Page 58 of Goblins Don't Count
“Why? You don’t want anyone to see your connection to goblins? It’s a bit late for that.”
She pulled up directly in front of the station and flashed me a smile as she rolled those wheels up on the sidewalk, taking up half of it. “Go get ‘em tiger.”
“Thanks. You too.” I climbed over the wheel, grabbing my briefcase, aware of how incredibly unprofessional I probably looked, and everyone was looking.
I nodded at Lewell as I approached the door. “Any updates about Lieutenant Joss?”
“He’s unconscious at Bells, last I heard. Were you there? Someone said…”
“Yes. Unfortunately, I was too late to stop the demon entirely.” I pulled out my phone as we walked inside. Gabby hung out with all kinds of high-level magic users. One of them probably knew something about demons. I stopped, surveying the scene, when I saw the mess inside the police station. Papers were everywhere, computers overturned, the lab on the side where we ran fingerprints had a shelving unit sticking through the window.
“When did this happen?” I asked, aware of Lewell at my shoulder.
“You didn’t know?”
“No. My partner had to get treated.”
“Your partner’s a goblin now?” Brannigan asked, looking up from the chair he was on, feet up on the desk strewn with chaos while he drank his coffee like he was at a resort.
I knocked his feet to the floor. “That’s right. When I want someone who will back me up, I go to the goblin. And he did a phenomenal job, saving my life and the Lieutenant’s. How’s your coffee?”
He looked at me, blinking, uncertain what was going on with me. “It’s bad, as usual. Do you want a cup?”
I smiled at him sweetly. “I want you to enjoy your coffee. And then you’re going to start filing, like everyone else here.” I looked around, meeting the eye of every cop there. “We need to find out what was taken. This mess is a distraction, and we need to clean it up or we won’t know what it’s covering. Lewell, forget about the door. What’s coming already came and went. Work these files. If you need help, ask Nills. Is he here?”
“Yes, Sato. He’s in the basement, filing the mess down there,” Lewell said, shuffling closer with a frown.
So the entire place had been searched. Terrific. “I’ll be in my office. I need to break down the case.”
“Ah, maybe you should use Jossy’s office,” Brannigan said, standing up and frowning down at me.
“Should I?”
“Your office got charbroiled. Apparently, the demon didn’t appreciate you messing up murder number three. I heard it’s probably a demon summoning circle. That would look bad on your resume.”
I glared at him. “My resume?”
“Sure. You’re taking charge, right? That means you take the blame.”
I pressed my lips together instead of sputtering at him. How was someone so annoying still alive? “As always, your phenomenal support is appreciated.” I thrust a handful of files at him. “Take care of it, grunt.”
He grunted with a gleam of amusement in his eyes. Yep. He wanted to die. But someone else would have to take care of it, because I had things to do.
I checked my office. Yep. Charcoal. Someone had taped cardboard over the window. For a second I stood there, heart pounding, shoulder throbbing, but then I shook off the panic and headed to Jossy’s office, which was only moderately scuffled. I set the chair upright and then started working on the board, drawing out the blueprint I’d memorized from Sashimi’s wall. The other two points needed to be heavily guarded as soon as possible. Just because the demon had struck at night didn’t mean that would continue.
I called Gabby. She answered right away.
“Are you okay? They say you were at the courthouse during the last attack!”
“Hey. I’m good. Do you know anyone who specializes in demons?”
She snorted. Loudly. “Are you kidding me? After your mother shook me down to find out where you were, like she thought my bestie would tell me where she’d moved to or something, you want to know about demons? Where are you staying? Are you okay? Don’t give me, ‘I’m good,’ because that’s a lie you tell your mother, not me! Also, demons? Are you kidding me? Demons are so dangerous, Rynne. Not like skating without a helmet, like jumping off a cliff into the jaws of evil. What? No, I don’t know what kind of demon. Apples, I’m having a conversation.”
“Wait, does he know about demons?”
“Of course he knows about demons, but…”
“Hey, Rynne,” Gabby’s husband said, apparently somehow confiscating his wife’s phone. “Can you give me a description? We’re all really interested in hearing details.”
