Breach of Peace (The Lawful Times #0.5)(19)

Chapman had manipulated her and her husband. He had spent months feeding valuable intelligence to enemies of the state. He had just assaulted her. Now, he was walking into a trap—one that, depending on Khlid’s actions, would ensnare either Chapman alone, or the entire Seventh Precinct.

Finally, her eyes snapped open. Whatever Chap had given her seemed to have taken hold; the stabbing pain in her head subdued to a manageably dull thump. She was still concussed, but now she could function. Her balance was off and her vision swam, but she could ignore it enough to stand and walk.

She got out of the tub and retrieved her pistol. Making her way to the central room, Khlid saw why Chapman had never brought anyone from the precinct here: it was not a home. It was just where he slept. She could count the number of nonessential items on one hand. No art decorated the walls. One chair. A table large enough for one man to eat at, next to a mattress on the floor. Khlid pulled a cigarette from her pocket and took a moment to pity the man with so little to lose.

A boom of distant thunder cemented the dread in her stomach.





5





The Mistake





Khlid staggered through the Seventh Precinct’s front door, brushed off as much of the rain as she could manage, and was greeted by Rollins, on his way out. Surprised to see her, he said, “Ah. I guess I don’t have to go hunting for you, then.” He looked at her properly now. “Inspector Khlid, are you feeling alright?”

“No.” She tossed her smoke out the door behind her. “Where is Samuel?”

“His desk. The captain reamed him out for a solid twenty minutes. Sam just sent me to make sure you and Chapman had not, as he put it, ‘come to blows thanks to how donkey-headed I had been.’”

Khlid left the sergeant and went to find her husband.

Samuel was sitting at his desk, head down and shoulders slumped. Khlid had seen him in a similar mood countless times before—most often when he was about to give up on a case and hand it to Chapman.

He looked up at the sound of her steps, then stood in dismay at her appearance. “What happened to you? Are you okay?” A darker look came into his eyes. “Where is Chapman?”

“We need to speak with the captain right now.”

Without question, Sam walked her to the captain’s office on the second floor. She opened the door without knocking, and barely let Sam through before slamming it behind them.

The captain looked up from his desk. “I swear on my career, if the two of you—”

“Chapman is working with the rebellion. He’s either about to get himself killed trying to expose corruption within the M.O.D.—” Khlid took a deep breath. “—or he is setting up a trap to kill all of us.”

The captain sat there with his mouth hanging open for several seconds. Samuel slowly descended into one of the seats across from Williams and put his face in his hands. Khlid wanted to scream. Only as she said it aloud did the truth of it finally fully hit her.

Khlid went over exactly what had happened, sparing no detail except for the conditions in which Chapman lived. Concluding, she said, “If it is a trap, he’s played his hand beautifully. The only place that could confirm or deny Chapman’s story is the Ministry of Defense. Since asking them could tip off the murderers, we cannot do that.”

Williams opened his clasped hands. “Then you’re advocating storming a possibly Ministry of Defense-owned factory? Because of a tip from Chapman, who just beat you senseless and has been lying to all of us for God knows how long?”

Khlid knew how she sounded. “Captain, this is happening in our jurisdiction. If it is the M.O.D., we have the right to investigate. Especially if it is someone behind a desk abusing their power. We serve the people, and our oaths demand we do whatever is necessary to ensure their safety under the Almighty. No part of that oath says we turn a blind eye when the abuse comes from within.”

“And if none of it's true, and Chapman is laying a trap?”

Khlid simply shrugged. “Then he deserves to be arrested.”

Williams had sat back in his chair. Samuel had started rubbing her back. A habit he often did when he thought she was in distress.

“If even one iota of what you have said to me here today is untrue, I will personally strip you of your badge, citizenship, and send you off to the questioners at the M.O.D. myself. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Let’s say Chapman is right. If we catch M.O.D. murdering civilians, it seems likely to me that the Ministry of Justice would dismantle the Seventh—possibly the Imperial Police Force itself—and bury the story. If we follow Chapman’s lead and it takes us where he says it will, the rest of our professional lives will be out of my control. Either the M.O.D. high command will be purged—or we will. Do you understand?”

Samuel and Khlid answered as one, “Yes, Captain.”

Williams leaned over his desk. “That only leaves one question. Khlid, do you think Chapman is telling the truth?”

Khlid took several moments to weigh everything that had happened these last few hours. Chapman had lied, but she had a feeling every word he had spoken after confessing his affiliation had been the truth. She had wanted to reject it; it went against her faith in everything she had devoted her life to.

But Chapman had asked for help. Something, to that point, he had shown himself incapable of doing.