III. PRECINCT 421 / ARCH & ARCHER
***
In life, Dr. Augusta Prime had been a genius. But while information on her education and degrees and early research were easy to find, her recent projects seemed to be classified. Whoever she’d been working for didn’t want anyone else knowing what they were up to.
And now Dr. Prime was dead. Jasper suggested using a Ouija board to ask her about the research, which was met with either eye rolls or glares. Well, one glare. From Holly. At any rate, the team had no way of knowing what she was working on—
“Got it,” Thea said from the backseat.
Jasper glanced in the mirror at where Thea was squeezed between Dax and Holly in the back seat. Her gaze then briefly flickered to Grace at her right before returning to the road. “Got what?”
“Dr. Prime’s recent research. She was working for a spaceport company. They caught wind of the spacetime warps and were having her investigate their potential.”
Sagev traffic was worse than usual the morning after the race. Jasper swerved to get in front of a slower car and shot across an intersection as the light changed from yellow to red. Someone honked.
“Okay, Ringmaster picked the race location so he could kill Dr. Prime, apparently for warp research reasons,” Jasper said, tapping her finger against the steering wheel. “But he was watching over the race. Someone must have done it for him. Aymes?”
“Ringmaster did mention Aymes would have a role during the race, but I’m not convinced it was the murder,” Thea replied. “Ringmaster has more experienced henchpeople working for him. Why would he trust a high schooler with assassination?”
“Good point.” Jasper took a hard left turn across traffic. They were almost to their destination. “Maybe whoever the police arrested last night can help us figure it out.”
Holly piped up in the backseat. “Hey, should we maybe reconsider driving a stolen car directly to the police station?”
Jasper shrugged. “It’s been a few days. I’m sure they’ve forgotten about it by now.”
“People don’t just forget about cars stolen from malls.”
“Well, I forgot we stole it, so clearly some people do.” Jasper turned into a parking lot and picked a spot. She’d actually looked into the precinct and found they didn’t have a great track record for finding stolen cars. Or looking very hard at all. Bringing a wanted vehicle directly to them might be pushing the team’s luck, but worst-case scenario, Jasper could just steal another.
Grace leaned forward and peered out the windshield. “The sign says this spot is employees only.”
Jasper raised an eyebrow. “And?”
“…Okay.”
The team climbed out of the car and approached the pristine white building. “Si Hera’s 421st Precinct,” Jasper said, gesturing to the place with a sweep of her arm. “Fun fact, all of the Si Heran precincts are run by Sera’s mayor.”
“The moon? Why?” Holly asked as the team paused on the sidewalk out front. “And why do you know that?”
“It’s a leftover relic from when Sera stepped in and tried to fix Si Hera’s government during the Waste Wars.” Jasper ignored Holly’s second question.
Sera, the Si Heran moon that closely resembled Earth’s lone Luna, didn’t boast much in terms of civilization these days. Once things had settled on Si Hera and become relatively peaceful, a lot of people had moved from the moon to the planet’s surface.
Thankfully, the spaceports that only warped between Si Hera and its two moons were far more relaxed than the ones connected to Kronos, so getting through security would be a breeze when it came time for the race on the other moon, Vala. In the meantime, Jasper and the others could keep working on Sagev.
“Ringmaster also mentioned in his messages to Aymes that Dr. Prime apparently had a hideout on Sera, though he wasn’t sure where,” Thea said. “We’ll want to investigate that, too.”
“Sure, sure.” Jasper stretched her arms. “You ready, Holly?”
“I’ve been disguising myself as janitors to break in places for years. I’d say I’m more than ready,” Holly muttered. She moved ahead of the team and entered the precinct.
A few minutes later, her voice came over comms. “Got the uniforms. Meet me on the west side of the building.”
The team circled the building. Holly emerged from a first-floor window holding a stack of clothes. “I’d normally be more concerned about spending any amount of time in a police station, but I don’t think we’ll have any trouble here,” she said as she handed them out.
Five minutes later, the team strolled into the 421st Precinct in their new disguises. No one gave them a second glance as they roamed the floor and sifted through filing cabinets.
That was, until an officer walked up to Jasper while she scanned the directory. She was a fairly plain looking Si Heran: Bald, with light blue skin that looked as rough as sandpaper. She wore the precinct’s darker blue uniform, complete with a silver badge on her chest. “Excuse me, can I help you?” she asked. “You seem to be searching for something.”
Jasper adjusted her dark sunglasses. “My squad and I were told to take a look at the Augusta Prime case.” In addition to the glasses and uniform, she’d shifted her hair down into a low ponytail to help break up her usual look.
The officer’s face lit up. “Oh, thank Vala! They told my partner and I that we would be handling it alone, but we need all the help we can get, since we have no leads.”
“I thought an arrest had already been made,” Jasper told her as the rest of the team gathered around. “It was on the news.”
“Oh, Captain Prool told the press that so people wouldn’t freak out. We actually have nothing!” The officer was strangely chipper as she stuck out a hand. “I’m Officer Alyow, by the way.”
While Jasper shook her hand, another Si Heran man with brown skin and a suspicious look in his eyes appeared at her side. “Officer Alyow, who are these people?”
“We’re new. Just transferred in,” Jasper told him.
“Great news, Detective,” Alyow said. “They assigned this whole team to help us find Dr. Prime’s killer.” She turned to Jasper. “This is Detective Park.”
Jasper forced a smile. “Detective Park, pleasure to meet you.”
Detective Park’s narrowed eyes moved across the team’s faces. “Why didn’t Captain Prool tell us about them sooner?”
Alyow lifted onto her toes. “Why don’t you ask him? He’s coming this way!” She beamed at Jasper. “Captain Prool’s been running this place since before I was born.”
Uh oh. Jasper forced a smile as the captain reached them. Best to blame lost paperwork. That usually worked.
“Who are you?” the captain asked. Another Si Heran. In fact, he looked a bit like an older, taller, thinner version of Detective Park.
“Don’t worry, Captain Prool,” Jasper told him. “My team has decades of experience solving murders.”
For a moment, Captain Prool’s narrow gaze made Jasper fear the team would have to run. Then he smiled. “About time they gave us some help. Having some competent officers like you on the case will make people realize that the 421st Precinct isn’t the joke the public makes us out to be.”
“Sir, none of them look like they should even be out of training,” Detective Park said. “How can they have decades of experience?”
“Combined experience,” Jasper amended.
“You do look rather young to be such a skilled detective,” Captain Prool agreed.
“I drink three glasses of solnut oil a day. It does wonders for the skin.” Jasper clapped her hands together. “Now, let’s go solve a murder!”
Detective Park sighed. “I suppose I’ll join the investigation too, then. Guess my paperwork can wait.”
Alyow’s eyes widened. “You want to join us?”
“I think it’s best a superior officer be present if a bunch of new officers are going to be jumping in.” Park shot Jasper a glare.
Oblivious to the tension, Alyow waved at a heavily muscled man coming their way, whose skin was a blue a few shades lighter than hers. “This is my partner,” she said. “Officer Tary, these five strangers who just showed up are going to help us with the murder.”
“Great!” Officer Tary exclaimed. “Hey, do any of you watch Star Conquerors? The finale last night was crazy.”
“Everything I know about that show I’ve learned against my will,” Jasper told him. Before he could fully process the statement, she added, “Now, come on, that body’s not getting any warmer!”
“Jasper!” Holly hissed as the officers started toward the front of the precinct.
“Oh, the body’s already been moved from the crime scene,” Alyow said. “But maybe you can find something at the scene we missed. So, your name’s Jasper?”
“Uh, Detective Jasper.” Jasper shot Holly a glare. “And this here is Officer Mud.” She nodded to Thea, Dax, and Grace. “And they’re Officers Sparks, Cure, and Starling.”
Holly rolled her eyes. “Brilliant.”
The real detective, the two officers, and all five members of Jasper’s team stepped outside. “Were you guys assigned a patrol vehicle?” Tary asked.
“No,” Jasper told him. “Not yet.”
“I wonder why,” Detective Park muttered.
Alyow tossed Jasper a key. “Here, take this one. Tary and I will ride with Park.”
“Great. I love listening to you two to sing along to that Dragonworld Musical.” Park’s sarcasm rivaled Holly’s.
Jasper grinned at the key in her hand. “We’ll see you at the scene.” She tapped the unlock button. “This is gonna be fun.”
Within minutes, they were speeding down Silvium Drive, sirens blaring. “I’m pretty sure cops don’t use sirens on their way to a crime scene,” Holly said.
“Well, maybe they should,” Jasper replied.
They arrived ten minutes before the officers. A couple of officers already waited at the scene, serving as guards to keep away curious civilians, but they were too wrapped up watching a video on the tablet in front of them to even acknowledge the Jasper’s team’s arrival.
Rather than waste time on the small crime scene they’d be looking at shortly anyway, Jasper had the team spread out and search the area for signs of Ringmaster.
Nothing.
“So, what have we got?” Jasper asked when the real officers finally pulled up and stepped out of their car.
“They took the body last night,” Alyow said as the three joined Jasper’s team. “No official cause of death yet.”
“I’m guessing it was the gunshot to the head,” Detective Park muttered.
“Any other evidence?” Regardless of the competence of the crime scene technicians, Jasper didn’t have faith they’d found anything useful during their investigation. Not if Ringmaster had orchestrated this.
“Besides the samples of Prime’s blood, nothing yet,” Tary replied.
“And her apartment?”
Alyow folded her arms. “Already been searched.”
“I haven’t been here yet,” Detective Park said, glancing at the crime scene behind Jasper. “But there could always be something more. Let’s make sure the techs didn’t miss anything.”
Well, if he didn’t have high hopes for the techs, Jasper was inclined to lower her expectations as well. She turned. “Officer Alyow, care to give my team a quick tour of the scene?”
“Of course! Follow me.”
With Alyow leading the way, they all ducked under the glowing crime scene tape and moved into the alley. Alyow pointed at a dark stain on the concrete. “That’s where the body was.”
Thea nudged Jasper. “I’m sensing electronics up on that wall,” she whispered with a glance up. “Pretty sure there’s a camera.”
“Any cameras?” Jasper asked aloud.
“Not that we know of,” Alyow replied.
“There’s a camera across the street facing the alley entrance, but it didn’t see the actual murder,” Tary added. “It did show a guy leaving the alley around the time of the gunshot, but that’s not conclusive evidence.”
Thea tipped her head back. “That ledge is perfect.”
“Huh?” Alyow frowned.
Thea pointed. “It hides the camera from view. The camera can see over the ledge, but unless you were backed up against the opposite wall, you wouldn’t notice it. It’s small, too.” Her hand dropped. “What’s in that building?”
“Convenience store,” Detective Park answered. He backed up to the other wall and looked up. “She’s right, there’s something up there.” Lowering his gaze, he added, “Let’s pay them a visit.”
“Hang on.” Jasper held up a hand as she walked to a dumpster near the bloodstain. She pointed to a cup on the ground, splattered with blood. “Is that the victim’s blood?”
Detective Park moved to her side and lifted an eyebrow. “We’ll have to test it to be sure, but I’d bet on yes.”
“Look at the blood splatters around it.” Jasper dropped to one knee. “But this doesn’t match up. Looks more like the cup was close to the victim when she was shot, then tossed aside.”
“Good point.” Detective Park folded his arms. “But do you really think the perp was sipping on coffee in the middle of the kill?”
“I’ve done th—I mean, I’ve seen it happen,” Jasper said as she straightened up. “My point is, the killer’s DNA could be on the cup. We should test it.”
Detective Park snapped his fingers to catch the attention of one of the officers guarding the scene. He pointed at the cup. “Bag this.”
While they grabbed the cup, Jasper’s team and the officers left the alley and entered the convenience store.
The cashier looked up as they walked in. “I was wondering when you’d come in!” he exclaimed. “Eight officers seems like overkill, though. Unless the murderer was a serial killer. Ooh, are you looking for a serial killer?”
“Let’s take the enthusiasm down a notch,” Detective Park told the kid as everyone gathered in front of the checkout counter. “Were you working during the murder last night?”
“Yep!” The cashier nodded eagerly. He was a pink-skinned Si Heran who looked young enough to be in high school.
“Can we look at the security footage from that time?”
“Sure, let me grab the key.” The cashier opened a drawer in front of him.
Tary slammed a hand down on the counter. “Listen, kid, it’s in your best interest to cooperate with us.”
The cashier looked up, brow furrowing. “I am cooperating!”
“Oh. Well, good.” Tary nodded and straightened up.
Alyow leaned in. “Nice job.” She sounded completely genuine.
Jasper raised an eyebrow. Had Ringmaster chosen the location of Prime’s death deliberately so that this precinct would get the case? Police officers weren’t exactly known for going above and beyond, but this was incompetence on a whole other level. She exchanged a look with the rest of her team, whose faces held a mixture of confusion and concern.
“Follow me,” the cashier said. Key in hand, he led the way to the back of the store.
Jasper lingered at the back of the group and grabbed a small bottle of Nova Cora off a shelf, which she shoved into an inner pocket of her uniform jacket. Grace noticed and gave Jasper a look that, surprisingly, stung a little.
The cashier led them into a back room and sat in front of a small bank of monitors. After a minute of typing, he frowned at the screen. “That’s weird. The footage from about ten minutes before and after the gunshot is missing. For all the cameras.” He tapped a few keys. “Someone must have deleted it.”
“Maybe the computers glitched,” Alyow suggested.
Detective Park sighed. “Was anyone else working with you last night?” he asked the cashier.
The cashier hesitated, all of his earlier vigor gone. “No. I was alone.”
“Well, we may have some more questions for you in the future, then.” Detective Park gestured for the others to follow him and headed out of the back room.
As they left the store, Detective Park said, “I think he’s hiding something.”
“I don’t think he did it,” Jasper replied.
“Who else could have deleted the footage?”
“He may have deleted it, but that doesn’t make him the killer.”
“It does make him an accessory, though.” Detective Park let out another heavy sigh. “Maybe if we’re lucky, and the techs don’t screw up the analysis, there will be DNA on the coffee cop that leads us to the killer.”
Jasper didn’t want to get her hopes up, but Detective Park’s wishful thinking wasn’t far off base. When they returned to the station, an officer ran up to them holding a file. “Detective Park, I have your lab results!” She waved it around as she approached. Coffee splashed out of the cup in her other hand.
“Please be careful with that.” Detective Park took the file. “Thank you,” he added as he opened it.
“Anything good?” Jasper asked, leaning to peer at the file over his shoulder.
Detective Park studied the first page for a moment. He lifted an eyebrow. “The DNA matched someone in the city’s employee database. Ro Mechwell.” He looked up. “I think we should pay him a visit.”