"I got you, sis. I'll work it on it today."
"I like this sibling thing."
"Don't be too quick to say that. We haven't embarrassed you yet."
She smiled. "Well you certainly made my day. I've been waiting for a break on this case for awhile."
"I know you have. One thing I can promise you, Tavel will be brought to justice. He's done a lot to the D'Shars and our time to collect his debt is close at hand." She'd never heard Kade speak to frankly. It reminded her that the blood of warriors ran through all their veins.
"I look forward to that day."
"Me too. Thanks again for greasing the wheels on this."
"No problem. I'll chat up the Chief today."
"Excellent. See you later."
"Later, bro."
They disconnected, and she glanced out the glass window toward the largest office. Now was probably as good a time as any to talk to Chief Varner. She made her way out of the office, pausing at the door to knock.
"Come on in." She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
"Hey Chief, do you have time to talk?"
"Sure, Johnson, or should I say D'Shar? Come on in."
Once she was seated at the desk across from him he spoke.
"You coming to tell me you're ready to start maternity leave?"
"No, Sir."
"Yeah, I didn't think so." He leaned back in the chair. He was a weathered man with salt and pepper hair, thick eyebrows that moved with his expressions as he talked, and a stocky frame that was impressive for being in his fifties.
"You've never been one to bite your tongue. I like that about you, so don't go changing it now."
"Yes, Sir … I just talked to Kade D'Shar. He'd been working on finding out what Tavel's M.O. is and from what he left behind at the crime scene he thinks he has his supplies narrowed down to two planets."
"Does he need to go on site to finish his research?"
"Yes, Sir."
"So we're talking space travel?"
"Yes, Sir."
He sighed. "This Tavel guy isn't stable, and he's antsy. That's dangerous. We'd need some of our people in on this."
"I actually wanted to bring someone in on the case. A specialist, her name is Dr. Ivy Guerin. She's known as the top human geneticist in the Alien Gene field. I think she could work as a bridge, catch the things our teams have missed working separately. I've done some research and written up a report."
"Good, leave it on my desk before the day’s over."
"You're approving it?"
"Unless there's a glaring flaw in your logic on paper, yes. I want to get this guy off the streets and into an interrogation room. There's no telling what he's been doing while he skulked around under all our noses. Thinking about it keeps me up at night. It's like a bad science fiction movie." He shook his head. "You can't fight what yo
u don’t understand. So, I'm willing to gather that knowledge any way we can. Then we need to put a lid on it and contain it. Can you imagine the panic this would cause among the public? People are still wrapping their heads around the fact that aliens aren’t green, four feet tall, and out to get us. We can’t afford a set back, or a war between two species. It'd destroy us. No, keeping the balance and the peace is top priority. Why else do you think I'd allow you to work a case you're so involved in?"