I'm not sure why he waited until now to clean everything out. It's a pretty gross job to assign to a human.

My family's grocery store is stocked with more cleaning supplies than the police department. I suppose that's why he put us up to bleaching everything and cleaning. My assistant manager helps me wipe down the plaster floor of the basement under the watch of the commissioner himself.

Does he really need to micromanage? There's a couple other officers cleaning down here, thank god. We wouldn't be able to clean this place up with just two guys in under two hours. The furnace was the worst to clean because there were broken bones wedged in the box and pipes, at all kinds of angles, that were hard to reach to get out. We had to get all of them out by hand. I'm not sure why they didn't just have a witch take care of cleaning out this god awful machine, but then again, what kind of witch would want to help them?

I'm not going to ask Stella to come here and dig out bones. She'll be sure they're working with the devil if she did.

Wiping down the glass wall took forever. And now, we're just stuck on this. The furnace. There's just this one tiny fragment of bone I can't yank out of the furnace's pipe. The MSSL is bound to find it if we don't get rid of it.

"What's the matter?" Noctus arrives inside the furnace room with me. He joins me by the big machine with a deep frown. "Why haven't you finished cleaning it out yet?"

"There's a bone stuck up in there," I answer while shining my flashlight up the pipe for him to see for himself. "What should we do? It's pretty far up. We couldn't find a tool long enough to reach it. We need to either cut the pipe ourselves or-"

"Call a plumber," he orders. "I think I know just the right one-"

"A plumber? Don't you think he'll be suspicious, boss?"

"If you're so worried, Colin, why don't you find a witch willing to help on short notice?" he snaps back, sarcastic. "I sincerely doubt you'll find one willing to use magic for a vampire-run facility."

"What about Valerie?" I ask. "She'd help us. I could tell her we had a rodent problem. She'd think nothing of it."

He rubs his chin.

"You know, that's not a bad idea, Colin. I'd like it if you invited Stella, too. I want both of those witches here to clean-"

"No way, boss. My girlfriend will see that bone and I'll never hear the end of it. I won't be able to cater for y'all or help out no more. She'd demand Val quit, too."

"Okay, so, it sounds like we're back to calling the plumber, then. Do you think you can manage that?" he asks, turning away. A few other officers join his side. "Colin? We're going to be leaving in five minutes. Can you handle it?"

He wants me to not only retrieve, but dispose, the evidence in under an hour?

"I'm not sure, boss," I admit. I rather be honest to a man like him than lie. I've seen what happens to liars around here. "I might need more time, but I'll try."

"Good. Plans have changed, by the way, I'll be out of town for a few months. I've been asked to resign by Gregory Auclair. He and the MSSL will pick up where we left off. The department is going to face some divisional changes. They'll arrive with him and the others tonight."

***

Earlier this morning, Nick apologized for not being able to take me to see Will. Something was going on with the MSSL's flight and he said it was delayed, so, the police won't be returning until later tonight.

Will did text me today. He ended things. I'm not really sure what to feel now. The only thing I know I feel, and have felt for some time, is afraid.

The police department is empty. It's after hours. I know they're done at the airport and most of them would be home by now, but the parking lot out front had some cars occupying it. No one's in the main department room. The basement door stands wide open with light from downstairs shining through.

Somewhere down there, Will is waiting with the truth for me to find.

"...no, boy!" I hear an old voice yell, "In the wrong bucket. Bring out m'uh sawzall. We gonna cut it open and weld it back up."

"You're going to weld the pipe?" I hear Colin ask, anxious. At the bottom of the basement steps, I find him and an old man arguing inside the furnace room. "I hope your son is paying for this, sir, because I sure can't afford to pay a welder for hours of work on top of plumbing."

"No, he done pay me already, boy."

"Colin?" I say. "What are you doing here?"

He looks shocked to see me. I recognize the old man standing with him. It's Nick's father, Mr. Silvet. I haven't seen him in a long time. Just to be sure, I check his aura and find it a dim red matching that of an old vampire.

"Hello, young lady. Nicky told us you might be stopping by. You're here to see that young fella. Aren't ya?"

"Uh, yes. Sorry, I had no idea anyone would be here," I say.

Colin looks just as surprised by Mr. Silvet's revelation.

"Well," Colin counters, "The police chief is pretty sharp. I've been catering for them and helping around with some janitorial work to pay the bills. Hasn't Stella told you?"

"No-" I start to answer.

"Young lady, don't let us keep you. Nicky don't mind if you visit that boy, but don't be long. We got company coming soon."

The two of them begin returning to work on the furnace. I must not have needed to feel the need to sneak down here, after all. How did Nick predict I'd come?

Am I going to get in trouble? It must be okay if they haven't tried to stop me.

I walk past the set of double doors on the opposite end of the basement. On the other side, is a set of steps. At the bottom, are two armed police officers. Not all of them left. Some of them stayed behind.

"Am I able to see William?" I ask.

"Ten minutes," one of the policemen answers.

The other one waves his badge in front of something on the wall. The steel door between them opens. Neither of the men follow me inside, but inside, there are around ten police officers. There's only four holding cells in the room and it's a lot bigger than I thought it'd be. I guess it makes sense that the space as big as the basement above.

In the center of the room, are a couple desks with old-looking red phones on them. Most of the officers are sitting at the desks. There's small radio devices on each one and they have headphones on listening to them.

I had no idea a whole other department was down here.

On the perimeter of the room, are walls with plaques and framed posters with police awards. The holding cells are in each corner and they're made of a combination of glass and iron rods. My feet carry me over to the one with Will, I'm so eager to see him I barely notice the two officers following me over there.

"Eight minutes left, Ms. Parway. The commissioner is on the line with our unit. Your conversation will be recorded. All conversations down here are."

With a nod, I step closer to the cell Will lays down in. There's a tiny table inside that his phone rests on and a lamp sticking out of the wall above his cot. I'm a little disappointed he's sleeping in there right now. How am I supposed to wake him up?

I go to knock on the wall of his cell, but one of the officers stops me and pulls my hand back.

"Will?" I say loudly. "Will! It's me. Valerie. You have to wake up!"

Inside, he sits up slowly. When Will sees me, he jumps up to his feet and hurries over to the wall separating us.

"He made me do it!" Will shouts with anger. He glares at the officers standing by my side. "The night crawler in charge forced me. I didn't want to lose you!"

"Will? Do you really mean it? What did Nick do? You have to tell me!"

"No, not here," he says in a quieter voice. His eyes dart around the expanse of the room behind me. At the cameras. "They're watching me. Forcing me to comply. They're trying to steal my freedom keeping me locked up in here like some kind of animal, but I've done no wrong. The MSSL is coming. They're my only hope-"

"You really mean it, Will? That Nick's been lying to me and he's made you do this. What's he done, Will? What's he done besides make you end our relationship?"

"I can't say it here, but you can be certain...he's as cold blooded as the snake you turned him into."

"That's all the time we have for today!" one of the officers announces. I'm tugged away from Will.

I'm pretty sure my time isn't up, I think his comment just pissed off the officers.

"Will!" I shout. "I'll be back, I promise!"

There's no use fighting against the officers. They let me come down here, so I should try to leave the way they want if I have any hope of visiting him again.

🌜