by Kay Bigelow
When they entered the condo, Leah could sense there was already someone in the space. She tensed and her hand automatically went to her weapon.
“Relax, Lieutenant. Cots is here. I asked him to install some additional equipment and some additional security,” Quinn said, lightly touching Leah’s arm.
“I seem to be jumpy all of a sudden.”
“Little wonder,” Quinn murmured.
Quinn led the way behind a security screen built into a wall in the living room that, when activated, looked as if it was part of the wall. On the other side of the screen was a large room full of electronics. There were multiple screens covering each wall and the room was cooler than the rest of the condo because of all the equipment, making it so the humans working the equipment didn’t sweat to death.
“Good morning, Lieutenant,” Cots said with a ghost of a smile as he rose from behind one of the two desks in the room.
Leah looked at Cots closely. It wasn’t like him to be so convivial around her. She had once asked Quinn if the man ever got any older or if his looks stopped changing when he hit his thirties in human years. Quinn had only laughed at her, and hadn’t given an explanation. Leah hadn’t seen Cots in nearly a year, and he remained unchanged. She wondered if he’d share his secret with her. Probably not. He didn’t share anything about himself. Besides, it was probably a Devarian thing, which left her wondering… Will I look my age at ninety while Quinn still looks thirty-five? It was a disconcerting thought she put quickly from her mind.
Now, as she studied Cots, she noticed there was a decided resemblance between Cots and Quinn she hadn’t really noticed before. They both had the remarkably blue eyes with the small double pupil of upper-class Devarians, Cots’s hair was so dark it always reminded Leah of a bottomless lake, and both were nearly the same height. Yet another thing to wonder about—were Cots and Quinn related by more than race? Maybe they were cousins or something. She made a mental note to ask Quinn again about their relationship. She also knew that not all Devarians were related, but there was something about them that said they were more than just friends.
Leah reminded herself one of the complaints humans had when the Devarians had first arrived on their planet was that they were nearly impossible to tell apart. One of her fellow cops had remarked that “if you described one Devarian, you described them all.” As time passed, it had become easier for Leah to mark individual differences.
“Good morning, Cots. Thanks for agreeing to join me.”
“Anything I can do for Quinn,” he said, making it clear he wasn’t doing this for Leah but for Quinn.
Leah caught the look that Quinn threw Cots that all but said, “Be nice.”
She smiled. According to Quinn, Cots didn’t have much use for the human race. The first complaint on his list was he thought humans smelled “funny.” As far as he was concerned, humans were dirty creatures who had little regard for anyone but themselves. His list of things wrong with humans was long and creative. He was able to tick them off for anyone who made the mistake of asking. With the exception of humans smelling funny, Leah had to agree with Cots’s assessment of her race, but she’d never tell him that.
“I’m going to leave you two alone and go to work. Try not to kill one another while I’m away,” Quinn said.
“I’ll try, dear,” Leah said sweetly.
Quinn shook her head and seemed reluctant to leave. Leah knew, though, she had a long day of meetings. Finally, she gave Leah a quick kiss and left.
“Cots, can I have the news on one of the screens?”
“Of course. I’ve finished upgrading the computers. I was finishing connecting the second desk to the system when you arrived.”
Leah pulled her phone out of her pocket.
“Wait a second,” Cots said as he handed her another phone. “Use this one instead. It’s more secure than your police-issued phone. Your calls will be forwarded from this piece of shit,” he said, indicating her police-issued phone.
Leah nodded, trying not to be offended by his analysis, and dialed Peony’s number.
“Fong,” she said when she answered.
“Is Davidson with you?”
“No, ma’am. We were supposed to meet here fifteen minutes ago, but she hasn’t shown up yet.”
Leah gave Peony the condo’s address and said, “Don’t give the address to anyone, including Davidson. Make sure you’re not followed here. Let me know if you think you’re being followed.”
It’s not like Davidson to be late. Her gut told her something was wrong. Leah dialed Davidson’s number, but it went straight to voice mail. It wasn’t like Davidson to ignore calls, either.
“News on one,” Cots said.
Leah and Cots both were startled when the door chime rang.
“I’ll get it. It’s Fong.”
“Who is he?”
“She is the cop working with me on a case.”
“Can she be trusted?” Cots asked, voicing his belief that, with the exception of his boss’s wife, there were no honest cops in the city.
“I hope so.” Leah was no longer entirely sure who to trust at the moment, though she didn’t want to admit it. She wasn’t even sure why she was so paranoid. She couldn’t remember another case that had her thinking she was being followed or made her doubt she could trust her team.
“I’ll keep an eye on her.”
Leah knew there was nothing she could do to prevent Cots from watching Peony, so she said nothing as she opened the front door.
“Did you hear from Davidson?”
“No. I was sure she’d be either at the office or here.”
I wonder what’s with Alison? I thought she was more reliable than ignoring an order. I hope she’s not hurt. “Come on in.”
“Is this where you live?” Peony blurted out as she looked around.
“No. It belongs to a friend of mine. I can’t afford something like this on what the city pays me,” Leah said, enacting the story she and Quinn had decided on.
“Why are we here?”
“We’re here to try to keep the details of our case under wraps. Until we know what’s going on, we need to keep a lid on this.”
“I thought we knew what’s going on.”
“Tell me what you think we know,” Leah said as she led Peony into the living room.
“We have Bishop Solomon Cohane killed in a field and then cut up. We’re going to solve his murder,” Peony said with more confidence than Leah felt.
“That explanation is a bit simplistic, don’t you think?”
“Not as far as we’re concerned. We’re cops, and the only thing we should be interested in is the crime,” Peony recited as if she had just been called on in a class at the police academy.
“Assuming that’s true, aren’t you forgetting something?”
“There were more than just the bishop in the field?” Peony asked. “I’m no expert, but from the amount of blood on that field, I’d say we’re looking at dozens of victims.” Peony paused. “It’s true we can’t ignore them, but until we find out who they were, we have no starting point to solving their murders. So we start with the bishop and see where that leads.”
Cots stepped into the room behind Peony. She was startled when she finally realized there was a third person in the room with them. She whirled toward him, her hand going to her weapon.
“Relax. This is our electronics guy, Cotsworthy,” Leah said. “This is Peony Fong.”
Peony held out her hand to Cots. “Welcome to the team.”
Cots smiled at her, took her hand in his, and said, “Thanks. Pretty name.”
Peony smiled back at him, obviously charmed.
Leah’s phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket and answered.
“It’s Davidson, Boss. I need to talk to you in private. Can we meet?”
“Sure. Meet me at the Fifth Avenue entrance to the park,” Leah said and cut the call. This better be good. Davidson’s a good cop. I hope her missing the meet with Peony
is legit.
“Give me a minute and I’ll go with you,” Cots said as he moved toward the door.
“Me, too,” Peony chimed in.
“Neither of you are going with me. I don’t want to show up with you two in tow. I want to hear what Davidson has to say. I’ll be careful.”
“I don’t like it,” Cots said.
“Me neither,” Peony said, glancing at Cots.
“Duly noted.”
Cots stared at her for a moment and then shrugged, clearly aware Leah wasn’t going to back down. “I’ll show Peony the electronics while you’re out.” He gave Peony a genuine smile and motioned toward the other room.
Leah nodded and only barely held back a smile. Wouldn’t it be something if the human-hating Cots fell for a human woman?
Leah walked to the entrance of the park, which was only a few blocks away. She knew the cold would be brutal, but by the time the car was warmed up, she could already be at the park and talking to Davidson.
Davidson was at the park entrance when Leah arrived, but Leah wasn’t going to stand around in the freezing cold for a short conversation, and she motioned Davidson to follow her.
“What’s up?” Leah asked after they found a table at a nearby coffee shop.
“I’ve got to confess that I’m not comfortable being on this team,” she said, unable to meet Leah’s eyes.
“Why?”
“It’s this case,” Davidson said, making eye contact for only a second or two.
“How so?”
“I belong to Bishop Cohane’s personal parish. I believe in his teachings. It would be too hard for me to be involved in investigating his murder.”
That was the last thing Leah thought Davidson would come out with. “Wouldn’t it be in your best interest to help find his murderer?”
“Yes, but…” Davidson started and then paused. Leah noticed she was looking at something over her shoulder. She resisted the urge to glance behind her to see what Davidson was looking at.
Leah sighed and stopped the conversation that had nowhere to go except in circles. “It sounds like I need to reassign you due to conflict of interest; do you agree?”
“Yes. I’m sorry.” Davidson looked relieved and her shoulders dropped slightly.
“Don’t be sorry. I appreciate you coming to me this early. I have to wonder why you didn’t say anything yesterday, though.”
“I met with some people from my church last night. It wasn’t until then I realized how difficult working this case would be.”
“I’m going to assume you didn’t give details about the case to the church people.”
“No, ma’am. I only told them I might be involved in a case involving the bishop.”
Leah tried not to show her irritation. Even saying there was a case involving the bishop was out of line, but it wasn’t worth discussing. She’d just cut Davidson loose and be done with it. “Okay. I’ll talk with the captain and let him know what’s going on. In the meantime, report back to the precinct.”
“Yes, ma’am. And thanks.”
“No problem.”
Leah was glad Davidson had come to her. She would be next to useless if her religious beliefs were so strongly held.
Leah left Davidson sitting in the coffee shop. As she exited the shop, she turned left instead of right. She was walking away from the condo, but she wanted to see if anyone was following her. Something about Davidson’s request didn’t sit right, and her gut told her there was something more going on. When she ducked into a doorway and looked back, no one was there. Maybe I’m imagining things. She headed for the condo, and the feeling of being watched disappeared.
After she returned to the condo, she briefed Cots and Peony on what she found out from Davidson. “I’m going to cut her loose and tell the captain she’s off our team for this case.”
“That’s too bad,” Peony said. “I know she was really proud to be working with you.”
“And she will again, hopefully. Apropos of nothing, what do you think about aliens?” With Davidson off the team, Leah was down to Cots and Peony, so she’d better know now if a potential problem was ahead.
“I don’t have a problem with them. I don’t know many, but the few I do know, I like. A lot. Why? Is Davidson an alien?”
What a relief. When she finds out Cots is an alien, there won’t be any tension on the team.
“Not to my knowledge,” Leah said.
Peony was about to ask more questions, but Cots came into the room wiping his hands. He’s probably trying to get years of dust off his hands. I guess I should have told him the janitorial staff at the precinct is less than efficient.
“Okay, your murder board is functional once more.”
“Thanks, Cots. Peony, you’re with me.” Leah caught the look Peony threw Cots.
Lordy, not only do I have to investigate multiple homicides, but I’m about to have to do it with a partner who has a crush on a team member, and an alien at that. Great.
She went to the murder board and pulled two comfortable chairs in front of it. After she removed the keyboard from its cradle, she turned the board on.
“Watch the news,” Cots said from the doorway.
The news appeared on the screen embedded in the wall beside the murder board.
“There’s been a bombing at a police station,” the announcer was saying. “The reports are now coming in. Here’s what we know for certain. A bomb exploded inside the Forty-fourth Precinct, destroying the building. It’s too soon to know how many were killed, but our sources say it’s likely there will be no survivors. No one has stepped forward to claim responsibility, and thus far, the police have no leads.”
“Isn’t that your precinct, Leah?” Cots asked.
She swallowed the bile rising in her throat at the thought of her friends and colleagues being killed. “Yes. I’m going down there.”
“No, you’re not,” Cots said.
“Oh? Why not?” Leah asked, feeling her ire rise at being bossed around by Cots.
“There’s a good chance this bombing might be associated with the case you’re working on. Or it could be personal. Quinn said you fired some cop yesterday. Whoever bombed the precinct might have wanted to take you out. As it is, the bomber might think he has killed you. If it’s not personal, the bomber will believe he’s destroyed whatever evidence you already gathered, since Weston is one of only a half dozen people who know you’re investigating the killing field murders, and it can’t be a coincidence that the bombing occurred at this police station. The advantage is now with you since you’re dead and they don’t know you’re looking for them.”
Leah had to admit Cots had a point. If this was about the killing of the bishop and the others, and the bomber and his cohorts thought she was dead, they might get sloppy. Even a little bit careless would be helpful since she had absolutely no clues and no leads yet. If it was personal, it was most certainly Weston and they could easily nail him. But would Weston really kill all those people just to get back at Leah? She couldn’t imagine even he would go that far. “All right. Peony, are you okay with that?”
“Absolutely.”
“You can’t tell your family you’re alive.”
“I don’t have any family here.”
“Okay.” Quinn is my only family, and she knows where I am. Thank goodness my parents and grandmother emigrated off the planet years ago.
Leah lowered the sound on the newscast while they waited for new details. She wasn’t interested in listening to a continuous loop rehashing what they’d already been told. She returned to the murder board.
Leah approached the board, which she had labeled Taconic Park Murders. She created another board she labeled Forty-fourth Bombing. She copied the photo of Weston to that board.
Cots’s phone rang, and after listening to the person on the other end for a few seconds, he said, “She’s okay. She’s here with Peony. We’ve agreed we’re letting the press report their deaths.”
Cots held th
e phone out to Leah. She knew it was Quinn and took it into the electronics room for privacy.
“You’re safe,” Quinn said, sounding relieved.
“Yes. I’d just returned from a meet with Davidson near the park when I heard about the bombing at the Forty-fourth.” Hearing Quinn’s voice calmed the shocked feeling running through her and helped her focus once more.
“What was that about?”
“I’m not sure. She said she wasn’t comfortable being on this investigation due to religious reasons.”
“Did you believe her?”
“Not particularly, but we weren’t friends or close in any way, so how am I to know whether she was telling the truth?”
“Was she at the precinct?” Quinn asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen a casualty list yet.”
“I’ll send one to you.”
“Thanks.”
It didn’t occur to her to ask Quinn how she had obtained a casualty list before the media had. She often had information ahead of any other source because she was well-connected throughout the city. Leah had learned long ago not to question how she knew things because she knew Quinn’s resources were better than her own, and Quinn didn’t like to discuss those resources.
“Later, love. Stay safe.”
“I will. I love you,” Leah said.
“And I you.”
A moment later, the list of dead and presumed dead for the Forty-fourth Precinct showed up on one of the many screens in the room. She ran down the list of colleagues and friends who had been killed. Her name and Peony’s were both listed under Presumed Dead, as was Davidson’s. Weston’s name wasn’t on the list for obvious reasons.
Leah had previously lost friends and colleagues in the line of duty, but never so many at once. If she and her small team were right, this was one man killing dozens of people for no reason that made sense to her. These were good people a crazy person had killed. Most of them were married and had kids who would grow up without the benefit of the parent, all because of a senseless bombing. She felt tears sting the back of her eyelids as she ran down the long list of the dead. She took a couple of deep breaths to regain control. Crying wouldn’t help solve the crimes on her plate or help her find whoever had killed her friends and police family.
