Restraint by Aaron Pogue

Author:Aaron Pogue
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: futuristic, suspense, female protagonist, Hathor, technology, surveillance, transhumanism, fbi, privacy, dragonswarm, dragonprince, law and order
Publisher: Masked Fox Productions
Published: 2011-08-16T04:00:00+00:00

10. On the Pier

The car had stopped on the wharf, a broad, empty paved lot between a row of warehouses and the many piers that jutted out into the river. All of them were out of use, mostly abandoned, so the long half-circle of police tape seemed mostly unnecessary. There was no one in sight but cops.

The body had been found yesterday morning, and she'd seen the crime scene swarming with officers at the time, looking for evidence, but Marshall had them all out again. Katie was glad to see it. He knew better than to go on Orman's analysis.

She expected to find Marshall out on the pier, where the body had fallen—she knew that was the first place she wanted to go, to see things as the gunman had—but Marshall was away across the lot, standing at the mouth of an alley between two warehouses. He was watching her car, though, and as soon as she pushed the door open he headed her way.

She glanced back to Ghoster, while Marshall was still out of earshot, and said, "You behave. Got it?" He just nodded.

Marshall reached her at a trot and greeted her with a nod. That was the extent of his affection, after nine months away. She wouldn't have expected anything different. She nodded back and asked him briskly, "What have you found?"

"Thirteen recorders, all with a good read on this spot. Not a bit of good feed, though. I spotted some fresh tire tracks over there, and I think that's how our dude made his way in and out. Motorcycle. That's all I see. Maybe had his vic on the bike with him, maybe met the vic here, but if it's that I ain't seen anything to tell me how LeClerc got here."

"So we'll assume he was a passenger on the motorcycle," Katie said. "We can review video feed in the area—"

"I've got two guys on it," Marshall said, "but I don't have a good feeling about that."

"What about the SpectreShield?" Ghoster asked. "Can I see it?"

Marshall turned to Katie with a laugh in his eyes. "Who's the old guy?"

She ducked her head to hide her smile then looked back up with a straight face. "Marshall, this is Jeremy Gustaud, of Database Archive Management, Inc. They call him Ghoster. Ghoster, this is Marshall Dunham. My old partner."

"Ghoster," Marshall said, testing the name out. He nodded. "I like that." He jabbed out a hand to shake Ghoster's enthusiastically. Katie bit her lip against another smile when Ghoster winced at Marshall's grip. He said, "You can call me whatever you like."

"Officer Dunham," Ghoster said, retrieving his hand. "Pleased to meet you."

"Now," Marshall said, suddenly businesslike. "No."

Ghoster frowned. "I beg your pardon?"

"You asked if you could see the SpectreShield. Answer is no. That thing's dangerous."

"You're not wrong," Ghoster said earnestly. "But I happen to be an expert on Hathor database manipulation—"

Marshall chuckled, "Yeah, you are. Your name says it all."

Ghoster shrugged. "And as such," he continued, "I'm in a unique position to analyze—"

"No," Marshall said flatly.

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