46- No Turning Back

Quayleigh departed Cole's apartment shortly after as it was nearing 2:00 pm, and reluctantly left Tau behind, even though she knew, deep down, that he would be safe with Cole. If for no other reason than he knew how to keep secrets. For despite being a scoundrel, he was the only human she trusted as much as Garren.

Quayleigh hadn't taken her time driving back to her apartment and before anything else, she sat on her couch and picked up her phone. She knew that no matter what was to come, there would be no turning back once she made the call, telling Harlowe her decision, and that made her hesitate. As desperate as she was to immerse herself in the literature they had on Death, she was aware that seeming too eager could result in being watched too closely, and that could ruin all the plans she had been calculating on her drive back home.

Several deep breaths later, she dialed Mazurka's number.

"This is Mazurka," he answered, his voice sounding tired.

"Hey, it's Quayleigh."

"Hey! Hello. Umm, how are you?"

"Nervous."

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I never wanted Harlowe to drag you into this. I asked him to find someone else, but…"

"Stop. Just stop Yechiel. You aren't responsible for Harlowe's actions. You are only responsible for your own and you can stop apologizing already. I spoke with Dylan, and you don't need to avoid him because of me. He needs a friend and because I love him, I can't rob him of the one he's found in you. I may not entirely trust you, but I'm willing to try and move passed what's happened. In other words, I guess I'm trying to say that I forgive you, and I may have been a bit harsh because of the emotions I was feeling at the time."

"Thank you, Quayleigh. I appreciate that more than you know."

"I can imagine, but the real reason I called was to get Harlowe's number from you. Sort of hard to negotiate without it."

Mazurka chuckled and relayed Harlowe's number to her before apologizing and thanking her one more time.

"Look, just do the best you can and please, watch out for Dylan. I don't think your partner has quite given up on him yet."

"Yeah, I happen to feel the same way about that. Enjoy the rest of your day, Quayleigh."

"You too, Yechiel."

With one call out of the way, she hung up the phone and immediately dialed the number Yechiel had given her.

"Harlowe."

"As promised, I have an answer for you."

"Ms. Vershinin, I appreciate you getting back to me."

"Cut the crap. Platitudes are pointless in this situation. We both know I never really had a choice in this. You just wanted it to look as if I did."

"If that's the way you want to interpret the situation…"

"It is, but I doubt it would have changed my answer. Whatever this thing is that's murdering people, I want to find the answer just as much as you."

"It's good to know we're on the same page," Harlowe replied, and she could hear the smirk on his lips.

"We are. I haven't been able to stop staring at the picture all morning. I want to know what it is."

"It's terrifying. That's what it is."

After a deliberately lengthy pause, just long enough to make it seem as if she found Uroxuz as terrifying as he, she broke the silence and changed the subject, hoping to catch him off guard. "Did you have a chance to speak with your contact at the MET about my requests?"

"More like demands, but they've agreed. We can work out the details of the contract tomorrow when we meet."

Unfortunately, he gave nothing away, leaving Quayleigh to believe that he was attempting to gauge her as much as she was him.

"I hope you aren't offended if I ask to meet in a public place?" she questioned.

"There's an all-day breakfast place just off the highway, exit 232, heading north into Freetier."

"Dixie's Roadhouse in the Warrens?"

"Yeah, that's the place."

"I'm familiar."

"Great, would around eleven work for you?"

"Eleven works. I'll meet you there."

"I look forward to our meeting, Ms. Vershinin."

"Likewise, Detective Harlowe."

The deed was done, there was no turning back. Even without the papers signed, she had verbally given her answer, and Harlowe didn't seem the type of man to let that go.

After giving the apartment a quick clean up, she dashed out the door and hurried her way to work.

What excitement there was to be found that day was spread between the brief conversations she had. First with Garren upon her arrival where she managed to tell him that she was in a relationship, while having left out all of the important details, and the second at around 6pm, when Garren brought her down a bowl of beef stew for dinner. The conversation picking up where they had left off earlier in the day.

"Did you invite Shane to join us for dinner on Sunday before he left?" Garren asked as he stood guarding the front counter.

"Uh huh, I did," she replied between mouthfuls. "He said he'll bring a salad and his delightful personality."

Garren chuckled, "I have to admit, I'm looking forward to it. You've never brought a boy home to meet me before. Oh, well, I guess you don't consider it much your home anymore these days."

"You're wrong about that Garren," she solemnly replied while staring down into her dinner. "No matter how long I've been away, where you are will always be a piece of home. I know I never say it, mostly because it sounds weird, but I'll always consider you like a grandfather to me. Please, don't ever forget that, okay?"

"I'll do my best not to," he replied, casually wiping a tear from his eye.

"Good, because what I'm about to tell you, might make it difficult to remember."

"Oh? This sounds serious. You haven't gotten yourself into trouble, have you?"

"No, no, not really. I mean trouble isn't exactly the right word for it." She took a breath before turning to face him. "I've been asked, by the police, to go to the MET with them. And I agreed."

"Oh, Quayleigh. I know how scared you were of that place when you were younger. Why would you agree to such a thing now? Was it that punk detective that was borderline harassing you? Did he force you into it? I swear I'll get him stripped of his badge if he did!"

"Easy Garren, it wasn't, and he's really not as bad as you think. He's actually a friend of Dylan's and I think you might even like him if you had a chance to get to know him a little."

Garren hummed and scowled as he crossed his arms defiantly. "I stand by my position. Despite you defending him, I know he's responsible for the position you're in."

"Okay, maybe a little, but it wasn't intentional. In fact, if you want someone to blame, his partner, Renford Harlowe, he's the more appropriate target. He's the one who didn't give me much of a choice in the matter."

"Harlowe… why does that name sound familiar?"

"Maybe you heard it when the cops were here investigating? Or maybe Yechiel mentioned him to you? He is the lead on the case."

"No, no, that's not it. It's right there," he said as he pointed to the front of his head. "Dammit, stupid old brain. Just give me a minute, I swear it will come to me."

"Yeah, take your time."

"Anyways, while we wait, if this Detective, the young one, Yechiel, you said his name was?"

"Yeah."

"If he's a friend of Dylan's and yours, why not invite him to join us for dinner on Sunday? Might make your boyfriend more comfortable to have someone else he knows around. The last thing I want is to make him feel as if he's being interrogated by Shane and myself."

"I'll extend an invitation then, but don't hold out too much hope, he's pretty busy with this case."

"Have they managed to find any leads yet?"

"Well, that's sort of where I come in," she replied knowing it was best not to belabor this part of the conversation given how she expected Garren to react.

"And what do they expect you to do? Quayleigh, they're the professionals. They shouldn't be relying on you for answers. You're just a convenience store clerk, for god's sake."

"Yeah, I don't disagree," she replied, trying to hide the pain she felt as her heart ached over his words. Even if it was the reality of the situation, she had thought herself to be more than 'just a clerk'. Hearing Garren referring to her in such a manner stung at her more than she expected. She thought that she had proven herself, but suddenly it felt as if she had been mistaken. It may not have been the most glamorous job. It wasn't life altering, inherently dangerous or as important as a cop, but she thought she mattered, at least to the store and the community it served. It was disheartening to know that everything she was doing, managing the store, the money, the deliveries, and the other employees, had amounted to basically nothing to the man she respected most. She thought she had worked hard to gain Garren's trust. To help ease him of those burdens so he could rest easier, and she had been proud of that, until that moment. "But they're in a bit of a bind, and I'm in a very unique position to help. The lead they're following involves magic, and since I can read the books, they asked me to study some materials for them."

"And they couldn't have hired a real mage to do that for them?" Garren replied, his look of disapproval unchanging.

"No, actually they couldn't. A REAL mage, would be connected to, and influenced by, the MET. They need an unregistered civilian and I fit the bill."

"Quayleigh, it is a bad idea to get involved in this. I warned you about what would happen if you kept messing with that crap and look at what's happened. You need to call up whoever you have to and turn them down flat. Tell them you changed your mind and can't help them. Let some other poor gullible sod get tangled up with those vultures. Who's to say they won't prosecute you if they discover you've dabbled without registering? And what about Cole, are you willing to risk them wanting to know who you've gotten your components and training from over the years? And what about the killer? Who's to say he won't come after you next if they think you're getting too close to answers?"

"Oddly enough, the killer isn't what I'm worried about," she replied as the door opened and a customer walked in.

"We will continue this after," Garren told her before turning to greet the patron with a friendly, "Hello!"

Turning back to her stew, Quayleigh continued to eat until the bowl was empty and the customer had come and gone.

"Go on then," Garren remarked as he motioned to the 'employee only' door, "take your bowl upstairs and make that call. Separate yourself from this before it goes too far, and you get yourself in so deep you can't get out."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm just a clerk after all. What use could I actually be to a major crime squad anyways, right?" she spoke as she walked away, bowl and spoon in hand.

It had been a long time since she had felt so defeated, but as she marched up that long flight of stairs, she knew that she was capable of more than Garren was aware. She had spent years studying everything she could about magic, and she took the lessons Cole had given to her seriously. Magic was the one area where she was never willing to slack, and while she only used a miniscule fraction of what she knew, she considered herself to be damned good at it. She knew she was well versed and knowledgeable on the subject, but still humbly aware that she was far from an expert in any of the specific paths of practice, as she never desired to focus or delve deeper into the more advanced areas opting for a much broader understanding. At best, she would be akin to a general practitioner if she was a doctor. Capable, but ultimately more apt to refer a case to someone else in a specific field.

After washing her dishes, she returned to the store where Garren was still diligently manning the counter.

"Did you set things straight with the Detective?"

"Yeah, I'm meeting with him tomorrow morning to straighten things out. He didn't have time to talk just now," she replied.

She hated to lie to Garren, but she saw no other option. Even if he didn't think she would ever amount to more than 'just a convenience store clerk', she knew he hadn't intentionally meant to demean her. She knew he had only said what he did because he was concerned. But there was too much at stake to walk away simply because of that. To her, it was just better this way. He couldn't worry if he didn't know, and in the end, his peace of mind was more important to her then a guilty conscience. Eventually she would have to ask for forgiveness, but that seemed easier than trying to justify her motivations to him when he was adamant that she had no place or reason to get involved.

Garren seemed satisfied with her answer and praised her for making a good decision before offering her a hug and leaving her so he could catch his favorite evening television show.

The rest of the night was uneventful and after closing up like normal, she rushed back home, wanting only for Tau to be there, so she could be reminded of what she was doing all of this for.