Three days of investigation had produced uncomfortable truths.
Seria sat in Damien's study – their third evening meeting – surrounded by evidence that made her professional instincts scream while her preconceptions crumbled.
"This can't be right." She traced the financial connections for the fifth time. "Captain Marcus has twenty years of service. Decorated veteran. You're saying he's been taking demon bribes for six months?"
"The evidence says it." Damien's voice was patient, clinical. "Money transfers correlate exactly with organized demon attacks. When he's on duty, they know patrol patterns, weak points, response times. When he's off rotation, attacks fail more often."
"There has to be another explanation – "
"There isn't." He pulled out another document. "This is his gambling debt at the River's Edge casino. Forty thousand gold accumulated over two years. Then suddenly, six months ago, paid off in full. Same week the organized demon attacks began."
