by S. H. Marpel
Hayden moved to the top of that step ladder and checked it himself, then returned, nodding and puzzled. “Your orders, Master Chief?”
“Stow that step-ladder, and check over the rest of this control board. Make sure nothing else is changed - and let me know anything you find.”
Turning to me, “Ma’am, is there anything else the Admiral might need added to that report?”
“No Chief, but you can send in a supplement with anything you find. I’m sure he’ll be relieved to find out the good care and vigilance you have both shown today.”
I smiled. They relaxed. Then the Chief looked over at the now-doting petty officer and Hayden got the point of his glare. He quickly picked up and closed the step ladder. In a fluid move to stow it before starting his own inspection of the control board, as ordered.
My pea-coat over an arm, and making my way back to the exit, I touched the pendant on my chest. “Did you get all that, Finn?”
“Sure. Good job. I’ll meet you outside.”
I took a few minutes to wrap up properly against the cold outside and think things over.
Regardless, my next actions were pointing me to the hospital. While I could wait for Finn to show up, I thought the crisp winter air would help my thoughts.
But a few more seconds indoors might have been a smarter move.
JUST AFTER I GOT OUT the door, I heard something thud on the ground behind me. And felt my arms pulled back so that I couldn’t move. Or so he thought.
One of my heels went into his boot top and stopped at his steel toe. The guy only chuckled. So I tucked my knees up to my stomach, which made him lean forward and go off balance. As my feet nearly reached the ground, I arched back, then dove off like I was using a diving board. My head cracked him under his chin, and we both fell backwards.
His grip loosened and I rolled out of his grip, as I went reaching for his toolbox - that thud I’d heard earlier.
But he rolled, too We were now both on the ground holding onto that box and wrestling to get a grip with our gloves on that cold, slick metal surface.
As he reached back with his arm to slug me, he stopped.
Another pair of hands had grabbed that arm and soon twisted it behind his back, while a knee went into my assailant’s shoulders and pushed his head into the snow-ice mix at the edge of the walk.
I’d gotten the tool box and scrambled back with it. I now saw the hands were Finn’s, who came to help – just in the nick of time.
But the big guy on the ground saw the tool box in my hands as well, with wide eyes. A sudden twist of his legs turned him around and swept Finn’s feet from under him.
Regaining his own feet, the big assailant pulled a small pistol shape from his coat pocket. Aiming it at me, he called out to Finn, “Back off or she gets it!”
Finn stopped moving as did I.
“Hand it over sister, or this will punch a big ugly hole in that small pretty face.”
I just nodded, holding its top by the handle with one hand as my other moved onto the tool box face. Nearly in his hands, a quick flip of its catch dropped the contents over the snowy ice beneath it. Another flip put the empty tool box flying toward his face.
At that point, I ducked and rolled.
The shot went high above the ground where I was standing before.
Finn tried to spring at the guy, but that goon moved to cover the tool box contents, falling on the pistol-device as he did.
A flash resulted.
When our eyes cleared, there was no more guy or tool box or its contents. Nothing but a cleared space of steamy ground right down to the short grass. All re-freezing quickly.
V
WE GOT A BOOTH IN THE food court, inside the base commissary. To settle our nerves and compare notes.
Finn still looked concerned after our wrestling match. Fortunately, he didn’t even get a bruise out of that scuffle. “The hospital records have a gap here. The guys in isolation were all released and returned to active duty, but were transferred off-base to other duty assignments within days.”
“So, some chemical device cause those deaths and infections?”
Finn nodded. “Our presence made them remove it. And now they are one less.”
Our hot drinks arrived. Orange Pekoe tea for me, black coffee for Finn.
When the wait-staff was out of earshot, Finn summed it up. “Gun running last time, chemical agents this time. Looks like they are planning something, we just don’t know what.”
“But we came out OK, overall.”
“Still, I don’t like that they’re getting physical to defend their turf. Could be worse next time, now that they know we are onto them.”
“That goon might have been acting on his own. And now we know that they know. Besides, I won’t look like this next time. We still have the advantage.”
Finn looked off into space. “Hold that thought, Erotika. I just saw someone you’ll want to meet.”
He rose quickly and was soon lost in the crowd of shoppers inside the commissary. Soon, he returned, leading a brown-haired, brown-eyed beauty in civilian garb by her hand.
They slid in to sit side by side in the booth.
“Carol?”
She smiled. “It’s good to see you, Erika - er - Erotika.”
I had to smile right back. “It’s so good to see you. Finn has told me a little, but not a whole lot about you. How’s back-lines work treating you?”
“Keeping me busy. Very busy. There’s so much to sort out and help with. At least Finn was keeping the place ship-shape before I got there. I’m afraid I’ve been leaving the manuals spread out as I keep going from one to the other - just to catch up on how they built that place.”
“And you’ve been ‘talking’ to the AI?”
“Yeah. Very revealing. But cryptic. I think I’m getting it over to my side now.”
“Your side?”
Carol nodded. “It seems the scientists didn’t treat it like a real person before, more like a clinical science experiment. I’ve been finding that a few compliments have been more rewarding. It even has a quiet, dry humor at times.”
“Finn tells me you’re finding more reports about future events?”
“That’s all a big gray area right now. We know you’re being sent to events in the past, but the AI has access to all the criminal databases since they were started. So that data-mining can take awhile to collate. Because now that Finn is freed up to do more work with you, I’ve been able to help the AI make it’s available data more useful - it’s learning a lot from me, probably where its idea of ‘humor’ is coming from. But that’s a guess.”
“Carol, were their any side effects noted with other guys who caught that ‘flu’?”
“According to records, they all completely recovered. A search of medical records showed nothing after they returned to active duty. Of course, those records didn’t account for Finn’s visiting them with some ‘special medicine’ we cooked up.”
Finn put his hand on hers. “And I’m grateful that Carol has freed up my time to work more hands on.”
I smiled. “Like the hands you put on that goon this afternoon.”
He chuckled. “Too close to suit me. But any landing you can walk away from...”
Carol’s eyebrow went up at that. “Still, I’d rather never have to fly that close to begin with.”
I had to chuckle in agreement.
Carol held out her free hand, palm up. “Erotika, let me have yours - there’s something I need to do.”
I put my free hand on top of her open palm. “Like taking a reading?”
“Something like that.” She closed her eyes briefly.
A feeling of calm, peaceful security welled up inside me.
Carol turned my hand over and patted it with hers, then sat back. “There.”
“What?”
“Oh, nothing really. You’ll be fine from here on out.”
“No, really, what was that all about?”
“A little tr
ick some friends of mine showed me. You can think of it as an all-purpose flu shot.”
“By holding my hand?”
Carol nodded. Finn did, too. “There’s a kind of first-aid substance that goes along with that pendant. It passed from Finn to you when he palmed you that pendant. I was just fine-tuning the connection a bit. Just figure it’s a booster to your natural immune system. And it makes the pendant work better.”
I had to shake my head. “Well, OK. If Finn’s been through it, then I’ll trust the two of you. He’s turned out OK, after all.”
Carol looked at Finn. “More than OK.”
Finn glanced at her with a smile, and then cleared his throat. “Well, ladies, enough of the dreamy-eyed stuff. Erotika, I’ll escort you back to Della’s berthing to make sure there’s no ambushes.”
I patted Carol’s hand again. “It’s been nice meeting you. Maybe we should do this more often.”
She smiled. “Well, if we keep wrapping up our assignments early, you can count on it.”
I stood, as did Finn.
When I turned back to get my pea-coat, Carol was gone from sight.
“Well, that was fast.”
Finn nodded. “She’s a busy gal, like you. Ready?”
I smiled. “Sure.”
The walk to my place was uneventful. Finn carefully inspected every square foot of my small apartment, even the bathroom and closet, before he would let me step more than just inside the door.
And he left me with a kiss on the forehead. “Sweet dreams, sis.”
VI
“I‘M SURE YOUR PARENTS were proud of the two of you.” Carol stopped her keyboard tick-tacking and stood to greet me as I returned.
“Especially Erika. Me - they were probably fed up with my antics long before I left home.”
“Oh, I don’t know, you have a way of making yourself welcome everywhere you go.”
I put an arm around Carol’s waist. “Just like certain people I know, present company included.” That got a little flush on her cheeks.
“Well, Finn, I’d take that as an invitation if we didn’t have so much work to do and the AI weren’t looking on.”
“You know there is a way to turn off the AI’s sensors...”
“But not the work load. I need to enter all this in and get him to work on analyzing it.”
“The AI is a ‘Him’?”
“Sure - well, that’s the way he comes across. A little direct, blunt at times, and takes awhile to understand how to treat a woman.”
“Past experience?”
“Present company excluded.”
So I hugged her again, and she relaxed. For just a moment. Then she was all business again.
Just as the clock went past the 23:59:50’s over into 00:00:00 again.
Six more days to go, and no real solution to Erika’s problem in sight. Six more days of life as she knew it – and then, well, that was a future bridge.
Still, we made progress in this last day.
The CRT screens started filling with data about her new assignment. And through the viewport window, I saw a different darkened bedroom on the other side.
Sleep well, Erika. While you can.
Book Universes Notes
All long series of books become complicated. The universes of these stories can mix and merge. There are short and long series, as well as crossovers. So we’ve begun the process of adding Book Universes Notes to each of them. This allows you to get links to the earlier materials that explain the character backgrounds and abilities, story arcs, and even easter eggs.
Please enjoy.
THIS IS THE SECOND in the series, after the “Saga of Erotika Jones 01”.
Erika and Finn were introduced in its prequel, “Case of the Time Bent Beau”.
Carol was first introduced in “Time Bent”.
The “C. E. L.” phone stands for Communication and Emergency Logistics – but it operates much like our current cellphones. But those weren’t around in the 70’s.
The pendant was first mentioned in “A Case of Missing Wings”.
“Della Street” is a nod to the Perry Mason series secretary.
This story is roughly placed in the late ‘70’s at Great Lakes Naval Station. At that time, the training for Machinist Mates and Boiler Technicians was performed at a working steam plant there. One that resembled the rough layout of a conventional Navy engine room, but had classrooms nearby.
Winter along the lake shore north of Chicago can be brutal at times.
The Saga of Erotika Jones 03
BY J. R. KRUZE, S. H. Marpel
“All power comes from within.” - Ancient Hawaiian saying.
THE PROBLEMS STARTED right off. Main one was that it was Murder, not Suicide.
Even though the room was locked from the inside and had no windows the assailant could escape through.
The yeoman on duty hadn’t seen or heard anyone. And according to the reception logs, the victim had left the building and not returned.
The body wasn’t discovered until the next day when the cleaners came in.
That’s when I was called. Even after the Medical Examiner said it wasn’t necessary.
Not that they expected a young woman with long white-blond hair to solve their unknown mystery.
But then, I’m used to being underestimated because of my looks.
Meanwhile, the evidence had already started disappearing.
I only had a few hours now to solve this and get the culprit.
Before all the leads went colder than the body...
I
“GOOD MORNING, EROTIKA Jones!”
That would be Finn. His usual red-headed cheery self. At least he’d brought coffee.
“And top of the morning to you, Finn. I trust that’s simply straight brew, not the Irish version?”
He smiled at that – my point well taken. That hip flask he carried was more like a St. Bernard’s cask. And like it, usually held brandy – or so I was told.
I sipped my coffee through an opening in its plastic lid, and found he’d only added honey. We’d worked together long enough that he knew my preferences. I started us walking again. “So, the briefing today?”
“Body found in the CO’s office. Ruled a suicide. The cleaners unlocked his room yesterday morning and found him. Hanging by single strand of paracord from some support inside the air vent.”
“Ouch.”
“What the report had of interest was the rope burns on his wrists.”
I sipped the coffee thoughtfully. “Locked room murder?”
“Probably. Who would tie up his own hands only to untie them and hang himself?”
“No signs of entry?”
“Not obvious, anyway. Windows were sealed by long disuse and painted shut. Only other doors to the room were a closet and bathroom. Both had no outside windows. On top of that, the door had a double deadbolt – had to be unlocked by key from both sides.”
“Vent in the bathroom only for air flow, not large enough to climb through?”
“Right. And the room was locked overnight with the C.O. and the cleaning crew having the only other key.”
Pausing at the entrance to the Port Operations building, I noted that it was essentially a smallish two-story building with a glassed-in observation deck as a third story. All perched on a corner tip of land where they could watch all the boats and ships move through the harbor. As I stood there sipping my coffee, I sized up the reception area before entering. “Any reception watch overnight?”
“Nope. It’s locked up tight then. Security cameras outside the entrance and in the lobby. They showed no activity overnight. No gaps in the recording. And no signs of forced entry or lock picking.”
“Could have been done, though?”
“Possible. The main entrance faces the water, not the parking lot or street – there’s no water traffic to notice anything.”
I scanned around. The Port Ops building was hardly a dozen yards from the water, with an activ
e mooring dock running past its front. Right on Little Creek itself, with nearby Fisherman’s Cove.
Finn was watching my eyes scan. “You think maybe they came in by boat?”
“Possible. But they’d still have to get around the security cameras.”
Turning on my heel, I went back to the corner of the building and looked off to the west behind it. Rails with rolling freight stood, waiting for transfer barges. “Bet you there’s an access road back behind those rails. Meaning that this is more a civilian gig than any naval security scene.”
Finn nodded. “All sorts of material could be moving in and out from the Naval Base, moved to ships or already on them. Even people. A great cover for criminal activity.”
I started us walking back to the front entrance. “Now we know that a fast getaway is possible by water or land, let’s see how they did it.”
THERE WAS ONLY A SINGLE yeoman at the entrance. He sported a friendly smile – until worry wrinkles appeared after he saw my Naval Investigative Services ID. I did nothing to relax his frowns. Until the rest of me got his appreciative glance.
Today I was sporting long, almost waist-length blond hair. While I personally would rather wear it shorter, that wasn’t my choice. The powers-that-be had somehow selected this body for me to borrow. So a gal has to use what she’s been given. This body seemed to like swimming and sun, since my hair was almost white from natural bleaching, the dark roots giving added depth and their own mystery.
A light toss of my long mane got his attention while disarming his answers. My dressing in a tailored zebra-striped top took his eyes both down toward my charcoal gray slacks and black short-heeled pumps. By the time he got back up to my eyes, my waiting smile finished off most of his tenseness.
“Yeoman...”
“Jenkins, ma’am.”
“Yeoman Jenkins, who was on duty last night?”
