Chrono Inquisitor (Gods Be Damned) (21 page)

I put a hand on her shoulder. It was a pathetic attempt at comfort. I knew it, but I did it anyway. It felt right.

“Mrs. Beit?”

She ignored me.

“Mrs. Beit?” I repeated.

“Inquisitor Yan,” said a man’s voice.

I turned to the source.

Standing just inside the apartment was Lillian, another woman wearing well-worn blue jeans, a Dallas Cowboys t-shirt, and a Longhorns baseball cap with a blonde ponytail sticking out the back. There was a man in khaki colored pants, a white dress shirt tucked in, a giant belt buckle where the two met, a bolo tie around his neck, and a tan Stetson atop his head. Classic. The last man, the one who’d said my name, was wearing a spiffy looking all black suit with a blood red tie, polished black cowboy boots, along with a black Stetson hat. He was a sight to behold. He looked stunning with a silver-circled star pinned to his chest.

The Rangers had arrived.

Where the hell was Paxton?

“Inquisitor Yan,” said the man in the black hat.

“Who?” I said, feeling like a smartass for some stupid reason.

He smiled. “I heard you had a sense of humor, Mr. Yan.”

I’d been demoted from an Inquisitor to a Mr.

I got to my feet.

“Studied under Rex Jester himself,” I said. For emphasis I grabbed the labels of my suit with pride.

No one cracked a smile.

The woman in the ball-cap and the man in the tan Stetson moved around me and helped Mrs. Beit to her feet. They escorted her to another area of the apartment.

“What took you?” I said.

“I understand you’re one of the Inquisitors assigned to investigate Julius Beit,” said the man.

I was surprised Lillian hadn’t said a word.

“Don’t you already know?” I said. “And are you telling me there’s more than one of us on the job? I’ve got to talk to my boss about that.”

“Can we step outside the crime scene?” the man said.

I’d completely forgotten where we were.

“Yeah, sure.”

I felt like an asshole, as rightfully I should.

We moved out into the hallway. More Rangers showed up alongside a slew of Lifeguards. Where the hell was Paxton?

The Ranger must have noticed my anxiousness. Maybe he caught me scanning the hallway because he asked, “Are you all right, Inquisitor?”

“I’m fine,” I said. “Why do you ask?”

“I just thought you might be looking for your accomplice.”

“My what?”

“The man we arrested on our way up here. The man known as Paxton Jackson Thrass. His visa identifies him as one of your
deputies
.” There was a hint of disgust in the way he said that last word, like it tasted unpleasant in his mouth and he was spitting it out.

I found it kind of funny, considering he’d arrived with two deputies of his own.

“Excuse me Mr. _____?”

“Major Kody Stevenson of the Texas Rangers,” the man said. “You can hereby refer to me as either, Major, or Sir.”

“Well, son of Steve, I think you’re mistaken.”

He had a look in his eye like he wanted to bust me down to size for insubordination. But then it faded and he adorned a fake smile like he was amused. “Really? Are you telling me that Mr. Thrass
isn’t
your deputy?”

“No,” I said. “I’m saying he isn’t my accomplice, because this is an official investigation and he is legally my
deputy
.” I intentionally emphasized the word hoping he’d choke on it.

“My apologies. If you don’t mind me asking, how long have you known Mr. Thrass?” I felt like he should have had a pen and a little notebook in hand to be jotting down my answers.

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand the relevance of the question. In case you’ve somehow forgotten, there’s a murder investigation to be undertaken.” I even pointed to the door.

“Oh, I assure you, Mr. Yan, my line of questioning is completely relevant. You see, not only is Mr. Thrass a known criminal, but he also has ties to Mr. Beit.”

“Beg your pardon?” I said.

Lillian cracked a smug little smile. But Ranger-son seemed stoic.

“I’ll be honest with you, Mr. Yan, I think you’ve been manipulated,” he said. “Played like a fiddle for the last thirty hours.”

“Could we get to the point?” I said.

“Travis Yan, you are under arrest in the conjunction of the murder of Julius Illiam Beit.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“I don’t joke when it comes to murder Mr. Yan. You know the drill. Put your arms out.”

I shook my head.

“Are you resisting arrest, Mr. Yan?” I could see the look in his eyes that he wanted me to say yes.

I put my arms out. He placed a shock bracelet on each wrist.

Lillian smiled as her and Ranger-son escorted me to the Ranger station within the hotel.

I found myself in an interrogation room. It wasn’t as awesome as my pip had been. This one was standard. Boring. No recliner. No uncomfortable as hell steel chair affixed to the floor. I was sitting in an ergonomically designed wood chair. Boring.

Ranger-son was sitting in the same type of chair across the oak table from me. I’d just completed sharing my memories of me following Beit, being directed away to deliver the package, having the run in with Ranger Alvarez, and then Paxton telling me to get back to Beit’s apartment.

It wasn’t good. They had evidence that I knowingly assaulted a Ranger, and it looked like Paxton had indeed killed Beit.

“Well, all right then, Mr. Yan. It seems you’ve cleared your name of Beit’s murder. Still not sure about you being completely innocent on the matter, but let’s forget about that for the moment. You are now under arrest for assaulting an officer of this Republic. Are you aware of the charges brought against you?”

‹“Kali?”›

‹Knowingly assaulting an officer is a felony with a minimum fifty year sentence.›

‹“Care to explain why the hell you didn’t warn me about that before I did it?”›

‹
Because you were correct in your assessment of the situation. Under current legislation between ChronoGen and Texas, your assignment trumps her arresting Mr. Thrass and blowing your cover. Also, she did not identify herself as a Ranger until after you assaulted her. She acted in a manner which you rightfully considered a threat, so you are justified in your actions. As for rendering her unconscious, she threatened you and you responded appropriately. Any argument or action taken against you in that matter has no weight.
›

‹“Excellent.”›

“Are you listening, you piece of shit?” Ranger-son said.

“There sure is a strong wind blowing tonight, oh wait, that’s you.”

He slammed his fist on the table, leapt to his feet, and reached across to grab me. “You insolent bastard.”

I pushed away from the table, spun out of my chair, grabbed it from behind, and raised it in defense. And that is exactly why the ones in my pip were bolted down. Anything could become a weapon in the right hands.

“Careful Lawman,” I said. “You’re out of line. Whatever charges you think you have on me, they won’t stick. If anything, I could arrest your dear Ranger Alvarez for assaulting me.”

Lucky for one of us, the man and woman deputies who’d accompanied him to Beit’s apartment entered the room.

Ranger-son smiled and sat back down.

The woman took the seat next him while tan Stetson man stood behind the two. There was something about the three of them. They were smug. They knew something I didn’t. Something I wouldn’t like. It was quite disconcerting.

“It seems I owe you an apology, Mr. Yan,” he said. “Neither you, nor Mr. Thrass murdered Julius Beit.”

“I already told you that,” I said. So then why had he smiled? Why did I feel like this wasn’t over. I could only assume that while Ranger-son was interrogating me, those two or someone else was interrogating Paxton. Obviously they’d realized that Paxton hadn’t murdered Beit. So why was he acting as if he had.

“How long have you known Mr. Thrass?” he asked for the second time in our acquaintance.

“I don’t see how it matters?” I replied.

“Consider it a simple curiosity of mine.”

“Listen, I think I’ve already answered enough of your questions. As far as I’m concerned I’m still conducting an undercover investigation. An investigation which you are interfering with. So unless I hear from my superiors giving me an order to talk to you, well, I’d like to leave now.” I stood up.

‹Incoming communication from Frank,
›
Kali said.

Perfect. About damn time.

‹“Frank,”› I said.

‹“I’m sorry, Inquisitor Yan. Frank is still indisposed. This is Horseman Victory.”›

‹“How can I help you?”› I said, and sat back down.

Ranger-son smiled.

‹“I understand things are complicated there in Texas,”› Victory said.

‹“I wouldn’t know about all of Texas, but things are definitely complicated here,”› I said.

There was Victory’s laughter inside my head. ‹“Very well, Inquisitor. First, let me just say, I’m glad you’ve been found innocent of Mr. Beit’s murder. Now let’s get down to business. I understand the Rangers have cleared Mr. Thrass of the murder as well.”›

Well that was good. But?

‹“However, there is a problem. The Rangers have Mr. Thrass’s own memories of him stealing some jewelry from Mr. Beit’s apartment.”›

‹“Seriously?”›

‹“Due to Texas law and the fact you vouched for your deputy, the Rangers want to charge you as well.”›

‹“Of course they do. So, they want to charge me with petty theft. Fine.”›

‹“It’s a little more complicated than that.”›

‹“So I’ve been told.”›

‹“I understand you had a run in with a Ranger Alvarez?”›

‹“I did, and my CerA informs me that my actions were just. Are you telling me otherwise?”›

‹“No, Inquisitor Yan. You acted appropriately. The problem is Ranger Alvarez is also working with ChronoGen. Undercover. It seems that Mr. Thrass is part of her investigation. She’s issued a warrant for his arrest. This is where things get complicated. I can’t disclose certain details at the moment, but I need you to work with Ranger Stevenson in solving Mr. Beit’s murder. I just got done talking with President Collins, at this moment she should be telling Ranger Stevenson the same. You two are now partners.”›

I looked across the table. All smiles were gone. I felt one beginning to spread across my face. Ranger-dick thought he had me. Now he was finding out he had me all right, just not the way he wanted. I didn’t want it either, but I could make it work.

‹“One last thing,”› Victory said. ‹“The other Horsemen and I are on our way to you. We should be there in a few hours. We’ll take over the investigation once we get there. We just need you to hold down the fort and work with Ranger Stevenson until then. And try to play nice.”›

I felt the link sever.

“So, partner,” I said. “How about we start looking for real suspects.”

He did
not
look happy.

“Julius Beit is dead?” Horseman Famine said. “If Inquisitor Yan isn’t guilty-”

“But he’s not guilty.” Horseman War said looking over at Victory.

“Well, if you’d ever let me finish,” Famine said. “I was going to say, who else would want him dead?”

“I think the more important matter is, has Inquisitor Yan been compromised?” Victory interjected.

“Is that what we’re thinking now?” Famine asked.

“Ranger Alvarez has reported in,” Victory said. “It seems the target she’s been tracking is the same individual that Inquisitor Yan took as a deputy. Apparently there is also a connection between Mr. Beit and this Van Horne guy that supposedly tried to kill Inquisitor Yan.”

“I’m confused,” War said. “Are we still thinking Yan is E3?” he asked.

“At the moment nothing is certain. I’ve already spoken to Mr. Richards and President Collins. We’ve been ordered to take the reins of this investigation. Pack your bags boys, we’re heading to Texas.”

“Hey, Death, looks like you’re going home,” War said.

I had no home. But I didn’t tell them that. Instead I did what I always did. Remained silent.

Ranger-son and I were outside the interrogation room.

That was as far as we’d made it in twenty minutes since we’d both learned we were going to be working together. Since I was no longer going to be undercover, I wanted to change out of the servant uniform. I wanted to be in my normal clothes. But for various, stupid reasons, he didn’t want me going to
my suite. He felt he still needed to interrogate me rather than looking for Beit’s murderer. He tried to get me to agree to letting one of his people retrieve my belongings for me. I wasn’t about to let someone I didn’t know go poking around through my stuff. Finally he agreed to let me purchase some new clothes, but he didn’t want me to be seen looking like a servant by anyone else. I finally agreed to let one of his people purchase some new clothes for me while we talked and waited for them to return.

“How exactly did Mr. Thrass come to be your deputy?” he asked. “From what I understand, you bought him from Van Horne, after you
were supposedly attacked by his men and almost killed in the deserts of Colorado. Is that a normal practice amongst Inquisitors, paying off people who try to murder you?”

“Who have you been talking to?”

“I have my sources,” he said.

“Well you might want to find some more reliable ones.”

“Are you saying they’re wrong?”

“I’m saying that’s not quite what happened.” Though it did sound bad. “And what the hell are you insinuating?”

“How many Inquisitors were assigned to the Beit case?” he asked.

“You like playing with words, don’t you, Ranger-son. You said ‘were’ as if that isn’t the case any longer. I know the suspect is dead but that doesn’t automatically mean the case is closed.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but with high profile cases such as this, aren’t there usually at least three Inquisitors assigned to investigate? I understand it’s sort of a competition.”

“What’s your point?”

“How many Inquisitors were assigned, Mr. Yan?”

“Don’t your sources know?”

“My sources say you’ve been without a partner for…three years now?”

I shook my head. Now he was questioning my partnering?

“Inquisitors aren’t required to have partners,” I said. “As a matter of fact, most of us are solitary. Actually, these days having a partner is rare. The practice is mostly extinct. Assignments
are
competitions. I guess you could say that when it comes down to it, we’re bounty hunters. Having a partner means less money in the pocket. Since I ditched the shackle I’ve more than tripled my income. Turns out, I work better alone.”

“Then why take a deputy? Wouldn’t that mean a pay cut?”

“Hardly.”

“So how does it work when two Inquisitors work together? Do they split the bounty 50/50?”

“There is no standard practice. Inquisitors decide amongst themselves how to split the reward. Generally, the senior Inquisitor will claim the entire bounty and then toss some scraps to the junior along with a promise of rendering services and favors in the future. It’s sort of a, you suck my cock now, I’ll suck yours later.”

“Funny,” Ranger-son said. “I can’t imagine Inquisitor Noble sucking Inquisitor Dewhurst’s dick, today, or at any point in the future.”

Noble and Dewhurst working together? And what the hell was Noble even doing on the case, Frank had said he was on another assignment? And what the hell was going on with Frank? Maybe I should contact Henry.

I stroked my beard. “Got any other tasty bones you
wanna toss my way? I’ll bite.”

Before he could say anything, his two deputies exited the room next to us with Lillian.