55- Department Paid Lunch

It was nearly eleven when Quayleigh and Tau arrived at Dixie's Roadhouse for the meeting they had agreed to with Detective Harlowe.

"This is the place," she said as she pulled into the parking lot, "We're a few minutes early, but Harlowe and Yechiel are probably inside already."

"I don't like this. Something feels off," Tau remarked as she parked the car and looked around.

There were far more vehicles than she had expected for that time of the morning, and given the location, it made the makes and models of the other cars stand out even more as police issued 'civilian' ones. However, it was the three marked cruisers parked at the back of the lot that set her teeth on edge.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Feels like we're walking directly into a trap." She sighed as she tucked the keys into her pocket. "I have no idea what's going to happened once we walk in there, but we need stay calm and remember that no matter what, we don't run, and we don't fight. We're just going to go in and have a friendly meeting with some police."

"Then why is your heart racing?" Tau asked as he looked down at her hand that he was holding.

"Because I'm terrified that at some point someone is going to ask me to take off my eye patch, and it's not back to normal yet."

"If they see your eye…" Tau sneered and looked away. "It's bad enough that Yechiel and Cole got to see it, but I don't want anyone else to."

Taking a firmer grip on his hand, she leaned towards him.

"Tauluthet, it doesn't matter how many people see it, when the only one I'm looking at, is you. I do agree though, I'd really rather if looking at it, was a privilege reserved only for you."

His hand relaxed beneath hers as he turned towards her.

"It's beautiful because it belongs to you," he said, reaching up and placing his hand over her eyepatch. "I don't want anyone's fear to make you believe otherwise."

"Then I never will," she replied as he lowered his hand. "Now let's hope the cops are at least paying for lunch, I'm starving."

After a quick look in the rearview mirror, they climbed out of the car and made their way, hand in hand, to the entrance of the building. It smelt of a typical greasy spoon, like weeks old coffee and oil-soaked fries. The décor was dark and tacky, with brown vinyl seats and dark wooden tables. The old wooden floors had seen better days, and a thick layer of grime clung to the vintage tile ceiling as fans swirled endlessly over the main dining room.

"Sit wherever you like," a waitress called out to them as they stood in the entryway scanning the crowd.

"Over here," Mazurka called out and waved from a booth far on the other side of the restaurant.

It was a corner booth with a round table, and as they approached, Mazurka stood aside to let them slide in along the curved bench.

"Thanks for coming all the way out here," he said as he sat down, essentially blocking them in from both sides.

"Well, I just hope we didn't keep you all waiting. I actually thought we got here a bit early," she replied as she looked around the table.

"You're actually right on time. Quayleigh, Dylan, these are detectives Renford Harlowe, Hakan Kavak, and Hayden Folsten."

"It's nice to finally meet you," Harlowe remarked as he looked across the table at Tau.

"You insisted on this meeting, but that doesn't explain what the rest of you are doing here. Or why there's an entire squad room of officers spread through the place. I mean, no offense, I wouldn't dare to try and tell you how to do your jobs, but if you want to set up an ambush, don't park all of your cars in the lot. The three marked cruisers were a bit of a giveaway," Quayleigh stated now more irritated by the situation than nervous.

"I'm afraid we've given you the wrong impression," Folsten said as she turned to Quayleigh. "I'm here because I'm to be your liaison to the MET. Harlowe wanted to give me a chance to meet you ahead of time. As for the other officers you see around in here, they are coming off of an early morning operation not too far away. This is one of the few places between the Downs and Freetier that offers an all-day breakfast menu."

"I only came for the coffee," Kavak remarked with a wide smile, "But it's still nice to meet you both."

"Actually, Hakan and I just finished helping with that early morning operation and I didn't want to waste the time driving him back to the station," Mazurka admitted.

"He's also working this case with us, so it's not a bad idea for you to be acquainted with him either," Harlowe added as a waitress approached the table and set a stack of menus into the middle while holding a pot of coffee in the other hand.

"Has everyone finally made it?"

"Yeah, the gangs all here," Harlowe replied in the gruff tone Quayleigh had come to recognize.

"Coffee?" she asked looking at Quayleigh and Tau.

"Please," she answered as she turned over the mug in front of her and slid it forward, Tau quickly doing the same.

"Refills for the rest of you?" she asked the others once their mugs had been filled.

Toping up Harlowe and Kavak's the waitress smiled and said, "I'll give you a chance to look over the menus, but the specials today are steak and eggs or two oat cakes, both come with a side of your choice and unlimited coffee or tea. The sides and pricing are listed up on the board just behind you. My names Lydia if you need anything, but I'll check back in a few minutes."

"Order whatever you want, lunch is on the department," Harlowe said as he grabbed a menu.

Noticing Tau had tilted his head as he looked at the pile of menus, Quayleigh reached out and picked one up, handing it to him.

"Go on, you heard him. They're paying for lunch."

"That's very nice of you, thanks," Tau remarked as he took the menu and set it on the table, before leaning over and examining it with an enthusiastic amount of focus.

"Not eating?" Mazurka questioned as he looked at her over Tau's back.

"Actually, she had me at the steak and eggs."

"That did sound really good," Folsten said as she put the menu, she had just picked up, back into the center of the table.

"And here I thought the cakes were more tempting," Kavak remarked to the awkward nature of the gathering.

"Personally, I have to agree. Cake for lunch just sounds better," Mazurka added before patting Tau on the back. "What about you Dylan, steak and eggs or cake?"

"I don't know. I don't think I've had either one before."

"That's right. Your memories are all mess up, aren't they?" Harlowe asked, although it sounded like more of a statement.

"Completely missing in most cases."

"Wouldn't happen to know how that happened?"

"I did this to myself, but I don't know why. I don't know if by accident or on purpose. Quayleigh is helping me figure that out."

The table grew tense and quiet as Tau and Harlowe continued their exchange.

"But even with your memory wiped, you remember how to read?"

"Reading is the easy part. Remember what the words mean can be difficult."

"And yet you remembered her?"

"No, not really."

"So how did you find her?"

"I left my home in search of something, although I didn't know exactly what it was. It was a feeling, a compulsion to walk in a direction and I followed it. And then I couldn't find my way home."

"You told me on the phone yesterday that you were looking for her. So, which is it?"

"Both. I didn't know, until I did."

"That's enough," Quayleigh interjected. "We didn't come here to be interrogated. I'm starting to think I should have brought a lawyer. Maybe I should step outside and give your father's a call."

"There's no need for that. We were just having a bit of friendly conversation," Harlowe replied as he lifted his menu up to hide his face, but Quayleigh didn't need a view to know he was agitated.

"Please, do you really think I'm that stupid? You know I've seen the pictures. Now tell me why the hell you still think Dylan has anything to do with these murders?"

"He was hiding at a homeless camp."

"He got lost with no memory."

"At the same time the murders started?"

"On the other side of the city, and he had no car."

"He could have used the transit."

"A rich guy with no memory is somehow going to be able to navigate the city transit system? I rely on the transit and have for years, and I can hardly figure it out."

"Then explain how he managed to show up at your store the morning after five people were murdered in the alley?"

"He showed up because five people were murdered in the alley. That's what friends do. They love and they worry. He lost his memories, not his empathy. You literally have nothing but wild speculation and random coincidences, and that was before you had those pictures, and in case you missed it, he wasn't in any of them."

"His mother is Anquiliria Laurentian."

"An elemental practitioner."

"And, he very well could have summoned that thing and wiped his own memory to cover it up when it started acting out on its own. And how do we know you didn't help him do it?"

"Do you even hear yourself? A summoner is a specialized mage, and that takes decades of study and practice and enormous amounts of components. And summoned creatures are incapable of acting out on their own. It's not possible. They are fundamentally a purpose made tangible."

"I don't hear you defending yourself."

"Because I can't. All I have is my word that I don't truly practice. You can choose not to believe me, and I don't have any way to prove it. Search my place and you're going to find plenty of books and components. I even have a little ritual bowl under my sink and blood in my fridge for the one, and I mean one, communication ritual that I know and use. I've studied magic for years and when I was younger, I was planning on joining the MET, but life got in the way. Now I do it as a hobby."

"Why are you still unregistered?"

"Because as a self-study, I'm afraid I won't be able to pass their bar for licensing, and I know what they do to people like me. I won't risk the only way I have to speak to my friend. He means more to me than any of this. So, if you can't guarantee that I get to walk out of the MET with my magic intact, you can find someone else to sacrifice to those tyrants."

"Sorry to interrupt, but are you ready to order or do you need a few more minutes?" Poor Lydia had walked up just at the tail end of her tirade, which rendered the already awkward situation uncomfortable and tense as well.

"I'll have the oat cake special with a side of sausages," Kavak stated with a bright and friendly grin.

He seemed the kindest of the three that Quayleigh was unfamiliar with. Folsten, who ordered the steak and eggs like her, with a side of bacon instead of fries, struck her as a reserved thinker. She had noticed that Folsten had been observing every movement of every person at the table since she and Tau had arrived. She had also placed herself at the inner most part of the bench on purpose, which was apparent given that she hadn't shifted her position when they arrived, and the seat was cold to the touch, indicating she hadn't done it before they had come into view either. She was strategic, and that worried Quayleigh since this woman was to be her shadow in the MET, and she didn't like being observed so closely. Harlowe, on the other hand, had ordered the biscuits and gravy. He appeared to be the exact opposite, hot headed and easily agitated when things didn't go the way he wanted. But something about that didn't sit right either, because he wouldn't have made lead on the task force by being stupid or normally allowing his emotions to get the better of him. And that meant he was desperate, just as Yechiel had told her, but it was more than just that. When she mentioned the MET his eyes waivered. Cole thought he had a connection to them, and she was now positive that he had been right.

Mazurka had ordered the same as Kavak, and Tau, after a brief internal debate, took his advice and ordered the oat cakes too.

With their orders placed the waitress made a hasty retreated and Harlowe pulled a large document envelope out from behind him, placed it on the table, and slid it over to her.

"Everything you asked for, in writing. All you have to do is provide us with your current work schedule, and sign and date each page at the bottom."

"Hope you don't mind if I take the time to read this over."

"I encourage it," Harlowe replied as he picked up his coffee and leaned back against the bench.

Pulling the document out of the envelope, Quayleigh drank her coffee and read it over as the others talked amongst themselves. Even after the food arrived, she continued to read paying special attention to the finer details, only putting it down once she was satisfied that her requests had been agreed to and the MET's were well within reason.

Her eggs were cold by the time she got to them, but being mostly full from the fries, she had been eating while reading, she pushed them aside and devoured the steak while Harlow settled the bill.

"What did it say?" Tau asked her quietly.

"Exactly what I expected. Nothing unreasonable on their end. I didn't notice anything off or concerning about it either. They even agreed to give me immunity from prosecution for any admittance to previous practices without a license. Although there was a caveat about exceptions for practices that lead to irreversible bodily harm or catastrophic injuries to another, or death."

"Death? Well then, I'm not entirely certain that doesn't already apply," he replied with a knowing smirk.

How desperately she wished she could have removed her eyepatch just to glance that look upon his real face. For she was certain her imagination was doing it no justice.

"They can't prove a thing. Everything else seemed less, 'open for interpretation' though."

"Will you sign it?"

"Yes, but not until after I've asked a few questions. Sit tight we're almost through this."

Tau nodded as Harlowe returned to the table.

"Satisfied with the contract?" he asked as he looked across at her.

"It certainly appears to be in order. I appreciate the amount of detail your department lawyer put into it. But before I sign, I have a few questions it didn't answer."

"And those would be?"

"What can you tell me about the Magister, Inniken Gerotherin, the one who signed off on this?"

"He's a magister, what more do you need to know?"

"Can he be trusted? Is he dubious? If I have concerns, will he be willing to listen?"

"If I may," Folsten spoke up.

"Be my guest," Harlowe remarked with a dismissive wave, "the less I talk about that bastard the better."

"Harlowe and Gerotherin don't have a great relationship, so perhaps my opinion will seem less bias."

"I'm listening," Quayleigh said as she grabbed her half empty mug.

"The Magister is more honest than he seems. He tries to hide the fact that he's clinging to his position by acting arrogant, but his eyes give away the story of his worry and sleepless nights. Something about his position feels tenuous to him. He's desperate to hold on to what little power he has, so if you go to him, he will listen, and he will react according to what he believes will best strengthen his position, even if it means doing nothing."

"I'm always impressed by what you can gleam of a person from just a single meeting," Kavak stated with a chuckle. "You truly are an expert in your field."

"Thanks, Kavak."

"The two of you knew each other before this case?"

"We've worked together several times before, as we are both on loan from Clairmont Heights. Although, we aren't stationed at the same precinct, if I am to be completely transparent," Kavak replied.

"Did you have any other questions, Ms. Vershinin?" Folsten asked.

"Yes, but it pertains to what I'll be studying. There's nothing in the contract that stipulates the boundaries of what I'll be studying, just that the information regarding the subject matter will be presented upon arrival."

"Inniken insisted that no mention of what you're going to be looking at be put in the contract. He'll have some contracts of his own that he'll want you to sign, as well as some paperwork to fill out, so certain clauses of that contract can be adhered to, as he put it," Harlowe stated followed by a huff and a sneer.

"Ah, well that answered my next question too. I don't suppose you could tell me about the other liaison Detective Folsten? The contract only listed him as Archivist Phaedra."

"Well, I did have the opportunity to meet him, and he's the one you should be careful of. He's the reason I was given this assignment. I'll be keeping a close eye on him, and if I believe or catch even a hint that something isn't as it seems, I'll pull you out. At the beginning of each day, I'll go over some phrases with you. Things that could be said in casual conversation, but to you will be a specific instruction. For this to work, I'm going to need you to trust in my abilities."

"I have no issue with that," Quayleigh replied as she turned to look at Harlowe. "In fact, the only thing I'm having a hard time with, is the motivation for all of this. So, I'm going to ask one last question and I hope you'll answer honestly."

"No promises, but ask anyways," Harlowe replied in a defeated tone.

"What did you pay to get them to agree to let an unregistered civilian into their archives?"

Harlowe chuckled softly, "Frankly kid, that's none of your damn business. Just know that it was enough to get them to agree to that contract."

"But is it enough to make them adhere to it?"

"Yeah kid. It's more than enough for that too."

Quayleigh nodded and pushed her plate aside before setting the contract down on the table.

"You can call me Quayleigh. And last question, does anyone have a pen?"