Solved! (Peregrine x Falcon)

[Peregrine]

...these copy-cat crimes were initially hidden by the police and the city mayor's office. It was only after the fourth murder that this information was leaked to the press, leading to widespread outrage and concern among the public.

The police urge citizens to remain calm, promising that they have already launched a massive investigation into the murders, with all available resources dedicated to finding the perpetrator or perpetrators. A call line has already been set in place, with an up to $20,000 reward for anyone who can provide information that leads to the capture of the criminal.

While the police investigate these cases to determine if there is a link between the original crimes and the copy-cat murders, the mayor's office also urges he supernatural community to come forward with any information they may have about the crimes.

The first victim, a a middle-aged man found completely drained of blood in a back alley of the French Quarter…

The sound of the news reporter on the TV was momentarily drowned out as blinds clattered against the glass window of the office room door. A young-looking djinn pushed their way into the office, slightly slouched, plain clothes draped messily over their lean form. Jazaa scanned casually around the room, before strolling towards the only other occupant of the room. "Why are you listening to that nonsense, chief? You know every detail of these cases."

Chief Olivia Rodriguez turned towards Jazaa with a wry smile. "It's important to keep up with the news, Jazaa. Besides, sometimes it's good to have a reminder of why we're working so hard to solve these cases." She motioned towards the chair across from her desk. "Have a seat."

With a faint, noncommittal hum, Jazaa crossed the room before settling back into the slightly-too-hard chair across from Chief Rodriguez. Toning out the continued drone of the TV, Jazaa fiddled with one thumb with the other hand, momentarily the perfect picture of an obedient student. "So why did you call me here, Chief? I'm supposed to be on the streets already. You know, asking questions. Catching bad guys. All hands on deck."

Chief Rodriguez leaned forward, her elbows on the desk, and clasped her hands together. "Yes, I'm aware of your duties," she said, faintly exasperated. "And that's exactly why you're here. I have a new partner for you to work with on the copy-cat crimes." She slid a folder across the desk to Jazaa. "Meet Sergeant Millicent Cooper. She's in training for the detective department, but she's shown a lot of promise."

"A partner?" Jazaa went from lazy to the edge of their seat in a half second, eyes wide with an expression of disbelief. Completely ignoring the folder with details about this new 'partner', Jazaa immediately switched to protest mode. "Chief, I've never... I don't…" Fumbling over the words slightly, Jazaa paused for a half second, before continuing onward with greater calm.

"You know I work best alone. I'm going to be headed deep into supernatural territory. Bringing anyone along, especially a new detective. That's risky."

"You work best alone?" Olivia raised one brow, casting a look that caused the djinn to quail slightly in their seat.

"Jazaa, you know as well as I do that you've broken the rules before. I'm not going to go into detail, but we need to make sure this case is handled by the book."

"By the book..." Jazaa repeated numbly. "My methods work—work well—and your biggest concern is that we play by the book?"

Chief Rodriguez leaned forward slightly, the look on her face becoming more severe. "They work only so long as you don't go barging into a building without a warrant and render a critical piece of evidence inadmissible in court! This isn't the 20th century anymore, Jazaa, let alone the 1600's. Favors can only get you so far." She leaned forward, her expression stern. "You've crossed the line before, and I'm not willing to risk it happening on such a critical case. That's why I'm assigning you to work with Sergeant Cooper. She's good at what she does, and she knows how to follow the rules. I trust that she'll keep you in check."

Jazaa's brow wrinkled for a second, only for it to be followed with a derisive chuckle a second later. "Right." Reaching out, Jazaa picked up the temporarily forgotten folder, thumbing through the information about this soon-to-be partner. "Fine. You can trust me, Chief. I'll go find this... Sergeant Cooper. We'll play it nice and safe. I promise."

Rules only mattered if there was someone to catch you breaking them.

 

[Falcon]

Sargent Cooper was currently in the break room putting on not one, but two pots of coffee.
Most of the station was going to be working overtime for a while, and none of them would be getting much rest. The caffeine would be appreciated.

The cause for that was obvious if one bothered to watch the little tv on the stand in the corner where it was situated for easy viewing by those at the table. A table currently strewn with files that had everything to do with the story that was currently playing as a matter of fact.

Copy cat crimes... each and every one of them were copy cat crimes.

Four crimes, each different and seemingly unlinked until one took into account that each incident was a copy cat of a rather famous criminal with their own unique signature. This first had to have been a duplicate of the twilight stalker, a serial killed from when Millie was a little girl. Sargent Millicent Cooper barely remembered the stories of that one, but she did remember the particulars of the second nightmare this villain had copied.

Her curly brown pony tail swung behind her as she turned from the coffee pots, moved toward the table, and reached to slide the currently closed file away from the detective who was currently poring over the first.

"Have at it, Cooper," Detective Anderson sighed tiredly reaching for the sandwich he was trying to get into his overworked system, "you might still be in blues but maybe you'll catch something I've missed."

Millie nodded and turned her hazel eyes to the file as she flipped open the protector.

Victim: Adelaide Johnson, female, 22, student at JCU, resident of 30112 Henry Blvd.
Cause of Death: Heart failure, victim seems to have been frightened to death
Location: Alice Park, corner of 31st and Bravo, Nox Ward

She remembered the first round before that particular killer was caught. College aged woman walking alone at night all abducted and then apparently subjected to their greatest fears until they died of fright. Hell Millie had been college age herself at the time. She remembered always arranging to go anywhere in pairs. Her Aunt Prudence had practically forced her to come live with her family until it have be solved over half a decade ago.

And some sicko out there had decided to duplicate the crime. Perfectly... or nearly so.

There had to be something they were missing...

"Sit, Cooper." Detective Anderson grumbled at her. "You'll focus better if you're comfortable. And unless you have other orders you might as well help me for a bit. All hands on deck after all. Besides, the experience will be good for you. Exam is next month right?"

"Yes, Sir."
"Call me Ray. Sir makes me feel old." Millie couldn't help the small smile. Ray had to be in his 50s with a head of hair and mustache that were nearly full white. Still, she preferred to have some formality in the workplace.
"Yes, Detective."
He only grunted.

And so it was that Sargent Millicent Cooper spent the next twenty minutes attempting to see anything in the case files that Detective Ray Anderson had not yet found, at least until someone else had new orders for her.

 

[Peregrine]

"I'm looking for Sergeant Cooper."

"You seen Sergeant Cooper anywhere?"

It had never really bothered Jazaa that their relationship with everyone in the precinct was rather similar to the relationship between an officer and an informant. Very few people truly considered Jazaa a detective, despite what their identification said. It wasn't as though the djinn really fit in.

Then again, Jazaa had never really fit in anywhere. The entire reason they were working as a detective to begin with was because no one in the Ropewalk appreciated Jazaa worming into their business, and the djinni clan's Marid hoped that shoving Jazaa off to the police would serve as a good distraction to this outsider that had showed up in the city one day without warning, and had never left.

To be frank, the distraction had worked quite well. Police work was quite fascinating, especially when Jazaa had the connections to get away with just about anything they decided to do.

Except, apparently, work alone.

"Look, just tell me where Sergeant Cooper is, and I'll get out of your hair."

Sergeant Cooper, as it happened, was in the break room. But not for taking a break. Papers had scattered their way all around the room, and both Sergeant Cooper and Detective Anderson had seated themselves in the middle of this documental disarray. Jazaa lingered at the doorway for a moment, before strolling in.

"Lucky break for you, Cooper. You ready to take to the streets, temporary Detective?"

 

[Falcon]

Millie's head jerked up at the voice. She knew who it belonged to, but had never thought that she would have any reason to interact with that person, at least not before she had passed the detectives exam.

"Tem-temporary detective?" she asked, blinking stupidly for a moment, trying to get her brain to shift gears.

Her brain was still cluttered with case facts. Names, dates, times, locations, things that were most assuredly not having a conversation with someone who was apparently trying to tell her that that she had been chosen to get some extra field practice a full moth before she had anticipated getting be be done writing parking tickets and dealing with domestic disturbances....

Of course one might considered a copy-cat killer to be the greatest domestic disturbance of them all.

A moment later the information clicked, Millie's eyes widening slightly in shock, and she scooted her chair out from the table so she could practically pop to her feet.

"Yes, Detective! Ready when you are. Where do we start?"

It took everything she had not to salute.

 

[Peregrine]

Both Jazaa and Detective Anderson chuckled slightly at Millie's overenthusiastic response. Meanwhile, one of Jazaa's hands ticked slightly, finger tap, tap, tapping against thigh.

No doubt the chief was relying on Sergeant Cooper's enthusiasm towards becoming a full detective to keep them in line. After all, would she really be willing to do anything off-the-book if it might put her future career at risk? Yet, that same enthusiasm could potentially turn her into Jazaa's ally as well, especially if she was more interested in the good of the city than the letter of the law. It remained to be seen.

"We're heading to Silicone District. Follow me, we'll talk as we walk."

Theastra Central Precinct, the police hub of the entire city, was located at the edge of the Capitol Hill district. While there were dozens upon dozens of other precincts scattered around the city, the central precinct was the one responsible for handling the matters that impacted the entire city, along with a collection of other officers responsible for maintaining order around the Capitol Building. The precinct's central location gave it reasonable access to all locations, but Jazaa walked in the complete opposite direction of the parking lot that stored patrol cars. The djinn glanced over at Millie, dark brown eyes momentarily seeming to flash orange.

"We'll be taking the train, no sense in bringing a car where we're going. Have you ever met a goblin, Sergeant?"

 

[Falcon]

Millie followed, hot on the detective's heels.
She was trying hard not to appear too overeager, it was a serious situation they were investigating after all, but it wasn't often she was blessed with the opportunity to learn from someone who was considered among the best in the field, despite some rumors of a few problematic tenancies

"No I haven't met a goblin, at least not that I've been aware of," Millie answered as she did an about face and picked up her pace a bit to catch up after she had nearly gotten left behind when she had started toward the lot under the mistaken impression that they were taking a cruiser. "But my Auntie keeps unusual company so there's always the chance... Um... if we're not taking the car so that we don't draw attention, aren't you worries about my uniform?"

And indeed she was still in what she called her blues. Navy pants, light blue button down shirt with the districts patches, polished black shoes and matching utility belt. In fact Millie's radio was even still attached. But even as she asked the question she didn't slow her pace. It seemed Jazaa had an idea of a lead and if she didn't have too Millie wasn't about to take the risk of slowing them down.

 

[Peregrine]

Jazaa laughed slightly at Millie's comment, shaking their head. "We aren't taking the train to avoid drawing attention," they corrected, one hand waving loosely back and forth at their side. "We're taking it because the true Silicone District exists in the tunnels under the subway. All we'd be doing with a car is wasting time looking for parking."

Jazaa glanced back over their shoulder, dark eyes scanning up and down Millie's uniform. The djinn restrained a sigh, nothing but the faintest sign of smoke coming from their nostrils to indicate any emotion.

It wasn't that Jazaa minded working with another person. Partnerships could be fun sometimes, and there was no denying that people were capable of different things. But what bothered the djinn the most was the fact that they were now working with someone who didn't seem to know much about the supernatural world. There was no way dragging along such a person would speed things up.

She's not here to help with the investigation, Jazaa thought to themselves, with traces of quiet frustration. She's here because the Chief doesn't trust you.

But, thinking back to the look of excitement that had crossed Millie's face with the chance to act as a temporary detective, Jazaa decided to wait and see. Perhaps the Chief had misjudged her by-the-book tendencies.

"A few things about goblins. One, be mindful of your space. They build things to their specifications, not ours, and I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate a giant barging into your house and breaking your plates, no matter how much of an accident it was. Two, avoid touching technology, especially anything that looks unfinished or broken. Goblins are very possessive of their innovation rights, and even so much as a touch from an outsider can make them feel forced to completely restart a project. However, feel free to stare or admire. They'll doubtless think we're both too stupid to figure anything out from looking, and admiration is always a compliment.

"Three, and this one's important. If you want to get any useful information out of a goblin, never interrupt them. No matter how unrelated what they're talking about seems to be. Every species has their unique quirks. Werewolves and other shapeshifters need to control their instincts, the fae will try and steal from or cheat you as a way of saying hello, but the goblins are particularly unique. They don't think like we do. Many of their connections, both in thinking and conversation, seem downright irrational from an outside perspective. But if you don't let them think through things their way, there are many things they are incapable of remembering."

Jazaa came to a halt at the edge of the station, offering Millie a dazzling smile. "Don't worry, this'll be fun. I'm sure we'll work well together. Any questions before we head out into public?"

 

[Falcon]

Millie did her best to keep pace, feeling as though she was going through some sort off assessment. She very much hoped she wasn't found wanting, or that if she was that Jazaa as least saw her potential. She wanted very much to be of use here.

"Got it! Be careful of everything, look with eyes not hands, complements are allowed." she answered cheerfully rattling off a paraphrased version of the instructions as proof she had been listening. "And make sure to wait for my turn to talk." She nodded to herself as she went through the mental checklist making sure she hadn't forgotten anything, and then followed Jazaa around the corner and down the steps into the underground.

The station was as busy as one might expect one near the central hub to be. Teams of people waiting their turn in line to go through the turnstile, more lines in front of the ticked booth and automated dispensers, even a few groups just standing around and chatting. It was a strange feeling, to walk through a crowd and know that most of them had no idea of half the stuff that went on around them as they went about their daily lives.

Millie picked her way around the throng and headed for the security gate. Fortunately neither herself or Jazaa would have to bother with the lines for a ticket. Not as long as they were on duty anyway.

"Which train did we need again?" she asked as they were waved through. "There's three different lines headed that way this time of day." Her knowledge of the underground might have seemed impressive to anyone listening in, at least until they realized there was a large display board hanging overhead advertising that information for anyone who could be bothered to actually read it.

 

[Peregrine]

"An excellent summary!" Jazaa agreed, nodding slightly. "A lot of other supernaturals don't like interacting with goblins because of their quirks, but I've always found them very friendly and helpful as long as you understand their perspective on the world. They're wicked smart, too. I'm sure you'll see it for yourself soon enough."

Jazaa seemed to blend naturally with the crowds of people in the subway platform, despite their vividly colored hair and tall, lanky figure. The people, too naturally moved around Jazaa as though they were a pillar or other obstruction, rather than a person to be avoided. It made their progress through the busy platform easy and smooth. "Doesn't really matter. Both Arc Rapid and Local Line will get us to Riverside Junction Station. That's the polite entrance to use, so that's the one we'll use."

The next train north showed up only a minute later. There was a brief exchange of people, one group flooding out before the next crowd flowed in. As soon as Jazaa and Millie entered, someone politely stood up, offering their seat to the uniformed Sergeant Cooper. Jazaa ignored the gesture, clearly not intended for the djinn, instead glancing at Millie. "Four stops."

 

[Falcon]

"No please, there's no need," Millie politely informed the seat offeror as she grabbed the overhead bar neck to Jazaa.
Four stops was not bad at all considering how wide the city was from one end to the other, and as the train rattled along it gave her the opportunity to people watch.

There was a certain tenseness to the vibe of the crowd, although to be honest Millie wasn't sure if she'd expected it to be better or worse. This recent crime spree was in the news, she could even see an article printed on the newspaper page the passenger across from her was reading, but people still seemed relatively calm. They were grouped together more, yes, but no one seemed to be overly afraid or jumpy... It was a good sign, she hoped. Millie supposed it meant that the city in general still trusted them to catch this guy.

It wasn't long before the intercom dinged and the robotic voice announce "Riverside Junction Station".

The crowed flowed outward and Millie let it sweep her along with it, looking to Jazaa to see what direction to got next.

"I must admit, normally when I'm up here it's to hit Baldinos, the little sandwich place on the corner... Which way are we headed?"