“Stake my claim?” Jia stared at her friend, not liking where the conversation was heading. “You’re way drunker than I thought if you think I would ever answer a question like that. I don’t need half the planet talking about my underwear. I’m a policewoman, not a fashion model.”
“Even if it’d help you get a new guy?” Imogen fluttered her light lashes.
“I don’t need a new boyfriend. I’m fine being single, and I have my dignity to consider.”
Chinara rested her elbow on the table and her cheek on the palm of her hand. “Can I be honest with you, Jia?”
“Always.” Jia picked up her drink and took a sip. Fruity notes overwhelmed the minimal alcohol in the drink. Her friends didn’t realize how much her tolerance had increased since gaining Erik as a partner but bringing that up now would only feed into the mess.
“I never wanted to say it before, but Corbin was a little boring.” Chinara averted her eyes with an embarrassed look.
Imogen snickered. “A little? He was super-boring. He was the Prime Minister of the Boring Kingdom.”
Jia frowned. “Hey. Every time I asked you about him, you said he fit me.”
“Well, uhhh…” Imogen shrugged, giving her an apologetic smile. “He did.”
Jia set her drink down and folded her arms. A small smile played along her lips, not that her friends didn’t see the predator’s eyes staring at them. “So, you’re saying I’m boring?”
Imogen and Chinara exchanged sheepish looks.
Jia tapped her foot, eyebrow raised, waiting for them to confess. “Well?”
A few attractive men walked past the table. They turned and smiled, but upon seeing Jia and the face she was delivering to her friends, hurried on their way.
They weren’t ready for a hard target.
Imogen shrugged, neither she nor Chinara noticing what Jia had seen out of the corner of her eyes as the men walked on. “Not boring. Sure, you’re not me, but that doesn’t make you boring either. You’re just…controlled.” She nodded, her mouth twitching, obviously trying to hold back a laugh.
“Sorry, Jia,” Chinara offered. “It’s not that we’re judging you. You’re our friend; we love you for who you are, and we want to help you find the right kind of man. What works for Imogen won’t work for me, and what works for me won’t work for you. That’s all we’re saying.”
Imogen jerked upright. “I’m a total idiot. Why didn’t I see it before? I’ve got the perfect solution. Forget staking your claim for the future. It’s time to start mining that gold now!”
Jia shuddered, pulling back just a little and cocking her head to stare at her friend. “Why do I feel like I should be afraid?”
“No, no, hear me out.” Imogen flung an arm in the direction of the dance floor. “You’re going about this the wrong way. We’re not going to find you the right kind of man at some random dance club, especially not for a woman with your needs.”
“My needs?” she answered. “I’m not here to find a man. This was supposed to be a girls’ night out with my friends.” Jia looked at Chinara for support, but her other friend now watched Imogen with obvious interest.
Oh, no. Jia eyed her other friend. You too?
“Can cops date each other?” Imogen asked. She rubbed her hands together and licked her lips. “Do they have official rules against it? Because if it’s just something they shouldn’t do because of tradition, you’re already blowing tradition up with your career.”
There it was.
Jia blinked several times. She opened her mouth to explain why dating Erik would be a bad idea, but she couldn’t push any sound out.
“Well?” Imogen pressed. “Do they? Be honest now.”
Jia shook her head slowly. She didn’t want to admit to her friends that she’d made a point of studying the relevant regulations. That would come dangerously close to admitting in public she was lusting after her partner. The fewer people who knew about that, the better, especially her matchmaking friends. They might not be interested in hooking her up with the same type of man as her family, but that didn’t mean they weren’t any less of a threat.
She wasn’t dating Erik. They were good friends and partners. Just because she’d cooked his favorite types of Chinese food for him a few times and spent a lot of time thinking about him didn’t mean anything more needed to happen.
Imogen and Chinara continued staring at her, waiting for her response.
There would be no escape tonight.
Jia cleared her throat. “As far as I know, there aren’t any particular rules, other than a superior can’t date someone they’re supervising. If I were to date someone in the department, my captain, as my immediate supervisor, would have to be informed.” She eyed both of them. “Why? You think I should try dating a cop?” She added a forced laugh as if she’d hadn’t been thinking about it for months and Imogen’s choice of romantic partner wasn’t obvious.
Imogen leaned forward and looked around, her smile turning conspiratorial. “Erik’s a handsome guy. And whatever you can say about him, he’s not boring.”
This was Jia’s chance. She could use her friends to convince herself it was a bad idea to want to go out with Erik. Having someone else clearly agree with her articulated reasons for why it was a bad idea would help get the idea out of her system.
“Going out with someone you work with is a bad idea.” Jia nodded as physical validation for her argument. “If things go badly, it could mess with things at work, and then where would I be?”
Imogen blew a raspberry. “As if.”
Chinara raised an eyebrow but didn’t interject. Her expression was only mildly less eager than Imogen’s.
“You don’t think it’d make a difference?” Jia asked.
“Sure, for some people it might, but not for you.” Imogen shook her head. “You’re always going to do the job, no matter how you feel about your partner. You told us that yourself. That was why your other partners quit—because you were about the job over everything, even getting them to like you. So, worst-case scenario, Erik quits because he’s not doing the job the right way, and you go on being Lady Justice.”
“But I’d lose a good partner,” Jia argued. “And what if I went back to having a terrible partner? One of the reasons I can get things done at work is because I have a good partner rather than a lazy partner dragging me down.”
Chinara sighed. “But you’ve told us several times that things are different at the department now. The news even talks about it. Unless you really think you and Erik are the only good police officers in all of Neo SoCal?” She eyed her friend. “You don’t, do you?” Jia shook her head. “Good, then you shouldn’t be concerned.” Chinara held up her palm. “I’m not saying he’s not a great partner, but I think you could do okay without him.”
Jia doubted that and sucked in a breath. Chinara was her backup plan. She wasn’t surprised Imogen had come up with the idea of her dating Erik, but she expected her more level-headed friend to agree with her about how terrible the whole idea was.
“He’s way older than me,” she blurted, trying to derail this girlfriend double-team being held in a dance club courtroom. “Him having a de-aging treatment doesn’t change that he’s older. Doesn’t that count for something?” She looked at Imogen. “Or at a minimum, shouldn’t I take it into account?”
Chinara swirled her finger around the rim of her glass. “Age is a number, nothing more. You say he’s a good partner at work. Otherwise, you’d be complaining about him all the time. Sure, when you first met, you complained a few times, but it’s been a long, long time since I remember you saying anything even mildly critical in a message about him. That means you two relate.” She smiled, her eyebrows dancing as if she had just scored a point with the jurors.
Jia’s eyes narrowed. “Sure, about work. That’s not the same thing as relating to him romantically.”
Imogen gave her an incredulous look. “And you’re saying you never hang out with him outside of work?”
She inclined her head toward the dance floor. “I can remember a few times you blew off hanging out with us, not because of Corbin, but because you had something you were doing with your partner. You’re obviously not ripping his clothes off in the bedroom yet, but maybe you’re working your way there.”
Jia’s cheeks burned. “Ripping his clothes off? You know what? Never mind.” She squeezed her eyes closed and took a deep breath before opening them. “Most of those times involved things like tactical training. That’s professional. We have to do it privately because of departmental bureaucracy. I don’t think running around shooting pretend terrorists is all that romantic.”
“Uh-huh.” Imogen’s incredulous expression lingered. “It doesn’t sound fun to me, but if you hated it, you wouldn’t be doing it. If there’s one thing I know about you, Jia, you don’t do anything you hate for long.” She took a sip of her drink before waving it in Jia’s direction. “You’re so stubborn your mom should have named you Juejiang.”
Chinara adopted a serious look. “And what about all the sphere ball? You’re crazy about sphere ball now, and you’ve told both of us that you’d gone to several games with Erik. Is that also professional? You planning to start a sphere ball team filled with nothing but cops?”
“I go with him because he got me into it.” Jia pinched the bridge of her nose. “They aren’t dates. It’s not like he pays for me, or I pay for him. Last time we went, we had to…uh, help get a few drunks under control, so that was even professional. We’re just friends and good partners.”
Imogen threw her hands in the air. “I can’t believe you. The universe has handed you a perfect gift, and you’re too afraid to accept it. The planet won’t explode if you go out on a few dates with Erik. I’ve dated guys from work before, and even when it ended, it didn’t mess things up. Think of it like sphere ball. You can’t get any points if you don’t swing your racquet, right?”
Jia blinked, the metaphor messing with her brain. “Sphere ball doesn’t involve racquets.”
Imogen waved off the argument. “Whatever.”
Jia looked at her friends. “Neither of you believes dating my partner is a bad idea? Not even a little bit?”
They both shook their heads.
“I do,” Jia insisted. “We need to keep things professional. The job’s the most important thing.”
So much for using her friends to talk her down. She couldn’t claim total surprise, but she was more disappointed in herself than in her friends.
Imogen grabbed her drink. “A toast, then. To Jia—she can take down a building full of terrorists, but she can only find boring boyfriends.”
Chinara lifted her drink. “To Jia.”
Jia chuckled and grabbed her glass, smiling and making an effort to show both of them she was still a good sport.
“To me.”
Chapter Five
May 4, 2229, Neo Southern California Metroplex, Police Enforcement Zone 122 Station, Office of Captain Alexander Ragnar
Erik yawned as he stepped into Captain Ragnar’s office, Jia right behind him.
They had been going over some old reports when the captain summoned them. Maybe another reporter needed to ask about his underwear color. He almost grinned at Jia. The way she’d reacted had made it worthwhile.
I should have said something crazy, he thought. That would have been fun.
He’d have to take the next opportunity that presented itself. Unless he was about to receive a gift. “What’s up, Captain?”
“Something you’ll find interesting.” Captain Ragnar tapped his PNIU. Erik’s and Jia’s both chimed. “New case.” He scratched at his beard. “Unless you want to spend the rest of the week going over those old reports?”
Erik made a face. “Nah, I’m good. The most annoying thing cops share with soldiers besides people shooting at you is all the reports.”
“Bureaucracy is the blood of the UTC.” Captain Ragnar summoned a data window depicting a smiling dark-haired Asian woman in a bright green dress. “This is Chau Nguyen. Thirty-two years old, she’s a personal assistant. She worked for Euterpe Corporation until yesterday.”
“Euterpe? The big music company, right?” Jia asked.
“If by big,” he turned to Jia, “you mean the largest music-focused conglomerate in the UTC, then sure. They’re headquartered in the Hexagon.”
“Ok.” Erik whistled. “Never been much of a music guy, but I’ve heard the name bounced around.”
Jia stared at the image. “Wait, worked? Not works? Was she fired after looking into fraud? More embezzlement?”
Captain Ragnar shook his head, his faint smile disappearing. “I only wish it were that simple.” He swiped his hand through the window. A new image appeared of a pale, rigid Chau slumped over the control yoke of a flitter.
Jia wrinkled her nose. “I see what you mean.”
Unless Chau was a secret gangster, they were dealing with an innocent person killed Uptown. Erik had shed his illusions about Earth’s perfection decades ago, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t bothered by innocent lives being cut short.
Captain Ragnar nodded. “She was found dead yesterday on a parking platform connected to her residential tower. There were no immediate signs of foul play. Officers on the scene said it looked like an OD. Her PNIU is unaccounted for, and they haven’t been able to track it. I’ve already got Digital Forensics looking into it.” He swiped again. “She scratched a message into her dashboard, maybe because she didn’t have her PNIU.” He tapped his PNIU, and the text of Chau’s last message appeared in a new data window.
Jia narrowed her eyes and read aloud. “I can’t take it anymore. It’s just too much stress. I’m ashamed. I’ve been using drugs. If I end it now by my own hand, at least you all won’t be blamed for me being so antisocial. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Jia snorted.
Erik blinked at his partner in surprise. Whatever Jia’s faults, she had always shown great compassion toward victims. Even when she was having trouble in prior months, it manifested as anger toward criminals, not a lack of respect for their victims.
“Jia?” he probed quietly.
“Please.” She pointed. “This isn’t a suicide.” She leaned forward. “Some monster killed this woman, and has inflicted even more suffering on her family with a fake suicide note.”
Captain Ragnar nodded slowly. “Forensics didn’t get anything useful other than her DNA on the scene, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a suicide. The body was flagged by a surveillance drone, and a nearby patrol unit went to do a check. They contacted the listed emergency next-of-kin, her sister, who swears up and down that Chau would never take her own life. She was a little emotional in her statement, but she implied Chau had been being secretive and might have some sort of trouble at work.”
“A lot of family members don’t want to accept the truth in this kind of situation,” Erik rubbed his chin. “We sure this isn’t that? People do kill themselves.”
“They do.” Jia frowned. “But this doesn’t smell right.”
“Is that your gut talking?” he pushed.
“It’s rational analysis talking. If she was going to kill herself, where’s her PNIU? Why didn’t she send a message instead of scratching her last thoughts into her dashboard? There’s no reason for a suicidal woman to destroy or throw out her PNIU, but there’s all the reason in the world for her murderer to do it, especially if she managed to record them. Someone thought they could get away with murder, and we won’t let them. I’m outraged for the victim, and I’m angry that they thought that a weak coverup would be enough.”
Captain Ragnar smiled.
Erik stared at the message, considering the evidence gathered so far. Everything Jia said made sense, but his time as a detective had proved people could fall into their own darkness too easily. Conspiracies choked the universe, but those conspiracies didn’t cause every bad event.
That didn’t matter, though. If his partner wanted to investigate, they would invest
igate. She would never need to worry; he would always have her back.
“We can’t be sure until we investigate,” Captain Ragnar commented. “And if the sister’s right about Chau being secretive, that means she might have stumbled upon something, especially given who she was working for.”
Erik snorted. “Let me guess, Euterpe is a Ceres subsidiary?”
Captain Ragnar smiled but shook his head. “No, but she worked as a personal assistant for Rena Winston,” he explained as if that was all the data anyone needed.
“Rena Winston?” Erik wrinkled his forehead in confusion as he turned to Jia. “Who the hell is that?”
“A superstar singer,” Jia explained. “She’s from Remus, but she’s popular all over the UTC, especially on Earth.”
“A singer?” He turned back to the captain. “That’s a big deal?”
“How many non-Earthers can you think of who have hit it big on Earth?” Jia challenged.
“I don’t pay much attention to that kind of thing, other than sphere ball,” Erik answered.
“The upshot is that she’s a big deal, and she’s not even twenty. She is starting a world tour soon. Even some talk of her doing a core worlds tour in a couple of years. She was discovered by a talent scout when she was a young kid and moved to Earth.”
Erik eyed her, a smirk playing on his lips. “Since when are you into superstar singers?”
Jia rolled her eyes. “She’s been everywhere in the news, Erik. She’s hard to miss.”
“If you say so.”
Jia opened her mouth to retort but snapped it shut before offering, “I’m not into her kind of music, but she’s supposed to be the next Aline Bisset.”
Erik stared at Jia like she was speaking Zitark. Another superstar singer from a core world colony? “Aline Bisset?”
Jia gasped. This time she looked stunned. “You don’t know Aline Bisset?”
He shook his head. “She also from Remus?”
Captain Ragnar chuckled. “What did you do for entertainment on the frontier?”
He looked at his boss. “Played a lot of darts?”
Enlightened Ignorance Page 4
