The Red Haze (The Webber and Ko Series Book 1)

by D. M. Wicks

  "Yes, ma'am," he said and left her office.

  ***

  Patient X watched the woman known as Dominique Faye leave the apartment complex, from a safe distance across the street. She was pretty as well as angry. Patient X knew that she was primary on the cases dealing with the Red Haze, but she had been slow on following the clues that were left for her. It was true that most of the murders were random. Patient X couldn't control that, but she should be closer to finding the clues leading back to the martyr. How could the revolution begin if there was no public execution? Well, that was all going to change soon. Patient X looked down at the envelope in her hand and walked the short distance to the mailbox. Faye would receive the letter in a day. This time she better not ignore Patient X or else there would be some pestering. One cannot ignore a revolution. Whether Faye knew it or not she was going to be offered up as a sacrifice to the idea.

  If she ignored the martyr again, there was always the cell phone. Texting was quicker anyways. Faye would have one day to respond, then the texting would begin and if she still ignored the martyr, well, more people dying could be very persuasive. Anyway, the finale was soon to come. The domino would drop whether there was anyone there to see it or not and others would follow. One at a time they would fall until none were left standing. Then change would be realized and the idea would prosper.

  ***

  Oda

  I woke to the sound of the news blaring on the small digital TV that Declan Webber kept in the corner of the office. I sat up from my position on the couch and rubbed my eyes until I could see out of them again.

  "Breaking news," the woman on scene said.

  "The District Six Dayton Police Department was set on flame at six o'clock this evening. The fire department is doing everything in its power to put the flames out before it spreads to the surrounding buildings," she continued.

  The camera switched to a man. "Do we know how the fire started?"

  The woman came back on screen,. "We don't know as of yet what caused it, but more information will be released soon.

  Declan turned off the TV and glanced over to me and said in his Irish lilt, "Sorry lad, didn't mean to wake you, but you were snoring."

  I scowled. "So, basically you did mean to wake me?"

  Declan grinned. "Maybe."

  I folded the blanket I was using and placed it on the arm of the couch. "I guess that's what I get for staying up and helping my partner close out a case."

  "Tough love."

  "Yeah. Right. What was that on the news just now?"

  Declan shrugged. His voice sang of Irish as he said, "I guess the police department was set on fire."

  I nodded. "It was District Six, right? Have you heard anything from Lieutenant Faye?"

  "No. Should I have?"

  "Oh, I just thought because you two were so close that she would have called by now."

  Declan laughed, "Are you insinuating something, Oda?"

  "Yes, that you and Lieutenant Faye are close."

  My partner slapped his hand on the desk as his laugh died down into a chuckle, "Me and that popsicle. Yeah right. We are the farthest thing from being close."

  "But you two are always throwing insults at one another."

  "And that led you to believe that we are close, why?"

  "I just figured you guys were having a playground romance."

  Declan laughed again. "What are we, kids? I'd say, if anything, that we hate each other’s guts and the only reason we even speak to one another is to exchange information and such. I think you're confused there, lad."

  There was a knock on the office door just then. "Would you get that, Oda?"

  I looked at my partner. "What, have your legs suddenly stopped working again?"

  "You're closer."

  I sighed, walked over, and opened the door. I smiled. "Lieutenant, how unexpected of you to drop by."

  "Is your useless layabout partner here, officer Ko?"

  "As a matter a fact he is. Come on in. I'm sure he will be pleased to see you."

  "I'm sure he is," Faye said as she entered the office.

  Declan was scowling as Faye made herself comfortable on the couch, and then turned to me. "I take it black."

  I nodded, already used to her demanding ways, and set about making coffee as Declan spoke. "Lieutenant Fart, oh excuse me, I meant Faye. What do you want?"

  Faye brushed off the insult. "I'm here on official business. Believe me; I wouldn't volunteer to see your sorry excuse for a face or office for that matter."

  "There is nothing wrong with my office," Declan muttered under his breath as he straightened some files on his cluttered desk.

  "So, what is that business then?" I asked as I set the coffee down on the table in front of her.

  She picked it up and took a sip, nodding in approval. "I'm sure you've heard about what happened to the department by now."

  I nodded and she continued. "It's a pain in the ass, but someone infiltrated the department and made an oil fire in one of the bathrooms. That's why it is so hard to put out, but work must go on. Just because our station was destroyed doesn't mean we stop working. Commander Drake has already spoken with Chief Goldman and they have already prepared to transfer some of us out to the other districts. The rest of us have been set up in an office building off of Main Street about a block from our original building. Anyway, like I was saying, the world keeps on spinning. I still have a pile of cases that need attending to and not enough manpower to do it. I spoke with Commander Drake and he gave the green light on bringing in some of the local private detectives to help out.

  "And you chose me. Why?" Declan asked.

  Faye scowled. "Because, despite being a man, you're actually quite capable at most of your work and Oda is more than enough to handle what you can't."

  She turned to me. "You know, Oda, there will always be a job waiting for you at District Six. Your marks at the academy were superb. You wouldn't have that nickname otherwise.

  I blushed as Declan asked, "What nickname?"

  "Oh, it's nothing…"

  Faye interrupted me. "Oh, you don't know Declan. Oda Ko was known as K.O. Ko, for his top marks, something you wouldn't have a clue about, I guess. He knocked everyone out of the running for the top rank in his graduating class and set new records. It was quite the accomplishment for a blue eyes." She turned back to me. "It's rare for your kind to have a career. Most blue eyes live off the state."

  Declan laughed. "That's so corny Oda. Were you really called that?"

  I scowled. "Yes."

  Declan laughed harder and I decided it was time to change the subject, "So, I take it you have a case for us then?"

  Faye nodded and pulled out a disk from her jacket pocket, handing it to me. I walked over to the laptop on my desk and slipped it in. I read through it as she spoke. "You can think badly of me if you want, but it's the kind of case that is not really our priority. It's a standard overdosed junkie. I just need you to cover all the bases, inform the next of kin and close the case. Right now I'm working on a big one that's taking what little manpower I have at my disposal. The body has already been taken to the morgue. It happened this morning and I was the leading officer on scene. The CD has the preliminary findings, but you are welcome to see it for yourself; you have clearance."

  "So, you're giving us your scraps then? What if I'm too busy?"

  "We will take it. Thanks, lieutenant."

  "Oda!" Declan said.

  I turned to my partner. "Declan, we just finished a case and we aren't working on anything right now. So why not?"

  He scowled. "Fine, we will take it."

  Faye placed the empty cup down and stood. "Good, then my business here is done. If you run into any problems don't call me. Figure them out by yourself."

  Declan muttered, "I wouldn't call you anyway."

  "I'll walk you out, lieutenant."

  "That's fine, Oda. I can walk myself out. Good luck, and remember my offer still stands. Blue eyes o
r not, we always have a position for you. Just wait until we get our department up and running again."

  I nodded and watched as she left the office. I turned to Declan. "Playground romance."

  "Shut up, K.O. Ko."

  I grabbed my black faux leather jacket off my office chair and walked over to the coffee pot and poured a cup. It had cooled off, but was strong and bitter as I threw it back in one swig.

  "Where are you going?" my partner asked as I walked to the door. He had taken the CD and was reading the file.

  "I have to donate today. Are you going to the morgue or the scene first?"

  He looked up. "Scene, but we'll start on it first thing in the morning."

  I nodded. "Alright, I'm out for the day then. I'll meet you there at ten."

  "Alright, lad, but don't make me wait around for you all day."

  I opened the door and closed it behind me. I read the white words painted on it and smiled a little. It read, 'Webber Private Detective Agency'.

  I could still remember being straight out of the academy and coming here for a job interview. It happened only a year ago. Declan had been surprised to say the least. I walked over to the stairwell and began making my way down. We were on the fifth floor and there was no elevator.

  Lieutenant Faye had been serious when she mentioned that blue eyes normally lived off the state. It was due to Issue 18, which stated something along the lines of because blue eyes were an endangered species of vampire, they needed to be protected. It then went on to say that any form of work might lead to a decrease in their population. Red eyes needed blood to survive and blue eyes produced ridiculous amounts of it every month.

  So, as long as humans didn't want to take their place they had to protect the blue eyes to fend of the red eyes' hunger. I scowled in thought. We were just cattle at the end of the day. I reached the lobby and walked outside. It was sprinkling and the rain seemed to feed my gloom-and-doom mood. A white cleaning van drove by and splashed gutter water onto me. I jumped back, now soaked to the bone.

  "Fuck! Could this day get any worse?"

  I made it to the parking lot behind the building, unlocked my car, climbed into it, and turned on the heater.

  Chapter Three

  When I pulled up to the blood bank it took me a minute to find a parking space. The Samuel Blake Donation Center was a monstrous building made of granite stone. It was built in 1912 and was originally just a regular bank, but had since been redesigned to accommodate blood donations. There were multiple entrances all with high arched doorways, while the building had over two hundred and fifty small windows ingrained into both sides as well as the face and back. It looked more like a Victorian hotel than a blood bank due to its dark coloring and high arches.

  I entered. The lobby was clinically bright, but furnished with comfortable leather chairs. Off to the left of the waiting room was a small café serving refreshments and food. I usually picked up a coffee on my way out as a pick-me-up after losing all the blood. The receptionist greeted me with a small smile. She had blue eyes, but they lacked the inhuman glow of a vampire. Vampires' eyes were bright like a husky's and had a luminous quality that differentiated them from humans.

  "Hello, how may I help you?" she asked.

  "I'm here for my monthly donation."

  She turned to her computer. "Name and date of birth, please."

  "Oda Ko. Born 10/24/1999."

  "Mr. Ko?"

  "Yes?"

  The woman smiled. "Okay, you're all checked in. Please have a seat and someone will be with you shortly."

  "Thank you." I turned and surveyed the waiting room. It was almost empty save for a few blue eyes as well as red eyes. I walked over and picked up a magazine before taking a seat in one of the leather chairs. I had just opened it when a human nurse came out and called my name. Standing, I placed the magazine back on the rack and followed him into the back, "That was quick. Are you guys running on schedule?"

  The nurse nodded, "Yeah, we are making good time today. Not to mention that this time of day it's usually slower as it gets nearer to closing. You got here just in time. We close at eleven."

  "I know."

  We walked into an open area with little rooms curtained off. The nurse led me into one and slid the curtain closed. "If you would go ahead and take off your jacket we can get started."

  I nodded, took off the black jacket that had since dried, and hung it on the back of the chair. The nurse came over to me and took my blood pressure as well as temperature and checked my heart rate.

  "You're looking good Mr. Ko. I'll go and tell Marcie you're ready to see her. She is the phlebotomist who will be taking your donation today."

  I nodded as the nurse left. I was only left waiting about ten minutes until Marcie came in. She was a tall, dark woman with a short, no nonsense haircut and a serious look about her. I knew from speaking with her that we were only a year apart with her being the oldest.

  "Hello officer, you're cutting it close this month aren't you?"

  I smiled. "Hello Marcie."

  She didn't even spare me a glance as she made the preparations to take my blood. "So, I take it you've been busy with work?"

  I nodded. "Something like that."

  She glanced up, through her lashes, from what she was doing to shoot me a dry look. "Care to elaborate?"

  "My boss is a slave driving idiot."

  She chuckled a little and inserted the needle into my vein. "Aren't they always like that?"

  "Declan is in a whole other league."

  She turned serious again. "That may be so, but Declan should also be aware of how important your donations are. I doubt his idiocy is the reason you're late this month."

  "Work has been hectic lately."

  "I'm sure it has. I also sure you care about your health and don't want to cause trouble for your slave driving boss."

  "Marcie—"

  She interrupted, "Oda."

  I sighed, "I'll make it a priority from now on."

  She smiled. "Good, that's all I can ask for."

  She switched the bag for another and began filling it, "So, how is your family?" she asked.

  I looked up into her eyes and the look she gave me let me know that we were all right again. "They are good. I just moved in with my sister. I've put a lot away and Declan gave me a pay raise after the last job."

  "That's good, Oda. How does your sister feel about it?"

  "She's happy to have me."

  "I bet she is."

  "She's pretty independent, though."

  "That may be so, but she's older than you, right?"

  "Yeah."

  "Then I'm sure she is happy to have you."

  I nodded as Marcie replaced the bag again. "How have you been?"

  She smiled, "Good. Busy as well. I made it into med school."

  "That's great, Marcie. When do you start?"

  "This coming semester, which is the fall semester. I'm going to Boonshoft School of Medicine."

  "That's part of Wright State University, right?"

  "Yeah." She changed the bags again.

  "Wow, medical school. That has been your dream since you were a kid, hasn't it?"

  Marcie nodded. "I guess some dreams do come true. Now I just have to make sure I don't mess it up."

  "I'm sure you will do amazing things while you're there."

  She nodded, deftly pulled the needle out, and replaced it with a cotton ball. "Here, hold this for a second."

  My finger replaced hers as she cleaned up the blood bags and deposited the needle into the biohazard box. She came back and told me to lift my finger as she placed a Band-Aid over the cotton ball. "There, we're all done."

  She glanced down at the container of blood bags and sighed. "You gave a lot more than usual. Oda. That's what happens when you leave it this long. How are you feeling?"

  "I'm fine. It doesn't bother me much."

  "Are you going back to work after this?"

  I shook my head. "I'm meeting D
eclan first thing in the morning at the crime scene."

  "Be careful, Oda. Make sure you get something sugary from the café next to the waiting room."

  I stood slowly and smiled, picking up my jacket. "Will do."

  She opened the curtain and led me to the waiting room. "See you next time."

  "Yeah." I nodded

  "Um, okay."

  "Good luck with medical school."

  "Thanks."

  "Well, I guess I should go."

  "Yeah, see you around."

  "Okay." I gave a small smile, but found my feet planted. We started at each other without saying anything. To say it was awkward would be an understatement.

  Marcie cleared her throat. "See you around, Oda."

  "Yeah," I said, but neither of us moved.

  The male nurse from earlier appeared. "Marcie, they need you in cubicle three."

  We both jumped. "Okay, I'll be there in a minute."

  She turned back to me. "Don't be late next time, Oda."

  I nodded, turned, and left.

  ***

  I opened the door to the apartment and was assaulted with wonderful smells coming from the kitchen and I knew immediately that mom had been by. The only time my sister, Setsuna, ever cooked was when our mother decided to pay a visit. Besides, the apartment was so clean it practically sparkled. I set my keys down on the small end table by the door and kicked off my shoes before walking down the hall until I reached the living room, which was connected to the kitchen.

  I peeked my head into the kitchen to see a pile of dirty dishes and Setsuna leaning against the sink staring off into space while drinking a glass of wine. I entered and she noticed me when I pulled out another glass from the cabinet above the counter and poured myself some wine.