Part 15 (1/2)

”The victim, yeah.”

I take that first AP article, from April 2, the one ending with the odds of impact at one in two million one hundred twenty-eight thousand, and hand it to Culverson.

”And here's another one, a few days later.” I pull out another sc.r.a.p of dog-eared computer paper and begin reading. ” 'Though the object appears to be ma.s.sively large, with an estimated diameter upwards of six and a quarter kilometers, s.p.a.ceguard astronomers calculate its current chances of colliding with Earth as barely higher than zero-what Dr. Kathy Goldstone, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Arizona, calls only just within the realm of non-negligible probability.' And Mr. Zell, he's got that number-six and a quarter-that's underlined, too.”

I take out another piece of paper, and another. Zell wasn't just keeping track of the numbers on Maia, on its trajectory and projected density and composition. His box also has articles on all the asteroid-related societal changes: new laws, s.h.i.+fting economic landscape, and he's watching those numbers, too, writing on the backs of the papers, scrawling calculations-long columns of data, exclamation points-adding it all into the matrix.

”Son of a gun,” says Culverson suddenly.

”Son of a gun what?” says McGully. ”What?”

”See-so-” I start, and Culverson finishes, says it smooth and right: ”The strong possibility of death by global catastrophe can be seen as mitigating the risk of death from drug-related misadventure.”

”Yes,” I say. ”Right. Yes.”

”Yes, what?” growls McGully.

”Palace's hanger was doing a risk a.s.sessment.”

I beam. Culverson nods at me approvingly, and I place the lid back on the box. It's 11:30 now, s.h.i.+ft change, and from the break room a couple doors down we can hear the frat-house rumble of the patrol officers, the young Brush Cuts with their nightsticks. They're rattling around, shouting abuse at one another, drinking their skinny little cans of energy drink, strapping on their bulletproofing. Ready to get out there and aim their sidearms at some looters, ready to fill up the drunk tank.

”My theory is, Zell makes a decision, very early on, that if the odds of impact rise above a certain mathematically determined level, he's going to try something dangerous and illegal, an interest that had always been too risky to indulge. Until now.”

In early June the odds rise above his threshold, and Zell heads to the house of his old friend J. T. Toussaint, who figures out how to get ahold of something, and together they get high as satellites.

But then-late October-Zell has a bad reaction, or a change of heart, or maybe the drugs run out. He goes into withdrawal.

At this point, McGully raises a hand slowly, sarcastically, like a surly teenager giving his math teacher a hard time.

”Uh, yes, Detective? Excuse me? How does this tragic tale make the guy into a murder victim?”

”Well, I don't know. But that's what I'd like to find out.”

”Okay. Great!” He claps, hops off his desk. ”So, let's go to this Toussaint fella's house and run the a.s.shole in.”

I turn from Culverson to McGully, my heartbeat accelerating a little. ”You think so?”

”h.e.l.l, yeah, I think so.” In fact, he looks delighted at the prospect, and I'm reminded of McConnell, the philosophical question of our era: How many more times do I get to yell, ”Stop, motherf.u.c.ker”?

”But I don't have probable cause,” I protest, and I turn back toward Culverson, hoping that he'll object to my objection, hoping to hear him say, ”Sure you do, son,” but he's still quiet in his corner, ruminating.

”Probable cause?” snorts McGully. ”Christ, man, you've got it in spades. You've got the guy procuring a controlled substance, distributing it. Automatic go to jail, do not pa.s.s Go, IPSS t.i.tle IX-right, hotshot? You've got him lying to a police officer. Same deal-t.i.tle I-don't-f.u.c.king-know, t.i.tle Infinity.”

”Well, I think he's done those things. I don't know.” I appeal to Culverson, the adult in the room. ”Maybe we can get a warrant? Search the house?”

”A warrant?” McGully throws his hands up, imploring the room, the heavens, the hushed form of Detective Andreas, who has opened his eyes just enough to stare at something he's got on his desk.

”Wait, wait, you know what? He's driving an oil car, right? He's admitted to that, right? To the WVO?

”Yeah. So?”

”So?” McGully is grinning ear to ear, his hands raised high in the touchdown sign. ”Three new provisions just tacked onto t.i.tle XVIII, in re: natural resources management and scarcity.” He hops over to his desk, scoops up the new binder, fat and black with the American flag stickered on the front. ”Hot off the press, mis amigos. Presuming your man is juicing his French-fry oil with diesel, that vehicle is in fragrant violation.”

I shake my head. ”I can't arrest him for retroactively violating a newly enacted statute.”

”Oh, well, Agent Ness, how high-minded of you.” He gives me both middle fingers and sticks out his tongue for good measure.

”You've got another problem, though,” says Culverson. I know what he's going to say; I'm ready for it. I'm actually a little excited about it. ”You told me yesterday that Toussaint's got a squeaky-clean record. Hardworking guy. Working man. To the extent that Zell has kept up with him at all, to the extent that he's even crossed the guy's mind, why would he go to him for drugs?”

”Excellent question, Detective,” I say, beaming. ”Look.”

I show him the printout I got from Wilentz, on the way up here, the search results on Toussaint's father. Because that's what I was remembering, that's what I found in my notes from yesterday, something about the way J. T. said it, about his old man: ”Was he an artist?” ”Yes, among other things.” I watch Culverson skim the report. Roger Toussaint; a.k.a. Rooster Toussaint; a.k.a. Marcus Kilroy; a.k.a. Toots Keurig. Possession. Possession with intent to distribute. Possession with intent to distribute. Possession. Violation of a minor. Possession.

So when Peter Zell decided to get ahold of a controlled substance-when the odds of impact made the decision for him-he remembered his old friend, because his old friend's dad was a drug dealer.

Culverson, at last, nodding, rising slowly from his chair. McGully, out of his chair in a flash. My heart, galloping.

”Okay then,” Culverson says. ”Let's go.”

I nod, there's a pause, and then the three of us move to the door at the same time, three policemen swinging into action, patting their shoulder holsters and shrugging on their coats, and there's a rush of antic.i.p.ation and joy so strong in my gut that it comes all the way around, to a kind of dread. This is a moment I've imagined all my life, three police detectives up and ready for action, feeling the st.u.r.diness of our legs beneath us, feeling the adrenaline begin to flow.

McGully stops for Andreas on the way out the door-”You coming, gorgeous?”-but the last of the Adult Crimes detectives isn't going anywhere. He's frozen in his chair, a half-empty coffee cup at his elbow, his hair a bird's nest, staring at a tattered pamphlet on his desk: IT IS SIMPLY TO PRAY.

”Come on, pally,” McGully urges, s.n.a.t.c.hing away the wrinkled pamphlet. ”New Guy has got a sc.u.mbag for us.”

”Come on,” says Culverson, and I say it, too. ”Come on.”

He turns a quarter of an inch, mutters something.

”What?” I say.

”What if they're right?” says Andreas. ”The-the-” he gestures to the pamphlet, and I sort of can't take it anymore.

”They're not right.” I place a firm hand on his shoulder. ”Why don't we not think about this right now.”

”Not think about it?” says Andreas, wide-eyed, pathetic. ”Not think about it?”

With a quick flat chop I knock over the cup of coffee on Andreas's desk, and the cold brown liquid gushes out, rus.h.i.+ng over the pamphlet, flooding his ashtray, his paperwork and computer keyboard.

”Hey,” he says dumbly, pus.h.i.+ng back from the desk, turning all the way around. ”Hey.”

”You know what I'm doing right now?” I say, watching the muddy liquid rush toward the edge of the table. ”I'm thinking: Oh no! The coffee's going to spill onto the floor! I'm so worried! Let's keep talking about it!”

And then the coffee waterfalls over the side of the desk, splas.h.i.+ng on Andreas's shoes and pooling on the ground beneath the desk.

”Oh, look at that,” I say. ”It happened anyway.”

All is the same as it was.