Page 63 of Ezra
“All nines?” Katrina asks. “Does that mean something?”
“Any deposits ten thousand dollars and over have to be catalogued and reported by banking establishments,” I reply. “Federal law. It’s how they combat money-laundering and the funding of terrorist activities.”
“Right.” Jayne nods. “So they never got flagged. But the deposits were all cash, no wires or anything for us to track, so the financial trail ends there.”
“Someone tried to assassinate my father for thirty thousand dollars?” Katrina murmurs. “That seems like such a small amount.”
“That’s where it gets weird,” Jayne says. “See, I know TerraPura. I infiltrated their lower and middle infrastructures back in Ireland. They don’t paypeople to commit murder or blow up droids. So the money is the part that doesn’t make any sense.”
I nod, pensive. “Cultists kill to ascend to another echelon.”
“Right. This isn’t Ascension, like the protest bombing, or a Purification,” Jayne says. “This was a contract killing.”
“What’s Ascension?” Katrina asks, confused. “Purification? I recognize those words. The droid at the march last year was ordered to ascend by his handler. And then purify was carved in the bombing android’s forehead at the museum.”
“Ascension is when an android achieves godhood status. Purification is the killing of humans, usually in a bombing. Like at the museum,” Jayne explains.
“I can’t believe they have names for it,” Katrina whispers, looking at me. “Like it’s sacred.”
“Unfortunately for them, sanctity and science are two different things,” I reply. “And they can’t hide from the latter.”
“And you’ve got the android responsible?” Katrina turns her attention back to Jayne.
Jayne suddenly looks sheepish. “Sort of.”
“What do you mean, sort of?” I ask in alarm.
“Don’t get mad, okay?”
“I don’t get mad,” I reply, folding my arms. “Why, what happened?”
Jayne looks at Katrina, mouths,yes, he does,and drives on before I can protest or remind her to focus. “He self-destructed. Not like at the march or the museum.” She sighs. “When we arrested Clayton, he shouted to his droid to ascend. The bot went crazy, like. Crushed his own head in his hands. Everything’s melted together.”
Katrina shudders beside me, looking away. Disappointed by this development, I grimace.
Jayne continues. “Even if we managed to extract its memory banks, they’d be too damaged to be of any use.” She studies me a moment and winces. “You said you wouldn’t get mad.”
“I’mnotmad,” I snap as I pace in front of the screen. “This is beyond ridiculous. If I’d been present during the arrest, I could’ve stopped the android from terminating himself andretrieved everything—including potentially crucial information regarding the bombings.”
“I know.” In her best attempt at commiserating, Jayne offers a smile. “Sorry, love.”
I can sort out my own frustration later. “It’s fine.”
“Does this mean I’ll be able to go home soon?” Katrina asks.
Jayne gives her a sympathetic smile. “That’s up to Chief Jacobs, sadly. But it won’t be long now, I think.”
She didn’t realize how right she was. An hour later, as I continue brooding and reviewing case information, Jacobs calls Katrina directly, and she places him on holo-speaker, dancing waves moving up and down and hovering above her phone when he speaks.
“Good news, Miss Carson. At this point in the investigation, we’ve determined the bombings were unrelated to your attendance personally. What that means is nobody’s out to get you. We still think it’s best you avoid returning to your parents’ residence. Dr. Schroeder says you’re welcome to stay as long as you need.”
“That’s very kind,” Katrina says. “But I’d like to relocate to my apartment, if that’s okay. I was supposed to move over the weekend. Nobody’ll know I’m there. I think I’ll go crazy if this continues, being cooped up here.”
“I understand. Did Ezra give you any trouble?”
My circuits surge. It bodes well for me that the chief can’t see me. The way he refers to me, like a child entrusted to her care, instead of the other way around. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I work, he’ll always refuse to see my value—and it’s costing the entire department.
As if she senses my ire, Katrina speaks with a slight edge in her voice. “No. Ezra was perfect. No trouble at all. Thank you for assigning him to me personally. Honestly, I’ve never felt safer.”
