GrowingOlderHopeWiser

Chapter 4

Visibly shaken and sweating, John Smith whipped into the parking garage under the dome. That was too close for comfort. He cleaned and polished the knife, then put it away in its box. Mounted the ATV again and left.

It had been two weeks to the day since the last killing. Inspector Frank Simon suspected he had a serial killer on his hands. It was one of the worker bees from sector 2, the indoor farming dome. Benjamin Benson is a tall and large man with well-worn, callused hands, a gruff beard, and shoulder-length, graying hair. He was found in the equipment shed with his throat slit and two plastic cups lying on the ground—the odor of whiskey on his lips. A folded Gallery exhibition pamphlet was found under his body.

This place was as far removed from the gallery and its clientele as could be. So when Inspector Frank called Zoe, she had no clue. Only more questions. What was going on? Why the loose connection to the Gallery again? She had no idea who Benjamin Benson was. Inspector Frank showed her the Gallery Pamphlet, which was for an upcoming exhibition of Dan Mueller’s work, “Cornfields.” She had helped curate the exhibit herself with Gregorio and was set to open in a week. The exhibit was an immersive experience featuring large paintings of cornfields and metal sculptures of corn. 

Zoey noticed the faint odor of whiskey on Inspector Frank’s breath; maybe she imagined it. His hand was wrapped in gauze. He said he broke a glass tumbler. 

Opening night at Gallery21 for “Cornfields” was packed with guests, art-inspired appetizers, mini sandwiches, and champagne, with the Nano 2 Robots serving it all.

It was a lovely Martian evening with music, art, and good food. The featured guest artist had not arrived yet, but was well anticipated. Zoey dealt directly with the artist’s office managers, but had not met Mr. Mueller. She was looking forward to meeting him for the first time.  It was getting late, and still no sign of Mr. Mueller. She called his office and just got a recording to leave a message. Zoey discreetly informed Gregorio of Mr. Mueller’s no-show, and after a while, apologized to the guests.

Inspector Frank Simon was joined by Brian Malarkey, Stephen Judd, and a couple of Security 1 Nano Robots at Benjamin Benson’s quarters in Sector 2. He lived in a large warehouse where they uncovered paintings, metal sculptures, and welding equipment.

Benjamin Benson was Dan Mueller, his artist alias. He promptly informed Zoe of the connection. She now realized it was all tied to the Gallery in some way. But, Why? What was the motive?

Inspector Frank Simon popped another couple of aspirin, then took a shot of whiskey. He lay on the couch and passed out from the pain. This was happening more often now. It must be the stress of the case, he thought. 

Distinctive ATV tire tracks were left behind the shed where Benjamin Benson was murdered. The right-rear tire had a couple of cross-slashes and could be matched if the ATV is found. He sent Brian Malarkey and Stephen Judd to the south side of Mars to search. He had an instinctive feeling the answer was there. 

Chapter 5

The south side was much more relaxed and busy at the same time. A lot of activity, with equipment moving back and forth, loading and unloading. Pietro Ivanovich was new; he started just a couple of months ago. When Brian and Stephen started making inquiries about anything new or recently changed, they were informed about Pietro; people said he had a temper and had already gotten into several bar fights. They found Pietro at the local saloon, in the back, drinking Vodka alone. He got nasty when they started to ask him questions, and he pulled out a knife on them. They managed to subdue and disarm him. Pietro was hauled to PD3 for further questioning. They needed first to figure out how this man passed the vetting. He obviously had mental issues. Pietro was 6’2”, a solid man with a muscular frame, steely blue eyes, and a crew cut. Brian and Stephen both had Pietro’s marks to prove he was not easily subdued.

Inspector Frank Simon was certain he had the right man; now he needed solid proof, such as the actual weapon used. The knife he pulled on his officers was not a match. And they needed a motive that made sense. This man was a brute; the person who killed Mr. Moritz, Diane LaStrange, and Benjamin Benson was careful and methodical.

The inspector questioned Pietro for two days, hours on end, with scarcely a break. He was like a dog with a bone. They finally had to let him go; they had no proof. Frank told Brian and Stephen to follow him closely. 

Zoey was asked if she knew Pietro or had seen him ever near the Gallery, and she said she had not. 

Zoey busied herself with courting potential Gallery21 sponsors. She took them down to the archives below the first floor of the dome. She noticed a red clay footprint by the door leading to the floor below and took a picture for Inspector Frank. Below the archives was the Gallery’s mechanical room, which had an opening leading to the outside of the dome. ATVs could easily come in and out of the building there. The red footprint was a sure sign that someone had been outside at one point and had come in through an unauthorized checkpoint.

Once she freed herself from her guest, she called the Inspector and told him what she had found. He agreed to meet her at the Gallery to check it out. Only, he came alone to Zoe’s surprise. She thought for sure he would send Security1 Nano Robots at least to investigate.