by Kate Rudolph
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She couldn’t let her conviction about Doryan’s innocence tarnish her investigation, but a part of her was relieved that his friends were of the same opinion.
Doryan was standing near some trees and Kayleb had put a little distance between them. Kayleb stopped her before she got close. “My denya, Tessa, is a medic. She’s offered to do an examination of the body, if you’d like. We have a cellar where we can store it until it can be transported.”
“Thank you,” said Amy. Her brain whispered that there could be some sort of conspiracy to hide evidence if the NaMorens and their mates were somehow involved, but that was probably just her tired brain playing tricks on her. She had no reason to suspect them. And a dead body showing up on their property couldn’t be a good thing.
She took a moment to study Doryan. Unlike Linda and NaMasee, he didn’t have any outward signs of grief or shock. He just looked… blank. Not even bored. There was nothing.
And she wanted to peel back that nothing until she saw the beating heart of him. But that had nothing to do with the case.
Fuck. She was going to need help.
“Thank you for waiting,” she told Doryan as she approached.
He nodded.
“Can you tell me what happened tonight?”
Doryan nodded again, and when he spoke it was an emotionless recitation of facts. “The captain had asked me to meet him at midnight. I arrived a few minutes early and found him lying on the ground and bleeding. I attempted to check if he was still breathing or had a pulse at which point the human woman arrived and screamed. Lieutenant NaMasee appeared a few minutes later, followed by the rest of you. I didn’t see anyone else in the area.”
“It’s kind of late for a meeting,” Amy pointed out.
“Yes,” Doryan agreed.
Oooookay.
Three witnesses, three stories. At the moment they all seemed to be telling basically the same account, but she knew things would start to break down when they talked for longer.
“Did anyone see you leave your cabin?” she asked. “And what time was that?”
“Not that I know of, and a few minutes before I arrived at the captain’s quarters. Perhaps 11:45.” Well, that didn’t help his case.
“And why were you meeting him?” And would the captain’s schedule back up this alleged meeting?
Now Doryan hesitated. Only for a second, but Amy caught it. She didn’t want to catch it. She didn’t want her Detyen to be hiding anything.
Her Detyen? Nope. She didn’t think he’d done it, but she had to scrub thoughts like that from her mind. She was doing her damnedest not to remember their conversation from that afternoon and the emotions he’d stirred in her. She had a case to solve, damn it.
“It was pertaining to my place in the Detyen Legion. The captain and I were discussing my return to duties.”
Amy noted it down. “And did you want to return to your duties?” she asked.
“I am a member of the Legion. It is my purpose.”
That wasn’t a yes or no, and Amy’s mind was starting to crack when it came to riddles. If she did more interviews tonight she was going to miss something.
“Kayleb has a place for you to stay while we sort this out. I’ll speak with you again in the morning.”
Doryan nodded and didn’t make a fuss as Kayleb took him away.
A few minutes later Amy was met by a woman with brown skin and hair held back by a silk headband. She’d pulled on a jumpsuit that looked pristine and her hands were covered with gloves. “Tessa,” she introduced herself. “Kayleb said you could use some help?”
The medic. That made the next step obvious. “Amy. Let’s take a look at the body.”
Under better circumstances there would be a team here, but Amy only had herself and whoever she could trust from the people staying at the retreat. She needed to call in Kyla. Soon.
“Let me take vids and photos of the scene first,” she said. “It won’t take long to get the 3-D render.”
Tessa stepped back and waited patiently.
Amy recorded the scene and looked for anything around the body that might be a clue. No obvious murder weapon, nothing else visible to the eye. But it was dark and she’d have trouble seeing anything. She’d have to come back in the morning.
“We’ll need to process his clothes, check for DNA and prints. Do you have a med scanner?” They didn’t have the same tools used by the police, but in a crunch the scanner would do.
Tessa nodded and held up the handheld device. “I brought one with.”
“Give his body a scan before you do anything and send the results to me. Even if we don’t have DNA matches, at least we’ll have the record. I’ll have better tools in the morning.” If Kyla could get here in time. Until she arrived Amy would be investigating blind with one hand tied behind her back.
Tessa scanned and then relayed the info to Amy’s comm. The comm that was still waiting in her room. Oh well. She’d look later.
“Now tell me what you see.”
Tessa looked. “Lots of blood loss. Multiple lacerations, but they’re somewhat uniform. Could be claws or some kind of multi bladed weapon. I’ll need to get a better look. No other obvious trauma. From his body temp he hasn’t been dead more than a few hours, but I’ll need to do a closer investigation to be sure.”
“Claws? Could a wild animal have done this? Do you have bears in these woods?” And should Amy be worried about that? She kept the last question to herself.
“No bears,” Tessa assured her. “But Detyens have retractable claws.”
Well there was an interesting piece of information. “And would you say that these wounds match Detyen claws?” Not good for Doryan. But he was hardly the only Detyen in the settlement.
Tessa stared at the body for several seconds before looking over at Amy. “I can’t be certain. Not without a closer look.”
“Okay.” Exhaustion was weighing her down. “I’m going to cordon off this area. Is there anyone you trust to stand guard overnight? I don’t want someone making off with evidence or otherwise tampering. And I want to get this body out of here.”
“Kayleb, Krayter, Penny, and I can take shifts,” Tessa offered. “We were all in the office from nine PM until this all happened, on a comm call with some potential residents. They can vouch for our presence, if that makes you feel more comfortable about trusting us.”
Amy couldn’t even pretend to hide her relief. That sounded like a real alibi. “Let’s get the body moved and then set up a rotation. I’ve got an investigation to plan.”
While the owners of the settlement arranged to move the body somewhere appropriate, Amy headed back to her cabin to find her comm. The clock flashed 2:07 and Kyla was going to kill her.
“Someone better be dead,” her business partner said as the call connected. The screen was black, and it took Amy a second to realize it was because of the dark, not because Kyla had declined the visual portion of the call. A light switched on and she could see Kyla, hair a mess and eyes puffy from sleep.
“Someone is dead,” Amy replied, too tired to joke. “And I need you to get here as soon as you can.”
“Are you joking?” Kyla didn’t look much more awake, but her tone was clearer.
“I wish.” All her sleeplessness from earlier had melted away and Amy had to keep her eyes off her bed. She wouldn’t be sleeping any time soon. “There’s a Detyen body and some jurisdictional issues that made me the lead investigator. Well, the only investigator. A few people here have solid enough alibis that I’m willing to take their help, but I need someone I can trust. Can you come?”
“Fuck,” Kyla whispered. “Yeah, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“You may have to wait until morning. My supplies are limited, so can you put together a kit that will help us analyze anything we find?” She and Kyla didn’t normally investigate murders, but they had a lot of useful tools at the office.
“I can do that. I’ll let you k
now when I’m coming.”
Amy tried to answer, but was cut off by her own yawn. Not good. “Okay. Thanks.” She disconnected the call and stomped over to the coffee machine. If she wasn’t going to sleep, she would need the help.
Chapter Five
THEY STASHED DORYAN in the basement. It was a nice basement, and he’d been held prisoner in worse places, so he supposed there was nothing to complain about. Penny had been apologetic when they’d situated him there and offered a pillow and blanket as some kind of salve. Since the basement was kind of cold, Doryan could appreciate the gesture.
He managed to doze, and when he woke he had no idea how much time had passed, but given the stiffness of his muscles it had been a while. Would that be considered a sign of guilt? He hadn’t killed NaPyrsee, but he wasn’t surprised NaMasee thought him capable. And he didn’t see this situation ending with him alive, no matter who the perpetrator was.
He didn’t want to die. He tried to banish the thought. Soulless Detyens weren’t supposed to want anything. But his survival instinct remained and he had no way to describe the urge to live another day with a word besides want. Was it an emotion? Or a need?
That was a question for philosophers, and Doryan hadn’t ever been one of those, not even when he had a soul.
He heard a door open and sat up from where he’d been sleeping on the floor. There was a small couch, but it didn’t really fit him comfortably and he’d decided it would be better to stretch out fully on the thin rug covering the concrete floor.
Something inside of him perked up as he heard footsteps, and he knew it would be Amy. He tried to quash whatever that was. He remembered his stupid urge to kiss her, he remembered that her touch had hurt. He didn’t know what was going on, and he had to retain his discipline. If she thought he was guilty he’d be dead even sooner.
But something about how she’d questioned him the night before made him think that she didn’t want him to be guilty.
If he was more emotionally adept he could, perhaps, use that. Instead he could only be himself.
Amy wore the same outfit she’d worn when he’d been taken into custody, but her hair was messy, and several black strands had fallen out of her ponytail. Dark smudges sat under her eyes and her skin had taken on a slight gray tinge as if she was on the verge of an illness.
She needed to sleep.
“Sit down,” Doryan said, getting to his feet and gesturing towards the couch. The cushions were soft and would take at least some of the strain off her tired body.
Amy blinked once and then looked at him. “I think I’m supposed to be giving the orders here.” But there was no malice. If NaMasee had said it, it would have been a challenge.
“What time is it?” Doryan asked. “Have you slept?” He wanted to move across the room and guide her to the sofa. His hands itched with the need and his heart pounded. What was this? Could fixation cause this… concern? He knew he should step back, should pull out all of his training and retreat into coldness.
But he couldn’t.
“Not long past dawn,” Amy answered after a minute. She placed her hand on the back of the couch and squeezed. Something like pain flitted across her face. “And no, I haven’t slept yet.” She placed her other hand on the couch and held them there, bracing herself. “So let’s talk.”
“Please sit,” Doryan insisted.
“I’m fine,” she said, but Doryan was certain she was ready to curl up and sleep for a week.
He couldn’t stop himself. He approached her slowly, giving her enough time to move away if she thought he was a threat. Instead she stood still and watched as he closed the distance between them. “I’ll answer all your questions. If you sit.” His fingers hovered over the small of her back, ready to guide her to the seat.
Amy’s shoulders slumped. “You’ll answer my questions anyway.” She closed her eyes tight then opened them back up, and for half a second she leaned back so she pressed into his hand. “If I sit down, I’m not sure I won’t fall asleep,” she admitted.
“You’d be safe here,” he promised.
“I want to believe that, Doryan, but there’s a dead body and a lot of questions. Please.” His name on her lips curled around him and something inside Doryan cracked.
Or healed.
Whatever it was, it hurt enough that he almost stepped back, almost put distance between them. Instead he leaned against the couch staying close to his… staying close to Amy.
What had he been about to think?
“What are your questions?” If he answered quickly, he could hope she’d go and sleep.
She pulled out a recording device and set it on the small table beside the couch. “Second interview with Doryan NaVayn concerning the death of Captain Wyrstin NaPyrsee at the Detyen Settlement. It is 6:13 AM. Dor—Mr. NaVayn, I know you may have already answered some of these questions, but please humor me. Why were you out so late last night?”
“The captain wanted to meet me at midnight.” He knew he had no alibi and that the truth wouldn’t look good, but he wouldn’t lie, not to Amy. And he wasn’t supposed to lie to anyone.
“Why?” Her fingers clenched against the sofa and her mouth cracked, as if she was holding back a yawn.
He wanted to make this fast so she could go to sleep. “He wanted to discuss my return to the Detyen Legion.” And Doryan couldn’t tell her about the evaluation and possible retirement. The existence of the soulless was the Legion’s most tightly-kept secret.
“How did you become separated from the Legion? Did you quit?” she asked.
The soulless didn’t have the option to quit. “I was abandoned in space and sold into slavery nearly two years ago. I returned to Earth six months ago and have been living with the NaZades ever since.” He didn’t mention Manda or the horrors he’d faced; it was irrelevant to the investigation and he didn’t want to burden Amy’s mind any further.
“You were abandoned?” That made her stand up straighter.
If Doryan could feel dread, he’d be feeling it now. “Yes, by my captain.” He could still remember that moment, hearing the order to hold off their attackers and knowing full well what would happen. Well, not exactly. He’d expected to die that day.
Amy stilled and stared at him. There was concern in her eyes, and also a little… fear? Doryan couldn’t be certain. “Does this captain have a name?” she asked, and there was hesitance in her tone, as if she expected the answer he was about to give.
“NaPyrsee. Wyrstin NaPyrsee.”
GOD DAMN IT ALL TO hell! A good number of cops would arrest Doryan on that information alone. Did NaMasee know that? Was that why he’d been so certain? Doryan didn’t strike her as the type to exact revenge. Then again, they’d had exactly three conversations and two of those had taken place while Doryan was under suspicion for murder.
The couch cushions under her fingers were taking a beating, but Amy feared that if she let go she was going to fall over. The coffee had long since worn off and she was going to have to take a break after talking to Doryan if she wanted to be useful to anyone.
She hoped Kyla showed up soon.
Doryan’s hand on her back should have been a threat, not a comfort, but she was too tired to keep up her defenses and found herself leaning into him.
“Please, sit down,” he said, gently guiding her around the couch until she ended up falling onto the soft cushions.
Oooh, that was nice. And when he took a seat beside her it was even nicer. She wanted to lean into him and leech off his warmth and wrap herself in his scent.
What the hell?
That snapped her out of her craziness. But she didn’t stand up.
“Did anyone else know about your history with the captain?” she forced herself to ask. She couldn’t get off track.
“I assume it was in some kind of report.” Doryan didn’t sound tired, but considering the rumpled blanket in the corner, he’d managed at least a little sleep. She’d like to lay down right there and let him curl aroun
d her.
No. He was a murder suspect and she had to establish the facts. What had gotten into her? Exhaustion made her a little loopy, it didn’t make her… yearn.
She’d circle back to NaPyrsee’s betrayal later. “Was the captain alive when you arrived at the cabin?”
“No,” Doryan answered. “Though I didn’t immediately realize that. He was lying on the ground and I approached to check if he was breathing.” He said it matter of factly. Was it the sleep that let him keep such tight control of his emotions? Both Marino and NaMasee had been ready to punch her when she asked questions, but Doryan just answered calmly.
If she didn’t know he was flesh and blood, she might assume he was an android.
But she’d never wanted to fuck an android.
Seriously? She demanded of her brain. She had to get a hold of herself before she did something really stupid.
“You’re being really forthcoming. Why?” Maybe she shouldn’t look too closely at this gift, but suspects generally didn’t comply so easily, and guilt wasn’t a factor.
“I have a standing order to comply with all legitimate investigations,” he said, and his tone gave more credence to the fuckable android theory.
“Who ordered that?”
“The Legion.”
“This would be the same Legion that abandoned you?” She would have thrown any standing orders away if that had happened to her, but that was probably why she’d never joined the military and hadn’t made it that long as a cop.
Doryan paused for a moment and something like emotion, though she couldn’t read it, flashed across his face. “Things must be done for the good of the whole. NaPyrsee saved the rest of his crew by leaving me behind.”
But at what cost?
“Did you kill him?” she asked.
“No.”
She shouldn’t believe him. He had no alibi. He’d discovered the body. He had claws. He had a motive. It was a slam dunk. Maybe NaMasee had been right.
No.
Everything inside of her insisted that Doryan was innocent. But instincts could lie. And Amy’s had lied before. She really should trust the evidence. If something was going to exonerate him, it would come out.
