Tek Kill Read Free Page A

killers.”
    â€œIn this mystical vision, huh?”
    â€œShe clearly saw two men, neither one of them Bascom, do away with Dwight Grossman.”
    â€œSomebody going into a trance,” mentioned Dan, “and having hallucinations doesn’t make for the sort of evidence that stands up in court, Molly.”
    Molly gave him a corrective jab in the ribs with her right fist. “Don’t be so darned narrow-minded, Daniel dear,” she advised. “The point to grasp with your peanut brain is that Susan saw these guys. We’ll be able to provide your father with identifications and holographic mug shots.”
    â€œOh, so? How do we do that? More hoodoo?”
    Molly made an impatient noise. “I love you, but sometimes I really wonder about your reasoning abilities,” she admitted. “As soon as we arrive at the police academy, we’ll drop in at the Background & ID room and consult with our robot buddy, Rex/GK-30. Working with the detailed descriptions I got out of Sue, Rex’ll be able to tap police files and—”
    â€œWe’re not supposed to use Rex that way anymore. Remember what—”
    â€œHooey,” observed Molly. “If we’re going to help get Bascom out of the jug, we’ll have to take a few small risks.”
    â€œGetting expelled isn’t exactly a small risk,” he told her. “Besides, we have classes all—”
    â€œWe can miss Lieutenant Cutler’s Electronic Forensics 22B lecture today,” Molly said confidently.
    â€œI suppose,” said Dan, slumping in his seat.
    The skycar flew on toward the Santa Monica Sector.

5
    THE top of Bascom’s desk looked much neater than usual and all the windows of his large tower office had been unblanked, affording an unobstructed view of the metal-and-plastiglass buildings rising up all around out in the early-morning haze. Seated at the desk of the absent chief of the Cosmos Detective Agency was a husky man with feathery blond hair. He held his voxwatch to his ear as Gomez and Jake made their way up to take seats facing the desk. “This emergency meeting was scheduled for 8:15 on the nose, fellas,” he mentioned.
    â€œ ¡Caramba! And here we come dragging in at the ungodly hour of 8:22.” Gomez slumped into a tin slingchair.
    â€œIn point of fact, it’s almost 8:30, but we’ll let that pass.” Anselmo smiled a forgiving smile. “We have considerable ground to cover, so let’s not waste any more time getting under way.”
    â€œIn point of fact,” offered Jake from the plastiglass chair he’d settled into, “it’s my fault we’re so late, Roy. I was the one who insisted we get into a drag race with a skyvan that was done up to resemble a tofu burger and—”
    â€œYour flippant attitude is really out of place at a serious meeting like this, Jake,” Anselmo told him.
    Gomez leaned back and rested a booted foot on the edge of the hologram projection stage. “Get on with your sermon, por favor .”
    A slim Japanese woman sitting immediately to the rear of Gomez made an annoyed clucking sound. “Get your feet off the equipment.”
    â€œYou need a lube job, Karin,” he said, not bothering to look over his shoulder at her. “That’s what’s causing that rusty noise you’re continually—Ah, I forgot. You’re not really a robot or an andy, you merely behave like one.”
    â€œSid,” said Anselmo from behind his boss’s desk, “we’re all here this morning to help Walt Bascom out of this little jam he’s—”
    â€œGetting tossed in the calabozo and charged with murder ranks a shade higher than a little jam.”
    Karin Tanoshi made her noise again. “I was against Cardigan and Gomez being invited,” she said, anger in her thin voice. “They’re both behaving like—”
    â€œPlease, Karin,” Anselmo came