Usurper

by Richard F. Weyand

  “Major.”

  The head of the team nodded to Bobby, and he nodded back. The perimeter guard let them through, and the forensic team stopped there. One of them started taking pictures, while others were scanning with various devices. They gradually made their way to the body, being careful not to disturb anything until their scanning was past it. One of the team scanned the elevator call button for fingerprints and DNA.

  The forensic team captain watched his team work for a while, listening to their chatter over the VR, and then came back to Bobby and Gorski to report.

  “This is a professional hit. From the orientation of the body, the shots came from the elevator, but there are no powder burns or residue on the entry wounds despite the close range. No shell casings. No powder residue on the floor. So we’re looking at an airgun as the murder weapon. That’s not something a common criminal uses. They don’t like being limited to three or four shots on a charge. Contents of her purse, her jewelry, all undisturbed. Death was maybe twenty-five, thirty minutes ago now, but her adrenaline levels were not elevated at the time of death. Adrenaline spike happens very quickly, and we would still be able to detect it, so she had no realization at all that anything was happening. He was probably waiting for her here at the elevator when she got off. They pass each other, he gets on the elevator, turns and shoots, then the elevator doors close and he disappears. Very slick. That also means he had a spotter downstairs. He probably dumped the murder weapon in a public trash bin nearby, as well as any disguise he was using. He wouldn’t hang on to that stuff. That’s all I’ve got for you right now, Sir.”

  “Thank you, Captain. I’ll let you get back to work.”

  Bobby turned to Gorski.

  “It looks like we’re going to be collecting trash bins, Detective.”

  “I’ve got a map of them for you.”

  Bobby raised an eyebrow.

  “The issue has come up before, Major,” the detective said.

  “Ah.”

  “I can also send you all the security camera recordings for the area.”

  “As well as the ones between the West Imperial Park entrance to the palace and here, I would think.”

  “Oh, yes. He had spotters along the route. Or a tail on her. With that red hair, it would have been like following a fire engine. Hard to miss. One or the other, anyway. At the same time, there are a few people we suspect of being professionals working in this area in Imperial City. We’ve never been able to pin anything on any of them, but we know who they are. I can send you what we have on them.”

  “Excellent. Thank you, sir. We’ll turn the scene over to you as soon as the forensic team is done. I’ll forward on the forensic reports as we get them.”

  “I appreciate that, Major. My best forensic team is on day shift. The evening team is a bit spottier.”

  They continued to watch the forensic team work, while Bobby forwarded the information they had so far to General Daggert. It wasn’t long before he had a reply.

  “Good work, Major. You should have an entire battalion there by now. I’ll send out trucks for the trash pickup. Make sure they mark all the bags for the location they picked them up from. I’ve also asked Imperial City PD to send out a paddy wagon for the Imperial Police.”

  Bobby turned to Gorski.

  “Well, time to go pull all the trash bins. We’ll be in touch, Detective.”

  “Thank you, Major.”

  Bobby looked back to where Deepak Gupta continued to rock back and forth on the floor.

  “Oh, and when forensics is done, make sure you let the husband come forward to say goodbye.”

  “Will do, Major. Thanks again.”

  Bobby left to go down to street level and order the trash collection.

  When the forensics team was done, they turned the scene over to the Imperial City PD and the Imperial Guard withdrew. Deepak Gupta was allowed to approach. He walked up and fell to all fours alongside the body of his wife, still laying where she had fallen.

  “Goodbye, my dearest Vash. I will love you forever.”

  He bent down and kissed her cheek, his tears falling on her face.

  Collecting the Evidence

  Battalion Sergeant Major Brian Doherty sent out an audio stream over VR to every Imperial Marine in the battalion.

  “All right, you guys, listen up. So this gal was workin’ for the Empress on rootin’ out the people who’ve been buggerin’ our weapons systems for bribes. She was tryin’ to get us guns that don’t fuckin’ explode when you pull the trigger. We all seen enough o’ that shit. And the bastards shot her from behind and killed her. Here’s her picture. Sweet gal, and she was on our side. She was one of us, and they killed her. She knew they were a bunch of bastards, and she was at risk, and she did it anyway. She died in service as much as any guy in combat.

  “We are not gonna let that go. Not now, not ever.

  “Now Imp City PD thinks the killer stashed the gun and other stuff, like a disguise or somethin’, in a public trash bin near here. So we’re gonna go out and pull all the public trash bins in a four block radius so the cops and the Guard can go through it all. They find the weapon, they find the disguise, maybe they get some DNA. Then they can go after the bastards that killed our gal here.

  “So yeah, we’re gonna go out and collect trash. But we’re gonna do it real careful, markin’ all the bags where they came from, so they can track these bastards down. We’re gonna go out and collect trash, and we’re gonna be happy doin’ it, because right now that’s our part in this battle. That’s what we gotta do to have a part in avengin’ one of our own.

  “So let’s get on it, and let’s do it right. Because they’re not gonna kill one of ours and get away with it.”

  “Doherty out.”

  “When they said we was gonna be pickin’ up trash, I couldn’t figure that out,” PFC Gordon West said. “I mean, they got garbage men for that, right?”

  “Yeah, but Sar’Major Doherty explained that. Do we wanna trust garbage men to do it right when it means we got a shot at the bastards killed our gal there? I don’t think so,” Sergeant Clyde Mulroney said.

  “Did you see her picture?” PFC Mark Gore asked. “Cute gal. I can’t believe they just up and killed her. So they can keep giving us shit weapons and collecting their bribes? Damn.”

  “There is one good part,” Mulroney said.

  “What’s that, Sergeant?” Gore asked.

  “If they find them, maybe they’ll let us all draw straws for the firing squad.”

  “I’d be into that,” Gore said.

  “Yeah, me too,” West said.

  “OK, let’s mark this one with the number from the police map and move on,” Mulroney said.

  The Imperial Police prisoners were transferred to the Imperial Guard’s new cell block in the basement of the Imperial Research building. They were searched and issued prisoner coveralls, then taken to two-man cells.

  “I know my rights. I want to talk to my attorney,” Lieutenant Colonel Peabody said.

  The Imperial Guard officer checking them in was less than sympathetic.

  “You are being held on an Imperial Warrant on suspicion of treason. That warrant was signed by the Empress. Your civil rights under normal police procedures do not apply.”

  “I am being held incommunicado, without the right to an attorney?”

  “At the Empress’s direct order. That is correct. Step along now.”

  “But she can’t do that.”

  “On the contrary. Under the system of high justice, she can do just that. For that matter, she can order you executed without trial.”

  “But high justice hasn’t been used in the Empire in decades.”

  “And it’s long past due, if you ask me. Now, are you going to move along on your own, or do you need assistance?”

  The recordings that came in to the Imperial Guard from the Imperial City PD were extensive, covering the arcade level from the Imperial Park West palace entrance all the way to Vasil
isa Medved’s apartment building.

  “How can they have so many recordings?”

  “After a bit of a crime wave ten, fifteen years ago, the Imperial City PD made an offer to businesses along the arcade. If they wanted security cameras, the police would give them the cameras, and give them server space for the recordings, as long as the police department had access to the recordings for crime analysis.”

  “Well, that certainly worked out. When the analysis team gets here in the morning, they’re going to have a field day with all this.”

  “Let’s hope they find what they’re looking for.”

  The contents of all the trash containers were trucked out to an empty hangar of the Imperial Marines facility at Imperial City spaceport and laid out in a grid on the floor. There they awaited the arrival of the forensic teams in the morning. All the bags were scrupulously marked with their source location by the Imperial Marines.

  After a short night of disturbed sleep, Dee went into the office in the morning. She had sent on a request to meet with General Daggert first thing to find out the status of the investigation thus far.

  When Daggert arrived, he looked a little the worse for wear. It was clear that his night had been worse than hers. He may not have slept at all.

  “What is the status of the investigation, General Daggert?”

  “The Imperial Marines have collected the contents of every trash container within four blocks of the murder, Ma’am. Those await inspection by the forensic teams at the Imperial Marines facility at the Imperial City spaceport. The Imperial City Police Department has provided us with the security recordings for the arcade from the palace entrance all the way to the murder scene. They are quite extensive, and we hope the analysis team will be able to make some headway there. We are holding the Imperial Police who responded so quickly to the emergency call in the cell block in the Imperial Research building. They are being held incommunicado on your Imperial Warrant.”

  “Excellent work, General Daggert.”

  “Thank you, Ma’am.”

  “We need to interrogate the Imperial Police we picked up and find out how they just happened to be in the area when the call came in.”

  “And if they don’t tell us anything, Ma’am?”

  “Then we drug them and interrogate them again.”

  “Some of those drugs can do permanent mental damage, Ma’am.”

  “In which case, we will do them the mercy of shooting them. Make sure they understand at the first interrogation that is the alternative to coming clean, General Daggert.”

  “Understood, Ma’am.”

  “I think we should also pick up Mr. Fairfield, the manager of Vash’s old test plan department at the Department of Defense, for questioning. He should be interrogated about who has been inquiring about his current and former employees the last four weeks.”

  “Understood, Ma’am. Do you want to do that during the day, from his office, or after work this evening?”

  “Maybe we should do that between work and home, if we could, General Daggert. Have him leave work and simply not arrive at home. Not give them any information about what we’re up to.”

  “Very well, Ma’am.”

  “And give him the same options on his interrogation, General Daggert. He comes clean easy, or we do it the hard way. The consequences are on him.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  “And with all that under way, General Daggert, I think you should go and finally get some sleep. You look worse than I feel.”

  “I doubt I could sleep, Ma’am. This is very disturbing. It feels like– I don’t know. It feels like some sort of failure.”

  “Protecting every employee of my personal staff twenty-four hours a day is not your mission, General Daggert.”

  “Oh, I know that, Ma’am. It still feels that way.”

  “It is more my failure than yours, General Daggert. I did not expect them to move in this way, but in retrospect I probably should have. To that point, are there any other personnel who are exposed in the same way as Vash was? Is there anybody we should pull into the palace for the time being to be able to protect them? I know there are some empty apartments here and in the Imperial Research building.”

  “I don’t think so, Ma’am. I think all the people who might be at that sort of risk are already resident within the facility. But I’ll give it some thought.”

  “Very good, General Daggert. Carry on.”

  “Yes, Ma’am. Thank you, Ma’am.”

  “Sir, we have some people who didn’t report in last night. We can’t raise them in VR either,” Serge Krupin said.

  “Who are they?” Imperial Police Chief George Stanier asked.

  “Lieutenant Colonel Peabody and a squad of officers. They responded to a murder call in Imperial City yesterday evening, and then they just disappeared.”

  “What about the locators on their vehicles?”

  “They were last located at the scene of the murder, sir, and then they went off the air. We don’t have any signal from them at all.”

  “All right. Well, keep me informed if they show up.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Stanier accessed the Imperial City News Service in VR and searched for murders in Imperial City last night. There was a small article that said that there had been a large police response to an apartment building in Imperial City yesterday evening. The Imperial City Police Department, the Imperial Police, the Imperial Guard, and a large number of Imperial Marines had all responded, the latter arriving in twelve shuttles from the Imperial City spaceport. Witness accounts were that a woman had been murdered in the apartment building. She had been tentatively identified as an employee on the personal staff of the Empress. The name was being withheld pending confirmation.

  The Imperial City Police Department maintained a server for the output from all the security cameras in the downtown area, and the Imperial Police had access to these recordings. But when Stanier tried to access them, he found that all last nights’ recordings from cameras within six blocks of the apartment building had been locked and were inaccessible by him.

  Stanier called the Imperial City Police Department to ask about access to the recordings.

  “ICPD Records. Roger Stanfield.”

  “Hello, Mr. Stanfield. This is Chief Stanier of the Imperial Police. I’m having problems accessing recordings in the Imperial Park West area of the city last night. Is there some technical difficulty?”

  “Hello, Chief. No, no technical difficulties. Those records are locked at the moment. I can forward you to the person who has them on lock if you’d like.”

  “Please.”

  “Sure, Chief. Hang on.”

  The VR call transferred, and Stanier waited for an answer.

  “Investigations. Detective Gorski.”

  “Good morning, Detective. Chief Stanier of the Imperial Police.”

  “Good morning, Chief. What can I do for you?”

  “I’m trying to access security recordings in the Imperial Park West area of the city from last night, and a lot of those recordings are locked. I was hoping to get access to them.”

  “I’m sorry, Chief. There’s a sensitive investigation going on, and we’ve locked the recordings temporarily while we sort things out.”

  “I see. Is there anything the Imperial Police can do to assist your investigation, Detective?”

  “No, we have it pretty well in hand, Chief. And I should be able to unlock those records for you in a week or two if things go as I anticipate.”

  “All right, Detective. Well, let me know if there’s anything we can do to help.”

  “I will, Chief. And thank you for the offer.”

  “No problem, Detective. Have a good day.”

  “Major Dunham.”

  “Good morning, Major. Detective Gorski here.”

  “Good morning, Detective. What’s going on?”

  “I just thought I’d let you know. No less a personage than Chief Stanier of the Imperial Poli
ce just called, wanting to know if I could unlock the Imperial Park West security recordings from last night.”

  “Is that so? Isn’t that interesting.”

  “I thought you’d be interested. I told him there was a sensitive investigation going on, but didn’t mention your involvement. He offered their help, but I told him we had things in hand. That’s it for right now. How about on your end?”

  “We’re just getting started over here. Nothing to report yet.”

  “All right, Major. Talk to you later.”

  The forensic teams showed up at the evidence hangar at the Imperial City spaceport. They were all clustered at one end of the huge building, looking out over the sea of retrieved trash bags from the trash bins in Imperial Park West.

  “Criminy. Where do we even start?” one asked.

  “At the beginning, I suppose,” said Major Adam Becker, the head of the forensics unit of the Imperial Guard. “What we are looking for is anything that may have been used by the murderer and discarded as he left the scene. You’ve all been briefed on the murder in VR on the way out here, so you have the background. We are looking for the murder weapon, any disguise he might have used, anything he used to conceal the weapon, all of that. We are going to open each bag, one at a time, and sort through the contents. We are going to divide it into three piles: certain finds, like the airgun he used; possible finds, like costume items or uniforms; and the uninteresting. That last will be the lion’s share of all the bags. You leave everything in that grid square with the tag for where it came from. We all up to speed?”

  At a chorus of nods and yesses, she nodded.

  “All right, then. Let’s get started. Two-man teams. Pick a bag and get started.”

  They all pulled on evidence-handling gloves, and then twenty teams started in on the task.

  Forensics was often tedious, but these people lived for the ‘big find,’ and they were meticulous in their work.

  A pair of Guardsmen came to Lieutenant Colonel Peabody’s cell and placed him in handcuffs. They then led him out of the cell block and across the basement to the people mover.