Lost Souls (Cainsville 3.6)

In desperation, Gabriel had resorted to a tactic he hadn't used since he first hung out his shingle: monitoring the police scanners. He didn't necessarily need a terrible crime. In fact, it would be better if it weren't. Olivia was the daughter of a serial killer, and like Gabriel, she had fae blood--both of which meant she was not particularly altruistic. But she wasn't cold-hearted, either. The ideal case for her was more mind-twisting than gut-wrenching. A puzzle rather than a tragedy.

But the only intriguing case on last night's scanner came from a man who'd reported a disappearing hitchhiker. A preposterous story from someone who failed to recognize a hoary urban legend. Yet that was the part that intrigued Gabriel. He'd picked up enough from the scanner conversation to know the man seemed to be a sober middle-aged professional. Why on earth would he risk his reputation reporting an obviously fabricated story?

Intriguing, yes, but it wouldn't be enough for Olivia. He needed--

"Good morning, Gabriel."

His office door swung open. In walked a man who looked about Olivia's age. Dark hair, worn somewhere between hipster and bohemian. Sharp eyes, sharp cheekbones, sharp chin. He bore a broad grin and two cardboard cups of coffee, the latter of which he deposited on Gabriel's desk, along with a creamer, milk, sugar and sweetener.

"Someday, you're going to tell me how you like your coffee," Patrick said.

"Delivered by my admin assistant." Gabriel shot a glower out the open door.

"Lydia's not there. She slipped out to turn off her car alarm. Seems to be on the fritz."

"You set off her car alarm so you could sneak into my office?"

"I wouldn't need to if you'd tell her that I'm welcome to visit anytime I like." Patrick thumped into a chair. "That would be the wise thing to do, Gabriel. I'm on my best behavior with her, for your sake. That won't last, and then I'll be forced to resort to type."

By "type" he meant fae type. Patrick was a bocan. Better known as a hobgoblin, though Patrick hated the term. It conjured up images of twisted goblin-like creatures. A bocan was a fae trickster, and like all tricksters, Patrick had an air of the passive-aggressive about him. Treat him well, and he'd return the favor. Mistreat him--or fail to pay him his perceived due--and one would see his less generous side.

Gabriel wasn't worried about offending Patrick. Following Olivia's example, he'd learned how far he could push while taking advantage of the fact that Patrick liked to be on their good side. As for why Patrick wanted to be there, that situation was at the root of Gabriel's fractured relationship with Olivia and therefore not something he wished to consider. Suffice to say the circumstances made Gabriel a valuable ally for Patrick. So he took the coffee and said, "I appreciate you stopping by, Patrick, but I'm very busy--"

"So I see."

"It's eight-thirty in the morning. My appointments begin at nine--"

"Then you have a half an hour for me. And I'm teasing you about not being busy, Gabriel. I know you are. Particularly with Liv jaunting off with biker-boy."

"His name is Ricky. Please show him some respect."

"I find it hard to respect anyone who goes by Ricky."

Gabriel walked to the door. "I'll see you out."

"Fine, I won't insult young Mr. Gallagher. You do realize he's the competition, right?"

Gabriel tensed. "Olivia and I are not--"

"I wasn't talking about Liv. But, since that's where your mind went, let's follow it. That conversation is well overdue, and I'm glad to hear you acknowledge that you do see Ricky as a rival in that regard."

"I believe I was saying he is not."

"Because he's no competition for you? Agreed. Ricky and Liv, while a darling couple--"

"I have work to do. If you'll excuse me..."

Patrick sighed. "Fine. We'll drop the subject and move on to the point of my visit."

"There's a point?" Gabriel murmured. "That's new."

"Ouch, you've been hanging around Liv too long. There has been a reason for all my recent visits, Gabriel. We call it socializing."

"To which I do not see a purpose. But you said there was an actual point to this particular visit?"

"I've brought you a case."

"The very thing I do not need, having just said that my roster is full."