Archform Beauty

by L. E. Modesitt Jr.

  Emile was waiting for me in the golf shop, wearing a beige golf singlesuit, and a white cardigan with wide and bright green stripes. "You're late.”

  "I had to stop and have some words with Stefan. I dropped him off and let him walk back to his house.”

  We bought some balls. There was no one there, except the simmie of the pro. The transactions and images would be on databloc. Then we checked out the cart—also through a simmie. I guided the cart down the path to the first tee. There was no one on the course at ten past nine, except for a twosome two holes ahead. They were leaving the third green. I could see Stefan working his way toward the shelter, but taking his time.

  The wind was coming out of the west. It was warm, not quite a chinook.

  "Ten credits for the first hole?" I grinned at Emile.

  "Why not? I like taking your credits.” He gestured to the tee. "I'll give you the honors.”

  My drive on number one was a slice, but it was only off the fairway on the right side by about twenty meters. Emile was straight down the fairway, but about twenty meters behind me. My second shot landed in the bunker to the left of the green. His was on the apron. I blasted out of the trap, but came up twenty feet short of the cup, and two-putted. Emile chipped to within three meters of the cup and sank his putt for a par.

  He grinned as he pulled out his ball. "Ten credits.”

  "Another ten on two?"

  "You don't want to double?"

  "With my slice?" I laughed.

  Emile bogeyed number two, and I parred, and we both parred number three. That left us even after three.

  Then I drove the cart over to the rain shelter between the number three green and the number four tee.

  Stefan was already peeling off the maintenance singlesuit. "That got hot after a while.” He looked at me. "That was a lucky putt on three.”

  "It was a good putt. You'll see on the next few holes.”

  Emile took off the green striped sweater and handed it to Stefan. Then he began to pull on the maintenance singlesuit.

  "The sweater's awfully hot…” Stefan murmured.

  "Just wear it for the next hole,” I suggested. "After that you can drape it across the cart seat.”

  "Thanks very much, Stefan,” Emile said. He nodded and picked up the tool kit. He walked back toward the maintenance yard off number seven, where a van with the GSY logo was waiting.

  Stefan took out Emile's driver. "Good clubs.” Then he looked at me. "We haven't played in a while. Twenty credits a hole?"

  "If you're up for losing it.”

  He laughed, and so did I.

  We talked. Not about money. Mostly about golf, and a little about his new Tija electral and how much power it had.

  "You need to be careful with it,” I pointed out. "It's high-powered and light, and that means it can roll over more easily than other electrals.”

  "You and Mother!" Stefan laughed. "I know how to drive, Uncle Chris.”

  "I suppose you do.” I'd certainly been young once, but not that young at twenty-five. "Is the girl who was with you at the memorial service… ?"

  "Cheryn? She's more of a friend…”

  Stefan was a good golfer. He was better than I was, but not that much better than Emile. By the time we got to the seventeenth tee, he was up two holes, and because I'd pressed and lost a few times, he was up a hundred credits as well. It was good he was winning, but not an accident.

  Emile was waiting, although his face was damp, as if he'd hurried. He took off the maintenance singlesuit and held it up. He'd left the tool kit behind where it would be added to the club's equipment. He hadn't used it. He'd used the GSY equipment.

  Stefan took the singlesuit from Emile and slipped it on.

  "I appreciate this, Stefan,” Emile said. He meant it.

  "So do I,” I added.

  Stefan gave me a faint smile.

  "Thank you, Stefan,” I added. "I'll start the loan transfer process as soon as I get to the office this afternoon. It will probably take about a week with all the legalities. I'll have to have the solicitors look at it.”

  "I appreciate your being so understanding, Uncle Chris.”

  "Family is what's important, Stefan.” I grinned. "And the hundred credits will be in your account this afternoon. See you in a bit.”

  Emile and I watched as Stefan walked eastward along the creek.

  "You think he'll say anything,” murmured Emile.

  "Not for a few days. Not until he's sure that the paperwork is all done, and he can count the credits as his. What will be, will be.” I shrugged. "How about the other?"

  "It's taken care of. A few days, no more.”

  Once Smythers and Dewey were dealt with, there wouldn't be any loose ends. I smiled. "Fifty credits for this hole?"

  "Fifty?"

  "I lost a hundred to Stefan. If I'm good and lucky for two holes, I'll break even. If I'm not, you get some pocket money.”

  "You'll lose two hundred.”

  "We'll see.” I'd have lost ten times that to make things work.

  Emile laughed. "We certainly will.”

  My first drive went in the creek, and the second one landed in deep rough. Emile was in the fairway. Some days went like that.

  Chapter 23

  Chiang

  Tuesday came, and I went straight to westside. Had intended to do that earlier. Couldn't. Was DPS duty supervisor Sunday. Monday had been a mess. Newsies had latched on to the ODs of unknown cause. I couldn't explain it. Medical couldn't. Everyone pointed fingers everywhere else.

  Late Monday, found out that FlameTop would be rehearsing Tuesday morning. Not early, except ten hundred was early for a performer. He usually didn't rehearse that early. Could have gotten him after a night performance. Not a good idea. Performers are tired and on an adrenaline high. Bad combination.

  I still wanted to track behind the McCall thing. Couldn't believe homicide had been wrong. Apologizing afterward? The apology didn't make sense. But McCall was dead, and I'd have to move carefully.

  Going to see FlameTop was because I owed it to Luke, in a way, to find out about Al. Also knew if I didn't, I'd be swamped by other stuff Cannizaro thought was important. Like the ODs and the bodyshop ops that were going up with the ebol4. Knew I'd have to get on those as soon as I got back.

  FlameTop was still at the Moulin Noir. Parking stack was almost empty. Maybe five other electrals. Two guards outside the theater club, both a head taller than me. Didn't feel like arguing. Just showed the credentials. Still took them five minutes. Finally, one's face blanked, and then unblanked. He looked at me. "You can go in, Lieutenant. He'll meet you on the stage.”

  "Thank you.” Wondered if FlameTop had been using something to get started in the morning. That wasn't what I was there for. Inside was a combination second-rate uniquery and theater. Tables set in tiers that arced around and looked down on the stage area.

  Walked down the dark center aisle between the tiers. Only light was on the stage. Little enough of that. Single figure wandered into the puddle of light just before I climbed onto the stage.

  The name FlameTop fitted. Tall cone of flame-blond hair shaped into flame shape, probably a nanite field of some sort. "You the DPS type?"

  "Lieutenant Chiang, DPS.” I showed the credentials again.

  He didn't look at them. "What can we do for you?" Every word was close to contemptuous.

  "Everyone says you have a new twist on rezpop.”

  "That's what they say, Lieutenant.” A cocky grin turned the slit in his face into a mouth. White teeth sparkled. "I can't believe you came here to ask me that. Unless you're a fan of new rezpop.”

  "Mind telling me what kind of twist?"

  "So you can give it to someone else?"

  "I wouldn't know a rezpopper from an ebol4 victim.” Hate the cockiness some people have. Usually people who've got more than they deserve and think it's their due. "Don't want the tech details.” Not then, I didn't. "Just an idea.”

  "I do
it different. That's the idea.”

  "Louder? Or with different resonances?"

  "Any punk can make it louder. Let's say… I just match mood and music to the rez. You'd have to be here.”

  "I understand that. But you're doing something new and different with the rez effects, right?"

  He frowned, almost a sulking expression.

  I waited.

  "Something like that, Lieutenant. Something like that.”

  "I take it that whatever it is that you do gets some of your fans excited.” Tried to keep the dryness and irony out of my voice.

  "More excited than other rezpoppers. They wouldn't be coming back night after night, would they? Like I say, you have to be there.”

  Wasn't sure I could have stood that. I walked over to the shimmering black column that was at the edge of the lighted part of the stage. Studied the column, glanced to the far side, where there was another. Looked up. Triangular pyramid in the ceiling with the blunt end toward the audience. Looked like the same shimmering stuff. Looked new, too.

  "These what project your twist?"

  "For here. You need an adaptor for a home unit. Otherwise, you don't get the same effect.”

  "But I'd get some of it?"

  "Some.”

  "You got a bloc of your new twist music? And one of those adaptors?"

  "This a shakedown, Lieutenant?"

  "I'll buy it for whatever you charge your fans.”

  "Thirty creds.” He gave me that contemptuous smile. "Lori'll have one waiting outside. She has adaptors, too. They're two hundred.”

  Tried more questions. Didn't get far. FlameTop didn't know much more. Could have waited for his tech type, but that could have been all day. Could always come back.

  Hated shuffling out nearly three hundred creds with tax, but if the bloc and adaptor were harmless, I could always give them to one of my nephews or nieces. Helen's kids were into that garbage.

  Since I was out there, I tried Westside Physical Systems next. Sarao hadn't gotten a trace on Kama's lorry. Detrus was out—permanently. Ebol4 got her before she'd been scheduled for nanomeds. About half DPS had the new meds so far, mainly those on the street. Said all DPS would have them in another week. I'd bet two. Could only do so much so fast. Medical system was swamped.

  As I walked into Kama's place, the permie behind the console looked up and told me, "He's in, Lieutenant.” Didn't even wait for me to ask.

  This time, we went back to his office—also spotless and stark white and purple.

  Kama closed the door. "I heard you were looking for me, Eugene. That's not good for business, if it gets out.”

  "Heard anything about Kemal?"

  "No. Have you?"

  "Rumor is that he got a lot more creds from some-where legal. Also heard he's going to get deep into politics.”

  "Both could be. He expanded the main formulation plant. Twice in three years. He's brought in top designers for Brazelton's outfit, and he's building a big place in southside. Brazelton's doing the screens. They'd stop an asteroid.”

  "Friend told me Kemal was going legit.”

  Kama laughed. "Ninety-nine percent of what he does is technically legal. He could give all the dirty stuff to Grayser and his new Ellay wyg, and never break a law, and he'd still be as crooked as a Belter's orbit.”

  "McCall. Heard anything?"

  The contractor shrugged. "I haven't figured out how you could turn off a system's safeties from on top of a tower. Mine… you have to have the windows and doors shut, and they won't accept commands from the balconies. That's standard, especially if you've got children, grandchildren, or elderly parents.”

  Another reason the McCall thing stank. "Anything else?"

  Kama frowned.

  "What about overrides? Could you override the system, one of yours, since you built it?"

  He shook his head.

  "Could you design one with overrides? Overrides the owner wouldn't know about?"

  "I wouldn't. If that ever got out, I'd never get another job. That's a bad idea, and it defeats the whole idea of safeties.”

  "So… he'd have to have cut the power down at the main cutoffs, and then climb back up six flights? If you'd built the system?"

  "If I had.”

  I nodded. That was all I was probably going to get there. Now. "Heard anything else?"

  "No.”

  "What do you think about this new rezrap?"

  "Didn't know you were into that, Eugene.”

  "I'm not.”

  "Neither am I. I've had to redo the stage protection screens at the Moulin Noir three times in the last week. He also had me beef the door screens to detect ebol4.” Kama frowned. "I'm supposed to do the Red Moon tomorrow. Hassan told me that he'll pay for the screens. Something in the new rez makes them want more alkie. Not drop-dead flattened, but his alkie receipts are up about twenty percent. He's looking for someone to follow FlameTop. Maybe Cool Ice or whatever his name is, or someone else with the new reztwist.” He shook his head. "Kids…”

  "How good are the ebol4 screens at the door?"

  "Four nines for someone who's really infectious. Less than fifty percent in the first day.”

  "Hassan freezes them on the spot and calls for a medvan?"

  "He has one rented and waiting. No sirens that way. Says he's only had two cases.”

  Wondered about that.

  I decided to stop by the Galleria, but Morss must have seen me coming. He wasn't there.

  Finally got back to DPS at ten past noon.

  First thing I did was hand the databloc and rez adaptor to Sarao. "Want these analyzed. New rezrap or rezpop. Want to know how it's different, if it has different physical impact, emotional impact… whatever. See if they can find a physiological effect. Oh… seems to boost desire for alkie—tell the techs that.”

  "Like I said, you want a lot.”

  "May not be enough.”

  Gut told me there was a link between the music and the suicides, maybe the ODs. Probably couldn't prove anything, but worth a try. Might even be more there.

  Didn't even get my office door shut.

  Chiang? You in DPS?

  I recognized Cannizaro's tone after the first word. Yes, Captain.

  If you've got a moment, I'd like you to come up.

  I'll be right there. Had to be. Cannizaro never asked for me to come to see her unless there was trouble.

  She flicked on the privacy screen as soon as the door was shut. Looked at me. Had circles under her eyes, circles that nanites weren't stopping. "Two things, Chiang. First… Dewey's dead.”

  "How?"

  "His official electral went off the Elletch Bridge. The techs are still looking into it.”

  "Some sort of malfunction,” I suggested. "Convenient for Alredd.”

  "That may be, but we'll have to be very careful.”

  Understood that. Alredd would likely be the next District Coordinator. The techs wouldn't find anything.

  "You don't seem surprised, Lieutenant. Did you have some idea something like this would happen?"

  "No, ser. It's clear afterward, but not before.” I said nothing more, just nodded.

  Cannizaro said nothing either.

  "Don't like any kind of murder,” I finally said.

  "Neither do I, Chiang. What were you looking for in westside?"

  "Reason for the spike in the suicides. Demographics didn't, match. Also had some soop ODs. Not supposed to happen.”

  This time, the captain nodded. "That I can buy. We don't need to get hit with another round of things we haven't seen. What did you find?"

  "I'm not sure. I'm having some analysis done.”

  "Very careful wording.”

  "Could be very strange, Captain. Don't want to say much. I could be wrong. Doesn't feel right, and the forensics don't fit.” I tried not to sigh. "Anything more about Dewey?"

  "No.” Cannizaro didn't meet my eyes, not quite. That meant trouble. More trouble. "DPS has a problem.” We had many. I wai
ted, finally asked, "Which one?"

  "The McCall case. We look bad, very bad. I've just been contacted by a Hans Kugeler. He's a solicitor representing the McCall children. They want a further investigation of their parents' deaths. They also don't want it done by Kirchner and his people. They'd pushed for an outside group. I offered you. They considered, and Mr. Kugeler accepted.”

  Didn't like that, but I nodded. "What's the twist?" "You have three weeks to provide a report acceptable to both DPS and the solicitor.”

  "Should I put in for early retirement now, Captain?" Cannizaro raised her eyebrows. "You think it's that bad?"

  "Worse, from what I've seen.”

  "Tell me.”

  "Talked to a nanite safety systems engineer. Filch systems are designed so they can't be shut off from open balconies. McCall would have had to have gone down to the power cutoffs and cut them manually. Then climbed back up six flights of stairs. Also, a spysat analysis told me that the area went blank for five minutes before McCall jumped. Came back on to catch his untimely death.”

  "I didn't know you were on the case, Lieutenant.”

  "Captain, ser… you once told me my job was to look at all cases and keep bad things from happening to DPS. So long as I kept it quiet and let you know. McCall case stinks, but I kept quiet, and I'm telling you. A lot more there I don't know.”

  Cannizaro smiled. Cold smile. "Good thing you're not in homicide.”

  "What do you want, Captain?"

  "I want the truth. But…” She gave a very long pause. "Only the truth you can prove with absolute evidence. I don't want to fight Alredd and his backers.”

  That meant Kemal. Had his fingers into everything in Denv and across about half of NorAm. And he wanted more.

  "If I can't…”

  "We apologize… again… We even confess poor handling of the case.”

  "Three weeks?"

  She nodded.

  What she wasn't saying, and we both knew, was that if I couldn't unravel it all and prove it, with Alredd in his pocket, Kemal would practically own Denv in less than a year. Didn't want to think about how much of the rest of NorAm. "When do I meet Kugeler?"

  "He'll be down at your office in less than an hour. I've told Kirchner to send you everything homicide has. Everything. He will.”