Dangerous by Default

5. The police station

Her red Mustang gave one last satisfying purr before Janus turned off the ignition. She sat with an absentminded gaze at the SFPD Tenderloin station doors. Skilled hands tapped the steering wheel to the beat of her thoughts, circling the information over and over. What am I missing? She pulled her wild hair away from her face and into a messy bun. She didn't need the distraction. She had to think.

The meeting with Mina had been nothing short of odd. It had been casual enough, yes, but Janus had smelled just a hint of fear in the air. Mina's body language was a smidge defensive, but Janus had caught her off-guard. Showing up unannounced like that.

It had been a stretch, an innocent connection, but with the kinds of calls the station had been getting... Janus couldn't help but entertain a gut feeling that both Mina and Caine would know something about the Alleyway scene. And all the strange Danger art recreations. Ever since the announcement of Caine Blue's retrospective, a slew of Copycat artists popped up all over San Francisco. What at first seemed like a great publicity stunt, had soon turned into something much more serious. People were getting hurt.

She was nervous to even ask Ami about any of this. Their relationship was built on an equal understanding that work was confidential, afterall. It was usually what had made their quality time so special, work drama never had to interfere since neither of them were even allowed to talk about it. But now It had become the biggest pain in Janus' ass, being unable to say something, anything.

What if there was something Ami knew about her boss? Janus let out a dry laugh. Ami was entirely loyal to Mina. Even if she did know, why would she ever tell Janus what had been going on? She wouldn't risk her dream job, and her strongest friendship, just because Janus had an inkling of a hunch. No, she'd have to go about this carefully. A sharp eye and the quietest footsteps. This approach had never failed her before, the Alpine killer had even been foiled with the same finesse. Janus acquired a deep level of respect after that case. Something she never expected to get as her stations first, and only, Transgender detective.

A ding from her phone pulled her back into the present. With a slam of the car door, Janus soon strolled into the station. She had only made it a few paces when a couple in handcuffs caught her eye.

Seated on the perp bench, a garishly pale, mousy girl wriggled next to a boy in a similar state of unrest. A clear indicator of an art school student, the girl's shaved head should have made Janus chuckle, but that was the least memorable part of her appearance. Her left arm was wrapped in bandages, a dark purple spot was oozing out from under the gauze. A gunshot wound.

Ah yes, the newest of the Caine Blue Crazies.

"She needs medical attention, don't we get a phone call!?" Shouting, the boy on the bench was clearly agitated. "My lawyer is going to sue you pigs for violating our first amendment rights!"

A stocky older cop in uniform gave Janus a look of amusement from the front desk as she approached him. The cop sneered, "You brought a gun to school and shot your girlfriend, in front of your entire class! Don't be surprised if you're here for a while, buddy. Now shush."

"It's called art, swine! We were paying tribute!"

"To what, the NRA? Have you even heard of assault With a firearm?" he yelled back.

"Another loving fan, I see" Janus greeted him with a fist bump.

"Lucky us. When the hell is this going to stop, Thromgood? We ain't got time for all these artsy freaks." The stocky cop handed her a report from the incident.

Janus quickly glanced at the folders contents with a grimace. This type of incident was becoming way too familiar, and it had gotten exhausting.

"Artists are becoming more dangerous than the junkies lately. What a time to be alive."

"That damn show at the museum. All of these kids are just begging for some attention. And that girl."

"What girl? Sinead over there?" Janus asked.

"Nah, the one on youtube that everyones talkin' bout." The stocky cop grumbled through a mouthful of donut. "Resurfaced from an old foreign news channel, now it's gone viral. Look up 'the bungee piece'."

"Sounds pretentious," Janus taunted.

"It's amazing" the shaved-head girl called out. "We're gunna be just like the Blue's!" She had a delirious look of pride on her face. Drugs... or blood loss, Janus thought to herself, Either way, everythings pointing back to the Blues. The girl's diluted eyes met Janus', and in a second a jolt of recognition looked back at her.

"Wait, are you the detective who caught the Alpine Killer?" shaved head asked, as her glassy eyes searched. Janus rolled her eyes, not in the mood for another adoring fan.

"Yeah, so maybe if you cooperate like a good little art freak, she'll give ya an autograph!" Snorted the stocky cop from his swivel chair.

"She really is beautiful." the girl started to lean against the glass window next to her chair, her mouth hanging open. An officer ran over to check her pulse.

Leaving the others to play babysitter, Janus soon found herself in the solace of her quiet office. She excitedly searched the internet for "bungee piece", brushing aside a fallen strand of hair. She pulled up a YouTube video of what sounded like a man filming a younger woman standing on the edge of the roof of a tall building. There was no denying, from the shimmer of raven hair and the poise in her stance. The girl was Mina Blue, barely a kid. Suddenly, without warning, Mina took a leap off of the side. Caine, who Janus was certain must have been the one filming, went diving after her. As they fell through the open sky, the camera jerked and shuddered as he miraculously caught up to Mina. He held her tightly while they barreled towards the grey pavement below.

Janus tried to ignore the nausea induced by the camera's instability, digesting every moment. Gradually, then all of a sudden, the two bodies slowed before they came to a halt. They dangled only a few feet above the pavement. More bouncing shook the eye and soon the camera panned back to show a bright orange bungee cable secured to the roof. Police cars could be heard in the distance, and a crowd of witnesses were clapping as they approached the couple. The camera panned back around to show Mina's face. She was crying, her lips beaming with a huge smile. Caine's voice broke into the video.

"Mina, will you marry me?"

Janus paused the video and opened a drawer under her desk. She retrieved a small airtight baggie to let the small button from its depths slide onto the palm of her hand. The same one that had been found in the alleyway behind Mina and Caine's apartment.

She fiddled with its slippery surface, the deep look of concentration on her face resembling the thinking man. Is it really that obvious? Couple after couple, doing seemingly the same stupid shit that Caine was notorious for. How could she deny what was right in front of her face. It was only a matter of time.