The Sorcerer's Game

3. Eavesdropping

"Hello, Mr. Ryker." Dhara held out her hand, her face devoid of any expression. Azriel could not decipher anything from her face, and he wondered if the girl even recognized him. Nevertheless, he held out his hand, smiling widely at her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Dhara." The girl nodded at him before her attention shifted to Michael, ignoring him once again. 

"Michael, I have done as you have said. Everything is safe for now." Michael beamed at her, giving her a knowing look.

"Do you have the room keys?"

"Yes," Dhara held out the keys, and Azriel frowned seeing the two people disregard him. He was unsure why but he suddenly felt that they were hiding something from him. But he did not know what.

Taking one last glance at Azriel, Dhara started to walk towards the lift with Michael following her closely. Having no other choice, Azriel too followed them, his frown not leaving his forehead. 

After settling, the old man in his room, Azriel went through Michael's itinerary. It was filled to the brim, leaving no possibility to even venture out of what he had planned for the next seven days. 'This is not what I had in mind.' Azriel grumbled in his mind, cursing the man once again. 'Why does he have to stay at the site of the excursion until the middle of the night? Can't he return before dusk?' 

Although Azriel was anything but satisfied with the itinerary, he did not comment about it. He had no right to do so. His Chief had given him orders to follow Michael's instructions, and he could only do as he was told. "Okay, Mr. Glenn. Is there anything I must know?"

"Yes, Mr. Ryker." Michael's eyes gleamed, and he clasped his hands, sudden excitement gushing through him.

"We have changed today's plans."

Azriel narrowed his eyes, waiting for the old archaeologist to continue. 

"Instead of starting at dawn tomorrow, we will be leaving at dusk today. Bring all the necessary items with you, for we will be staying overnight at the site."

Azriel's frown vanished and was replaced with shock and pure disbelief. "What?" He pushed out the word with great difficulty, his tongue deciding to freeze right at this moment.

"Yes, my assistant has discovered something at the site, and I want the inspect the place soon. If I finish my task quickly, I can leave from here quickly. And you will be free of me." Michale winked at him, and Azriel blinked at him innocently.

'Was I that obvious? Did the old man realize my true intentions?' He wondered. 'His words do make sense. If he can finish his task quickly here, I can return to my work, actual work, and I will be free of babysitting him.' A satisfied smile landed on his lips, and he nodded at the man, trying to mask his delight.

"Okay, Mr. Glenn. Anything else?"

"Tell your Chief I asked for him. It's a pity I cannot meet him." The man mumbled the last sentence to himself, and Azriel missed it completely.

"Sure. I will take my leave now. I will see you at five."

With a loud cry, Azriel plopped on his chair after returning to the police station. 'What the heck man!! Why am I being stuck with this old geezer? Why me?' He gritted his teeth in anger.

"Look, the baby sitter is here." One of his colleagues ridiculed him, and Azriel rolled his eyes in frustration. He had no idea who had spread the news about him being in charge of taking care of Michael. Since then, he was addressed as a babysitter, a nickname he loathed the most.

"Are you done babysitting for the day?" The man continued with his jab, and Azriel had the sudden urge to shoot a bullet through his head. However, he stopped himself right on time.

Keith chuckled seeing Azriel's anguish, hiding his wickedness brilliantly. "Did you receive Mr. Glenn?"

"Yes, I did." Azriel clenched his jaw seeing his other colleagues mocking him behind his back. However, he could do nothing, for he was sure he would have done the same if he was in their place.

"Why are you here then? Shouldn't you be with him?" Keith queried, sorting the files he had received from the forensic department.

"Chief called me back. He wants to have a chat with me."

"I see. Why are you meeting him?"

"He is not in his cabin. I am waiting for him. What is this by the way?" Azriel picked up the file that was closer to him and went through it.

Keith just glanced at him, not attempting to retrieve it. 'Anyway, this information is of no use to him. He will not be involved in this case.' He scoffed lightly. 'You are better off as a babysitter.'

Azriel went through the file quietly, ignoring the mocking words that were still being thrown at him. He was more interested in the results of the forensic tests than those snarky remarks. 'Oh, this serial killer used phosphine gas to kill his victims. But why did he do so? And how did he get access to such large amounts of phosphine?' He wondered, his gears running in his mind.

'From this report alone, there is a possibility that the killer is a scientist who comes in regular contact with chemicals. But how do we find him?' 

Azriel was so lost in thoughts that he did not notice the silence around him. It was not until he heard Keith call his name did he snap out of his reverie. However, the moment he did so, his eyes widened, and he stood up at once. "Chi...Chief," He stuttered, staring at the man who was standing in front of him with an impassive face.

"Inspector Ryker, may I have a word with you in my cabin?" Without another word, the man started to walk, compelling Azriel to follow him. Gritting his teeth, he entered the cabin and closed the door after him.

"Did you receive Mr. Glenn?"

"Yes, Chief. I did. He is resting at the hotel." 

"I see. Is everything alright?" Walter queried, clasping his fingers on the desk.

"Yes, Chief. Everything is under control."

"That's good to hear. You do this job well, you are one step closer to your promotion." Walter smiled, seeing the way Azriel's expression changed from disinterested to disbelief. "Yes, this case is more important than the one Keith is handling. I don't know why but we are being pressurized to keep the man safe until he leaves our country."

"Then, Chief," Azriel tilted his head in confusion. "If this case is that important, why am I the only one allotted with this task? Wouldn't it be better if I had a few men with me?"

"No." Walter rejected Azrie's request at once. "Mr. Glenn asked for just one man, and we are following his wishes."

'That old man...' Azriel was killing him a hundred times in his mind.

"But Chief, don't you think this job is too weak to add any weightage to my promotion decision?"

"Not at all." Walter cut him off. "Although I cannot reveal the details to you, this is now a matter that concerns our country's reputation."

Walter did not continue. However, his revelation had confused Azriel all the more. He was still in denial, and he shook his head to see if he was hallucinating. 

"Inspector Azriel, I hope you will do your job with utmost sincerity. I will see you later." Walter nodded at him curtly and resumed his work. 

Nobody noticed the man who had heard every word spoken inside the cabin. Keith returned to his seat, anger taking over his entire form. 'How is this possible? How can Azriel's case push him closer to getting promoted? He is just babysitting an old man while I am handling such a dangerous case.' He wondered, his face contorting in fury. 'Azriel, I cannot allow you to take the promotion. It belongs to me and only me. Nobody can snatch it from me.'