I arrive at Clayton art gallery. The cops are already here and in large numbers. Some of them I recognise from back when I worked with them. "Heya Mark. How's it going? Been a while huh". Mark Price is a veteran cop. Around 5ft 8, a little on the fat side with gray hair and brown eyes. A bright and shiny wedding ring rests on his finger. He would have been married thirty three years this year. Unfortunately a drunk driver took his wife's life. He cleans his ring every day in her memory. To Mark, there was no one out there like her.
"Miranda. You know I can't let you in. Sophie would ruin my retirement plans if she catches you on the other side of this police tape."
"Oh don't worry about Sophie. I can handle her. Besides, what's she going to do to me? Fire me again?". Mark just stands there silently, looking right at me. His gaze giving off some kind of signal. "She's standing right behind me isn't she?" I turn around and, to no-one's surprise, she's right behind me. Staring daggers into my very soul. "Heya Sophie". Sophie is a short 5ft 6 black haired, pale white, thirty three year old with green eyes. She's the head of her department, my old partner in crime fighting and also, my ex wife. "Unfortunately I can't fire you again Mandy, but I can arrest you if you step out of line. Do I make myself clear?"
"Oh yes ma'am. Absolutely. I'll be on my best behavior. I promise on...something important."
"Come on then. Let's get this over with." I follow Sophie to the crime scene. Inside the art gallery is a few police officers, some gallery staff and a nineteen year old girl typing on a laptop covered in stickers. The teen is short with long pink hair, wearing a white hoodie with a short black skirt, black boots and sunglasses. "Morning Emily. What have we got?" Sophie asks the girl.
"Morning boss". Emily looks up from her laptop and sees me standing next to Sophie. "Oh hey Mandy. Didn't expect to see you there. I figured you two would be outside starting a war against each other".
"Not right now Emily. I've got a headache. So, is it them?"
Emily's expression gets serious. "It's definitely them. The Magpie has struck again".
The Magpie. A world famous thief. There isn't a heist too small or too big for them. They hide their identity by wearing a mask with no distinguishing features. Nobody knows who they are.
Forty years ago, a thief appeared and started pulling off heists across the globe. Stealing whatever they desired and leaving nothing behind except a single magpie feather. The news quickly started calling them the Magpie and they became a world famous thief overnight. Then, twenty one years ago, when I was eleven years old, my dad, Gregory Orson, got arrested by the police and was charged as the Magpie. He confessed. Saying he wasn't going to deny it now that he was caught. I remember him saying 'there's no use hiding it. What's the point?' He was sent to life in prison for the countless thefts he did. The only proof the cops had was an anonymous call. None of the stolen items were recovered. The only reason he got sentenced was because of his confession. After that, our family was never the same. Mum tried her best to raise me and my sister, Grace, but the stress was too much. She jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge one day and a day later, a body matching her clothes and description washed up on shore. The mortician confirmed it was my mum. My younger sister didn't take the news very well and got increasingly depressed. After mum passed, we got placed in foster care, then shortly after that, we lost contact with each other. I bounced from foster home to foster home until I was eighteen and applied to the police academy. That was where I met Sophie and my life was finally looking positive. My sister, though, was sent to live with a rich couple who couldn't have kids of their own. She ended up becoming a prodigy with her talent on the piano. I went to a few of her shows but never had the courage to say hi. I wish I did. She had a drug overdose the night of her last performance when she was twenty. She's now a patient at a rehab center in the city. I even try to learn the piano to honor her. I'm not as good as she was though.
Fast forward to two years ago, when I was still a cop working with Sophie and happily married to her, we caught a theft case and After some investigation, we found a magpie feather at the crime scene. It appeared as though someone else had picked up where my dad had left off. Sophie and I visited my dad in prison. He never said a word that day. That was the last time I saw him. We have no leads, no clues, just missing valuables of various prices. Whoever this new magpie is, they're good. Maybe just as good as my dad was.
"What was stolen this time?" Sophie asks, looking around herself at the art hanging in the gallery.
"A painting. It's called "Woman in Blue". Emily shows us the painting on her laptop. It's a woman in a blue dress with sapphires embroidered on it, sitting in a poorly lit room. The way the painting was created brings the viewers attention to the dress more than the woman wearing it.
"What's so special about this painting?" I ask Emily.
"That's the thing. It's worthless. These paintings hanging on the walls are just community made pieces from an art class the owner runs. This whole gallery works as a way amateur artists can be spotted by big investors".
"The Magpie must have wanted the painting for a reason". I point out.
"Mandy, we don't even know if this actually was the Magpie and not just some copycat." Sophie adds.
My headache spikes. 'Fucking hell. How much did I actually drink last night?' "Urgh..look Sophie. I'm not going to argue with you today. You do whatever you want."
I didn't have the energy to argue with her.
"Well that's a first. I've never seen the two of you go this long without yelling at each other". I turn around and see a tall man in a brown suit with a blue tie, and combed, well kept, blonde hair.
"Chris". Sophie's new partner. I've never liked him. From the moment we first met, I can tell he only wants two things. To be the boss and to give me a bad time. Plus, there's something about him that I don't trust. Unlike Mark, I haven't known Chris for very long. He transferred here from a different precinct before he could finish his last case there. That's all I was able to find out. Until I know more, he's not a friend.
"What have you got Chris?" Sophie asks.
"The owner, Mr Brad Clayton, came in this morning and discovered the painting missing. All doors were locked and all windows too. There's no evidence how the culprit got in or out"
"Same shit, different day. I'm going back home. Let me know if you find any other clues" I say, knowing full well that's unlikely to happen.
"How about a video of the Magpie?" Emily interjects. All of us stare at Emily in disbelief. This new magpie has never been caught on camera before. "Here. Take a look at this" Emily turned her laptop to us. She pressed a key on the keyboard and a video of a magpie in a tree started.
I roll my eyes and turn to leave. "Fucking Emily" I say under my breath. Emily tries her hardest to hold back from laughing.
"Alright Emily, that's enough" Sophie clearly wasn't amused by Emily's joke. As I leave, Sophie gives orders to Emily and Chris. I turn around and admire Sophie from a distance. We argue a lot, sure. And she probably doesn't love me like she used to, but I never stopped loving her.
"I need a drink"