Page 55 of Forget Me Not

Ray caught a few furtive glances from Tolman. He let the man look away several more times before holding his gaze.

It was Ness who spoke, two desks down from Tolman.

“Branigan!” she greeted Ray without getting up. The green background on her computer screen reflected off her glasses, revealing she was playing solitaire. “I didn’t think you’d be in for a while. You should take advantage of those rules and take some time off.”

“I’m fine,” Ray answered reflexively and imagined Cal’s laughter. “Iamoff,“ he corrected himself. “I’m not staying.”

“If I were given mandatory days off over nothing, I wouldn’t be in a tie, is all I’m saying.” Ness didn’t wear ties. She wore jeans and buttoned shirts and left her brown curls loose at her shoulders. Ray supposed she was trying to be funny.

“Habit,” Ray explained, feeling the frown wearing a line into his forehead but not smoothing it away. “Nothing?” he echoed, even softer.

Tolman cleared his throat, the sound grating, and finally decided to speak. “Catching up? I guess you’ve got less distractions at home.”

This time, Ray briefly imagined Benny saying, “Fewerdistractions.“ It didn’t make him smile. “I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean.”

Tolman’s head went back. His blue eyes were huge.

Ness stepped in to save Tolman again. “They said that you…. Well, we figured you’d be alone. We were going to leave a six-pack on your desk, but you know, weres.”

Ray stared.

Tolman lifted a hand in a gesture of innocence, as if Ray had threatened him. Tolman was hardly small, human or not. He was nearly as tall as Ray, and wide, and went to shooting ranges for fun.

“Bet it’s an adjustment, huh?” Ness continued. Ray wasn’t close enough to her to hear her heartbeat, but he didn’t think she was speaking casually. “You know, a lot of people, not me, but some people, used to think it was weird you had him living there. But I always just thought you wanted him near, even if he was trouble.”

Ray took a breath. He took two. A faint smell of red licorice came from the opened drawer. Ray didn’t like red licorice but could guess who did. He raised his eyebrows and spoke over the rush of blood in his ears. “Trouble?”

Ness gave him a look of concern. “You know, you really should be at home.”

“Yeah,” Tolman joined in again, in a voice of appeasement. “You should’ve stayed home. Gotten some rest, or some quiet, anyway.”

“And had a six-pack?” Ray asked. He couldn’t hear a growl but there must have been one. Tolman’s hand went up again and Ness started to stand.

Then someone placed a small plastic cup of water on his desk and Ray jumped because he hadn’t heard them coming.

Melly, from the reception desk, stepped back when Ray rounded on her, but only the one step. “Drink it. You look peaked.”

Ray had never understood whatpeakedmeant, but he picked up the cup and sniffed it before taking a sip. He could taste the plastic, but the water was cold.

Melly didn’t go so far as to tip the cup up to make Ray drink more, but she did cross her arms disapprovingly. Ray took one more sip before setting the cup firmly down. A glance over informed him that Tolman had fled the scene and Ness was back to staring at her computer. She might still be listening.

Another paranoid thought, but likely correct.

“Back in my day,” Melly started, although she was probably only a decade older than Ray, her dark hair artfully streaked with both gray and a goldish-yellow, “a wife knew how to take care of her husband. You should be at home.”

Ray met her stare. “He’s not a wife.”

He heard the growl underneath the words this time.

Melly’s arms fell, but she wasn’t afraid of Ray enough to back up again. “Right,” she said, disapproving once more, fussing with her bright cardigan, “because you aren’t married.”

Ray was in no mood for a lesson on sacred human traditions from someone twice-divorced. “Thank you for the water. I have work to do.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t be working.” Carla, who had also been at reception earlier even though she was normally upstairs handling paperwork, joined them. She stood at the other side of Ray’s desk, her black hair in a sleek, high knot, her earrings swinging. “You’re out until further notice, for good reason. I mean, anyone would be upset. And, it was magic, right? That’s volatile too.”

“Only if done improperly,” Ray heard himself argue, then clamped his mouth shut. Defending human magic. Penn would never let him hear the end of it. He turned his head to inhale less of Melly’s perfume and to find the traces of licorice. He held it in, then exhaled slowly. “Who is taking my cases while I’m gone?” Admin knew all the gossip… and were usually the source of it. “Not just Penn by herself?”

Carla glanced to Melly.

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