Despite the anaconda of a line snaking outside Delightful, I still arrived at work on time. Across the way, the towering building of Fides, the city's finest detective agency, stood in all its prestige. It felt like decades since I first had the pleasure of working for this detective agency, though it had only been about six years.

The grand fountain beckoned, and I brushed my fingers along its rough cement.

The wind carried a cool mist onto my skin. Inside, Elizabeth sat at the front desk, her wrinkled skin stretching into a familiar smile. 

“Good morning, Liz!”

I was almost certain she had been a fixture since Fides’ founding. I gave her a wave, swiping my badge at the reader and passing through the turnstiles.

Slipping in a few more sips of my refreshing drink, it felt like this delightful part of my morning was the perfect start to a good workday. 

The elevator bell chimed, prompting me out into the magnanimous office space of the first unit. We were the agency’s elite, a team of the finest, hand-selected detectives. Our specialty? The mysterious cases, the ones that had stumped other units for years, their resources exhausted.

Excelling at Providing Effective and Exceptional Efficiency

The golden plaque, embedded with our office’s motto, always caught my eye. Its shiny exterior reflected the lights so well that it almost looked wet. On my way to my office, I picked up a stray sticky note from the pristine floor. We took pride in our tidy, organized space, which stood in sharp contrast to other departments within the agency.

I hung my purse on its designated hook before plopping onto the swivel seat in front of my computer. The smooth faux leather yielded beneath me as I began the arduous process of booting it up. 

“Hey, Sel!”

Without bothering to knock, my door swung open, revealing Avery, my coworker and long-time friend. I sighed; my hopes of uninterrupted morning relaxation time had just evaporated. 

“I see knocking isn’t a thing anymore.”

He grinned, his hair still tousled from the earlier wharf wind.

“I know it’s the ‘Sel hour’ or whatever, but Jack’s been hounding me since I got in to get you to his office the second you came in.”

Jack wanted to see me this early? Oh, lord. A knot of apprehension tightened in my stomach; morning meetings with him rarely boded well. With another sigh, I headed towards his office, nudging Avery’s arm as he offered his signature smile and wink.

The loose door rattled under my gentle knock. His husky voice broke the pause, commanding, “Enter!”

He was sitting in his grand chair, turning towards the door, a strained smile plastered on his face.

“Selene! There you are! This old brain of mine gets all confused with these shifting schedules - wasn’t sure when you’d be gracing us with your presence this morning.”

His casual tone did nothing to ease the knot forming in my stomach. This wasn’t good.

“Avery mentioned you needed to see me…?” I prompted, keeping my tone neutral.

He adjusted his tie, a small, nervous gesture.

“Right, yes. A few days ago… I had a… rather lengthy discussion with the higher-ups, you know, getting things back on track. And the decision is, we’re bringing in someone with a… significant track record to lend a hand.”

Wonderful, I thought.

“This is news to me.” My tone remained calm, but a sharp edge was creeping in. “A new employee, especially one senior enough to ‘lend a hand,’ warrants more than a last-minute heads-up. As the team lead, I would appreciate some advance notice to, you know, prepare. Organizing is needed to ensure a seamless team integration.”

He cleared his throat, the sound sharp in the quiet office. His hand settled on the table, a deliberate weight that telegraphed his displeasure.

“I didn’t tell you,” he said, his gaze steady, “because until yesterday, this whole damn thing was uncertain. And make no mistake, someone of his caliber agreeing to this is a miracle. Many states know him. He’s skilled at what he does. He won’t require you to coddle him through every syllable.”

My jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. “With respect,” I began, my voice a low, controlled counterpoint, “you're the first to preach about the importance of first impressions. A proper welcome smooths the path for everyone and improves long-term synergy. If we had just a little more—”

A violent thwack echoed. The boss’s face, the mask shattered, was a study in raw displeasure.

“This isn’t up for discussion, Selene. This is how it’s going to be,” he stated, his voice tight with authority. “He’s not here to socialize. He’s here to solve the year-old case. One. Year. Old. Our reputation is on the line. Do you have any idea how that makes me look to the higher-ups? Your team, always reliable… What's changed? What have you been doing? Waiting for another body to drop? If anything is important, it’s that you stop wasting my time with your so-called justifications and go get things ready for him.”

His breath hitched as he adjusted his tie, a minor feature of his agitation. He reached for his water. Guilt twisted in my gut. He was right; I knew. I was failing as a leader. I’ve known since the day I received the position that I was unqualified for it. They gave this role, meant for someone experienced, to someone like me. Someone who earned it because of her immense bravery and call of duty towards apprehending the leader of Lobelia. A duty I can’t even remember. 

“He’s handling all the entrance paperwork today, but he’ll be here starting tomorrow.” A sigh escaped him. “That should be more than enough time for you to gather things together.”

I nodded, keeping my head bowed, hoping to conceal the distress that tightened my throat. 

I made my way to the common space, where Avery was busy talking to our unit’s other team member, Kari. Her brown eyes locked with mine, Avery pausing mid-conversation to turn around to see who she was looking at.

“Hey guys, I've got some news.” I walked up, leaning against the wall and crossing my arms.

“Tomorrow, we’re getting a new team member, so while we’re waiting for Michael to send us over the info from today’s crime scene, let's try to organize all the case files. It might make sense to us, but a newcomer might get lost in our myriad of folders.”

Avery’s thick eyebrows furrowed a bit, while Kari’s eyes widened with anticipation. She jumped up from her seat, her bubbly personality permeating my lingering foul mood. 

“A new coworker! Who is it? Do we know them? What are they like? Is it a guy? A girl!? Oh my god, we could have a girl’s night and th-” She spoke, running out of breath, but before she could continue Avery put his hand on her shoulder.

“You've gotta give her a chance to answer you, Kar.” He chuckled.

His attention turned towards me, but I didn’t even have the answers to her questions. My shoulders shrugged as I picked up some folders on Avery’s desk.

“Besides being experienced, Jack said he would report to us tomorrow and told me nothing more.”

Kari let out a small squeal. 

“A guy?! Could this be the start of some office romance for you, Sel?” Her voice carried a playful tone.

I rolled my eyes at her. Ever since she joined the team ages ago, she’d always preached how great it is to be married and in love. How I should hurry and find someone to settle down with. But that wasn’t one of my goals, not soon anyway. Not until this case we’re working on gets solved.

“Unless he’s super hot and super rich, I don’t think so.” I said. Before she could answer back, Avery interjected, changing the topic.

“So why a new member?”

I shrugged as I shifted through the papers.

“With one spot open for more than a year on this four-member team, something like this was bound to occur. That, plus…” I paused; they deserved the truth. “Jack is worried about the case’s progress, so he thinks this will help.”

I met his eyes, the office lights making them a brighter green than usual. He seemed deep in thought. I approached him, reaching to fix his stray piece of hair. 

“It’ll be fine, Avery. Bringing fresh viewpoints helps identify things we might overlook. I mean, we’re so used to seeing these files that we’re overlooking something.”

He gave me a slight smile, and I returned it. Kari, who had been gathering up some documents, jumped up to us, pushing us towards our file room.

“Come on, you two! Let’s get to it!”

----------------------------------------------------

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Art: Petra Eggert