Maxwell clenched his teeth and stared at the body of Jackie Blair. She had been found in the utility room by one of the cleaning staff. An entire wing of the Sands Foundation had been cleared. There were no visible marks anywhere on her – not a bullet hole, knife wound or even a bruise. Nor was there a hint of pain on her face. From the outside it appeared as though she had simply stopped living. In all his years he had never seen such a thing.
"Sir?"
Maxwell turned to see a young Asian Security Officer approaching. "Yes Benson?"
"Richard Sobel is definitely missing. Fire alarm was activated in his Transfer room, both guards were injured. One knocked out, the other wounded with a pair of hair clippers."
This wasn't something Maxwell wanted to hear. The instant he saw Jackie's body his gut told him what Benson just confirmed. He hoped it was wrong, that way there wouldn't be a need for a manhunt.
But his gut was right. Not only had Sobel's patient been murdered, his Porter had been killed and he was gone. It didn't get more cut and dry. Finding the man meant finding answers.
He cursed himself for not being more thorough when they had him captive. Even if the situation was extraordinary it was still a sloppy mistake. Instead of relying on the guards to move him when the alarm went off he should have done it himself.
"Any Vid of him leaving?"
Benson shook his head. "The cameras only run during a Transfer."
"That's just fucking great. Why didn't anyone tell us that?"
"Got me."
"Considering the circumstances, couldn't these idiots have turned them on?"
"Apparently not."
"This is ridiculous."
"We do have Vid from the hallway," Benson offered. "It appears to be Sobel trying to escape. Body size matches. It's from the back and his head is shaved, which explains the hair I found in his room."
"Just him?"
"It looks like someone lent a hand at one of the emergency doors. Hard to tell who – the person had a robe on with a hood up. Could be Blair, but you never know. If it was, why come back here after leaving the building? And why would he kill her after she helped him?"
"Get Chandler down here. No one else."
Benson nodded.
Minutes later Malcolm Chandler appeared. He was a small, trim man with an air of conceit. This behavior made him something of a contradiction among the staff. His narcissism mixed with his genius left them at odds. No one knew whether to laugh behind his back or marvel at his accomplishments.
Chandler had been the one to promote HICOP technology outside of a Hospital. He was the pitch man, basking in the limelight while a reclusive Peter Sands worked in the background. These roles were by choice and deepened as time progressed. Chandler propelled the procedure into the mainstream while Sands ensured its reliability.
As popularity surged, guidelines were put in place and The Sands Foundation was formed. Chandler became Director. Success and clout inflated his ego. Many believed he wielded more power than the President of World One Council – the organization that oversaw global politics.
Those who knew him well weren't surprised by his success. He was a great PR man with a gift for selling. They also knew he had little concept of likeability or weakness.
Maxwell watched him approach and thought of someone walking to his doom. Chandler's usual entourage of ass kissers and yes men were nowhere to be seen. It was a surprise such a stubborn person had actually listened to an instruction.
"How may I be of service?" Chandler came to a stop and flashed a haughty grin. "I hope you understand there's a lot on my plate at the moment."
Maxwell motioned to Jackie's body with one of his big hands. "Something needs to be done about this."
Chandler glanced at the form on the floor like someone might look at a dead dog or cat on their lawn - annoyed but not troubled. "Your man was given all our information about Dr. Blair."
"You gave us a name and position."
"What more do you need?"
Maxwell narrowed his eyes and rubbed his jaw. "For a man who's sitting on a house of cards you seem pretty relaxed. I find that odd. Especially when you consider one of your star employees may have just killed another."
This did nothing to ruffle Chandler's feathers. Despite his arrogance he held his Locums in high regard. Their welfare, both mentally and physically, was a top priority. "You're jumping to conclusions. Richard Sobel is as likely to murder someone as a pig is to fly." His tone was matter of fact. "While the loss of Dr. Blair is a tragedy, it wasn't committed by the man in question."
"You sure about that?"
"Absolutely."
"Willing to bet your career on it?"
Chandler opened his mouth to reply but stopped. Maxwell hid a smile. It was the first time seeing him cautious.
"I haven't got all day to wait for your answer Malcolm."
"What do you want?"
"The parts you left out, the things I need to know that will help me make an arrest and put this thing to bed."
Chandler rubbed his temples with long, thin fingers. He was irritated. "I've told you all we know. None of our records indicate Sobel is capable of such a thing. If he was he wouldn't work for me."
Maxwell leaned against the wall and folded his large arms across his chest. "Must suck to lose your prize racehorse."
"What does that have to do with your investigation?" Chandler snapped. "Of course Richard Sobel made us a lot of money. But that's irrelevant. Either cut to the chase or I'm leaving!"
"I guess I'm just saying that a man like Sobel, someone who's done so much for your business, might get special treatment. Maybe someone turned a blind eye to get him out of a jam?"
This caused Chandler's complexion to shift from white to crimson. "That's not how things work here! Richard Sobel may have considered himself above many of his peers, but we treated him the same as everyone else. They are hired to perform an identical function - diagnose ailments and allow people to avoid pain and suffering. I admit, the man has helped bring the Foundation even further into the public eye, but the real attraction is the procedure itself. If Sobel was some sort of favorite as you claim, don't you think I would have tipped him off before you arrived in Eden? I knew what happened before you even got here. Gorman sent me the News file."
"I think you might have if his old body was still alive," Maxwell said. "But he's no good to you now. He's just an old mule, nothing more."
"That's a dirty assumption."
"Just calling it like I see it."
"Neither I or The Sands Foundation considers itself above the law or encourages crime."
"Then you won't mind providing me with Sobel's files," Maxwell said with a grin.
This pushed Chandler's considerable frown even deeper. "Memory records are only accessed in an emergency."
"Your employee is now a fugitive. I think that constitutes an emergency."
"There is no proof Sobel did this!" Chandler pointed a shaky finger at Jackie's body. "Should some turn up you will be granted full access."
"You seem to forget who I am."
"No! I think you who forget who I am! Most of this City and your job exist because of what I helped create. The power I wield but seldom use is enormous. Scare tactics and threats won't get you what you want. If anything, they'll only slam a door shut that was already closing."
Maxwell stared at Chandler through narrowed eyes. The expression spoke volumes of the truth behind his words. "You don't..."
"Have you checked for prints yet? DNA of any sort? Even an errant hair?"
"Yes."
"And what did you find?"
"Nothing."
"Shame on you for blaming Richard!"
"But he ran Malcolm, he escaped from here. That makes him look guilty. So I'm doing my job."
"Did you threaten him? Think about his mental state after such an incredible loss. His reaction isn't going to make sense."
"Chief?"
The sound of an approaching voice broke the tension in the air and killed conversation. Both men looked to see Benson a few steps away. As he drew closer the deep concern on his face became apparent.
"What's wrong?" Maxwell asked. "You look like someone just killed your cat!"
"Sorry for interrupting."
"Think nothing of it."
Benson relaxed. "Commander Gorman just called the main office. He said he tried your Tablet but there was no response. I mentioned you were in the middle of..."
"Who cares about the details Benson?! Just give me the meat."
"Another body turned up, identical state to Jackie Blair. This one is male."
Maxwell gritted his teeth. "What do we know?"
"Found outside Charlie's by a waiter after his shift. Near the service exit, lifeless, no visible signs of a struggle."
"That's way too close to be a coincidence."
"It gets stranger," Benson added. "Body belonged to one of the Janitors from here, and one of the waiters remembers serving Charlie Nickle."
"Fuck!" Maxwell muttered. He spun and marched toward the exit. "Take charge of this scene Officer. Report to me when it's clean."
Benson set about organizing himself. He waved at a group of men in the distance, then pulled a Tablet from his jacket.
"Looks like I could be right Malcolm!" Maxwell called over his shoulder. "Pretty hard to deny."
Chandler shook his head and watched him go.