Chapter Fifteen: Two and a Half Years Later

…

Over two years had gone by since Navi had brought Link to the Watch. She had tried her best to keep track of him, but, as she had tried to explain to Mara, they were separated by their assignments. She followed him to his first post on beat patrol in the East District, but circumstances between both of their assignments switching had eventually caused her to lose track of him.

Navi's work with the Travel division had never been very rewarding, being such a small office and with very little responsibility compared to the other divisions of the Watch. Being primarily responsible for activities involving the nobility outside of Hyrulia left very little opportunity to get out of the office. And, having been subjected to Reba Brettson's ideas of what a proper officer should be like, she cared very little for the lackadaisical attitude carried by the other division detectives. The Travel division was almost a joke. It had quickly served her purpose in allowing her to see some of the other areas outside of Hyrulia, mostly because she was glad to volunteer for assignments just so she had not had to listen to her fellow officers griping about their boredom. After that, she was disgusted with the lack of work and abundance of what might loosely be called "playful ribbing" from other divisions. She was perhaps the only one, and she was not surprised by this. Detectives in the Travel division drew paychecks for doing relatively little, maybe push a form here or sign a report there. It was not the best salary, being the lowest-paid division in the Watch unless they were called to a location (in which case they logged in for regular work rates plus travel expenses). Navi's needs as a fairy were few when compared to a Hylian, so the pay suited her either way. She just hated her coworkers. The division commander at least sympathized with her, mostly expressing disappointment with the other officers in the division, but he could only tell Navi that Travel was simply not a prestigious posting. After hearing that for three years (her encounter with Link had been at the beginning of her final year with the division), she had requested a transfer.

The transfer was what had caused Link to slip from notice. Not that she had been able to follow him well to begin with, but working with the Travel division had at least afforded her a bit of leeway to check on Link in the East District. She had decided to transfer into the general Detective division and take an assignment in one of the district stations. She had at first thought she would be able to keep track of Link when she transferred to an East District station, but, when she tried contacting his station, she found out that he had asked for a transfer elsewhere. To her relief, he had gone to the Ice District, a mostly business-oriented area that was known as a location for ice harvesting from the Snowpeak Mountains. While he was continuing his probationary period, she was being called to investigate relatively petty crimes, robbery and battery mostly, things that she was only involved in because no one could identify her as a detective since she was not obliged to wear a uniform with her status. It was a beat assignment, and it had been a while since she had spent time in the East District, an area that was mostly home to commoners and property that the nobles generally were not interested in.

However, she spent less than a year in the East District. While there was thrill behind chasing pickpockets and rendering fighting citizens drooling puddles of nonsense with her fairy magic, she discovered an aspect to being a detective that had not been as apparent to her until recently. Her combination of experience and knowledge of nature brought forth a drive to analyze one of the more heinous aspects of criminal behavior: murder. It at first did not feel like a natural desire to investigate killing. Being a fairy, a representation of life in one of its most spectacular and fleeting forms (according to some of the other fairies she had met, a few of them with very little interest in life outside of merely existing and yet had the audacity to call themselves such with so little conviction that it had driven Navi away from fairykind out of disgust), wanting to be around death in search of its cause almost felt like a violation of some unknown natural order. Still, the handful of murder cases she had worked in East District led her in a direction she had not expected: straight into a transfer to the City Watch's Homicide division.

The camaraderie of the Homicide division was a sweet taste in Navi's mouth. Once she had gotten used to the office atmosphere. Unlike Travel, Homicide was quite clearly a tight-knit group that she was trying to fit in with. It was not an easy process since many of her coworkers had a similar opinion of fairies that Navi had reminded herself of: they did not belong around death. It was not until a couple of months after the transfer that Navi showed that she had the capacity to not only handle such a grizzly post but had knowledge of the workings of life and death that none of the more seasoned or educated detectives knew about. She was not sure if it was a natural insight or something from her past she had forgotten.

It had been the body of a young nobleman, barely sixteen according to his family, that had sparked this unusual intuition. The young man had been discovered in the lower Zora's River, the sludgy flow that divided the Factory District from the rest of Hyrulia. It had garnered attention due to the young man in question belonging to the Yellson House, as revealed by a signet ring found on him as well as his fine tailored clothing. At first, her assigned partner at the time assumed foul play; no one willingly swam in the Zora's River whether in Hyrulia or further up the river closer to Zora's Domain. Relations with the Zora had been strained in recent times, and there had been occasions when Zoras outside of their domain would attack and kill Hylians. Nobility were especially vulnerable since none but the knight houses knew how to protect themselves, and it was not unusual for a noble to treat any Zora as scum as they would treat a commoner. The downside was a nasty habit of potentially being killed for it. It had seemed like a reasonable assumption, but Navi had not been convinced. Upon having a chance to examine the body, Navi had been able to tell that, despite the damage done as the body had traveled down the river, the young man had not been drowned (nor had he been attacked with a weapon, as they could find no injuries). Instead, Navi could see from the color of his skin and the expression on his face that he had frozen to death. And although her partner had doubted the claim because she had not been able to explain the clues she had been looking at, they had later confirmed that the young man had gone on an excursion to Snowpeak three weeks prior and had been thought to have still been up there with a couple of friends. These friends had eventually shown up in the city two weeks later to explain what had happened, that a blizzard had forced them to try backtracking only to result in the Yellson boy disappearing.

Although ultimately closed as an accident, her fellows were in awe that she had made the call so early based on things they had never seen before. It had ensured her acceptance into the division and had even given her the opportunity to accompany more detectives to murder scenes to offer a quick examination before the coroner could do a more thorough autopsy, something which tended to take a couple of days (and frequently disturbed some of the more squeamish members of Homicide). Although none had been as dramatic as the Yellson boy, Navi's eyes still found a detail or two that others were not aware of.

During her time on patrol, Navi had changed to what might be considered a "light" uniform. Rather than the thick, cotton police jacket, she often wore a high-cut, navy jacket of thick hemp with matching slacks, her blue blouse traded out for white. This minimized her appearance as a police officer to a badge, a snub-nose revolver, and a pair of handcuffs. It was a style used by other female detectives, and she had to admit that the outfit was a lot more comfortable than wearing a uniform all the time. It was certainly less flashy compared to the red outfits worn by male detectives, which served as much as a warning as it did as a target; she had seen such detectives assaulted and shot at because they stuck out from a crowd much more than the nobility.

Three more months passed in Homicide, and Navi had settled into a comfort zone she had not expected to have working such a gruesome duty in the Watch. She often switched between partners, the five other detectives in the division, depending on where Superintendent Alan Wheatland, the division chief, felt she was needed. He had yet to assign her a regular partner since it was easier to bounce her between different cases, although she had previously asked Wheatland for a regular partner so that she had a little more participation in the investigative aspects of the job. She had said that anyone would do; she would even take a constable trainee.

She would regret the request.

Roll call one morning saw four detectives deployed. Two of them were investigating an incident with rifle squad training in the East District, almost certainly an accident but Homicide was nonetheless called in per regulations. The other pair went to the Factory District in response to a report of robbery that ended in a stabbing, a frequent occurrence considering the slum conditions on the edge of the river in that area. This left Navi and one more detective to sit around and fill out some lingering paperwork from a shooting two weeks ago.

"Okay, DS Navi…" Navi looked up to see that Superintendent Wheatland had returned to the main office, his jacket discarded to show him sweating through a lime-green dress shirt. Wheatland was one of those officers who, after taking command of a division, saw so little fieldwork that his belly was beginning to grow over the top of his trousers. Not that Wheatland was as far gone as other division heads; Navi had seen him respond to a running suspect with a burst of speed that she was sure caught even the suspect off-guard, even if Wheatland ultimately could not keep up. Around the office, though, he regularly appeared to be sweating because responding to a call often required a lot of back-and-forth footwork through the chaos of the main lobby. "Good news!" he told her, his grin as bright as the sheen off his balding pate.

"Yes, sir?" Navi replied, confused by her superior's spirit.

"We have a case I'm giving you the lead on," he told her, pointing at her with a folder. "We also have a trainee to partner you with. He comes highly recommended from the Castlefoot District, so I think you might be able to work with him."

"See?" spoke up Detective Sergeant Garrick Crosswind, sitting on her right. "Told you he was going to bring back something good for you."

Wheatland stepped aside so that Navi could see a uniformed officer standing behind him. "This is Constable Fieldview, fresh from the district," he told her.

Navi, upon seeing the smart grin on Constable Link Fieldview's face, slammed her hands on her desk as she stood up. "WHAT!?" she shouted in fury at him, causing both Wheatland and Crosswind to start. "Are you joking?!"

Wheatland stammered in shock for a moment, never having witnessed DS Navi shouting in anger (with her hair bright red for added, fear-inspiring effect). Link, however, crossed his arms and said, "Nice to work with you, too."

"Fieldview!? By the Great Ones, why?!"

"He's the only trainee available right now," Wheatland replied, still confused by her outburst. "He's got his detective exam in about a week, but his recommendations are encouraging enough that the assistant commissioner felt he could start at Homicide right away." He paused and took in the seething look from Navi. He turned and asked Link, "You two've met?"

"Oh yeah," Link replied.

"What's the problem?" Wheatland asked.

"We met," Navi said.

"She probably thought she'd never see me again," Link explained. "One case in Ordon, and that's about as much as she wanted to work with me."

"So, you've worked together before," Wheatland observed. "Did the case close? Detective Sergeant Navi?"

Navi glared at Link for a moment. Then she answered, "Yes, sir." Crosswind grimaced.

"Then it's settled. Right?"

Wheatland's voice carried more authority than he usually needed to exercise in the office. Navi had seen a few supervisors use the same tone when they wanted to keep things friendly while stomping out insubordination. Wheatland generally did not like using a stern tone with his detectives, but that did not mean he would let another officer walk over him. Navi's initial outburst had already pushed her allotment of backtalk, and neither she nor Link were addressing him as a superior (at least she had not heard Link say anything; she thought she had at least gotten out a couple of "sir"s). The casual air of the office was gone; it was time to work.

"Yes, sir," Navi said, her voice intoning "I hate you two".

"That wasn't so bad," Link said.

"DS Navi is your superior officer, Constable," Wheatland told him, his voice still carrying his commanding tone. "I expect her to at least be addressed as such."

"Yes, sir," Link replied, his grin waning.

"Are we done questioning superiors now?"

"Yes, sir," both Link and Navi answered. Navi straightened her posture, putting on an air of calm in spite of her hair still burning red.

"Good," Wheatland said as he opened the envelope in his hands. "We just got this case phoned in a few minutes ago. A young woman was shot and killed in the East District. The district commander is turning it over to us since the victim has been identified as a member of House Merrill. A member of the family should be there to identify the body about the same time."

"Did anyone see the shooter?" Navi asked.

"Well, you know witnesses," Wheatland said with a defeated tone. "One hundred eyes on the victim, no eyes on the perpetrator."

"Where did it happen?"

"Middle of the district, intersection of Eighty-Fifth North, Old Trail, and Bar Row. The young lady was shot crossing the street."

"That's a pretty busy intersection," Link piped up. "Good place to shoot someone. People scatter, horses trample… everyone's tryin' to get away the moment that shot is heard. Plenty of panic."

"It sounds as if it was a random shooting," Navi said. "I've seen how crowded that intersection can get, especially when there's a mass of people trying to cross."

"That's how the nobles are," Wheatland said with a shrug. "Nothing's coincidence, everyone's out to kill them."

"Well, they are," Link pointed out, causing Crosswind to slap a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. "House Merrill's gonna be disappointed."

"We still have our due diligence here, Constable," Wheatland said as he stepped to Navi's desk to give her the folder. "Someone still fired a gun into a crowded street and killed her. Whether it was an accident or on purpose is for the courts to decide. There should be a carriage ready for you. Get moving."

Navi took in a deep breath to calm herself and return her hair to black. She accepted the folder and rounded the desk. "Constable Fieldview," she told Link as she briskly walked past him.

"Ye-e-es, ma'am," Link replied as he followed, taking an ounce of humor out of watching her hair flash maroon in response to the way he wavered his voice.

Nothing was said as they took the hallway to the main lobby. No one really had much room to talk unless they were sitting at a desk; the distraction was known to initiate a collision of officers, and there was a standing rule that anyone disrupting the chaotic flow of work had to buy a round of beers for the officers involved in the crash. Sometimes, it was easiest to follow the wall around the mess in order to avoid having to jump and dodge. This was the route Navi took only to have Link beat her out the door because he had decided to chance his way through the lobby. She came close to slapping the back of his head for the smart grin he showed her before walking through the door. However, knowing regulations prevented her from striking him in view of other officers, she resolved to do it when they were out of sight.

Link walked over to the carriage which was being driven by a female officer holding a small chalkboard bearing the name "DS Navi". He pulled open the door, but Navi quickly grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away. It was not entirely to be mean; superior officers entered first. She boarded, and Link followed her and closed the door.

She settled onto the back seat while Link opened the small window at the front of the carriage. "East District, Eighty-Fifth North, Old Trail, and Bar Row," Link told the driver.

"East District, Eighty-Fifth North, Old Trail, and Bar Row," the driver repeated. She gave the reins a quick snap and said, "On the way!"

Link had to drop quickly into the backward-facing front seat before the carriage could jerk and send him sprawling into Navi. He was chuckling as he sat down. "Whoops," he told Navi.

"Which part?" Navi asked as her hair shifted to maroon for a moment.

Link raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, look, I didn't know that you were in Homicide, too," he told her, his tone sincere. "I've been working my way into the division since I first met Sir Brettson. If I knew you were there, too… uh… well…"

"You planned to be in Homicide?" Navi asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow while her hair shifted to blue.

"Yeah. As grizzly as March told me it would be, I still wanna give it a try. It's one of the higher-paying divisions, and they usually keep pretty busy."

"And your mother is okay with this?"

"I haven't been able to write lately. She misses you, by the way. Must be hard to keep track of me without her spy."

"She had asked me to keep an eye on you," Navi said, her hair brightening a bit. "I tried transferring to East District about a year ago, but you'd already moved on. Not that I particularly care, but why did you change assignments?"

"They get crime in the Ice District, too," Link replied with a shrug. "I didn't wanna stay in one place the whole time; I'd never be able to expand myself. Being a grunt the whole time makes it hard to become a detective."

Navi sighed and planted one elbow against the bottom of the window to her right so she could rest her head in her palm. "Right… your lack of patience…"

"You remember!" Link said cheerfully.

"Only for the worst possible reasons…"

Link just grinned at her for a moment, expecting to elicit another reaction. "Wanna talk about the case?" he then asked.

"What's there to talk about?" she asked as she idly passed the folder to him.

"Just thought we'd try talking some business for a bit."

"Wheatland already called it; we're just going to deliver bad news."

"You sound disappointed."

Navi eyed him for a moment, her hair shifting between blue and maroon for a moment. "This is routine. You don't honestly expect to deal with a murder conspiracy on your first day, do you?"

"Well, it'd be a good selling point."

"You are still insufferable, and I still hate you."

Link opened his arms wide. "We're gonna be great partners."

…

Arc 1 of 3