Free Burning Justice by Leighann Dobbs

peered cautiously into the kitchen, afraid that I had been robbed or Artemis had blown a circuit.
    “You're home.” Artemis was sitting at the kitchen table which had been set with two place settings.
    I eyed him suspiciously. “What’s going on?”
    He looked hurt. “I’m just doing my job. Is that not what you want?”
    “Yes, but you’ve never done it before.”
    “I’m just turning over a new leaf. I figure if I start doing what you acquired me to do, maybe you’ll start also letting me help you out in the field.”
    So, that’s what this was about. Artemis was mad that I wasn’t taking him out on cases. I knew he wanted to go, but he often got in the way and his eager way of reciting facts had a way of putting people off. Though I had to admit, sometimes he could come in handy and I did like having the house cleaned.
    He got up from the table, his six foot frame towering over me as he moved toward the Meal-A-Tron. I noticed he had a bunch of ingredients out on the counter. Potatoes, beef cubes, cobs of corn and spices.
    “I’m making shepherd’s pie tonight,” he said in a clipped tone. He was probably mad I hadn’t commented on him being able to come out in the field.
    “That would be delicious. Did you fix that thing?” I thrust my chin in the direction of the Meal-A-Tron.
    Artemis frowned. “I’m not sure. I usually have a way with computers and machines but this thing … well, let’s just say we do not see eye to eye.” He dumped the ingredients into the hopper, pressed the button, and sat back down while we both eyed the machine nervously as it made crunching, grinding and sloshing noises.
    My gaze slid from the machine to Artemis, who was tapping his index finger on the shiny surface of the kitchen table. I could tell he wanted to ask about the case, but his computer brain had probably told him that he should let me break the ice. I took pity on him. After all, he had done a good job cleaning the place and providing software.
    “I spent the day entering my notes in my mind-mapping software on my tablet. Maybe you could compile them into the database.” Being a computer, Artemis could take my notes from the tablet and compile them in his own database of information where more programs could be run to crunch the data. My tablet was not as sophisticated as Artemis’s brain.
    “I would love to. Where is your tablet?”
    I pushed up from the table. “It’s in the foyer. I’ll get it.” I grabbed it from my tote bag and return to the kitchen just as the Meal-A-Tron made a loud coughing sound and then an ear-piercing beep.
    “What was that?” I asked as I slid my tablet onto the table.
    “I think it’s done.” Artemis’s voice carried a hint of trepidation.
    We approached the machine to investigate. At one end was a large steel door inside which the prepared food, already plated, would reside. Artemis slid the door up slowly, and I leaned over and peered cautiously inside. The enticing smell of browned beef and creamy potatoes wafted out, but, instead of two bowls layered with the ground beef, whipped potatoes and corn topping of shepherd’s pie, there were two bowls of a thin, brown soup with little yellow chunks floating in it.
    Artemis’s brows snapped together. “Oh, that does not look appetizing.”
    “No, but it smells good.” I took a bowl, intending to brave the dinner so as not to hurt Artemis’s feelings. Did he even have feelings? The look of hopeful anxiety on his face made me think that he did.
    He watched me like a hawk watches a rabbit as I raised the spoon to my lips, taking a small, tentative sip. It wasn’t really that bad—a rich beef broth taste but a little starchy. The corn chunks I could have done without, so I managed to avoid them as I sipped the soup.
    “It’s good,” I said.
    Artemis’s face relaxed. His lips cracked into a smile, showing perfect white teeth and reminding me of how handsome he was. For a robot.
    He pulled the tablet over in front