Breaking and Entering 101 Read online

  Seaton gave her a sage nod. “That, my friend, is the question.”

  Seaton and I spent a full week on the wards without any improvement to the situation. It took me a full day just to get up to speed on matters, as of course I was hardly an expert on the wards, and then we had to nitpick them apart.

  Changing the source of power was out. Altering the way they were anchored to the buildings and walls surrounding the palace grounds was truly out, as none of that would help our cause. That left us with somehow altering the way they functioned.

  I lay sprawled on the carpeted floor in Seaton’s study. My back screamed after being bent over the worktable for nearly a full day straight. The hard surface was exactly what my protesting muscles needed in that moment. Seaton lay similarly sprawled on the couch nearby, his head the opposite direction from mine. A fine pair we made.

  “Change the way the wards anchor to the gates,” Seaton offered, not even lifting his head.

  “We tried that.”

  “No, I mean change it so no one can go in willy-nilly.”

  “We tried that too, remember? It’s an on-off clause. You can either enter through there or not. It’s why gate guards are on those points.”

  “But if we turn it to off—”

  “We turn the palace grounds into a very pretty prison. I doubt Her Majesty would be pleased.”

  “We can change it from an on-off clause,” Seaton bit out stubbornly.

  “Of course we can. And then we’ll have to find and alter every single clause that deals with a gate or side door and hope we don’t miss one. Otherwise, the whole design fails in a spectacular cascade with no possibility of redemption.”

  “Love is dead and never existed. All you did was betray me as I lay sick and festering. You are the definition of dread.”

  “What are you on about?”

  “You’re being mean.”

  “Because I keep disabusing you of your half-baked notions?”

  “You’re supposed to be supportive,” Seaton whined at me, head flopping to the side so he could glare.

  “If you want to try it, go ahead,” I riposted mildly.

  “That’s exactly the tone Jamie uses on Clint when he’s about to do something stupid.”

  I shot him a toothy grin. “How observant of you.”

  Seaton subsided with a dark mutter. “You’re quick to shoot me down, but what solution is there to this?”

  “If I only knew.”

  “Jamie.”

  I looked up from the paperwork on my desk and broke out into a smile. Gibson was one of my favorite people in the world, the big brother I always wanted growing up, and the biggest teddy bear. It was always fun to see him. I popped up to give him a hug, which he returned, dwarfing me in the process. I’d believe him part werebear, really, if not for the fact he was ash-blonde with pale skin. If we were on Earth, I’d suspect him descended from Vikings. He had the right look for it.

  “Gibs. Are you here for business or pleasure?”

  “Now, that’s a tricky question,” he answered with a grin, dropping into my visitor’s chair next to my desk. “It’s always a pleasure working with you. But I’m definitely here to enlist you on a case. We could use a fresh perspective on this one.”

  It must be a doozy if he was here to fetch me in person. “Alright, I’m all ears. Wait, should we fetch Henri first?”

  “He’s at the palace right now. Passed him and Seaton on the way out.”

  “Ah, right, the palace wards.” It wasn’t a good sign that even a week after Sherard had brought this problem to Henri, they hadn’t found a solution. The teenager hadn’t broken in again, so there was that at least, but the problem was still in want of a solution. “I can’t actually tell if they’re having fun or not. I know it’s stressing them out on one level, but every time I ask how things are going, they get this excited air about them as they explain things to me.”

  Gibson nodded in understanding, expression wry. “I’ve seen what you’re referencing. In truth, those two are peas in a pod. I think they like tackling magical puzzles together. It’s probably rare for them to meet someone else who can intellectually keep up.”

  “So, they’re enjoying the chance to play with each other.” It was true the other Royal Mages were appointed because of their power, not necessarily their brains. Sherard and Henri’s grades in school had been practically neck and neck, they were so close. Registered geniuses. I’d seen them like this before, where they were neck deep in a puzzle and having too much fun to quit. It was why I wasn’t really worried about them at this point. When they forgot to eat or sleep, that was when I would need to step in. “Okay, so you’re still here to fetch me even when you know Henri’s on palace grounds. Why?”

  “Had a very interesting case occur last week.” Gibson planted an elbow on my desk and leaned in, dropping his voice to a more confidential rumble. “We’ve kept it quiet, so you probably haven’t heard, but a train was robbed on its way to Bristol. Specifically, the guarded gold in the shipping cart was stolen. About three hundred thousand crowns in gold, to be specific.”

  I whistled low. That was a lot of money for this world. About the equivalent of seventy-five thousand dollars in US currency, or at least that was my rough estimate. Figuring out how much things cost, and what all my salary could cover, had been not so much fun the first few months on my own. When I’d first found out my salary was two thousand crowns a year, I’d about hit the floor. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t do a straight crowns-to-dollars conversion and get the math to work out in my favor. Then I did an analysis and realized how little things actually cost. Turned out, I was actually making decent money for the economy. When a loaf of bread basically cost, like, five cents, the money went a lot further.

  “Yikes. How?”

  “That’s the question, right there.” Gibson nodded sagely. “We have no clue. They did it so smoothly we’re not sure how they got in, got out, or even how many were involved. No real suspects either. I’ve been staring at this case for five days, and my brain’s about as active as a dead hamster.”

  “I now understand why you want a second opinion. But for this, I really want Henri too. He’s got a knack for asking the right questions.”

  “Oh, I’ve requested both of you. I know better than to separate you two.” He wagged his eyebrows mischievously.

  I rolled mine and refused to rise to the bait.

  Gibson kept giving me these nudges. Like now. Why, I wasn’t quite sure. He liked Henri, I knew that much. He trusted the man with me. Apparently, he thought we were a good match, too, hence these nudges.

  I put that aside. I wasn’t ready to talk about it yet, and this definitely wasn’t the place. Rumors flew through the bullpen and didn’t even need a spark to start them half the time. I didn’t want something like this noised about. It would embarrass Henri half to death, for one.

  “Alright, so getting back to this train theft—I assume Kingsmen have jurisdiction of this because it goes outside two city limits?”

  “Correct.”

  I hadn’t been on many train rides since my arrival. Maybe a half dozen. I had a feeling that to figure this out, multiple trips would be in order. “Alright, let’s go fetch Henri. No, wait, let me pass this on to Penny first.”

  He looked down at the paperwork on my desk. It was a personal landmark for me that I could now fill out basic paperwork without needing help. I’d conquered that much of the vocab, at least. I still didn’t know enough to be able to comfortably read a full novel, but I was getting there. I’d now been on this world for two years, and if the language wasn’t so hideously complex—and if the translating spell on me didn’t hamper learning a language by ‘cheating’—I would have gotten a better grasp on it faster. Oh well.

  Lifting the form, I waved it a little. “It’s okay, I’m basically done with the case. I just need to submit the final forms for processing my suspect. Penny can wrap up for me. She was working the case with me anyway.”
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  “You’re still mentoring her?”

  I shook my head. “No, she’s a detective now. Officially one since last week, actually. She just worked this one with me because Henri was severely backed up with lab work.”

  “They still haven’t hired someone to replace Sanderson?”

  Remembering all the interviews Henri had sat in on, I snorted. “Yeah, that would be a big fat no. Henri insisted on helping with the interviews.”

  Gibson stood as I did, eyeing me. “This will be good, I can tell. Alright, Henri insisted on helping with the interviews. And?”

  “He asks five questions—he firmly maintains they’re basic questions—and hands them two different projects to test. Something he sees often from the field. They have to answer all questions correct and get the correct result for the tests. Not do the tests the way he would, mind, but just get the right answer.”

  Gibson’s jaw dropped a little, voice rising with every word. “And you’re telling me not even one candidate can manage it? How many people have interviewed for the position?”

  “I’ve honestly lost count. The captain’s been frustrated, but as Henri pointed out, hiring someone who can’t even do the basics won’t do any of us good. That just means botched evidence. What’s further frustrating him is that women are not allowed to apply for the position.”

  Gibson fell into step with me as we walked to Penny’s desk. She wasn’t in the bullpen with the rest of us—there wasn’t any room for her. Instead she was in the new annex building, which, honestly, meant nicer working conditions. The newer building had better ventilation and more windows. Not to mention the prototype for air conditioning, which made absolutely everything better. No one in the building would need it in another month or so, as we were sliding into fall now, but still. Great to have. I was a little jealous.

  “I find it very strange a woman would be barred from applying,” Gibson said, visibly perplexed.

  “The rationale, or so I’ve been told, was that the commissioner felt it was too emotionally strenuous for a woman to handle.” My voice was dry as a martini as I relayed this because, really, the stupidity of that thinking amazed me. Women handled childbirth, poop, vomit, all the blood and broken bones a child suffers growing up, and were often nurses and doctors who saw horrendous diseases and mutilations. But something from a crime scene might be too much for her? Really?

  “Your friend is a very progressive thinker. I can see why this would bother him.”

  “Mmm,” I said in mixed agreement. “It’s partially that. Partially because he knows of a very good candidate. A woman he went to school with. She’s been struggling to find steady work, which infuriates Henri, as she’s quite intelligent. But her study focus was the same as his, and there’s not a lot of positions for that specialty to begin with.”

  “Add in rules like this, that bars a woman from even applying, and…” Gibson trailed off with a grimace. “Can’t he get it overruled?”

  “We’re trying. Gregson’s on board with the plan. It’s the commissioner who’s fighting it. He’s got very backward opinions about females, and he’s running scared right now because of the whole Sanderson scandal. He doesn’t want to kick over any woodpiles.”

  Gibson went two steps ahead to open the annex door for me, an evil smile on his face. “You know, if our good queen knew about this rule, she’d have kittens.”

  I sent an evil smile back at him. “I knoooow. It’s tempting, isn’t it?”

  “I don’t think it should just tempt you.”

  Stepping through the doorway, I paused a beat so he could join me. “You really think I should say something? Isn’t that sort of an abuse of my relationship with her, though?”

  “If you’re helping this society make forward progress, can you really consider it any form of abuse?”

  Now that was a good point. And food for thought. “Alright, I’ll think about it. Wait, did you think to tell Gregson you’re nabbing me and Henri?”

  “Did it first thing,” Gibson promised.

  “Good.”

  The annex building had more space to it—wider hallways, more individual rooms and offices, a larger jail cell for holding. It was, in essence, a newer, larger, brighter version of the precinct building next door instead of an extension of it. More than a few people were envious of the newer digs and wished to move over, but the move would be too much of an interruption in daily affairs. It was easier to stick the new people into the new building than shift it all around.

  Penny’s desk was near the hallway, in the corner of the bullpen and oriented to face the back door. She spied us as we came in and her head came up, cocked in curiosity. It was still a little strange to see her in a three-piece suit instead of an officer’s uniform, but it was a good look on her. She wore a navy-blue pinstripe today, blonde hair up in a bun, and more than a few people who passed her gave her an intrigued look. Not that she seemed to notice.

  “Hey, Penny,” I greeted. “As you can see, Gibs is here to fetch me and Henri. Can you wrap up the case? I’ve got about half the paperwork done for my side.”

  “Sure,” she agreed easily, holding out a hand for the forms. “Is it a murder again?”

  “Theft this time,” Gibson informed her as I passed the papers over. “It’s a doozy. Also outside of city jurisdiction, so it falls to us to solve it. You might not get them back anytime soon.”

  “We’ll survive,” Penny drawled in return. “Good luck?”

  “Oh, trust me,” Gibson sighed as he turned back toward the door. “We’ll need it.”

  When we arrived at the East Gate to the palace, I performed a quick experiment. After Belladonna’s alterations on me, most magic had no effect. But ‘most’ still left some that could impact me. Wards were on a gray boundary. Most wards didn’t have much effect—I could feel them, but they couldn’t stop me. I wanted to see if the palace wards fell into that bracket.

  In an obscure, mostly out of sight corner of the wall, I tried to put a hand on it, see if I could climb up. I was rebuffed immediately and without any hesitation. It felt like a mild electric shock, enough to make me tingle but not hurt. Huh. These wards were better designed than most, then, and thought to include those magically altered. I’d have to pass that along to Henri and Sherard.

  Changing directions, Gibson led me to the nearest gate and walked me through the wards without issue. We’d swung by my apartment to fetch Clint, as I had a feeling he’d come in handy for this investigation. He sat on my shoulder as we headed for Henri, pleased as punch to be included on another case.

  The normal foot traffic of guards, palace staff, and visitors all went about their own business on the different sidewalks and one-lane roads inside the grounds. But intermixed I saw additional guards pulled from the city guard. The black uniforms stood out among all the red. I eyed the heightened security with interest. This time, they also had people walking the perimeter, and I knew precisely why.

  As we walked toward the Royal Mages’ Building, I asked Gibson in a low tone, “Has anyone else managed to find the same loophole and get in?”

  “No. But every person we’ve caught trying had a nefarious purpose—the wards automatically rejected them. It’s not gotten out how the teenager defeated the wards, thankfully, and they’re still keeping the ne’er-do-wells at bay.” Gibson walked another few steps before relaying, “Rumors are flying about that the wards are failing slowly because of their age. That this is a sign they need to be taken down and re-done again from the ground up.”

  I imagined the work that would entail and whistled low. I bet that made a lot of people unhappy. “Well. I hadn’t heard about that. How’re Henri and Sherard taking that idea?”

  “They both claimed it was a rumor, that it didn’t bother them.” Gibson snorted at the memory. “They were also swearing up and down quite vilely, though, so take that with a grain of salt.”

  “Yeah, sounds like them.” I wasn’t even a magician and this was giving me a headache. I didn
’t want to be in their shoes and actually have to solve the problem. I spied a familiar head of dark hair ahead of us on the sidewalk and paused at the four-way to greet the queen and her entourage of secretary and Kingsman. “Your Majesty. How are you today?”

  “Vexed,” Queen Regina answered bluntly and with a pointed look at the Kingsman hovering right behind her. “Not that I don’t love you, Marshall, but all this shadowing of my person is growing tiresome.”

  Marshall’s narrow face unbent to give his queen a rueful smile. I knew the man well; he was one of the Kingsmen who helped straighten out the whole Belladonna mess after my arrival. We’d become close friends during that time. He was a good one to put with Regina during this time. He had great situational awareness and a large store of patience. “Sorry, Your Majesty. Until they figure out the wards, we can’t take chances.”

  Regina let out a vexed growl. She was decked out today in a light blue day suit, the lacing at the skirt and around her collar giving her the appearance of a woman about to leisurely sit down for tea and cookies. It completely jarred with the expression on her face. She looked ready to bite someone. “Jamie, tell me you’re here to aid me.”

  “I’m actually here to snag Henri,” I said apologetically. “Gibs wants my take on a case.”

  “Oh, the gold theft?” Regina looked to Gibson with approval. “That also needs to be figured out quickly. I have things that must be shipped to the coast, and if the trains are compromised, I need to know soon. Although I do wish you would leave Henri where he is. He and Sherard work well together. I have high hopes they’ll come up with a solution.”

  I’d anticipated this very thing and soothed her with, “I will give him back soon, I promise. But I want his take on things. And it might be good to take him away now, give him a breather. He’s been staring at this problem for a week. He needs a break from it.”