OBSIDIAN: Birth to Venus
Chapter 21

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At 8 a.m., Jai woke up, laying on the couch in the study. She ran her hands along its soft, worn leather, and stretched out her arms and legs. Sitting up, she could hear whispering past the French doors.

“It’s exactly the same. Zoom in closer,” Sean said.

“Still need to enhance the resolution,” Diana said, sitting at the kitchen island. She twisted the computer cuffs, the bracelets on her wrists, and widened the screen projected above them. She amplified the video and zoomed in. “There. There it is. It is the same.”

Sean had a worried look on his face. “Pull up the folder.” Diana rummaged through a virtual filing cabinet, and found the folder Sean was looking for. She flung her arms wide, as if opening a hardcopy. A neat stack of documents appeared in front of her. She moved her hands delicately from side to side, parsing through each virtual page.

“There. That’s it,” Mach said, hovering over her.

Diana tapped gently on the page, and clicked the image there. It showed a lanky teen, huddled on the floor, a broken chair flung against the wall beside him. The teenager’s eyes were black and blue, his face sunken, with blood smeared across his face. Nearby, an older couple, presumably his parents, were clustered together. The man’s right arm was wrapped around his wife’s shoulders. He held his left hand up, attempting to shield them from harm. Masked figures stood above, with guns aimed at their terrified faces. With her thumb and index fingers, Diana signed two Ls as if she were framing a shot, then pulled her hands apart, causing the image to zoom in, to the shooter closest to the couple.

“Go in close, to the gun. No, there, to the wrist,” Avena said. The wrist was dainty, as if a woman’s. It bore a silver marking. It looked like a blade. It curved upward, cupping the top of her wrist, almost like a bracelet. The image was fuzzy and the lighting left much to be desired. Avena zoomed in further, examining it closely. “It’s silver, iridescent…but, it’s no bracelet. It’s tattooed with some weird ink.” The tattoo sparkled on the woman’s wrist. It looked like a blade, cutting her hand off.

“Now, go to last night’s video, at Club O,” Sean said, and they all leaned back, watching as Diana reopened it. Panning quickly, she reached the last few minutes of footage, when the camera zoomed in, close to the victim’s face. Just a moment before the camera steadied, a hand flashed on the screen. Diana froze the pane. The same tattooed blade was there, in clear view.

“We have to tell him,” Mach said, running his hands through his thick, black hair.

“Tell who what?” Jai asked, as she walked in for a closer look. She scanned the room. “Where’s Borda?”

“Jai, morning.” Sean said, pulling her close. “Borda left to check on the club. He’ll be back soon.”

“I see. So, what’s up?” Jai watched as everyone’s eyes darted around the room. No one said a thing. “Guys?”

Sean turned toward the screen. “We’ve been watching the footage again. It’s too soon to tell for sure, but there appears to be a connection to Borda.”

“What?” Jai found it hard to believe Borda could be involved in any way.

“No, Borda doesn’t know the sentient from Club O,” Sean assured her. “But, he has a connection. See, I met Borda through my work. His parents were diplomats, working at the Embassy. The Embassy hired the Division to install security cameras at Borda’s residence. Borda was just a teen at the time. Soon after he tested sentient positive, someone came after his parents. We didn’t draw the connection until after he traipsed into the club, getting into all sorts of trouble. He was searching for the people who’d murdered his parents. It took two seconds to replace out he was out searching for a hired gun. He was a newbie then, had barely stepped foot into the sentient life. But, he was smart enough to know it’s easier for a sentient to get away with murder than a human.”

Diana laughed. “And, leave it to him to see if I’d do it.”

Mach joined her in chuckling. “You have to appreciate Borda’s thinking. The less obvious the assailant, the better.”

“That’s true,” Jai agreed. Diana looked far more like a baroness than La Femme Nikita.

“I’m just glad he had the presence of mind to not try it himself,” Avena said, rolling her eyes. “He was barely functional. Wasted and reeling from his parents’ death. He couldn’t forgive himself. It was especially hard on him, healing just seconds after that woman shot him in the chest. Anyone else would’ve been dead from the bleed-out. It went straight through him. He was able to heal…just not fast enough. The woman shot his parents and they died just a few moments before he came-to. He still can’t forgive himself, for not saving them.”

“It’s how an Ivy Leaguer goes completely AWOL,” Mach said. Jai looked up, surprised. “Yea,” he nodded. “I am talking about the same guy. Borda used to be so straight-laced. You should see the photos. Borda was a yuppie. Things changed real quick after their murder. Nothing could stop him from going after the killers. And, once he got wind that Sean wasn’t just a club owner, he was relentless.”

Sean agreed. “We became concerned he’d go after the wrong people. Apparently, the perps disguised themselves as a delivery service. His parents were expecting a new china cabinet. That’s how the perps were able to enter the home.”

Avena sighed. “Borda actually opened the door to let them in.”

Jai was shocked. It didn’t take a degree to realize how much that would have pained him. It would drive anyone mad. “So, Borda caught them, murdered them?” Jai asked.

“He didn’t get the chance,” Avena answered. “Their bodies were discovered by the riverbank. Well, everything but their teeth and their arms, from the elbow down. Someone didn’t want them to be identified.” Jai couldn’t believe it. It was something straight out of CSI. Not something she ever expected to hear in relation to Borda, no matter how brusque he might be. “The police chalked it up to a drug deal gone bad. The area was well known for mob activity, and nothing came of it. It wasn’t the justice Borda had hoped for, but there was no reason to question the perps’ deaths at the time. None of us did. That no longer applies, though.” Avena motioned for Jai to look at the tattooed blades displayed on the screen. “Look. Do you see the resemblance?”

“They’re the same.”

“Exactly. Sean realized it last night. Borda’s shooter has precisely the same tat as the videotaper from last night, at Club O.”

“It’s an odd tat, too. Check out that ink,” Jai said, leaning in closer.

“It shimmers, and not like the standard sparkly ink that’s in vogue,” Diana said.

“Plus, check out the design,” Sean said. “It’s unlike any prison or gang symbol I’ve ever seen. It’s not Aryan, either.”

“It demands further investigation,” Mach said. “In the meantime, Jai, please don’t mention anything to Borda.”

“Yea, please don’t,” Sean emphasized.

Avena explained. “We’re coming up on the anniversary of his parents’ murder. It’s always particularly hard on him. Even after the assailant’s bodies were found, he got hooked on a mess of drugs. It took him over a year to get clean. Knowing that there’s a loose end out there could send him straight back. Telling him now would be a mistake. Especially when we don’t know if it’s really a loose end or not. Maybe it’s just a coincidence. I doubt it, but I don’t want to know what he’ll do if that chapter in his life’s not really over.”

“I understand. I won’t say anything,” Jai agreed.

Sean sighed. “Jai, the four of us are heading back to my place. We’ll have access to my systems there.” Jai nodded and they began packing their things. “Let’s go,” Sean said. “Let’s identify the director of last night’s opus.”