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I didn’t understand why I was taking public transportation to begin with. I could transport myself anywhere in the world with my magic, but no. The American Department of Magic and Justice required that their officers and detectives attempt to blend in with humans. They moved among them and only used their powers if necessary. They claimed it helped protect officers and humans alike, as well as maintain positive relations between species.
But I called bullshit. I imagined powers were kept to a minimum because the people in charge didn’t want fights amongst their subordinates. Not all mages had equal powers. Some could muster no more than parlor tricks, but for others, like yours truly, imagination was the limit to their magic.
The English Force left us to our own discretion; we could use any powers at our disposal to get the job done. But apparently here, everyone had to hold hands and sing Kumbaya so they didn’t offend anyone.
And that hippie line of thinking, which was thrust onto me so that I could “assimilate” before I arrived, forced me to endure the horrors of travel on both an airplane and a subway; neither of which I ever wished to repeat. I’d rather complete my trip to the police department on foot.
I glared as I stomped ahead down the pavement, ignoring the sights and sounds around me, until one came which I couldn’t ignore; a slight patter of rain on my head. But the sprinkle quickly turned into a downpour.
I cursed aloud and removed my wand from my suit jacket. I swished it over my head and created an invisible shield above me, not caring if anyone noticed the spell. They didn’t; they were like zombies, staring at their phones as they hurried by, apparently not caring that they were getting wet.
I cared. I grumbled with every step as I ran through the rain, my feet splashing through puddles and soaking my trousers. By the time I reached the department, I was soaked, chilled, and rightly pissed. I threw open the door and stomped inside.
“Can I help you?” A young man asked from behind a desk. I had no desire to explain my identity or presence, so I just flashed the badge on my lapel and kept stomping on. “Oh, you must be Detective Prince,” the young man said as he jumped from his seat and walked next to me. “We’ve been expecting you. I’ll show you to Captain Mullins’ office.”
I didn’t reply; I just grinded my teeth angrily. Honestly, it was probably better that I didn’t speak. The poor bloke hadn’t done anything, but I was angry with the world.
“There it is,” the man said, pointing to an office in front of us. “I’ll let him know you’ve arrived.”
“Don’t bother,” I finally grumbled, before speeding up and entering the Captain’s office. I tossed the door shut behind me and slammed myself into a chair, not caring that I was soaking the leather.
Captain Mullins raised his eyes from the stack of papers on his desk before him and gave me a smile, curving the gray whiskers of his thick mustache. “Detective Prince,” he assumed as I glared on, “We’ve been looking forward to your arrival.”
“Could have fooled me,” I snipped back. “I suppose it would be too much to ask for a car to meet me at the airport, hmm? Perhaps for you to extend just a smidgen of courtesy?”
Captain Mullins stared at me for a moment before giving a deep laugh, his large stomach jerking. “Welcome to New York!” He chuckled some more, but I failed to find the humor. “Thank you for that; I needed a laugh. It’s been very tough around here. And to answer your question, my staff is pulled paper thin. Everyone is on the hunt for the bastard who killed one of our own. My men are running overtime with very little rest, and I didn’t have a man to spare. I do apologize.”
I could sympathize with the situation, and bit my tongue to keep from saying something smart. Once the Captain calmed himself, he asked, “I trust that you were informed about the case?”
“I saw the photograph,” I replied, holding back a shiver from the memory. “But I received little information; the Chief Constable got me on a plane as quickly as possible.” The bastard. “He told me that you would fill me in on the details once I arrived.”
Captain Mullins nodded and replied, “Officer Patel was lured in by a false report of burglary, and he was attacked and killed outside of the view of his partner. The suspect was not seen or heard, and left behind no evidence.”
Damn. It wasn’t much to go on. “Did Officer Patel have any enemies? Anyone who might want to hurt him?”
“No. He was an exemplary cop and a great person. Everyone liked him. Even the people whom he arrested had respect for the guy.”
