“You’re an unscrupulous moron,” she yelled, “And do not fire her, do not go near her.I’lldo it. Divine knows you’ll only find a way to prey on her vulnerability after learning she no longer has a job.”
“I actually hadn’t considered, but the idea isn’t half—” He lifted his hands as she speared him with a look that could have drawn blood. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop. Happy now, Emmy?”
Miranda cast a look sideways for clarification.
Devin shrugged. “Hell if I know. Sometimes he calls her that, but he’s never shared why.”
The use of the name, however, seemed to have made Rachel more irate. Her tone was lethal as she leaned in close. “I will be hiring the next secretary.”
“I should get final approval—“
“Like hell you will.”
“It’smysecretary.”
She stomped from the room, slamming the door so hard more papers were dislodged of their place and cascaded toward the floor.
“That’s another two months of organizing you cost me!” The Captain yelled after her.
Miranda watched Rachel’s angry path through the window, hiding a laugh as Rachel held up her middle finger before descending the stairs. Miranda wasn’t sure why, but it felt like she’d just witnessed something private, like a voyeur to an intimate exchange between lovers.
“He must have slept with someone last night,” Devin murmured, dipping so that only she would hear him. “It always sets her off.”
“Why would…” Miranda closed her mouth. It was hard to imagine that any of that was because Rachel harbored romantic feelings for the Captain.
Devin filled her silence with confirmation. “For as long as I’ve known them.”
Miranda had a new appreciation for Rachel Stone. Miranda would not have been strong enough for such restraint. She looked up at Devin, his smile kind and conspiratorial, his hand still casually finding ways to brush against her. No, she would not have been strong enough.
“Oh, right, you’re still here,” Captain Blair said, his tone drawn and defeated. “Well, get on with it. What do you want?”
The back of Devin’s hand skimmed over hers as he moved past. What was this? They clearly weren’t courting, but somehow they were no longer mere acquaintances either.
The casual touch, the shared looks, it reminded her of her parents, the way they always seemed to read each other’s thoughts or how her father would stop and kiss the top of her mother’s head while he was on his way out.
“I thought you’d be happy to hear we’ve uncovered evidence of Graves’s crimes,” Devin started. “Since you came knocking specifically for help with this case, I thought I’d share what we’ve learned.”
Captain Blair eyed him, though he’d slunk into his seat and looked as if a long night and harsh morning was catching up with him. “By all means, pin it with the others. I’m sure it’s nothing but more dead ends.”
“How about a record of experimentation on fae that resulted in at least fifteen deaths? Signed by Graves.” Miranda fished out the documents she’d carefully folded and slipped into an inner pocket of her uniform. She flashed the page, the Captain’s eyes following it with curiosity, though he stayed slouched in his chair. “And proof that these experiments involve injecting fae with Divine blood.”
Miranda sensed he was hesitant to believe her. If the board behind her was any indication of his fruitless diligence over thepast few years, she didn’t blame him. “You can’t just inject the Divine’s blood into fae. You can’tgetDivine blood. It’s not a pill or some witch’s potion you can pick up in the black market.”
“It could be extracted from the source,” Devin added, stepping behind her. She felt the heat of him through her uniform.
“But…” The Captain balked, looking at the pair of them like they were speaking a different language. He held out a hand. “Can I see this evidence?”
Miranda felt like she was losing to let it go, but it was the reason she came here. With a breath, she released the signed experiment and her copy of the drawing from Graves’s desk.
Captain Blair studied the pages as he rose to his feet.
“This address…” He pushed around the desk to the giant map holding his notes. His finger hovered over the far east of the city. The Garrison and the Night Court bracketed a shipping yard where Unity bordered the Great Sea. A series of commercial warehouses stored various exports to the other cities of the Realm that honored the Accords.
The Captain ran his finger down the row of warehouses before stopping at one that held a red pin. He tapped the building twice.
“That’s it. I’ve had my eye on this for months, certain that Graves was connected, but he’s not on the lease or shipping registry. He must be using a false name or even a dummy investor. But it’s the same address written here.” Captain Blair held up the paper, but his eyes never left the board.
“So this is proof. Can you stop him?” Miranda asked, though she felt more defeated about passing off her mission to the Watchmen than she anticipated.
