The marine biologist blinked, her brows furrowed, and she regarded the scanner in her hand, which also doubled as a giant encyclopedia and knowledge databank. “She actually makes an excellent point. Known hagfish species excrete protein and mucin, that when exposed to water create the slime. It takes very little of these substances to create a rather startling amount of the slime. The fish is producing its own water, as otherwise, it won’t react. Did you use saltwater or freshwater when putting the hagfish in its temporary habitat?”
“Saltwater from the ocean here. We keep several large tanks on the first floor in case of aquatic incidents, so we just fill the bucket with the appropriate water type. This isn’t our first dance with hagfish.” Bailey giggled. “Our hagfish is a lot more dangerous, though.”
“Yes, the caustic nature of its protein and mucin is a concern. We’ll need to evaluate slime samples to identify if the hagfish has been modified to produce this variant of the slime.”
“Can you handle the housing and evaluations of the hagfish in someone else’s office, please? I still need to get some work done, and I would like to go over the financials of our vic before I head home for the night. If you actually need me, bring coffee and a good excuse.” I stared at Mrs. Chief Quinn and pointed at the door. “I’m talking to you. Out, demented unicorn. I need to work.”
Bailey giggled. “She called me demented, Sam.”
“Yes. Your training has borne the results you wanted. She is now willing to tell you when you are indulging in your typical insanity. Move it my beautiful and demented unicorn. We don’t want to find out what happens if McMarin becomes truly cranky we’re interrupting her productivity.”
The herd of people left, and I breathed a sigh of relief, getting up and closing the door behind them. “I apologize for them. Bailey cannot handle when animals are in trouble. If she can save them, she will—and she doesn’t want the hagfish to be dissected for science. It’s not a problem if the animal dies of natural causes or is already dead, but if she sees a stricken animal, she loses her fucking mind. We have very strict rules on how we’re to deal with animals while on duty. If the animal can be legally saved, we will save it, and we do not euthanize unwanted beasts. We also only work with no-kill shelters, who are compensated by the city to take in displaced animals. In our contract terms with the shelters, no-kill shelters only euthanize animals who cannot be rehabilitated from injury or illness. Extreme behavioral problems that cannot be resolved through training and appropriate handling are handled on a case-by-case basis. Usually, they’re sent to the Devil’s many hells to join some form of rehabilitation program—against animal abusers.”
Alec chuckled. “Yes, I had been warned about the animal issue in the academy, as it was clear early on I would end up in this precinct. I’d been flagged the day I enrolled. Apparently, Mrs. Chief Quinn had told the academy if I enrolled, I was hers, and she would fight them for me. They did not want to fight the cranky, pregnant cindercorn.”
“Does anyone want to actually fight the cranky, pregnant cindercorn?”
“Not particularly. So, how do financial investigations work on an actual case? I did not get any education for this at the academy.”
“You won’t; detectives are expected to learn this after receiving their badge. You just happen to have the appropriate education already. Essentially, we will go through the papers we’ve been given from the various financial institutions associated with the victim, and we look for anything suspicious. We identify the victim’s patterns, looking for changes or anything that might be linked with the murder. It’s complicated, so you should like it. I expect you’ll be teaching me a lot of tricks of the trade.”
“It’ll be a two-way street,” Alec replied, getting up from his place on the couch and heading for the pile of boxes containing the financial records. He grabbed one, hauled it back to the couch, and plopped down, setting it between his feet. With the same general enthusiasm as a child at Christmas, he took the lid off and snagged the first envelope of records.
I dug through my desk, grabbed one of my tablets and a stylus, made sure it had sufficient battery for him to work with, and brought it over. “I usually take pictures, load it into a note program, and jot digital notes all over the pages so I can refer to the records later. These tablets do not leave my office unless they’re checked out with the chiefs. We have forms for it, since they contain evidence.”
“We don’t have to take our work home with us?”
“It is strongly discouraged. You’ll appreciate that after a while. The only time we’re supposed to take work home with us is if we’re assigned a police dogorif we’re high enough up in the ranks to be on call. I’m on call if there is an important break in one of my cases, but I’m only contacted if it needs to be addressed immediately. The dogs go home with their handlers, and they’re taught when they’re on the job. I’m in the queue to receive a dog, but I don’t know when that’ll happen.”
“I was warned there would be a canine in my future, and I have been going through training to help handle a dog.”
Damn, the chiefs were out for the accountant. “No is an allowed word. If you become uncomfortable at any time, please use the word no.”
“They’re fine. I think it’s nice they care about you enough they’re going to these lengths. I appreciate your approach, and honestly, the stories about the incubi are hilarious. You have some serious street cred for your general ability to tell sex demons no. I’ve seen pictures of some of the incubi, and it’s generally agreed even men find them attractive.”
I chuckled. “You don’t have a problem with living in the same building with me?”
“I don’t, and if you want to spend time together outside of work, I’m game. I suspect we’re both more interested in making a friendship work prior to establishing any additional benefits. Honestly, at this stage, I’m also interested in yanking on the chains of nosy busybodies, as your dating life really isn’t any of their business.”
Of all the things I’d learned while working under the Chief Quinns, the concept that romance was more about the relationships rather than the sex stuck with me.
Without the relationship, the sex meant less than nothing to me. I’d lived without it my entire life, and I could live without it in the future without issue. However, with the right relationship, I expected sex would become something truly special.
I wanted to capture that special moment.
I considered Alec with interest. “The relationship is more important to me than the sex.”
“I generally feel the same way. And the only way we’ll find out if there is a relationship to be had is to give it a shot. Honestly, if we survive each other for a few weeks on the job and still want to see each other in the evenings, that’s probably a good indication there might be something to the matchmakers and their busybody ways. And if there’s no interest, it’s no skin off either of our backs. We’d be better off as just co-workers.”
“Agreed. I have a few rules,” I announced.
“No cheating should be one of the rules if it isn’t.”
I chuckled. “It is. If we both agree we are interested in trying to make a relationship work, then I feel we should stay dedicated. If you want out because you want to go have a fling with a succubus, just give me a heads up so I’m aware. The same applies to me. My second rule is to be honest. That’s about it. I mean, beyond condom and safe sex rules. No children unless we actually want them. Once you’re on the force long enough, you’ll see the consequences. People like to say that pregnancy mystically transforms a mother into a caring entity who will do anything for her child, but that simply isn’t true—and it often falls to us to try to rescue these kids from abusive family situations. And worse, there are times where we can’t do anything at all.”
Without fail, I ended up with a session or two on a shrink’s couch trying to come to terms with the reality of my job—and that there were parents in the world who would kill their children because they were in the way of their life’s ambitions.
“That was in the first week of courses, so we understood what we were getting into. We got both sides of the picture when we were being taught what to expect while on the job and how to handle an investigation involving child abuse. Or worse.”
