11. Griff #2
Thus had been the story of their entire investigation so far, the initial bank records leading them down a rabbit-hole of shell corporations and chain ownership.
It was the sort of confusing web that could take weeks to unravel—weeks Griff didn’t have to spare.
His seniority and newfound fame afforded him a certain amount of leeway to pursue his own cases, but he’d only be able to put off returning to his regular duties for so long.
What they needed was a lucky break.
“We made some solid progress today,” Griff said later that night after they’d returned to his apartment.
He and Cal had decided to relocate their investigation there since it was larger than Cal’s tiny safe house, and more central to the city. It had felt odd at first having someone else there. He hadn’t had to share his personal space with anyone since Amelie left Derimay.
Once again though, he’d found himself surprised by how much he didn’t mind Cal’s abrupt intrusion into his life. Even after a week, it was almost like he fit there.
Watching Cal lounge on the sofa with a plate of food, Griff chided himself for the thought.
This arrangement was only temporary. Even if Griff allowed himself to ignore that Cal was the infamous Blackjack—a truth he still wasn’t entirely sure how to wrap his head around—he was still a criminal.
Cal didn’t genuinely care about doing good.
The only reason he was helping Griff was because of their deal.
He was in this out of self-interest, nothing more.
“Eternal Dark, I hope so,” Cal said. He took a bite of his baked fish, then shook his head, gesturing with his fork. “I don’t know how you can spend your days doing this. I’d go insane from boredom long before I caught anyone.”
Cal’s melodramatic tone made Griff chuckle.
“It’s not always this dull. But like I told you earlier, being an inspector is far from the glamorous profession many envision.
Chasing down bad guys is more a protector’s duty.
For us, it’s the riddle. I love putting the pieces together, forming a picture that fits.
I live for that moment when everything finally clicks into place. ”
Cal smiled at that, and Griff didn’t miss the slight softening of the usual edges in his aura that matched the softening in his expression. “I suppose that makes sense. My favorite jobs tend to be the same. It’s the challenge I enjoy more than anything.”
His smile faded as his gaze fell on a nearby side table. Sitting up, he picked up a framed picture. “Who’s this? And how did you make it? I’ve never seen a painting look so realistic.”
Griff’s stomach churned with mild unease when he saw the picture. “It’s a portrait of me and my wife, Amelie.” His stomach gave another of those little churns. Not sure why he felt the need to add it, he said, “Well, ex-wife now. Nathaniel made it for us as a wedding gift.”
He expected Cal to make one of his usual jokes or flippant remarks. But to his surprise, Cal simply nodded. “What happened between you two? If you don’t mind me asking.”
Usually, Amelie was one of the last things Griff wanted to think about. His failures as a husband only served to amplify his guilt at how things had turned out. Yet, despite the discomfort still coiling in his chest, he found himself speaking.
“I met her over fifteen years ago. We were both barely out of our teens, eager to leave our marks on Allaria. Back then, she was a fiery artificer fresh from Vantor. She’d set off with nothing but a handful of silver sestas to her name the instant Vantor lifted their travel ban.
” He gestured to his folded glasses and revolver where they sat on the table.
“All of my runeflame tools were made by her.”
Cal nodded appreciatively. “An inspector and an artificer seems a good match. Plenty of ways for her to aid in your cases.”
He carefully set the picture back in its place, shifting to fully face toward Griff so he could give him his undivided attention. The focus made Griff squirm, his stomach giving a little flip.
“This was well before I decided to become an inspector, back when I still intended to be a magister. At first, she was exactly what I needed. While I’d have been perfectly content holing myself up in my room with a stack of dusty old books to study, she knew how to entice me outside, force me to take the breaks I needed to clear my head. We complemented each other well.”
He pictured her aura. It had been some time since he’d seen it in all its fiery, passionate, wild glory. A wave of melancholy washed over him, carrying with it countless memories from those years together.
The good…and the bad.
Cal shifted on the couch, drawing Griff’s eye. The thief appeared uncertain, and when he spoke, his words were halting. “Was that…did your mother…?”
Griff bowed his head. His fingers trailed over the cool metal side of his revolver.
“My mother’s death wasn’t the thing that broke us—not exactly.
But after she was murdered and I decided to become an investigator, we suddenly found ourselves on two different life paths.
And they didn’t mesh as well as you might think. ”
Cal grunted, and Griff looked up just in time to catch his shrug. “If she couldn’t accept your choice, then it sounds like it was her loss.”
Griff stared at Cal, momentarily stunned into silence. Was Cal actually defending him?