Page 33 of Grave Beginnings

“The Amar leopard is more in line with the body structure of a tiger than what most people think of as leopards. But you’ll find most variant shifters are rarer types of their animal cousins.”

“He was beautiful and super soft.” My cheeks heated again, realizing his leopardwashim.

“Yeah? Still a cat person?”

“Yes.” I drew the word out like I was uncertain if he would run with it. But he let it go and pointed out the case filing system and how to make notes. Our systems were linked; sharing notes, files, pictures, and case folders. It was a major upgrade from the DOS-style format of my old precinct.

“Here’s how to request information.” Angel showed me how to link files that were sent to recon or even the social media team to gather data. In this day and age, the information we could get from someone’s social media presence eclipsed everything else. Not everyone was smart enough to keep their public interactions minimal.

“Nice that someone does it for us.”

“We can do it ourselves, but they are honestly faster as it’s their full-time job. I spend more of my time updating notes, reviewing case files, and finding links or more people to question. By the time I’m ready to talk to someone, I’ve got a full picture of their life at my fingertips.”

“So, you’re saying intel here is like the CIA.”

Angel nodded. “You know how they say women in their twenties can find anything about anyone through social media faster than someone working for the government for forty years? Well, that’s how it works here. Five minutes and they’ve got everything about you. All those embarrassing moments and ex-lovers you don’t want folks to know about laid out like a fancy wedding display.”

“Scary. Should I make a list and post it in the bullpen to get the teasing over with?”

He laughed. “You have a lot of those?”

“More than I’d like.” I rubbed my forehead, irritated by the lights.

“How’s your head?”

“Throbbing, and not in a good way, but I’ll live,” I said as I started adding notes. How much was safe to share? I added the bit about the direction of the blood spray, the prints, and the sound of laughter, but could feel Angel’s eyes on me.

“What?” I asked, looking up.

“Do you get headaches a lot?”

“A few times a year, maybe? I wouldn’t say a lot.” I added in all the basic details from the case and left out my time across the Veil as it didn’t seem relevant to the case. Angel added a few of his notes to the images, and comments about scents, and his own impression of the body. I could see how the instant collaboration could be beneficial. We could even pull up pictures from the scene and add notes to sections. Like, I wondered about the bite radius; was it a child, or something else? Could we tell what species it might be by teeth impressions?

“Is that all you’re adding?” Angel asked.

“For now, I guess. I’m sure it will be a few days before we get any lab reports. Do we have data on the victim and any witnesses yet?”

Angel’s avatar popped up on my screen and a folder opened with video interviews. “Ezra’s work.”

“Nice,” I said, browsing through.

“You won’t be saying that when you see our backlog and all the shit you need to review to catch up.”

“Where is that?”

Another section opened on my screen, full of active case files.

“Holy shit!”

“Supernatural stuff is never as open and closed as themundane stuff. Fingerprints, DNA, that sort of stuff is rare from NHVs. Some of them don’t leave anything other than an energy signature. And the process is complicated, as we have to get authorities on the other side involved,” Angel said.

I hadn’t ever thought about what they would do with those they caught. “Is there a supernatural prison of some kind on the other side?”

“Not exactly,” Angel said. “But I don’t think you’re ready for all that in your first week.”

“Okay,” I said, head giving another warning throb. I glanced up at the overhead lights, annoyed by the brightness. Angel hopped out of his chair and adjusted a switch on the wall that dimmed them. “Thanks,” I said.

“Sure thing. Be right back.” He left the office. Maybe he had to pee. Not my business. I clicked around the system, finding the photos Wade and Bobby took uploaded already, and began adding notes to them. I put comments in about the difference between the print on the grimoire and the rest of the prints. More than one? Or something that could change shape?