Somehow, I’d been transferred into a precinct full of worrywarts. “Everything is fine, sir. Mr. Mortan would like to know if he might be able to pursue a career in law enforcement due to his current state. We haven’t been able to find any solid leads regarding the source of this curse.”
“And he’d rather make the most of a bad situation?” Mr. Chief Quinn guessed.
“Yes, Samuel, sir. More specifically, it might be wise to allow him to accompany a patrol and shadow officers so he can get a feel if it is a suitable career for him.”
“This is probably what my uncle wants. That’s just like him. He’ll give us just enough rope to hang ourselves with and expect us to do his bidding because he knows he’s right.” After heaving an exasperated sigh, my chief fell quiet.
“Does that mean we should pack up this hotel room and come to the station? You don’t think it’ll endanger anyone, do you?”
“No, I don’t think anyone who wasn’t already in danger will be endangered. My wife has been thinking about it, particularly about the predetermined fates element. I’ll warn you now, things get sketchy when my wife starts thinking.”
“I heard that!” Mrs. Chief Quinn complained in the background.
“You were supposed to. Now that I have your attention, go put your fur coat on. We’re going to pick up McMarin and her witness. We also need to retrieve the files, so arrange for some vehicles. McMarin, that room will still be yours until we deal with your housing situation, and I’d prefer if you kept your witness close at hand. If you’re comfortable splitting your time between investigating his cases and working on a patrol, I’ll talk with the commissioner about the legalities involved with having him accompany you. If he’s eligible to become a cadet, I might be able to sneak him into the current classes with an understanding he would not be graduating with the current batchunlesshe somehow manages to do the catch-up work. I can resolve some of the issues by having you babysit cadets through their on-patrol training. We’re due to get a few new bodies. Our precinct also has no rules about couples working together as long as they agree to weekly therapy sessions. The sessions last half an hour and evaluate if the couple can continue working as a pair on duty.”
“Do you attend these sessions?”
“Absolutely. The commissioner wanted Bailey in more therapy, so he concocted that. It works really well for us, so he’s trying it with other partners working in the same precinct. Cops tend to marry cops in our neck of the woods for some reason.”
I bet. “He’s a forensic accountant, Samuel, sir.”
My chief snickered. “You’ve been a detective all of a day, and you’ve already identified how useful he’ll be for your investigations. We have a few trios in our precinct, so I expect that’s what’ll happen with you and your witness should he join the force. We’ll be around to pick you up within an hour. I’ll test Mr. Mortan’s ability to cope with riding a cindercorn while Bailey delights in having a rider who won’t throw up on her. Fortunately for everyone, Bailey is adapting to having coffee again at an appreciable rate, so hopefully she won’t exhaust you through her general ability to bounce continuously.”
Judging from the exasperation in his tone, my chief had found the end of his rope and might come unraveled with a few tugs. “Is she normally this hyper?”
“The freedom has gotten to her, and I’m losing hope it’ll wear off anytime soon. She just ran into the wall in her hurry to go shift so she can run off some of that energy. I’ve been told it will be a week of this with intermittent periods of coma-induced quiet.”
I laughed at the thought of the woman running out of gas and passing out, finally giving her beleaguered husband and partner a needed break. “And your children?”
“Lucifer has taken them to the conservatory he operates to help teach them how to care for animals, so they think they’re on a glorious vacation rather than being evicted to spare my sanity. They also have several archangels as babysitters, along with an entire hive of gorgons, who have brought their fosters and children to get lessons. In reality, we’re trying not to scar our children due to their mother’s absolutely insane amount of energy. Apparently, it’s a cindercorn thing, and it’s good for her to have these episodes during a pregnancy. Something about the adaptive biology of hyperactive unicorns. Honestly, I stopped listening after I was told it’s fine for her to be this hyper. I have been informed that you have your very own cindercorn slave for the next week at a minimum, as you’ll be booked for CDC testing sometime in the future. Bailey has opinions about CDC testing, and she’s overwhelmed with guilt, once her caffeine high wears off enough for her to remember she’s a walking bundle of guilt and anxiety regarding general life and work performance.”
“Does that mean Lucifer won’t be bothering us for a while?”
“For at least ten minutes,” my chief replied. “I’m sorry if he bothered you. I haven’t figured out his ploy, although it probably involves your resilience to Bailey’s teleportation. As he is unreasonably fond of cindercorns, he probably wants you to have many children who have your resilience so they can become friends with our children. He also has a tendency to plan matches, which is where your witness comes into play. You’re likely compatible with him, and Lucifer does not joke around when he’s indulging in one of his matchmaking ploys.”
“Is this what a predetermined fate looks like?”
My chief sighed. “If you’re not careful and assertive about what you want, yes.”
I eyed Alec, who’d turned his attention back to his laptop. When honest with myself, getting naked and given more than an hour appealed, and I hadn’t uncovered any habits I loathed from the short time we’d been thrown together. “I see. So, we’ll have a ride in an hour?”
“Yes. I’ll go get my fur coat on and herd enough vehicles over to clean the files out of your hotel room so you can use it as a proper room rather than an office. I’ll make arrangements to ensure your witness can follow you around work. As Lucifer is the one creating all this trouble, I’ll make sure Mr. Mortan’s financial situation is not at all impaired due to this change of plans. By the time we pick you up, I should have an answer on your cadet questions, although I think it’s a good idea. Psychologically, it’ll be a great deal healthier for him if he’s able to do something about what he’s witnessed, and if he can’t break the curse, working with it might make a big difference. And his accounting skills will be useful around here.”
“I’ve seen those financial files. Useful is an understatement.”
“And to think you haven’t been a detective for long,” my chief teased. “Hold down the fort until we get there, and I’ll make certain everyone knows to be on guard. If his curse means we can get appropriate justice for victims, and he’s all right with us taking advantage of that, we’ll do just that. Lucifer told me these crimes would happen regardless, and I believe him.”
“You do?”
“I asked an angel about it. She reminded me Lucifer tells the truth with alarming frequency, and that I would be wise to listen to what my uncle has to say on this matter. In any case, attempt to avoid any disasters until we arrive.”
“It’s okay to have a disasterafteryou arrive?”
“The disaster might be more manageable with us there, although honestly? I expect Bailey will be the cause of the disaster. Only time will tell.”
Two cindercornsand three patrol cars turned the hotel into a circus. Determined to ignore the insanity erupting to life around me, I accompanied Alec and the bellhop, questioning everything about my current situation. No disasters happened, but if the gleam in the cindercorn’s bright eye was any indication, some form of disaster would happen soon.
Probably to me.
