Brad shifted uneasily in his seat at Elaine’s table. “So what’s the request?”

Elaine leaned forward, frowning. “There’s a murder—“

Brad broke in, “Nope, I don’t do murders, you know that.”

“You didn’t even hear the full details,” Elaine muttered.

“I’m not sure I need to hear the full details,” Brad replied. “You know how badly people react when I investigate them for small stuff. I don’t even own a gun, how the hell am I supposed to protect myself from a murderer? You’re the police officer, why aren’t you guys investigating it?”

“We did.”

“Excuse me?”

“The department did investigate it.”

Brad sat silently for a bit, before finally saying, “Okay, let’s start at the beginning.”

Elaine leaned back and cleared her throat.

“So, you know the evidence officer, Jill Cortez?”

“Yeah, I think you introduced me to her when I first moved here, but I haven’t really dealt with her much otherwise. Why?”

“Well, the official story is that she killed her husband, the reporter Vincent Cortez.”

Brad recoiled. He had worked with Vincent in the past, as reporters made for great info brokers and rumormongers, but he hadn’t put two and two together that Vincent was married to Elaine’s colleague Jill.

Recently Brad had noticed that Vincent’s columns in the local newscasts were rather quiet, but no official word had gotten out.

“When did this happen?” Brad asked, showing more sincere interest.

“Only in the last couple weeks. I’m not surprised you didn’t know, though, because the department is trying to keep a lid on it. That’s one of quite a few things that have made me raise an eyebrow.” Elaine took a drink from the wine she poured at the beginning of the conversation. “The more I think about it, the less sense it makes.”

Brad leaned forward. “Well, what else can you tell me? How did he die? Did they have a poor relationship? Where is Jill now?”

“They’ve still got Jill in custody. The whole thing is fishy, though. The secrecy, as well as this coming out of the blue. As far as I know, they had a great relationship, but the official cause of death is blood loss from a gunshot wound. The ballistics profile matches her personal .45. And the weapon itself was confiscated and examined, and while it was obviously covered in her fingerprints, no other prints were found on the weapon.”

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Brad frowned. “Seems like a pretty open and shut case. Why’s the department being so secretive about it, then?”

“That’s what bugs me! They shouldn’t need to!”

“Okay, you might have me convinced. Have you talked to Jill at all since she was detained?”

“Only a little, but she won’t give me a straight answer to any of my questions.” Elaine sighed. “She seems like she’s all but given up, though who could blame her?”

“Sounds like she could use a lawyer more than a private investigator,” Brad muttered thoughtfully.

Elaine rolled her eyes. “Brilliant deduction, Sherlock. If only I was wise enough to have considered that myself!”

Brad reeled back at the sudden sarcastic outburst. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I mean I’m not sure what I can add to the investigation.”

“Just a quick run-through to find anything we missed. Maybe since you’re not affiliated with the police force, Cortez will actually answer your questions.”

After a bit, Brad finally said, “Okay, I’ll at least see if I can ask her a few questions. Still, this is an off the books, possibly dangerous investigation. And since you’re already breaking my policy about talking about work outside of work...let’s talk payment.”

“Don’t worry, I can swing it. Baseline 50,000 plus an added premium for danger involved. I understand you have to keep the lights on and pay for your own healthcare in the event that something goes wrong. Naturally, payment on completion of the task as usual. I really had to dip into my savings for this so don’t half-ass the investigation, or I’ll know.”

“Do I ever?” Brad asked.

“Do you really want me to answer that?” Elaine fired back, playfully.

Brad paused, before finally saying, “Fair enough. Well, it’s getting late and even though this investigation is off the books, I still have a bunch of stuff to organize to begin the case, so I think I’m going to head back to my place. Will you be able to let me into the detention center tomorrow to speak with Cortez?”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

---

The office of Brad Asher, Private Investigator, in a stark contrast to Elaine’s neat, recently-built apartment building, was in a dingy, older part of the colony, being one of the few places Brad could get a decent lease with what little money he had upon moving to the colony. Insite wasn’t much, just three rooms: the main lobby/office area, a modest bathroom with a shower compartment, and a smaller private office which Brad mainly used as his personal quarters. There wasn’t much to it: a futon for sleeping, a viewscreen for whatever news or entertainment broadcasts he’d peruse, a small wardrobe with what little clothing he brought with him to the colony, and a mirror. That he barely used. That one was a gift.

Because he mainly used the “private office” for sleeping, he spent most of his time in the main room of the office, where he had a cheap desk that he had to assemble himself when he purchased it, a computer that worked just well enough that he could get his work done without having to bang on it too much, and a couple couches in the sitting area that were, in all honesty, significantly more comfortable than his own futon. From the ceiling hung another viewscreen in the vain hope that he could entertain any extra clients waiting for his attention. Should that day ever arise. But since most requests came through email anyway, this was more or less a wasted feature. Maybe he could use it to host friends when the big game was on.

Upon arrival into the office, Brad began his evening ritual. Lock the door. Boot up the computer to check for messages. No messages. Put some music on the speakers throughout the office. A little jazz. Take a shower. An extra few minutes. He’d earned it. Check the news. Nothing noteworthy besides the bacon theft. Poor kid was probably going to be spending quite a while behind bars for that slipup. Shame.

And yet, slow news day as it was, there was absolutely no coverage of Vincent Cortez. Surely someone would at least put up a memorial broadcast. Right? Instead it seemed like every news source on the colony (and several off-colony) were trying their best to pretend the man never existed to begin with.

I guess that settles it. Hopefully I don’t make too much of a nuisance of myself at the police station.