They followed the trail through and around the neighboring building. The spell on Raven’s eyes soon faded out but Claire’s was still going strong. Raven followed behind her, quietly observing her as she followed the trail only she could see.
“Go ahead.”
Raven looked up as she continued following the trail as she spoke. He caught up behind her asking, “Go ahead what?”
“Go ahead and ask. I know you wanna ask me something.”
Raven raised an eyebrow as the smell of salt water burned their noses, “Why’d you show up?”
Claire whipped her head around, “To work?”
He shook his head and jerked a thumb back to the crime scene, “At the crime scene, after I blew you off at the station.”
She turned back to the trail and shrugged her shoulders, “Not sure myself. After you peeled off I thought about chasing after you or blowing off some steam or even just leaving, to hell with this new force thing, but then I realized something.” Stopping at the edge of the lot she turned with a road behind her and the waters to her side and faced Raven with her hands on her hips, “If something’s gonna change, I have to change with it. Even if it means putting up with someone like you as a partner.”
Raven chuckled as Claire flashed him a grin. He studies her as she looks around. Walking up to her, he turns to look back at the buildings they just came from, “What do you see now?”
She sighed, “Nothing. Trail ends here, runs cold. Whatever magic that was on our perp has dissipated and runs out here, but why here? There’s nothing around here.”
Claire and Raven circle around and study their surroundings as they look down the road. Finally Raven pointed down the road, “There’s a public port 2 blocks down and around the corner. There’s also a public bus stop just down the street from that so he could have gone in either one of those.”
“Then let’s go find out.”
She sprints down the road with Raven catching up. They finally round the corner and Claire quickly makes her way to the port. She steps up to the glass tube and spreads her fingers on the glass. A keypad shows up and she quickly punches in a passcode, pulling up a log of recent transports.
Raven steps up behind her, “What are you doing?”
“I’m looking for…whoever used the port…that had traces of foreign magic on them.”
Raven leans in over her shoulder for a closer look, “These things do that?”
Claire felt her ears burn and momentarily forgot what she was doing. She felt his hot breath breathing down her shoulder but quickly regained her composure. Raven glanced at her noticing the slight pause in her hand. He didn’t comment, thinking nothing of it as Claire answered his question, “Yeah, um, these things scan whoever steps into the port. Mostly for safety reasons but if the scans pick up anything suspicious they keep a record of the person and destination.”
Claire quickly found the log she was looking for but found nothing. They also checked the bus records at the bus stop. They also scan whoever steps onto the bus for safety protocols to make sure no harmful magic is carried aboard but those records too were clean. With the dead end Claire continued to study the surroundings looking for some clue as Raven made a call. He told Henry to bring the car around and Claire thought of offering to take him in the port with her but thought better of it. Before long Henry pulled up, grinning from ear to ear as Raven and Claire got into the car.
“What are you smirking about?”
Claire climbed into the back seat as Raven took the passenger seat, pointing Henry with a stare as he whipped out a slip of paper, “I got ‘er number.”
Raven raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, “So?”
“So man didja see that coroner? I’ve neva dat’d a mage befor’. It’ll be fun. I don’t think sh’s eva dat’d a cowboy befor’ ‘ither.”
Henry laughed as he pulled away from the curve and started driving their way back to the station. They continued talking as they drove through traffic. Claire was shocked and surprised. Apparently they had forgotten about her being in the car. Henry kept going on about how fun it will be to date a cute mage and Raven kept telling him it was a bad idea. Claire was about to speak up and ask how it was bad but then realized what family Raven comes from and understood where he was coming from.
They pulled up to the lot and the men got out, not even giving Claire a glance as they walked to the building. Claire quietly got out and followed behind them smiling, wondering how long she could keep this up. The guys threw theories off of each other as they walk into the building. They went to their desks and followed the evidence. There was still no ID and the coroner’s report hasn’t come back yet. Raven tried to find out what artifact was used by searching through the Magic Artifact Database but came up with nothing. He spent hours on the computer trying to find some trail or hint for the case but couldn’t find anything.
The light outside soon faded away and Henry, having finished with reports for previous cases, finally called it a night and headed home. Raven stopped and rubbed his eyes as the computer projection burned his eyes. He reached for his coffee and found it long gone and headed for another cup in the break room. He stopped at the door and saw Claire sitting on the couch with case folders all around her.
“What are you doing here?”
Claire looked up from her reading and silently gestured to the files around her, “Reading. You guys were so busy and I figured I couldn’t be much help unless I learned some detective skills right? So I pulled up some old case files and starting reading through them.”
Raven rubbed his eyes some more, “No, no, no. What are you still doing here?”
Claire blinked as she stared, “Working. We’re to work together, remember?”
Before Raven could retort a whiff of the scent in the air made its way to his nose. He breathed deep as he caught the scent, “What is that?”
“Oh, uh I threw out that horrible pot and made a fresh pot of coffee. Please have some.”
Raven ran for the pot before Claire could finish and took another whiff of the coffee. He poured a cup and took a sip like it was nectar from the gods. As the coffee warmed his throat and lungs, he breathed a sigh of relief at the wonderful taste of it.
“What did you put in this?”
“Oh this and that, eye of newt, dragonstring, toad’s throats. You know same old, same old.”
Claire smiled as Raven took her seriously and could only laugh as he continued to stare at her, “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I just used some fresh coffee beans from my garden and grinded them in the sunlight. Many people don’t believe it but it’s the sunlight that makes the difference.”
Claire went back to her reading as Raven took another sip, “I believe it.” He kept sipping his coffee as he walked over and looked over all the files she was reading, “You’ve been here all day?”
Claire glanced up, “Yes. Oh! I almost forgot. The ME’s report finally came in.”
She reached over to the pile of files on the coffee table and was searching for the right one as papers began to spill from her lap. She said a quiet curse as she yanks a file from the pile and hands it to Raven, bending over to pick up the fallen papers.
Raven pulls open the file and begins to read the report, “James Shelton Bron. African-American, 35 years of age. Average health, height 5’11”, 220lbs. ETD is 7:39 am. COD is…unknown?”
“Yeah I think the artifact has something to do with that.”
“I already looked through MAD, there was nothing there.”
Claire set the papers on the table as she smiled up at Raven, “Then we’ll just go to a specialist.”
Raven sat in one of the chairs, sipping his coffee, “An artifact specialist? Where are we ever going to find one of those.”
He flipped through the ME’s report as he drank more of his coffee and finally noticed Claire staring at him, “What?”
Claire scrunched up her face as she laughed, “You forget who you have for a partner? I’m a mage remember.”
Raven stopped and threw the report on the table, “You know an artifact specialist?”
“Yes I do. In fact if we leave now we can get there before she starts going into her feeding frenzy.”
Claire quickly jumped up and was heading out the door as Raven followed after her, “‘Feeding frenzy’? What are you talking about?”
Claire turned and was about to answer as she thought better of it, “You’ll just find out.”
She was making her way to the port when Raven grabbed her arm, “Oh hell no. I’m not getting into one of those things.”
“But it’s the fastest way.”
“For you. For us it’s nothing more than an unpleasant roller coaster ride that goes at warp speed.”
“Actually no, I’ve driven at warp speed, it’s much faster.” Claire smiled and tried to laugh as Raven only stared at her. Finally she sighed, “Fine. Let’s go.”
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