“Don’t worry,” Hennig said with a wide grin; it was not a pleasant expression, for it showed two teeth missing, and most of the rest in various stages of negligence and decay; it was unclear whether he couldn’t afford dental work, or just didn’t bother. “Me an’ Pete are good.”
“All right,” Bradly agreed. “You two go scout things out, and we’ll meet back here in...three days?”
“Pay?” Brandt asked. “What are we gettin’ for this job?”
“Your old job back,” Bradly responded. “More than likely, either Win Peabody over there,” he gestured to Peabody, who sat quiet, watching, “or me, are apt to end up in the driver’s seat when this is all over. We’ll see to it, once we’re in charge.”
“That sounds good t’ me,” Hennig concluded. “With rates set ‘cordin’ to the old rates once it’s done?”
“Yes.”
“I’m in, then,” Hennig said. “Pete?”
“I’m in, too.”
“Looks like you gentlemen got yourselves some hired help.”
The next morning, before he even left for work – while he was still eating breakfast – Ashton got an urgent ping from Peabody. Opening it, he saw the message:
Detective Ashton,
Meet me in channel 486 as soon as you can. It’s extremely important and very time-critical.
W. Peabody
“What’s wrong, honey?” Cally asked, as Nick paused in his consumption of his favorite breakfast meal – Cally’s crepes with powdered sugar and fresh strawberries and cream.
“I’m not sure yet,” he said, laying down his fork. “I just got an urgent message from former Inspector Peabody, and he wants to meet me in VR pretty much immediately.”
“Something’s wrong,” she murmured, shaking her head. “Go see what’s up. If I need to, I can make you more crepes.”
“Gone,” he said, and dropped into channel 486.
Peabody was pacing anxiously when Ashton appeared in the nondescript room.
“There you are!” Peabody said, turning toward the younger man immediately.
“Yeah, what’s up?” Ashton wondered. “I was in the middle of breakfast with my bride.”
“Oh damn, I’m sorry to have interrupted, sir, but this is incredibly important,” Peabody said, apologetic. “Do you know how to reach Director Carter? Like, immediately?”
“Sure. Do we need him in here, too?”
“Yes,” Peabody said emphatically.
“This sounds bad,” Ashton said, as he opened up another channel, composed a message, marked it ‘urgent,’ and sent it to Carter.
“It is,” Peabody said. “I told you I liked the sound of this new department, and gave you my word I’d work for you, and I intend to keep it, even though this could have ‘benefited’ me, in the old-department sense.”
“Oh shit. Okay, Lee oughta be in here in a few minutes.”
“All right. I’m debating about asking you both to bring your wives in here, too. I expect ICPD needs to be involved; they’re next on the list, as it were, anyhow.”
“Uh-oh. Lemme get Cal in here, then. We’ll tell Lee to bring in Maia as soon as he gets here.”
Ashton’s wife, ICPD Detective Callista Ames, appeared in the room seconds later, as Peabody ‘manufactured’ five chairs and positioned them in a loose talking circle. Moments later, IPD Director Lee Carter appeared, and Ashton pinged him to bring in his wife, Colonel Maia Peterson, ICPD’s chief of Investigations.
“Okay, we’re all here,” Carter said, once Peterson had arrived in the VR room. “What’s up, Nick?”
“That’s for Mr. Peabody, here, to tell us,” Ashton said, “but he says it’s important, it’s bad, and we needed ICPD involved as well.”
Carter looked Peabody up and down, then turned back to Ashton.
“And you trust him?”
“Yes, I do,” Ashton said, frank. “He and I had a long discussion, with some heart-to-heart chatting, a while back, and I think he’s here to report to us something that we don’t want.”
“No joke,” Peabody said, shaking his head in disgust. “I really liked the image of the new IPD you drew for me, Detective Ashton, and...” He shook his head again. “To make quick work of it, there’s a movement afoot from what they’re calling the ‘oldies’ in the IPD to assassinate you four, and bring me, or one of the other higher-ranking ‘oldies,’ into the director slot and simply resurrect the old IPD. Then they figure to find a way to wipe out the ICPD. If that happens, they’ll probably try to go after this Emperor, and get rid of him, too, then install somebody on the Throne who’ll work with them.” Peabody turned to look Ashton squarely in the eyes. “I. Don’t. Want. It.”
“Shit,” Ames murmured. “All four of us? Plus the ICPD?”
“Of course,” Peterson said, “because we’re helping our husbands with their efforts in reconstructing Headquarters by providing, not only our own services as investigators, but that of our division. Especially through me.”
“Exactly,” Peabody averred. “Detective Ashton, sir, you told me to come to you and report in, especially if I saw crooked cops in the department. I was up the whole night last night, trying to figure out what to do. Then I remembered what you said, and how we talked about Emily. You told me I had to choose. I chose. I’m here. “
“Who are the heads of the conspiracy?” Carter asked, his face still evincing skepticism.
“Captain Ted Bradly and Lieutenant Bill Carr,” Peabody declared. “They were being helped by about half a dozen others, uh, lessee...” He thought, then counted off on his fingers. “George Holland, Dave Seeger, Hunter Williams, Noah Warner, Matt Lowe, aaaand...who was it, who was it...sittin’ over in the corner...oh! Theo Wang. And Williams had managed to find a couple of Gorecki’s old ‘enforcers,’ name of Pete Brandt and Joe Hennig, who were out of town when the Emperor’s wrath came down.”
“Damn,” Ames murmured in dismay. “So we didn’t get ‘em all.”
“Apparently not, but it’s no
