Buffy offered Oz a soft smile and thanked him for the ride to the school. It was late Saturday afternoon, and the Slayer had made arrangements to meet with Giles at the library. She had requested that he explain the somewhat touchy subject of her Slayer duties to Detective Ricci. After the incident the previous evening at the fraternity, Antonio had questions, and Buffy hadn't been prepared to explain everything on her own. The teen decided to forgo her previous annoyance with the librarian who had been hiding potentially dangerous prophesy information from her in favor of getting him to cover the whole to every generation a slayer is born spiel.
Her decision arrived in a more generous moment of self awareness that hit her last night as she lay in the dark unable to sleep in her bed. Because of the emotional turmoil from the altercation at the fraternity, her nightmares had re-emerged with a vengeance. Since she was stuck silently lying awake in bed, Buffy had the time to realize that she was no better than Giles with keeping secrets. It was a hard truth to acknowledge but one that needed done. She had been hiding her interactions with the Entity just as he had been hiding the prophesy about the Daughter. The Slayer only hoped that contacting her Watcher about talking to her friend about the duties of a slayer would help reforge their shaky relationship. She was slowly coming to realize that the silence was more damaging to her at this point than sharing her Slaying related issues.
"Have you heard anything about Anya?" Buffy asked as they slipped through the side door of the library that led directly into the stacks. The utility entrance to the library was often how the teens slipped into the library on the weekends when the school was closed up tight. The late afternoon sounds from outside failed to follow the duo into the silence of the dimly lit library after the door swung shut.
Oz shook his head. When the Dingos practiced earlier, Sam had just shrugged when asked about his injured girlfriend. The guitarist had found it strange. He had the distinct feeling that Sam wasn't really interested in the pretty brunette suddenly. The teen suspected a relationship break up was pending.
Rounding the corner of the last book shelf, the duo jumped when they came face to face with the girl they had just been discussing.
"Anya!" the startled Slayer squeaked.
The dazed senior barely reacted to the appearance of Buffy and Oz. Oz frowned slightly and Buffy gently touched her elbow.
"You okay?" the Slayer prompted.
Anya just frowned in response and Buffy dropped her fingers from the other girl's arm.
"Oh, hey, Buffy... Oz..." Cordelia greeted as she streamed up the few steps into the book section of the library. The vibrant cheerleader's face developed a concerned expression. "Man, Buffy, you look awful. You really should look into some concealer for around your eyes. I have carry on luggage smaller than your bags."
A flash of pain triggered in the Slayer's eyes. Her sleep last night had been plagued with nightmares to rival the ones she experienced right after her attack last spring. The confrontation at the fraternity had brought all the emotional distress that she had been slowly maneuvering through back to the forefront. Every time she attempted to sleep, dreams of being chased through the darkness and being trapped under the pressure of a sickeningly Evil presence had haunted her. Buffy also felt drowning in regret and guilt over her reaction to the deaths of the men who assaulted. A small part of her wanted to send Spike and Drusilla a fruit basket in thanks. Unfortunately, the tiny voice just pricked at her conscious and made her feel even worse.
For the briefest moment, Cordelia frowned. In an unexpected display of humanity, the normally judgmental cheerleader reached out and placed her own hand on Buffy's arm. A surprising expression of understanding reflected in her dark eyes.
"The bad dreams eventually stop," she offered simply and without explanation before withdrawing her hand and looping it through the still silent Anya's arm. The cheerleader then nodded to Buffy and Oz before pulling the seemingly shell-shocked senior back into the stacks and towards the exit.
Buffy and Oz stared at the empty space for a moment.
"Was that Cordelia being nice and supportive?" Buffy whispered incredulously to her companion.
"I think so," he replied.
"Weird."
"End of times," Oz confirmed with a thoughtful expression in his eyes.
Buffy snorted and bumped her shoulder against her friend before heading towards the library office. In consideration of Buffy's possible need for privacy in her first meeting with Giles after their little spat, Oz remained in the open area of the room.
Slipping behind the tall circulation desk, the Slayer stopped in the doorway to her Watcher's private office space. She stood silently as he slipped a mortar and pestle into his lower desk drawer. Her nose scrunched at the sharp and unexpected odor of incense and crushed herbs invading her senses. Giles closed the drawer and turned. He jumped when he noticed his unexpected visitor.
"Good Lord, Buffy. Let a man know you are there. I truly don't desire a coronary," he gently scolded as he reached to close a book he had been using for his last guest.
"Sorry, Giles," she replied honestly. She was hoping that he would take the apology as meaning more than just her contrition for giving him a little fright. The teen was sorry she had spent the past week avoiding her mentor, but she really didn't want to actually discuss her feelings about it. She already had enough guilt pricking at her.
Rupert stopped his tidying and actually looked at his young companion. Her tone had seemed to convey a deeper meaning than the expected flippant reply. Taking the time to really see his Slayer, the Watcher's heart contracted. She looked so very different than the bubbly young woman he had met last year. Instead of the light-hearted sparkle that accompanied her quirky perspective on her life and her duty, he saw a depth of weariness and maturity that he didn't expect. Although he had often lamented Buffy's blatant resentment of her sacred calling, he had never wanted to see her eyes so haunted.
"Um, yes," the Brit affirmed as his desire to offer emotional support warred with not only his role as mentor but also his upbringing. Even in his wilder days, Rupert had never been someone comfortable with softer emotions. The harder edged emotions, the ones that could cut in both directions, had been more his style. Passion, anger, and resentment had left their scars on his psyche, but he had never learned the fine art or finesse needed for the softer healing emotions. He certainly had never experienced them with his stiff, traditionalist family or with his hellion friends. Giles found himself ill prepared to offer the support he wanted to give Buffy.
At a loss of how to properly breach the emotional gap separating them, Giles attempted to connect to the teen on a different level. He fell back into his easy role of instructor. It was a position he had worn long enough that it fit like a comfortable pair of jeans. He slid into the role even though it wasn't the best approach to take at the fragile moment. It was what he knew and he could not be expected to react contrary to his nature without major prompting.
"I am surprised you were not here earlier," he stated.
Buffy's nose scrunched again even though the acrid smell had dissipated. She bent a bit so that she could better see the tiny clock on the librarian's desk.
"I wasn't late," she replied as she confirmed that it was still a few minutes before six. "I was even all with the early."
Now it was Giles' turn to frown. He had just spent the last hour with Buffy's new friend Anya discussing magic, the Hellmouth, and Buffy's calling. He had even attempted a simple divinity spell on the upset teen in hopes of helping her deal with whatever was haunting her. Strangely enough, the spell had not worked, but the young woman hadn't been surprised. If anything, his failed divination on whether she was under the influence of a supernatural being seemed to just further sink the brunette senior into her sadness. It had been a bit disturbing and Giles would have preferred his Slayer had been present to act as a buffer between himself and the other teens.
When the ex-Watcher stated such, Buffy returned his frown.
"Um, Giles, I didn't ask you to talk to Anya. I want you to talk to Officer Friendly for me."
"Officer Friendly?" Giles repeated in confusion. Buffy had only mentioned him speaking with a friend. She hadn't actually specified which one when she called him on the phone this morning.
The Slayer stared at her Watcher. A similar expression of confusion settled on her face.
"Company's here," interrupted Oz as he too stepped into the doorway of the office.
A strange mixture of excitement and trepidation flitted across Buffy's face as she grabbed Giles' arm and dragged the suddenly sputtering man from his office. Their previous moment of confusion was lost in her rush to introduce the two men.
"Officer Friendly!" she called enthusiastically as she manhandled the librarian out of his office and around the high counter. Oz smirked slightly as he watched his friend drag one important older man towards someone he suspected might be becoming just as important. He had observed the developing relationship between Mrs. Summers and Detective Ricci on the few times he had seen the two together. He found the tentative flirting between them endearing and a bit entertaining. He wasn't sure how Buffy felt about it yet but watching his friend's excitement at this meeting helped cement his opinion that the relationship was going to be a good thing for Buffy.
Finally stopping when they reached the Sunnydale police officer who was standing beside the heavy wooden library table, Buffy offered introductions. Antonio wore his normal slightly rumpled yet well tailored suit, his sidearm was tucked under his arm, and his gold cross rested comfortably over the knot of his tie. Giles momentarily wished he had rolled his sleeves down and grabbed his suit coat before being dragged from his office. He felt a bit under-dressed for the meeting. He resisted the urge to polish his glasses in response to the sudden nervous feelings.
"Officer Friendly, my Watcher, Giles. Giles, this is Detective Ricci," the Slayer presented. She practically beamed with smiles as she glanced between the two. When both older males stared silently at each other in an attempt to establish a first impression, a bit of her excitement waned. Buffy resisted a sigh of impatient annoyance. She nudged Giles in the arm and glared at him.
"Officer Friendly is the guy who found me in the alley Giles," she prompted. When this still facilitated no positive regard in the librarian, Buffy again nudged him in the arm. "He's the cop who made with the CPR and got me a fast ride to the hospital."
"Oh, quite right," Rupert finally responded as he tucked his suspicions away and offered a warmer welcome to the visiting official. The officer's actions to help save the life of his Slayer assisted Giles in overcoming his suspicious feelings regarding law enforcement. Hand poised for a proper greeting, the reserved Brit offered a more mature greeting. "Rupert Giles, Sunnydale High librarian. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir."
Antonio's dark eyes narrowed and he did not return the proffered handshake. Instead he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the other adult.
"Detective Antonio Ricci," he answered as he attempted to get a better measure of the seemingly harmless librarian. Unfortunately, the detective didn't believe what he was seeing. Years of listening to his gut reaction to people gave him more than a slight wariness of the composes British gentleman. Something about the man made the police detective think he was more than his soft spoken and proper appearance conveyed. It might have been a flickering shrewdness in the librarian's eyes or the momentary surge of aggressive in his stance on hearing the guest was a police officer. The two warring impressions set off the Antonio's mental warning bells.
"What the hell does she mean by Watcher?" the policeman demanded harshly. The connotations behind an adult male watching an innocent teen ruffled all the officer's figurative feathers. That he was watching Buffy for some reason set him on edge. That the librarian was in a position at the school with access to any number of other unsuspecting victims only made the detective more livid.
"Oh, uh, yes," Rupert stammered as he glanced once at Buffy and then back to the obviously hostile law enforcement officer. "Being a Watcher means I am part of the Watcher's Council."
Since Buffy had been watching the growing hostility between the gentlemen with confusion and concern, the teen interrupted in hopes of smoothing whatever had ruffled Detective Ricci's emotions. All her previous experiences with Officer Friendly made her see him as a calm and logical kind of guy. His reaction to her Watcher confused her. She hadn't seen anything in Giles behavior to set off the grumpy exchange.
"Giles is one of the good guys," she stressed with an engaging smile as she stepped towards the police officer. She offered him a seat at the large wooden table and stressed that she wanted him to understand.
"Like Mr. Worm and the local PCP gangs are the bad guys and we," Buffy swung her hand towards Giles, herself and even Oz. "Well, we are the good guys."
Feeling more in control of the situation as the detective took a seat, Giles slid into the chair directly across the table from him. He hoped he wasn't about to make a total fool of himself.
"If you would please offer an open mind, I would be happy to explain," Giles began. The British gentleman gained a confidence that was obvious in his voice as he spoke about something he understood well. "As strange and fantastical as it may seem, there are forces of darkness that move through the world today unbeknownst to the mundane world."
Antonio's hand raised to caress the golden security of his cross.
"I know," he simply stated.
A startled expression crossed Giles' face when he heard the confirmation instead of the expected instant denial. It was far from the normal response and it threw him a bit of a curve when he was expecting a fast ball. The librarian covered quickly.
"Ah, yes, well then," the librarian continued before glancing at Buffy who had settled into the chair beside the officer. His Slayer nodded encouragingly to her Watcher as if to say that she wanted him to explain everything. Giles signed and removed his glasses. He sat them on the table top and pinched the bridge of his nose before taking a deep breath. Rupert offered Buffy his own indulgent smile in return then turned back to the officer. "Into every generation a Slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer."
Antonio's bushy brows pulled together as he frowned. He snorted "You're telling me there is some girl out there, like a comic book superhero, whose job it is to fight evil?"
"Yes," Giles replied succinctly.
Ricci glanced at Summers and she smiled. "Yup," she confirmed. When the officer's eyes strayed to the end of the table where Oz sat, he too nodded.
"You're serious? There is a superhero somewhere out there fighting vampires?"
"Not so much with the out there," Oz offered. "More with the in here."
Silence settled for only a moment then the detective's eyebrows raised. He darted his attention to Buffy.
"Surprise?" she replied a bit sheepishly.
The detective smiled softly at the teen's cute little attempt at humor in the face of what had to be a daunting task.
"You're a superhero?" he prodded for clarification.
"Yup, super strength, super healing, early vampie warning system. The whole burrito except without the fashion disaster that is multicolored spandex," Buffy confirmed earnestly.
"Enchilada," Oz coughed into his hand.
"Or the secret identity it would seem," Giles muttered at the same moment. His tone betrayed a hint of disgust at the seeming disregard of this fact.
A pout pressed on Buffy's lips as she made eye contact with her Watcher. He sighed and conceded the battle before it even began. Reading Giles' surrender in his eyes, Buffy grinned happily. She liked it when she won an argument without even needing to speak.
Antonio turned his head towards the librarian and demanded to know where he fit in the picture. Despite his over all trepidation at sharing information about Buffy's calling, Giles moved into an explanation of the Watcher's Council and his role as mentor for the current Slayer. He did leave out the fact that he had been fired from the Council and that the Council no longer knew about the continued existence of his Slayer. Instead, he stressed the Slayer's need for training and support in research.
The detective listened to the entire explanation then pressed for clarification on a few points. He was horrified to learn that most Slayers were called in their early teens and few survived long enough to become adults. Antonio was intrigued by the mystical aspects of the Calling of a Slayer. He asked a number of questions about how the actual choice in who became a Slayer and who remained a potential was made. The detective also asked a number of questions about the differences between Buffy's upbringing and the fact that most Potentials were raised knowing about their possible Calling. Giles was forced to begrudgingly explain that the Watcher's Council ultimately had no clue who would be given the duty. He suspected that a greater power had some hand in the choosing.
Giles offered Buffy an indulgent smile. "Sometimes the unexpected choices make for the most impressive Chosen Ones," he complimented.
"So Buffy is good at being a superhero?"
"A bit unorthodox in her approach," Giles confirmed "but she is amazing. I have faith that she will be one of the Slayers to make it to adulthood."
The police officer pinned the librarian with a steady gaze.
"What can I do to help ensure that she does?"
Detective Ricci took a deep breath as he turned off his car's ignition. He glanced towards the well lit stone building that housed the mayor's office. He frowned and ran his hand through his already mussed hair. The last hour at the school had been a revelation that both frightened and filled him with hope. For so long he had felt an undercurrent of disconnect with the world because he had believed in something that most folks considered utter fabrication and would have resulted in his being drummed from civil service if it have been discovered. To have all his beliefs laid on the table and positively reinforced was freeing. On the other hand, discovering that Buffy Summers was slated to defend and ultimately die to save the world from the things that go bump in the night was sobering even for the jaded officer.
Antonio closed his eyes and considered the end of the conversation in the library. He had asked Buffy if her mother knew about her Calling. She had stared at him like he had grown another head and it was spewing forth repulsive green slime.
"A world of no," she had replied in horror. "Mom and know-age is the way of padded rooms, bad fashion that ties in the back and drugs that color the world in a shimmer of wavering nausea."
It was shocking to think that Joyce had completely disregarded her daughter's previous plea for support. Learning about her visit to the psychiatric ward made his heart ache for Buffy. Likewise, it made him ache for her poor mother. Any sane person would have been skeptical of a child claiming vampires as the reason behind arson. On the other hand, Antonio wondered why Joyce hadn't been able to look at the situation and make some leaps of faith into the unknown. He had done so when faced with the death of his daughter and ex-wife. Logic had fallen under the weight of the illogical. The detective hoped that if faced with a similar situation, he would have erred on the side of supporting his daughter.
Ricci could easily see how the rift between the two Summers females had developed and he hoped that Buffy would take the advice he had offered her as they left this evening. He had suggested that if she could not reach out to her mom about her duties as a Slayer that she at least could reach out to her on the mundane parts of her life. He felt that if she made the effort to offer Joyce even a small part of her trust that Joyce might be able to start re-establishing herself in a more positive light. Antonio had explained that it didn't even need to be a major thing like discussing her assault or her fears. Even sharing something small like a concern about school or a friendship might be a good place to start. The detective wasn't sure if Buffy would take his advice. He hoped that she would though. It could only help the faltering mother-daughter relationship.
Shaking away the personal thoughts about the women who had weaseled into his closely guarded emotions, Detective Ricci focused on his purpose for visiting City Hall. He removed his keys and slipped them into his pocket. His hand brushed against the stake Buffy had pressed into his hand at the end of their discussion. He shook his head and climbed from his Mustang. His worn dress shoes made soft footfalls as he approached the building and pushed into the lobby of building.
Despite the late hour, all the lights were lit and a few city officials moved in offices. Detective Ricci had always been impressed with the attention to detail that Mayor Wilkins possessed. He was an effective and charismatic leader for a town that never seemed to falter despite its large city death rate compared to its small city size. For once it was nice to see that folks other than the firemen, police officers and utility workers were putting in the weird hours to serve the community. In his previous experiences, politicians and their immediate underlings were rarely the ones willing to put in the time or handle the dirty work. He was happy to see that Mayor Wilkins' staff didn't seem to follow that expected template of public service.
On his way to the Mayor's office, Antonio passed the small, nervous man he recognized as deputy mayor Allan Finch who was speaking quietly with the equally nervous Head of Public Works. From the snippets of conversation he heard as he passed, it seemed there was something disturbing found in one of the utility tunnels and Finch needed Damian Levinson to address the issue immediately.
Ricci left the conversation behind him and continued to the the mayor's office. The door was open and he didn't even need to knock on the door frame before he was greeted by the impeccably dressed politician. Richard Wilkins III offered the detective a greeting and a welcoming smile. After a perfunctory handshake, Antonio took the offered seat on one of the tastefully conservative chairs positioned across from the politician's large desk. The police officer crushed the desire to smirk as he watched the mayor clean his hands after their exchange.
Mayor Wilkins thanked the officer for coming in so late on the weekend and meandered around the expected social pleasantries before delving into the purpose of his summons.
"I wanted to express what an excellent job you did on the incident at Crestwood College last night," the politician expressed with a sincere smile. "You handled it professionally and with minimal attention to the unsavory details that might have caused the populous of Sunnydale and parents of Crestwood students undue concern."
The mayor took a seat and rested his elbows on the perfectly aligned blotter in the center of the desk. He clasp his hands together and tapped the steepled pointer fingers against his lower lip. It was a practiced move that made him appear thoughtful.
"I read your report of the event," Wilkins explained. "Brilliant bit of work. Who would have imagined that the Delta Zetta Kappa fraternity kept some type of huge constrictor in their basement and were feeding it humans over the years. Such depravity is surely the sign that the youth of today are missing the proper family and moral values on which our great country was founded."
"That they were stupid enough to feed one of the local PCP gang's members to their pet just added to the tragedy. If there is one thing you should never do, it is anger one of those violent and unpredictable gangs that plague our town. A tragedy in the making that was."
The mayor sighed as if the mere thought of the death and destruction deeply offended him on so many levels. Taking a deep breath as if to put the horrid images behind him, Richard pushed back from his desk and stood. He paced slowly in the space behind his desk.
"Regardless of the horrifying facts of the tragedy, I need you to know how very happy I was to see your outstanding handling of the affair."
Mayor Wilkins stopped pacing and stared at the silent detective whose dark eyes were following his movements but offering no sign of emotional response to his complimenting words. The mayor resisted the urge to frown. He had been expecting Detective Ricci to respond well to the compliments on his quick and decisive investigation into the massacre last night. He wasn't sure how to react to his guests complete non-reaction. Shaking his head, the politician decided to follow his plan anyway.
"Contrary to how many politicians handle their offices, I believe in honesty. Honesty in my work, honesty in my intentions, and honesty in my employees."
Detective Ricci avoided taking a deep breath in response to the implied emphasis on the integrity required of the Mayor's employees. Instead, he just nodded in understanding to the elected official. He knew the report he filed late last night was complete hogwash and he wondered if was about to be called to the carpet over it.
"That said," the mayor continued. "I have a certain respect for those who notice the undercurrents that pass through the darker side of Sunnydale yet love our fair city enough to understand that sometimes the whole truth and nothing but the truth is a matter to keep between God and ourselves instead of spreading panic all willy-nilly through the streets."
Richard Wilkins pinned the Antonio with his gaze.
"Are you one of those men who understand about the undercurrents?"
For the second time in one evening, Ricci found himself confronted by the very real possibly of a discussion about vampires and demons. Instead of answering directly like he did in the school library, the detective offered his own bit of double speak to mirror the mayor's own speech.
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." (1)
Wilkin's face broke into a beaming grin.
"Gotta love a man who knows his classics," Wilkins complimented as he moved from behind his desk to stand in front of it. He leaned casually against the edge and placed his palms down on the surface behind him as if he was poised to skip back and sit on the edge of the neatly arranged desk.
"I believe we have an understanding on those pesky More Things," he expressed with a lift of his eyebrow. Ricci simply nodded.
"Excellent," Richard responded as he stood once more. He moved back to pacing slowing around his office space. While he spoke, the mayor straightened some unevenly stacked papers on the side table and also flipped two pencils that were upside down in the pencil caddy. He continued with his explanation as he flitted from place to place. "If that is the case, I wish to share some information that has not been made public yet. It seems our good police chief has met with a bit of foul play. Like the fraternity, Jim ran afoul of a PCP user and unfortunately will be unable to fulfill his civil service obligations. There will be a private memorial for his widow and the police force later in the week. This leaves me in a bit of a quandary, you see. I need to appoint a new Chief of Police but the next in line, well, how can I say this best. The man lacks a certain creativity."
Wilkins glanced sideways to read Ricci's response to his interpretations of the detective's captain. Captain Garret Matthews was a bit spiteful and definitely lacking in charisma, but he was loyal to a fault. He took direction well and did not over-think his position. He was the perfect underling for someone who wanted investigations to move in a certain direction and his harsh office policies had driven a number of promising officers to seek employment in other places. Those who remained were either hopelessly clueless, power-tripping bullies, or disillusioned enough to avoid rocking the boat. Antonio hoped that he only fell into the third category.
"He has a difficult job," offered Ricci as diplomatically as possible.
Wilkins beamed at the detective in almost the same manner as Buffy Summers had beamed at him when he asked how he could help keep her alive into adulthood. On the petite blonde, the smile had been a treasured gift. On the face of the dark haired politician, the smile sent a chill up Antonio's spine.
"Polite yet honest. I like it," replied the mayor as he moved around his desk once more and sat. He slid a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked one of his desk drawers. Richard then withdrew a file with Ricci, Antonio S. on the tab. The file was not large but its presence on the mayor's desk made the detective a bit uncomfortable.
Mayor Wilkins opened the file and shifted through the contents with a familiarity that denoted that he was intimately acquainted with the details in it. He deftly pulled Ricci's original application for employment as well as his most recent review. The review showed above average ratings in all categories but little in the way of real information about Antonio's work related skills. The mayor's fingers shifted across the paper as if seeking confirmation of information although his eyes were pinned on the detective instead of the paper.
"You were a Lieutenant with the Pittsburgh Bureau Police, correct?"
He nodded. When the mayor confirmed that Pennsylvania followed a similar ranking system to California for their police officers, he again nodded. In both states, Lieutenants were directly below Captains in rank and responsibility. Wilkins inquired as to why the detective had elected to move from the Keystone State to the Golden State and Ricci explained about the death of his family and the need for a fresh start. The mayor offered his condolences with sincere sympathy before asking why the detective had chosen to come to Sunnydale when the position he filled had actually been a step back in his career.
Antonio developed the uncomfortable feeling that he was facing some kind of unexpected interview but he answered the question as honestly as possible even though he was confused by the need behind them. He didn't admit that his family had been killed by vampires and that he suspected his ex-wife had been raised as an undead killer. He did admit to hoping for someplace as much unlike Western PA as he could find. Ricci stated that the small city on the edge of the desert seemed as far from the rivers and hills of his previous home as one could get and still be in the United States. The mayor, in turn, agreed with him.
Wilkins then asked about the time Antonio spent on both the Homicide Squad and the Gang Task Force. He asked about how many other officers the detective had supervised on shift during his tenure as a Lieutenant. The mayor listened to all the answers and even made a few notes in the file with a red pen from his caddy. When he was done with his questions, Richard closed the file, replaced it in the drawer, locked the desk again, placed his keys back in his pocket and cleaned his hands once more with a sanitary wipe.
Finally turning from his deliberate movements after tossing the used wipe in the trash can, Mayor Wilkins finally reached the meat of his invitation for Detective Ricci to join him this evening.
"So, do you think you are up to the task of Sunnydale Chief of Police?" he asked evenly.
Antonio frowned. He hadn't expected quite that specific offer even with the numerous questions.
"What about Captain Matthews?"
"He will remain in his current position. I think we will both agree that he is not the best candidate for being the face of the Sunnydale police department or for handling the darker currents in the town but he does have his uses. I will be happy to speak to him before we would make an announcement of your appointment."
Antonio swallowed as his mind shifted in a dozen directions all at once. He slipped his hand into his pocket and brushed against the smooth wooden stake given to him by Miss Summers just a few hours ago. He suppressed the urge to grin as a plan began to form in his mind.
"Would I have some leeway in how we approach the darker currents in town?" he asked.
Richard Wilkins III considered the question seriously for a moment before offering a friendly smile. He could not fathom how one officer motivated to delve into the darkness could be dangerous to any of his existing plans or obligations.
"I think we could make that work," he stated. "As long as the good citizens of Sunnydale remain safe in their innocence, I can give you as much leeway as you need."
Realizing that Mayor Wilkins really meant ignorance when he said innocence, Detective Ricci nodded his head anyway.
"I think I can make that work."
"Good man," Wilkins replied as he once more offered his hand for a handshake to seal the offer. As he shook hands with the smooth-talking politician, Antonio hoped that he hadn't just made a deal with the devil.
(1) Quote reference: William Shakespeare, "Hamlet", Act 1, Scene 5