Chapter Three: Footing The Bill

Part 4

Ten minutes later, Officer Grey’s chair creaked as he leaned back. Stacking all three of his empty plates, he patted his stomach with a contented sigh. “Thanks for that, Leo.”

The detective snorted, “I’d feel guilty if I let you go hungry.”

Naira stared at the plates in amazement. He’d even licked them clean, something she was pretty sure you weren’t supposed to do in professional settings. Despite that, his partner hadn’t even batted an eye.

For her part, Naira had finished her soup and half her sandwich. Would they think it rude if she took it home, instead of eating it on the spot?

Was that really her primary concern right now?

“Someone like you,” he’d said. Sitting across from her like this, he seemed to have difficulty keeping eye contact with her. It was like he didn’t want to get caught staring. Why should that bother him? Everyone else in this diner had stared at her from the moment she stepped inside. She was painfully aware of her status as the only Mnolf in a room full of Snepards.

That didn’t seem to faze the jovial man beside her, but that just seemed to be who he was. He talked with her more freely than almost anyone she’d ever met. By contrast, Detective Parsons treated her with the aloofness and suspicion she expected. Was it bad that that felt more normal to her?

When he’d pulled up to the bus stop to offer her a ride, she’d thought for sure he’d recognized her. But the longer this charade went on, the more she believed Officer Leo Parsons had truly forgotten her. She wasn’t sure if that should anger or relieve her.

Coming to a decision, she carefully wrapped her sandwich in a paper napkin. The detective eyed it, then glanced up at her. “You get enough to eat?”

She nodded, “Yes, sir. Thank you for your generosity.” She was in the lion’s den in more ways than one here. It was worth overdoing her own politeness.

He shrugged, taking another bite of his own food. “Next time I make a bet with Tolson, I’m feeding you instead of him.”

Next time. The words tugged a question free from her subconscious, and she couldn’t ignore it. “Sirs, how long do you think this investigation will take?”

Detective Parsons shrugged again. “Depends on how long it takes to unearth something concrete, I guess.”

“Leo’s got a good track record! He’s– ow!” Officer Grey bumped the table as his partner kicked his leg. “I mean it, Leo. The last investigation was a fluke, and I’m not trying to bring that up. But for 95% of his cases, Leo gets his guy within a month or two of getting put on the case. With one exception, he’s always caught his perp.”

Naira turned back to him, confused at the term. “Perp?”

“Oh, perpetrator? You know, the bad guy?”

She nodded in understanding. She knew a fair bit of lingo in Snep, but most of it was academic.

Detective Parsons finished the last bit of food on his plate, though he did not lick it as his partner had. “You said Chief hired you for the duration of the case?”

Naira grimaced, then caught herself and forced a smile. She still had the letter from the University Headmaster explaining that she’d been assigned this duty. She was still expected to teach her classes, but two of the four had been handed off to substitute professors. It had taken her much effort to get permission to teach those classes, and having them forcibly taken away so easily did not settle her stomach about getting them back when this was all over.

“My understanding is that he asked the school for an expert in Alchemy, and is reimbursing the school for my time.”

“You in a hurry to get back?” Detective Leo’s whiskers twitched as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“We are in the last month of Planting Season. Many of my students are working on final projects and preparing for final exams. I do not wish to leave them without me as a resource any longer than is necessary.”

“So you like your work?”

She nodded, “It has always been my dream to teach.”

“And how much are your Alchemy classes?” Officer Grey leaned on the table, which notably sagged towards him.

“That depends on how you take them. If you go through the University, you have to pay normal tuition. And that is several thousand Crystum per semester, though I think tuition is halved for Ciphus citizens.”

She caught the pair sharing a glance, noting that her implication wasn’t lost on them. The same discount wasn’t offered to Rescues.

Officer Grey’s lip sagged in disappointment. “Wonder if I could talk the Chief into getting a scholarship for me through the department.”

The detective nearly snorted into his fourth cup of coffee. That might explain why she felt him bouncing his leg under the table. “Don’t think the Chief would spring for that,” he noted. “We haven’t needed an Alchemist on the force before, don’t see him looking to add one now. Well, at least as anything other than a consultant.”

Naira offered a polite smile as he gestured at her. She glanced at the officer beside her. His genuine disappointment tugged at something in her, and she almost told him about the private classes she taught from home. Distrust held her tongue. Those classes were a direct violation of her contract with the University, and if they were made publicly known she’d likely be fired. So she said nothing further.

After Detective Parsons paid the bill, they all got up from their table and made their way to leave. In passing the kitchen, Naira once again caught the scent of another Mnolf. She scanned the crowd of people dining again, but it was a sea of whites and greys. She must be picking up on someone in the back—out of sight, where they wouldn’t draw attention the way Naira did as she followed the two policemen out of the Diner.

Outside, Officer Grey bid them farewell, driving away in his own vehicle. Detective Parsons leaned against the driver’s door of his car, while Naira waited for him to open the door on her side as he had before. Instead, he kept leaning before asking, “Where you headed next?”

Her mind immediately jumped to her catalyst preparation trays. After last night, she’d needed to start quite a few crystallizing. “My lab,” she told him, “at the University.”

“And how do you normally get there?”

“By walking. Or with the bus pass the University provides.”

He nodded, tapping his finger against the roof of his car. “Want a lift?”

Truthfully, she didn’t. Being driven around by a police officer of all people was stressful enough, even if she was getting to ride in the front seat this time, to say nothing of the specific officer Anima had seen fit to cross her path with once more. Unfortunately, her continued employment depended on her not giving Ciphus Police a reason to complain to the University.

Unsurprisingly, the longer she spent around this detective, the more her thoughts wandered back to her son. She sifted through memories, remembering a time when her dear little boy tried to bring a frog in the house and the absolute choas that had ensued when it had escaped.

This let a smile come to her face naturally, as she responded with a gratitude she still couldn’t feel for this man. “If it’s not too much trouble. A lift would be most helpful.”