Lock in

“My name is Agent Leslie Va

“Right,” Bell said.

“The police tell me that you’ve not previously been forthcoming on the whole talking thing.”

“I’ll give you three guesses why,” Bell said.

“Probably because they zapped you as soon as they saw you.”

“Bingo.”

“Not that it means anything, but I apologize to you for that, Nicholas. It’s not the way I would have handed it if I were there.”

“I was sitting on the bed,” Bell said. “With my hands up. I wasn’t doing anything.”

“I know,” Va

Bell stared at Va

“Like I said, not an excuse,” Va

“Am I under arrest?” Bell asked.

“Nicholas, you were found in a room with a dead guy, covered in his blood,” Va

“Am I under arrest?” Bell repeated.

“What you are, is in a position to help me out,” Va

Bell gave a wry smile to this, crossed his arms, and looked away.

“We’re back to the not talking,” Va

“We can talk about bacon cheeseburgers again, if you like.”

“You can at the very least tell me if you were integrated,” Va

“You’re kidding,” Bell said.

“I’m not asking for details, just whether or not you were working,” Va

Bell, who had been sipping his coffee, set it down and swallowed. “You’re talking about Cassandra now,” he said.

“No one would blame you,” Va

“Do you believe that?” Bell asked.

“My partner is a Haden,” Va

Bell visibly bristled at this. “If you know who I am then you certainly know who she is,” he said. “I’d say she has a job. Unless you think being one of the prime movers behind the Haden Walkout this week and the march they have pla

“I don’t disagree with you, Nicholas,” Va

“Money isn’t that important to her.”

“No, but it’s about to become important,” Va

“I appreciate your desire to help, Agent Va

Va

“I didn’t,” Bell said. “I called him while I was still in the hotel room. Before the police zapped me.” Bell tapped his temple, indicating all the high-tech apparatus he had stuffed into his skull. “Which I recorded, of course, just like I record almost everything. Because you and I agree on one thing, Agent Va

At this, Bell smiled and looked up, as if paying attention to something unseen. “And that’s a ping from my lawyer. He’s here. I expect your life is about to get much more interesting, Agent Va

“I think we’re done here, then,” Va

“I think we are,” Bell said. “But it was lovely talking food with you.”

Chapter Three

“SO, TO RECAP,” Samuel Schwartz said, and held up a hand to tick off points. “Illegally stu

Captain Davidson shifted uncomfortably in his desk chair. Va

“Your client never expressed his right to remain silent or his desire for a lawyer,” Davidson said.

“Yes, it’s strange how getting hit with fifty thousand volts will keep a person from verbalizing either of those, isn’t it,” Schwartz said.

“He didn’t ask for them after he got here, either,” Va

Schwartz turned his head to her. The Ajax 370 model’s stylized head bore some resemblance to the Oscar statuette, with subtle alterations to where the eyes, ears and mouth would be, both to avoid trademark issues and to give humans conversing with the threep something to focus on. Heads could be heavily customized, and a lot of younger Hadens did that. But for adults with serious jobs, that was déclassé, which was another clue to Schwartz’s likely social standing.

“He didn’t have to, Agent Va