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turned, and she put a forbidding expression on her face to discourage contact. She tried to swallow and couldn’t—another partner killed. Angel ignored the stares and kept her gaze lowered. Interoffice hubbub and whispers mercifully cut to silence as the door closed and locked.
    She brushed away lint and straightened the jacket. Dress up for a dressing down, they always said. She moved to the table and looked at her reflection in the glass surface. She frowned, rubbed her eyes, then looked away.
    No point delaying it. Angel’s implants sent a signal. She sat in one of the chairs and leaned back, and she waited. A minute later the image of Chief Inquisitor Valgeir appeared on the display wall, his face as dour and wrinkled as usual. Overhead lights reflected off his bald head. Angel stopped chewing her thumbnail and sat up.
    “Sir,” she said. “I’m here to brief you on the—”
    “Another dead partner, Inquisitor Xia?”
    Angel bit her tongue to prevent any excuses leaving her lips. Valgeir wouldn’t care. What he wanted was results. “Yes,” was all she said.
    “Did you win any credits?”
    “Excuse me?”
    Valgeir smiled thinly. “In the office pool, to see how long this one would last.”
    Heat flooded Angel’s face. Asshole . “I didn’t participate.”
    “Of course you didn’t. Do you have any idea the trouble this will cause us? Viktor was well connected. This post was meant to be a stepping-stone in his career. The Inquisitors were going to benefit from his rise.”
    She brought her head up. “Bad gamble.”
    Blood suffused Valgeir’s face. A pulse throbbed on his temple. “I want this mess cleaned up. I see you’ve been looking into the Harry Smith death. Drop it. Focus on the handless man murder. I want whoever killed him caught. I want that case solved and buried as soon as possible. When you get back, we’ll discuss your disciplinary action.”
    That sealed it for Angel: Valgeir was in on the cover-up. “With all due respect, I wasn’t responsible for what happened.” You gave him the rest of the day off.
    “You’re careless, and your partners die. No one wants to work with you, despite your rank and record. What does that tell you?”
    Maybe she should have given Viktor more guidance. “Everyone hates a winner?” Except Viktor. With his connections, he could have switched partners. Instead, she’d pushed him hard when she should have given him more guidance.
    “Don’t be a smart-ass bitch,” snapped Valgeir, spit flying from his mouth. “Wrap this corporate case up and get back here. I’ll keep in touch to make sure you’re not slacking off.”
    “I look forward to your guidance, sir.”
    Valgeir gazed into her eyes, shaking his head. “You never learn, do you? Life could become quite unpleasant for you.”
    “Is there anything else?”
    “Do your job, and don’t get anyone else killed. And stay away from Viktor’s case—you’ve caused enough trouble. I’ll have someone I trust handle it.”
    Valgeir’s bald head disappeared from the wall, which then went blank. Angel leaned back in her chair and placed her booted feet on the table. She sat there quietly, taking deep breaths, until she felt calm enough to exit the room.
    •
    She left the Inquisitor offices behind and made her way down to the medical floor. For some reason, they were always underground and devoid of windows. Harsh artificial light illuminated plascrete and stainless steel meticulously scrubbed and sanitized.
    What was the forensics investigator’s name? Andrews . That was it. A lump formed in her throat as she was reminded of Viktor, who’d recalled the man’s name when she hadn’t. The clip of her booted footsteps echoed around the corridor as she poked her head into every room, looking for him.
    There. Andrews was leaning over a cadaver with reddened, blistered skin, which looked like it had been immersed in acid.
    “What happened with this one?” Angel said.
    Andrews looked up, blinked,