Just This Once

by Diana X Dunn

  “So I’m on vacation,” Julia laughed.

  “You can call it that if you’d like. Just make sure that you keep yourself available.”

  “You know I’m always available,” she said, swallowing a sigh. A moment later, she was surprised when her M-ped rang a call tone. Everyone seemed to use direct messaging these days, rather than calling. She dug her M-ped out of her bag.

  “It’s Alex,” she told Michael.

  Michael set down his cup and frowned. “Do you mind putting it on speaker?” he asked.

  “Not at all.” Julia lied smoothly as she pressed the answer button.

  “Hello.” She watched Alex’s face come into focus.

  “Hi there.” Alex smiled back.

  “Hello?” Julia made the single word a question. She was very conscious of where she was and who was listening.

  “I might be wrong about you,” Alex told her, causing her to frown. “But I have a feeling I can trust you.

  Julia frowned. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “I need a friend right now. I’m in a bit of a sticky situation at the moment.”

  “And you think I can help?”

  “Maybe you could attest to my good character? Just tell everyone you know that I’m a nice guy who wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

  Julia felt a headache starting up behind her eyes. “What’s happened?”

  “It is only just possible, you see, that someone might think I had something to do with her murder.” Alex looked intently into her eyes. “And I didn’t, of course.”

  “Whose murder? What are you talking about?” Julia demanded. Across the desk, Michael raised an eyebrow.

  “She rang this morning and demanded that I come out and see her. I’m trying so hard to get her to agree to things, that I didn’t argue. I know I shouldn’t let her make demands on me like that, but I need her agreement.” Alex shook his head and then his eyes grew serious. “I should say that I needed her agreement, shouldn’t I, now that she is dead?”

  “What in Hades are you talking about?” Julia felt herself losing her patience.

  “Oh sorry, it’s been one hell of a morning.” Alex took a deep breath and visibly composed himself. “Sorry, it is just possible that I might be suspected of her murder and for some reason, you were the first person I wanted to call. I don’t know why, but I’m hoping you can help me. I could really use a friend right now, if nothing else.”

  The last sentence was said with such sincerity that Julia was thrown for a minute. She shook her own head and then frowned at the man at the other end of the video link.

  “You still haven’t told me who has been murdered,” she said slowly, squeezing each word out through gritted teeth.

  “Oh sorry about that,” Alex grimaced. “My wife.”

  Julia pushed the disconnect button without even thinking. She felt anger welling up in waves. Michael watched her warily for a moment and then turned to the computer on his desk and began requesting information, leaving Julia to work through her thoughts for a minute.

  “You knew.” It was a statement rather than a question.

  “That he was married? Yes, it turned up when I did the superficial scan.”

  “And you didn’t think to tell me? Didn’t think that that little fact warranted putting him in the ‘not to be trusted’ file?” Julia kept her voice low and her tone mild, her years of training masking the anger that she felt. She knew she was misdirecting her anger at Michael when it should be blasted at Alex Knight, but he wasn’t here and Michael was.

  Michael turned and faced her. He tipped his head to one side and watched her for a moment, assessing her emotions. As she felt the perceptiveness of his gaze filter through her, Julia forced herself to relax. She was a trained professional and she pushed aside her emotions and forced herself to focus. Michael waited until Julia was back in complete control before he spoke.

  “The scan revealed that Alexander Knight and Cassie Montgomery married in June 2109. He purchased a newly built house in the suburbs that served as the registered address for both parties for the next two years. In August 2111, Alexander Knight registered a change of address, moving to an apartment block in the center of the city. Cassie Montgomery remained at the address in South Side. Two years after that a man named Peter Henderson registered at the same address. According to current records, they are still the only registered occupants at that address. Alexander Knight has moved twice since then, selling each apartment in turn and purchasing more expensive places.”

  Julia nodded slowly, taking in the information and processing it. “No one has filed for divorce?”

  “There is no record of either party in the Knight marriage filing a divorce request. They were, of course, legally separated and living at separate registered addresses, but Alexander Knight still owned the house where his wife lived.”

  “So what happened today?” she asked, nodding at Michael’s computer where he had tapped into the New York City Police computers.

  “Ah, well now,” Michael turned back to the monitor and quickly clicked his way through a series of screens. “Apparently, at 10:23 this morning, the police were given an anonymous tip from an untraceable device that there was a problem at the house in South Side. Police were already in the area dealing with another matter so they responded quickly. Inside the house they found Alexander Knight standing over his wife’s body, a knife sticking out of her chest. Preliminary reports suggest that she had already been dead for several minutes when the police arrived. Knight is considered a witness but not likely for the murder. His hands and clothes were clean, for one thing, and apparently she bled quite a lot.”

  Julia shuddered. She had seen some death and destruction in her job, but she still didn’t like to hear the details about violent death. “So he was exaggerating when he said he thought he would be a suspect.”

  “Just because he didn’t push the knife in, doesn’t mean he didn’t have something to do with the murder,” Michael pointed out.

  “So why did he call me?” Julia wondered out loud.

  “I was just going to ask you the same question.” Michael frowned. “He said he thought you could help, does he just need a friend, or does he think you have connections?”

  “I don’t know what he thinks,” she muttered.

  “Maybe you should go and have a chat with Blake.” Michael smiled at her. “On Knight’s behalf or to try to get him into more trouble, whichever you prefer.”

  Julia smiled wryly. “As angry as I am that he didn’t bother to mention his wife, I do believe that he is innocent of her murder. Maybe a chat with Blake would help sort things out.”

  Michael nodded. “Blake needs to know that you know the man, at the very least. We need to keep the agency out of the picture if at all possible, though.”

  “I’ll just tell him we met last night at Greenwoods.” Julia replied. “They’ll find that out soon enough, if they start tracing his movements backwards. I shouldn’t have to mention our previous meeting, so that should leave the agency out of things.”

  “What if Knight brings it up?”

  “I don’t think he will. Especially if he thinks I’m trying to help him.” Julia mentally crossed her fingers in hope and then stood up. “Is Blake at the crime scene?”

  Michael tapped a few more keys on this computer and nodded. “He is currently estimating arrival back at the station at two this afternoon. He’s requested an interview room be prepared so he can take Knight’s statement at that time.”

  Julia nodded. “I’ll go and run a few errands and then make sure I’m at the station before two. I’d like to intercept Blake before he interviews Alex.”

  Michael nodded. “Keep me informed,” he ordered.

  “As ever.” Julia nodded wearily, wondering idly what it would be like to have a private life.

  The New York City Police Department had been one of the best in the world before the chaos of the twenty-first century. The city had been known, at one time, as one
of the safest anywhere. By the end of the century, however, the city was in ruins and the police force had been reduced to a skeleton crew that struggled to keep the city government running and offer minimal protection to the brave or foolhardy few who still made the city their home.

  As the world slowly returned to something approaching normal, New York City had elected a new mayor who had been quick to build his police force once again into a powerhouse. New officers had been recruited from around the world and from many different backgrounds. Former FBI and CIA agents now worked hand in hand with former agents from foreign governments in a way that many never would have thought possible years earlier. Today’s New York again had an enviable reputation for being one of the safest big cities in the world. Employment laws, curfews and legislation that would have been unthinkable in the twentieth century were now accepted as necessary to keep the city safe.

  At one forty-five that afternoon, Julia Randall was sitting alone in an empty office at the New York City Police headquarters building. In spite of being only a few years old, the building already had a run down and neglected feel to it. The mayor made sure that money was poured into the police department, but most it went on manpower and equipment. Not much was left over for maintaining the fabric of the buildings where the officers and equipment were housed.

  The office where Julia sat was comfortable, but not lavish. A closer look revealed paint starting to peel from walls and carpet stains that could never quite be removed. Julia identified three miniature cameras hidden in everyday objects and assumed that there were more that even she couldn’t spot. Signs were posted prominently around the building warning everyone that they would be recorded and watched everywhere they went throughout it. Since the 2068 Privacy Act, providing such notice was necessary. Covert monitoring of prisoners and witnesses had gone the way of unrestricted Internet access and social networking websites that told all and sundry personal details about people who should have known to keep such information private.

  Julia shifted in her chair and then leaned back and counted backwards slowly from ten to one. By the time she reached two she was in complete control of her emotions. She’d been taught this trick when she was ten, toward the beginning of her training, and it had served her well over the years. She reached into her bag and pulled out her M-ped, deciding to get some work done while she waited.

  She typed “Alexander Knight” into the standard WorldNet search function, waiting to see what information there was about him in the public domain. The Privacy Act had severely restricted the sorts of information that was available on-line, but there was usually some things that could be found. And, of course, there was always the self-promotional stuff that people cluttered up the WorldNet with.

  A lot of authors, artists and others in similar occupations used the WorldNet to help sell their wares. Julia found evidence of several men with the same name, including a university professor in Wyoming and a lawyer in Texas, but no information about any authors in New York. Michael had been right, as far as the WorldNet was concerned, Alexander Knight didn’t exist. That was true, of course, for the vast majority of the world’s population, but it was still frustrating for Julia. Her fingers hovered over the keypad, knowing that only a few clicks would give her access to far more information. Her job gave her the right to access such information as need warranted, but she simply couldn’t persuade herself that it was wholly justified at the moment.

  She was saved deliberating further when the door swung open. Blake Bowman stood in the doorway for a moment, studying Julia, before he crossed the threshold. He shut the door behind himself and then held out his arms.

  “Before we get down to murder and mayhem, I deserve a hug.”

  Julia jumped up and hugged him tightly. She had forgotten how incredibly gorgeous he was, with short blond hair and sparkly blue eyes. The eyes had seen a lot of horrible things, but somehow they still held on to their humanity. Julia felt a surge of electricity run through her as they held on tightly to one another for a long moment. Blake’s broad shoulders had looked to be holding the weight of the world when he came into the room, but as he released Julia, the load seemed to lighten somewhat.

  “Wow, it is good to see you,” Julia’s voice was husky, all worries about controlling her emotions forgotten.

  “You too, you look great.” Blake held her at arm’s length and studied her carefully. “I liked your hair better longer, but it does suit you like that,” he said finally after he had looked her up and down twice. “You’ve lost weight as well. I must get on to Michael and tell him to order you to eat more.”

  Julia smiled and shook her head. “You look amazing, but I think you’ve found any weight I’ve lost,” she teased. “Your little woman must be feeding you too well.”

  Blake flushed. “I know,” he patted his tummy unselfconsciously. “Jenny keeps insisting on feeding me real food all the time. FADS don’t provide the real food pleasure, but they do help keep the weight down.”

  “How is your other half, then?” Julia asked, “and how is married life?”

  Blake tilted his head. “Married life is…different,” he answered slowly, giving Julia the total honesty that she knew he wouldn’t have shared with many people. “I still love Jenny to distraction, but some days it does feel like hard work.”

  “It all sounds like hard work to me,” she told him.

  “I already knew that.” Blake replied in a light tone. Julia could hear the undercurrent in his voice.

  “Yes, I suppose you did.” Julia kept her own answer light as well, but she knew Blake wasn’t fooled. They stared at each other for a long moment, both remembering their own version of events.

  Two years earlier, when Julia had first arrived in New York City, her job had gotten her gotten mixed up in a murder investigation. Blake had headed up the investigation. By the end of the investigation, Blake, of necessity, knew many of Julia’s secrets. The pair became lovers while hunting down the killer and their passionate relationship continued after the man was safely behind bars. Three months later, however, Blake suggested moving in together and Julia ended things.

  For several months after that, they broke up and got back together nearly every week. In the end, however, Julia couldn’t make the commitment Blake was looking for and the relationship had fizzled. The powerful sexual attraction never faded, but the endless arguing made it impossible to stay together.

  A short while after that, Blake had met Jenny and within six months Julia had received an invitation to their wedding. Julia had taken Michael as her date, and danced until dawn celebrating her friend’s newly discovered happiness. She was so expert at hiding her own feelings that she hadn’t realized until today how upset she was that he had gotten over her and moved on so quickly. Blake, for his part, looked uneasy as he stared at Julia.

  Julia watched as the weight of the world seemed to settle back onto Blake’s shoulders. She frowned and wondered what it meant, but didn’t dare ask. After another long pause, where they both simply stared at one another, Blake broke the silence.

  “So, I’m up to my ears in another murder. What did you need that was so important that I had to talk to you before I did anything else?”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make it sound so important, but I wanted to talk to you before you talked to Alexander Knight. There are some things I need to discuss with you.”

  Blake frowned deeply. “Why do I think I’m not going to like what you have to say?”

  “It’s fine, Blake, really,” Julia attempted to reassure him. “But someone will probably find out that we were at Greenwoods together last night and that he called me this morning. I wanted to tell you myself before you got too tangled up in the case.”

  Blake was shaking his head before Julia finished speaking. “I just knew when I walked in there this morning, that this wasn’t going to be straightforward,” he told her, “Now I find out that you and your agency are involved. How much worse is this going to get?”

&n
bsp; Julia shook her head. “No, really, this had nothing to do with the agency at all,” she insisted, noting the disbelief in his eyes. “This is a personal involvement.”

  Blake pushed himself back from his desk and turned away from Julia for a moment. “I think I’m going to like that even less,” he muttered at her as he turned back to look her squarely in the eyes.

  Julia reached across the desk and squeezed his hand. “Honestly, Blake, just hear me out.”

  Blake nodded briefly, keeping her hand in his as she launched into her explanation.

  “Last night I was out with Pixie and John and Alexander Knight approached me. He thought he recognized me as someone he’d met in February. After we’d cleared up the misunderstanding, he joined us for the evening at Greenwoods, renting a VIP room so we could talk. We watched the dancing, watched Pixie and John collect conquests, and then he walked me home, where I gave him my number and then went up to my apartment alone.”

  She noted satisfaction in Blake’s eyes as she emphasized the word “alone”.

  “I assume he went back to his, also alone, but I don’t know that for sure. This morning I got a message from him saying that he expected to be tied up for a few days, but that he would be in touch soon. A few hours later, he called me. He said that someone had murdered his wife and he thought he might be a suspect. He thought I could help in some way. He said he needs a friend.”

  “And he hit the jackpot with you, didn’t he?” Blake drawled, pulling his hand away and turning to the window.

  Behind him Julia sat and waited, knowing that Blake’s mood would pass shortly. He didn’t totally understand what Julia did or who she worked for, but he knew enough to realize that whomever she worked for had the power to shut down his investigation if they felt they needed to do so. She knew that he hated the idea that there were international political games that were being played out all over the world that sometimes meant local law enforcement had to step back.