Earth in 2093: A Lacey Summers PI Mystery, #201

By Edna Curry

The year is 2093 and everyone's DNA is recorded in the World Database run by a now powerful United Nations. Crime is way down, since criminals are easily identified.  But there are always a few people who resent governments of any kind and think they can do as they please. One is now raping and killing young women and Dave and Nell work to identify and stop him. But they find that easier said than done.

A futuristic novel set in Minnesota featuring Minnesota Detective Dave Barns and Computer specialist Nell Summers, granddaughter of Lacey Summers from my Lacey Summers, PI Series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Edna Curry
• Release date: Jan 18, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386817642

Edna Curry

Edna Curry lives in Minnesota and often sets her novels there among the lakes, evergreens and river valleys. She especially enjoys the Dalles area of the St. Croix Valley, gateway to the Wild River, which draws many tourists who give her story ideas. Edna is married and is a member of the Romance Writers of America and one of its chapters: Northern Lights Writers. Visit her website: http://www.ednacurry.com https://www.facebook.com/Edna.Curry.author Twitter: @Edna_Curry Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/search/authors?search=Edna%20Curry Minnesota Romance novel series  These novels are stand-alone novels that can be read in any order. My Sister’s Keeper Best Friends Lost Memories Mirror Image Hard Hat Man Traveling Bug Double Trouble Flight to Love Circle of Shadows Secret Daddy Never Love a Logger (historical romance) I’ll Always Find You Meet Me, Darling Wrong Memories My Twin's Wedding *** Lady Locksmith Series: The Lilliput Bar Mystery – Book 1 Body in the Antique Trunk - Book 2 The Missing Banker - Book 3 Girl Who Cried Wolf - Book 4 Robbery at the Lilliput Bar - a short story Lacey Summers’ PI Mystery Series: Yesterday’s Shadow -- Prequel Dead Man’s Image –Book 1 Dead in Bed  -- Book 2 Eccentric Lady  Book 3 Related book: Earth in 2093 A futuristic romantic suspense novel starring Lacey’s granddaughter, Nell Summers and police detective Dave Barns. *** Non-fiction: The Jam of all Jams The story of the world’s largest logjam ever, that took place at Taylors Falls, Minnesota, in June, 1886.

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Earth in 2093

By Edna Curry

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Earth in 2093

By Edna Curry

Copyright 2017 by Edna Curry

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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This is a work of fiction. All names in this story are fictitious and any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental.

No portion of this book may be reprinted in whole or in part, by printing, faxing, E-mail, copying electronically or by any other means without written permission of the author, except for short excerpts for reviews.

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Credits:

Cover by Bev Haynes

Table of Contents:

Earth in 2093

Earth in 2093

Table of Contents:

Earth in 2093

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

About the author:

Earth in 2093

By Edna Curry

Chapter 1

May 9, 2093

Detective Dave Barns stood at the shore of the Minnesota lake, watching the rescue crew bring the body into their boat, wrap it in a body bag, and come toward shore.

The crew had taken all the underwater pictures of how the young woman had been weighted down with a cement block, and sent them to his office, so they were on his tablet already.

Now, it was a matter for Laura Jones, the area’s Medical Examiner, to find as much detail as she could. Hopefully, it would be enough to help them find whoever had killed the woman.

Got her cell phone! It was still in her jeans’ pocket! one of the officers told him, holding up the prize.

Dave leaned closer. It’s a well-made, waterproof one, he said. All but some throwaway cheapie versions were waterproof now. That would give them a lot of information, since it carried a GPS chip, as well. But all of that would take hours for their tech guys to do, so couldn’t help him yet.

He sighed and left the crew to finish up, got into his Personal Vehicle and flew back to his office in the homicide division of the police department in Minneapolis. Her DNA would be sent to him by wireless transfer in minutes after they got her to the ME’s office.

Thank God they no longer had to wait weeks for lab results as they did years ago. Now, each office had its own small machine that could spit out the details of a person’s DNA from a small sample in minutes. And then he could put that info into his computer and identify the person immediately. A wonderful thing, this database!

Seventy years ago, after a third devastating world war and the resulting chaos, the world’s leaders had banded together to get tough on crime. Enough was enough.

They’d set up a world DNA database through the United Nations. A few smaller countries objected, but eventually caved under the stronger nations’ pressure.

At first, anyone who was arrested for any reason had to give his or her DNA sample to be registered as a requirement for release on bail. All those in prisons had to give DNA samples. All law enforcement people were allowed access to the huge voluntary DNA records people had given to Ancestry groups and these were combined into the World database. There was considerable screaming about that, but eventually, public safety was voted more important than personal privacy.

Immediately after these rules were implemented, crime began to drop as everyone realized the perpetrators were now much easier to identify and prosecute. The number of unsolved crimes became miniscule and that made headlines on everyone’s phones. People soon knew crime would no longer pay.

Seeing these results, the United Nations soon voted to make giving DNA information mandatory for all new birth certificates. Then they began demanding it for anyone getting passports, driver’s licenses, entering a school or college or hospital. Eventually, that covered almost everyone.

Now, almost everyone’s DNA was entered at birth no matter where in the world he lived. Well, Dave thought, except for a few outlying areas that escaped the nearest government’s notice. There were still some uninhabitable parts of the world, due to high or low temperatures unfriendly to humans, even though the now common process of desalinating the oceans’ waters made irrigating the former large desert areas practical, so they’d been turned into rich farmlands, ending the food shortage and bringing prosperity to most of the world.

Dave went to the coffee machine to brew himself a fresh cup of coffee. The machine blinked red at him, saying it was out of beans. He sighed and looked for more in the cupboard, then filled the holder and reset the order. This time the machine whirred as it ground some fresh beans, then brewed him coffee.

He took it back to his desk, sat in his chair and told his computer to wake up and check his email. He waited for it to scan his retina to be sure he was an authorized person, then obey his command.

Yes, there was the DNA result. He copied it, then logged into the database, once more going through a retina scan to verify he had the proper credentials to get inside this high-security information. Once that system accepted him, he pasted the woman’s extremely detailed DNA result into the search engine.

While he waited for her ID to come back, he checked his regular messages. His mother, who lived in the next suburb to the west, wanted him to be sure to come for Sunday dinner, because his sister, Sue, coming from St. Louis, was bringing her new daughter for them to meet. He ran a hand through his unruly brown hair and grimaced.

Of course, he didn’t dare miss that, even though new babies made him nervous. He hoped this investigation would be cleared up by then so he could attend, or his mother would be upset. Oh, well, they had five days. No problem. Most cases were cleared up in no time these days, weren’t they?

He drank his coffee and made himself another cup.

Soon, the results were back, complete with her ID picture and current address. The dead woman was Lisa Ann Kelly, twenty-two years old, long blonde hair, blue eyes and a waitress by trade. Currently employed at a nice restaurant in Maplewood, a suburb of Minneapolis. She’d been reported missing about ten days ago by her parents. A list of her family members and close friends followed, with their names and addresses included. He printed it all out and sent the document to his tablet to take with him.

He sighed. Next was the hard part. He hated the job of informing the next of kin of a death. Life had changed a lot for many, but people and their emotions were still much the same as they’d been for thousands of years. Losing a loved one still hurt as much as ever.

He emailed his partner, Bob Conners, that they needed to do this. Bob replied he’d meet him at their PV. The vehicle they used for official business was larger than his personal one. This one could easily carry two officers and whatever equipment they might need.

There had been nothing in the report about the person who’d killed her, yet, but he couldn’t wait for the ME to come up with that. He’d have to tell Lisa’s parents they’d do their best to find the suspect.

Glancing out the window, he saw it had begun to rain, so he grabbed a jacket and left his office, waving at the joint receptionist who served the dozen officers in this homicide division.

He pulled on his jacket as he got out of the elevator and headed for the parking lot. Bob was in the driver’s seat.

Dave got in and gave him the coordinates for the Kelly home, then told him, Their names are Carl and Martha Kelly. They’re in their fifties. Carl is a construction worker and Martha’s a teacher; she teaches fourth grade in their local school.

Bob grimaced, keeping an eye on the rain beating on their windshield. God, I hate this job of telling people their daughter is dead.

Dave nodded. Me, too. Don’t give them the gory details. Time enough for them to learn that stuff after they’ve had time to process the fact she’s dead, okay?

Yeah, Bob grunted. You always say I’m too blunt.

Sorry, but you do tend to be, Dave said with a frown. I think it’s that house with the tool shed out back and a playhouse in the tree in the backyard.

Yeah. I think the rain’s letting up a bit. I’ll set down in front, looks like enough room there. A minute later, he lowered them carefully between tall trees and eased the vehicle into the empty spot at the curb.

As they climbed out, Dave saw a curtain move in the front window. They’ve seen us, he said as they walked up the sidewalk.

Bob nodded. I’m glad they’re home. We can get this over with.

A harassed-looking woman opened the door, staring first at their vehicle with its police logo, and then at them. You’re the police, she said, eyeing them worriedly.

Dave showed her their ID. Yes, ma’am. I’m Detective Dave Barns and he’s Detective Bob Conners. May we come in to talk to you and your husband?

Of course, come in. Carl, we have company, she yelled, leading them into a neat and comfortably furnished living room. Is this about Lisa? Have you found her?

Carl appeared and saved them from answering. Dave repeated the introductions and they shook hands, then sat on the worn blue couch facing the couple. Their faces anxious, the parents waited for what they had to say. Martha had paled and she wrung her bony hands together nervously.

I’m sorry, we have bad news, Dave said, swallowing hard to keep his voice under control. Yes, we found your daughter, but she is dead.

Their shock and grief were overwhelming. Martha’s face crumpled. Oh, no! What happened? Where did you find her?

The next minutes were the hardest for Dave. As officers, they were supposed to stay calm and not get involved. But he found that so hard to do as he watched their tears fall. They hugged each other for support. He and Bob tried to answer their questions without going into detail.

We found her in Big Lake, northwest of Minneapolis, he said.

In the lake? Did she drown, then?

No, the Medical Examiner says she was strangled. She was probably put into the lake later to try to hide her body.

How did you find her, then?

A fisherman saw her on his fish finder screen and called us.

Fish finder?

Yes, one of those scanning devices fishermen use in their boats to show them where the fish are hiding in the lake.

Oh. She was strangled? Who could have done such a thing? Did you find out who did it yet?

Not yet, Bob said gently. But don’t worry, we’ll do our best to find the guilty person and see that he’s punished.

After waiting for them to regain a bit of calmness, Dave said, I’m sorry to have to ask these questions now, but the sooner we can try to track down Lisa’s friends and her schedule, the more likely it is that we’ll catch her killer.

Carl nodded. We’ll do whatever we can to help.

When was the last time you saw your daughter?

Martha sniffed and pulled some tissues from her pocket and blew her nose. She hasn’t come home much, but she was home for Carl’s birthday three Sunday’s ago.

That would have been April 17?

Carl nodded.

Does she have a PV?

No, a friend dropped her off.

Can you tell me that friend’s name?

Cory Benson. His parents live across town. He and Lisa went to high school together.

Are they only friends? Or do they date?

Martha shrugged. I think they’re casual friends. She never called him her boyfriend or anything like that. Or talked about dating with anyone, for that matter. She talked about her work, shopping, stuff like that.

Can you give me Cory’s address?

Carl pulled out his phone and searched it for a moment, then told Dave the address.

How about Lisa’s phone number? Did she have more than one?

No, only her cell phone. She used it for everything, email, internet and talking. She can do so much with that thing. Martha closed her eyes and sobbed, leaning her head on Carl’s shoulder. He patted her hair, swallowing hard.

Dave waited a minute until she sat upright again. When did she leave on the seventeenth?

Carl answered, She said she had to work the early shift on Monday, so she left around eight o’clock Sunday night. Cory came here to get her.

She works as a waitress?

Yes. At The Best Buffet in Maplewood.

Did you talk to her after that? Bob asked, making notes in his tablet.

Martha nodded. She called that night, saying she’d gotten back to her apartment okay. We always ask her to do that, so we can be sure she’s safely home. I tell her we worry.

You haven’t heard from her in over three weeks? Is that unusual?

"Yes. That’s why we tried and tried to reach her.