Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (this book - Book 3)
Beth walked past Jennings' cubicle, not making eye contact with the female officer. She retraced her steps, fuming, and two minutes later she was back in the alley headed toward the parking lot. Half way down the alley, a voice called from behind her.
"Harper," the voice said. She looked over her shoulder to see Officer Jennings walking after her.
Jennings stopped a few feet short of Beth. Despite the woman's hurried pace, her breathing was steady and slow as she spoke.
"Sorry about that," the police officer said. Even in the dim light cast by the overhead street lamps, her large brown eyes conveyed understanding and compassion. This woman exuded more empathy with her brief look than Detective Cooper had shown in several minutes.
"Sorry about what?" Beth asked her
"I'm sorry about the lack of help you got back there," she explained. "Cooper is under a lot of stress, and he has departmental guidelines to follow. But he could have handled things better." The woman's eyes widened as she spoke, as if she were pleading for forgiveness on behalf of her fellow officer.
Beth nodded. "I wasn't expecting to get any help," she said. "But I had to at least start there. Maybe when I'm back in three days, I'll have enough information for this investigation to hit the ground running."
"Eric Stump and his two friends mean a lot to you, don't they?" Jennings asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Yes, they do."
"I thought so. I can pick up on that sort of thing. Beneath that no-nonsense exterior you projected, I could see your concern."
"We're good friends," Beth said. "So I need to help."
Jennings reached into her breast pocket and pulled out a business card. She paused and looked around before continuing. "Listen... this one won't even be my case, if it turns into one, but I'd like to help if I can. I can't break any rules, but call me if you need anything." Jennings handed the card to Beth.
Beth studied it, and said, "Thanks. I appreciate it."
Jennings nodded, but didn't reply.
"Can you tell me anything that might help?" Beth asked. "Is there anything else going on around here that could shed some clues?"
"That's part of the reason I came down to catch up to you," Jennings said. "If your friend is missing, he isn't the first."
Beth's raised an eyebrow, but she said nothing.
"A young woman has been missing for a little over two weeks now," Jennings continued. "That's eating up Cooper. He can't make any headway on it. People don't go missing here in Wynton."
"Any connection to my friend?" she asked. She wanted to ask why Cooper hadn't mentioned it, but she kept the thought to herself.
"Nothing obvious," Jennings responded. "From the little I heard about your friend, his background sounds different than hers. Apartment dweller, freelancer, etc. And male. This woman lived in a different neighborhood, was pretty well off, worked for a big company."
"What company?" Beth asked, figuring it was as good a place to start as any.
Jennings seemed nervous, rubbing her hands on her side and looking around. "I shouldn't talk about an ongoing investigation, but I guess I can tell you that much. She was a sales rep for ArangoSoft. Pretty girl, young. The working theory is that it may be a sex crime of some sort."
"Just because she was female and attractive?" Beth asked.
Jennings shrugged. "There's not much more to go on. We don't have any clues on this. Cooper has been putting in a lot of hours and is almost embarrassed by how little he has to show for it."
"He's got help, right? No offense, but the people working back there in your station didn't appear to be haggard and overworked."
Jennings paused, looking down and shaking her head. When she looked up, she wore an embarrassed look on her face. "This is not getting the attention it deserves. But that's how it works around here. WarTech owns this town, and if a crime doesn't affect WarTech, it doesn't get the resources it needs."
"So it sounds like I won't get much help," Beth said.
Jennings' face was grim. "The department won't push it under the rug, and Cooper will do his best, but no, it won't get the full court press like it would if it involved someone from WarTech."
Beth nodded and said, "Good to know."
"Like I said, I'll help if I can, although I won't be able to do as much as Cooper can."
"I appreciate that," Beth said. "Let me give you my contact information, so you can reach me." Beth reached into her handbag, fumbled among its messy contents, and found her cardholder. She slipped a card out, which was identical to the one she had given to Detective Cooper.
After she handed the new card over to the woman, they nodded to each other, and Beth turned back toward her car. Despite Jennings' offer of assistance, she had the sense she would be going it alone on this one. For now, though, she needed to sleep.
The butt of Mantis' right palm struck the punching bag, propelling the bag like a bomb had gone off next to it. It was the same maneuver Mantis had used when apprehending Eric Stump, but he didn't hold back this time, since he didn't have to worry about injuring a valuable prisoner.
A slight sheen of sweat coated Mantis' skin. He had been working through his routine and had done enough to make most men collapse from exhaustion. Mantis was a phenomenal physical specimen, though, so it would take more than this impromptu workout to tax him. He was barefoot and wearing a skintight black workout outfit.
Mantis sensed the other man's arrival before the door even opened. Mantis continued his assault on the punching bag, but his mind focused on the footsteps. Most people would not have even heard them, but Mantis already knew who was coming.
Mantis turned and looked across the small gym toward the closed door. Seconds later it opened, and Mark Devlin, the CEO of WarTech, entered the room. Devlin walked with a quiet confidence, and he carried a twinkle in his eye. His slightly upturned mouth hinted at mirth. But again Mantis saw through him — Devlin project confidence, even arrogance, but he worried about his position in life, and his hold on his company. Mantis stood, unmoving, and waited as Devlin approached him.
"I trust you find our facilities adequate?" the CEO asked as he stopped a few feet away, giving Mantis a casual stare.
"Yes," Mantis replied. In fact, the facilities were more than adequate. This small gym had everything he needed to maintain his body as a fine-tuned weapon.
"Good," Devin said. He was silent for a moment, waiting for Mantis to say more. When Mantis didn't speak, Devlin continued.
"I have another job for you," he said, keeping his gaze on Mantis. Devlin waited again, apparently expecting Mantis to ask for details. When Mantis remained silent, the man spoke again.
"There was someone poking around at the police station today, looking into the disappearance of the man you brought to us last night."
Mantis still said nothing. Devlin's mirthful look evaporated, replaced by one of annoyance. The facade was crumbling. Devlin glanced away, breaking eye contact before speaking.
"I would like you to follow her, and see what she knows, or what she discovers. If she becomes a problem, I may need you to take care of her."
"Her?" Mantis said, failing to hide his surprise.
The reaction of Mantis seemed to please Devlin, and a slight smirk crossed his face. The facade was back. Now Devlin remained silent.
"It is a woman?" Mantis asked. He was accustomed to the roles women held in this country, but these roles still surprised him whenever he encountered them.
"Your people are behind the times, Mr. Mantis," Devlin said, condescension in his voice. "The world is passing you by with your views toward women."
Mantis had regained his composure, so he once again did not respond. He made a mental note of the man's slight, however.
"Yes, a woman," the man said. "Her name is Elizabeth Harper. Beth Harper."
"Where is she now?" Mantis asked.
The other man shrugged. "She left the police station a short while ago. We think she's staying at the apartment of the man you captured. He shares it with his two friends, Jack Benn and Ross Parker."
"The two you did not want me to capture?"
"Yes. Three roommates disappearing at once would have raised too many suspicions. And we had reason to believe Stump hadn't told them anything. We're trying to find out now if that is still the case."
"But she's with these two friends now?"
"I'm not sure. She might be out digging around."
"What more can you tell me about her?" Mantis asked.
The other man nodded, seemingly pleased he had Mantis' attention.
"I've sent you an encrypted file via the normal protocol, containing what little we know about her, including a few photographs. She's young. Early twenties. Blond. Very pretty. She's a writer. Two or three big stories on important issues — one involving the gun lobby, and the other on a power utility. People seemed to talk to her on those, such as a gun dealer in her hometown who doesn't talk to anybody. That's why I'm concerned. Even though she's switched to all fluff pieces lately, I worry what people might tell her. She's effective."
Now Mantis was intrigued. Many women in this country had gained success in roles best left to men, but he had never crossed paths with such a woman. He was interested to see this Beth Harper up close. If things fell a certain way, perhaps she would learn the traditional role of a woman. Perhaps he would be the one to teach her that lesson.
Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (this book - Book 3)
Oh gosh, are we going to get into some sexist-type situations? The whole “you’re a man/woman, so you’re SUPPOSED to do ‘X’ or ‘Y’” deal? The last scene with Devlin and Mantis kind of gave off that vibe, especially knowing that Mantis is foreign and so has different views on women than “modernized” individuals (Devlin says that the rest of the world is “passing [Mantis] by”.). Also, I partially take back my statement from last chapter’s comment about the police being near-useless; Jennings at least appears to be somewhat helpful. Not passing final judgment until this is all over though (and it could be a while before that happens).
If Cooper actually starts taking this seriously after three days, then he’ll have earned my approval back. Otherwise......meh......
On to Chapter 10!