Love Between Law and Life

Chapter 3: Co-workers can either light up your day or burn it down, doesn’t matter what job you have.

             “So I assume you know about the case.” Bobbie states matter of fact, finally putting aside her cup and resting the file on the table. Florence didn’t bother opening it, she already knew what was inside, plus, a lot people didn’t fancy seeing pictures of dead bodies in the middle of a café. Heck, Flo knew she saw enough of that in unguided dreams and ghosts.

            “Ten dead. Buried throughout the great island of Oahu. Oddly in pairs, none of them had marks that indicated a physical fight, but some did have that were later ruled out as having been gained from trekking through the area that they were killed.” The psychic recited with ease, ignoring the slowly increasing impressed look on Bobbie’s face. “There is no consistency between the pairs, some are related, some are not. Cause of death tested on the less decomposed found is the use of a drug that likely cause a painless death.”

            “Impressive. All in a one. It is suspected, however, that there might be more people who were killed by the same person, but never found.” Bobbie’s face grew serious, “Which you confirmed a couple of days ago.”

            “I did.”

            “A woman by the name of Noelani.”

            “Her partner was her best friend. They didn’t come to talk to me.”

            “The identity of Noelani was a confirmed match to a young woman named Noelani Kalua. Twenty-six, lived on her own, had a simple job as a salesclerk. She was reported missing a year ago when the people in her support group realised, she’d missed three sessions without a word.” Bobbie waves her hand around a bit, a slightly accusing eyebrow raised at her. It wasn’t really meant to send a bad expression, Flo understood how it looked. Information on a year dead woman, especially when you claim she came to you for help is a lot for people unfamiliar with how she worked to swallow. “Information one would not know unless they were connected or…”

            “You’re a psychic.” Flo grinned and thumped her half empty coffee cup on the table, “I know you did that for dramatic effect, but you do know there are many more ways that someone could come by that kind of information right?”

            “Dramatic effect, I have no regrets.” Bobbie shot her a look that instantly reminded her of a golden retriever. “Besides, Noelani, or rather her ghost, claimed that this guy or people were ready to kill again, right?”

            “Yes, at least along those lines. It’s more like she was aware that people were going to get hurt just like she did. She never confirms that it might be the same people.”

            “So, it might be connected to a whole other case?” Flo gave a frustrated shrug complete with a lot of arm waved and an aspirated expression. She was a psychic, her knickknack was seeing the dead, not seeing the future – on a normal day. “Supposing so, it does raise the question of the possibility that there may be more victims out there than we think.”

            “We, who is we. I was not aware you could speak French, Oi.” Florence wrinkled her nose. “I’m just here to make sure you have all the information you need, and them I’m on my way.”

            “Really?” Again with the puppy dog eyes, a woman looking that fierce should not have the ability to also look like a kicked puppy. It wasn’t fair, it was doing things to the psychic’s heart, and the last thing she needed was to end up in a stress vision this early in the morning.

            “Yes. Last thing I need is you dead and haunting my ass.” Florence felt her teeth clack on the cup as Bobbie mutter a ‘but it’s a fine ass though’. That was clearly not meant for her to hear, and she had more things to be bothered about than a detective who was going to get a partner one day and completely forget about her the next. Besides, a comment like that didn’t necessarily mean she swung that way, as much a Flo’s heart wanted to accept the statement, she willed her logical side to behave.

            “I can’t promise that, after all, you are considered a psychic consultant. I find it more benefiting to have you on the scene if needed.” She had to praise the detective for the level of maturity she held herself at… if it weren’t for the utter BS embedded into the statement.

            “Need I remind you, one – I have a son that I care for on my own, I need to be able to keep an eye on him. Two – I own a bookstore, I can’t just leave it at your convenience.”

            “One – I meant when you son was at school.” Bobbie holds up her hand to stop her from interrupting, “And two – I’m accustomed to how most stores work. A bookstore that big couldn’t be managed by yourself, which means you have workers. More often than not, at least one of them is trained to be able to take over the store in your absence.” Florence had to admit she was right, but it didn’t mean she was going to give up her ground so easily.

            “I can’t just give up my job.”

            “I’m not asking you to, I would never. I’m just saying that it may only be once a week. Just to check out a couple of leads. Have you on scene to see if you pick up on anything, maybe a few bad mojos or ghosts.” Bobbie shrugged nonchalantly and Floe know she was so going to hate that laid-back attitude in a couple days tops, “I’m sure your guys can run the shop at least an entire day.”

            “I’m not a dog. Checking out mojos.” She sniffed, just to be petty at this point because she was losing ground fast and ugly. Somehow, she had the feeling this detective was definitely going to be trouble for her whether she sign up for her madness of not, and she could safely see that it had nothing to do with wayward auras. Bobbie only grinned wider as she realised she’d won.

            “Good, I’m glad we had this talk. Sometime this week then?” Bobbie got to her feet with a surprising amount of grace for her height and solid build, “Let’s not keep you from your bookstore no longer, yes?”

            Bobbie was humming, yes, she was humming. It honestly had more to do with the possibility of cracking an almost impossible case, but something nagged at her. Okay, it had a little bit to do with the psychic. What could she say? She was interesting, it’s not like Bobbie met with a real-life psychic on  regular basis. Scratch that, she’d never had the chance to meet with one ever.

            So yes, she initially was going to write this off as bogus, but some of the information was genuinely good. It opened up a whole new plethora questions and possibilities and it was much better than floundering in the dark. It did cross her mine that Florence might be dirty at least twice, but her reactions towards conversations of her son veered her off that track easily. She may not have met her son, but Florence stuck her as someone who truly cared about her kid and it would be a cold day in hell before she did something that would end up with him as collateral.

            Now, she was on her way to the bookstore to trouble the poor woman some more. It was late enough that her son would be in school and early enough that the store would be mostly empty. She was interesting, sarcasm on point and a bit of a spit fire. Bobbie was beginning to suspect why Captain Akamu picked her for the job, and she believed it had nothing to do with the case itself, at least not entirely.

            Bobbie halted to a sudden stop as her hand rested on the doorknob of the bookstore. She had two options, give in a knock like a good girl after the lecture she got yesterday, or walk in and get another. Well, she had problems listening to her own Captain, why bother now? The door swings open easily.

            “You have knuckles. Use it for once in your life and knock.” Greets her instantly. Florence had her back turned to her, hands deftly sorting out a series of cards printed with pictures. Study cards then.

            “How did you know it would be me? Did you sense my aura?” Bobbie wasn’t asking seriously, but she knew that couldn’t be quite it considering Flo had her back to her and she didn’t mention anything about being able to sense people.

            “Nope.” She finally turns around and saunters over to her with a snarky grin. “I run a bookstore. It’s Thursday. How many people do you think I have rushing here at the c***k of dawn to read books?”

            “Fair enough.”

            “So, my fair detective, what can I do for you today?’

            “The case.” Bobbie doesn’t bother to explain further, waving the brick of a file between them. She couldn’t help the chuckle at the constipated look that crossed the psychic’s face for a few seconds before she reigned it in.

            “Does it look like my store needs more bricks?”

            “A bookstore owner who doesn’t like books?”

            “I like books just fine, if not a little more than the average person. But that is not a book, that is two pieces of papers slapped around a lot more pieces of unconnected paper that’s supposed to make sense.” She waves her had with a mock horrific look at the pile of papers in the detective’s hand. “A horror show, if you want a better explanation.”

            “Aren’t all books like that?” Just to poke the sticks in the fire of their generally ‘maturity’ passing between the both of them. The sparks were worth it.

            “Hardy har har. Try me and I will start an hour long rant about the importance of books.”

            “You’re giving be a look that says I dare you to doubt me and I’m not taking you up on that.” Bobbie winces with mirth in her eyes. “Seriously though, is there a place where we can talk about this before the store gets crowded? I don’t want to take up to much time.”

            “Huh, no manners, but considerate. You grow more interesting by the day.” Flo bows slightly towards her with flourish, as though checking for any form of odd emotions in her eyes. Whatever she was looking for apparently wasn’t there as she leans back with her smile growing a little more genuine. Bobbie felt like she’d just been put under a test, passed, and hadn’t even realised. She was more caught up in how the light from beyond the door caught just right and turned Flo’s dark brown eyes to a warm hazelnut colour for a few seconds before she shifted again. Bobbie shook her head and shot back as good as she got.

            “All to keep you on your toes, my love.” That gets the psychic to snort, a hand coming up to cover her mouth before she starts walking over to the kid’s section of the store. It’s cute and quant, the wooden design gave it a homey feeling while keeping it muted enough to accept a dystopian world of possibilities.

            “Come on. The table right here should do the trick.” It was low, low enough that Bobbie would have to sit on the ground and bend over to reach the table with her height. It definitely felt wrong though, to check out a case filled with pictures of dead people in a place frequented by minors. Florence hardly seemed bothered, plopping herself on the ground with the grace of a tired mother, and leaning her entire weight on one side of the table. Then again, she used to make a living of seeing and talking to dead people, so this was probably hardly even a second thought to her.

            “Really want to do this out in the open?”

            “Wouldn’t make a difference. Only early customers on a Thursday are Hilo, who heads straight to the music section for his early morning podcasts. Jerry for the science CDs and comics, he must always have the first of the shipment of the new series that he’s following up, and Lola, who honestly just comes to flirt tirelessly with Kahula.”

            “Kahula?”

            “They’ll come in about an hour, they usually pick up coffee for me and Leo today.” At the mention of coffee, the daily sustenance of both addicts, she rubs her eyes tiredly and leans a little more on the table. She didn’t look like she weighted much, but that table was subjected to who know how many kids a day, if it were standing strong, Bobbie would take her chance. She sits on the opposite side with a dignified look and dumps the case file between the both of them.

            “They?”

            “Kahula identifies with they/them. Problem?” Florence grows a little tense at this but keeps her carefree attitude by poking at the file in front of her. Bobbie hurries to reassure her.

            “Not at all.”

            An hour later found both of them with a table cluttered with files of missing persons, reports from dispatchers about calls, addresses, medical files, pictures. Basically everything you could need on a single person… multiplied by ten. Florence had eventually given up on the onslaught of information, resting one side of her face to the cool table as she listened to Bobbie try to make sense of it all.

            “I have no idea what you’re expecting of me.” She blurts out, tilting her head slightly to catch Bobbie’s questioning hum. She groans as she pushes herself upright, her back protesting the movement. “I’m more of a hands on the job kind of person. I’m not going to get anything from just information and pictures.”

            “I know, but I’m dragging you into this, so I figured you deserved to know everything of what you were getting into.” The detective shrugs, “If you got any leads, you might have the chance to connect it to something else at the same time.”

            “And you couldn’t tell me this an hour ago?”

            “Would you have sat down and listen to me and hour ago?”

            “Nope.”

            “Exactly.”

            “Fine.”

            The knock of the bell signalling the opening of the door was like being saved by the school bell. It was made even better as Florence recognised the two that walked in, even more eager at the sight of a cup of coffee with her name on it on one of their hands. “Kahula, Leo, over here.”

            Kahula was wearing a black pants with a Hawaiian shirt, their new pair of boots reached quite a height from the ankle. Either Kahula was finally tired of Lola was planning to tell her off or planning to go all in, it really could go either way when it came to them. Leo stood beside them, hands in his jacket like the rebel he pretended to be, his curly hair in a bird nest tangle and face twisted in the usually frown that was more harmless than a baby panda.

            They strolled over with a grin, interested looks growing even more as they noticed the pile of papers in front of the pair. “Bobbie meet Kahula and Leo. Both of you, meet Bobbie.” Florence introduced shortly as she made grabby hands for the hot cup of life in Kahula’s hands.

            “Great to meet a new face.” The pair take their seats to the side, unbothered by the fact that they probably shouldn’t been anywhere near the papers in front of them. Bobbie didn’t make a move to correct them, so Florence allowed it slide for now. It’s not like either of them were keen on ranting to anyone about what they were seeing considering their boss sometimes talked to the dead that wandered in the bookstore in confusion. Florence sighed a breath of air into the too hot liquid in her hands, kids these days weren’t bothered by much, were they?

            “Thought you were done with the whole police and late-night murder gigs.” Leo nods his head at the table, offering his cup of coffee to the detective and shrugging as she declines it. That kid was too kind for his own good, even if he’d adamantly deny it.

            “I am, but this lunatic over there won’t leave me alone.”

            “Oooo, lunatic. I like that one.” Bobbie grins in challenge, hands working skilfully to put the scattered papers back together in some semblance of order. “But I’ve heard it to many times, you’re going to have to try a new one.”

            “I’ll find one, trust me. I have a feeling I’m going to need to if you’re going to keep stopping by.”

            “Well, let me not keep you back.” Bobbie gets to her feet effortlessly, tucking the folder under her arm and glancing at her watch with a grimace. “I’m late as it is, Captain Akamu is probably going to give me one of his lectures again, and I don’t want to keep you from opening.”

            “T’was fun meeting you.” Kahula grins, holding out their hand. Bobbie accepts it easily and aims another at Leo, chuckling as he changes it into a fist bump at the end.

            “As it t’was an honour to meet both of you, Kahula and Leo.” Bobbie waves her hand vaguely in the direction of door, “Tomorrow then?”

            “Ha!” Bobbie grins and makes a graceful exit. Florence envied her as she was now left with two pairs of evilly glinting eyes. “No, just no.”

            “But she’s hawt.”

            “And?”

            “And you’re working with her.”

            “So?

            “Come on, Flo. Details.” Florence yelped as Kahula drops their entire weight on her, barely able to save her coffee by trussing it at Leo.

            “There is no details.” She grunts, pinned to the ground. She wasn’t going anywhere until these two hyenas had what they wanted. Florence had learned from her son when it was easier to just play dead, but that didn’t mean she was giving in. “She’d just a detective who I’m helping out with a case. Leo, what are you doing?”

            “What do you think I’m doing. Starting a fanfiction.” He huffs at her as he types away on his phone, fingers flying over the keypad with ease.

            “Both of you are the worst.”