"Murder In Soho" Part Five

    "That is all the evidence I have collected so far Detective Luna," the investigator android is telling me. "I think we will find in the end that my theory is correct. The perpetrator is either someone who works for the Bethany Birdsong Management Company or is a residence of this complex."

    "I'm not so sure," I said while looking around the apartment to get a feel for the way Mister Malone lived. "Our victim here was a very reclusive guy. He worked from home, had all his supplies delivered, didn't talk to his neighbors, and by all accounts never ventured passed the complex's courtyard."

    The bot, right on my tail as I walked around almost sounded surprised when he stated, "So you did read the case files sent to your handheld."

    I stopped in the kitchen and opened up a few cabinets before saying, "Yeah, part of it. But I still rather hear someone or something tell me the evidence instead of reading a report where my mind might wander and I miss something important. Or have my brain cluttered up from a neural-net download of all the thousands of minor facts you bots like to come up with."

    "That was one of my calculated assessments of you Detective. It is just another sign that humans are fallible and it is proven by their low percentage rate of success." the AI responded. "I also would like to point out the fact that being a recluse is more common today then anytime in human history."

     I turn around slowly after it stopped talking. The bot was so close to me that it appeared to be hovering over me in triumph.

     So I lean in a little bit so its programming has it back away from me. I then say to it, "Looking through his kitchen here, I noticed that all his eating utensils are for only one person. There is one fork, one knife, one spoon, and only one plate. In the bathroom he has two washcloths and three towels. Just enough so he doesn't have to use his washing machine everyday. In his bedroom closet there is only one suit with no matching pants. Which I assume he wore when he had a mandatory visual meeting with clients or his employer. From skimming through the case file, his boss has stated that the contract Mr. Malone signed says that he will never be asked to come out of his apartment to meet clients, for any reason will he be obligated to go into the office, or will anyone ever come over to his apartment for anything work related."

     I walk back to the crime scene, looking at a bot taking measurements of every drop of blood and testing each to make sure they are all Malone's. Then I add, "He was 55 years old. In the prime of his young life. With no friends or a companion. I read that until he was 23 years old, he was an outgoing, reckless young kid just like most humans are at that age. Then suddenly, for no apparent reason that you can find, he became a recluse. You can't find a phone call, an email, text message, a neural-net message, a post, blog, podcast, or anything on social media to show why the sudden behavior change. Yet he knew his killer because he let them into his apartment. There wasn't a struggle inside his apartment or commotion outside his door before he let his killer in. Everyone living or working here has an alibi. All the cameras in the complex failed at the same time. All the cameras outside on the street record nothing unusual. But, we have a dead body. And the great, all powerful OZ of a robot can't see what is happening here, right in front of him. So it tries to intimidate me because I am only a human being." I smile at it, then say, "I think there is a lot more evidence here than meets the android's visual receptors!"

 This is,

I Couldn't Sleep So I Wrote This At Midnight

Jim Hauenstein

 

And,

 

“All great beginnings start in the dark, when the moon greets you to a new day at midnight.”
- Shannon L. Alder -

 

That is my story and I am sticking to it!

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"Murder In Soho" Part Four

    "What other evidence do you have?" I ask the investigator bot. "Anything on the cameras?"

    It immediately responds to me with, "Mister Malone signed a waiver with the Bethany Birdsong Management Company not to have security surveillance inside his apartment. He wrote down on the reason why section of the document, I am a very private person."

   I like interrupting androids so I said flatly, "One of those paranoid types."

   The bot, never taking his eyes off of me, ascertains after less then a second that I have finished being rude and continues. "The cameras in the hallways, elevators, and entrance way all malfunctioned at the same time." Without taking a breath, because it doesn't have to, the bot interrupts me before I can do it to it by saying, "No street cams, car cams, or business cameras found anything unusual. I have personally watch every recording in a ten mile radius. So naturally, I thought that either our suspect works for Birdsong Management or lives here in the apartments complex."

   The bot gave me an opening by stopping briefly, very briefly, but calculated quickly enough that I had nothing to say and continued. "All employees and tenants internet activity, apartments, and alibis have been searched, scanned, and confirmed. Nothing out of the ordinary so far but no one has been taken off the suspect list."

    I could tell the investigator bot could see I was anxious to contribute something for the voice recordings going back to headquarters, so it left me another opening.

    "What about a bio signature from someone other than Malone?" I asked. "Someone else's fingerprints, lipstick on a glass, sneeze droplets, a strand of hair, or maybe some dead skin?"

    "When all body functions ceased to exist, the wall health monitor reported to authorities of the medical emergency. When the AI medical techs entered the apartment they found the wall air purifier on turbo. Everything was clean of all bio signatures. Both the killer's and Mister Malone's. The only evidence left by the killer is the blood splatter. By that I deduced the perpetrator was 5 foot 11 inches, left handed, and wore an 8 and a half size tennis shoe. With the small amount of evidence I've gathered so far, I haven't been able to tell if our suspect is a male or female."

    "Could someone have programed a killer bot to come in here to do the job?" I asked.

    "Unlikely," It said. "Our cameras would have seen a unauthorized AI walking the streets completely off the grid. Which in itself is illegal. A rouge AI could have worn tennis shoes and pretended to be left handed to make us think it was an act by a human being. But thirty-two stab wounds indicates to me premeditated murder when an AI surely would have made only one knife wound to either the brain or heart."

    I was looking down at the pattern of the blood when I realized the bot wasn't speaking. I look up, seeing it staring blankly at me.

    It took me a couple of seconds to figure out what it was doing and a couple of more seconds to come up with the obvious question. "So why didn't the health monitor report in when Malone's body was being traumatized?" Holding up a finger so the bot doesn't begin talking again. I wait up to three more seconds for dramatic effect then say, "Because, whomever our suspect is, they are a master black hat hacker!"

    "It would seem so," replied the investigator bot.

    If I did know myself any better, and I think I know myself pretty well, I would be worried that I was starting to actually like this bot. And that can't happen. I made a personal choice long ago to be annoying to non-feeling automatons. People all over the world have taken to these bots as if they are their pets. Even worse, their friends. I can't let that happen to me. I have a reputation to live up to.

    "Okay Tin Man, what else do you got?"

   This is

Remember

I Am Going To Write This Story Every 2 To 3 Days Because I Have A Lot Going On At Home Right Now

TwoBuckHowie

And

"And remember my sentimental friend that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others."

- L. Frank Baum -

 

That is my story and I am sticking to it!

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I'll Be Seeing You!

"Murder In Soho" Part Three

   The Bethany Birdsong Apartments complex used to be the Birdsong Hotel here, in Soho, until the work at home jobs became the norm, virtual travel became cheaper then real travel, and governments started paying a monthly stipend to families who ventured less and less out of doors.

   Of course, this has never been regulated to the first responders who work in the medical, police, or firefighting fields. It was implemented during the "Decade of the Pandemics" to slow the spread of viruses when the world still only used human beings in these dangerous situations. Way before the androids came along and we started putting them in harms way.

   Many a first grader in virtual schools have asked me on career day, "How did people meet and get married back then, then?" My response is always the same. Love will find a way. What I really wanted to say was either you swiped right or swiped left. But kids nowadays are so much smarter then we were, I'm sure they already new that. They were probably just wasting my time so they could play their video games while pretending to be listening.

   The door to the elevator opens up on the fifth floor and I immediately see, at eye level, a plaque displaying which number apartments are to the left, the right, or down the center halls. I go right towards apartment 532.

   As I walk along the corridor, I notice that some of the apartment doors adorn decorations and have welcome mats in front of them. The Department's Psych calls this a cry for human interaction. I don't think so though. I believe it is the well adjusted who just try to make their little world a bit brighter for everyone to see.

   I wonder if there is anything on the door of 532?

   I reach the end of the hallway and I can only turn left. Halfway down that hall I see a police bot standing in front of a door. As I come towards it, it opens the door for me and shakes its head up and down once as a form of greeting, which surprises me.

   Now what I want to know is, when did the bots get this new upgrade and why didn't anyone in the department warn me about it ahead of time?

   Walking straight to the AI with the distinctive investigator uniform on, I immediately ask it what kind of evidence it has collected.

   "It is all in the report on your handheld Detective Luna." It deadpans.

   "Humor me." I say agitated. If I didn't know any better, I actually thought this bot was looking down to me as if I was beneath his dignity.

   "Jake Malone. Male, 55 years old. Thirty-two stab wounds to the neck, torso, and arms. He tried to defend himself from his assailant but the splattering of the blood stains and the angle of the first few lacerations indicate he was surprised by his attacker."

   "Did the perpetrator break in somehow to rob Mister Malone or is this a case of plain old murder?" I asked, interrupting. I wanted the voice recordings being sent back to headquarters sound like I was taking control of the crime scene.

   "There is no evidence of a break-in, nothing was stolen, so Mr. Malone new the person who killed him and yes, it is a case of plain old murder."

   Was this AI being sarcastic with me? I had to find out. But if there was a memo sent to all the handhelds and I didn't read it, Captain Murphy is going to have my ass for it if I make a huge fuss.

   "When did you bots get the new emotional upgrade?" asking anyways.

   "I have had no emotional upgrades since my activation for police duty." It said while staring at me. I bet if it could, it would have a condescending smile right about now.

   As soon as I get the rest of the information on this case I'm going to call the Captain so she can implement a complete diagnostic on all the AI bots on the police force.

   I can't have patronizing mechanical automatons acting snobbish towards me. That's what I have a cat for!

This is,

Why I Don't Like Cats

They Make Me Sneeze Just By Looking At Them

Jim Hauenstein,

And

 

“People worry that computers will get too smart and take over the world, but the real problem is that they're too stupid and they've already taken over the world.”
- Pedro Domingos -

That is my story and I am sticking to it!

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Be Kind To Everyone.

I'll Be Seeing You!

"Murder In Soho" Part Two

   I reach the Bethany Birdsong Apartment complex in less than thirty minutes. While in my Police cruiser, all autonomous vehicles on the road in front of me automatically pull over to one side. I always like to look out the windows to see the angry elite try time and again to over-ride the program with voice commands. Only about 10% of the populace have that power and I know not one of them reside in Soho.

   The Birdsong apartments are one of the few places still in pretty good shape for downtown Soho. The Bethany family made their money in pharmaceuticals during the 2020s when one pandemic after another whittled down the populace back to the five billion range. I wasn't around back then but my parents were. They said the only saving grace of that decade was the fact that global warming went into remission and a lot of species of plants, animals, and insects made a comeback from near extinction.

   I guess they didn't know how to make enough condos on the Moon and Mars back then.

   I get out of the cruiser and see a police bot standing by the entrance. It doesn't say a word but opens the main doors to the complex for me.

   I ask it, "On what floor and apartment number did the murder happen in last night?"

   "All that information is in your handheld Detective Luna." it responds.

   "I didn't look at it." I sneered.

   "It has long been documented that your techniques are quite different from other Detectives." it stated flatly.

   "Excuse me?" I questioned. "A beat cop bot is giving its opinion on my techniques as a Detective now? Is there something wrong with your programming that I have to send you back to the yard to be disassembled to find out why you are faulty?"

   "Would you like me to send all the information to your neural-net implant Detective?" it said, without a hint of being intimidated.

   "No, that would clutter up my brain. Just tell me."

   "Fifth floor, apartment 532 sir."

   I walk into the complex without saying thank you. It is a machine anyways. It doesn't need to be thanked. It is doing what it is programmed to do. To do what I ask.

   As I reached the elevator doors, I turn around to look back at the bot. Of course it isn't looking my way. He is on duty. It's the AI's job to keep out all the human riffraff that like to to gawk at crime scenes. Hoping they will see something exciting to drown out their tediousness existence.

   I can't imagine why? Today, we don't have all that action or violence you see on those old time classic docudramas. But, they still seem to come out of the woodwork, contaminating and stealing evidence. If word gets out that this is a murder crime scene, kooks will be climbing the outside walls, breaking in through the windows for a chance at a souvenir. So now we have police bots stationed at and around every crime scene.

   Before the elevator door opens, this feeling of, how pleased I am with myself, comes over me. The bot said "Sir" at the end of our little conversation. Did I intimidate him or did it say it to appease me?

   I get inside the elevator, press the fifth floor button and think, It's a machine. It said Sir to appease me!

 This is,

Detective Luna Is A Real Gumshoe

Jim Hauenstein

 

And

 

“The case called for plain, old-fashioned police leg work!”
- Donald J. Sobol -

 

That is my story and I am sticking to it!

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I'll Be Seeing You!

I Had A Doozy Of A Dream

I had a doozy of a dream last night.

I dreamt of doing the remake of one of the greatest movies of all time;

The Marathon Man.

It Stars

Dustin Hoffman,

Laurence Olivier,

Roy Scheider,

William Devane,

and

Marthe Keller.

If you have never seen this film,

it is well worth

Renting,

Buying,

or

Streaming.

One of the most famous lines from the movie,

which was quoted by millions of people for years afterwards was;

Is it safe?

The remake of this film,

or I should say my remake of this film,

will be on

YouTube,

for your viewing pleasure.

Once I finish the

Script,

Production Sets,

Find Financial Backing,

A Producer,

Cameraman,

A Camera,

Stunt Double,

and

A Director.

Of course,

I will be playing all the different

Acting Parts,

since I am trained in the

Art Of Method Acting

from

The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute.

I just feel I am the only one qualified to perform such a daring role which

Dusty,

Mister Hoffman

for you who don't know him personally,

made famous in 1976.

What I have so far as my script.

"The camera will pan up from my feet, up to my head, showing me as a sweaty, overweight jogger, with wrist bands, a head band, and a number tag to my sweats, denoting my entry into a Marathon.

Other joggers, who will be played by me, will come up to Thomas "Babe" Levy, the part originally played by Dusty which is now played by me, and will punch him, trip him, and throw water in his face, with each one asking if it is safe! One scene will have Babe's Brother running up along side of him, looking like death scene Roy Scheider played. But instead of having his gut split open by a knife and spitting up blood, this brother will come running up with red completely surrounding his mouth, spitting out red juice, and when Babe asks his Brother what happened to him, he will say; These damn pomegranates are really messy while jogging!"

Here is an
Artist's Rendering
of what I will look like.

The script is still a work in progress.

So if you have any suggestions,

Keep Them To Yourself!

This is,

Is It Safe?

Is What Safe?

Is It Safe?

I Guess So.

They Say Pomegranates Are Supposed To Be Good For You!

Jim Hauenstein,

And,

“What method acting is for the stage, mezzo-fiction is for the page.”
- Fierce Dolan -

 

 

That is my story and I am sticking to it!

Like what you are reading?

Sign up as a Follower,

or leave a Comment.

If it's worthy enough,

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Thanks for reading.

Be Kind To Everyone.

I'll Be Seeing You!