The Harlequin - 27. Chapter 27

Adam sat on the curb handcuffed, his gun seized. The officer in charge was on his radio, reading Adam’s ID information to the dispatch. An unmarked car drove up, stopping just across the street. Adam didn’t need to look to know who it was as Detective Cutter and Detective Chance exited the car and approached Adam. A.J. looked pissed, and Artie was smiling.

“Well, well Potter. So nice to see you again,” said Artie.

“It’s been too long, Artie,” Adam replied. The officer in charge heard their exchange and spoke up.

“Hey, Detective. You know him?”

“Sadly, I wish I didn’t,” said Artie.

“Yes, we know him. Get those cuffs off of him,” barked A.J., stopping just in front of Adam as the officer stood him up and unlocked the cuffs.

Adam rubbed his wrists as the officer walked away, and A.J. addressed him.

“What are you doing here, Adam?”

“Well, if you must know, this is where my assistant lives. I came to see him,” Adam replied.

“Really, and where is he?” asked Artie.

“Not here,” responded Adam.

“Was he here when you arrived?” asked A.J.

“No.”

“So he gave you a key?” asked Artie.

“No, his Droid let me in.”

“His Droid?” A.J. looked over at a female officer who had just come out of the house. “Hey, was there a robot in there?”

“Yeah, cute little thing by the front door, but he’s not working,” she responded, walking past them.

Artie and A.J. looked at Adam with curiosity.

“He started to reboot himself after saying hello. I just pushed him back inside,” Adam half-lied.

“You pushed him back inside, and then what?” asked A.J.

“I thought Justin was home, so I went inside to find him.”

“Forgive me for saying, but I think you’re full of shit,” snapped Artie.

“Hold on,” interrupted A.J. “Were you alone?”

“Yeah.”

“Then where’s your Jeep, Adam?”

“I left it home. It was giving me trouble, so I took a cab here.”

“Was Justin home?” continued A.J.

“No. I was about to call you.”

“Why?”

But before Adam could answer, a male officer came up to them.

“We found something, detective.”

“What?” Artie asked.

“It’s a broken harlequin mask. It’s hanging in a room on the main floor,” the officer responded.

“Let’s go take a look,” said Artie.

“Great idea, why don’t I just get out of your hair and get back to my office?” said Adam.

Artie stepped into his path and smiled. “Why don’t you join us, Potter? To ID if it’s the same mask used in the attack on you and Mr. Valdez. You are concerned about your assistant whereabouts, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am,” Adam said, turning around and following A.J., who was already at the door.

“Good,” said Artie, who continued to talk to Adam while he walked behind him. “By the way, do you know where Mr. Valdez is? We can’t seem to locate him?” asked Artie.

“I have no idea,” Adam said honestly.

“Funny… because the guard at the gate gave an accurate description of him,” Artie continued.

Adam stopped in his tracks and turned to him.

“Just say what’s on your mind Artie, and stop the bullshit.”

“Fine, I believe you’re hiding Patrick Valdez because you have a boner for him. And you’re interfering with a murder investigation.”

Adam closed his eyes and decided to come clean. “Patrick was here with me, but he’s not now. Also, I came in a rental car, and now that’s missing.”

“Patrick stole your rental? Funny… our records show he doesn’t even have a driver’s permit,” said Artie.

“I don’t know for sure if he took it, because I didn’t see him drive off. I was in the townhouse at the time.” The thought of Patrick’s inexperience driving around town caused Adam tension. Hopefully Patrick just never got his license and could handle the drive.

“So you think someone else drove him?”

“I don’t know,” he threw back, turning to A.J.

“Adam, you know we have an APB out on him,” said A.J.

“There’s more. I believe the Harlequin had Patrick’s place bugged with a camera.”

“Patrick’s place?” asked A.J. “You mean his parents’ home?”

“No, he has a condo down at the docks. I believe the camera's in the Droid.”

“What…that robot?” A.J. gestured with his head towards Dante.

“It has a twin at Patrick’s condo. The Harlequin called my cell and told me he had Justin and that he wants me to exchange Patrick for Justin’s freedom.”

A.J. let what Adam said to him sink in as he turned and walked into the house. Adam and Artie followed. Dante sat, motionless, against the wall.

“What happened to it?” Artie asked Adam.

“Patrick said a command to it and it shut down. He told me it was rebooting and should only take about fifteen minutes.”

“It’s a quarter ‘till now,” said Artie.

“Then it should be back up in a few minutes,” said Adam.

“So Justin and Patrick know this guy personally. What’s his name?

“Cain Rollins. He’s a professor at Justin’s college, and was Patrick’s teacher when he went to school overseas.”

“Adam, you weren’t going to handle this by yourself were you?” A.J. asked.

“Not after finding out about this,” he waved at the sleeping droid. “…and Cain’s dungeon back there.”

“We’re going to put out an APB on Justin Shi and Cain Rollins as well,” said Artie.

“No wait, you can’t, he might kill Justin if cops get involved.”

“Hello, Patrick is gone. Did you ever wonder why he just disappeared?” asked Artie.

“Adam, he might be involved and you’re the only other witness to seeing the Harlequin. Maybe they’re planning on silencing you using Justin as bait,” said A.J.

“You’re wrong, and I’m not risking Justin’s life.”

“Say we wait to put out the APB on them. When is the exchange supposed to take place?”

“Tonight.”

“Tonight?” Artie snapped. “Where?”

Adam hesitated.

“Come on Potter. This is a police matter now,” ordered Artie.

“Patrick hired me to prove his innocence, so this is my case as well.”

“No, it’s not. It’s for homicide. You are too close to both missing persons,” said A.J.

“There’s no way I’m going home to wait for a phone call.”

“Would you rather be arrested and wait in lockup?” A.J. suggested.

Adam knew he wasn’t going to win this argument, but he needed to buy himself more time, so he decided to come clean.

“The exchange was going to be at the graveyard where the case began. He said a note will be waiting for me at the north gate by the grave with a headstone of a sleeping dog.”

“Okay, Adam, we’ll take it from here. You are now off the case. Do you want a squad car to take you home?” asked A.J.

“A.J. listen to me. You can’t swarm that gaveyard with cops and flashing lights. Rollins will kill Justin.”

“Officer Scott,” A.J. called to a rookie officer standing in the hallway by an open door. Upon hearing his name, he approached.

“Yes detective?”

“Take Mr. Potter home, and once he arrives you may return his gun.”

“Yes sir.” Adam turned in frustration when A.J. touched his arm.

“Adam, I promise you, we’ll get Justin back safe and sound. You have to leave this to the police so we can have a concrete case against all who’s involved.”

“You still think Patrick had a part in this?”

A.J. chose to not answer Adam’s question. “I will keep you informed, and please if you run into Patrick again take him to the police station,” said A.J.

Adam shook his head and followed the officer out the front door. A.J. turned to go find Artie when a click, then a long whirring sound filled the hallway. A.J., and the officers around him, turned and looked towards Dante, whose vacant eyes flickered, then raised his head to look at them.

“Hello, my name is Dante. You are not authorized to be here.”

“Dante?” said A.J., who stepped towards it, but then stopped when the eyes flickered again, flashing erratically. “Artie, come look at this,” A.J. called out.

Adam, was pissed that A.J. still wouldn’t drop his theory about Patrick being involved, and continued down the steps.

Artie approached A.J. just as he saw an electrical discharge igniting from Dante. The pulse traveled through the house, stunning everyone inside. Adam heard the grunts from the officers he left behind, and turned to see the bodies hitting the floor.

“A.J.,” Adam yelled, as he and the rookie raced back to the house. The rookie stopped at the door and eyed his fellow officers who were unconscious on the floor. He went to enter, but Adam stopped him by grabbing his shoulders from behind.

“No, wait. The robot,” said Adam.

“What about him?” the rookie asked glaring at the machine.

“His eyes are red, which could suggest he was the one who shocked them.”

“You can’t be sure of that.”

“All unauthorized persons, must leave the premises in ten, nine, eight…”

Then I’ll shoot it,” he said, going for his gun. Adam placed his palm on top of the man’s hand that rested on the handle of his gun.

“That’s not a good idea. He’s defending the house. He might see you as a threat, and send out another shockwave and this second one could kill the victims of the first one.”

“So what do we do?” Adam stepped around him and looked at Dante.

“Three, two…”

“Dante…” The Droid locked its sensors with Adam’s eyes. “…reboot alpha t-99urdone.” The robot eyes flickered and turned to a warm blue, then calmly turned black. Dante’s head tilted forward as he shut down. “It’s okay; he’s off again.” They and the three officers outside entered the townhouse and checked for pulses. The rookie knelt next to Artie, and Adam tended to A.J. His pounding heart settled when he felt a pulse on A.J. neck. He listened as the rookie called for an ambulance and police backup.

“Make sure they get a tech guy down here for the robot’s battery removal.” The rookie listened and informed his switchboard of the robot. Adam looked out the door, and his eyes fell on the unmarked car that belonged to Detective Artie Cutter. He turned back to the rookie. “You should see if any of the other officers were affected.”

“Right.” He hurried off, and Adam walked over to Artie and quickly searched him. He found the key in his right pocket and glanced towards A.J., who lay soundly on the floor as he walked out the townhouse. He climbed into Artie’s black sedan and drove off.