Booked for Murder

by R. J. Blain

  “But married individuals with specific rarity ratings enjoy even more protections.”

  “My status as a young, single, and handsome man is not up for discussion right now.”

  “Ah, but Janette’s status as a young, single, and beautiful woman is always up for discussion, and while you are her primary contractor, the contract does allow the remaining family with a clear majority to override your wishes on the subject. Jezabella counts.”

  Before Jezabella’s adoption, a two-versus-one dispute over my contract would have resulted in a dead contract adjustment, as for hire contract terms required seventy percent or higher.

  Three-versus-one would overturn Bradley’s position on my contract for certain things, such as my status as a single woman.

  I missed my apartment, and I wanted my cat. “Where’s Ajani? I need attention.”

  “She’s sleeping in the sitting room on her new cat tree. She just enjoyed the brush and her latest meal. I’ve determined she’s figured out she is now the ruling monarch of our household.”

  “Cats do that,” I agreed, annoyed I couldn’t get upstairs without a lot of help or running the risk of screwing my foot up beyond redemption. “Can I ask you really nicely not to marry me off to some stranger?”

  “What makes you think I’d marry you off to a stranger, you idiot girl? I’m marrying you off to the boy here. Well, not quite marrying you off yet. As he’s the inheritor, he gets to enjoy a three-year engagement, where he has to do his best to convince you to say yes to all of his various proposals. We are annoying adepts in that fashion, and quite traditionalist. I even conferred with Daniel on how I could make it as lengthy a process as possible. The first step is having you sign a document that proclaims you are aware that the Hampton family has given approval for you to be courted by our inheriting child. The inheriting child—that’s you, Bradley—likewise signs a document acknowledging that a suitable woman has been selected for a courtship. Then we deal with a lot of bullshit, parties, and wishy-washy nonsense with a bunch of other adepts. It’s dreadfully dull, but I put up with it to marry my husband. It’s only a few years, but it’s some legalized bullshit that would make it difficult for either one of you to be drafted. I have already secured the appropriate signatures from the other adults involved in this transaction.”

  Well, shit. Bradley’s mother had joined forces with my parents. “How long is this for?”

  “A minimum of three years for a period of up to five years,” she replied. “Perhaps longer, although rarely shorter. Any children produced before the officiation of the final documentation are considered legitimate due to the nature of the courtship, although parentage of the child will be confirmed. That’s normal for adept society. Illegitimate children are rather common.”

  “Some days, I feel like asking for proof I’m theirs,” Bradley said in a false whisper.

  “Oh, we had you tested, as neither one of us is sure how we produced a brat like you,” his mother shot back. “Unfortunately, you really are our child, and we can’t dump you off with somebody else. The smart women run away from you, so I have to use legal coercion with the one woman who, while she’s smart enough to run away, is stuck with you.”

  “I don’t know what you did to upset your mother, Bradley, but you should probably figure it out sooner than later and apologize. She’s out for your blood, and I’m on medical leave. As such, I cannot help you.”

  “I don’t know what I did!”

  “That’s why I suggested you should figure it out sooner than later.”

  Bradley’s mother grinned. “If you review the documentation and sign it with minimal fuss, that will be sufficient for the moment.”

  “When did you cook this up, Mother?”

  “Longer ago than you would think. As that will make you get into an investigative mindset, I refuse to tell you more than that. Janette, with the number of regulations on exsanguinators in this bill and other legislation currently working through the upper government, this is more for your protection than anything else. I’ve been looking into every loophole I can to prevent you from ending up as either some weapon in the military or in prison for having inconvenient magic. As investigative cells can have more than one adept on the team, we might be able to move you to one of the adept spots and use Lenard for the shooter. That’ll give the cell two shooters, but as long as you don’t do more than qualify for conceal carry, that’s a loophole we can use. There are a lot of loopholes associated with the cells, so outside of the shooter issue, I’ll be earning my keep locating these loopholes so we can take advantage of them. I’m also making certain all members of the cell are covered if this legislation does make it to the Oval Office.”

  “That’ll keep you busy. I’m supposed to be the sponsor, in case you’ve forgotten,” Bradley replied.

  “Your father is now the paying sponsor. Janette, as her adept self, will be the formal sponsor. You’re going to be a baseline investigator now, as you have one of the rare exception talents for investigator cells. Someone will eventually figure out Janette is working under a pseudonym, but that’s not an issue. There are plenty of cells where the sponsor is also one of the members.”

  Bradley sighed. “Are you pulling my leg, or are you serious about the betrothal documentation?”

  “Oh, I’m quite serious about the betrothal documents. If this legislation passes as is, it’s one of the few ways I can keep you—and her—out of the military. Your children will have issues, especially if they inherit Janette’s abilities, but there are ways around that, too.”

  “For life contracts from an early age?” Bradley asked.

  “That’s one of the ways, yes. And they can be more like the one we’ve used with Daniel, putting him in a good role. The for life contracts would need to be worded carefully, and they’d have to have certain allowances, but it’s definitely a way to get around the government’s attempt to steal children from homes at an early age. But ultimately, overturning the legislation, should it pass, will be needed. All I can do is keep the entire cell safe. We’ll be running test evaluations under the legislation’s terms to figure out who is at risk and who isn’t, and we’ll address the situation as required.” Bradley’s mother scowled. “If what I’ve been reading is accurate, there’s a very narrow margin of people who will not qualify for drafts, and they’re either married to someone who is exempt, engaged legally in a betrothal contract, or engaged in a for life contract. The upper adepts are only safe to a certain degree.”

  “If they have a high enough percentage and the amount of money required to buy a for life contract?”

  “Correct. Essentially, according to my base calculations, five percent of the population will be exempt from the draft conditions, and most of the people in that five percent are either politicians or established adept families—and the new rules and regulations will knock out quite a few established adept families. Our family is relatively safe due to our rarity rating, and Jezabella will be covered through the for life contract loopholes.”

  I flipped through the sheets in search of sections relating to pregnant women or those ill, my brow furrowing as the table of contents offered no help and the similarly related sections likewise proved to be a bust. “There’s no exemptions for pregnant women?”

  “There are no exemptions. There is a comment in the margins suggesting that to include pregnant women in the exemptions would be to encourage unnecessary procreation between incompatible brackets of society.” Bradley’s mother glared at the papers I held, and I clutched them so she wouldn’t take them from me and start tearing them to scrap. “There are also no medical exemptions, either. According to that printed human rights violation, magical abilities can be used regardless of physical condition. According to the base guidelines, our family would be relatively safe from combat. Janette, on the other hand, would likely be on the front lines until she turned fifty or was killed. After fifty, she’d be moved into the reserves.”

  “Lucky me. I’d neve
r get out of military service under those rules.”

  “It does appear like they wish for those magical ability types to be wiped out. Death through military service is a very patriotic way to murder those with unwanted abilities.” Bradley’s mother swooped in and snatched my papers, flipping through them until she found a few pages, which she offered to me. “This is the section I used as my foundation for the betrothal agreements. I’ve also implemented some of the loophole closures in Jezabella’s contract with Daniel. I’ll file addendums as needed to take advantage of more loopholes as legislation is passed and made into law. I’m keeping an eye on the votes, and I’ve started going through everything that’s been passed since the first murder. I’ve already found some disturbing things signed into law. It could be linked, although none of the victims were responsible for writing those specific pieces of legislature. They did vote in favor of it.”

  “What legislature?”

  “Mostly expansions on rights and limitations of those engaged in for life contracts, the minimum monetary value of for life contracts, and removals of some exit clauses of the contracts. For example, Janette’s contract would cost twice as much as we paid for her, and she would have zero options for leaving the contract once signed under the newer rules. Unfortunately for her, some of these laws do influence older contracts. We are not required to pay the difference in her contract value, but the limited options she did have for escaping the contract have been closed. That’s why we need paperwork verifying you had temporarily released her from service, else she would be guilty of several crimes—and our family would ultimately decide how she’d be punished for violating the contract.”

  Crap. “Seriously?”

  “I’m quite serious. I have a lot of legal documentation to review to confirm I’ve covered everything of importance, but I feel comfortable in saying that the United States has found a way to legalize slavery. Before the new laws, you had several options to escape your contract, although it would have been difficult and somewhat expensive. We also would have had the right to nullify the contract at any time. That is no longer the case. All contract holders are now responsible for any contracts they hold until death. This will inevitably screw over even some of the adept families, ones who tend to sever their contracts when they’re no longer needed. While marriage won’t precisely nullify the for life contract, it’s much harder to level certain accusations against the family.”

  “And you are not common users of for life contracts,” I mentioned.

  “One or two a generation, and that is it. We drew up paperwork for Daniel due to his personal situation, as his family is choosing to make some poor decisions regarding Jezabella.”

  “And as he’s over eighteen, he can opt to engage in a for life contract, and he is the recipient of the funds for the contract,” I guessed.

  “That is correct. Daniel becomes wealthy in his own right, he becomes a member of our household, and his family loses all rights to his person. He is not the eldest child. If he were prior to the signing of the contract, it would be an issue, but it is not.”

  “Has the paperwork been fully signed?” Bradley asked.

  “Yes, as of late last night. You were occupied. Please take Janette upstairs and settle her in the main library. Lenard wants to resume her practice tomorrow, as he’s concerned about injury and exertion. Janette, I brought some weights up from the gym for you to lift to work on rebuilding your strength. Tomorrow, the entire cell will be gathering at your parents’ home for dinner. We will start making plans in earnest then. Today, rest as much as you can and work with Bradley on making notes about that horror show of a document. I skimmed it, and what I’ve learned has been disturbing enough. Someone reading it carefully? I’m sure we’ll learn a lot about the true story behind these murders—and who might be behind these killings.”

  I doubted I’d learn enough, but something was better than nothing. For a start, it would do.

  Nineteen

  Right. You’re hungry.

  I went from reading to passed out. Ajani purring on my chest and beating my face with her tail did a good job of waking me up. Eating fur, while a morning ritual, never appealed, and I spit, muttering curses.

  “Good job, kitty,” Bradley praised.

  I could only hope he’d taken me to the library as ordered, although I wasn’t sure if I cared. Wherever I was, it was rather comfortable despite my foot being trapped in a cast. Delaying would do no good, so I cracked open an eye to discover either Bradley’s mother had a very strange belief of what a library was or I’d gotten dumped in a bedroom. Whose bedroom remained a mystery, although I spotted no sign of my car magazines. “This is not the library.”

  “You’re correct. I did take you to the library, but you were done for the day. I tried to feed you dinner, but you had a few sips of soup and went right back to sleep. The doctor said to let you be, although I was told to keep an eye on you. As such, I brought you to my room, which has my favorite chair in it. I slept there while you and your cat took over my bed. I asked her nicely to wake you, as we need to get ready to go to your parents’ place, where you’ll get to enjoy some roast and pampering. I read through most of the paperwork while keeping an eye on you, and Ren took over when I was sleeping.”

  “I assume I had no problems on the breathing front.”

  “Your blood oxygen levels have improved compared to yesterday, so we’ll see how today goes. If you’re hungry, we’ll go pick something up on the way.”

  My stomach gurgled, sparing me from having to say a word.

  He laughed. “Right. You’re hungry. I shouldn’t have even asked. We’ll grab something on the way. I took some notes about the document you can review in the car so you’re on the same page with the rest of us. I already sent the notes to the rest of the team. Meridian has some interesting intel for us, Jezabella and Daniel are at the first murder scene today having a look at the site and taking photographs, Mickey has been putting together a list of abilities that might be able to imitate an exsanguinator, and Beatrice has been handling the cell’s paperwork, looking for ways we can bypass the shooter issue—or have an exemption for you due to medical reasons, as you have numerous qualifications on record with you exceeding their minimum requirements. Otherwise, we’ll adjust the cell makeup and have Lenard function as the shooter until you qualify. Beatrice has found sufficient loopholes for us to work with, so we could be registered within a week if we can get your exemption based on your old records.”

  “That’s quite the loophole. What’s the point of having it so difficult to set up a cell if it’s that easy to get around the major hurdle?”

  “Janette, we’re talking about adept society here. There are always loopholes for adepts—and our cell will have enough adepts in it to activate most of the loopholes.”

  “I don’t want to hear that word again for at least a year. Every time I hear it, I get upset,” I grumbled. “Loophole is a dirty, terrible word.”

  “Yeah, I’m a little tired of loopholes, too. My mother is fired up, so be ready for that. She’s going to talk our ears off on the drive over. Apparently, my father will be taking one car, my mother will be driving my new car and taking us to your parents’ place, and Ren is at the dealership dropping off my other car for repairs, as I refused to sell it. It will enjoy retirement in my garage and will be used for Sunday drives. I actually suggested I keep it so you can try it at the track.”

  Right. Outside of color, it was the exact same vehicle involved in the crash. “It might be in the garage for a long time.”

  “It’ll be there however long you need to work up the nerve to take it for a spin around the track. I’ll just take it out around the block and to its appointments to keep it maintained in the meantime. While you were sleeping, I was speaking to a psychologist about the accident, and I have been given a therapy program for you. It involves some older used cars, a field, and some driving exercises meant to imitate the same conditions of the crash. Honestly, I broke int
o a cold sweat just talking to the doctor about it, so I get to do the same damned exercises in case I’m driving when something similar happens.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a good time, Bradley.”

  “I’m not looking forward to it, either. I got a lecture. If I’m going to make you go through therapy, I have to go through it, too.”

  “We could run away.”

  Bradley sat in the armchair nearby. “I’m listening.”

  “Canada is nice.”

  “But winter there is awful. Winter in New York is bad enough. I don’t want to move somewhere I have to deal with even more snow, Janette.”

  I scowled. “That’s true. There is a lot of snow there.”

  “Not only is there a lot of snow, I’d have to keep a special garage just for my nice cars, as they have to be safely hidden from the snow. I’m friends with someone north of the border, and he has blankets for his cars. There are lines, and I’m pretty sure that crosses my lines. Maybe after we figure out who is killing these politicians, we can argue about living somewhere we have to wrap our cars in blankets. The why seems obvious to me. The legislation, if passed, would completely change how society works—and it’s done in such a way that middle class voters might not realize how much everyone is getting screwed.”

  “Except your family doesn’t really get screwed.”

  “That’s only because of a great deal of luck and the alignment of many stars. I’d wanted you under contract, and I’d fought with my parents over that for months before they’d even talk to me about it.”

  I hadn’t heard that side of things. I’d crossed paths with him at one of the schools I’d attended thanks to my rating and the rarity of my abilities, although I couldn’t remember having done anything to capture his attention. “Really?”

  “Before you, my security was almost non-existent. My parents have little security, too. They’ve upped their security in recent years, but you were a complete change in our household. It was the only way my parents could think of to justify a for life contract, especially considering your specific abilities. Your natural talent with firearms and your love of cars came as unexpected surprises. Making you my primary driver was a logical move, all things considered. After the contract was signed, they discovered how much they like your parents, so it worked out well from top to bottom.”