by K. C. Finn
“If she knew how to find The Face, then why don’t you?” Angelica questions as she prepares a fresh brew. “Surely she must have left records?”
Cae looks up bitterly. “The house was ransacked when I was in hospital,” he explains, “No doubt the work of the same people that killed her.”
“Hospital,” Angelica repeats, her eyes travelling over Cae’s thick, black gloves, “So you were attacked at the same time?”
“I,” Cae begins slowly. This is the part he really doesn’t want to let out, but now he can feel the full effect of the drug as he bites his lip, desperate to stop his mouth from opening again. “When I saw what was left of her body…” He closes his eyes tightly, feeling Angelica’s gentle touch on his forearm. “I don’t remember anything after that. The sight of her. It stopped me from-‘
“It’s okay,” the young blonde soothes, “I know what you’re saying.” Cae feels her squeeze his covered-up arm slightly. “And I’m glad you’ve told me.”
The phone begins to ring in the living room, alerting them both. Cae takes the opportunity to rub his blue eyes clear of their brimming water whilst Angelica is distracted. She settles her teaspoon and starts to walk back to the source of the ringing.
“On the bright side,” she calls as she walks away, “you’re going to interview the men from your list tomorrow.”
Cae watches her go, amazed at how the fortnight has flown since he’s been working every evening at the House of Cards. He takes the liberty of finishing up the coffee, carrying it carefully back through the apartment, ever aware of how the sudden resurgence of memories has given him the shakes. Perhaps another coffee isn’t really the best idea.
When he re-enters the living room, Angelica is no longer the sunny, hair-twirling young woman from her last phone conversation. Her face is suddenly pale and gaunt as she hangs on the receiver silently. Her glassy eyes are unfocused, her pink lips parted a little through short, heavy breaths.
“I see,” she says eventually, “Well, um, thank you for letting me know.”
She clicks off the phone, collapsing onto her cold sofa.
“What is it?” Cae asks, coming to sit beside her.
The pretty blonde stares on, lost. Her lips start to move for several moments before she actually speaks, and when she looks at Cae again her face is hopeless and empty.
“Flash Morgan broke out of his cell,” Angelica says in a breathy tone, “He’s killed three people.” She steels herself with a huge intake of breath. “Joseph Grant, Ross Holly and Jude Wilkes.”
Cae drops his head as he realises why those names are a little too familiar.
“Our three appointments for tomorrow,” the detective concludes. He sees Angelica nod just a little from the corner of his eye.
“Oh God,” Angelica whispers, “Can he get into the prison records? Or is he following you? Or me?”
“You were right Angelica,” Cae whispers, his breathing suddenly shallow, “The Face is silencing people left, right and centre. He knows everything I’m doing.” He whips his head up to stare her in the face, and the young woman looks at him with shock and more than a little fear. “He’s playing this like a game,” Cae continues, grabbing her shoulder as his voice volume grows. “Before he just wanted me dead, but now that I’ve crossed him-‘
Cae pauses a moment, his focus moving past Angelica’s face, straight through it in fact as he becomes lost to this thoughts.
“Now he wants me to suffer.”
The Green Eyed Monster
20.
It’s a sobering and embarrassing fact when Caecilius Rex realises that Kendra, out of the goodness of her heart, hasn’t actually told anybody that she has currently suspended him from the force. He passes onto the boat to Dartley Prison with absolutely no interruptions, the guards simply assuming he has been called to assist in what they’re calling “The Morgan Incident”.
“Thought you were on leave, Rex?” Asks an attendant as he arrives at the first door before the security room of the facility.
“Oh, you know me,” Cae lies with half a smile, “can’t resist a murder scene.”
The attendant just chuckles and lets him through. In the next room, where Cae is expected to surrender his weapons, he finds instead that his chief of police is already there getting hers back. Kendra is replacing a smart new handgun into a shoulder holster when she catches sight of him coming through the door.
“No, no way,” she says immediately, throwing her grey suit jacket back on without really looking at his face, “whatever you’re doing here, just don’t do it. I’m not in the mood.” Her expression would have told him that without any need for words.
The young detective steps up to his chief quickly, speaking in a lower tone and trying to get her to look at him.
“But I know why Morgan did it,” he pleads, “I know why he attacked those three men.”
Kendra’s gaze snaps to him then and her dark brows fly up her tired looking face.
“How do you know so much about this?” She demands. “This is a hot crime scene; it only happened a couple of hours ago.”
“I was at Angelica’s place; she got a call from the big boss here.”
It is obvious immediately after he’s spoken that mentioning Angelica Lane is an incredibly stupid move to make in the face of an angry Kendra Nai. The petite blonde is not the ex-sergeant’s favourite person at the best of times, and finding out so abruptly that Angelica is the person Cae has been going to for help in Kendra’s absence is not going to help the situation whatsoever. But it’s already too late for Cae to retract the words.
“Well you sure were lucky to be with her at such a time,” Kendra says with what’s almost a snarl, “I hope you enjoyed sipping coffee with her and talking about old crimes whilst I’m here knee-deep in the fresh ones.”
“But that’s just it,” Cae tries to explain, ignoring the sickly guilty feeling in the back of his throat, “the two are connected! The three dead men here, they were all connected to The Face.”
“I don’t have time for your conspiracies,” Kendra snaps angrily, her dark skin pulled taught as she sets her jaw at a determined angle, “Some of us have real jobs to do, you know. There’s authority to be maintained around here.”
If there is ever a time that Kendra Nai sounds less than human, it’s now. Something emotionless and regimental has overtaken her of late, even more so since Cae saw her last. He feels a tiny burning at the corners of his eyes as he looks at the woman who was his joking, cynical friend not so long ago. He had made a promise to Howard Fowler, the robotics expert, that he would look out for this woman. And so far, he has failed. He decides sharply that it’s time to start succeeding again.
“Look Kendra,” he begins gently, taking her by the elbow and speaking quietly, close to her face, “I’m clean. I’m off the chemicals. And I’ve never been more serious in my life. There is something much bigger than simple, random attacks going on here, but I need you with me to figure this out.”
“Not Angelica?” She presses bitterly.
“Nobody helps me think like you do,” he admits, starting to smile.
For a moment he thinks she might smile too, but then an almost impossible feat occurs. Her stiff expression becomes even stiffer, her eyes hard as rock.
“Too bad for you,” she spits.
His spirit falls right into the pit of his stomach. Cae remembers that defiant expression well; it reminds him of how Kendra had tried to treat Howard Fowler on the day that he had sent her away from the electromagnetic bomb that would have ripped her to shreds. One of the detective’s mind-flashes brings the memory back more fully, in particular the way that Doctor Fowler had spoken to the ex-soldier. Cae wonders with a lump in his throat if he should test out the theory he’s just put together.
“You’re going to help me Kendra,” he starts in his best impression of an authoritative tone, “and that’s an order.”
Kendra’s hazel eyes blink twice, and her set jaw falls
away into a reluctant grimace. Though she doesn’t seem convinced by her own words, she grumbles “Alright, but you’re not getting in to see Flash today. The guy’s a freaking animal at the moment.” She unhitches her gas mask from her belt and gives him a serious look. “You can take me to that casino of yours tonight.”
He has done it. He has flipped some kind of switch in her android military programming. Cae has tricked Kendra into helping him, and he couldn’t feel more awful for doing it.
21.
The red and gold foyer of the House of Cards casino is garlanded in flowers tied in sequined ribbons tonight. When Cae inquires with the coat check girl about the extra decorations her young face lights up brightly. It is the same girl who found Lady Locke after her attack, and she couldn’t possibly be happier than to announce that “The casino is having a party; the lady of the house is back!”
Whilst Cae is glad to hear that Lady Locke is back in action, he wonders if it’s a little too soon for her to be circulating again at the casino, particularly since other attacks have still been going on in her brief absence. Nobody has yet been able to find the passcode to reactivate Croop, and when Cae and Kendra enter the main gambling hall, Zerafina Xiao’s stage has been removed from the floor.
“I can’t believe I agreed to this,” Kendra says, giving the grand casino hall a stern once over. Cae just shrugs his shoulders awkwardly as they walk on. “More than that,” Kendra continues, “I can’t believe that you want to be here either.” She looks up at the high ceiling above her for a brief moment. “Doesn’t it remind you of almost dying?”
Cae decides not to follow her gaze.
“Honestly, there aren’t many places in Dartley that don’t remind me of almost dying nowadays,” he replies.
Kendra’s expression breaks at last as she lets loose her manly chuckle. She glances sideways at the detective with a wry curl in her dark lip.
“I miss eating lunch with you, you know,” she remarks, “how weird is that?”
The young detective’s blue eyes stretch as he grins. He feels suddenly lighter, his footsteps gliding over the plush red carpet leading him to the VIP room. The two security men outside the doors give Kendra an odd look, but Cae presses on past them and they decide against making any comments.
“There’s my boy!” Shouts a silky voice over the throng of excited people gathered in the extravagant lounge.
Lady Locke emerges from the crowd, all glitter and gloss, in a stunning white gown with gloves and a fancy hat to match. Cae suspects the hat is covering what must still be rather an unsightly wound, but it suits her nonetheless. At her chest the fine lady is clutching Cara, who looks panic-stricken to be out of her tank. Her stomach is more swollen than ever as Lady Locke lifts her into a comfortable cradled position, pointing her little furry head at Cae.
“Do you want to see your favourite person?” She coos at the little beast. “Look, sweetie, it’s Caecilius!”
“What the hell is that thing?” Kendra asks.
Cae doesn’t want to be rude to Lady Locke, but he can’t help but laugh at the resurgence of the chief’s bluntness. It helps to cut the embarrassment of the lady’s cooing and baby talk somewhat.
“I beg your pardon?” Lady Locke asks, looking down her powdered nose at Kendra.
“Sorry,” Cae interrupts, “she’s just never seen a cat before. They’re so very rare, after all.” He attempts a winning smile, which the lady seems to buy into a little. “May I introduce the chief of police-?”
“We’ve met,” the two women say in a furious unison, and Cae goes back to that horribly awkward sensation squirming around in his stomach.
“May I ask what Chief Nai requires of us on such a special night?” Lady Locke continues all too politely. Cae can almost read the words “gate crasher” in her brown eyes.
“I’m here about the attacks on your staff, Miss Locke,” Kendra answers in a formal tone, “The good detective here thought a second pair of eyes on the scene might be prudent.”
Lady Locke flashes Cae an accusing look, her lip falling just slightly out of its natural smiling lilt.
“We won’t be an intrusion,” Cae promises, “In fact; you can relax even more knowing there are two of us here to look out for you, if you think about it.”
The elegant lady does think about it, and though she still doesn’t seem convinced by Kendra’s presence, she snuggles the feline close once more, then puts her into Cae’s gloved hands. Cara paws excitedly up his jumper, trying to reach his face. In his gloved grip he can feel her stomach, now fully rounded and protruding.
“In that case will you put the little angel back in her tank for now?” Lady Locke requests, “I am about to receive my welcome back toast.”
“Of course,” Cae says with a nod, shifting through the crowd as quickly as possible before anyone can stop him to fuss with the cat.
“You’re working here?” Kendra demands behind him. “You are actually working for her, aren’t you?”
Cae reaches the tank and clumsily deposits Cara as he tries to carefully word his answer.
“She’s paying me in information,” he reasons.
“Oh yeah?” Kendra challenges, crossing her arms, “Well it better be damn good info to be wasting your time in a place like this.”
And when Cae actually thinks about it, it hasn’t been that good so far. What does he really have, apart from confirming the connection to Gideon Locke, which he already knew about? His lead to Lachrymosa had come from Thomas, not the Lockes, and all he seems to have done by working at the House of Cards is aggravate The Face into picking off his old contacts one by one. His demand for knowledge about his mother’s demise has only served to spill yet more blood, even if it wasn’t all that innocent.
Cae watches as Lady Locke takes her position in the centre of the grand room, determined that he won’t leave the House of Cards tonight without a genuine lead. But as he tries to form a plan of how and what to ask for, a spoon clinks the edge of a glass somewhere nearby to silence the crowd.
“Oh, hell no,” Kendra mutters as Redd Richmond comes to join the lady, wearing his usual smug smile.
22.
The gilded conman wears a pure black tuxedo, holding a Martini glass in one hand as he grins out at the crowd. His green eyes flash over Cae for a moment too long, flickering as they catch Kendra at his side once more. The detective enjoys the brief moment of unease on Redd’s face as he clears his throat.
“Well, Calista, what can I say?” He begins with a chortle, “This place just hasn’t been the same without you these last few days.”
Polite applause follows, in which Cae catches sight of Andre not too far from where the conman is standing. His dark features watch Lady Locke with a relief that he doesn’t bother to hide, but the right hand man looks terribly exhausted still. Even his clapping is limp. Cae can remember the firmness of his handshake from just a few weeks ago.
“Something’s going on with the tanned guy,” he murmurs to Kendra.
“He looks ill,” Kendra replies after a moment. Cae nods silently.
Redd Richmond continues his tirade of silver-tongued praise as Lady Locke gives a triumphant smile to her patrons. Cae’s eyes travel back to Cara, now pacing the inside of her tank with a strange look in her big green eyes. Kendra cranes around him to take a look herself.
“So fill me in,” she whispers, “Lady Locke got clocked in the cloakroom. Who else has been under threat in this place?”
“The head croupier powered down after being in this room, apparently alone,” Cae explains, “Apparently he’s been locked with a passcode that nobody seems to know.”
Kendra pauses a moment, her brow furrowed. “Robot?”
Cae nods. “And then the day before yesterday the entertainment manager collapsed during her performance.” The young detective lets his bright eyes travel around the busy room, starting to frown. “Andre said she was okay, but I haven’t seen her around since.”
“Sounds lik
e the targets are all in charge of something important in this place,” Kendra muses, “who else is head of whatever in here?”
Cae’s eyes fall to the stage-side, where an electronic cigarette hangs from a pair of smiling lips.
“Maigret Zeus,” he adds, pointing just a little, “the head cashier.”
“So why has nothing happened to her yet?” Kendra asks.
“Why indeed,” Cae repeats.
At that moment Redd finishes his sickening display of brown nosing and the crowd gives a much louder ovation. He descends the stage in his shiny black shoes, making small talk and smiling at people who catch his arm as he passes them. Suddenly Kendra steps forward beside Cae, and when the detective turns, the ex-soldier has a wicked grin on her lip.
“Hang on here a second,” she says as she marches away.
Moments later she approaches Redd with the fakest smile Cae has ever seen, clapping him hard on the shoulder in what could almost have been a friendly gesture. But Cae can see the strain on the older man’s face, he looks gingerly to his shoulder, leaving Cae to gleefully imagine the pressure that Kendra is putting on him as she leads him casually back towards the tank. As the pair arrive Kendra shoves Redd forward just a tad until he is sandwiched between the chief and her detective with little possibility of escape. Her toothy, fake smile fades away.
“Mr. Richmond.” She speaks in a quiet tone, something very dark at work behind her words. “When Cae and I were driving over here, he filled me in on all the little things that have been going on in this place. Including you thinking you can blackmail my detective into forgetting that you’ve been present at several potential crime scenes lately.”
“Several seems like an exaggeration, wouldn’t you say?” Redd’s sly, sarcastic tone is there, but his face belies his words. Cae can see the handsome conman’s bottom lip starting to quiver.
Kendra steps closer to Richmond, her hazel eyes narrowing.
