Lev Rosen - Depth

“Thanks.”

“Hey, you took me in when I had nowhere to go. This is the least I can do—besides all the free help I give you.” He walked into his bedroom, and Simone sat down on the couch. It was comfortable. It would do for the night. She took off her boots and lay back. Danny came back out with a thick blanket and pillow and put them down on the sofa next to her. For a moment he stared at nothing, that vague look he got when searching the web, then he smiled down at her. “You wanna talk about it?”

“You just read the police report, didn’t you?”

“A prelim report from one of the on-the-scene techs. Your apartment is still being processed, but the word torture stuck out.”

“My client. Linnea,” Simone breathed the name out softly and felt a stab of guilt in her lungs. She fished in her pocket for a cigarette and took it out. “You mind?” Danny shook his head. She lit it and inhaled deeply, filling her chest with something else. “Linnea. Tortured, left in my office. Some sort of warning.”

“Who from?”

“Dash Ormond, I think. Don’t know who he’s working for, though.”

“Dangerous Dash? I thought we liked him.” Danny sat down next to her on the sofa.

“We liked him when we weren’t in his crosshairs. But he’s just the weapon. Someone else is pulling his strings, and that someone wants the painting Linnea had and thinks I know where it is.”

“Why do they think that?”

“Because she hired me to spy on her husband, to make sure he didn’t double-cross her.”

“You want to go over this from the top for me?”

Simone inhaled deeply on her cigarette. She didn’t usually share her cases. She didn’t like asking for help.

“Can I ask you something else, first?” she said, without looking at Danny.

“Sure.”

“What do you know about my dad?”

“Only what you’ve told me.” Danny leaned back into the sofa.

“Seriously?”

“I know he ran the business before you. I know he taught you. I never looked into him. It seemed… You’re the first person I met when I escaped, you know? You’re the first person who saw me for who I was and helped me, and, yeah, we both know you did it ’cause you knew I’d come in handy, but you also did it ’cause you’re a good person.”

“I’m really not.”

“You are. You’re not always a good person, and you don’t trust people, and you’re kind of a bitch sometimes, but I don’t mind that. I was raised assuming no one could trust anyone except the people we worked for. That’s why I don’t mind it in you. That’s why you’re still one of my few real friends. And I know you might not trust me completely, but it doesn’t matter to me that you don’t, because I know I’ve never dug into your past—or your family’s. That’s not what friends do. Or so reruns of ancient TV shows on the web tell me.”

Simone smiled and inhaled deeply on her cigarette. “You’re a good guy, Danny.”

“I’m the product of a secret government experiment, all the information on the Internet, and what’s left of New York.”

Simone shrugged. “Still…” Her cigarette was nearly out; she had been dropping ash on the floor. “Sorry,” she said, staring at it.

“I’ll get it in the morning. Just put it out in the sink.” Danny motioned at the kitchen, and Simone rose and walked over, throwing the butt in the sink and running the water. “Why did you ask about your dad?”

“Something Kluren said. Can you… will you find out what you can for me?” She shut off the water and looked at him. He was staring at her—really staring, not online.

“I can…” he said slowly. “But are you sure you want to know? I never had real parents, exactly, but it seems like a weird thing to go looking into. What if I find something—I wouldn’t say bad, but… something you wouldn’t want to know?”

“You won’t,” Simone said. “You’ll get some files and some information, but you won’t know what it means. I’ll know.”

“So?”

“So, you can’t hold anything back, and anything you do tell me—I won’t blame you. That’s what you’re looking for, right?”

“And I don’t want you to be… hurt, I guess.”

“I’ll be fine, Danny.”

“You want me to do it right now?”

“No,” Simone said, walking back over to the sofa. “We can do it in the morning. And then I’ll tell you all about the case… and then maybe I’ll throw myself in the ocean.” She smiled without meaning to.

“It worries me when people say things like that and smile.” Danny stood, and Simone lay down on the sofa, pulling the blanket over her.

“Thanks, Danny.”

“Anytime, boss.” He shut the light and padded quietly to his bedroom. Simone closed her eyes. Outside, she could hear the ocean washing softly against the building. It was so dark in this room—nothing but waves and black.

A HIGH-PITCHED WHISTLE WOKE her up, and, for a moment, Simone forgot where she was. But then it all came back at her like the vibrant slashes on Linnea’s arms, and she lifted herself up on the sofa so she was sitting. Danny was in the kitchen, and the whistling was from a tea kettle.

“You have coffee, too, right?” Simone said.

“I do, but only decaf,” Danny said. Simone frowned. “I have the Internet in my head. It’s hard enough getting to sleep as is.”

Simone groaned and put her head in her hands. Her hair streamed over her face, bright red in the morning light.

“There’s a coffee boat that docks right down the bridge in the mornings. If you need it, go get yourself a cup.”

“I will in a minute. Can I shower first?”

“Sure—right there.” Danny pointed at the bathroom and poured himself some tea. Simone showered quickly, splashing the water over her face until she felt awake. When she got back out, Danny was sitting on the sofa, drinking his tea and staring ahead vacantly.

Simone sat down next to him, toweling her hair. He glanced over at her, anxiously, then went back to staring ahead.

“What’d you find out?”

“I… I looked into your dad like you asked. It was just hacking NYPD files. You probably could have done it yourself…”

“Probably,” Simone admitted. “But I don’t like computers. That’s why I have you.”

“I do so love the way you make me feel like a complete person, after my time being raised as a tool for the government.”

“You’re just angry I didn’t bring you those naked photos of deCostas.”

He looked at her, his eyes focusing on her, his brain going offline. “You’re really not good at apologizing, are you?”

Simone stopped drying her hair and raised her eyebrows. “I was just kidding.”

“I know, but it was a little over the line, considering you’re the only one who knows how not-human I am. But I don’t mind that. I’m just making an observation. Did you apologize to Caroline?”

“I sent her a bunch of straws.”

Danny laughed in a way that seemed a little cruel. “That’s something, anyway.” Simone stared at him in silence, and he looked away for a moment.

“What did you find out about my dad?”

“You sure you want this?”

“Yeah… And hey. I am sorry—you know, if I offended you with that crack. You are a person.”

“Your dad and Kluren had an affair.” He said it quickly, like he’d been holding it in.

Simone looked down. “How can you know that from hacking a server?”

“Kluren admitted it.” Simone felt her face go warm. “They had an affair. Your dad broke it off. They figured it out when Kluren asked for a transfer, asked her flat out. They were both reprimanded, and Kluren was demoted. They were going to demote your dad, too, but he went for early retirement instead.”