Breaking and Entering 101

by Honor Raconteur

  I walked at his side, looking at his serious case of panda eyes, and felt bad I’d so quickly accepted this case. Not that we had much choice, but still. He was already overloaded as it was. “Henri, how about this. Let me do the initial legwork on this. When I feel like I need you, I’ll call you in. You’re juggling too many irons in the fire right now.”

  He gave me a grateful look. “I am, and thank you. But I still want to be part of the investigation and keep track of everything. I might not be able to help as much, but at least once a day I want to come in and check with you. Perhaps sit and be a sounding board for whatever theories you have.”

  “Sounds fair. And I’ll help with your ward problem, as I can.”

  “Thank you. We’ll likely need it. We’re not having a great deal of luck in that regard.” He sighed, the sound full of stress and tension, and rolled his head back and forth. “Just having someone capable as another Magical Examiner would do much to ease the workload I’m currently carrying.”

  I crossed my fingers and mentally prayed Regina really had found Colette and appointed her. It was too soon to check on that yet, though, and that was fine. We were at the end of the work day anyway. “I’m for a bubble bath as soon as I get home.”

  Henri sighed, both relief and weariness in the slump of his shoulders. “Sounds heavenly. I might well do the same.”

  A good night of rest was what the doctor ordered. Curled around a furball, I more or less got it, although a panic dream did wake me up once in the night. Fortunately, Clint pulled me out of it quickly, and I was able to settle enough to go back to sleep afterward.

  Henri certainly looked better with a full night of rest in him. We walked to work, stopping for pastries and coffee on the way, talking as we normally did. These early morning chats were some of my favorite times with him. It had been weeks since we’d been able to, what with him swamped in the lab. Lately, he went in two hours ahead of me to get a jump start on the lab work. I was glad he hadn’t chosen to do that this morning.

  The precinct looked as busy as usual, people coming in and out of the main doors, sometimes in handcuffs, sometimes with that look of distress that meant trouble. Henri held open the door for one woman with a toddler in her arms, and she gave him a grateful look as she sailed through. I went ahead as well, planning in my head all the things to be done today. Let’s see, talk to Gregson first and give him a proper idea of how long this job would likely take, so he knew not to assign us cases. And then ask about….oh?

  A woman I didn’t recognize stood just outside of the captain’s door, talking to Gregson in a low tone. She looked unbearably excited and trying to hide it behind a professional demeanor. As we entered the bullpen, she noticed us, and her face lit up in a smile. “Henri!”

  My normally reserved partner looked just as giddy and returned the greeting. “Colette! Thank all the stars.” He beelined for her, taking hold of both arms to kiss her on either cheek. She had to bend down a little to allow this, as she stood a good head taller.

  I took in this woman with curiosity. I’d heard about Colette, of course—Henri had talked about her often enough—but this was the first time I’d seen her. She wasn’t a traditional beauty, but she gave off the impression of someone really fun to know. She reminded me of an Amazonian warrior—tall and broad like a linebacker, with thighs that could probably crush someone. Her hair was neatly pulled back into a two-tiered bun, the wiry black hair held further in check by a multitude of tiny braids.

  Judging from the general look of her, and that ebony dark skin, I’d say she was from Ciparis. She looked like that nationality, at least. Henri had never mentioned where she was from, just that she’d gone to school with him. I loved her smile—it was joyous and fetching, and I found myself smiling at her without really meaning to.

  “Queen Regina marched her into the precinct herself, informed me she was now one of my Magical Examiners, and that if anyone else tried to block me from hiring the right people, I was to inform her directly,” Gregson reported. Well, he might have cackled mid-statement, but then not one of us blamed him for that.

  Heck, I was cackling. “Really now. No, I’m not surprised. She was mad as a striped hornet yesterday when I told her.”

  Colette looked at me with interest. There was a charming lilt to her words, making it clear Velars was a second language to her. “I’m sorry, you are…?”

  Henri belatedly did the introductions. “Forgive me, where are my manners? Jamie, this is Colette Harper. Colette, Detective Jamie Edwards. My friend and partner. She’s also the one who advocated to the queen yesterday about women being allowed to work as Magical Examiners.”

  Colette stuck out a hand, and I shook it, pleased with the strength. I hated limp fish handshakes. “Welcome to the madhouse, Dr. Harper.”

  “Colette,” she corrected me firmly with a wide smile. “And I owe you dinner, I think, for sticking up for us women. I’d never have gotten hired otherwise. And you, Henri, I understand the recommendation came directly from you and with strong urging.” Her dark brown eyes were a touch bright with unshed tears, happy ones. “Thank you both, truly. I thought I’d never get a chance to really work.”

  “Oh, there’s work to be had,” I said, dry as a martini. “Trust me on that. You’ll shortly be drowning in it.”

  “Captain, I’ll run her through the procedures and get her caught up to speed as I can,” Henri volunteered. “Her new hire paperwork is complete?”

  “Barely begun,” Gregson denied with a shake of the head. “But if you’re working both the Kingsman case and the palace wards, I know you’re not going to be at the precinct much in the next few weeks. I can do the paperwork with her later. Take her.”

  “Thank you.” Henri cast a glance at me that silently asked for me to come along. I almost didn’t—a lot of what he would discuss with Colette would go right over my head—but I second-guessed that assumption. If Colette would be at crime scenes, she’d need some self-defense training hammered into her. And I’d have to school her on modern forensics too. Not to mention she was now one of six women working in the precinct. It would be good to get her introduced to all the girls.

  Yeah, okay, Henri had a point about me tagging along. I followed him as we wound back toward his lab, him pointing out where things were as they walked. Colette listened carefully, asking questions, and I hoped for her sake she was a quick learner. She was about to get thrown off the deep end.

  We reached the lab and settled around Henri’s work table. As I took a seat, Henri explained seriously, “You’ll be put in the lab next to mine, so when I am here, do feel free to pop in with questions. I’ll give you one of our pads so you can text me questions as well. I’m afraid the captain is right, I’ll be out and about for the foreseeable future, but I don’t wish for you to flounder because you weren’t properly introduced to the work here.”

  “I’ll try to catch up quickly,” Colette promised. “Tell me the procedures—I’m sure there’s rules for handling evidence—and I’ll stick to them.”

  “I’ll do so. First, allow Jamie to fill you in on some of the basics.” Turning to me, Henri added, “It will take hours to get Colette sorted enough here to even begin work. I don’t wish to keep you tied here for all that time. You’re still to meet Gibson at the station.”

  I nodded, as that was fair. “Colette, there’s a few things you should be aware of, some advancements in forensics. I’ll walk you through the most important ones now. But before I do that, a few things. First, you’re now one of six women to work here at the precinct. Us girls get together every other week, as the insanity permits, and go out to dinner. We meet up regularly for self-defense training and sparring with the girls from the other stations, too. I’d really like it if you joined us. They’re fun ladies to know, and it’s a fast way to make some friends here at work.”

  Colette looked touched by the offer, a hand pressed over her ample chest. “Jamie, that’s kindly offered. Thank you, I’d love that. But
do I need defensive training too?”

  “You’ll be called regularly out to crime scenes, and those aren’t always safe,” I explained patiently. “And sometimes, we stumble into situations just on our way home. Best to be prepared, right?”

  She looked a little doubtful. “Frankly, Detective, looking at you I know you have the skills to take a man down. But I’m not very fast on my feet. You think I can?”

  “I can take down anyone I wish.” I arched an eyebrow at her in challenge. “And anyone I train can do the same.”

  The light in her eyes told me the challenge was accepted. “Then I accept the offer. Thank you.”

  “Good! Alright, back to forensics. Let me start with fingerprints.”

  Colette was an excellent listener. She took notes, asked questions, and Henri pulled examples from other cases so she could get a good visual on what I explained. She absorbed it all like a sponge. I wasn’t sure if she was a genius, but I’d bet she was darn close to that level. This woman had intellectual prowess, alright. I now completely understood why Henri had been so adamant to have her hired.

  It took about two hours for me to explain all the basics and set up training times for her. We walked her through how to use the texting pad too, and she was like a kid with a new toy on that one. By the time I left them to discuss all the magical things, I felt like I’d gained another excellent colleague. Time would tell if she became a friend or not. I rather hoped she would.

  I bid them good luck and left them to it. I was halfway to the train station to meet Gibson when an idea struck and I pulled out my pad, jotting off a note to Ophelia, Henri’s mother.

  Ophelia adored the pad beyond words. It helped her keep track of her child, so she usually had it on hand. As usual, she was quick to respond to my greeting. Hello, Jamie! What good news?

  Colette Harper’s been hired as a Magical Examiner at the precinct today, I responded.

  No! Oh excellent, Henri was so advocating for that. I should throw a dinner party to celebrate it.

  And that’s exactly why I’d contacted her. Would you? I wrote. Henri and I have a Kingsman case we were just handed, otherwise I’d do it.

  Oh really? You must give me the particulars when I see you. But no, dear, don’t worry about the dinner, I’d love to host it. Give me a few good dates you and Henri would be available.

  I loved how she now trusted that I knew Henri’s schedule as well as my own. Not that she was wrong, mind you. I carried on the conversation as I walked, smile growing as my feet covered the pavement.

  One problem down, two to go.

  Colette watched Jamie leave, eyebrows arched a little, nose scrunched. It was her thinking face.

  “What, Colette?” I prompted.

  “She’s not at all what I mentally pictured,” Colette said, still staring at the closed door as if she could see through it. “You described her to me as this formidable woman. I thought she’d be a giantess. But she’s quite pretty.”

  “The women of my acquaintance are typically both lovely and formidable,” I drawled, amused at her observation. “Take yourself, for instance.”

  She let out a rolling laugh, her head thrown back. “You smooth talker!”

  Colette knew very well she wasn’t my type. We’d tried kissing exactly once—it had felt so much like kissing a sibling that we’d sworn to never do it again. Our relationship allowed me to give her such compliments without her thinking too much of it. Although I did wish she would at least believe me. I wasn’t entirely jesting with her. She was a very attractive woman in her own way.

  Laughter subsiding, Colette asked, “Did she really mean it? My joining the other women for dinner and such.”

  “She truly did.” I understood the hesitation. Colette adored Kingston more than her home country, which was why she stayed, but she’d found it difficult to make female friendships here. I wasn’t entirely sure why. “Colette, in truth, you have far more in common with Jamie than you might realize. You do know she’s sometimes called the Shinigami Detective?”

  Colette blinked at me, her expression perfectly blank for a moment. Then she slammed her hand against the table, making everything on it jump. “That’s it! Heavens above, I knew I’d recognized her from somewhere, I just couldn’t place it. She was in the papers for weeks a few years ago.”

  “Yes, so she was. She’s also not from Kingston. It’s fascinating, hearing her talk about her homeland. But the point I’m attempting to make is that she’s just as displaced sometimes in Kingston as you are. You’ll find her to be a good listener. I’m not sure if you two will choose to be friends—that’s of course entirely up to you. But give her a chance, Colette.”

  “I’m inclined to do that just because you like her,” Colette answered in her usual forthright manner.

  “Good.” I mentally crossed fingers and wished them the best. I’d dearly love it if they were friends. “Now, back to task. The workroom you’ll take over used to be Sanderson’s.”

  Colette made a face, like she’d sucked a rotten lemon. “I had a feeling. What can I trust in there, anything?”

  “Highly doubtful. He almost destroyed this whole part of the building due to his carelessness at one point. When the renovation was complete, I put proper safety and preventive hexes throughout the room, but odds are he tampered with them afterward. The man was slapdash even on the best of days. His records are also a complete mess. For now, until I can help you sort that room, feel free to use mine. Most of the work is piled up in here anyway.”

  “But what if you come back to the precinct?” Colette cocked her head at me. “Or do you not anticipate that happening?”

  “I might, in theory, have enough time to do so. If I do, it’ll be to help you settle in here. We’re…” I trailed off, running a hand over my face. Gods above, I was tired. I could feel the exhaustion in my bones, weighing like an anchor on my mind, dragging me inexorably toward dark, inky depths. Last night’s rest had done much to restore me, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the dearth of rest I’d failed to acquire over the last month. I could cheerfully sleep another two days, truth be told.

  At least I had the option of sleep in my foreseeable future. The extra effort of catching Colette up to speed was well worth it.

  “Henri,” Colette said, her bluntness dulled by concern, “I think you’ve taken on too much.”

  “I wouldn’t have, if not for that bastard, Sanderson. This should have been more or less manageable.” I rubbed at my temples, the dull headache threatening to become more poignant. I might have to take a headache reliever potion if it didn’t subside soon. “And with you now here, it will become that. Alright, let me run you through procedures.”

  The rules were simple enough, really. Put up magical barricades around each project to protect against cross-contamination. Keep a detailed list of what came in, what went out, and what tests were run. Flag priorities in colors ranging from red to green—green being a cold case that was being re-examined. Although I did warn her nothing should be in the lab more than thirty days. Law was slow, yes, but it did move.

  Colette jotted down notes in her spidery handwriting, and I felt a wave of nostalgia. It was like being back in our student years, working together on labs. I was of course heartened for her sake that she now had gainful employment that made proper use of her training and intelligence. But I was selfishly, utterly glad she was my colleague here. It was always better to work with a friend.

  I glanced at the table, saw three different pieces of submitted evidence tagged Red: Urgent, and sighed. Well, it was good to do something with Colette anyway, walk her through it in practice instead of just theory. “Colette, those three must be done right away. You technically can’t handle anything on your own just yet—your paperwork must be completed first—but would you like to accompany me?”

  “Set ’em up,” she ordered, already standing and reaching for the nearest one.

  The sheet attached to the front of the thin wooden box had familiar
handwriting, and I cocked my head sideways to read it better. “Ah, that’s Gerring. He’s a beat cop, but working on becoming a detective. Also one of Jamie’s ducklings. He’ll have handled that with gloves, so do the same.”

  “The fingerprints thing she told me about?” Colette looked at the evidence with keen interest. “That really works on helping to solve cases?”

  “Usually it’s evidence for after the fact, a way to prove the criminal was indeed on scene. It’s foolproof, though. No two humans have the same fingerprints.”

  “Crickey. No kidding? I’ll need to set her down and ask more questions about it. I get the feeling she just handed me the gist.” Colette’s dark eyes turned sharp and penetrating. “This something from her country?”

  “It is. She knows a great deal and graciously teaches us. We’re slowly incorporating it into practice here.” I set the small barricades, little more than magical walls that reached from table to ceiling, readying a form nearby, and gave her a nod.

  According to Gerring’s report, the charm submitted was one thought to be faulty, something that started a fire instead of preventing it. I had my doubts just because the charm was perfectly intact. If it was the cause of a blaze, shouldn’t it also be in ashes by now?

  Frowning in concentration, Colette performed a diagnostic on the charm, her wand slowly panning over the surface of the paper and ink. It was simple in design, a perfect square paper with the red, stylized flame and black written instruction wrapping around the paper like a border. Then her frown grew deeper, brows needled together. “Henri. The charm looks fine. I don’t see anything wrong with its design or quality, but there’s a sticky residue on top of it.”

  I blinked at her, then sat up to see over her shoulder. Indeed, there was—a light residue, as if from tape. It was visible only because some lint had gotten stuck to it. “Well now. Perhaps the owner unwisely covered the charm?”