Page 61 of Dragon Detective

“A girl! Bailey gave birth to a beautiful girl early this morning. Both mom and baby are doing fine.” A frown filled his yeti face. “I haven’t heard her name yet, though I think they’ve narrowed it down to three.”

“That’s wonderful.” I’d text Hannah as soon as I reached my office. “Bailey’s okay?”

“Perfect.”

I grinned. “And how’s Katar doing?”

“He’s so freakin’ proud. He’s the one who called, gushing about how beautiful she was, how he could tell she was smart already.”

“I’m glad they’re doing well.” I’d send some flowers to the hospital. “Are the other guys here?” I glanced toward the hallway leading to our offices.

“Tuvid’s out on a case, but Thain and Wolfram are in their offices. I set both up with passwords, and they’re exploring our software.”

“Excellent. Thanks.” I’d continue their orientation today, and soon, they’d be sent out on cases. “Anything I need to handle other than that this morning?”

Sitting, Blake scooted forward in his rolling chair and typed into his computer. “I started a list for Katar.”

“Send it to me, and I’ll handle whatever I can and check with him if he needs to add anything.” I wouldn’t bother him unless I absolutely had to. Tuvid and I could handle everything while he took time with his wife and new youngling.

Blake clicked a few keys and looked up with a smile. “All done.”

The phone rang, and while he answered it, I walked down the hall, stopping to poke my head into Wolfram’s office first.

The stoic vampire looked up from his computer after I knocked. “Yes?”

Other than the fact that he was old enough he could go out into sunlight on a limited basis, though he barely looked thirty, this guy could star in a vampire movie. And I didn’t mean because he was part of that species. From his black cape with its starched collar to his white shirt and red bow tie, he epitomized a clichéd vampire. Even his grim, sharp way of speaking shouted what he was. No need for him to flash his fangs, though I’d yet to see this guy smile. He was all business, and I was okay with that.We didn’t need gushy employees, only good ones, and this guy came with a stellar reputation.

“I’ve got to take care of a few things for Katar, but then I thought you, me, and Thain could sit together in the conference room this afternoon and continue your orientation this morning.”

“Very well,” he said. “Do you have an approximate timeframe in mind?”

“When do you consume your midday meal?”

“I should finish about one. Maybe a little after.”

He glanced toward the clock mounted on the wall. “Shall we say eight minutes after one, then? That should give you time to finish your consumption and take care of any bodily needs.”

Yes, yes, it should.

I held back my grin. “Sure.” More or less. I was casual about things like this, but I appreciated that he took this job seriously.

“I’ll be there promptly at that time.” He swiveled his head back to his computer.

Thain rose when I entered his office, holding out his hand for a shake. “Great seeing you again, Reylor.” Like me, he wore jeans and a button-up shirt; his patterned in fall colors that went well with his golden skin.

“You too.” I’d conducted his second interview, and the former cop was going to fit in very well here, though he’d soon find things were sleepier in Mystic Harbor when compared to big city crime. Still, he had a sharp eye and a smart mind, and he’d be an asset to the team.

I notified him of the meeting time and went to my office, where I took care of the important things on Katar’s list. Then I spent the rest of the morning working and most of the afternoon with Wolfram and Thain in the conference room.

After wrapping things up at four, I let the two guys leave early and did so myself, knowing Blake would lock up and reach out tome if there were any problems that needed handling before the next morning.

I was crossing the street to the parking lot when I met up with the same orcs I’d seen at the exhibition the evening before. I nodded, and all three tipped their cowboy hats my way as they continued on the crosswalk. Everything I’d heard about their new venture sounded amazing. Maybe once they were up and running, Hannah and I could travel there and stay for a long weekend. She might enjoy playing cowgirl for a few days.

Inside my truck, I put down the windows and used my phone to order flowers to be delivered to Katar and Bailey’s home. When I called, she and the baby had already been discharged from the hospital, and I’d spoken with Katar, who was completely absorbed with his new daughter and his mate. He kept alternating between gushing about how amazing she was with telling me how beautiful and perfect Bailey was. I had to agree. Bailey was such a great person, and I couldn’t wait to meet their amazing new daughter.

I was about to start my vehicle when a raised voice reached my ears. Peering around, I spied the realtor, Grant Murray, sitting in the driver’s seat of his car a few vehicles away from mine. Since it was a humid, sweltering day, he had all his windows down, and he held his phone to his ear.

“I’m telling you, I’ve got it covered,” he said. “I’ve got the paperwork, and I’m going to make sure she signs. It’ll be yours before the day is through.”

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