Casey had been expecting Avery to be the one to vent all the way home. All he said was, “Tara mentioned elves living around here. She’s got an elven ancestor. So does Todd. They’re distantly related.”

  Simon looked sharply up but said nothing in reaction to this revelation.

  “You couldn't mention this earlier?” Casey asked.

  “I would have. I was a bit busy all afternoon. First, I had to track down Miguel, and then when he agreed to buy the watch, I was on the phone with my lawyer, my realtor, Mark’s realtor, Tyler, the bank, and a bunch of other people to make sure the deal to buy the house goes through... Simon, anyway, you knew that cop? Who is she?” Avery said.

  Simon snapped with unusual intensity, “She stole my .”

  “Who was she?” Casey asked.

  “Libeza Adrial. Sometimes, she goes by Libby.” Simon folded his arms and stared straight ahead as Casey guided the truck out of the parking lot and into Payson’s traffic. “My tutor for several years. She can be very kind, or extremely difficult, as the whim strikes her.”

  “Wait, isn’t ‘Adrial’ Tara’s ancestor’s name?” Avery said suddenly, and Casey’s Gift in agreement. Avery wasn’t wrong.

  “Yeah,” Casey confirmed. “That sounds right. Gift agrees.”

  Simon sighed. “I am not surprised to find this is where she landed. She’s a survivor, and time passes differently between our worlds... I still want my sword back.”

  “Was it, uh, a magic sword?” Avery asked.

  “Not as far as I know. It was just the only thing I had left of my mother’s possessions.” Simon slumped in the seat. “Libeza was let go when she came to my defense against Lady Ellia — but I had asked her not to quarrel with the Lady, for I feared it would result in trouble. I had very few people I could trust. I her. Then, after her employment was terminated, she stole my sword and a book I now assume to be the Book of Needs, and went through a portal. If time flows differently between our worlds, it is entirely possible that she’s been living here for generations when only twenty years have passed in my world.”

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Wow,” Avery said. “Elves live that long?”

  “Our lifespan is several centuries. She’s half-elven, but elven blood is strong.” Peevishly, Simon added, “If she could sneak into my room and steal my sword in the middle of the night, she could have taken me with her. I thought I meant more to her than just a salary.”

  “I’m sorry,” Casey lifted his arm, intending to give Simon a one-armed hug as he drove. He remembered Simon couldn’t say no and dropped his hand back down.

  Avery asked, “Are you angry because she left you behind or because of the sword?”

  “Both,” Simon grunted.

  “Do you want to talk about this?” Casey asked, wary of the geas’s effect. Simon would be forced to answer their questions.

  Simon sighed. “Maybe later.”

  “Do you want to talk to Officer Adrial when she comes by?” Casey said.

  “I believe that we need to.”

  Avery spoke up, “Yes, but Casey and I can do the talking. You don’t need to be there if you're uncomfortable with her.”

  In the darkness of the truck cab, Casey couldn’t see Simon’s reaction. Simon said simply, “Thank you. But I’d like to ask her many questions.”

  Casey noted, “I don’t know how, but she knows we have the Book.”

  “It was sitting on the table in the basement when she was at the Shop,” Simon said, in a tone that conveyed ‘duh’ while accompanied by a minor flinch of geas-caused pain. “Even if she didn’t see it, it’s a powerful artifact. To those with Sight, it can’t easily be hidden. You even told me you knew important was in the storage unit.”

  “Oh. So, why didn’t she try to take it with her if she saw it?”

  “I’d say it’s because she’s not a thief, but I have personal evidence to the contrary.” Simon’s tone was deeply sardonic. “However, she was there in her official capacity as an officer, investigating a crime. She would have had difficulty explaining her actions if she had randomly seized a valuable book. With that context, I would suggest keeping it securely locked up; she’s sneaky, and could conceivably try to take it when there were no witnesses. It is a valuable artifact, and as your question implies, many would desire it. If not her, others.”

  “Do padlocks work against elves?” Avery asked, referencing the lock they kept on the cage.

  In the darkness of the cab, Casey couldn’t see Simon’s expression, but he could easily picture the faint smile that accompanied Simon’s deadpan tone when he said, “Crowbars work against padlocks, irrespective of race or magical ability. Shana showed me how your security system works. You may wish to keep it enabled on the basement doors when you’re not down there.”