Cabal of Lies

by Michael Anderle

  “I fully expect to go to and die in prison,” Kandarian admitted. “But I’m a man of some reputation.”

  “I didn’t know who you were before all this,” Erik commented with a smirk.

  Kandarian’s easy smile finally flickered. “Be that as it may, my arrest and imprisonment will probably do more to spread my message than I could ever have accomplished with my pawns. The people of Earth and the rest of the United Terran Confederation will think about what I have done and why I’ve done it, and they’ll come to agree with me.”

  “You are an antisocial murderer who happens to be wealthy.” Jia wrinkled her nose as if the man smelled. “You’ve failed, and somebody not pure helped stop you.”

  Kandarian craned his head upward, smiling at the sky. “At least I fought for something I believe in. I’ll grant your partner that as well, Detective Lin. Being bested by someone with some soul left isn’t so bad.”

  Erik sighed. “Whatever you have to tell yourself.”

  “There’s one thing I still don’t understand,” Jia asked. “Where does the data rod from the bank fit in with all of this?”

  “It was exactly what I told you before—a rival.” Kandarian chuckled. “I already took measures to punish them. Don’t worry, I simply crushed their company through shell moves. I don’t know how they became aware of the data rod, but it unfortunately didn’t only contain information on my business dealings, but also certain information that would have led to the discovery of my more recent Purist projects.”

  “And that’s why you wouldn’t let us take a look,” Jia concluded.

  “When you came to talk to me the first time, I worried my plan would be uncovered.” Kandarian sighed. “So I decided to deal with Detective Blackwell, both to disrupt your investigation and also to serve my own interests. I suppose it was a mistake in the end.”

  Erik’s eyes narrowed. “How far does your Purism go?”

  “It’s complete,” Kandarian answered. “Why do you ask?”

  “Would you eat a beignet made with Navigator technology?”

  Jia eyed him before she scrubbed a hand down her face.

  Kandarian blinked as if having trouble processing the question. He stared at Erik. “Excuse me?”

  Several of the other nearby cops turned toward each other for clarification, but everyone looked just as confused as Kandarian.

  Erik spoke slower and enunciated each individual word as if speaking to a child. “Would you eat a beignet made with Navigator technology?”

  “That doesn’t make sense.” The old man’s shoulders slumped, sighing. “Perhaps I overestimated my opponent.”

  Erik smiled as Jia turned to go. “We still beat you.”

  He followed his partner out.

  Chapter Forty-One

  September 1, 2229, Neo Southern California Metroplex, En Route to Police Enforcement Zone 122 Station

  Following the Kandarian arrests, things were quiet.

  Erik and Jia weren’t even assigned any new cases. While the captain and the chief wondered if there would be a wave of extremist Purist terrorism, nothing out of the ordinary happened.

  It was as if the entire metroplex was breathing a sigh of relief, grateful that a repeat of some of the brutal terrorism of the previous year hadn’t happened. That didn’t assure that no trouble would come in the future.

  A thought not lost on Jia.

  Thoughts of trouble swirled in her mind and provided one of the reasons she asked Malcolm and Camila to come to lunch with them. There were different types of trouble, and different resources were useful in dealing with them.

  The two detectives, the technician, and the coroner had a pleasant enough meal and were now on their way back to the station. Jia estimated she had a relatively narrow window to broach the topic of conversation haunting her, but she wanted to wait for the right moment.

  While Erik and Jia sat up front, Malcolm sat in the back next to Camila, all but drooling, but his state had nothing to do with his girlfriend sitting next to me.

  “I can’t get over how ridiculously cool this flitter is.” He sighed as he ran his hand over the seat. “Too bad I can’t afford one, and that’s before all the modifications Detective Blackwell’s made. I used to think, ‘I’m not a flitter guy,’ but this MX 60 has made me change my mind.”

  Erik chuckled.

  “You should have taken my bribe,” Camila suggested with a wicked grin.

  “But that was just a test,” Malcolm complained.

  “Maybe.” She winked and turned toward the front. “Are we ever going to get to the real reason you invited us out to eat? The food was nice, but I was going to work through lunch on a report today, so I’d like to know this all wasn’t a waste of my time.”

  Jia’s heart rate kicked up.

  Of course, an Intelligence Directorate agent would sense the deception. She had to keep reminding herself that even though Camila wasn’t a pistol-toting death machine like Alina, she was just as dangerous in her own way.

  “Real reason?” Malcolm looked between her and those in the front. “You didn’t just want us to have awesome food?” He gasped, eyes opening. “Wait. You’re not going to kill me because I know too much, are you?”

  Erik burst out laughing. Jia face-palmed as she shook her head.

  “Oh, Malcolm.” Camila clucked her tongue. “You’ve got a long way to go on reading people. I’m not going to let anyone kill you until you give me a disappointing present.”

  Malcolm swallowed. “O-okay.”

  Erik glanced at Jia, now curious. “I thought you said it would just be good to check on things. But she’s right. There’s something more, isn’t there?”

  “I wanted to talk somewhere I knew was safe, and this is as safe as anyplace, thanks to Emma,” Jia admitted. “Even our office presents a small risk.”

  “There are advantages to being friends with a superior intellect,” Emma offered cheerfully. “I could have secured your office, but admittedly, a double-date appearance is useful as cover.”

  Camila smirked. “You two can only pretend for so long before it becomes real, you know.”

  Jia whipped her head toward the other woman. “How did you know?”

  “I’m trained to notice and exploit things like that.” She winked at Jia. “Remember?”

  Malcolm looked at the ladies, confused.

  “What’s going on?” Erik asked gruffly. “And not with our dating situation. Let’s get to the point.”

  “I can’t let the case go.” Jia shrugged. “It’s as simple as that.”

  “Why not? This isn’t like last time. There aren’t any loose ends. We got Kandarian, and the department and CID are running down the rest of his little puppet groups.” Erik frowned. “Some of them may walk because they’ve done nothing except be annoying outside buildings or on the net, but we’re checking them out pretty thoroughly to make sure they weren’t being directed toward something more than annoying protests. It’s a clean win, and this time, the guy on top is going down.”

  “It’s not Kandarian I’m worried about.” Jia took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “His targeting of you is too neat a fit, Erik. For example, you don’t go around advertising your arm.”

  Erik shrugged. He gently tugged on the control yoke to bring the MX 60 into a higher lane. “Kandarian probably didn’t even think to target me until his maid cut my arm. We did work the Winston case, so that just provided more fuel. Sometimes the Lady is screwing with us, but sometimes things are a coincidence.”

  Camila arched a thin brow. “You think it’s Talos or someone like that?”

  Jia shook her head. “I’m not sure, but Erik’s been targeted more than once by terrorists who were being pushed by someone else. We can’t be sure this isn’t the same situation, and if we relax too much, it might expose us to a counterattack we don’t see coming.”

  “Kandarian’s filthy-rich,” Erik observed. “This is one time we don’t need to look for someone deeper. All the
evidence and resources are there.” He side-eyed her. “I thought I was the paranoid one. Not that I’m complaining about you having my back.”

  “But what if Kandarian is part of the conspiracy? An old man loaded with cash and forced out of his company sounds like someone to recruit to influence events. They could appeal to his ego. He might have made peace with the company just because he still had a stake.”

  Malcolm cleared his throat. “Am I allowed to talk?”

  Camila laughed.

  His face reddened as he waved a hand toward the front “Hey, it turned into a galactic conspiracy meeting. I’m not an expert like you people. I’ve just helped here and there.”

  Jia nodded. “Go ahead, Malcolm.”

  “Digital Forensics is still going through Kandarian’s data rod, but we already located a kill list.” Malcolm mimed firing a pistol. “Famous people of different types that are, and I quote, ‘Suspected or confirmed to be impure.’”

  “And?” Jia probed.

  “Erik’s not on the list,” Malcolm answered her. “Not sure if that means anything. They didn’t specify what they were using as criteria, so I wasn’t sure if they thought people got illegal genetic engineering or just had cybernetic implants.”

  “Erik wasn’t on the list?” Jia frowned. “It might mean Kandarian is someone’s errand boy as part of the conspiracy. His arm and Rena were just excuses.”

  “Or it could mean that it was a crime of opportunity,” Camila suggested. She gestured toward Erik. “He mentioned Kandarian’s maid. There’s no reason to think the attack was connected to anything greater than one rich man with particular extremist views and far too much money lying around. It’s not a matter for the Intelligence Directorate. It’s a matter for law enforcement.”

  Jia scoffed. “We’re not ID employees.”

  “But you’re working a personal case where the official explanation has been provided. Investing in the conspiracy pushes you far more toward ID work than police work.”

  “Perhaps I should offer you some perspective, fleshbags,” Emma interrupted.

  Camilla raised her eyebrow again. It would take her a while to become accustomed to Emma.

  “Which is?” Erik asked.

  “I’ve taken the liberty of examining the data,” Emma explained, a hint of frustration in her voice. “Before you say anything, I covered my tracks, and I haven’t been communicating with Technician Constantine or Doctor Serrano. It will not damage the case in any way.”

  Camilla snickered. “No one calls me Doctor Serrano. It’s kind of nice.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Let’s get back on track,” Erik ordered. “Did you find something, Emma?”

  “I’ve found many things,” she replied. “But they are all things I’m sure Technician Constantine has found or will eventually find. That said, I have restrictions in that certain invasions would raise the risk of CID detection, but the existing data support the conclusion that Carlos Kandarian’s activity was not related to the incidents on Molino or any conspiracy wider than his Purist outreach and activist efforts.”

  “You’re sure?” Jia sounded dubious. “It’s not insane to think he would be involved in something more.”

  “It depends on what you mean by ‘sure.’ If I had to quantify my analysis, I’d suggest it’s less than point-one-percent likely he is directly related to any organization responsible for launching attacks on Detective Blackwell in relation to the incident on Molino. I would explain the exact model I used to come up with that number, but you wouldn’t be able to follow it, so I fail to see the logic in doing so.”

  “You can be helpful without being that way.” Jia rolled her eyes.

  “By being ‘that way,’ I am maximizing my enjoyment.” Emma let out a mocking chuckle.

  Erik nodded toward the windshield. “We’re almost to the station, so let’s wrap this up. From what it sounds like, Kandarian was just a rich asshole, and he’s going to prison, so we can stick this one in the finished pile.” He looked at Jia. “Agreed?”

  “I suppose.” Jia shrugged. “It’s not a bad thing that our latest troublemaker had nothing to do with the conspiracy.”

  “Alina hasn’t said anything about keeping an eye on Carlos Kandarian,” Camila offered. “Even if my primary task is to monitor the 1-2-2, if she believed he was involved with Talos or anyone supporting them, she would have let me know, so I could keep an eye out for any relevant evidence.”

  Erik kept looking forward, his hands firm on the control yoke. “Should you be offering us that information without checking with her?”

  “She’s less my boss and more a colleague, and Alina wants you to catch the people behind Molino as much as you do. Neither of us is your enemy, even if we’ve kept things from you.”

  “This is all a good thing, right?” Malcom rubbed his hands together and let out a nervous laugh. “No crazy super-advanced assassins are going to show up and try to murder anyone. We’ve all done our part to make Neo SoCal a safer place. Nice, good old-fashioned police work.”

  “Yeah,” Erik murmured. “Nice, good old-fashioned police work.” A grin slowly spread. “We proved something with this case. Being filthy super-rich doesn’t mean you can get away with what you want. Thinking your cause is just doesn’t mean you can get away with it, either.” He grew louder. “Those assholes on Molino aren’t gods. They aren’t even aliens. They are just humans who think because they’ve got money and influence, it puts them above the law and justice. But we’ve proven here over the last year, there’s no one like that. They can dodge like Ceres Galactic or waste their lives trying to take us out, but in the end, we will get them. Maybe that’s why things have been quiet from the conspiracy.”

  “You think they’re afraid?” Jia asked.

  “I know they’re afraid. You don’t try to kill someone if you’re not afraid of them, but they have to be extra quiet. They screw up and we get a whiff of them, then a lot of pain is coming down on their heads.” Erik slowed and angled his flitter toward the police parking garage. “I already fired the bullet. It’ll find them eventually.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  September 1, 2229, Neo Southern California Metroplex, Commerce Tower 32

  Erik pushed through the throngs of people in the shopping center.

  Most walked quickly, laden with bags from the trendy stores on that level. Holographic palm trees swayed above, the occasional child running toward the fenced emitters and running their hands through the images.

  Despite it being night, the false skyline above them gave the impression of a warm summer’s day. A light breeze occasionally blew through, the source not clear, but undoubtedly artificial.

  A beautiful smiling woman appeared above the crowd. “We hope you’re enjoying today’s shopping experience. Remember, our Eternal Summer promotion ends in a few weeks. Get your savings while you still can.” She vanished, leaving Erik wondering if she was an AI with canned scripts or an employee being scanned elsewhere on the level.

  “There’s something I don’t understand, Detective,” Emma mentioned.

  Erik dropped his hand to tap on his PNIU to fake a call, then raised a hand to his ear for a second, looking around. “What don’t you understand?”

  “Why you’re here.”

  “To buy some penjing supplies,” Erik replied, confused by her question. “I told you that when I left the station, and it’s not like you can forget things.” He paused for a moment in thought. “Can you?”

  “Not without damage to my matrix or a sophisticated attack that is beyond the capabilities of all but a small number of organizations in the entire UTC. But that doesn’t answer the specific question of why you are here.”

  “There are some new shears I’m interested in. They allow for more precise cuts, but they’re still mechanical.” Erik lifted his hand and squeezed his thumb and fingers together as if closing invisible shears. “I’m not interested in all the high-tech crap. What’s the point of a rel
axing hobby if you make it a slave to machines? It’s supposed to be an ancient art.”

  “You’re missing my point,” Emma replied.

  Erik turned his body to allow two teenage girls to rush past him, giggling. The positions of their eyes suggested they were paying more attention to their smart lenses than where they were going in the real world. They would eventually run into the wrong man.

  “Be less cryptic,” Erik told her.

  “There’s absolutely no reason for you to physically come to a place like this to buy the equipment you want.” Emma scoffed. “It’s filled with fleshbags of little relevance to your personal or professional goals, and there’s also a non-zero chance that you might be attacked when you leave your home because of your reputation and work. If you’re interested in buying goods and services, you can have them delivered. We can use sensors to screen the packages.”

  Erik chuckled. “So, you think I should just sit at home all day and have everything delivered?”

  “You obviously have to go to work, but other than that, yes. It’s the most logical thing for you to do. You likely earned the wrath of a terrorist simply by going out to dinner.”

  She seemed to be annoyed with him.

  “Staying home all the time would get pretty boring.” Erik slowed his pace. “And it’s not like I’m never going to eat again because of one bomber.”

  “You can gain all the necessary nutrients you need without eating sandwiches and beignets,” Emma countered.

  Erik chuckled. “That doesn’t sound like fun.” He looked around with a frown. “I’m sure the Floating Tree was around here.”

  Several of the shops were familiar, but he couldn’t find the store that had gotten him into penjing. He didn’t stop by the store often, but he wanted to reward them.

  “If you’re referring to the store, my interrogation of the level map indicates it is no longer located on this level,” Emma reported.

  “What?” Erik stopped so abruptly a man almost bumped into him. The other man walked past, scowling for a moment until he saw Erik had multiple centimeters and kilos on him.