Sheriff Hammond called out to Sato, who was still processing Harrington's new testimony. “What’s going on?” Hammond sounded concerned.

Emily cringed as the old woman came to stand next to her.

Sato cleared her throat and pocketed her phone.

“Deputy Harrington was just helping me compile some additional testimony from Ms...”

Sato’s voice trailed off, not sure how to politely address the woman who’d identified herself as ‘Krys’.

“...Kryseena.” Emily finished through her teeth, folding her arms and sucking hard on a breath mint.

“Yes… she’s been quite helpful.”

The sheriff looked skeptically through the open doorway to where Kryseena lay on her bed fiddling with her phone then back at Sato.

“I don’t believe you.” 

Sato smiled broadly at the accusation. A cold sweat rolled down Emily’s back.

“Your hesitation is understandable but I believe parts of her statement hold some merit. I expect I’ll know more after we’ve explored the scene… Shall we?”

Sato waved loosely in the direction they’d come from. To her surprise she felt someone behind her after the police officers began making their way back toward the kitchen.

Kryseena looked up from her phone as Sato stared at her.

“What?” She asked defensively. 

Sato turned back without a word and followed the procession down the worn ladder to the cellar. 

The large room under the kitchen was completely unfurnished. Structural beams and exposed pipe lined the walls. Judging from the runs of the electrical cables they had been a later addition hinting at the mansion's true age. 

Bare wooden pillars dotted the room in neat rows the party navigated around. Sheriff Hammond brought the party to a stop and pointed at a large wooden door built into the far wall. The door and its frame had a multitude of cracks around the handle and deadbolt. Hammond pointed to a series of tracks with police markings near them. Sato knelt down beside them and took a photo with her phone. 

“3-4 adults, no wheel tracks either.” Sato muttered to herself. This was definitely not Clover’s gang. Her partner, Castle, was usually confined to a wheelchair and while she is shockingly mobile without it, she still requires crutches that would have left tracks. 

Sato found herself at an impasse. Clearly, Clover and her Phantom Thieves had not been here. She could merely submit her report to Interpol and be on a flight back to Lyon tonight.

Fuck. That.

She mused as she continued mulling over her options. The flight to get here had been hell and if she never saw O’Hare again it would be too soon. No, she decided right then and there she would either draw this investigation out as long as possible or she’d finally tap into all that personal time she’d banked for the last 7 years. The higher ups would likely whine but dealing with those assholes seemed like a lovely stroll through the woods compared to trying to go home now.

Sato tiptoed carefully beside the tracks leading to the heavy metal of the vault door. The perpetrators may not have been subtle but they knew what they were doing. The vault was around a corner and not immediately visible from the broken door. Yet the tracks indicated they walked directly toward it, clearly they’d known exactly where to look.

The others watched Sato as she pulled a bottle of pills out of her coat and expertly swallowed two without water.

    “I’m going to try something.” She announced taking a step back from the vault and bracing herself for a splitting headache.

    A pain stabbed at her eyes as they lost their hue and turned glossy black. Black fluid bubbled out from the rims of her eyes and began streaming down her cheeks. Sato growled in pain trying to blink the stinging black fluid away. Her vision cleared as two glowing yellow pupils floated from the murky blackness and granted her sight again. The area around the vault glowed a wispy purple. It centered around the hole the perpetrators had drilled into it. the inside of the vault likewise had residual purple strands flowing around.

    The others stood in stunned silence. Even Kryseena had lost interest in whatever she’d been doing on her phone. Emily took a sudden step back. “What in god’s name?”

    “Clearly there was some sort-” Sato was cut off by the stabbing pain coming back in force. She crumpled to the ground holding her eyes and gently wiping the black fluid away with her sleeve.

    Hammond rushed to her side and offered her a handkerchief. “Are you alright?”

    “I will be.” Sato muttered, blinking the last of the fluid away. “I just need a moment.”

    “Emily, get some ice.” Hammond ordered.

    The deputy didn’t argue and scaled the ladder as quickly as she could.

    Kryseena leaned over, brushing a hand across Sato’s face. “That was metal as shiiiit!”

    Sato tried to give her a cheeky smile but it was hard to focus. It would be a few minutes before the painkillers kicked in. She was glad she’d taken them before invoking her power.

    “It’s a curse really.” Sato muttered. “It allows me to see latent magical energy but it's quite painful to use.”

    She loosely pointed toward the vault. “At least one of the items they stole was bristling with magic. I also believe the drill they used was magically enhanced to cut through steel as evidenced by residual traces around the cut .”

    Hammond looked down on her skeptically. “What do you mean magical?”

    Sato sat up. “Ever since Odin’s invasion we’ve had instances of old artifacts, paintings, artworks, statues, drawing in residual magic from the conflict. The older the item the more likely it is to be a magical vessel.”

    Emily’s shoes clicked against the ground as she hopped off the ladder and handed a can of juice over to Sato who pressed it against her head.

    “It takes a long time for a vessel to have enough magic to be usable but once it does...” Sato rubbled the cold drink across her temple. “No telling what kind of devastation it could cause.”

    The old sheriff ran a hand through her hair and turned to pace around the room. “...Well… what the hell do we do about it?”

    Agent Sato braced herself against a support pillar and got back onto her feet holding the can in place. “Nothing yet.”  She underhand tossed the can back to Emily. “Until we know where the vessel is and what they plan to do with it, the best course of action is to pretend everything is normal.”

    The agent put her palms against the side of her aching head rubbing slowly. “The contractors on the vault? They were local?”

    Hammond looked to Kryseena who looked up from her phone and shrugged dismissively. “I didn’t even know we had another safe down here.” 

    Emily interjected. “They were. I...” She paused considering. “...I had a look at the forms in Ms Kessler's office on my way to Kryseena.”

    Sato nodded, feigning forgetfulness to get in on the act. “Ah yes. I remember you showing me.”

    Hammond looked at them both questioningly but said nothing.

    Sato pulled a pair of thin-rimmed sunglasses out of her pocket and slipped them on coolly. “I recommend we look into the contractors. The leftover tracks say to me we’re dealing with amateurs but they knew right where the safe was and how to crack it. It's very likely they at least had a man on the inside.”

    Hammond placed a hand on her chin. “That’ll take time and I have no idea how long.”

    Sato grinned. “That’s fine I have another idea to uncover the identities of the conspirators. May I borrow Deputy Harrington to help test a theory?”

Hammond gave them both a look but nodded affirmatively. “I’ll get in touch with the DA’s office and get the paperwork filed. Call me the moment you have something.”

    Sato gave the Sheriff a small bow as she moved to ascend the ladder back to the kitchen.

   Sato gestured to the ladder inviting Emily to follow. “Shall we?”