Page 61 of Catching the Kot'oll Driver

Ilet out a breath as I watch Grihul go into the door that separates the gated area for allowed beings and the lobby for the general public. This building is so cold that I shiver. It feels like the walls and the beings working here are all out there to catch beings.

I suppose this is the point of the courthouse, to intimidate criminals, and I have nothing to be worried about. Yet... I still don’t like this place. Grihul has to go inside on his own, which has to be scary. He isn’t even living on this planet yet gets into trouble.

It would be a lot better if I went with him. I could, but I’d rather skip the trouble and the procedures. Mostly, that has to do with how close I was with his case, because... duh.

I wasn’t the one “killing” the gangster, so I have nothing to do with the procedure Grihul has to deal with, but it doesn’t mean watching him going through it is any easier.

I shout, “Remember what I told you!”

He probably nods. he doesn’t look back; maybe he is a bit too tense about what’s going to happen. The captain and I told him what would happen and told him how he could make the process go as quickly as he could.

If he says anything remotely different from the statement he provided, the judges will ask more questions until they line up everything. We, the police, filed the case as a self-defense case with no hint of suspicion, so it will only benefit Grihul for him to say nothing.

I hate to make him feel like we’re trying to trick the system, but when it comes to things on the court, they may want an accuracy that’s a lot stronger than how everyone else is used to.

It’s not worth it to waste further time inside.

The door closes, leaving the captain and me in the lobby, along with the other beings that have nothing to do with us who are just passersby.

The captain says, “You seem to be deep in your thoughts.”

“Am I? Maybe.”

“Don’t worry about him. He’s going to be fine.”

I let out a breath. “I doubt I can ever hit someone that hard even if I want to or the circumstances call for it.”

“That’s not the only thing one needs.”

“Maybe... But I suppose... If I’m not in the team, you can get someone who is stronger and can smack the criminals in the face if they have to.” I lift my hands. “Look, these hands are never going to be able to achieve that.”

“We appreciate your insight on cases. There are only so many uses for big muscles.”

I glance at him, trying to gauge whether he really means it.

He says, “Are you telling me you want to resign from the team?”

I sigh. “You know I love my job and I’ve been wanting to do this for longer than I can remember.”

“And you’ve worked hard to meet all the criteria.”

“I did. But... there’s more than that, right?”

“Well, I advocated for keeping you on the team and hiring you. I don’t pick beings who aren’t qualified and would harm the team.”

I force a smile, but can’t seem to make myself feel better.

The captain stares at the door that Grihul goes through. “Maybe he should join us instead of you leaving us.”

How does he know I’m thinking about leaving?

More importantly, why does he think that Grihul should join?

And... Why does he think that I’d want to have him around?

I’ve never told anyone about that.

He chuckles. “Look, I’m a police officer too. We know how to see through beings.”

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