“Can we-” I started.
“No. You will continue with the investigation.” He paused. “We are fortunate Constable Barnes’ injuries weren’t more severe. Detective Herrera is with him; he will rejoin the operation in due time.”
Aldrich blew air through his nose. He was staring out the window. “We need a break. We need a lead. We need anything.” He turned to Beadsworth. “What about this import and export company?”
“We’re monitoring it,” Beadsworth said.
“If you feel there is a cause for intervention I will authorize it,” he said.
“Yes, sir.”
“What about the surveillance cameras at the club? Did they catch anything?”
“We have not viewed the tapes yet…but…”
“But what?”
“One tape is missing.”
Aldrich looked like he was going to lose his head. “A tape missing?”
“Yes.”
“Did you question the owner of the dance club?”
“Yes. He said he left his office for a minute and perhaps at that time someone took the tape.”
“Where are the other tapes?”
“At the Video Services Unit.”
Aldrich nodded as if he was thinking. “Dismissed,” he said.
We got up, but before we could leave, Aldrich said, “Not you, Officer Rupret. I’ll like to have a word with you.”
I looked at Beadsworth who refused to make eye contact.
“Officer Rupret,” started Aldrich when we were alone. He was looking straight at me. “You were with Constable Barnes when this unfortunate event happened. Is there anything you would like to tell me that you-didn’t or forgot to tell-Detective Garnett last night?”
Last night Garnett had driven me home. The ride was not pleasant. Garnett was not pleasant. But it wasn’t just him. It was the fact that Barnes got hurt-and got hurt while with me. Garnett drilled me on every point: what time I got there? What did I do? Whom did I talk to?
Beadsworth had instructed me to keep my answers vague, which I did. I told Garnett about the girl who wanted to buy me a drink and the kid, Jeff, but nothing specific.
“Who was this Jeff?” asked Aldrich.
“Some guy.”
Aldrich sensed I was hiding something.
“What did he look like?” Aldrich asked.
“He was short, black, wore funky clothes,” I lied. I had a feeling if I told Aldrich the truth he would start investigating the kid’s background. I didn’t want the kid involved in this mess. He was at the House of Jam to have a good time. He had just graduated.
“Officer Rupret, remember what I said when we first met?”
I thought hard. “I was…young…creative…good looking…and imaginative.” I stopped, hoping that was it.
“No.” Aldrich shook his head. “That there would be a lot demanded of you and I hoped you were prepared for it.”
I remembered now.
“I’m afraid I was wrong. You are
I didn’t know what to say.
“You’re not fit for this unit and you’re most certainly not fit for Intelligence. After we are through I will have you sent back to parking enforcement.”
My blood was boiling. My middle finger was twitching rapidly.
I held back.
I was cut deep with Barnes getting hurt. This was salt rubbed on those cuts.
“Remember what I said to you, sir?” I said.
He listened.
“I’ll quit the force.”
“Are you resigning, Officer Rupret?”
“No. Not until the task is completed.”
He paused and then waved me off, “Dismissed.”
Ms. Zee slammed her hand on the table. Suraj took a step back, while Kong stood his ground. “He was a police officer,” she yelled. “What if we were discovered? Do you know our plans would have been destroyed? Do you know how much I’ve invested in this? Both of you placed our operation in jeopardy. If he was killed, the entire force would be after you two.”
Joey and Hause were also in the room.
Ms. Zee turned to Joey, “Did you talk to anyone?”
“No. I would never do that.”
Her stare pierced into his heart.
“All I did was get a drink and maybe dance a little, that’s it,” he pleaded.
She believed him. He had no reason to talk to anyone.
Martin entered. He didn’t look too happy. Ms. Zee couldn’t handle any more trouble.
“What is it?” she said.
“Can we talk alone?” he said.
She dismissed all of them with a wave of her hand.
“Four of the five businesses are up and running,” he said.
“Then what is the problem?”
“The start-up costs have been huge; from registering the businesses to hiring the employees. With no immediate revenues we won’t be able to run these businesses forever.”
“Call Burrows,” she said. “Let’s have a word with him.”
A few minutes later, Ed Burrows entered the room, looking weak and tired. He’d spent all his waking hours trying different combinations of the drug, but nothing so far that could get the results they wanted.
“Mr. Burrows,” Ms. Zee said. “Do you have any news for us?”
He thought hard about his answer.
She rephrased her question, “Will we ever be able to produce Nex?”
Ed Burrows didn’t have an answer.
We drove to DAS to meet our analyst, Eileen Mathers. She motioned us to follow her. We went inside the lab and to a corner.
“What have you found?” Beadsworth asked.
“What we already knew,” she said. She was holding several sheets of print-outs. She pulled out the first sheet. It showed two graphs. The graph resembled the display of a sound synthesizer or a heartbeat monitor with steady lines, but sudden abrupt peaks.
“As you can see-” she started.
I interrupted her, “Can you explain how this gas photography machine works?”
“Gas chromatography,” she corrected me.
“That’s what I mean,” I said. I was curious. Also, I needed something to divert my mind from the conversation with Aldrich.
“Gas chromatography is an analytical method used to separate mixtures. It indicates, based on the
