He strolled through the patrons of the club, most of whom were garbed in dark, somber colors, and neared the bar. As he did so, he caught sight of a familiar face. He didn't know whether to sigh with relief at meeting up with an ally or groan at the thought that yet another officer had been sent through the TRAX machine. As Mace might say, with the gang all together it would be just like old times. "Janine!" He waved to catch her attention. "Janine Nichols!"
His gesture drew vaguely hostile glances from those surrounding him, but the woman at the bar seemed oblivious. He finally managed to reach her side and sit down. "Janine, am I glad to see you! Why didn't you answer when I called?"
She turned to look at him, arching an inquisitive eyebrow. "Are you addressing me?"
"Don't you remember? Detective Darien Lambert, Washington DC, you helped me and my partner on the Keller investigation. It was about five years ago--relatively speaking, of course. You made quite an impression on me, Janine."
She shook her head slightly. He noticed her earrings swaying with the motion, two identical miniature black roses, complete with thorns. "I never forget a face...Darien? Especially one as memorable as yours." She licked her lips.
Maybe the lights were affecting his mind, but he was extremely confused. She looked like Janine. She had the same voice and the same accent. The same glorious figure. Why was she pretending not to know him? Did she think he would blow her cover? "Listen, Janine, I don't know what game you're playing, but my old partner Mace is in trouble and needs our help. Unless you're about to capture Dr. Sahmbi himself, this takes priority."
Just then Schanke pushed his way through to them. "There you are, Lambert. I see you found Janette, proprietress of this lovely establishment." He chuckled.
Janette sniffed and turned back to Darien. A goblet of red wine had appeared in her hand. "As you can see, my name is not Janine. However..." She paused to sip her drink. "You mentioned Mace. Exactly how much trouble is he in?"
"He vanished after having his pocket picked last night a few blocks from this building. I believe he may be injured, and that there is a homicidal fugitive out for his blood."
Janette took another sip from her glass. "The fugitive has good taste."
"Wait a minute," Schanke cut in. "You know Officer Warfield, Janette?"
"Let us just say that he is one of my...special guests." She pouted. "He left rather abruptly last night. I recall hoping, for his sake, that he had a very good excuse."
"So he was here. Do you know where he is now?"
She lifted her shoulders in a graceful shrug. "I really have no idea."
"Well, thank you for your time, Jani--Janette," Darien corrected himself. "If you hear from him, contact us right away. Um, is there a phone around here I could use?"
She pointed. Schanke left to bring the car around. Once safely holding the receiver, Darien was free to talk to his computer. "SELMA, what's going on here? Why does she look exactly like Janine?"
"Voice analysis reveals that she is Officer Nichols, Captain. You were not mistaken. However, the stability of her stress level indicates that she also did not lie to you. I cannot satisfactorily reconcile the two facts."
"It's almost as though she were meeting me for the first time--but that's impossible! I met her in 2189, long before I learned about the TRAX project, before I even met you. Could it be amnesia? A side effect of temportation?"
"Unknown, Captain."
He sighed. "All right. Can you extrapolate where Mace might have gone after leaving the club?"
"Janette said that he left abruptly. You have often stated yourself that he is impetuous. If he recognized a fugitive exiting the Raven, he may have taken off in pursuit without considering the consequences."
"The same fugitive who killed the pickpocket and ran when he heard sirens. Mace wouldn't give up--he would do anything to take down his quarry, injured or not. Find the fugitive, and we find Mace."
"How do you plan to accomplish that, Captain?"
"First I need to locate a place to spend the night. I'll think of a plan in the morning."
From her seat at the bar, Janette eavesdropped on his conversation. Slowly, she smiled.