The Smuggler's Gambit (Moonglow Guardians Book 1)

by DK Cassidy

  He sets his comm down on his new desk. “I apologize. To be honest, I’m not used to sharing decisions. My reflex is to act on ideas as soon as they come to me. This will take practice, but I’m determined to make this work. Just give me some time to adjust.”

  Judy looks smug, which pisses me off even more.

  “Agreed, but I won’t give you long. If you keep acting independently, this is not going to work. I mean it, Lucien.”

  He smiles. “Understood.”

  This should be a red flag, but I’ll give him a couple of weeks. If he doesn’t change, he’s gone. That would make Judy happy, but she’ll be insufferable if he proves her right.

  God, I need another cup of coffee.

  Chapter Thirteen

  On the way to Luna Coffee Shop, I enjoy the luxury of Lucien’s hoverlimo. I tried to argue that we could walk, but he countered, saying he already owns it, so it’s not an expense. It feels like a technicality, but it doesn’t count when he puts it that way. My office is only a mile down the road, but since I already said okay, I decide to enjoy the deep cushiony seats.

  My thoughts turn to Grant and my new partner. I want his approval for this new development somehow. “What do you think Grant’s reaction will be when we tell him about our partnership?” I ask Lucien.

  “I think my old friend will be delighted.”

  We step out of the sapphire-blue limo, then enter the diner. It is filled with customers hunkered over their coffee cups and waffles. Grant sits at a booth in the back, as far from prying eyes and snoops as possible. He looks up and grins when he spots us.

  “Arriving in style, huh?”

  He’s a champ. Coffee is waiting for us on the table.

  “Hey, Lucien’s ride was right outside my office, so why not take advantage of it? I suppose you had to get here by walking. No cushy ride for a cop. Am I right?”

  He smiles. “Enough teasing, let’s talk about the case.”

  For some reason, I can’t find the words to tell Grant about Lucien, so I’m grateful when Lucien takes the weight off of me by blurting out the news.

  “Before that, there’s something you should know.” He gestures to himself. “You are looking at the other half of Lily Lovegrove, Private Investigator.”

  He furrows his brow. “What? Do you mean you’re partners?”

  “Exactly, although we’ll have to change the name now.” He pats me on the shoulder. “Right?”

  “Says who?” I say, pretending I object just to annoy him. We do need to come up with a catchy name.

  Grant laughs. “Sorry to take sides, Lily, but a name change would be a good idea. No time for that right now, though. I’ve got some interesting news to share.”

  “We do, too, but you go first,” I say while adding four sugars to my coffee.

  Leaning in to hear better, I wait. It’s pretty noisy in Luna Coffee Shop.

  Grant sets a tablet in the middle of the scratched table. “This was delivered to my precinct late last night, addressed to me. I didn’t see it until this morning.”

  Lucien switches it on and turns it so we can both read the contents.

  Please contact Lucien. Tell him I need his help. I’m in big trouble, and he’s the only one who can help me. I know you two are friends, and I’m trusting you to pass on this urgent message. There isn’t much time. I’m hiding in the Pioneer Square area in New Seattle. Lucien will know where. I don’t want to give exact directions in case someone else reads this. Tell him I’m sorry for everything.

  JS

  My reflex is not to trust her. This reeks of a trap, but I’m willing defer to Lucien on this. He knows her best, and he can probably tell if it sounds like something she’d say.

  Grant looks at Lucien first, then turns to me. “Well? What do you think? Is this for real?”

  I have to go with my instinct. “I think it’s a trap. My interaction with Jennifer gives me little reason to trust her. But Lucien’s the one who worked with her, so I say he can have the final word on this.”

  Lucien takes a sip of his coffee, staring off into the distance. I’m surprised he doesn’t immediately tell us what he thinks. He must have doubts.

  “Here’s what I know,” he says finally. “Before any of this craziness started, Jennifer was one of my best employees. Always on time, an important contributor; she got along with everyone. Personal feelings aside—and as I said, I don’t have any left—this note rings with truth for me. My problem is I don’t want to be wrong and put either of you in danger. We should vote, make this a joint decision.”

  The vote is two to one. I can’t bring myself to say yes. I hope I’m wrong. This is one of the few times I want to be wrong. Admittedly, some of my reservations about Jennifer may be jealousy, but I tell myself I’m a better woman than that.

  “Did you read the file I sent you, Grant? What did you think?” asks Lucien.

  He has to lean in closer to Grant because the noise is rising in the cafe. We are right in the middle of the breakfast rush. Both of us are leaning past the midline of the table.

  “Yeah, that stuff about the gambling is a huge shock. Why would someone like her put herself in a position like that?” He looks at Lucien. “I’m assuming you paid her well, right?”

  He nods. “She was well compensated.”

  Grant shakes his head. “Stupidity? Greed? And why is this even a problem? I’m sure you both had the same question, given the cure available. Anyone this deep in debt has a huge motive to steal. What’s the formula she stole from you worth? Millions? That says to me she has a buyer lined up. Or what if she’s the head of a drug smuggling organization? It could be either.”

  We keep going back and forth on things for a while. It’s quieted down some by now, so I lean back into the booth. “Were you able to find out anything else about her? Does she have a criminal record of any sort? Judy, who by the way is our new research person, can’t get into police files.”

  “Jennifer’s record is clean. Not even minor offenses. I checked back to her youth and nothing there either. The only odd thing is that there is a gap of two years during her late twenties. No job or address on file. My only thought on that is she moved in with her parents for a bit. Or maybe another boyfriend. When did she start working for you, Lucien?”

  “Three years ago. Before that, she was at my competitor GenMed. We didn’t check her employment record before that. They gave her such a glowing recommendation; my HR department didn’t bother to dig any deeper. She claimed her reason for leaving GenMed was because she wanted to work with me. Specifically me. Something about admiring the work I was doing to cure diseases rather than simply managing them.”

  That doesn’t sound right to me. Lucien’s HR department should have checked further into her employment record. If they had, we might not be chasing her now.

  I try not to sound too contrary, but I want my opinion out there. “Do either of you think it’s odd she disappeared for two years? Even if she was living with her parents, she’d still be getting mail. Nowadays it’s almost impossible to be off the grid. What about her communicator? Did she stop using her tablet during that time? There’s got to be something during those missing years.”

  Grant and Lucien look at one another. Neither of them answer me.

  “Fine,” I say, “let’s go to New Seattle. I want it on the record that I’m opposed to this until we do more research, but I’m willing to go.”

  “I can check some things before we go,” says Grant. “Let’s head back to the police station so I can access the database there. I’ll grab my laptop from my desk and bring it in. More privacy that way. We’ll have to pretend you are being interrogated again, but from what I remember, you both enjoyed it.”

  It seems unnecessary to go back to the station. Going back to my office makes more sense.

  “Why bother going there? Can’t you just grab your laptop and leave?”

  “No, the only place I can access these databases is from the station.”

&n
bsp; So it’s off to the station again. At least Grant is listening to me. Lucien still hasn’t said anything about my theory that this is a trap. Is he in denial, or does he think I’m being paranoid? No matter. I’m happy we’re going to look deeper into Jennifer’s past.

  The station is buzzing with cops. It’s a shift change, which is good for us, as no one notices us enter with Grant. He takes us back to the interrogation room with the broken sound system. Once we’re settled in facing the one-way mirror, he leaves to grab a laptop.

  “Do you have a problem with me, Lucien? If so, you need to tell me now. It doesn’t feel like you respect my opinion.”

  Lucien looks surprised by my outburst. “No, it’s not that. I’m still trying to visualize the Jennifer of now versus the one I worked with for three years. It’s tough to know you’ve been fooled for so long. Haven’t you ever been fooled by someone in your life?”

  I don’t answer. I have been fooled before. Thinking about that, I understand more about why Lucien is hesitant to believe Jennifer could be bad. “Jupzi did that to me. I thought I could trust him, and it turned out I was wrong. He’s not trustworthy. That’s why in the end, I guess I wasn’t really surprised he was watching us. Still, that doesn’t mean he’s involved of his own free will. Jennifer might be blackmailing him.”

  Grant returns with his laptop and three cups of coffee balanced on top of it. I’m almost at my limit for caffeine today, but I’ve never turned down a cup of coffee. My hands aren’t trembling yet, so all is good. When Grant offers Lucien a cup, he shakes his head. Three cups must be his limit. Noted.

  As Grant looks up records, I hear a commotion outside the interrogation room. Screaming. Things being thrown around. Running. What the hell?

  Grant goes to the door, looks out briefly, then comes back to us.

  “Nothing to worry about. Someone high on maxxolonium. I’ve seen it before. They get crazy strong and angry.”

  “Oh my god, I’ve never actually seen an overdose of maxx,” I say.

  Lucien’s face goes pale. “Why in the hell would anyone take that poison, knowing the consequences?” Lucien asks Grant.

  “There is no sane reason. Addicts don’t have control of their impulses.”

  Not sure I want to hear the rest, but unable to quell my curiosity, I wait for Grant to continue.

  “The next step is gruesome, and there’s no way to save them if they’ve overdosed. I can’t tell if he’s at that stage; it’s possible he’s just high. The protocol is to try and get him to a hospital in case he gets to the next stage.”

  “What is the next stage?” I ask Grant, curious if what I’ve heard is true.

  He pauses before answering, not making eye contact with me. In a quiet voice, he says, “His head will explode. First he’ll turn white, then as the blood comes rushing to his face, it’ll get bigger and bigger until he’s bleeding from eyes, ears, and nose. Once the pressure builds up, his head will fall apart. I’ve only seen it once, and I hope it’s the only time.”

  I’m struck silent by his answer. It’s one thing to hear anecdotally about something like a maxx overdose, but to have it confirmed is the stuff of nightmares. All the more reason to find out who is manufacturing the drug and killing these women.

  The women! We’ve spent so much time talking about Jennifer and maxxolonium, we seem to have forgotten the dead women. The Red Scarf Murders.

  “I want to send a message to Judy. She needs to find out more about the background of the strangled women. We can’t lose sight of them. Maybe they’re not a part of this smuggling business, but someone needs to solve their murders.”

  My comm beeps with a new message before I get a chance to text Judy. It’s her. She is amazing. She tells me she’s about to look further into the backgrounds of the murdered women. I made the right decision putting her in charge of research. I decide to call her.

  “Judy, we must have a telepathic connection. I was about to message you to ask you to do what you’re about to do. What made you think about this?”

  “Well, you two kept talking about Jennifer, but I didn’t hear anything about the poor women. I know you’ve been busy chasing Jennifer, so I thought I’d get this done for you when you get to a point that you can follow up on it. Or at the very least, pass on what I find to Grant.” She pauses. “That and I’m super bored.”

  I laugh. “Send it to me as soon as you’re finished. And thank you. You’re a jewel.”

  Grant closes his laptop. “There is nothing about Jennifer’s lost two years. She’s a ghost for that time frame, then suddenly she pops back up. No explanation, no digital trail. She’s proved us wrong. It is possible to go off grid.”

  “Shall we go, Lily?” asks Lucien.

  “Yes. We’ve done all we can for now. Let’s fly to New Seattle and hope she’s telling the truth. In case she’s not, would you bring your gun, Grant? We’d feel safer if you did.”

  Grant pats his chest, then opens his coat. “Already thought about that. We’re covered.”

  The three of us go to New LaGuardia Airport to fly to New Seattle. Lucien, ever the organized one, called ahead and had the shuttle ready for us. It’s going to be a quick flight. While the new cities are exact replicas of the original cities on Earth, they’re much closer together since the Moon is 27 percent of the size of Earth.

  Right before takeoff, our tablets alert us to a new file. The information about the dead women is ready for us to read. So much for a quick nap during the flight.

  I can’t get rid of the nagging suspicion that we’re heading to a trap. I hope I’m wrong.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Landing at the New Seattle airport, we gather our go bags and leave the terminal. Lucien has a hoverlimo waiting for us, and James climbs in, ready to drive. Another thing I’ve already made peace with. I can’t afford to take hovercabs everywhere, and Lucien owns a limo in all five Moon cities.

  We are heading to Pioneer Square. Lucien owns an old warehouse there. He says he bought it for the property and is probably going to tear down the building at some point. The warehouse is dilapidated, with broken windows and graffiti all over the walls. I wonder why Jennifer would choose this place to meet.

  “She must be paranoid to suggest this building to hide in. How did she know about it?” I ask Lucien.

  He shrugs. “All she had to do was look up the record of properties owned by PharmiCor. It doesn’t surprise me. I’m discovering she’s quite resourceful. This has to be the place she meant. This is the only abandoned building I own here.”

  James stops the hoverlimo outside the front of the building. Lucien instructs the android to keep the engine running to ensure a quick getaway if needed. James nods without replying. Come to think of it, I’ve never heard James utter a word.

  Grant goes to the door and rattles the chain. It’s solid. “Do you have any idea where to enter? The front door’s chained, and the ground-floor windows are boarded up. In fact, I think they might all be rusted shut.”

  “Let’s walk around the building. There must be another door,” says Lucien.

  We make our way to the back, dodging garbage on the ground. From the outside, the place looks abandoned. I can’t imagine how Jennifer can stand to stay here. Not the Jennifer I watched at 66 Park Avenue. This is worlds away from that place.

  “Look, there’s another door,” says Grant. He heads toward the door, and we follow him.

  He pulls on the door and it opens. Time to find Jennifer. It’s dark and musty inside, and quiet. Grant turns on his flashlight and shines it around the first floor. It appears to be empty.

  Lucien steps forward and calls out to her. “Jennifer? Are you here? It’s Lucien. I came to help you.”

  It isn’t Jennifer who steps out of the shadows. Instead it’s Jerry, the security guard from the New Chicago headquarters. I’m stunned. I turn to the other two, and they look shocked as well.

  “What are you doing here, Jerry?” asks Lucien.

  Jerry takes
a gun from his belt and aims it at all of us. It’s as I feared: Jennifer lured us into a trap.

  “I’m sorry, sir, but I’ve got bills to pay. My wife is sick, and I couldn’t pay anyone. My accounts are all overdrawn.”

  “All you had to do was ask, Jerry. I would have helped you.”

  Jerry looks down at his gun as if he’s surprised he’s holding it.

  “I thought about it, but I was too embarrassed. Then one day, Miss Spion came to me and offered me a lot of uni-chits if I helped her.”

  Lucien is moving closer to Jerry. I want to shout at him to stop, but I don’t want to scare the guard. He already seems nervous. If I startle him, he may accidentally shoot one of us.

  “What have you been doing for Jennifer?” Lucien says. “It’s okay. You can tell me. You won’t get in trouble. She’s the one we’re after, not you.” Lucien is three feet from Jerry now, speaking in a low voice.

  Jerry notices how close Lucien is. He swings the gun toward him. “Stay back! I’ll shoot! I’m supposed to keep you here until the others arrive, but I’ll shoot now if you get any closer.” He waves his gun around while shouting.

  “What others? Is Jennifer coming?” asks Lucien.

  Jerry stops, and it’s as if he heard nothing Lucien said. “All I wanted to do was make some money for my family. I don’t recognize myself, I’m a monster.”

  Jerry begins to weep. He lowers the gun and collapses on the floor, and Grant and I rush to him. Lucien gets the weapon and slides it away from him.

  “When are the others arriving, Jerry?” he asks. “Come on, you have to help us out.”

  Jerry is shaking, unable to speak yet. At last, he looks at Lucien and says, “She made me do it. One last thing and then I’d get paid, she said. I’ve never killed anyone. She gave me a red silk scarf and sent me into a room here. I wasn’t allowed to leave the room until I’d… I’d done the deed.”

  Grant bends down to Jerry. “What are you talking about? Did you kill someone? Where’s the body?”

  When Grant says this, Jerry tries to get away, punching Grant in the eye. Lucien tackles Jerry to the floor to prevent him from hurting anyone else. Jerry struggles, flailing his arms and kicking; then his strength leaves him, and he points to a door at the opposite corner of the room. I have a sick feeling about this.