Murder in New Eden
by Charles C. Cole
Welcome to New Eden, an isolated city floating in space, whose founders believed the start of the 20th century was as good as it would ever get. Gun-free police supervise from atop their penny-farthings, carrying only batons. Aggression has been chemically suppressed for years. But then violence erupts. In response, the chief of police weighs the prospect of thawing secret soldiers. In the middle of it all, two bright young women push for equality and recognition.
Chapter 15: Investigate All Possibilities
City Ops: a land of overlooked opportunity. Three unimpressed police officers are seated, staring at a bank of flickering monitors, searching unsuccessfully — one might say doubtfully — for something irregular. One officer rests his elbow on a table with his chin on his hand. Another keeps rubbing his left earlobe as if annoyed by a steady undercurrent of static.
Schiavelli paces at the back of the room. “The first one of you to fall asleep will be washing my car and the mayor’s car twice a day for a month.”
“Yes, sir!”
Lois enters with an armful of paperwork and a thermos.
“Lois? What are you doing here? Who’s at the office?”
“Nobody. That’s why I thought I’d join you here.”
“Right. Makes sense. What’s in the thermos?”
“Your coffee.”
“You can stay. As long as you want.”
“Thank you. I was planning on it.”
She pushes a monitor to the side with her elbow and sets down her paperwork.
“So this is Ops.”
“Yep.”
“I miss the office already.”
“Yep.”
* * *
Nakamura and Cody stand across the street from the entrance to the water processing plant. Nakamura notices a camera aimed her way, her activity being recorded for someone’s review later. Maybe she can “lose” this footage.
“I’d so much rather slink around in the dark with a flashlight,” says Nakamura, “than deal with a squad of defensive man-boys. You could show me how to put your night-crawler face-paint on. I don’t know if you noticed but I’m not a makeup kind of girl, but I do look good in black.”
“Would you rather come back later?”
“The chief wants us to coordinate our efforts with the mayor, make him a part of the team, keep him busy, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
“Does he know why we’re here?”
“He knows. He’s skeptical but he understands we have to investigate all logical possibilities. He just really, really hopes we’re wrong.”
Matter of fact: “Would it be the end of civilization as you know it?”
“If there was no pacifying agent in the water supply? It would be a new chapter, that’s for sure. We could no longer take brotherly love for granted. Maybe we could eventually get Dr. Valdez to manufacture a substitute, if we haven’t executed him for high treason.”
“Is that a joke?”
“I don’t know. Is it?”
“Would the mayor tell his people?”
“I don’t know that either, Jeb. Can I call you Jeb?”
“You wouldn’t be the first.”
“I have to ask: In your world, did you ever see women soldiers?”
“Of course.”
“And women doctors?”
“All the time.”
“And women police officers.”
“Many.”
“Guess I was born too late.”
A vehicle resembling a new 1919 Hudson Super Six convertible pulls up to the curb. Mayor Brandt steps out. He is shiny like a new penny. Nakamura and Cody cross the street to join him.
The mayor reaches out to greet the new face as if they were long-lost classmates. He grabs both his hands and squeezes enthusiastically. “Sergeant Cody, how you holding up? Getting used to being alive again? Does that wind-up spring inside you ever slow down?”
“No, sir.”
“Do you know why I’m pumping both your hands like the vice-principal at graduation?”
“No, sir.”
“That way I know you don’t have a weapon.”
“Why would I have one?”
“Because I’m the mayor. I’m a good target, especially if you wanted to overthrow the station.”
“Right now, I only want to find my friend.”
“Me, too. I’m just getting used to one of you running around. Two is two too many.”
“You can stop shaking my hands now, sir; I won’t hurt you. I give you my word.”
“Good to have you on the team anyway.”
“Mayor,” adds Nakamura.
“Nakamura.” The two don’t touch. He barely looks at her. “I want you to know I’m here as a favor to the chief. I hate this plant. Do you know how many times I’ve toured it? I don’t. Seriously, I’ve lost count.”
“That makes you an expert, in case they try to throw us off the trail.”
“It makes me think of the ugly mechanisms underground that make everything pretty on top. I don’t want to think of the ugliness. But I am not going to waste my time sitting around babysitting a room full of monitors. That’s your job, Nakamura.”
“Yes, sir, it is. And Director Pelkey’s, too, sir.”
“Director Pelkey isn’t up to the task as of late, so let’s not kick a sick man while he’s down. Okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I assume you have a couple of vials to collect water samples. Or are you just going to fill your pockets and hope nobody notices?”
“I have some vials.”
“Then let’s get this over with.” He glances once more at Cody. “I know why I’m here. I know why you’re here. Why do we need the Good Humor man-at-arms?”
“In case they panic. In case they resist.”
Brandt is stunned. “I’m the mayor. They can’t say no to me. Let’s get the water samples and get out.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Stand back, little lady, and let me show you the many privileges of rank.”
* * *
Dr. Valdez knocks on Pelkey’s bedroom door.
Pelkey calls out, “Go away and come back later. I don’t want you to see me like this.”
“Toby, it’s me. Open the door.”
“How do I know it’s you?”
“Open the door.”
Toby opens his bedroom door. He is fully dressed and shows no sign of being sick. “Never can be too safe.”
“I understand. How’s our patient?”
“What am I, a doctor?”
Carrying his black medicine bag, Valdez pushes his way by Pelkey. The room is dark.
“How can you see in here?”
“I can’t. But neither can anybody else. And isn’t that the point?”
“Put a light on.” Valdez leans over the still body of Lucas Boyer, lying in the bed. He checks for a pulse.
“Well, is he dead?”
“Not yet, but we’re going to have to revive him tonight. It can’t wait.”
“Here?!”
“No, in Wayne’s office.”
“Wayne’s office?! Since when does Wayne get an office? I don’t even get an office. You mean your office, don’t you?”
“Not anymore. Wayne’s been promoted. Or I’ve been demoted. Take your pick.”
“God, I play hooky for one day and the whole world goes to hell. Anything else happen?”
“She watched me empty my desk. She even generously donated a box for the occasion. She didn’t show it, but I know she was gloating. This is not turning out the way I’d planned it. When you become mayor, I want you to fire her, replace her with somebody who’ll know their place.”
“I can do that.”
“She’s smart, I’ll give her that. She showed me her steps to revive Cody. I think we make this happen. But I want to have her documentation available in case I run into surprises. That’s why we’re going there.”
“And, if you do run into surprises, so what? There’s five more where he came from, am I right?”
“My car’s outside. I’ll pull down the alley. You carry out the body.”
“Any chance you were followed?”
“Toby, you’ve got to quit being so paranoid.”
* * *
Wayne, Cody, and Brandt wait in a large, tiled rotunda with a winding marble stair. It could be the entrance to a courthouse or a replica of the New York Public Library. Brandt shakes his head, both hands deep in his coat pockets, more apprehensive than usual. Something feels wrong.
“Do they usually make you wait?” asks Nakamura.
“Never. There’s a greeter or two and at least one waitress in that small cafeteria, which you can see is dark and closed.”
“Do you think they know why we’re here?”
Brandt glances dismissively over his shoulder at Nakamura. “No.”
The main elevator rumbles to life.
“That’s a good sign. At last. Tip your hats to the cameras, citizens,” says Brandt.
Before hatless Cody can complain, Nakamura clarifies, “It’s just a quaint expression the mayor is fond of using.”
The elevator chimes and opens. Superintendent of Engineers Dominic Delumbria steps off. He is enormous, barrel-chested and at least a head taller than the mayor, with shoulders almost half again as wide. He wears a dirty white apron over not-particularly-clean black denim coveralls. The unexpected electricity in the air, and the brief flash of the whites of his eyes, suggests he does not like surprise visits, though he is quick to cover his tracks.
“Mayor Willie! And company. Such an honor! Nobody told me you were coming today. No calls. No messages. No courier.” He pokes the mayor playfully. “No warning! For you, I like to roll out the red carpet, you know that, Mr. Big Cheese. You’re the mayor, the only one we have.”
“You know me, Dom, I can never get enough of this magical place.”
“Director Pelkey loves watching you lead the little kids around, like the Pied Piper. It’s true. He giggles behind your back. You could give the tour yourself. Maybe one day, you will.”
“But not today.”
“Not today? Okay then. Is this your tour group? So small! And no Toby! No wonder the security cameras missed you. We’ll have to recalibrate them.” He gestures at black globes on high.
“It’s a private, special tour group. They asked. How could I say no?”
“Special people. The crème de la crème. Your innermost circle? Of course. Of course. That explains the lack of screaming children this time. Welcome to you both. I am Superintendent of Engineers Dominic Delumbria or, as I like to consider myself, the honored caretaker of this fine establishment. And you are?”
“Lucy Nakamura. She works for me. One of my best. And her... date.”
“And her date?”
Nakamura jumps in. “Jeb Cody. He’s never seen a water treatment plant, so I called up my good friend the mayor and said, ‘Willie, please, do this for Jeb.’ And the mayor, being the good sport he is, agreed. Thank you, Willie. I can’t believe we’re finally here.”
“Mayor Willie takes care of his constituents. That’s his m.o., as the chief would say. That’s why he’s where he is. So you want the full tour? A shorter tour? A custom tour?”
“A custom tour is fine. Not the full tour.”
“Anything for Mayor Willie.” He turns to Nakamura and Cody. “You heard me, right? It’s the truth.”
Even for the mayor, the sychophantic display feels excessive, enough to give him pause. “Dominic, I know you don’t like a lot of questions, but where is everyone? Usually, there are busy minions everywhere!”
“Working. That’s what we do here. ‘If you don’t like work,’ I tell them, ‘join the police force.’ That’s a small joke at Chief Leo’s expense.”
“I’ll make sure to tell him you said that.”
“No, no, please. We get along okay: I stay out of his domain and he stays out of mine.”
“You have an entire domain now?”
“Such a confrontational question! Easy, Mayor Willie. You’ve seen it! It’s a huge hidden world of reservoirs and filtration tanks, pumping stations, with miles of pipes, and a state-of-the-art computerized Control Center where we pick up the first tiny peep from hundreds of sensors and meters.” He points at Nakamura. “Your kind, who likes streets and parks and sky, would get lost here.”
“My kind? Actually, ‘my kind’ doesn’t really much care for parks and sky; ask anyone. Maybe I’ll surprise you and fall madly in love with your dank and cluttered dungeon and never want to leave.”
Delumbria stares at her. He’s never heard this response before. Then he laughs. “I like you. You almost convinced me.”
“I’m serious.”
“Maybe we’ll take the tour and see if you don’t change your mind.”
“Shall we?” asks Brandt, getting restless with the drama. “We’ve come all this way.”
“Press the elevator button and lead on, Mr. Mayor. I’ll pull you back if you wander off into no man’s land.”
“No man’s land? You mean there’s a part of this place I haven’t seen?”
Delumbria makes a gesture as if to lock his lips with a key. “There’s probably parts I haven’t seen. I’m not that brave. I’ve lost men, you know. True. They go to get me a mop or a wrench, and they never come back. Always use the buddy system, I say, but they want to impress me.”
“Superintendent Delumbria, if you haven’t guessed, has a gift for theatrical public speaking.”
“For the two new faces on the tour, ‘Lucinda’ and her quiet man friend, don’t mind the noises of engineers who scuttle and bump around in the darkness. You may hear them without seeing them; it’s a game they play with each other. If you stay close to me, they should leave you alone.”
The elevator opens and they all climb aboard.
“No warning from Mr. Big Cheese. That’s a first! No children. No Toby. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were ambushing me.” Then he laughs. “I know! You want to move city hall! You’re house-hunting. I’ll show you a perfect place! None of your constituents will ever bother you again. Come with me, your special guide for your special tour. We’ll start with the Control Center. You’ll like it.”
Copyright © 2018 by Charles C. Cole
