Kirstin walked into the department feeling on edge, her eyes scanning coworkers she passed by, looking for any smirks, raised eyebrows, quick avoiding glances, anything that might hint at Alan sharing the story of her humiliating experience at the warehouse. She almost bumped into people due to focusing her attention on listening rather than what was in front of her. Once she reached her desk she felt nauseous as she anticipated Alan's arrival.
She was about to begin working on her computer when she noticed a large, dark shadowy mass loom over her. Kirstin let out an exhale as she closed her eyes to mentally prep herself. She spun around in her chair and was greeted by four tall officers dressed in tactical gear.
On the far left and right were two men, the man on the left, a tall African American male who had a trimmed mustache and goatee. He was bald and had a smile on his face as he folded his arms, towering over Kirstin due to his six foot tall stature. He was Mark Williams. The other man was white, stockier in build. His black hair was buzzed on top, almost giving it a flattop appearance. He looked younger but Kirstin guessed it was due to his lack of facial hair. Kirstin recognized him as Christian Clark.
With the men were two women, the first, a woman with light brown skin, her black hair a mass of curls that were tied back in a ponytail. Her pouting lips were curved into a grin as well. Even under her thick uniform, the outline of her bust indicated any shirt she wore would be stretched. The belt around her waist cinched it tight before her hips rounded out again, this was officer Brianne Rogan.
Next to her was a woman Kirstin knew all too well, having made glances at her from the first time she saw her. She was of average height, in her early 30s, a slender build that looked as if it didn't fit in the SWAT gear she wore, but Kirstin had seen Officer Terrie Kreuger in the locker room. Under the gear was a strong, chiseled build, toned biceps and a six pack abs. Her blonde hair was shaved, neatly cut close to her scalp with the top grown just enough to resemble a faux hawk if she were to let it grow naturally. She was the only one who did not have a smile as the four members of Ann Arbor's SWAT team stared at her.
"Can I help you?" Kirstin asked, leaning back in her seat to keep her eyes on them.
"Yeah, we were wondering if you're doing okay, things good at home Delaney?" Christian asked in his dry tone, usually the sign that he was joking. "Boyfriend giving you enough attention?"
"You know she isn't into men." Mark chimed in, "This is Ann Arbor, she's trying to snatch herself one of them young college chicks looking to explore." He spoke in an exaggerated soft feminine tone.
"Is that what was going on in that warehouse Delaney?" Brianne asked, "Did you see some hot ladies in the room and thought you'd lure them over by showing off your ass?"
Kirstin tightened her lips, knowing she couldn't respond with the team in full force, the comments made her angry, but not as angry as she was at herself for feeling her face heat up from the blood rushing to her cheeks.
Krueger leaned in, her light blue eyes reflecting disgust at Kirstin, "It's bad enough the PC liberals want diversity in this department that the chief felt we needed a lesbian detective. Now I have to worry about whether or not I'll be walking into an ambush just because little miss lonely wants to get off."
Kirstin's feet planted into the ground as she shot up from her seat but it was Alan's voice that broke the silence. "Hey! Don't you four have a shooting range to be at all day? Fuck off."
Like a pack of meerkats, the four SWAT members all turned to look at Alan, their smug grins remaining fixated. "Hi Detective Howard." Mark said in an overly pleasant tone, "Heard you did a rescue the other day of our former psychiatrist, I heard you got nice and personal with her."
Krueger rolled her eyes, "This department is looking like a joke, bunch of horny cops acting like teenagers. Where is your sense of dignity?"
"From closing the Varnes case now fuck off." Kirstin spat, keeping her eyes on them until they disappeared through the doorway. Her eyes immediately zeroed in on Alan. "Please tell me you didn't share what happened with anyone."
"I didn't." he said, handing Kirstin a cup of coffee. "The two guys at the warehouse blabbed it in their cells, guy on duty shared it with others. I'm sorry."
Kirstin rolled her eyes. The brief moment of shame gone. "You can't help it. Besides, the case is closed and we can move on. All that matters is if the chief is happy."
Alan sat down and rested an elbow on the desk, "Well he's not happy right now. We just got reports of a missing persons case. Her name is Candace DeRand. A Ball State University student who attended a research conference at U of M. Hotel staff said she never checked out but her things were still in her room. Then, after we get that report, we get a few other reports of missing people."
Kirstin's grip around her mug tightened, the heat from the coffee easing the tension. "All women?"
Alan shook his head, "It's a mix. Men, women of various ages. We have a total of five reports within the past few days. The only discernible pattern is that they all happen at night and there are no signs of struggles."
"Any video surveillance or eye witness accounts?" Kirstin asked.
"We're working on the others, with Candace there is video of her leaving in the evening with some man, white, around his mid 30s? She looked happy to be with him, she's running her hand up his arm and kissing him."
"Do we know how she met him?"
"Nope. We're trying to get a name on him now. What do you make of this? Think it's a trend or just a weird coincidence?"
Kirstin knew better than to endorse that word, especially with what she knew now. Her job was harder as she'd have to always view cases on two different levels, the mundane and the supernatural, always hoping for the former. "Let's hope so. Otherwise we have a lot of work ahead of us."
"You think it might be related to the two satanists we recruited?"
"Let's hope not. Can you ask them? I'll speak with the hotel and the people who were at the conference." She got up from her desk, knowing she'd have to consult with Melissa later. She almost envied Alan as he got up and headed downstairs to interview people who she knew would tell him nothing.
****
A quick text to Sakeena set up a night meeting at her office. Kirstin spent the day reaching out to the conference coordinator to get a list of all names registered. What followed was a long search of all 200 registered attendees, none of them with a face that matched the man that swept Candace off her feet.
What perplexed Kirstin was that Candace registered alone, her hotel room alone, didn't have a gentleman with her and the video showed Candace practically dry humping the man she followed. There was one movement where she slid her leg against his, showing off her thigh as her long coat parted. She was registered for one day of the conference and yet, staff reported both sets of clothes she packed were in the hotel room.
Kirstin ran through the details again and again as she walked up the steps to Sakeena's office. The door opened and Sakeena was there, wearing a brown business dress under a black jacket. She gave Kirstin a long kiss and welcomed her in. "It's good to see you again. Want to come to my place later?" her nails dragged across Kirstin's wrist.
"Sure." she said with a smile. and then turned when she heard Melissa clear her throat.
Melissa sat at Sakeena's desk, dressed in her normal formal business wear, black slacks, tanned shirt and matching jacket. She gestured for them both to come in, speaking once it was closed. "Well the good news is we aren't hearing anything more about Varnes in the news. Unfortunately, it would seem our Hellish problem is still up to no good. What do the police know?"
