Division Zero (26 page)

She had gotten the distinct feeling he wanted to do something specific with the waitress before Kirsten lit into him. The police report offered a little information, but not the major revelation for which she had been hoping. The investigation turned up little. The detective working on the case, Aaron Miller, wrote it off as some kook testing a sniper weapon on a random person.

What? Who does that? Who just walks away from a case like this?

She read over the file twice. The notes associated with the investigation seemed thorough at first, but then closed with a hasty dismissal. Perhaps he deemed it unsolvable and just filled in nonsense to get it off his active caseload. Still, it did not feel right and she wondered what could be at play. She mused around the thought of Albert paying the detective a visit and spooking him, but most ghosts
wanted
their murder solved.

Now at least she had something to do, a few threads to pull at and see what unraveled. A Division 0 Agent outranked a Division 2 Detective, so she could demand answers if she had to.

The ride north to the Local Regional Tech Center ate a little over two hours. Kirsten dove out of the stream of hovercar traffic and dodged a dozen ad-bots on her way to the ground level. Dorian squished himself into the seat, going rigid at the approaching ground when they went vertical.

“You’re so silly,” she teased, “I’m not even speeding.”

A worried look crossed his face. “I never did like heights.”

The ground wheels rotated out just as it came in to land on the roof deck of the Northern Regional Technical Center. This far north, almost at what used to be Canada, the air hit her with shocking cold. She scurried, teeth chattering, to the elevator. Dorian followed, amused by her reaction.

Downstairs, heads poked out as she passed. The security staff already spread the gossip of a ‘Zero Spook’ haunting the facility. Here, she felt like a curiosity more than an outcast. For once, she was jealous of Dorian. No one looked at him like he was some kind of curiosity on display.

Much to her surprise, she found Detective Miller in his office. She had expected him to be at home halfway into a bottle of synthetic whiskey after seeing a ghost. With a knock, she let herself in; Dorian edged through the door behind her.

“Detective Miller?” She tried to sound unassuming.

He looked up from his terminal. “Yes, can I help you?”

The man behind the desk appeared to be in his late forties, with a little paunch around his waist. Strands of grey streaked through the black hair above his ears, and a few days’ worth of stubble shadowed his cheek in the reflection of the screen upon his face. One narrow strip of black nylon crossed the white of his shirt, securing a pistol under his left arm. A patch of green light on the wall behind him blinked in time with an LED on the gun. He pulled off his glasses and gave her an expectant look.

“Agent Kirsten Wren, Division 0.” She exchanged a handshake. “Wow, glasses? You don’t go for the implants?”

He shook his head. “I don’t trust cybernetics.”

“Neither do I.” She smiled, taking a seat. “I wanted to ask you about a case you worked on six months ago. Do you remember the name Albert Motte?”

He got quiet for a moment, his face tightening as his stare searched the wall behind her for an answer. “I couldn’t turn a damn thing up on it. It was going nowhere fast and I had other cases to put to bed. I feel kind of bad for his old man; poor guy called me three times a week, but he gave up a month ago.”

“Guess he got the same hint you did.” Kirsten caught his facial tic. “Who threatened you?”

He tilted forward in the chair, glowering. “Are you in my head, you know that’s against the ethi―”

“No.” Kirsten leaned forward. “But you are a lousy liar for a cop. I was thinking you might have walked away from an investigation if you had seen Albert’s ghost. Given you are not home nursing a bottle of liquid dreams, I guess that is not what happened. So, the only other thing I can think of is whoever shot him found you and told you to back off.”

Detective Miller creaked back in his chair and tossed his glasses on the desk with a resigned sigh. “Yeah, I found a corporate angle. I thought a competitor was trying to get at his work. According to old man Motte, he was involved in some new research project worth a lot of money.”

He gripped the arm of the chair tighter. His eyes tracked the door as Dorian nudged it closed. Miller’s worry deepened and he adjusted his glance back to Kirsten, speaking just over a whisper.

“They found me before I could pin down what company made the arrangement with the hitter. Best as I could tell, they used a freelance contractor, and a good one. There was almost no evidence at the scene. We couldn’t tell where he took the shot from. He used a frangible round that left no exit wound or marks on the surrounding area. The body spun around when it was hit, so the shot could have come from anywhere or any distance.”

“What about the city cams?” Kirsten scoffed. “You should have had at least three views of the hit to give you the angle of approach. Frangible rounds have a distinct expansion profile. Our software should have been able to interpret the medical scan data to estimate the size, speed, and energy of the shot, from which the relative distance could be approximated. Detective Miller, I deal with ghosts. I haven’t even read about this stuff in four years and even I could have found a spot within ten meters of the shooter’s location.”

Miller grumbled, fidgeting. “It’s complicated. Look, some men paid me a visit… I think they were with the same outfit that had your Albert guy eliminated. I wanted to stay on
this
side of an autopsy table.”

“Well, that explains why Albert is so pissed.”

Dorian lifted an eyebrow, tapping the side of his head with his index finger. “Maybe he is trying to attract attention to get his murder case re-opened?”

Detective Miller sounded incredulous. “You’re saying he’s a ghost now?”

“Yep.” Kirsten added a slow nod to her words. “I get the feeling you don’t much believe in them?”

“Not really, and I’m happier leaving it that way.”

She smiled. “Well, I hope when you go, you go peacefully, so you won’t linger around. Of course, if it doesn’t work out that way for you I’ll be happy to help.”

Miller jumped at the unexpected noise of the door opening, and fumbled his glasses into his lap. Dorian held it for Kirsten as she stood up.

“Thanks for your help, Detective.”

Out in the hall, Dorian fell in step at her side. “Well, that didn’t really tell us much.”

“It told us someone tried to keep the curtains closed over Albert’s death. At least now we know why he’s so angry.”

Dorian nodded. “True… now what?”

She thought for a moment. “Well, let’s go see what Intera has to say.”

hick grey smog engulfed the patrol craft as Kirsten went into a shallow dive. The muted whine of the propulsion system droned its technological lullaby into the cabin, sapping the wakefulness from her eyes. Light simmered somewhere within the wafting haze, until the Intera Corporation complex faded into view.

Five towers of gleaming onyx and gold stood at the corners of a square with the largest at the center. They jutted up through the ground-level cloud, as if the only buildings on an alien world. The central tower was shaped like an obelisk, and a band of teal light sectioned off the pyramid-like top seven floors.

Personal hovercars and advert bots swarmed the buildings like moths to a candle. The northwest tower disgorged a PubTran Maglev from its midway point. It slid away along its rail in silence, consumed by the fog. A small droid came out of nowhere, filling the windscreen with the image of a smiling model in the latest designer clothes.

Kirsten yanked the sticks, sending the car in a hard rightward roll, cringing as a dull impact thudded through the cabin. The armored patrol craft punted the thirty-pound metallic nuisance off into the clouds, spinning it into a trail of sparks.

“You might want to turn the bar on.” Dorian looked over. “Just so nothing bigger hits us on the way in.”

“Since when do the ad-bots care?”

Kirsten hit the button anyway; the smog around them pulsed with bright blue staccato flashes. She tapped at the console, accessing the info node for the building. Within a few seconds, a holographic panel displayed everything the public could know about the place. One section indicated where visitors and guests should park, another where deliveries should go, and a third section had general information for tourists. Three of the perimeter buildings lit up in red on the display, covered in warnings about private corporate property not to be approached by civilians.

Kirsten poked at the map, transmitting her intent to land as an official visitor. Fluorescent green lines appeared in the windscreen, providing guidance on the approved approach path. She followed them, and the car drifted through a hole in the side of the northwest tower.

Amber light saturated the parking deck. Holographic neon lines glowed from both floor and ceiling, leading her to a designated spot. Gleaming bands of light passed over the glossy, black vehicle from rows of roof lights.

She gawked at the room as she climbed out of the car.

Dorian appeared at her side. “Well, they sure aren’t hurting for money.”

“No kidding.” Kirsten let out a long whistle, taking in the scenery. “It feels like we just docked on a starship.”

“Good afternoon, miss!” A young female voice greeted her.

A girl came skipping over, her knee-length teal hair held by pink ribbons in twin ponytails. She did not look older than fifteen; her fluffy white shirt and short black skirt were complimented by flat shoes the color of her hair. The sight of such a young girl in an office shocked Kirsten only until she recognized her as a doll made in the image of Intera’s mascot, Mitsu. The fact she had no readable surface thoughts confirmed the suspicion of her being an AI.

“Hi, I need to speak to someone in your human resources department.” Kirsten flashed her badge.

“The police.” She covered her mouth with her hands. “I hope nothing’s happened.”

“Oh, please.” Dorian rolled his eyes.

Kirsten gave him a ‘be nice’ look, and turned back to Mitsu. “I need to check on the status of a former employee, it’s got nothing to do with the company.”

“This way.” Turning with a giggle, the doll pivoted on one heel and skipped off down the row of parked cars.

Dorian shook his head. “In the grand scheme of all things creepy, that doll rates two points below a knife-wielding clown.”

Kirsten sighed at him.

“Look at its overly happy face. Can’t you just see her hacking someone to death with a big, innocent grin?”

“Oh, that’s enough already.”

They followed the doll through a parking deck so large, the company had installed powered walkways. The Mitsu waited for them, rocking heel to toe with her hands folded behind her. Once Kirsten caught up, she stepped onto the moving surface. They rode it along the outer perimeter to an elevator tube. A circular Intera logo shimmered in hologram from the wall by the elevator, with three of the same girls perched over it. The one in the middle smiled, the ones on the sides waved.