Tim's office was covered in paper, a mixture of official reports and newspaper clippings. In all, it looked like a serial killers room from a horror movie or detective programme. Except it was in a police station office. It stunk of sweat, the sort which a room gained when someone didn't leave it for days and didn't shower or do anything to air the room. She could see takeout bags of half eaten food to the side.
Tim was a tall man. Like Maria and all wardens, he was a dragon shifter. He had short black thick hair which made his narrow face look serious and harsh. His eyes were normally brown but at the moment they had an orange tinge to them to suggest his dragon was close to the surface. Likely from lack of sleep, flying or general not taking care of himself.
At first, Tim didn't notice Maria, and while Maria waited for him to, she looked over the papers. Most of the reports were missing persons. Reports which had been repressed by higher ups. Men and women who were now under slave contracts in someone's business. A familiar face caught her eye and she moved over to the report.
'Justice Savanhu,' read the name, and she smiled sadly at the picture of a full bodied Justice next to who was likely his older brother and younger sister. He looked very happy and had an eighteenth birthday badge on his chest. She had met the Rook's nighttime barkeeper once or twice. He had always seemed nice enough and well used to using his prosthetic leg. Personally, Maria wasn't a regular at any of the bars in the city, but the Rook was one she did occasionally go to. Mostly to annoy her bosses and John both. After all, no one could find the Rook if they wanted to start a fight or remove one of its customers from the walls.
"Don't move any of them," Tim commented from his spot on the ground, "They are in categories and I haven't fully connected them all into the pattern."
Maria took a step back, looking over the pile Justice's missing poster had been in. Most of them were pretty boys, the type John liked to have in his establishments but she didn't know any of the other faces. She looked over at the other piles but was struggling to see any patterns. Still holding Justice's poster she moved over to a photocopy in the corner and put Justices poster in it. As it copied, she turned around and watched Tim again.
"Tim, what are you hoping to achieve here?" She asked softly, looking at the amount of photos in the room. Not all of these were the west district's cases, she could see her own district emblem mixed in the papers and the south districts. She knew the missing person's numbers were big but this seemed too big. Calder had numbers controlling the organ and slave trade but this seemed more than that.
Tim paused from his work, looking at her, his eyes visibly trying to focus on her for a moment. "Maria? I. Um. I'm trying to prove there is a slave trade ring in the city. Too many people disappear here but have sightings of them elsewhere in the city. The ones which are no longer acknowledged as missing all seem to be hired by similar employers," he explained. "A good hundred or so are now working for Sir John Silverhorn," he gestured at one of the walls, different to the wall Justice had been on. He named several other employers, all of which Maria knew did do business with the middle house.
"It's not the proof that's the issue, Tim," Maria cut in as he got more and more excited by the links he had made and the growing excitement that he was about to prove he had that someone was kidnapping in the city. He paused, looking at her sharply as she folded the wanted poster into her pocket and moved to pin Justice's poster on John's wall.
"He's one of Calder's'" Tim commented softly.
"John bought him almost six years ago, Tim," Maria said calmly. "Justice is one of John's boys."
"Maria. You knew about this," Tim said neutrally, standing on both his feet. She nodded, before turning to face him again.
"I fell into Calder's slave ring business by accident about two months after I first got here," she admitted. "At the time, the senior warden was on Calder's books but he liked me so he managed to convince Calder to let me live," She admitted, moving to the desk and sitting on it. "He tried to start his own business shortly after that and Calder had him dispatched. Calder only let me live because two wardens dying at once is bad for keeping the city under control." she chuckled coldly.
"Why haven't you done anything about it? Why haven't you reported it to your superiors?" Tim demanded, storming over at Maria to grab her by her shirt collar. "Do you know how many people suffer because of your actions? Have you done anything to try to shut this down?" he yelled into her face.
Maria smiled sadly, not fighting the hold. "You mean like every other warden who comes to this city?" she asked lightly. "You think our superiors are unaware of the situation?" she asked her voice deadly serious. "This is too big for one warden Tim. Last time a warden tried to mess with the flow here, they ended up being thrown into the mouth of hell."
"So you're a coward then," Tim sneered at the woman. Maria knew she was only confirming what he had already thought about her. The new wardens were normally quick to tell she was too deep into the city underbelly but they could never find anything to get their superiors to arrest her. Not that they would for long. Their superiors wanted her to stay in the city as much as Calder and John did.
"I suppose I am, yes. I do far more good here dealing with the system than fighting it. There is a reason my district has the lowest mortality rate and is considered the safest of the districts. You spend too much time running after things we cannot stop and let your people suffer," Maria growled darkly, her eyes flashing as her dragon refused to let him intimidate her.
There was a sharp sound as Tim slapped her across the face. "You're a dirty warden Maria. Sold out." he hissed, smoke from the fire inside his belly starting to creep from his mouth, his eyes glowing angrily.
"How long have you spent locked away in this room Tim? Instead of protecting the people in your care, you have been running after cold cases or cases which are not even cases anymore," Maria pointed out calmly, seemingly unaffected by the slap, her eyes glaring darkly at Tim, now a similar shade of orange to his. "You need to sort out your priorities."
"I think you need too," Tim snarled, not willing to hear her words he was too deep in his hatred for people who had sold themselves out. Even if the words she was speaking were ringing with a bitter hint of truth. He had spent far too much time on this instead of on the people in his care who were currently vulnerable. "Get out, Maria!"
Maria shrugged but walked to the door, pausing before she left the room. "I'm warning you, Tim, tread carefully. The forces in this city will swallow you up if you are not careful," she commented.
"Get out!" Tim roared, his eyes flashing red.
"Your date has been set, Timmy. Remember that before you dive into this. Your date had been set," Maria warned, leaving the room and shutting the door. Slamming it behind her with a loud bang. She put a hand to her forehead and counted to ten. She winced as there was a loud bang behind her as Tim roared angrily. That hadn't gone well.
She moved from the door and headed back up to the rooftop. The night air was cool against her face and she found herself feeling exhausted. Moving forwards, she leant on the roof ledge rail, watching the city below tiredly. The missing poster for Justice in her coat pocket. He could like it, she suspected. A picture of the family he had lost. She felt her chest ache and a tear run down her face. She wiped it away with the back of her hand.
She was a dirty cop and she had no way out now. Calder had her under his control and her superiors both hated her for being dirty but needed her to stay where she was. Pulling herself together, Maria gripped the rail in front of her tightly. She couldn't let this city get to her, she needed to protect the people she could. She needed to stay strong.
A few moments later and Tim was behind her. "Maria..." Tim said, still sounding angry but also slightly calmer.
"What Tim?" she said darkly, wings appearing on her back, not wanting to fight the man now.
"You came to warn me, didn't you? That they have a date for me," Tim clarified.
Maria nodded, not looking at him, her eyes still looking at the traffic below. "I found out yesterday. I thought I should give you a heads up. A date doesn't necessarily mean they have your death planned but, if you continue to chase the dark, it will," she commented softly. She turned around to look at him. "The slave auctions are once a month at the middle house on the day of no moon. I have never been so I don't know where the middle house is," she admitted, "If you are determined to throw your life away, that's the best place to do so."
"Thank you for the information Maria," Tim murmured, clearly unsure how to take what she had just told him.
The noise Maria made next was strange. Not quite a laugh but neither was it a cry. "Don't thank me, Tim, just don't waste it," she looked back down at the city again. "Who knows who we may need to save from that place?"