Zeyang woke up early. He took a shower, got dressed, and headed out.
He stopped by the office to obtain the address where the seeker had been taken and picked up a few brochures from the Academy, then went out again. He bought a cellphone and some food, stopped at an ATM, and finally went to the address.
Andrea welcomed him into the living room.
The room and furniture were covered in dust, and she opened the windows to let in some fresh air. "Sorry, the apartment's been unoccupied for a while."
Li Zeyang waved it off casually.
He pulled the cellphone and the food from his backpack, then placed the cash and the Academy brochure on the table as well.
"Seekers are always welcome in the Police," he said as he arranged the food.
Andrea looked at him. He must have been around thirty. Lean, athletic build. Refined, handsome features. Attractive—but more than that, there was something about his manner that put her at ease.
"Thank you."
He smiled at her. "Is there anything else you need?"
She shook her head. "You've already done a lot for me, Detective. You gave me my freedom back."
"Do you have any family?"
"Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."
"I don't doubt that." He looked her over—short copper-colored hair, bright green eyes with a hardened gaze, a slender build. "Do you need more money?"
She shook her head again.
Zeyang picked up her new phone and saved his number and the station's contact. "Call if you need anything."
She nodded. "Thank you… for everything," she said, walking him to the door.
---
Back at headquarters, Zeyang shut himself inside his office and began searching the digital archives for every registered sorcerer.
He had been staring at the screen for nearly an hour when he heard a knock at the door. Through the glass, he saw Lu Shen and gestured for him to come in as he stood up.
The sorcerer stepped forward. "Sorry to bother you. I just wanted to return this," he said, handing him the jacket.
"Thank you," Zeyang replied, taking it and placing it on a cabinet. "I'm sorry you had to come all this way."
Lu Shen shrugged. "It was the least I could do. Any news about the museum case?"
"Not yet, unfortunately."
"How is the girl?"
"She's back home. She seems tough—she'll make it."
Lu Shen took a business card from his pocket. It was simple: white cardstock, gray lettering with his name and phone number.
"If you can, give this to her. Seekers are always in demand among sorcerers to find ingredients. Tell her I'd pay her well."
Li Zeyang nodded. "That's very generous of you."
"I had used the man who kept her bound a couple of times before yesterday. It was known he could procure even hard-to-find materials… If I had known about the binding—"
"It's not your fault. You sorcerers manipulate magic; we seekers see it. You couldn't have known."
Lu Shen nodded. "Still, I'd like to make it up to her, if possible."
"Don't worry. I'll let her know."
Zeyang began twirling the pen between his fingers again. "May I register you as an official consultant?" he asked, meeting the other man's gaze.
Lu Shen smiled. "Detective Li, I appreciate the trust you're showing me, but I already have a job that keeps me very busy."
"You'd be doing a service to the community. You strike me as a very principled person."
"I try to be," he replied, "but I don't think I'm the right person for what you're looking for."
Zeyang smiled back. "Then I'm grateful for the time and help you've given me. I'll treat you to dinner to repay you."
Lu Shen shook his head as he stood. "That won't be necessary. Thank you."
Zeyang walked him to the door and watched him leave. Then, with a sigh, he returned to his seat in front of the screen.
---
Sally knocked on his door and entered without waiting for an answer. "Burglary in a private residence," she said, placing a slip of paper with an address written on it on his desk.
Zeyang took it and stood up, happy to be able to get away from the screen and get some fresh air.
When he arrived at his destination, he looked at the large ancient villa in front of him and then followed inside the uniformed servant who led the way.
A gray-haired man came to meet him and, after dismissing the servant, led him through rooms and corridors to a medium-sized room with a series of pedestals and display cases.
"Someone broke into the villa last night and stole a ring. It was an ancient artifact." He took a brochure and showed him the photograph of a thick silver signet ring.
Zeyang observed the design, which resembled a triskelion but was not one.
"What symbol is it?"
The man shrugged. "It belonged to a sorcerer who was part of a sect. I acquired it at an auction about ten years ago."
"May I take it?" he asked, pointing at the brochure with the photo.
"Of course."
After a quick inspection, Zeyang detected that there were no traces of magic, so he called the office to have his colleagues come and look for human traces of the thief.
He waited for them to arrive, then returned to the office to look for a match for the symbol on the ring.
Finding nothing, he leaned back against the backrest and began tapping the pen on the desk. Finally, he took a photo of the ring and, taking Lu Shen's business card, sent it to his number. "It's not a triskelion, right?"
"No," the reply came shortly after. "What is this ring?"
"Have you decided to cooperate?"
After a few seconds the reply arrived. "No."
"Then I'm afraid I can't give any further details ;)"
---
Lu Shen looked at the phone screen, puzzled. Despite the curiosity the investigator had stirred in him, he decided not to give in. He would not let himself be convinced: Li Zeyang was interesting and affable, but others in the Police were arrogant and condescending, and he was not the type to entertain relationships with people like that. Therefore, despite his intellect being tickled by the mystery he had come across, he would not give in to a bond that would force him into dealings with unpleasant people and in an environment unsuitable for him.
He set the phone down and returned to working on the inventory of his dispensary.
After a short while, however, he abandoned everything and went to the library. The room, whose walls were covered with ancient and new books, neatly displayed on white shelves, was lit by the light coming in through two large windows.
Lu Shen took a book and sat at the table, then put it back and took another.
He continued like that until the desk was filled with volumes.
When he finally saw the strange symbol the detective had sent him, a small smile curved his lips.
He read what was written, then took a photo of the page and wrote underneath: "Symbol linked to a sect that opposed the ruling magical clan four centuries ago," and sent it.
With a satisfied smile, he returned to the dispensary, asking Ling to put the books back in place.
---
Li Zeyang picked up his phone and a smile stretched his lips as he read Lu Shen's message.
That sorcerer was becoming more and more interesting.
---
Liam knocked on the open door and entered. "We may have found something."
Zeyang looked at him, revived from the boredom of archive research.
"We found a partial fingerprint that seems to belong to Lou Riddle, a skilled thief responsible for the theft of valuables."
"Do we know where to find him?"
"Matt managed to get an address from one of his informants."
"Good, let's go."
---
The apartment was on the sixth floor of a residential building. After knocking, they heard noises coming from inside and, despite the order to open the door, there was no response. Matt broke down the door with the battering ram and the three of them split up to search for the man.
Liam grabbed his wrist while he had already climbed over the balcony railing and was trying to escape to the floor below. With Matt's help, they pulled him back inside and took him to the office.
"Tell us who hired you."
The man, tall and slender, held his gaze without answering.
But when Antonio Lombardi entered, his eyes widened.
Zeyang felt the alpha's power making his skin itch.
His chief approached the suspect. "With your record you risk staying inside for quite a long time. Is it worth it?"
The man lowered his gaze, unable to withstand the confrontation. After a while he shook his head. "He contacted me and we always met on the street."
"Mhm… so you won't cooperate?"
Lou writhed uncomfortably in the chair. Then he raised his head, turning it toward Zeyang. "I remember his car!" And he told them the model and license plate number.
"We'll see if we find something," the werewolf concluded.