"We couldn't identify the real killer in time," I said, trying to sound frustrated and desperate at the same time. "The Station Security Chief, in spite of telling me otherwise, was too lax in their security, and I got distracted by a decoy. A fucking decoy! All my years as a detective, and I get led off the trail by a red herring like a hungry hound dog."
I told him about Thayer and Eldridge, and how I'd been suckered. In fact, the only part I changed was the outcome. Ingrid had succeeded in killing Hunter, and had taken off with her accomplice.
They say the best lies are the ones which have some truth to them, and as I pretended to be torn up by guilt, I thought about the truth behind what I was telling him.
No matter how things turned out, I'd always consider getting duped to be the biggest failure of my career. The fact everything had worked out in the end, did nothing to make me feel better, especially knowing Ronald Speck and Lindsay Thayer had died because of it.
"It's imperative you keep this between you and me," I said. "Hunter's security people don't want the news getting out until they've had time to craft the message. They could be facing a full-scale pirate attack once word gets out Hunter isn't around to fight back. The word is, they still want everything back he's taken from them. It would just be adding insult to injury, and to be honest, it might result in Hunter's people executing me. They're furious. If I wasn't an ESPD cop, I'm sure I'd be in the brig right now."
My mind was on Speck as I pulsed the message off, and settled in for the reply. I still didn't know why Eldridge had gotten mixed up with him, or what advantage there was to pairing up with him in the first place? Obviously Eldridge had killed Speck, and whoever the other poor sap was to make me think he'd been killed himself, which left him free to operate. He may have been good with hacking tech, but he was pretty dumb to think he'd fooled us.
Then again, he obviously didn't know he was contending with a pair of sophisticated AI systems, not just some busted down old cop who'd been trailing him for two years.
I had a few minutes left before I could expect Flint's reply, so I called up my PC. It occurred to me Dr. Pritchett would probably be interested in what had happened. Okay, fine, I'll admit, I was looking forward to rubbing her nose in it a bit, once the truth finally came out. Her profile of a serial killer had led me on a merry chase for quite some time, and I figured I deserved that much.
But a minute later, all thoughts of revenge had vanished, at least against Dr. Pritchett herself.
"Burnside." Flint's voice startled me out of my thoughts, as his reply played automatically. I looked at the vid feed, and saw him running a hand down his leathery face. "Shit, man, what a mess."
The mess just got a lot smellier, I thought, feeling the sudden heat of rage in my solar plexus. I felt my hands clenching into fists against my thighs. Son of a bitch. How did I miss it?
"I've sent your report off to Chief Baker," Flint continued. He'd taken a seat at his desk by then, and his look was almost fatherly. "Look, Dick, you can't blame yourself. Hunter's people made it clear security was their purview, not yours. You can't take all the blame, man. Once Eldridge knew you were on the station, you just didn't have the time you needed."
My anger flashed even more brightly at that, although I didn't know whether it was directed more at him, or at me. You just didn't have the time you needed. He was right, I didn't have enough time. But Eldridge did. The question was, how the hell did he get that time?
My brain was buzzing like it had been invaded by a swarm of wasps. The connections which had started with my search for Dr. Pritchett began to branch out, making their own connections.
Once Eldridge knew I was on Hunter's Redoubt, he'd started making his plans to distract me with Lindsay Thayer. But he didn't see me until that first night at the bar with Jane and Janet, when he was with Ronald Speck. His plan had to have been in motion before then. There's no way he could have concocted the idea, set up Thayer, and pulled off the switch in such a short time. Eldridge was smart, sure, but nowhere near that smart.
"For what it's worth, Dick, this isn't the way I pictured you going out. I hope Hunter's people are willing to let you return to Earth Sector and retire. I… well, I don't want to think about any other alternatives. I'm truly sorry."
"Like fuck you are," I growled to the empty room.
As I rose to leave my suite, I called Janet.
"What's up?" she asked.
"You need to start actively monitoring all communications with Ingrid's ship," I said. "She's about to receive a message."
"From whom?"
"From my old captain," I said.
My jaw was starting to ache from clenching so hard.
On my way out the door, I tossed my ESPD detective's badge into the trash.
Fifty One
Jane and Janet had certainly managed to get under my skin since I first arrived on Hunter's Redoubt, but right at the point, they were starting to feel more like a burr under my coat.
"We have to risk it," I pleaded. "It's important."
"Absolutely not," said Janet. "We have to assume any communications with law enforcement are being monitored."
"I thought that was impossible," I said. "You told me security here was top notch."
"It is," Jane said. "But the stakes are too high to take the risk. We can't let anyone outside of the station know what's really happened, especially in light of what you just told us."
As if on cue, Janet's screen lit up with a message retransmitted from Ingrid's ship.
"It's encrypted," said Janet. "Give me a moment."
An instant later, the image of Harry Flint filled the monitor. His fatherly concern was gone, replaced by anger.
"Contact me immediately!" he barked. "If you and Eldridge think you're going to disappear without paying me, you better think again! All it will take is a single call, and you'll have the entire Assassin's Guild on your ass! You want to retire with all your money, that's fine, but you fucking well better give me my share first!"
He ranted some more, giving them a deadline for his payment via the 'usual channels'. Jane made a note of it as Flint continued on, telling Ingrid and Eldridge all he had to do was tell the higher-ups he'd been threatened by the Guild, and he'd get away scot-free. It sounded more like a hollow threat to me, but then again, I was already second-guessing everything the man had ever told me.
"How did you figure it out?" Jane asked, when the transmission ended.
The admiring look on her face made me swell with pride, and forget my anger for a few moments.
"I'm just that good," I said, with a cocky grin.
They both rolled their eyes, but they were smiling, too.
"All right, all right," I sighed. "To be honest, it was a couple of things. First, after I'd sent off my report, I decided to look up the psychologist who'd done the profile of the suspect last year."
"The one who said you were after a serial killer?" asked Jane.
I nodded.
"I was just thinking about giving her shit at some point over her being so off-base, once I was able to talk about it, obviously. Yeah, I know, I'm petty that way. Sue me."
Jane motioned for me to get to the point.
"Anyway, in my search for her contact info, I came across a photo of her, a dark-skinned woman in her seventies."
"And?"
"And the Dr. Pritchett I had met with in Flint's office was a white woman around thirty."
Jane and Janet exchanged a glance. After our time together, I was pretty sure I could read that look.
"Oh, come on," I said. "Like it would have occurred to you, the person you were talking to wasn't really who they said they were! What reason did I have to question it?"
They grinned, but stayed silent, so I continued.
"Anyway, once I realized I'd been duped into a set path leading me the wrong way, my first thought was of Flint. He'd been so adamant I was after a serial killer, and even more so after we met with the so-called psychologist. Then I tho
ught about what you both had said about how I was set on one path, and that meant I had blinders on. Flint put those blinders there. He deliberately had me chasing my tail, knowing he could keep me behind Blakstov and Eldridge the whole way, while at the same time making it look to the upper brass he had his best detective on the case."
Janet nodded.
"It was a perfect ruse. But it fell apart on Avon."
"Exactly. My theory is that Eldridge got the call from Flint right before Ingrid went after Patterson at the stadium. Flint knew John Slice had given me a clue on Apricot, and they wouldn't have the kind of time they usually enjoyed for a hit, because I was closer to them than ever. Eldridge would have to get to Hunter's Redoubt, and set things up as soon as possible if he wanted to have any chance of stopping me. He probably got intel from Flint on Antonio DeLeo's new identity, too."
"That left Ingrid to pull off the hit on Patterson by herself," Jane said, with a snap of her fingers. "She was surprised by Patterson's scream, and without her helper, she couldn't deal with the blood in time, or wipe his computer clean after she searched for info on the station and Midnight."
"Meanwhile, Eldridge was here, plotting," said Janet. "He probably showed an image of you around to people, asking if anyone knew you. When he came across Speck, he hung around in the hopes he could use him in some way. Turns out he got lucky."
That prompted a stab of shame in my guts.
"Yeah," I said. "But Speck and whoever Eldridge killed in his own place weren't so lucky. Neither was Lindsay Thayer."
"On the bright side," said Janet, "it did point out the need to expand security and surveillance into the undeveloped sections of the station."
I sighed. These two's focus would always be on Jon Hunter and his people's safety. The sooner I got used to it, the better.
"In any case, I'm sure Flint is getting ready to run," I said.
"Maybe not," said Jane. "Running would make sense if you knew someone was after you, but if you didn't, you'd stay put. Running would raise too many questions."
"There are already too many of those," I said, plopping down into a chair. I was suddenly very tired, and feeling my age. "So what do we do?"
Jane grinned that enigmatic grin which always exasperated me so much.
"I'm not saying justice won't be done," she said. "I'm just saying it will be delayed a tiny bit."
"How's that?"
"We can't send any of the intelligence we've gathered to authorities, even encrypted. There's too much risk. I need to send it to Earth Torus with a special courier, who'll take care of your concerns as well."
"Who can you trust?" I asked.
Her grin widened.
"Me, of course. Jon has already authorized me to take one of the Guardian Pocket Battleships on a speed run. It will take a few weeks to get to ESPD headquarters, but it's the only way we can be absolutely certain the information is secure."
She was right, as much as I wished she wasn't.
"I could come with you," I suggested, even though it was the last thing I actually wanted to do.
"Sorry, no can do. The Guardians have no life support. I'll take your Calypso back with me, though, so they can't accuse you of stealing government property. Besides, you're welcome to stay here as Jon's guest."
"All right," I sighed, secretly relieved at not having to go, but disappointed that I wouldn't be seeing Jane for such a long time. "I'll miss you."
"No, you won't."
Her smile was childlike.
"I don't get what you mean."
"I mean I'm not going anywhere."
I blinked.
"But you just told me…"
"I can create as many avatars of myself as I like," she said. "One left with my freighter a few hours after you and I first arrived here. Janet and I will create another one each for when we take the carrier back to Nexus so we can be there for the creation of the new mini-sector, and the celebrations which will accompany it. After that, Jon will be very interested in us tracking down whoever put the hit out on him."
I glanced away from her, trying to hide my disappointment. After all this time together, it sounded like it was all going to come to an end quickly. It would only be a matter of days before all of this got underway.
"I guess you won't be needing me," I said. "Too bad. I was really starting to enjoy hanging around with you."
Jane and Janet exchanged a glance.
"We feel the same way," said Jane. "Which is why we were hoping you'd join us."
My heart leapt a little in my chest.
"What are you saying?" I asked.
The pair smiled, and Jane took me by the hand, pulling me to the door of the security office.
"Let me buy you a drink, Ex-Detective," she said. "I've got a proposition to discuss."
Fifty Two
"Jon's organization could really use you, Dick."
I finished the dregs of my first beer, and raised the empty to call for another. We were back in the bar where we'd first encountered Speck and the man who we'd eventually learn was Frank Eldridge. I thought it was fitting, given that it was where everything had started.
"I'm flattered," I said. "But you and I both know I wouldn't be bringing much to the table. You and Janet clearly had this whole situation well in hand. And I really don't want to stay around if I'm essentially going to be a mascot."
Her eyes widened.
"Mascot? What would ever give you that idea? You'd be a critical member of the team. Jon has already authorized me to make you chief of security for the station, if you want it."
My fresh beer arrived, but I barely noticed. It was finally starting to sink in she was actually serious about this whole thing, and it wasn't just a hollow offer for the sake of politeness.
"But Jon was never at risk," I countered. "You and Janet had everything under control the whole time. And you had it figured out Ingrid was the killer, while I was chasing Lindsay Thayer."
She raised a finger.
"Yes, but we were making our decisions based on the intelligence you were gathering, and had gathered before you got here. If you hadn't run through all the possibilities, we wouldn't have been able to narrow it down as neatly as we did. And no matter how sophisticated my artificial intelligence becomes, I'll never have the gut instincts you have, or the insights into a killer's mind. Janet and I never would have come to the conclusion you did, after your messages with Flint. That kind of intuition is invaluable to the Hunter organization."
I felt my cheeks get warm. That kind of praise was hard to come by for a cop.
"All right, I won't argue with you anymore."
"Good," she grinned.
"And I guess I really should consider the offer. My pension isn't exactly a fortune, even with the extra two years tacked on. If I ever plan to do what I want in my retirement, I'm going to need some extra income." I gave her a sheepish glance. "I've really only ever been a cop, so I'm not at all comfortable with talking about salary, but I think I have to bring it up. Or is that something I'd discuss with Jon?"
Jane shrugged.
"Jon authorized me to negotiate," she said. "I've been in contact with him via encrypted com this whole time."
My eyebrows went up.
"But how…"
"He talks to his Jane, which is essentially the same as talking to me."
"I should have known." I rubbed my hands together with comically gleeful greed. "All right, what's your first offer?"
She touched her finger to her lips and tapped.
"Let's see. First things first, Ingrid Blakstov's ships have been adjudicated to you. The choice is yours whether to sell them outright, or lease them to Hunter Trading. The latter would probably be more than your pension, just on its own."
My hands stopped moving, still clasped together, as my jaw dropped. I stared at her blankly. My brain felt like it had been reset by a jolt of electricity, and I was still trying to take in my surroundings.
"Uh… what?"
"T
he real money is in the bounties, of course," she continued, ignoring me. "Since it was your information and investigation which led Ingrid and Eldridge here, and helped to identify them, not to mention you killing Eldridge, well Jon's decided to waive any of his own share in favour of giving it to you. As such, any bounty attached to the people who hired them to kill those dozen victims, belongs to you. I imagine you're about to become quite wealthy, even without your salary."
This time I grabbed the edge of the table to keep myself from falling out of my seat. It was impossible to fathom. As a lifelong public servant, I'd never been hungry. But I'd also never enjoyed anything other than a working class lifestyle, either. I'd been on two vacations in my life, and if it hadn't been for my police-issue Calypso, I'd never have had the option of anything except public transportation between systems. In short, I wasn't poor, but I was a million light years from rich.
All that was going to change, thanks to Jonathon Hunter.
"I… I don't know what to say," I stammered.
"All of that is independent of your job offer," she said. "You'll have enough to buy an apartment on Hunter's Haven if you like, or maybe a nice retirement shack on a beach on Gold Coast, if that's what you want." She locked those electric blue eyes on mine. "But I hope that's not what you want."
"I, uh, I mean, I don't know. What I want, I mean."
"I hope what you want is to join Hunter Security," she said. "We need someone to head up a small force overseeing security for each station, and we currently have no one with detective skills. If you don't want to head up the whole department, you could head up a small detective department instead. For now, we still need your help with tracking down whoever wants Jon dead. We know whoever it is, must be a lot smarter than all the other people who hired Ingrid Blakstov. Once the mini-sector Jon now owns is formalized, you'll meet the others working this problem. One is a journalist, and the other a computer tech expert. A detective would round out the team."
If it had come from someone else, I honestly don't know how I would have responded. I would have been the first to admit, I was tired. Work had taken up every waking moment for years, and exhaustion was always right around the corner, it seemed. But what I'd seen and learned during my time on Hunter's Redoubt, had opened up a whole new world to me. A world where I didn't have to answer to bureaucrats and brass. Where someone like me could feel like they were actually accomplishing something, and be rewarded for it.
Burnside's Killer: Extended Version (The Hunter Legacy Book 6) Page 22
