Page 15 of Once Upon a Curse for True Love
Malatesta dipped his head in acknowledgment but kept the arrogant pout on his stupidly symmetrical face.“Of course, Your Honor.The specific curse Miss Swan deployed was also… crass in nature.”
“How so?”Judge Templeton leaned forward.
“The wording is outlined in the case files, Your Honor.”He sidestepped the question.
“Detective Malatesta.”The judge spoke with a polite but steely edge.“Are you too delicate to enunciate the specifics to the court?”
Andromeda bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.WasGrannymessing with him?Finally, someone who’d put him in his place.
A muscle in his jaw tightened.“The curse altered the victim’s word processor to replace the pronoun ‘I’ with the phrase ‘I’m a dickhead’ whenever the victim typed.”
Andromeda bit her lip, desperate not to laugh out loud.It might’ve been worth getting arrested just to hear Detective Cocky say, “I’m a dickhead.”
“Is that all?”The judge’s expression didn’t change, but something in her overtly-sweet tone suggested she wasn’t done torturing the detective.
Malatesta’s teeth ground together so loudly his pearly enamel might crack.“No, Your Honor.The curse also caused the victim’s screen to display the phrase ‘my penis is small’ whenever a certain programming function was initiated.”
This time, Andromeda couldn’t contain herself.A snort of laughter escaped her before she could clamp her hand over her mouth, earning her a sharp scowl from Quill and a glare from Malatesta that could’ve melted steel.
“Miss Swan.”Judge Templeton’s gaze swiveled to her with laser precision.“I’m thrilled you find your juvenile antics so amusing.”
Andromeda’s laughter died.“No, Your Honor.I apologize.”
“As you should,” the judge said icily.“Magical cybersecurity is no laughing matter, regardless of how… creatively you violated it.”She turned back to Malatesta.“What sentence does the prosecution propose for this offense?”
Malatesta’s irritated expression turned calculating.“Given Miss Swan’s technical expertise and the complexity of the Arcanet case, the prosecution requests that her sentence include mandatory consultation services to the SMPD on this investigation, under my direct supervision until the culprit is found.”
Andromeda’s mouth fell open.That sneaky, underhanded, manipulative—
“Granted.”Judge Templeton might as well have signed her death warrant.“Community service with a practical application to both the defendant’s skills and the civic needs is always preferable.I’ve always been a proponent of sentences that benefit society rather than punishing the offender.”
No.No, no, no.This couldn’t be happening.
“The sentence is effective immediately,” Judge Templeton declared with a sharp rap of her gavel.“Andromeda Swan, instead of monetary fines, you are hereby sentenced to provide your technical expertise to SMPD under the supervision of Detective Malatesta for the duration of the Arcanet investigation.You will report to him and comply with reasonable requests related to the case.”
The judge peered at Andromeda over her glasses.“Consider yourself fortunate, Miss Swan.Not everyone gets the opportunity to turn their misdeeds into meaningful service.”With a final bang of her gavel, she added, “This court is adjourned.”
Andromeda sat frozen in her chair as Judge Templeton swept from the courtroom.This couldn’t be real.She’d been played—outmaneuvered by Detective Dickhead with the badge and the biceps.
The man himself approached their table, looking far too pleased with himself.He leaned in close—close enough that Andromeda caught a whiff of his woodsy cologne.“I expect you to report to my office within half an hour.”He pointed his thumb to the back of the room.“Other building on the left—you remember the way from last night, right?”
Before she could formulate a response that didn’t involve profanities or flat-out violence, he straightened up, gave her that infuriating half-smile, and turned to leave.She watched him go, too shocked to speak.
“Quill,” she said once Malatesta and King had left the courtroom, “please tell me there’s a loophole.An appeal process.Anything.”
The hedgehog sighed, deflating.“You have my sympathies, but a magical sentence is binding once pronounced.”
“So I’m stuck working under him until we solve a case that even the SMPD tech wizards can’t crack?”
“I’m afraid so.”Quill climbed back in her arms.“Can you drop me home before you go see him?No need for both of us to endure Detective Malatesta’s company.Your best strategy now is to close the investigation as quickly as possible.”
An idea took form in Andromeda’s head.“Yes.”She smiled.“I can take you home.I have to gather a few supplies anyway before I make it back to Detective Dickhead’s office.”
“Oh, no.”Quill sighed.“You have that faraway, plotting-the-end-of-the-world look on your face.Should I remind you how you got in trouble with the law in the first place and that you shouldn’t plot any retaliation?”
Andromeda gave him an innocent shrug.“You can remind me, but when do I ever listen to your sage advice?”
“Never.”Quill scowled.“That’s the problem.”
