She was thinking with her heart though, and, more than that it would be good for her to go into work for a number of other reasons, it was also true that the anticipation of seeing Elisa Maza again lived in her skin now, and she could do little to deny it.

She had lived a very long time after all, and liked to think she’d learned at least a few truths along the way; probably the most important of these was that the heart… ruled everything. Despite reason, civility, culture, even species, that truth, that law, always seemed to remain. You could try to ignore it, pretend it wasn’t true, but it was true, and it always would be.

Only tragedy and woe awaited those who ignored this.

But then, sometimes, she thought, perhaps tragedy was all that awaited her anyway.

Perhaps it was all that awaited any of us, in the end.

—————–

”I understand that captain, but there’s really nothing more I can tell you. I know it looks strange; heck, it does to me too. But that’s what happened. I don’t know why they started shooting, I don’t know why the place was so wrecked, what those strange claw marks were about, and I certainly didn’t hear any growling.” Two witnesses had reported hearing a strange growling noise along with the gunfire. ”Maybe they were chasing someone before I got there? Maybe they just got into a fight while they were turning the place over and it turned sour? The only explanations I can think of for the claw marks are a wild animal or someone with a fetish for those Japanese claw weapons that go on the back of your hands. Both those possibilities sound kind of far-fetched, but, you know, armed mercenaries wrecking an estate lawyer’s office, it’s not like that’s not kind of far-fetched either. Sure this is New York, but still… I don’t know… I’m really not sure what you want from me on this.” Elisa finished.

Maria Chavez regarded her critically a moment, pen held between her hands. ”I’m not sure either… but I know when something doesn’t smell right. I’ve known you since you were a beat cop, Elisa. Something’s not right here… You seem nervous and distracted, it’s just not like you.”