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"See, I knew you'd get it if I explained. Sometimes it feels like I'm speaking another language when I say the same thing to the Primogen."

He adjusts the rear-view mirror and backs out of the parking spot before lowering the driver-side window to speak with his attachés. "Report back to the precinct and gather some backup just in case. We don't know exactly what we're dealing with."

"You know how you said this car doesn't stand out?" Jordan says uncomfortably. "Don't you think the opposite will be true in Rockcliffe Park?"

Qui grunts as he shifts the car into gear. "Like no poor or middle-class schlubs drive through the rich neighborhoods dreaming of their big break?" He sniffs. "You want to get into a police cruiser to drive over? I'm not looking to cause a commotion—for all we know, Ms. Maier has already recovered and she'll send that odious butler to clear us off her lawn."

Jordan shrugs and you turn your attention to the window, watching the city pass by through the ghost of your reflection.

Next

Vivian's estate is in Rockcliffe Park to the northeast. It's an affluent neighborhood, largely cut off from the poorer parts of the city by an abundance of native greenery and the Rideau River. The home is surprisingly understated, even more so knowing that Vivian is an incredibly powerful Primogen. Qui takes you up a wide semicircular driveway to approach a large two-story house in light-brown brick. Tall, well-maintained trees dot the spacious lawn, and a stone staircase leads past two potted ferns to the oversize doorway. You step out of the car and close the door with an echoing clunk. It's so quiet out here; you didn't notice until the engine was turned off. The Sheriff sniffs the air.

"Something feels off," he says, right hand twitching above his concealed gun holster. "You two wait here for a moment. I want to circle around from the back before we announce ourselves at the door." He doesn't wait for either of you to respond before he disappears, becoming one with the shadows as he slips away.

Jordan pulls you back to the car, far enough from the front door to keep from being overheard by a sharp pair of ears. You try to track any disturbances that could indicate Qui's passing. A shrubbery rustles around the right-side wall of the estate and is quickly stilled.

"He's gone," you say.

Next