Free The Automatic Detective by A. Lee Martinez Page A

most people don't pay her enough mind to watch themselves."
    The fuzzoid beeped happily as we approached.
    "Memory replay, Vi," instructed Winifred. "File twelve."
    Violet zipped in the air and projected an image on the wall from her left optical. I recognized the lobby of the Hotel Swallow, and I recognized Tony Ringo coming in with a young woman in tow. They stopped, made out a little, and continued on their way, obviously up to his room for some of that DNA swapping biologicals were so fond of.
    "Well?" said Winifred expectedly. "Whadaya think of that?"
    I didn't think much of it at all, but she'd at least tried to help me out, so I tried not to let my disappointment show. "Uh, thanks. That's really helpful."
    She frowned. Then she grinned a gap-toothed smile. "You don't recognize her, do you?"
    "Should I?"
    She ordered Violet to replay the file. Winifred stabbed her finger at the projected woman. "You have to imagine her with blond hair, get rid of the sunglasses. That any clearer?"
    "No," I answered honestly.

    Winifred groaned. "Damn it, don't you watch the news?"
    "Don't have a television."
    "Paper. You gotta read the paper."
    I shook my head slowly, as if admitting to some grievous fault.
    Muttering, she had Violet pause the projection. "Damn it, Mack, how do you expect to be a decent P.I. if you don't know what's going on in this city?"
    "I'm not a P.I. I'm a cab driver."
    "Still, can't hurt you to crack a paper now and then. Then you'd recognize Lucia Napier."
    She tossed a newspaper section at me, which I caught. Nice to know my reflex model was still functioning at 100 percent, despite Grey's fiddling. A glance at the paper showed a photo of a young female norm at a gala affair. My distinguishing software still had trouble telling attractive humans from ugly, but I gathered she was hot stuff, considering that she was in fine physical shape and with a lot of guys gathered around her. A label under the photo read, "Lucia Napier, Princess of Empire, out on the town."
    "She's a big deal, huh?" I asked.
    Winifred laughed. "Damn, you are one smart machine. Figure that out all by yourself, did'ja?"
    "Is she Ringo's girlfriend?"
    Winifred laughed harder this time. "Hell, no. Only saw her here two or three times. But the girl has a thing for mutants. And lowlifes."
    "And Ringo is both," I said. It wasn't much of a lead, but it was the only one I had. "Thanks."
    "No problem." She turned from the television. "So what's it worth?"
    "I'm sorry?"
    "The info," she clarified. "What's it worth to you?"

    She held out her hand, and I realized she was asking for money.
    "Uh . . . I don't have any cash," I replied.
    One of her eyes narrowed. The other started sliding around again. "What?"
    "No money," I explained. "I don't carry any money on me."
    "None?"
    I shook my head. "I don't need it."
    Her face puckered. "Everybody needs money."
    Everybody did. But all mine went to my rent, my electric bill, and maybe a cab ride now and then. I never needed money spontaneously. I turned out my coat pockets as illustration of their emptiness.
    "Sorry."
    She looked disappointed for a moment, but the moment passed. "Look, big guy, would you care for some advice?"
    "Sure."
    "If you're going to go around asking a lot of questions, it's always smart to have some cash ready to crank the cogs. Not everyone is as forthcoming and pleasant as me. Some people, they don't help nobody unless they get something out of it."
    "I'll keep that in mind." And I would, but hopefully, I wouldn't have to be asking questions much longer. "If you want, I can go get some money and—"
    "Forget it. I'm going to sell the video to the news anyway. Worth more to them than the nickels you'd toss my way." She settled into her chair. "Good luck, Mack."
    "Thanks."
    My volitional software started computing possible courses of action. Lucia Napier, Princess of Empire, lover of mutants and lowlifes. I didn't know anything about her, but my speculator suggested there was a very good