His questions started out benign. Where are you from? How old are you? What are you studying? How did you join the team? How long have you been at the site? When did the excavation begin?
Soon, his questions became more specific, and more concerning.
"You were recently stung by a toxic coral, is that correct?"
"Yes, that's what the doctor's told me."
"Can you please describe what happened?"
"I was working the vacuum that we use to filter out the sand and silt. I noticed an interesting protrusion that I thought was maybe a stone statue or some other kind of artifact. I made a rookie mistake of not wearing gloves while working that day, and I remember a sharp pain when I touched something. I surfaced and got back on the boat. We wrapped up digging for the day after that and headed back. My condition got worse on the ride back. My vision started getting blurry and I felt so weak. I sort of remember a sudden jolt but everything is fuzzy. Next thing I remember, I'm waking up in this bed."
"Seems very strange. We've spoken with some of the doctors and the coral that would have Palytoxin is basically non-existent in this area. Your symptoms, also, do not match that of someone who has been poisoned by Palytoxin."
Leta shrugged, trying not to show her nervousness, "Doctor's told me that it was coral. I'm not sure what else could have caused it. If I had to bet money, I would think it was a weeverfish that was in a crevice near where I was excavating and felt threatened. But I didn't see what got me and I'm no medical expert. If the doctor says it was a coral, I'm inclined to believe him."
The older police officer frowned at her answer. "You are positive you didn't see what attacked you?"
"Attacked feels like a strong word." Leta replied, "But no, I didn't see what got me. I broke the first rule of diving, which is to pay attention to your surroundings. I was so focused on possibly finding an artifact that I wasn't paying attention."
The older officer, which she was starting to call 'Bad Cop' in her head, scowled at her nonchalant manner.
"You're in a surprisingly good mood for someone who could have died."
"What can I say? Near death experiences make you appreciate things more. Far from discouraging me, I'm more excited to get back in the water."
Bad Cop frowned, then looked to the rookie police officer she started to call 'Good Cop'.
Good Cop nodded and smiled at her. "Can you tell us about the dig?"
"Sure." Leta beamed back, "I'm not exactly positive what I can and can't say under contract, but we are excavating the ruins of an ancient Mycenaean structure. It's old. Like, Ancient Greece wasn't even a thing yet, old. It's so exciting to be able to learn more about these ancient civilizations."
"I'm sure. It must be thrilling to get your hands on these artifacts."
"Oh, I haven't gotten my hands on anything." Leta corrected, "I'm just a grunt. If I see anything interesting, I just stick a flag in the sand for other people to come look at. I don't get to handle any of the artifacts that are discovered."
"So you've never touched anything that gets brought up?"
"No. I sometimes sit in when items are being cleaned or photographed, but I'm a high schooler - they aren't going to let me handle priceless objects."
"But all those important finds… surely you must have been able to put your hands on something."
Leta's smile wavered as she felt a ringing in her ears. Something wasn't sitting well with her regarding these questions and she was beginning to suspect that she really was experiencing a real Good Cop, Bad Cop routine and not just a normal questioning.
Then she remembered her special ability, Ears of the Judge, and decided to experiment.
"No, not even once. I've got too much respect for history to do that. But let me ask you a question. You seem new to the force. Are you new?"
Good Cop blinked but nodded, "Yes. I'm still in my first year on the force."
Leta's ears felt fine, nothing out of the ordinary.
"And I'm sure you love your mentor here."
"Of course I do."
Leta just barely kept herself from flinching as a sharp pain filled her ears. When Good Cop spoke just now, it was like he'd been using a dog whistle that only she could hear.
'He's lying.' She realized, her experiment having worked. She'd never met two people that could genuinely have such different personalities and still like each other.
"And you listen to what he has to say?"
"Absolutely."
That was another lie, but Leta didn't say anything.
"Well, the same goes for Professor Marrow and Dr. Galloise.They are amazing people and I love and respect them. I'm not going to break their trust by doing something so foolish."
"I think we're done here." Bad Cop grumbled, clearly not happy that they weren't getting the answers that they wanted.
"Of course." Good Cop nodded, his smile now seeming so fake now that she knew he was lying. The police officers gave her their business cards with instructions to call them if she remembered anything odd about the site.
Leta promised she would but quickly threw the cards away when they'd left, unease settling in her stomach like lead weights.
Little did she know her troubles were only just beginning.
The next morning saw the doctors giving her the all clear to leave the hospital. The setback of the hiatus did little to break the team's spirit, and the day was spent gushing about the dig site and a budding excitement to get back.
With no word yet from the authorities on when they could return, Professor Marrow and Dr. Galloise made the decision to return to Athens for the time being after getting approval from the authorities.
As soon as Leta and the team stepped off the ferry and into Athens harbor, they were once more met by Athens police.
"Leta Black, you are under arrest."