Red Shadows by Mitchel Scanlon Read Free Book Online Page A

suspected homicide. Over."
    "Acknowledged, Anderson. Homicide location is reported as thirty-second floor, Apartment 56-C. Victim is female, approximately forty years of age. Will advise of further details as they become available. Over."
    "Acknowledged, Control." Hitting the accelerator on her Lawmaster, she cut across lanes and headed for the interchange to change direction. "Tell the Judge on the scene I'm on my way. Anderson over and out."
     
    "Murder in Mega-City One! This is Ralph Matts with Channel 109's I-Witness News , bringing you an exclusive report as Judges investigate a killing at Kitty Genovese..."
    By the time she had reached Kitty Genovese Block the vultures were out in force. Anderson parked her Lawmaster in the block forecourt, and as she made her way to the front entrance of the building she saw a large crowd of rubberneckers already gathering outside. Among them, standing a little way away from the rest, was a Tri-D news reporter, his face set in a practised and insincere smile as he breathlessly delivered the latest on-the-scene update to the viewing millions via a remote camera drone hovering in the air before him. Neither development - not the crowd nor the reporter - particularly surprised her. In a city where unemployment ran at over eighty seven per cent, people tended to take their excitement wherever they could find it. Granted, the murder of a woman at Kitty Genovese Block would be counted as a tragedy to those who had known or loved her, but to most of the couch potato population of Mega-City One, its only purpose was as entertainment.
    "Anderson to Control." Walking into the elevator to begin her ascent to the thirty-second floor, Anderson hit the transmit switch on the radio unit on her belt to contact Sector Control.
    "Control receiving, Anderson. Over."
    "Just a heads-up, Control. Have arrived at Kitty Genovese and I am on my way to the reported location of the suspected homicide. Thought you'd want to know there's a crowd of citizens gathering outside the building, a few hundred so far, with more arriving by the minute. You might want to detail some extra Judges to handle crowd control. If nothing else, they can keep an eye out for dips and tap gangs working the crowd. Over."
    "Understood, Anderson. Be advised all Street Judges are currently tied up with other duties. The Public Surveillance Unit is aware of the situation and monitoring it. Appreciate the heads-up though. Over."
    "No problem, Control, just following procedure. Anderson over and out."
    Signalling with a metallic chime that she had reached her destination, the elevator doors opened before her. Stepping out into the hallway, Anderson saw the majority of the apartment doors lining the block corridor were open as their residents stood watching for the latest twist in the unexpected drama they found unfolding on their doorsteps. "A Psi-Judge." As she walked down the hallway, she caught the occasional whisper.
    "Looks like the Judges have called in the big guns."
    "Grud, I think that's Judge Anderson."
    "I seen her on the Tri-D." As she passed them by, it occurred to her that there was a certain irony at work here. Despite the fact they shared their city with four hundred million other human beings, many of the citizens of Mega-City One lived in self-imposed isolation - rarely venturing forth from their apartments to socialise with their neighbours. Normally, the tenants of a typical housing block would no more think of hanging around on their doorsteps, gossiping to each other, than they would consider going for an unprotected swim in the toxic waters of the Black Atlantic. It seemed that, twenty-second century or not, human nature had remained largely unchanged. Against all expectation, curiosity was still a powerful enough force in their lives to cause these people to forego their customary alienation and break through the city's social barriers.
    Curiosity and murder .
    "Drokk. What is this place, the Grand Central Zoom