The final case of jack g.., p.2
The Final Case of Jack Gemini, page 2
“I’m sure they were called Tribeca Corp,” I said. “Even before I got stuck in that time vortex.”
“No, they’ve always been Tribeca Systems.”
“My mistake.” Another name stuck out. “And Elongate?”
“You might remember them as Elongax back in the day.”
“I remember,” I told her, “they used to supply the police force with their uniforms and vehicles; they’ve never been particularly interested in new tech. I’m pretty certain nothing has changed.”
“Do you think one of those companies is behind my husband’s disappearance?”
“No, but it’s a start.” I jotted down the four company names in my notepad; I circled Tribeca. I was sure they were the ones in charge of power generation on Space Station Delta. “It might be nothing.”
Jill grinned at me. “You’re going to take my case.”
“It’ll cost you.”
“You’re going to exploit a woman in a vulnerable state, worried for her missing husband? Well, Jack, you’ve really hit a new low.”
I shrugged. “I’ve got bills to pay. And you want me to prioritise your case over my others, yes?”
Jill rolled her eyes, the same way she always used to whenever she didn’t get her own way. Her breasts rose and fells as she emitted a deep sigh. “I want you to find Howard.” She clutched her purse and it clicked open beneath her fingers. “I’m transferring you your initial fee now.” She retrieved her SmartBoy and tapped along the screen. “You’ll be rewarded handsomely when you find him. More, if he’s still alive.” She returned the device back in her purse. “Done.” The woman stood, her body close to mine. I could smell the sweet fruity aroma of her favourite perfume, the one I always bought her for her birthday. Had she worn it on purpose? To manipulate me? Or did she still love me? A small part of me prayed for the latter. Her bosom pressed against me for a moment and I yearned for her. I wanted her. I missed her. Her ruby lips pursed. “I trust you will do your best,” she breathed.
I nodded and swallowed hard.
“Good.” She stepped away from me and smiled. “I’ll be in touch.”
“When?” I replied a little too quick, too eager; I hadn’t meant to sound desperate.
“Soon,” she said. “Keep this under wraps; it could be dangerous.”
I nodded.
The woman sauntered to the door, her hips and bum swayed as her stilettos clicked a path to the exit. She paused. “It was good to see you again, Jack. In spite of the circumstances”
She left, and I was alone in my office once more.
I needed a goddamned drink.
2. Bar
I headed out and into the streets of Sector Six. I pulled my coat closer around me. That was the problem with living Star Side they always skimped on the atmospheric controls. Sectors One to Four always got the best treatment, being Earthside; that was where all the rich people lived, and they paid for good living. Not like the other Sectors. We were the scum of Space Station Delta. Well, second only to the scum of Sector Seven. Low priority. The best choice for power conservation; we were in an energy crisis after all and it wasn’t as if we needed as much power as Earthside, not with all their energy sucking luxuries. I sighed to myself. I wished we had the luxuries of Earthside. It was too chilly here.
The streets were quiet and so were the bars that lined the pavement, even for this time of night. Maybe it was a weekday; being a self-employed alcoholic I’d always lose track of my days. I checked my watch. Wednesday. You’d think this would be the busiest night.
I made my way down the steps leading to Hell, my favourite haunt and owned by my current lover, Sam. I glanced at the paving bricks beneath my feet with each tread. Every slab bore an inscription, and I personally found them a little on the nose, but I always made a point of reading at least one every time I came here. There were things like ‘hired a friend but he had no experience,’ and ‘gave a homeless man money and he bought drugs.’ Who’d ever come up with the idea when the bar was founded must’ve found it pretty funny at the time, but it really wasn’t. ‘Giving my dog treats to make her happy; she got fat and died.’ Yes, that one was certainly a barrel of laughs.
I could hear music, a dreary and longing tune, coming from inside as I reached the door.
Maybe I should add ‘helping Jill’ to the list behind me.
I entered the bar. Bathed in a vulgar crimson light, familiar and gaudy Halloween decorations greeted me; it was like this all year round. Themed. I hated it.
“You’re not playing it again, Sam?” I said to the bartender of the almost empty room. There were three or four regulars, me being one of them, propping up the bar.
“I love this song,” said Sam. “It reminds me of you.” He winked at me.
“What?” I took up my usual stool. “Sad and depressing?”
“It’s romantic, Jack.” He leaned over the bar and planted a kiss on my cheek. “I don’t care if you like it or not; I do.” He placed glass in front of me and filled it with whiskey. “It’s about a man who cares more about his work than his lover.”
“Who sings it? The lover?” I took a sip of the smooth liquid; it was better than the store-bought stuff in my office. “Or the man?”
“The man,” said Sam. He placed his elbows on the bar and looked at me. His long black hair was still in its neat waves despite me knowing he’d been working all day. “He longs for something he’s missed out on.”
“Yep,” I said, “sounds sad and depressing.”
“Could be worse.”
“How?”
“He might not have a lover, someone who loves him.”
I sighed. “Are you trying to tell me something, Sam?”
He stood upright and grinned. “You work too hard, Jack.”
“Don’t I know it.” I retrieved my cigarettes from my coat and pulled out a white stick. Sam offered me a light and I took it gladly.
“You also smoke and drink too much.”
I raised an eyebrow in reply and took another swig of the whiskey.
“Actually,” said Sam, “you’re drinking is keeping me in business.”
“It’s just an excuse to see you.” I smiled at the man. “Why else would I come here?”
“You should come over more often and stop working so late.”
“Talking of work, you’ll never guess who just showed up in my office tonight.”
“Mrs Lafferty lost her cat again?”
“No,” I said. “Jill.”
Sam sighed. “Really, Jack? You know I don’t like it when you talk about her.”
“Jealous?” I flashed him a grin; he didn’t buy it.
“I just think it’s time you moved on; you’ve been pining for her for years. What did she want, anyway?”
“She offered me a new case.”
“And you took it?”
I nodded. “Why wouldn’t I? It’s good money.”
“Bullshit,” he said. He waggled his finger at me. “You’re letting your old life get in the way of your new one. You should’ve told her to bugger off.”
“Jill and me, we’ve got a lot of history.”
“That’s exactly how it should stay. History.”
He walked away and I watched his thin frame from behind as he served one of the other patrons. He was another one I was letting get away. Like Jill.
Maybe Sam was right; I was allowing my ex-wife to prevent me moving on. Except that wasn’t quite true. Not after she showed up tonight. It brought back memories. Old feelings. I imbibed some more alcohol and took a long hard drag of my cigarette. Something from my past, something that used to be central to my life had collided headfirst with my work in the present.
And her new husband was missing.
New husband.
Married for six years.
I’d only been seeing Sam for one, maybe two years. On and off.
I emptied the glass and lifted it for a refill. Sam was still chatting with someone else in the bar and I was happy to wait; he might still be pissed at me for bringing up Jill. I’d soon bring him round. I sucked on the cigarette in my mouth and looked around the bar. There were familiar faces in here tonight. Sam was serving the old woman who came inside to keep warm and drink herself to oblivion. Just down the bar from me, another woman. A high-flying executive type. A wannabe, at least. There was no way she was on good money to live down here in Sector Six. I sighed. I suppose there was that completely impractical saying about dressing for the job you want. It wasn’t going to work, I thought to myself as I admired her upmarket suit, there was no way someone Earthside would hire you when they find out you were from Sector Six. Nice clothes though; they looked expensive.
Sam topped up my glass with a sly smile; he couldn’t stay mad at me for long. Me and him, it was all just fun. I returned the smile. Fun. I’d have to take him out somewhere nice.
I looked down at the filled container in my hand. More whiskey. Just what I needed.
The bartender moved to the third patron, a man from my life before the accident. This night was becoming haunted; my past was coming back to slap me in the face.
I stubbed out my cigarette in an ashtray on the bar and stood. I walked over to my old friend and partner, a face from when I was a cop.
“Hello Robert, it’s been a while.” I took up a stool next to him.
“Yes,” he said, “yes, it’s been too long.”
“I don’t think I’ve seen you since before the accident.”
“No.” He sipped his own drink. It looked like vodka; it wasn’t the type of drink I would choose. The last time I’d drunk vodka I’d blacked out and ended up naked in a back alley in Sector Seven. That was a good night.
I eyed Sam who took the hint to leave us be. Work related. Sam understood and was used to it. I really needed to take him out sometime, make up for things. “I was going to come down the station tomorrow.”
“It’s probably best you don’t,” said Robert. “That’s partly the reason I’m here.”
“I didn’t think you were here for a catch-up,” I said. “How’s the wife by the way?”
“Still dead.”
“Shit, sorry, I forgot.”
“It’s been nearly a decade, Jack. I don’t expect you remember everything.”
I took a large gulp of my whiskey. “Still with the police?”
Robert nodded. “Head of Sector Three division.”
“Good for you!” I patted his back. “I remember you wanting that back on Earth. When we worked together.”
“I would never have gotten this far if we were still partners, Jack.”
“Never a truer word spoken,” I said as I raised my glass and Robert clinked his against mine. “I was a goddamned awful cop.”
“Nah, you were good enough,” he said. “Just a little jaded and misguided.”
“I think ‘dirty’ is the word you’re looking for.” I pulled out my cigarettes and offered my former partner one.
“I quit.”
“Really?” I lit up my own. “You used to smoke more than me.”
“I had to,” said Robert. “Promotions are much easier to reach when you’re not hacking up phlegm when climbing the ladder.”
“Fair enough.” I took a long drag and blew the smoke away from him and toward the bar where it collided with a horned devil mask. Fitting. “So, what brings you to my neck of the woods?”
He looked me dead square in the eyes. “You know why.”
I drew in a deep breath. “She swung by my office this evening.”
“I gathered she would.” He took another swig of his vodka. “She always runs to you when she’s out of options. You’re going to help her, aren’t you?”
I nodded. “It’s a paid gig.”
“You’d do it for free. For her.”
“I need the money.”
“Bullshit,” said Robert. He turned to face me. “I know things between us weren’t great even before the accident. After we fell out, after the argument, I swore I would never help you again, but I want to help you now. Make amends. And I’m telling you, officially and unofficially, you’re better off out of this mess.”
“Are you after her yourself?” I said somewhat in jest. “She’s a paid client; I’m not going to turn down the kind of money she was offering for me to find her husband, and it’s not as if your lot were any help to her. She told me the cops told her he was off fucking someone else.” I paused. “Wait, what argument? The last time I saw you, you were just about to be transferred to Sector Three.”
“I saw you just after my transfer was made official,” said Robert. “You accused me of deserting you. You were drunk at the time.”
“I must’ve been very drunk; I don’t remember that at all.”
“You were absolutely hammered,” he said. “You came banging on my apartment door demanding to speak to me, barged in and started berating me. You said some pretty awful things. Some of them were true.”
“I don’t remember. Maybe the time vortex messed with my brain. But if it happened, then I’m very sorry.”
“It was a long time ago,” said Robert. “It’s forgotten.” He took my cigarette from my hand and took a long drag. He let out a big sigh with the smoke. “I told you I was making amends.” He handed the cigarette back. “I’m here to help.”
“You could help by answering a few questions.”
“Jack, it would be a good idea not to ask those questions.”
I emptied my glass and waved to Sam for a refill. “I can’t let this go, Robert. Not when Jill’s involved.”
Our drinks were topped up before my former partner began talking again; it was obvious he was nervous about anyone overhearing. His tone changed and his voice lowered.
“You know what Howard was working on, right?” he whispered.
I nodded. “A new power source.”
“More or less,” said Robert. “The company bank rolling his research is leaning in on this hard; you don’t want to get noticed by them.”
“Do you mean Tribeca Systems? Are they ones funding him?”
Robert sighed. “I can’t tell you that.”
“And why aren’t the police getting involved? Was that your decision?”
“No. Message from above,” said Robert. He pointed up. “I told you; they are leaning hard. We were told to keep everyone away from the case. Including Jill. They don’t want this getting out; the power crisis is too important.”
“So now you’ve got the fancy job, you don’t want to jeopardise it?”
“I’m jeopardising my job just talking to you.”
“And Jill? Why is she being kept out of this?”
“It’s for the best. She might blab.”
“Instead of trying to find her missing husband your lot drove her to me with tales of extramarital activities.”
“That’s why I’m here tonight,” he said. “I honestly didn’t think she would go to you. Unintended consequences.” He took a drink of vodka. “It’s a good thing I had her tailed, isn’t it? And before you say anything, it was for her protection. Professor Lowe’s disappearance is big news.”
“Did you tell anyone you came to me?”
“No, and I’m keeping it under wraps that Jill came here. The official report will say she stayed at home after speaking with the police. I want as little complications around this as possible.”
“Because of your career?” I stubbed out my cigarette and offered Robert a fresh one. He took it without hesitation or rejection. I lit it for him and followed suit with my own. “If your career’s so important, why are you getting involved?”
“History.” He puffed the cigarette.
“We’ve got a lot of that.”
The other man nodded. “Too much.” He blew out a plume of smoke. “I’m saying this again; you don’t want to be involved in whatever’s going on here.”
“It’s too late, Robert; I was involved as soon as she was.”
“You’re too much of a sucker for that dame.”
I sighed and took a large swig of my whiskey. “Don’t I know it.”
My former partner downed his drink. “I need to get going; it’s late.”
I nodded to him as he stood.
“Take care of yourself, Jack.”
I nodded again.
“I mean it,” he said.
I turned to him, and I don’t know what instincts made me do it, but something felt wrong; I jumped to my feet and tackled him to the floor.
And then everything to my left exploded.
The windows of the bar burst inwards, glass and wood shattered and shook; debris and dust became missiles, firing into the room. I felt shrapnel splatter across my back. Something pierced my coat and my skin. Pain. I fell on top of Robert. We hit the floor together and he grunted as I knocked the air from his lungs. Smoke filled my nose, burning, acrid. My ears rang and Sam’s sappy love song played, distant and mumbled.
I didn’t want to lose him either.
I clambered to my feet, disconnecting myself from Robert’s body. He said something but I couldn’t hear him. Dizzy. Eyes and breath on fire. I staggered and fell against the bar and my fingers shifted rubble and dust. My side hurt. I tried to focus but I only saw blurred lights; smoke and dust danced through the air. My torso was wet. Something trickled along my skin. The pain made it harder to move; deep and cutting, it spread through me. I stumbled and tried to steady myself to no avail.
I went down.
I fell.
I felt myself knock into a stool and recoil to the floor.
The music grew clearer as I lay there, the wound in my side bleeding out and the smoky stench growing strong. I heard the lyrics.
Love is lost but not forgotten...
I opened my eyes.
Sam’s beautiful face looked down at me and everything faded away.
3. Hospital
I woke to an unfamiliar ceiling, white and cast with shadows. I felt groggy. Meds. I recognised the almost supernatural feeling flowing through my muscles and bones; this wasn’t the first time I’d been in hospital. And it wouldn’t be last.
I turned my head, following the grout between the tiles to the curtained window. There was someone else in the room. I could smell perfume. Or aftershave.
