"Wow, you were such a dick, Captain," Jos remarked, his tone a mixture of surprise and a hint of disbelief.
Malvin groaned and rubbed his face as though trying to erase the memory. "Tell me about it. If I could have one wish, it'd be to go back in time and beat that attitude out of my younger self."
Clare, ever the optimist, tried to lighten the mood. "Well, at least you've improved a lot since then," she offered with a reassuring smile.
Tores nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're not that bad anymore," he added, though his casual tone earned him a sharp look from Malvin.
"Not that bad?" Malvin repeated, his lips curling into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. The smile carried just enough of a threatening edge to make Tores's face drain of color. "I'm sure that's not what you meant, right, Specialist Tores?"
Tores's hands shot up defensively as he stammered, "O-of course not, Captain! That's not what I meant at all!"
Aeron, watching the exchange with his usual deadpan demeanor, crossed his arms. "Taking things up with the Captain, huh?" he said, referring to the past. "I know you would approve of investigating the slums, Captain, but I don't know about Captain Howard."
Loreen nodded, her expression thoughtful. "Yeah, wasn't it policy back then to only investigate the slums when there was solid proof of something happening?" she asked, her gaze shifting to Malvin.
Malvin gave her a curt nod. "You're not wrong. And as for Captain Howard…" He hesitated, his expression souring as he continued, "Well, when we brought it up to him—after everything that had already gone down the past month of so—he was ready to consider it. That is, until we told him who gave us the information..."
---
"The thief told you this?" Captain Howard's gruff voice cut through the room as he leaned back in his chair, one eyebrow raised in skepticism. His sharp gaze flicked between Malvin and Silas, lingering on the former, who avoided eye contact entirely.
"He did, sir," Silas replied with a firm nod. "Is there a problem with that?"
Howard, unfazed, took a long drag from his cigar, letting the smoke curl into the air before responding. "Do you realize how untrustworthy that is? Taking the word of a thief?"
Silas's brows knitted together, and he gestured toward Malvin. "But, sir, he helped save Malvin's life! Doesn't that count for something?"
Howard exhaled a plume of smoke, his expression unchanging. "It's true he saved him, but that doesn't erase what he is—a criminal. Just because he helped once doesn't mean he'd do it again. For all we know, he could be leading you into a trap. You know as well as I do how quickly things change in the slums. Two weeks is enough time for anyone to switch sides—or worse."
Silas, clearly trying to muster a rebuttal, hesitated before saying, "But, sir, he seemed… so…"
"Earnest?" Howard finished for him. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk as his piercing gaze locked onto Silas. "Officer Silas, you're talking about a boy who put on such a convincing disguise and persona that you didn't even recognize him. You think someone capable of that couldn't fake sincerity?"
Silas struggled to refute the point, but his determination didn't waver. "Sir, if it's true, this lead could bring us closer to Riley's killer," he argued, his tone resolute.
Captain Howard gave a slow, measured nod before countering, "It could. But if you're trying to connect one crime to another based on a thief's word, almost anything could seem like a lead. It could just as easily be a lie—nothing more. Yes, crime has risen lately, but it's not the first time that's happened. And I cannot, will not, risk the lives of my officers chasing the tip of a criminal. Understood?"
Silas's jaw tightened, his lips pursing in frustration, but he eventually relented. "Yes, sir. Understood."
As Silas gave his reply, Malvin stood silently beside him, the bitterness of his thoughts echoing loud in his mind. *I knew he wouldn't approve. Now we won't even get the chance to investigate ourselves.*
Howard leaned back in his chair, taking one last drag of his cigar before snuffing it out. "Good. Now return to your duties, and for goddess's sake, arrest that boy the next time you see him." With a dismissive wave, he swiveled his chair away from them, signaling the end of the conversation.
The two officers snapped a quick salute before leaving the office. As the doors clicked shut behind them, Malvin turned to Silas, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "Good thing we told the Captain, right, Silas?" His sarcasm was sharp, but Silas said nothing, his silence speaking louder than any words.
Malvin threw up his hands in exasperation. "Great. Now you're speechless. Fantastic." With a shake of his head, he huffed, "Whatever. Let's just get back to work." Without waiting for a response, he stomped off, leaving Silas to follow quietly behind.
---
"I can't fault Captain Howard, though," Malvin said later, shrugging as he recounted the event. "What he said made sense, given what we knew at the time. Obviously, in hindsight, if he'd approved the investigation, maybe we could have stopped Philip Crude earlier. But at the time, his logic was sound, even if I hated it."
"I still don't agree with what he said," Aeron interjected, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Jos smacked Aeron on the shoulder. "Of course you don't. You're just mad because of what he said about Xain."
Aeron shifted, his silence betraying the truth of Jos's accusation.
"So you just went back to patrolling after that, Captain?" Tores asked, leaning forward with interest.
Malvin sighed heavily, nodding. "Yeah, for another week. We did our usual rounds, keeping an eye on things, patrolling the streets, being bait until…" He paused, his tone growing darker.
"Another murder happened."