When an unknown substance on a public sundial is thought to be evidence of foul play, Detective Wyatt Kask is called in by the police to help determine the nature of the crime. Over the course of the night, Kask and the Sheriff of Wellington are pul...
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Most buildings in Wellington were lightly colored, thin spires. The headquarters of Helping Hand Robotics was stout and dark, occupying a whole city block.
Kask brought his face closer to the window of the transporter. "A cubist's sketch of a lead crystal," he said.
"What?" Hakihea asked sleepily.
"Nothing. Cai's face was last recorded by a walk-trough camera outside Helping Hand five minutes ago. She must have just gone inside."
"But Helping Hand wouldn't normally let people in. She must be working for them."
Kask leaned back in his seat as a dim red light crept over his face. The docking platform was not on the exterior, but in a rectangular bay. They slid inward. Ruddy floodlights illuminated several parallel rail termini.
As they docked and disembarked, a security squad of four armed guards rushed toward them, their glossy black armor blooming orange with transient reflections.
"Halt and identify yourselves," a guard said.
Hakihea displayed his ID on his arm-comp. "Municipal Sheriff Hakihea. And this is Detective Kask. We're looking for this woman." He displayed Cai's face. "We have reason to believe she entered your facility a few minutes ago. She's wanted for questioning."
"Just a minute. I'll see what I can do." He moved to the side to speak quietly into his radio while the other three, whose faces were hidden behind angular black helmets, maintained a close watch on Hakihea and Kask. The guard's murmurs lay under a blanket of wind resonating over the open docking bay. "This way," the lead guard said when he was finished, and proceeded to escort them from the bay, down a narrow passageway, and into a small room.
The room's fluorescent lights gleamed on metal walls and a table. The floor was a metallic grate with the occasional smooth access hatch. Kask sat in an unpadded chair without asking. "I'm guessing you guys have hired a different decorator than Pendant," he said while looking around exaggeratedly.
"I wouldn't know anything about that, sir," said the guard. "Please wait here. Someone will be with you in a minute." He left the room, the door automatically sliding shut.
"False imprisonment of a sheriff would be a serious infraction of GU law. I doubt they'd do it. But could you check just in case?" Kask said to Hakihea, who stood with his arms crossed.
"Huh?"
"Check to make sure the door is unlocked."
Hakihea went to the door and it slid open. Then he returned to Kask and looked down at him.
"Good. Now, if I were pessimistic, I'd say they'll keep us waiting quite a while," Kask said. "Then they'll send in an underling to make excuses. What they won't do is outwardly defy the request of a sheriff, so they have to make an effort to appear incompetent or inefficient."
