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“Thank you for coming on such short notice.” I nod at the officers as they file into our station. “Please, leave your cell phones at the security desk and go to meeting room two. There are cupcakes and coffee waiting. Take one and find a seat.”
Beside me, Mayn dips her pointed chin and murmurs greetings as each man and woman passes.
Everyone Bailey sent over is at the end of their shift for the day and unhappy to be delayed in going home. Hopefully, the cupcakes will help make them less grumpy.
The next round of people will arrive in thirty minutes, as they’re directed to report here before starting their shifts. It was the easiest way to pick people while disrupting the scheduled patrols as little as possible.
I’m surprised so many came. I expected Bailey to send over his worst or most loyal officers, regardless of Chief Lynch’s directive. Maybe I’m not the only one being evaluated, though I hold no illusions over which way the wind blows.
When the last officer disappears into the squad room, I turn to Mayn. “Ready?”
She gives me a closed-toothed smile. "Of course, sir."
I turn on my heel and return to the squad room, striding toward meeting room one.
The majority of the officers mill around the room, cupcakes and coffees in hand as they talk amongst themselves.
When we enter, they turn to face me with wary expressions on their faces.
“Please,” I gesture to the chairs set up. “Have a seat.”
“Remain in place,” Mayn murmurs behind me.
Three people start forward before stopping when they notice the rest of the officers in the room remain frozen.
I beckon them forward. “Please, take your seats. The rest of you may leave.”
“You may go,” Mayn murmurs, releasing them from her siren spell.
The three officers who remain, one woman and two men, take seats and exchange nervous glances.
I lean against the desk at the front. “Did you come to the wrong room because you can’t follow directions?”
“I saw the others coming in here and thought I’d misheard the room number,” says one man, and the other two nod in agreement.
“How long have you been with Captain Bailey’s department?” I ask.
The woman pulls back her shoulders. “Three years, sir.”
“Nearly five for me, sir,” the man on the left says. “I joined after the Resurgence.”
“One year for me, sir,” the youngest of the group announces.
“And were all of you sent for testing before being given your badges?” I watch their expressions.
“We’re not Others, sir.” The woman’s gaze darts to Mayn. “Not that there’s anything wrong with being an Other.”
Both men nod in agreement, and the older one speaks up. “We’ve all been certified as human, sir. You can check our records.”
Yes, I’m sure their records will match what they claim, but Bailey is supposed to have them take another test to check for magical resistance, which all three officers obviously possess.
These people should have been assigned to me the second they graduated from the academy, not put under Bailey.
I had long suspected the tests were skewed to keep my department small, but suspecting and knowing are two entirely different beasts.
“Okay.” I motion for them to stand. “Bring your things to meeting room two, where you should have gone originally.”
Mayn opens the door and leads them across the hall, where we find five more officers waiting with looks of confusion and annoyance on their faces.
