was looking for.” The man’s hands appeared on his screen as if trying to avoid a fight.
Red smiled. “I’m surprised you wouldn’t. I can’t stop looking myself, but I need to interrupt you for a word with the Magistrate.” Rivka had stopped walking and stood with her hands behind her back. “Ankh says that one of the comm channels that supported the killer is active. The shooter wasn’t working alone.”
“Are we confirmed that there’s another? An active broadcast isn’t enough hard evidence to pull the case back from the locals. The guy they have in custody is a murderer. But did he commit all the murders? I don’t think so, since Ankh is starting to paint the picture of a conspiracy. I need something a little more solid to wrest the case back into Federation hands.”
“What the locals giveth, the locals taketh away,” the High Chancellor pontificated. “Deliver hard evidence of a second suspect and you can wrest jurisdiction back, but not before. What are you most concerned about?”
Rivka turned to the screen. Wrinkles appeared on her forehead as she shaped her feelings into words. “I’m afraid they are going to put a man to death and the murders won’t stop. They’ll lose face. We’ll lose face, and most importantly, innocents will lose their lives.”
“Your heart is as big as the galaxy itself, Magistrate Rivka Anoa. This is a delicate stage, since the Federation cannot be heavy-handed regarding a member planet’s internal affairs. You may have found the suspect, but how they handle it now is their business. Take care, Rivka. I look forward to seeing how you did what was in the best interest of both Collum Gate and the Federation.” The screen faded to black.
Rivka headed for the rec room, pausing to place a friendly hand on Red’s shoulder and smile at him. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to win this one, but it wouldn’t be for the lack of trying.
“C’mon, Red. We have lives to save.”
The hover-van raced from the spaceport, Red driving like his hair was on fire. Rivka’s team hung on tightly. Red yelled over his shoulder. “They say one hundred and ten kilometers per hour is the speed at which even the best sniper can’t hit the target.”
“That’s also the speed where humans turn into pancakes if you hit something,” Rivka shouted back. “What does your anti-assassination manual say about driving with the windows open?”
“I only have the clear ones open, and none of them are bullet-proof, laser refractive, or shielded, so it’s a moot point.” Red jerked the vehicle through three dimensions, keeping a clear lane ahead for as far as possible.
Ankh threatened to drop a few red lights in Red’s way if he didn’t slow down.
“That would be bad, Ankh!” Red laughed almost maniacally.
“Did you know he was like this?” Rivka asked out the side of her mouth.
Lindy shook her head. “I should have suspected. Driving is one big competition, and he hates to lose.”
“It’s not really a competition,” Rivka replied helplessly.
“We know that...” Lindy left the implication where it was.
Red laughed from deep within his broad chest. He continued to change travel lanes as necessary to maintain the momentum. When he arrived at the Forum, he finally slowed. Ambassadors and other alien delegates were already arriving.
After they were notified that the meeting had been compromised, they hadn’t canceled it, as Rivka had wished. They’d doubled down and moved it forward in time.
The Magistrate jumped from the van while it was settling to the ground. “Catch her!” Red shouted into the back. Lindy pulled herself past Jay and Ankh, dived out the door and sprinted after Rivka. The last two passengers climbed out, Jay hovering protectively over the Crenellian.
Red lowered the hover-van to the ground and bolted from it, locking it as he ran.
“Hold up!” Lindy called when she caught up with the Magistrate. Rivka continued to walk quickly, stomping her feet in aggravation with each new step. “If a murderer is around here, running into the open isn’t the best way to let Red and me do our jobs. Let us protect you, Magistrate. At least let us try.”
Rivka slowed and let Lindy get beside her. Red flowed to the other side, and they continued toward the indoor amphitheater called the Forum. Jay and Ankh rushed after them, but the Crenellian wasn’t good at running. His pace resembled that of an old man trying to use a broken walker.
Jay wasn’t strong enough yet to carry him while running. She cursed herself for self-indulgence when she should have been preparing for the next battle like Red and Lindy. Hell, like everyone but her. She was instantly ashamed, and the adrenaline strengthened her resolve not to hold the team back. She hoisted the dense alien and jogged toward the others. She was out of breath when she reached them at the doors.
Red was arguing with the guard. Rivka was trying to get out from behind him to state her case on why they had to let her in. Red finally stepped to the side, even though he was prepared to butt-stroke the guard and remove him from their path.
“I am a Federation Magistrate on Federation business,” she declared. He didn’t bother checking the screen to see if she was an invitee. She held up her credentials, which listed her in the same capacity as a head of state. She prided herself on being able to talk her way into places, saving her creds for when her powers of persuasion failed.
“Fine,” the guard replied, trying to sound bored. “But you can only bring one lackey.”
Rivka raised a hand before Red could pummel the man.
“All of them. My entourage is indi
spensable, and they will all accompany me. You understand that my credentials grant me complete latitude in bringing my party with me.”
“Just one.” The guard insisted.
“You are now in violation of Federation Law regarding diplomats. I refer you to Appendix D, Chapter Seven, Section 1. The punishment isn’t harsh, but you are preventing me from performing my duties. This will hurt me more than you,” she promised.
“What are you going to do?” He planted his feet shoulder-width apart and crossed his arms over his chest.
With the speed that her nano-enhancements allowed, she kneed him in the groin, lifting him off the ground. When he touched down, he crumpled, turning into a puddle on the ground like ice cream on Keome.
“You have been judged,” Rivka declared.
“She warned you, dumbass.” Red was more to the point.
“One more thing.” Rivka leaned close, appreciating the tears running from the clenched eyes of the moaning man. “Make sure no one enters after us. I believe there is going to be an attack.”
She swayed past on her way to the interior, where the team found at least a hundred people.
“We need to get them all out of here if you think there’s going to be an attack. You’re thinking bomb, aren’t you?” Red’s eyes darted around the area, looking for optimal points to place an explosive. He scoured the rafters for balloons of poison gas, and next were recesses where a bomb could be hidden behind ad hoc projectiles.
“It’s too big, Magistrate. We can’t search this place without it taking all night.” Red moved in front of the Magistrate, offering his body to absorb the impact should there be an explosion.
“We’re in this together, Red,” Rivka stated, gently pushing past her bodyguard. He followed closely. Lindy, Jay, and Ankh joined them. “No, you guys get out of here!”
“That’s not how it works.” Jay’s resolve rang through her words. “We go where you go.”
“I don’t have time to argue, but when we get back to the ship, we’re going to iron this out.”
“I look forward to being alive to go back to the ship,” Jay replied.
Judge, Jury, & Executioner Boxed Set Page 51