Different Senses Read online

  “Well, I don’t usually like to remind people about it. Besides, I’m a bit of an embarrassment to dear old Dad. He and Mum pretend they keep us kids out of the spotlight for our own privacy, but really it’s because they don’t want to admit too publicly they have a cop in the family. And certainly not a biracial ex-cop.”

  “They ought to be proud of you.”

  “Yeah, you’d think.” Didn’t want to talk about that either.

  The recording equipment, normally used for training and some promotional purposes, took very little time to set up and then Kirin called Jishnu into his office.

  This time, Jishnu was more afraid than guilty when he saw me. He knew the game was up, but he still tried bluster. “Kirin, do I need to call my lawyer? This is verging on workplace harassment.”

  “Sit down and shut up, Jishnu,” I snapped. “We know you did it. We found the wallet where you hid it, and the dispatch record where you sent the pendant back to Shrimati Gemate’s lawyers, and when I speak to the centrifuge repairers and confirm there’s nothing at all wrong with that unit, it’ll be brought back so Kirin can run some tests on it. I’d bet my investments that he’ll find the residue of smoke-creating chemicals, and probably even signs where you attached the remote trigger to the motor. So all I really want to know from you is why? How much did they pay you?”

  His face drained of colour. “You can’t prove anything!”

  “Wrong. We have more than enough to call the police in, and once they do and once they talk to Shrimati Gemate and examine your phone logs and your bank records and do all the things that as a civilian I can’t do right now, you’ll be prosecuted as a thief. You’ll never work again, not in this field and likely in no other. So you have a choice. Tell the truth in full, then resign quietly and leave, or be exposed as the criminal you are.”

  His eyes darted back and forth between us. Kirin stared back, implacable and angry. From me, the man would see no pity for I had none. I loathed thieves. “It’s not an open-ended offer, Jishnu,” I said. “Talk, or Kirin calls the police.”

  His capitulation came quickly after that. “All right. They didn’t pay me anything. They’re helping me out with a legal problem.”

  “Which is?”

  “Um...I’m getting divorced from my husband. He’s wealthier than me and can afford really good lawyers.”

  “I don’t think Wala and Faute are exactly what you’d call ‘really good’ anything, except crooks. So you admit to setting off the smoke device, concealing the pendant and secreting it from the building in a parcel dispatched to that firm? Say it, Jishnu.”

  “Yes, I admit it,” he said sulkily. “What more do you want?”

  “A signed statement admitting your guilt, a resignation without notice, and then your departure,” Kirin said. “No one needs to know about this except us, unless you cause me any trouble. Don’t expect a reference and if you contact Wala and Faute about this, I’ll call the police and let them rip you to shreds.”

  Jishnu typed out the two documents and signed them, with me as a witness. Kirin called his security guards and had him escorted from the building, his personal belongings to be sent on later. When Jishnu departed, Kirin rubbed his forehead. “He’s been with me so long. I’ll have to speak to the staff about it.”

  “Do that, and if Pritam’s hiding something, which I’m sure he is, that’ll give him a false sense of security. I’ll contact the repair firm just to confirm what I suspect and have them send the unit back. Do the chemical testing, okay? He could still repudiate the statement, and he’s only the little fish. I want to net Gemate, and the stronger our proof, the tighter the net.”

  “I understand.” He looked so miserable, I actually felt sorry for him. But I couldn’t make him feel better. I could only stop him losing his livelihood, or I hoped so, anyway.

  Meeting Kajal Gemate was my first excuse to get cleaned up properly in months. I pulled out the outfit I’d last worn to Yashi’s wedding, and a silky scarf Tara had given me for my birthday years ago. I’d much prefer to be wearing my police uniform for something like this. I felt naked without it and my gun. Not that I expected to need a weapon but I missed the weight of it. I missed a lot of things.

  Shrimati Gemate lived on a frankly disgustingly lavish estate just outside Hegal’s city limits. From my reading of the divorce case, the actual squabble was over the pre-marital financial agreement which would allow her fifty percent of her obscenely wealthy husband’s property and a hefty lifetime annuity in the event of divorce—except in the case of her infidelity. And infidelity was what the pendant was alleged to prove. No wonder she was desperate to stop Kirin testing the thing.

  I’d never met the woman, but she and her husband were part of the elite crowd my parents moved in so effortlessly—and which bored me to tears. News media carried their pictures, reported on their doings, and the Gemate divorce had been seized on with glee. Even I, who avoided gossipy news reports, couldn’t help but hear about the case. Kirin had been incredibly unlucky to be caught up in it.

  A tidily uniformed banis maid led me into Shrimati Gemate’s sitting room. The lady herself, splendidly bedecked in shimmering yellow and glittering gems, rose to greet me. “Sri Ythen. What a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Same here, Shrimati Gemate.”

  Close up, she showed the strong bone structure and good skin she was famous for. The strong natural UV shield on Uterden was kind to the looks of older people, but not to their bones unless they took care. She obviously did. If her dark hair was dyed to hide the grey, she clearly paid more for her hairdresser than I did because it looked natural to me.

  “Do take a seat. Chai, or something stronger? I have some rather lovely wine that came in on the latest ship from back home. A truly extraordinary vintage.”

  Wine from Kelon? Some people had more money than brains. “No thanks. Actually, I’m here on some personal business. Something that might not be suitable for uh....” I tilted my head towards the maid.

  She snapped her fingers at the woman, who bowed and slipped out silently. “Now we’re quite private. How can I help you?”

  “Well, you can give the pendant back you abstracted illegally from Kirin Nel’s laboratory, and you can also file a statement of non-contention in your divorce case.”

  She sat up straight. “And why would I do that, young man? What are you talking about?”

  “The pendant, Shrimati Gemate, with your lover’s sexual fluids on it. I have a sworn statement from the employee at Sri Nel’s laboratory your lawyers paid to steal the pendant. If Sri Nel goes to the police, it’ll get very ugly.”

  She recovered fast from the shock, I had to give her that much. “You have nothing to tie anything to me. Get out.”

  “Really? You think your lawyers will take the fall for you? You think no one in the firm will admit they handed it back to you and that it was your idea in the first place?”

  “I’ll take that chance.”

  “As you wish. So Sri Nel will go to the police, this house will be torn apart looking for the pendant, which I know you have, and in the meantime, your husband’s lawyers will go to the judges in the case and inform them of what’s happened. You’ll lose the case and be prosecuted for contempt, perjury and probably perversion of justice. You won’t just be poorer, Shrimati Gemate. You’ll be a criminal, possibly face prison time, and your reputation will be mud.”

  She sniffed. “People like me don’t go to prison.”

  “Yes they do. You won’t be the first rich bitch I’ve helped put away.” Her mouth narrowed at the insult. “Stop playing. We hold all the cards, and the best you can hope for is to come out with some dignity and a reduced settlement, which is probably more than you deserve.”

  She slapped me, hard. I laughed in her face. “You’ll have to fight harder than that in prison, lady.” I gripped her skinny wrist as she swung again. “Now watch the talons. You can slap, but draw blood and you’ll find out how much self-defence I learned as a c
op.”

  She shook me off and stood. “Get out of my house.”

  “Not without the pendant. Or you can call the police and I’ll tell them all I know. An ex-cop, not to mention the governor’s son, would make a pretty credible witness, don’t you think?”

  Her rage made my head ache like hell and I could see her mind furiously running through the alternatives. I’d left her with almost nothing, and no choice that wouldn’t leave her worse off. “If I give you the pendant, what guarantee do I have you won’t simply give it back to my husband’s lawyers?”

  “I will. But because you’re going to end the case, no official confirmation you were sleeping around on your husband needs to be filed with the court. Sri Gemate wants to finish this, I’m certain. Make him an offer to settle and go quietly, and no one has to be troubled any further. You already have money, Shrimati Gemate. Better what you have than going to prison and be branded a criminal.”

  “You loathsome little man. I’m so glad I never voted for your father’s party.”

  “I’ve never voted for it either. The pendant?”

  I followed her to her enormous bedroom, and a walk-in dressing room nearly as large as Yashi’s whole house. I pulled on protective gloves and waited for her to hand me the jewel—an exquisite piece of inlaid purple Garkon gemstone, set in red jobold. Easy to see why she treasured it.

  “I’m sure it will find its way back to you,” I said as I slipped it into an evidence bag and sealed it.

  She stamped her foot. “Now get out and never return.”

  I carefully refrained from grinning. “My pleasure.”

  I didn’t waste any time jumping in my auto and driving away, half worried the old dear might send minions after me. Upsetting rich and powerful people wasn’t a regular pastime of mine and my heart raced until I was well clear of her estate, and back on the road to Hegal.

  I marched into the lab, feeling triumphant and more cheerful than I had in a long time. I walked into Kirin’s office, certain he’d be delighted at my success. But when I laid the pendant on the desk in front of him, he barely managed a smile and a “thank you”.

  I sat down. “What’s wrong?”

  “Pritam. Has been stealing for months and months. Equipment, chemicals, even data. Payal looked through the books and confronted him. He confessed in full. I’ve just sacked him.” He looked up at me with tears in his eyes. “I trusted these people. Nurtured them, trained them. Respected them.”

  “And they kicked you in the nuts. I’m sorry, Kirin.”

  “Like you said, I shouldn’t complain to you about betrayal.”

  “No. But at least you acted out of real emotion. Fear, anxiety, maybe even grief for what we’d lost. Pritam and Jishnu did it cold-bloodedly. That’s so much worse.”

  “And Devi. Three employees in one day. What does it say for me?”

  I nudged the pendant towards him. “It says you’re a nice man with bad luck. Your fault was to trust too much.”

  “And not trust the one person I could really count on. I am so sorry, Javen.” He began to cry and I could only hold his hand across the desk and wait until he grew calmer. Yes, he’d fucked up. But never in my worst rages would I have wished this on him.

  Finally he sniffled, rubbed his nose and picked up the pendant in its bag. “What do I do now?” he murmured.

  “Run the tests you would have done, and send the pendant and results back to the client. Kajal Gemate will settle before they need to use them. No need to tell them what happened—just report what you find. Even if the DNA evidence has been compromised, she won’t dare bluff her way out. I made it clear she better not. It’s over, Kirin. You kept the lab and most of your people safe. So now you have to go on, for them.”

  “I need to revise procedures.” He wiped his eyes on his sleeve and looked up at me. “Want a job as a security adviser?”

  “One day, maybe. But not now. But I can recommend a firm of ex-cops with an excellent reputation. Be honest with them about what happened.”

  He nodded, and blew his nose properly before sitting up. “You’re really good at this, you know. Not just finding the truth, but the way you analyse things. This is what you should do. Security, or private investigation. Something like that.”

  “It’s not the same as being a cop.”

  “It could be better though. I’m not just saying this, Javen. I know excellence when I see it.”

  “Yeah, you do. I’ll think about it. But now I need to push off.”

  “What about your fee?”

  I stood. “You’ve paid enough. I might need a favour or two in the future. I’ll call it in then.”

  “Anytime. Um...?”

  I waved and headed to the door. “See you around, Kirin.”

  I wanted to leave before I said something stupid, that I didn’t mean or would regret later. Neither of us needed the heartache that would bring.

  ~~~~~~~~

  I walked out of the building not really sure where to go or how I felt. Yes, I’d won. Done what I wanted to do, even to the point of proving Devi was a creep. It just didn’t feel like a win though, and now it was over, I felt empty again. Like I had since the hospital.

  A tingle in my head. I turned and saw Jyoti watching me, sitting on the edge of a flowerbed, holding a mug of chai. “Hello.”

  “Good afternoon, Sri Ythen.”

  I went over and sat by her. “Big day at work.”

  “An unhappy day. Everyone’s upset.”

  “At you?”

  “Not specifically.” She bowed her head. “Thank you for finding the thief.”

  “I did it for everyone. You guys didn’t deserve to have your names ruined by him. Or by Pritam. Things should be more pleasant without Devi too.”

  “Yes. I’m not the only one who thinks so.”

  “So now you can get on with your job, and relax. Kirin will need all the good people he can get.”

  “Yes. I intend to work hard. If I don’t, I know no one will make excuses for me.”

  The way they had for Pritam, she didn’t say but I heard loud and clear anyway. “You were a great help to me. That tip about Pritam pointed us in the right direction.”

  “I’m glad.” She shifted uneasily. “If people see me talking to you, they might...make assumptions.”

  “Oh. Yeah. Sorry.” I stood. “Hang onto my number, Jyoti. I owe you and I repay my debts. You never know when you might need help.”

  “Thank you, but there’s no debt. May the Spirit guide you to happiness.”

  “Ah...thanks.” Overt displays of religiousness always made me queasy. “Good luck.”

  She smiled, but she was glad to see me go. She was right that people would talk if we were seen chatting. Banis women had enough of an undeserved reputation without me adding to it by being overly familiar. I hoped she’d do all right in Kirin’s lab. He really did encourage people and I hoped all this wouldn’t change that. He was a good boss, even if he’d turned out to be a lousy lover.

  No, that was unfair. He’d been a good lover too, but not up to the unexpected. He’d lived something of a charmed life, and this was definitely the worst upset he’d ever experienced. Maybe in a few years, with a few more knocks, he’d be more resilient. But I would have moved on by then. I’d already started.

  And now I’d have to see where the path led me.

  Javen and the Lost Girl

  “So that’s what an investigator’s badge looks like,” Yashi said, fingering the etched metal. “Worth four hundred dolar, do you think?”

  “Maybe not, but the license to carry a weapon and access to official records is.” I took the badge back and slipped it into the special wallet it came in. “I feel like a pretend policeman.”

  “Different job. Cops protect and serve, and you’ll....”

  “Snoop.”

  “Well, yes.” He laughed. “You look disgusted.”

  “I’m not, not really.” I said with a shrug. “Just not looking forward to finding c
lients.” I’d looked at the advertising other investigators used, but the boastful claims and services listed put me off using them as an example. “Cops don’t need to go looking for people to help.”

  “Maybe you need to work on not seeing yourself as a cop any more,” my brother said. He picked up his case. “Anyway, I’m off to work, and we need you back by six for the kids. That’s still okay, right?”

  “Sure. I already put it into my packed schedule.”

  He grinned. “Thanks. See you later.”

  I poured myself more chai and contemplated my new career with no great enthusiasm. I’d let Kirin and Yashi bully me into applying for the investigator’s license because I knew they wanted the best for me and I had no better ideas for how to spend my post-police life. Now it was a reality, I wasn’t at all sure this was for me. The work, sure. I could do that. But being a self-employed operator, hawking myself out.... Kirin had given me some contacts, and Yashi wanted me to exploit the family connections, an idea I’d rejected immediately. The last thing I wanted was to involve my parents and their political chums in my work.

  I needed to do more research, I decided, procrastinating like a champ. So I decided to walk into town to visit the main library and do some browsing on the subject. There. That would take up a whole day and I could put off the problem of clients for that long.

  As I walked out into the humid weather that heralded the wet season to come in a couple of weeks, my phone went. “Javen Ythen.” I couldn’t make myself add ‘private investigator’ to the end. Too cheesy.

  “Sri Ythen, it’s Jyoti Tejal Hiranya. Do you remember me?”

  “Jyoti...oh yes! Kirin’s lab. How are you?”

  “I’m well, sir. And you?”

  “Doing okay. What can I help you with?”

  “Do you recall you, uh, offered to do me a favour? Did you mean that?”

  “Sure. What do you need?”

  “It’s a very private matter, Sri Ythen. Would it be possible to meet to talk about it? Perhaps this evening?”

  “Not tonight. How about lunch?”