Chapter 27 27
“Hey! We vowed never to speak of that again. As for using Russian, well, damn eavesdroppers are everywhere. Too many people speak Spanish and Mandarin these days.” Speaking in Russian always made me crave vodka. I really should have brought some out with me. Maybe I should put a deep freezer out here and stock it with various blood fusions.
My source snorted. “Since when did you speak Mandarin?”
“At least I don’t speak Klingon you dork.”
“Yes you do. I had to learn because you kept using it!”
“Oh. Yeah. Right. At least I don’t know pig Latin.”
“No, you just use the spells in Harry Potter when doing magic.”
I chuckled. “Only after I’ve been in my hippie stash! But I didn’t call you to trade insults. I need info.” I laid out the situation.
“I’ll get back to you.”
I went back into the house where the boys were finishing off their meal. Once my meal completed its spin in the microwave I joined them at the table.
“So does the synthesized Ruski think it was He Who Should Not Be Named?” Connor asked.
I slid Tristan a dirty look. Connor’s hearing wasn’t good enough to hear my call all the way in the garage over the washing machine. “No. But they did mention that eavesdropping pups get sent to Azkaban.”
After dinner we wondered outside to the fire pit in the middle of my back yard. The boys roasted marshmallows. Another food I didn’t understand. Why would anyone want to eat something so gooey and sticky? We traded stories while we lounged in wooden Adirondack chairs.
Connor told the story of how he and I met. Always a good one. Nearly thirty years ago when Connor was a freashly mented detective he was told to inforce a simple warrant. He showed up on my doorstep and politely told me that he had a warrant for my arrest and advised me to come along quietly or he would be forced to add resisting arrest charges to my crimes. I still remember him standing there with his baby face cleanly shaved, dark hair in a crew cut, and the most boring grey suit possible. After I managed to stop laughing I asked the most arrogant question of all time. Do you know who I am? He recited my name from the warrant. He was so cute. Lucky for him I had been in my hippie stash and was too mellow to but up much of a fight when he handcuffed me. In fact all I could do was giggle. Which was weird because I hadn’t indulged that much. He ripped a portal to take us to the Atlantean Magics Penitentiary or AMP. The wizards at the processing desk about laughed Connor out of the building when he tried to book me. Maybe I should have mentioned my diplomatic immunity before we got that far. I magiced the handcuffs off and invited Connor back to my place to figure out why he was sent to arrest someone that couldn’t be arrested. Well, not for long. We’d been working cases together ever since.
“Did they name the prison after the mythical island?” Tristan asked around a mouth full of burned marshmallow. I snorted at the question while Connor quietly shook his head.
“Uh no. It’s named the Atlantean Magics Penitentiary because it is ON the island of Atlantis. Humans think it’s myth because they haven’t seen it in centuries due to it having some of the strongest magic in the world cloaking it. I assure you, Atlantis is very real.” I let that sink in as I watched some fire flies dance through the night sky. “It’s basically the capital for the super natural world. Our government is run from the island. “
Not wanting to discuss politics any further, I switched us to the topic of Connor’s love life. It was always entertaining. I had yet to figure out how he could always pick the crazies. Once we were tired of laughing at Connor (which took a while) Tristan and I went inside and Connor went home for the night.
While I was getting ready for bed I could hear the shower running in the downstairs bathroom. I took advantage of this chance for privacy. I pulled out my phone and listened to two rings.
“Ringing to ask me round so you can properly thank me for the gift basket, love?” Ohhhh. The hills of Ireland were alive in his deep husky voice. I felt the familiar tingle go down my spine at the sound of it. Thankfully I remembered I was mad at him before I agreed. Besides, what did he mean by “properly”? I paced my room while keeping an ear cocked to make sure the pup was still showering.
“Not in this lifetime. Or any other lifetime for that matter. Stop sending me things. I don’t want them.” Before he could answer the shower turned off and I quickly hit the end call button. I plugged my phone in for the night I crawled into bed and fell asleep.