Case 0

by May Freighter

  “Chief, I…”

  He waved her words away and wandered back into his private office.

  Rios slapped her playfully on the back. “Looks like Sunderland likes your spirit.”

  She couldn’t hold back the smile that fought to the surface. A fuzzy feeling filled her heart and warmed her soul. Is this what acceptance feels like? Immobile, she stood there for longer than was necessary, staring at the Chief’s glass door. His words replayed in her mind like a mantra to urge her on.

  Des came out of the canteen and tapped Annalise on the shoulder. “There’s something I need to show you.”

  “What is it?”

  Des pulled her to the nearby terminal, pushing Annalise into the seat. “Log in.”

  “Where are you going with this?”

  “Just do as I say!”

  Annalise shook her head and scanned her comms over the desk, activating her work terminal.

  Des pushed her hands out of the way and opened her current case file. She clicked on the image of Robert Fern, and her expression turned sour. “It’s been bugging me for a while, and I finally know where I’ve seen this man.”

  Rios sauntered over to them. He peered past Annalise’s head, and Des brought up their case file.

  “Des, that’s our case,” he said. “You’re not supposed to show it—”

  “It’s not just our case. Look…” She clicked on the file.

  A video played, showing an exceptionally beautiful woman walked up to a bouncer at the Landon’s main entrance. She had a heated debate with him for a minute. With a glare, the man scanned her and permitted her entry.

  Des played the next video. The camera was inside the bar, taking in the view from above. The same woman sat on a bar stool while the other patrons chatted animatedly behind her back.

  “There!” Des pointed to the man sitting alone at one of the tables in the corner. He had five empty bottles of beer standing tall on his table and was downing another. “That’s Robert Fern.”

  Annalise studied the man, putting the similarities together in her head.

  Des grunted. “If you don’t believe me, zoom in and compare the two side by side.” She moved aside, and Annalise did as per her suggestion, putting two images together. There was no mistake. Robert Fern was at Landon’s on the night of his murder. But, how did half of his body get back home the next morning? And, why wasn’t the other half found at Landon’s?

  Rios’ eyes were as wide as saucers when Annalise glanced at him. He scratched the dark stubble on his cheek and let out a nervous chuckle. “Well, I’ll be damned. Looks like our cases are related, after all.”

  Des scissored her arms over her chest. “We never did find a body of the possessed alabaster who attacked the bar that night. The woman from earlier went missing, and, over time, our witnesses stopped talking altogether.”

  “What about the full video? Isn’t it stored in AID’s database?” Annalise asked.

  “See for yourself.” Des resumed the feed.

  The woman at the bar was hit in the head with a bottle thrown by another patron. The feed cut off and resumed when a group of people was stomping on someone at the centre of the room. The others fled for the exit.

  She replayed it, and the video skipped again as if someone had erased half of it.

  “What happened in-between?” Annalise asked.

  “We don’t know,” Rios admitted with a shrug. “We don’t even know who the woman was. If she was a citizen of Divinity, she would have been flagged by AID, but we got nothing. She’s pretty much a ghost in our system.”

  Annalise replayed the feed from the beginning and paused on the woman. “She looks like an alabaster, but the bouncer wouldn’t let her into the club if the scanner didn’t confirm her to be a pureblood.” She skipped the fighting scene. The woman at the bar was no longer seated there nor was she running for the exit. “Do you think she got possessed?”

  Rios snorted. “Purebloods don’t get possessed, only the modded do.”

  “How many witnesses do you have? Maybe one of them knows where Robert went after the fight.”

  “A lot of people died that night,” Des said. “Those who are still alive aren’t talking.”

  Rubbing her temples, Annalise tried to put this new information together. “Robert wound up in the Bronze District, in front of his house, after the bar fight. Someone took him there, but why? Why him? What were they trying to say?”

  “Could it be they killed everyone just to get to him? He was the only vic found outside of Silver,” Des voiced her thoughts.

  “I don’t think so,” Annalise said. “If they were after him directly, they would have waited until he left the bar. He drank enough to be an easy man to pick off the street without anyone noticing.”

  Rios clapped his hands, startling her. “I’ll go talk to Chief since it looks like we’re investigating one big case together.”

  Des nodded and followed him.

  Taking this opportunity, Annalise headed to the containment cells. She had to see Mavel. It was his right to know what was going on.

  The containment cells were on the second floor. This was her first time in this part of the building. Everything seemed stricter somehow. Armed officers stood outside the entrance and there was no furniture or plants like in the other parts of the DPD.

  She marched to the first officer who was like a mountain to her. His bored eyes searched her from head to toe, and he scanned her wrist comms with his scanner. “Detective Storm, what can I do for you?”

  “I need to talk to a suspect.”

  “Go on in.”

  Inside, black titanium lined the walls. Round lights built into the ceiling turned on as she advanced further down a long corridor with the cells on either side of her. She read the names displayed above each door. When she came upon Mavel’s, she let the scanner read her comms, and the heavy door languidly opened.

  Mavel sat on a metal bench. His light brown hair was out of its ponytail and tucked behind his ears. Two silver orbs framed by dark circles flicked to her, and the sight of him made her chest hurt.

  “Mavel…”

  He stood abruptly and took a few steps forwards, only to be restricted by the heavy shackles around his wrists and ankles. A dull clack of metal hitting the concrete filled her ears, and her throat constricted. He shouldn’t be here like this. Especially, when he did nothing wrong.

  “Anna, why are you here?”

  “I-I had to see if you were alright. The case—” She paused, unable to continue with her trembling voice.

  He offered his hand as far as the restraints would let him. She took it without hesitation, and they both sat on the bench. The cold from the metal seeped through the thin material of her trousers. She shifted uncomfortably.

  “I have something—” they both said in unison.

  This made her smile a little. She had missed him.

  “Go on. You first,” he offered.

  “Dawson is dead. Robert’s two daughters are also dead, and his wife is in the hospital.”

  He said nothing, listening to her every word with interest.

  She took his silence as permission to go on. “Robert Fern was at Landon’s when the fight broke out. He’s on the video feed.”

  Mavel furrowed his brow. “How did he get to Bronze?”

  “The feed has been tampered with. Someone erased the evidence that could lead us to an explanation for all of this.”

  He took her hand in his. “Anna, I want you to be careful. With everything that’s going on, I don’t want to see you get hurt. So, don’t go out searching for trouble alone. Use Rios as a meat-shield if you have to.”

  Her eyes stung with impending waterworks. Even when he was facing a possible death sentence, he was worried about her. It unnerved and pleased her at the same time.

  “Mavel, I will get you out of here. I promise.”

  “Don’t make promises you cannot keep.”<
br />
  She couldn’t respond to that. No matter what she could have said, it wouldn’t change his mind. Resting her head against his shoulder, she remained by his side for as long as she could.

  20

  Gone

  After Mavel urged her to return to work, Annalise sat at her desk, typing up her report regarding the events that had taken place that morning. When she finished the final sentence, she uploaded the image of Robert’s tattoo into the system. With the department’s editing software, she zoomed in on the object and rotated it ninety degrees so the victim’s thigh was facing downwards.

  An image of a letter ‘S’ pierced by a sword stood out. That tattoo appeared to match the carving in the office where Steinberg was murdered. According to Hopps’ earlier report, Steinberg’s skin was removed on the same thigh. Were they members of a gang? Did they belong to the same swimming club? It could be anything.

  “AID?”

  The AI’s holo-projection appeared above her desk. “Yes, Detective?”

  “Can you search the database for this image and find out which tattoo parlour would do something like this in Divinity?”

  AID beamed at her. “Of course, Detective. I shall forward the results of the search to your communications device when I’m finished. Anything else?”

  “No. Thank you.” Annalise turned off her terminal and grabbed her jacket off the back of her chair. She nudged Rios who sat with his feet resting on his desk.

  He grinned. “Need me for something?”

  “I have to question a witness, Terry Fern. She’s in the hospital. Want to tag along?”

  “For you, baby, anything.”

  She laughed, and he called out to Des. “You want to come to the hospital?”

  Des strode over with a mug of steaming coffee in her hands. “Not particularly. Unless they have good-looking doctors there…”

  “I’ll call you if I come across a hottie.” Rios winked.

  Des gave him a peck on the cheek. “And that’s why we get along so well.” She pushed him out of his seat and collapsed into it. “Go chat with the crazy chick. I’ll be here, sifting through the tapes for the millionth time. Maybe I’ll find something that can help us.”

  Rios indicated for Annalise to lead the way.

  She headed for the door when Jamen and Calla entered the office. Calla bumped into her shoulder as she stormed past them, not even a word of apology escaped her. Annalise gritted her teeth, holding back the cuss words she didn’t wish to share with the rest of the office.

  “Where are you going?” Jamen asked.

  “We’re off to see Mrs Fern. Did you just get back from the scene?” Annalise asked.

  Jamen studied Rios. “Alright, but before you go—”

  “Ah, great. Everyone is here,” Chief’s voice filled the office. “Gather round.”

  Everyone turned their attention to the Chief. Calla sat at her desk, and Des lifted her head from the terminal she was using. The three of them remained stationary, awaiting further response from Sunderland.

  Annalise squinted, noting a fresh coffee stain on her boss’ shirt. He must have been in a hurry to catch them.

  Chief folded his hands, resting them on his large belly. “I want to announce that, from now on, you are all one unit. The Landon’s case and the beast attacks are to be investigated as one. Is that clear?” His icy eyes assessed everyone’s reactions. He paused on Calla. “Is that clear?”

  Calla’s lips curled. “Yes, sir.”

  “Very good. Get on with it,” he added and returned to his office.

  “I take it I missed something big,” Jamen said.

  Rios grinned and hugged Jamen close to him with one arm. “Annalise and I had a breakthrough in the case while you were dillydallying or whatever it is you do.”

  Jamen scowled and fought out of his hold. “Get off me!”

  Rios chuckled. “Alright, alright. Don’t get all pissy with me.”

  “If you weren’t the best marksman in the unit, I would break your arm.”

  Annalise’s eyes widened. Rios couldn’t possibly be that good. He always appeared so laid back. She couldn’t see him as someone who put in an effort to succeed or master anything.

  Rios stuck out his tongue. “I’m glad you love me enough to keep me intact.”

  Jamen’s expression darkened, and Rios jumped back, saying, “Okay, big guy. No need to get angry.”

  Shaking his head, Jamen turned his glare to her. “Hopps wanted to see us. Come with me. Rios, you too.”

  While Rios filled in Jamen on the details about Landon’s and Robert Fern’s presence there, they followed Jamen to the lab. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the freezers. All the doors were hanging open.

  Hopps sat behind his desk, his bored face resting on his fist. He lifted his eyes, noting their approach, and set his thermal cup down. “Took you long enough!”

  “What happened?” she asked.

  He swivelled in his chair until he faced his vacant freezers. “My babies are all gone.”

  “Babies?” Her frown deepened as she tried to understand what he was talking about.

  “What do you mean the bodies are gone? Who took them?” Jamen snapped.

  Hopps lifted a digital tablet off the table and handed it to him. “See for yourself.”

  Jamen grasped the tablet. Rios peered over his shoulder, and Annalise had to squeeze in between the two to be able to see anything.

  “Why is Falcon involved?” Jamen asked.

  Hopps shrugged. “Don’t know. They came, took the bodies, and fucked off, leaving me to drink my cold tea.”

  “Aren’t those guys involved with the City Hall matters only?” Rios asked, his playful expression gone.

  Jamen sneered. “They are like cockroaches, never welcomed, yet you can’t get rid of them.” He eyed Hops. “Did you check with the judge? Is this warrant legitimate?”

  “I called Diana. She told me she had no choice but to comply with their request. I had to hand everything I had to them. It is now a Falcon matter. After all, two of the City Hall’s officials are dead.”

  The judge’s name rang a bell. Diana Benson was the youngest woman to take on the role in the Supreme Court of Divinity at the age of twenty-nine. In the Academy, they always spoke of her as being the Iron Woman of Divinity as she dispensed judgement indiscriminately. She was the only judge who managed to hold her position for over sixteen years without a single incident or a negative article in the news.

  Jamen tossed the tablet on the desk. He growled a curse and stormed out of the morgue.

  Rios and Annalise looked at each other and then glanced at Hopps for an explanation.

  The M.E. sipped his tea and grimaced. “Jamen had a few dealings with the Falcon group. They stole some cases from under his nose which is why he hates them.”

  Annalise rubbed her tired eyes. She couldn’t believe they had the power to do something like this. They stole the largest case the HPD had without anyone taking notice. But, she couldn’t do anything. They had a judge’s approval.

  “So, they’re taking everything from us? What about the Landon’s case?” Rios asked.

  Hopps shook his head. “All bodies were taken. Everything related to the case had to be handed over to them.”

  His words replayed in her mind and their meaning sank in. If they were taking everything related to the case, they were taking the suspect in custody as well.

  “Shit!” she hissed, and her body moved on its own.

  “Storm?” She heard Rios’ confusion permeating his tone, but he did not follow.

  Annalise sprinted out of the lab. Her fingers mashed the lift button, but her attention was fixed on the numbers that sluggishly decreased. “Damn it!”

  She couldn’t wait, so she pushed open the door to the stairwell and climbed two flights of stairs, taking two steps at a time. Her ragged breaths matched her erratic heartbeat as she burst into the containment c
ells floor.

  “Did you forget something, Detective?” the guard from earlier asked.

  Panting, she pointed to the door. “Mavel, is-is he in there? Did they take him?”

  The officer scrunched his brow.

  The door to the cells opened, and Jamen stepped out. “He’s gone,” was all he said.

  She grabbed him by the collar of his jacket. “Are you sure? Did you make certain it was his cell?”

  He grasped her hands and yanked them off. “The case is out of our reach now.”

  Stumbling backwards, her body shook with the overflow of emotions. Annalise wrapped her arms around her waist. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to cry, scream, or hit someone. Her body decided for itself, and she let out a roar she didn’t know she had in her.

  Jamen gripped her shoulders, massaging them. “He’s gone, Storm. You can’t get him back.”

  She shook her head. Her tears flowed without restrictions. “He can’t be… I promised I’d solve this.”

  Jamen drew her into an awkward hug and patted her head. Such an uncharacteristic gesture caused her heart to dive further into the abyss.

  “He’s gone,” he whispered.

  No. She couldn’t accept it. She had to get Mavel back. After she struggled out of his hold, she marched back to the lift through which Rios arrived on their floor.

  “What’s going on?” Rios asked. “Did Jamen bully you?”

  “They took Mavel!”

  “Shit. That’s just…well, just shit.”

  “I’m going to find him. Where are they?” she demanded, glancing from Jamen to Rios. The caution reflected in their eyes irked her. “Answer me!”

  “Is something wrong?” one of the guards asked.

  Jamen glared at him, making the man shrink back, before returning his stern gaze to her. “Storm, you can’t just go into the Falcon HQ demanding your case back. Trust me, I’ve tried.”

  “Then what am I supposed to do?”

  Rios clicked his fingers. “What about that Falcon guy? You know, the one who interviewed you at the hospital?”