Obsidian Detective

by Michael Anderle

  Jia turned and headed toward the door, waving a hand over her shoulder. “Thanks, Malcolm.”

  Erik nodded at Malcolm and followed Jia into the hallway. Once outside, he spoke up. “This should be enough, right?”

  Jia turned her head as they continued walking. “Enough for what?”

  “A warrant? I know the captain sent the other information already, but combined with what you found earlier, it should be enough. It’s like Malcolm said. This isn’t just about a hundred credits anymore.” Erik watched to see if anyone was trying to listen to their conversation. “Altering shipping records violate all sorts of laws, even when the items being shipped aren’t valuable.”

  Jia slowed her pace, a grim expression on her face. “You’re right. I’ve been letting the captain’s paradigm influence me too much.” She thought for a moment. “There’s no way we can get a warrant without the captain’s permission, and he was fairly dismissive of my earlier analysis.”

  “Now this isn’t just you. It’s digital forensics,” Erik countered. “It’s time we pushed him a little. Whatever this is, it’s not a billing dispute, and this isn’t a case of you being overzealous.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  At least this time, Erik thought, the captain is listening, not going into a rant immediately after Jia explained what they and Digital Forensics had found.

  Captain Monahan took a deep breath as he ran his hand through his hair. “Okay, so, you’ve found out someone altered a few records, and you might potentially be able to connect that to whatever fraud you think you found earlier with this company?” He eyed them both. “Is that what you’re telling me.”

  Jia nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  Erik added. “We need a warrant and backup. We should raid Windward right away. I’m sure they have more records in their systems.”

  Jia continued, “My earlier analysis was based on a very small set of records they’d turned over for evaluation purposes, but if we went through all of their records, that should show fraud beyond doubt.”

  Captain Monahan stood up from his chair, his eyes bugging out as he glared at Jia. “You want to raid Windward?” He turned to Erik. “This is a joke you two are pulling. It has to be.”

  “I’m not laughing,” Erik offered, pointing to his partner. “She’s not laughing. Doesn’t sound like a joke to me, Captain.”

  Jia squared her shoulders. “I agree with my partner. I don’t know what this is, but it’s obviously about a lot more than disgruntled customers. It’s worth following up on.”

  Captain Monahan shook his head. “You don’t know that. Maybe they just altered the records because they thought they were going to get sued. That’s illegal, yes, but it’s not worth police attention.”

  “That’s still a crime, and it’s far more serious crime than inappropriate billing.” Jia eyed him. “We can’t let this continue. Not if we know about it.”

  Erik looked at Jia, then at his boss. “She’s right.”

  Captain Monahan’s expression alternated between panic and rage “Did either of you two look into the company’s background at all?” He tapped his desk. “Seriously, did you look? Did you dive into it?”

  Jia nodded. “Yes, I did before I stopped working the case. What about it?”

  “Did you check on their ownership?” Captain Monahan stared at her, disbelief on his face.

  “If you go through the chains of ownership, they ultimately are a White Tiger subsidiary. What about it?”

  Erik chewed the inside of his cheek. “Huh. Didn’t know that.”

  “Sorry.” Jia gave him an apologetic look. “I didn’t think it was that important. They have a stake in a lot of shipping and transport companies.”

  Captain Monahan lowered himself back into his chair, and it squeaked as he dropped the last few inches. “Lin, you know that, and you still think raiding this company is a good idea?”

  Erik eyed them both. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

  The captain stared at him. “Poking around is one thing, but a full investigation without even talking to them first will probably cause trouble. Especially if White Tiger thinks their subsidiary is being harassed unfairly.”

  “Trouble?” Jia countered. “Crime is crime. I doubt White Tiger is involved in whatever is happening here, so they have no reason to worry.”

  Monahan raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t mean they won’t apply political pressure if this becomes an incident, Lin. Corporations have a public face to maintain, and they do not appreciate the local police causing them problems.”

  Jia eyed him. “It’s already an incident, sir. Fraudulent billing of customers, fraudulent billing of the government, altered records. Whatever this is, I’m positive it’s not some rogue teenager playing pranks. I wanted to follow up on this before, so I was a pain to you. There’s no way I’m going to be convinced to back off when we have this much evidence.”

  Captain Monahan frowned and turned to Erik. “What do you think? You’re a practical man. You have to understand where I’m coming from.”

  Erik waited for a moment before he answered. “I think that if we stop investigating crimes just because some corp’s indirectly linked to the company, we might as well just close down this building and go home.” He considered his next words. “But you’re the man with decades of law enforcement experience.” He smiled. “So, if I’m missing some brilliant police reason to not go after Windward, feel free to point it out.”

  Unfortunately, Monahan wasn’t buying what Erik was selling. “Lin is young, but I would have thought you would have had a better understanding of the political implications.”

  “Having a better understanding doesn’t mean I’ll shy away from it,” Erik explained. “I believe we should track it down. She,” he jerked a thumb at Jia, “is just happy I’m not kicking in doors. She’s the calm one, not me.”

  Captain Monahan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, he looked at Jia. “Societal stability isn’t just about the law, Detective Lin. It’s also about not causing trouble for the organizations and people underlying that society. With your family’s connections, I would think this isn’t something I would have to point out to you.”

  “I’m sorry, are you saying we should walk away?” Jia stepped toward his desk, her breathing shallow. Her hands trembled as she clenched and released them. “Is this why you’ve kicked away most of my cases? Because they might be too much trouble for someone else?”

  “I have a responsibility to this enforcement zone and metroplex,” Captain Monahan replied. “And that includes political considerations. I won’t apologize for that.”

  Jia glanced at her partner. She wasn’t happy about his penchant for threats, but at least he was backing her up.

  “Well,” she continued, “they have to understand that at the end of the day, even corporations are subject to laws.”

  Captain Monahan leaned to the side to confirm the door was closed before straightening again and answering. “Jia, sometimes the price of stability is letting little things go.”

  Jia shook her head. “I refuse to accept that. I believe little things lead to big things. Is this what you were getting at earlier, sir? That I should just go along with ignoring crimes so I can get a promotion, and then what? Ignore more crimes? I don’t care if they aren’t major crimes.”

  The captain frowned. “Passing them along for additional review isn’t ignoring them. You’re making it sound like we don’t clear any cases from this enforcement zone, but that’s not the situation.”

  Erik chuckled. “If cases are getting passed along, and they’re not getting solved, it’s the same thing as ignoring them.”

  The captain returned his attention to Erik. “We’re not talking about terrorism and murders,” he explained. “All existing records on every case that comes through this enforcement zone are still available. I’m simply trying to make sure we focus on real criminals and not unimportant details, especially ones that will generate
unnecessary agitation for major taxpayers.”

  Jia’s voice was soft, but both men could hear the restraint that suggested her anger behind it. “If someone thinks they can defraud the metroplex and its citizens and change records to cover it up, what’s to stop them when they decide it’s time for their next crime?”

  Captain Monahan stared at her, frowning.

  Erik shrugged, then folded his arms. “She’s got a point, Captain.”

  Monahan eyed them both. “Have you ever considered you might be wrong?” he asked. “What if there’s nothing there but a billing dispute that got out of hand? We don’t want the police to seem anti-business. If White Tiger relocated their facilities, it’d hurt the tax base of the metroplex, and that will filter down to things like police resources. Have you thought that through?”

  Erik snorted, his face a mask of disgust. “You don’t even know if White Tiger knows or cares about what Windward is doing. How many companies do they control? It’s like me knowing about every piece of lint in my crotch. Get your balls back, Captain, and stop being scared of every shadow.”

  Captain Monahan glared at Erik. “Just because I didn’t serve, it doesn’t mean I’m a coward.”

  “I didn’t say that.” Erik nodded at Jia. “You being unwilling to investigate is what makes you need to grab a pair. She didn’t serve either, and although I’ve only known her a few days, she’s got a steel pair, as near as I can figure.”

  Jia nodded, her face reddening as she eyed him. “Crude, but easily understood.” She turned to Monahan. “The minute we stop caring about solving crimes, no matter how small, is the minute we should turn in our badges. I know you think I’m not politically astute enough to make it in the force for long, but I didn’t join the police department to worry about that kind of thing. I joined to find and stop crimes, and we’ve identified a crime. I don’t want to let it go because of something that might happen.”

  The captain’s jaw tightened, and he stared into the distance for a few seconds. “I’m willing to agree under a few conditions.” He turned back to them. “First of all, this is going to take a few days. We’re doing this all by the book, which means you’re going to have to type up a report on your previous analysis and everything else that happened before I can get you a warrant.”

  “Noted, but if we wait too long, they might destroy evidence,” Jia pointed out.

  “Too damned bad. I’m not doing anything quickly and stupidly because you’ve infected Erik with your insanity.” Captain Monahan continued glaring at the former soldier. “Both of you are going to stay at the station. No more witness interviews, nothing. You go over the evidence you have, and you get the forms and reports we need for the warrant filled out. Then I will send them up the chain.”

  “Fair enough.” Erik nodded.

  “Second,” the captain continued, “if this goes badly and it turns out to be nothing…” He looked at both detectives. “I’ll have both your badges. I’m close to retiring, and I’m not letting you two force me out.”

  Erik grinned. “Oh?”

  Jia frowned. “You’ll have our badges for doing our jobs?”

  “No.” Captain Monahan scoffed. “I’ll have them for wasting my time and taxpayer resources, and generally being annoying.” He shook his head. “If you don’t agree, I can make sure the warrant takes a long time to go through. I’m not convinced there’s anything there, and I’m far from convinced there’s enough there to justify a raid.”

  Erik turned to Jia. “It’s your call. I might have accepted the last Windward complaint, but you’ve been working on Windward since before I joined the department. If you think there’s something there, then I’ve got your back, but only if you’re sure.”

  Jia thought about it for a moment, her focus on a useless point in the distance.

  She nodded slowly. “I believe there’s something there, Captain.” She concentrated on the man. “I’m willing to bet my badge on it.”

  “And mine,” Erik added.

  “It’s only a small thing at the moment.” Jia turned to him. “Didn’t you hear I’m a Black Widow?

  “Yeah, but if we fail, you have to be my secretary.”

  “For what?” she asked, confusion written plainly on her face.

  “Blackwell Detective Agency.”

  “You will have to work all the time. I’ll fill your calendar so full you won’t sleep.”

  “Oh, threats?”

  “Fine.” Captain Monahan cut them off, irritation still in his voice. “Let’s hope for all our sakes, Detective Lin, that there’s actually something important here. I’ll have your warrant within three days, but since nothing you’ve said to me suggests we need a tactical team, you will get by with cops. At the worst, this is a shipping company committing fraud, not a bunch of terrorists.”

  Erik turned to Jia. “Don’t worry. You don’t need a tactical team. You have me.”

  She grimaced.

  “You just want to kick in a door with that big gun in your hand.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  June 28, 2228, Neo Southern California Metroplex, Outside of Windward Branch Office

  Jia emerged from Erik’s flitter, her fear kicking up.

  A half-dozen other police vehicles touched down around the building. Her fellow police officers hopped out and hurried to surround the structure.

  Erik reached over to the passenger side. The hidden compartment storing his TR-7 opened, and he pulled the weapon and few magazines out with a smile on his face.

  “I knew it.” Jia grimaced as he retrieved the weapon. “You probably agreed because you wanted to play with your toy.”

  The man looked ridiculous strutting around with his massive rifle, duster, and tactical vest. In her opinion, he resembled something closer to a cinematic gangster than a police officer, but there was nothing in the regulations that specifically prohibited his attire. And he was right; his license made it legal even during a department raid to use the TR-7.

  She had made a point of double-checking.

  “You’re not going to need that,” Jia insisted, looking around. “This is a shipping company, not an insurrectionist stronghold.”

  “Always be prepared, then it doesn’t matter if you’re surprised,” Erik countered. “Lady Luck and I used to be friends, but she’s done me wrong in the last year, so I’ve learned I’ve got to worry about my own six.”

  “If you say so.” Jia headed toward the front door, Erik closing his door and trailing behind her. The other officers continued shouting and surrounding the building.

  Jia tapped her PNIU before reaching for the door handle. “I’m transmitting the warrant now,” she finished. After throwing open the door, she strolled into the lobby, her head held high.

  She tried to project professionalism, even though her stomach twisted so much, she worried she might throw up.

  A receptionist, this time a nervous-looking young man instead of Svetlana, looked up, confusion spreading over his face. “I, uh, excuse me…uh.” His gaze shifted to Erik’s rifle, and he swallowed. “I’m pretty sure that’s not allowed in here, sir.”

  “NSCPD,” Jia announced, patting the badge on her jacket. “A formal search warrant for the search of this premise has been issued. We’re here to connect our systems to yours for a formal records search. Contact all employees and have them leave the building through the front door. At this time, no one is going to be arrested, but any interference with the execution of our warrant could change that.”

  The receptionist froze, his mouth open. “Uh…”

  Jia nodded at a uniformed officer and pointed at the front desk. “Handle that, please.”

  “Yes, detective,” the officer replied, heading toward the stunned man, chuckling.

  Erik looked around with a surprised expression. “Huh. A lot less dramatic than I thought.” He shouldered his rifle. “I was expecting a little more resistance. They put up a better fight last time.”

  Jia looked over her should
er. “I keep telling you, this isn’t the frontier. And you got your wish. You got to show up with your toy.” She headed past the front desk as the patrol officer linked into the intercom system and repeated her announcement to get everyone to step out of the building.

  Erik followed her. “Desperate people do desperate things, whether they’re on the frontier or a core world. It wasn’t long ago you almost got flattened, remember?” He checked behind doors as they passed before stepping up quickly to catch up and then open another door. “I would think after everything that’s happened with the captain, you would understand that you’ve been a little clueless.”

  “That was…unusual, and the captain’s failures don’t reflect a problem with the system. He’s just one man,” was her reply. She turned, her eyes narrowing as she watched him confirm the rooms were empty.

  Erik closed a door. “The system’s nothing more than a bunch of men and women working together. Don’t kid yourself.”

  Jia thought for a moment before pulling her stun pistol out of her holster.

  It wouldn’t hurt to be prepared in case he was right, and someone got confused and desperate. “Once we get all the transmitters in place,” she turned back around and continued walking, “Digital Forensics can begin accessing the systems. We’ll let the patrol officers handle grabbing anything that might be relevant and placing the transmitters, but it won’t hurt to look around.” She glanced into an open office. “Who knows, we might get lucky.”

  Erik’s expression darkened for a moment. “I doubt that.” His face flipped back to amused.

  She eyed him. It’s like he’s trying all the time to act like he doesn’t care, but there’s something else there.

  Jia almost said something but decided against it. A police raid wasn’t the time to discuss her partner’s personal affairs.