Murder is Messy: Space Janitor One by Julia Huni

Author:Julia Huni [Huni, Julia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: IPH Media
Published: 2018-07-30T22:00:00+00:00

Twenty Four

Ty leaves me at his apartment, telling me not to open the door for anyone. So, when the door chimes less than five minutes later, I’m a bit flustered, but I’m not stupid enough to answer. Fortunately, O’Neill has state of the art tech, so I tap the panel by the door. A vid feed from the corridor outside springs up; it’s a man I don’t recognize dressed in a Sec Agent uniform.

I click the intercom button. “Yes?”

“I have a message for Ms. Moore from Dame Morgan,” he says.

See, I told you she would track me down. My eyes narrow. “Send it via the OS,” I reply.

“Dame Morgan wished it to be hand-delivered,” he says waving an envelope.

I think for a moment. Top-levs sometimes use antiquated means like paper messages. It’s usually some kind of power play: look, I’m rich enough to have minions to deliver my commands. And, I have to admit that after my brilliant software hack, she might not be able to send me a message via holo-ring. But our resourceful killer could easily know this. No way I’m opening this door with him out there. “Leave it on the mat,” I say.

He places the note on the ground, bows towards the door and walks away. I use the control panel to swivel the camera around. No one is within ten meters. To the right, the messenger strides briskly away, and a family has just emerged from an apartment to the left. Now, while there are witnesses, I should be safe. I open the door, snatch the envelope and smack my hand on the panel, closing it again.

The thick paper is a little rough and blemished as if it were handmade. Of course, faux hand-made everything is very popular right now. A glob of red wax, imprinted with an elaborate cursive M, seals the flap. I slide a fingernail under the wax and pop it off.

A single folded page slides out. Inside, hand-written, it says:

4 pm, 83A.

A summons to the top-lev. I check the clock—it’s 3:30.

After changing into my uniform, (which, fortunately, Kara didn’t remove from my bag,) I take the float tube up to Level 40. I check the schedule on the Sanctuary screen. I have twenty minutes before the next service. After all that’s happened today, it’s hard to remember it’s still Sunday.

Although there are people inside Sanctuary, I ignore them and stride to the small alcove I sat in yesterday. A few folks look up, but as usual, they see the Maintenance Tech uniform and their eyes just slide right over me. I crouch down on the floor, by an air vent. A quick twist of a tool and the vent is open. I glance around, but I can’t see anyone over the tops of the pews. I slide my arm into the vent and grab a small cube attached magnetically to the top of the air duct, about twenty centimeters in. A quick yank and it comes loose in my hand.

I snap the vent cover back on, give it a few quick turns with my screwdriver and scramble to my feet.

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