Jimmy turned to see one of the risen thugs holding the taser he’d fired into Jimmy’s back. He was pressing urgently on the trigger, eyes going wide as Jimmy didn’t respond as expected.

  Jimmy reached out and grabbed him by the throat, but the charge passing through was reduced. It was enough to scare the man into breaking free and running, as did another of them as a gunshot sounded again. This one didn’t hit him, and the gun went flying as the gunman fell from the balcony.

  Evangeline headed back in the office.

  The last of the thugs on his feet stood indecisively on the stairs.

  Jimmy kicked the gunman in the head.

  ‘That was for shooting me,’ said Jimmy. ‘The rest of you are irrelevant, unless you continue to put yourselves in the way of my job.’

  It took a few seconds - more for them to pull themselves up than to recalculate their odds - then they beat a hasty retreat. He couldn’t be sure how long it’d be until they regained the nerve to return with more firepower, and wouldn’t push his luck.

  He picked up the gun, a Glock 22, and returned to the office.

  Evangeline was seated on the corner of the desk, and Venture was sitting again, pushing back against the wall away from her. All confidence had now fled, and he stared at the gun with almost as much fear as he did Evangeline.

  ‘Has he reconsidered his intransigence?’ asked Jimmy.

  ‘Oh, I’m sure he’s coming around to the benefits of cooperation,’ said Evangeline. ‘Aren’t you, sweetcheeks?’

  Venture nodded.

  ‘Where did you get the information?’ asked Jimmy.

  ‘Theo Pappas,’ said Venture. ‘He owns this place. Also deals in information. But doesn’t like dealing with...’ He fumbled for a word.

  ‘Our kind,’ said Jimmy.

  Venture nodded.

  ‘Any idea where he heard it?’ asked Jimmy.

  ‘I don’t ask that kind of thing. He just told me to sell it to you. I don’t know whether he knows it was planted or not, and please don’t tell him I told you.’

  Jimmy took Venture’s phone from the desk, and flicked through until he found Pappas’ information.

  Venture’s worried gaze flicked between them.

  ‘Okay,’ said Jimmy. He pocketed the phone. ‘Thank you for your assistance.’

  He picked up the Glock, causing Venture to flinch, and stuck it in his belt. Better to have and not need. Unless the police were around, in which case it’d be less of a problem than the more uncomfortable questions he’d have to answer, vis-à-vis his official state of mortality.

  They descended from the office.

  ‘That was fun,’ said Evangeline, who had no bullet holes in her. She picked the taser up in passing. ‘You get tasered?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Feel anything?’

  ‘It was kind of like a shot of adrenaline. Or being alive again for a brief moment. It’s worn off now, though.’

  ‘Interesting,’ she said, her gaze flickering between him and the taser.

  ‘No,’ he said.

  ‘What?’

  ‘You are not tasering me again, just to see what happens.’

  ‘Dammit, Jim, it’s for science.’

  ‘For science or for fun, you’re not doing it,’ he said. ‘Remember I’ve got a gun, so unless you want some holes too, drop it.’

  She discarded the taser, if not the idea. ‘Well, you’re no fun on a date.’

  ‘How soon is your equipment supposed to be there?’

  ‘Maybe tomorrow,’ said Evangeline. ‘Of course, now I’m going to have to get them to order me some tasers. For purely scientific purposes.’

  While dubious, he could see the buzz from it becoming addictive.

  Chapter 27

  The potential crime scene was vacant by the time they arrived. While there was blood, the lack of a body or other signs of a struggle would push this down on the priority list.

  Cassie noted signs that forensics had done their due diligence, at least with a surface inspection. Smudges on the door handles, windows, and various other locations said they’d looked for prints.

  How much other effort had been expended was hard to tell. The case had been shunted off to missing persons, until such time as a body turned up.

  She’d only received the call because Todd Maxwell was a former employee of a Euclidian Industries subsidiary. That made this potentially linked to the taskforce.

  ‘No signs anyone broke in,’ said Murray, looking up from his handheld. ‘Not until our guys were called in, anyway.’

  ‘Neighbours see anything?’ asked Cassie.

  ‘One claimed she saw a strange car on the driveway. Wasn’t there long, and she didn’t get the plate. From the report, sounds like the neighbourhood snoop, so she’s probably kicking herself about missing her time to shine.’

  Cassie wandered around the place, not sure what she was looking for. Inspiration, possibly.

  ‘You think this was the Redacted Man?’ asked Murray. He put emphasis on the name. It was hard to say with any kind of a serious tone.

  ‘He’s first to mind. But I’m not sure it makes sense.’

  ‘Euclidean cleaning up their mess.’

  ‘Then why fire Maxwell?’ asked Cassie. ‘If he knew something worth keeping quiet, why not keep him around? Even if just to arrange some workplace accident that could be passed off as such, without this suspicion.’

  ‘Assuming the Redacted Man isn’t rogue and operating off his own logic.’

  Cassie shook her head. ‘If the Cap scrambles his mind that much, would he be capable of determining the identities of those he’s targeting? They’re not random. No, we’re being lied to. And another thing. Why is this the first victim he doesn’t leave at the scene? Callaghan would have been difficult to get out of prison. But this is the first time the body’s gone.’ She hesitated. ‘Unless it wasn’t him who moved it.’

  ‘Are you thinking Euclidian?’ asked Murray. ‘Or one of the factions?’

  ‘Either way, I think we need to ask Truman about Maxwell. Whether he had experience with artifacts. Perhaps she’ll even admit that they took him to burn.’

  Murray’s dubious expression probably mirrored hers.

  ‘If he was...’ Murray groped for the word. ‘Tainted, by artifacts. Could it have been the hollowed who took him?’

  She considered the possibility. It didn’t seem right, but she hardly had enough information on which to base that assumption. ‘I’m not aware of them having done so before. If they had, I suspect Euclidean would be more careful about leaving targets at large.’

  ‘We’d also have the question of how they found him,’ said Murray. ‘Unless they have a mole in Euclidian.’

  ‘It’s possible. But probably a bit much to draw from just a few incidents. Was there something special about his involvement in Euclidean’s experiments?’

  ‘Not enough to stop him getting fired when they experienced troubles.’

  Cassie sighed. ‘It’s possible we’re trying to attribute meaning to something random.’

  ‘You think so?’ asked Murray.

  ‘Not really. And from the car, I think we can assume someone wanted to take the body with them. What time did the witness say the other car was here? Was it daylight?’

  There was a pause as Murray checked. ‘Yeah, it would’ve been.’

  ‘Assuming Maxwell’s car was where it is now, at the side of the house, the visiting car must have been visible from the street. Not easy to get a body to. They didn’t wait until dark, or the car would have been there longer, and the streetlights would still be a problem. The only reasonable way to drag the body to the car without being seen is if you had a Cap that stopped people paying you any attention.’ She paused in thought. ‘Do you remember from the briefings whether it said how much extra the Cap’s field covered?’

  ‘No, sorry. You think it’s enough to cover the body being carted out?’

  ‘Possibly. I’m wondering whether it’d also cover the car. Maybe that’s why the nosy neighbour only briefly noticed it.’

  ‘That could make driving dangerous,’ said Murray. ‘But also following the car via traffic cameras unlikely.’ He stared around, seeing as little as she did. ‘Does this tell us anything?’

  ‘There’s a plan here. If this is the Redacted Man. He seemed to talk to Callaghan before killing him, though he’s unlikely to have gotten anything. The Singularity guy he just kills. A former Euclidean employee he abducts, possibly after killing him to judge by the blood. They seem random, possibly unconnected, but in a way that suggests a plan. If the artifact causes his mind to deteriorate, I’d expect at least more of a stable M.O. And ideally an obvious way to explain how he acquired the information.’

  ‘You think Truman’s playing him behind our backs?’

  ‘The alternative is that she’s not in control of him. That means another faction among the Euclideans, possibly not allied with Truman.’

  ‘You think she’s in trouble?’

  ‘She was CEO of their front company. That doesn’t mean she’s as high in the organisation. Or that they’re even organised in that way. Maybe my outing them, as it were, caused her to shore up her position by making this deal?’

  ‘Possibly a reach. And not something she’d admit to.’

  ‘No,’ said Cassie. ‘I suppose all we can expect from her is confirmation of whether or not Maxwell had exposure to artifacts. Or anything else that might make him a target.’

  ‘Back to the office, then?’ Murray sounded a bit too eager.

  ‘Your coffee addiction can wait a while longer,’ said Cassie.

  ‘That’s your opinion. What’s it waiting on?’

  ‘There are a lot of rumours circulating in the demimonde that seem inclined to have Euclidean - and us - go to war with the hollowed. While it might serve Euclidean’s purposes, I doubt they’d knowingly send their people into an ambush.’

  ‘Unless it’s this other potential faction.’

  Cassie nodded. That was a possibility. ‘Then that’s where the rumour trail may lead. But we need to find who’s been spreading the rumours.’

  ‘Any idea how?’

  ‘For a start, we can question the guy whose information nearly guided us into an ambush.’

  Murray sighed, but didn’t argue. His mind was no doubt preoccupied with his next caffeine fix.

  Chapter 28

  Cassie didn’t give the clerk in Kilbourne’s store time to announce them.

  ‘Is he in?’ she asked, striding towards the door to the back.

  ‘I... I’ll just check.’ He started to move towards the door, which was all the answer she needed.

  ‘Don’t bother.’ She reached it first, and led Murray through.

  Kilbourne was on the phone when they entered his office, all smiles and syrupy voice. He glanced up, eyes taking them in with a calculating gaze, and sat forward. ‘I’m afraid the negotiations shall have to wait a bit longer, though I’ll send you a taster to be going on with.’ He hung up, then started typing on the phone. ‘Detectives, our relationship might be more profitable were we to engage in certain social niceties.’

  ‘Such as not sending each other into ambushes.’

  He looked up from the phone. Then glanced back at it, hastily finished the message, and laid it aside.

  ‘I heard about that. My apologies. I had no idea the information I offered you in good faith would lead to-’

  ‘It didn’t,’ said Cassie, sitting.

  Murray remained on his feet.

  ‘Euclidean heard the same rumour elsewhere,’ said Cassie. ‘They got there before us. Suffered fatalities. I’m sure you can see how suspicious types - such as, let’s say, cops - might think your generous information might not have been intended in as benevolent a manner as was advertised.’

  ‘Also,’ said Murray. ‘We think you set us up.’

  ‘I assure you I had no intention of doing so,’ said Kilbourne. He wasn’t worried, yet. Since they hadn’t arrested him straight off, there was obviously room for negotiation, and that was what his kind thrived on. ‘I did state it was only a rumour.’

  ‘Where did the rumour originate?’ asked Cassie.

  ‘My sources are sacrosanct,’ he said with a solemnity that implied the sacrosanct had a higher price tag.

  She wasn’t buying. ‘Mister Kilbourne. You already knew about us working with Euclidian. You know about the hollowed. A lot of information about both sides is travelling each way. To me this says someone is using you and others like you to play us against each other. How would your reputation fare against suggestions that you’re being used to spread misinformation?’

  He stared at her for a few moments, then offered a faint smile. ‘A persuasive argument. I stated it was a rumour because I don’t know the source. And have not even a clue that would allow me to verify the information. But I know who’s been spreading the rumour around.’ His mouth twitched slightly in distaste. ‘Theodore Pappas.’

  The name was familiar, but it took her a moment. ‘The owner of the Pet Emporium franchise?’

  ‘The same.’

  ‘And the drug trade operating out of them?’ asked Murray. Maybe a stretch, since it was only the one store they knew of.

  ‘It wouldn’t surprise me. He’s into a number of despicable means of making money.’

  ‘Such as?’ asked Cassie.

  ‘Certain elements of the demimonde hold to the old ways which many have left behind. Such as blood sacrifices. His Pet Emporium offers a ready channel to acquire livestock for such activities. While he may argue it’s little different than how meat arrives on the shelves, I find it deplorable. That’s quite apart from the fact that most who engage in such sacrifices tend to walk the darker side of the street. But that’s where he seems at home.’

  ‘Does this Pappas often spread rumours on demand?’

  ‘Not that I’m aware of. Though some of his claims have been dubious. I’ve suspected he might have been trying to drum up business for other sidelines. He’s entirely too free with some information for someone who presents themselves as an information broker. Tasters are all well and good, targeted at potential clients. But spreading rumours, while hardly the worst of the crimes associated with him - though not necessarily crimes in the legal sense, and I have no evidence to support any claims which may be - it is, nevertheless, another sign of a thoroughly despicable individual.’

  ‘Not a friend, then?’ asked Cassie.

  ‘We occasionally do business, and I’ll smile to his face. But I don’t let him near my pockets, and absolutely never invite him into my home.’

  ‘And he’s who you say we should talk to?’

  ‘He’s who you would need to talk to if you wish to trace the rumour,’ said Kilbourne. ‘I would not say should. He is a dangerous individual, whether involved in the drug trade or not.’ And she imagined that rumour might soon be making the rounds.

  ‘Have you any clue as to where his information may have originated?’ asked Cassie.

  Kilbourne shrugged.

  ‘Then it doesn’t seem we have much choice, does it,’ said Cassie.

  Not that they’d barge straight in on him. They’d learn what they could first, check Vice records for hints of drug connections. Though nothing had come up on the store last time they’d checked, but they hadn’t looked too hard at the business. That raid might have made him cagier, and could have gotten him to stop using his stores for that business, if only temporarily.

  It was unlikely someone at that level would shoot first as soon as they came for him. Certainly not after having time to expect it. But she’d need more than just the opinion of a business rival to base it on.

  And preferably some legal pretext to get him to talk to them.

  It was a lead, though. The only one they seemed to have for this avenue of investigation.

  Chapter 29

  Jimmy stared down at the body of Theodore Pappas. He looked every inch the disreputable little weasel he’d been painted as. Just greyer. And more dead.

  ‘Shame someone beat you to it,’ said Evangeline.

  ‘You make it sound like I kill everyone I meet,’ said Jimmy.

  She exhaled smoke angrily in his direction. ‘Pardon me having issues on the subject.’

  Pappas had been shot. One in the chest, one in the head. No other marks on the body other than from the fall.

  The body was relatively tidy, compared to the rest of his office. He had a place apart from his shops and warehouses. Pappas’ empire might not be large, but he could afford a nice office on an uptown street. A suite of offices, in fact. Well, four rooms and the reception.

  The other rooms were vacant - the basic furnishings in place, but apparently unused - and the secretary must have the day off. The reception remained spotless, but Pappas’ office was a mess.

  ‘Did he have something they wanted?’ asked Evangeline.

  ‘Possibly,’ said Jimmy. Though he doubted it.

  Crouching by the body, Jimmy frisked him. He pulled a phone from the coat pocket.

  He sat on the papers sprawled over the sofa, and looked through the phone.

  ‘You don’t want to do that elsewhere?’ asked Evangeline.

  ‘I’m good here. Our host doesn’t seem to care.’

  No saved messages. Hardly unusual for paranoid criminal types. He skimmed the list of contacts. Mostly unfamiliar names. They might be of use later. Then he reached one with the initials FT. Other entries had at least one of the names in full. Sometimes only a single name. But never just initials. It might be nothing unusual, but he didn’t exactly have many leads, now his main one was lying there with an obvious disinterest in answering questions.

  Working through the contacts came to another pair of initials. SR.

  They were the only entries with purely initials. He accessed the details for SR, and went to where the landline had been dropped to the floor. Placing it back on the desk, he dialled SR’s number.

  ‘This number is no longer listed,’ said the voice on the phone. He hung up.

 

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