Judges Volume One by Michael Carroll

Author:Michael Carroll [Carroll, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 9781786181220
Publisher: Rebellion Publishing Ltd
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

THE PRECINCT WAS in a state of utter chaos with officers swarming left, right and centre, voices raised in a tumult of bitter recriminations. O’Shea could understand that: they’d lost one of their own. What was meant to be the peaceful dispersal of a civilian protest had turned violent, and now they were looking for an outlet for their emotion. They were looking for someone to blame.

They found it when O’Shea and Ramos walked into the lobby. A wave of deathly silence passed over the gathered throng. Uniforms plainclothes alike turned to look at them, then looked away again, revulsion on their faces. She could feel the animosity, the prickle of eyes on her; her cheeks reddening.

By now they must have heard about what Ramos had done, how the two of them had apprehended the killer and handed him over to the sergeant. The lives Ramos had saved. None of that mattered. The rallies had only started in the wake of the Judges’ arrival, and—no matter that Governor Adams had been the one to incite them—she and Ramos had been the ones charged to put an end to them. And now a police officer was dead. Of course they were blaming the Judges.

O’Shea was grateful for her helmet. She didn’t have to let them see how they got to her. She walked past them, Ramos at her side, dripping rainwater all over the worn carpet tiles as she made a beeline directly for Captain Flores’s office.

He was standing by the window with his back to them as they entered. His shoulders were hunched; she guessed his hands were bunched into fists. There was a tension in the room—Flores clearly blamed them for what had happened too.

“Captain Flores,” said Ramos. “We’ve apprehended the shooter. One of your sergeants has him in custody now. We… thought you’d want to carry out a full interrogation.”

“Oh, so now you don’t shoot criminals on the spot? Is that it?” said Flores, turning around to face them. He was trembling with barely contained rage. “I suppose it suited you to let this one live, now that Hartigan’s down there in the morgue?”

“Hartigan!” said O’Shea. “He’s the one who was shot?”

“You didn’t know?” snarled Flores. He shook his head. “He’d been with this force since leaving school. He was a good detective, and a good man.”

“He was,” said O’Shea.

“He defended you, you know?” said Flores. His tone was incredulous. “When the others were complaining about being forced to tidy up your mess. He told them you were a good officer, that you would have made a good cop.” He stared at her for a moment, and then glanced at Ramos, making it clear what he thought of the other Judge. “And now he’s dead.”

“I’m sorry,” said O’Shea.

“Not as sorry as I am,” said Flores. “We’ve lost one of our best. And for what? A bloody protest rally?” He turned away again, hanging his head.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” said Ramos, “but we still have a missing person to find.

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