Events of Arrival

Episode 11: Criminal Masterminds

Fay's beauty sleep was rudely interrupted by a crash and a clatter from the alleyway three floors down. The glowing numbers of her alarm clock read 4:56 and she sighed. Her eyes shuttered.

There was a metallic SLAM and a myriad of voices. Fay's eyes popped back open and this time she sat up. She sighed again. Thank goodness it was a Sunday and not this early sometime halfway through the work week.

She peeked through the little hole she made in her blinds and scanned the alleyway. The voices continued right below her window. In theory, they shouldn't notice the movement if she went slow and kept the light off...

Inch by inch, she tugged on the cord beside the window and pressed her forehead against a low part of the glass. His eyes widened when something glittered in the beam of a flashlight.

A metal lockbox filled with ocean blue dragon scales. She'd know. Dragon scales had a particular way of reflecting strong light. It was how Calder tracked wayward members of her flock down after dark. It was how... how illegal buyers proved that they were being handed real scales.

The small box was set down in another bigger box. "All genuine," the seller insisted clearly. "Your next package arrives in five days."

Another package. Another deal, another meeting. Fay groped for the pen and notepad on her bedside table. Her eyes flicked back and forth between her paper and the license plates on the expensive SUVs driven by both parties. She didn't know where the next deal would be struck, but she knew when. And she knew someone dumb and angry enough to do something effective.

The parties exchanged the big box for a locked briefcase and took off.

Fay smirked and let her blinds down.

***

Her phone proudly displayed the beginning of the three 'o clock hour as it continued to ring and vibrate in her hand. The blue light from the screen instigated a splitting headache and she groaned as she picked up.

When Fay woke up this early to call, it was bad.

"Whaddya want?" Calder grumbled.

Fay spat out a couple sentences.

Calder blearily pushed herself into a sitting position and blinked, hoping to clear that up a little. "No kidding?" she said, a little less slurred.

No kidding, Fay said on the other end.

Calder flopped back, just barely keeping the phone to her ear. "Huh," she muttered. Then she remembered something.

"Fay, it is 3 am. What the fuck were you doing up at 3 am."

"It's five for me. And the noise they made downstairs woke me up. I'm glad I got out of bed to see what was up."

"Hm."

"Will you think about it once you've slept another four hours and had some coffee?"

"Yeah, 'course I will. Nobody gets away with poaching if I can help it." Her free fingers tickled the top of Slinky's head. Subconsciously, the dragon purred and leaned into the touch.

"Good to hear. Talk later, 'kay?"

Calder hummed something in agreement and Fay hung up. The draconic tossed her phone off the bed and turned away from it, completely ignoring how it kept vibrating away on the floor.

***

"Are you free on Friday morning at 2 am?"

"Oh dear God," Parrisol muttered. She kept walking.