Cat just stared at the girl, who promptly released her.
“Sorry!” Alice said with her hands together as if in prayer. “You weren’t opening up, Catherine!” The girl winked and poked her tongue out. The giant wolf-monster whimpered.
“I told you, we’re here to help you,” Martinez repeated. “I’m sure you need someone to talk to regarding your newfound condition.”
“Maybe,” Cat admitted. “However, I still can’t trust you. Sorry, Alice. Nothing personal.”
“I think trust goes both ways, Catherine,” Alice stated. “Just as you don’t know if we have bad intentions, we also don’t know what you are. On the outside, you may seem like Catherine but it could very well be a case of an evil entity possessing her body.”
“I’m not. Sorry. It’s just too much to process. You can’t blame me for being suspicious. Like, it is basically in Martinez’s job description to deceive people, however paradoxical that may sound. No offense, detective.”
“None taken, you’re correct,” Martinez sighed. “Dealing with criminals most of the time twists one’s perceptions. But this is completely off the records. Who’s going to believe magic is real? Only people with real magic. And me, who have none. Alice has been key in solving some crimes that would stay unpunished were it not for her supernatural abilities and her wolves.”
“Can I ask one thing?” Cat asked Alice, earning a nod from the strange girl from another world. “How do you keep people from freaking out with these giant wolves?”
"Everyone thinks they are some mixed breed of giant Dane with Siberian husky," Martinez explained.
“They can change sizes too,” the girl explained. “Everyone working on this floor thinks I have one giant wolf and several smaller ones.”
“Alice’s assistance is so invaluable the captain had no option but to give her collaborator status,” Martinez explained. “Not to mention she got an EMT license in record time and saved the lives of several officers, mine included.”
Alice giggled. “It was nothing.”
“We have more trouble keeping others from learning about her than having her and the wolves here,” the detective clearly didn't think her aid was nothing but let it slip gracefully.
“Okay. I’ll let you off the hook for this entrapment,” Cat said, still a bit irritated.
“Great! Thank you, Catherine. We’re going to be good friends, I am sure of that, “ the bubbly girl fawned. “Do you have a System as well? I guess not.”
“No idea what that is,” Cat answered, completely baffled by the strange talk. “Do you?”
Alice nodded. “Yes. Let me see how can I explain… Some worlds have these… uh, supercomputers that work on magic.”
The girl paused to study Cat’s face for signs of disbelief, maybe, but she was paying attention. To someone who died, changed bodies, saw an angel, and now had a ghost bickering in her head, she had no reason not to believe in what Alice said. “Magical supercomputers. What’s their thing? Mine crypto?”
“No, it has nothing to do with caves or necropolises. This supercomputer, the ‘System’, uses ambient magic to enhance people,” Alice explained. “It works like those computer RPG games.”
“Do the wrench thing,” Martinez suggested.
Alice reached into that strange bag of hers and took a wrench. She offered the tool to Cat, “It is a normal steel wrench. You can check it.”
Cat handled the tool for a while then returned it. Alice held both ends of the wrench and snapped it in two like a twig.
“Holy guacamole!” The gender-bent girl swore.
“You’re strong like a superhero. What else can you do? I mean, beside wolves.”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“My first Class is [Apothecary]. I also have levels in [Monster Tamer] and [Priestess] too.”
Her voice felt odd when she saw the name of her “Classes.” But one thing struck Cat, “Priestess? As in, you can use healing magic?”
“Yes, I can. I usually rely on potions because Earth has little to no ambient magic and it takes too long to recover. The MP I used on that {Light} spell will take two days to recover. And that was a trivial cantrip back where I grew up.”
Her thoughts were with Oliver. If the girl could give her some magical potion or cast a spell to heal the lawyer, she’d drown Alice in money. Cat explained the situation and Alice took a glass vial with a strangely colored liquid. It was red and thick like strawberry syrup.
“Make your friend drink this. Just don’t let anyone see it. This will make him recover as fast as you do and maybe won’t raise too much suspicion.”
Cat thanked her and stowed the vial in her purse, wrapped in a handkerchief for safety. “How was it in the world you grew up in?”
“Didn’t you ever read one of those ‘reincarnated in another world as something’ novels? Some of them are written by people who actually did all that.”
“No. Never heard of it.”
“Maybe I remember someone talking about that in anime or something at school,” Cat corrected her.
“Yes. For some reason, it’s Japanese people who are abducted the most,” Alice revealed. “We still don’t know the reason. Sometimes it’s a whole school like you surely saw on the news a few months ago.”
“For most of the last year, I was under custody and forbidden from watching the news and recovering from having every single bone in my body broken,” Cat sneered.
“Oh. Sorry about that,” Alice fidgeted.
“It’s fine. I’m just on the defensive here,” Cat replied, staring at the wolf. The critter lowered its ears and waved a paw in the air.
“Aura says she’s sorry she scared you,” Alice explained. “She also said you don’t smell like evil.”
“Well, I didn’t have time to shower after what happened at the bridge,” Cat half-joked. “So, thank you, Aura.”
The wolf approached and licked Cat. Not that she could avoid it with Alice still clinging to her. Cat scritched underneath Aura’s jaw.
“She likes that,” Alice relayed. “I think we should be friends, Catherine. I’d like that. You’re so huggable.”
It was nice to be hugged, Cat had to admit. Catherine was a person starved for affection, not a surprise given her family situation. Since a subconscious part of Catherine remained in her body (ghostly possession notwithstanding), Cat too felt like that.
“Alice doesn’t know anyone her age,” Martinez explained. “And her peculiar situation makes it hard to mingle with ordinary people.”
“And you are so elegant and stylish!” Alice squealed. “Martha asked me to meet you in the restroom, sorry for setting that little trap. But I fell in love with you at first sight, truly!”.
The possibility of that being a trap was low. What could they gain by tricking her, Cat wondered. Money? Power? Some evil objective she couldn’t think of? She was inclined to befriend Alice just to spite the whining ghost in her head. The crazy cat lady had to be countered, she almost decided. Almost because her train of thought was interrupted by Martinez’s phone ringing.
“Sorry, I have to take this,” the detective said and went to a corner of the room. She ended the call and returned moments later commenting idly on the hour, “It’s half-past eight already… Catherine, judge Hendrickson learned you are here with us and summoned both attorneys to take your statement. They’ve just arrived at the parking lot. I know it’s late but it’s a good opportunity to get your testimony recorded. Their incentive to attempt to kill you again will vanish if you do.”
Cat sighed. “Sure, let’s get this done with.”
Out of the meeting room, Jack and Agatha rejoined them. The young lawyer glared at her, clearly offended.
“Sorry to kick you out of the room, Agatha,” Cat tried to placate the woman’s anger. “But we needed to talk in private. It involved Alice’s past trauma.” The sleazy wolf-tamer looked at Agatha with puppy eyes. “I trust you completely, Agatha. But it involved a third party.”
“I understand. Sorry, it was unprofessional of me,” Agatha lowered her head. Cat reached out and grasped her hand.
“No. Please, it is not like that. This day is already a mess and will get even worse. Look, we have work to do. Detective Martinez said the judge came to take my testimony.”
“Seriously? At this time?” Agatha asked the detective.
“If Catherine can testify, it is for the best,” Martinez explained. “The attack at the bridge was aimed at killing her. I don’t think they’ll stop even with the FBI involved. Three victims already died. If something happens to Catherine, the guy may even walk free. You know how weak this kind of case is without the victim’s testimony.”
“It's almost an automatic acquittal,” The lawyer mumbled as she did a mental hundred-eighty. She squeezed Cat’s hand, “Can you do it?”
“I can,” Cat glanced at Jack, who nodded back to reassure her. “It must be done!” She firmly affirmed.
Agatha smiled, “Atta girl! Let’s nail it then. Do you remember what Mr. McNamara instructed you to say?”
“I do. Will you come with me?”
“What are you paying us for?” Agatha joked. “Someone has to keep you safe.”
“Isn’t this someone Jack?” Cat teased.
Agatha nudged her with an elbow. “Nope. Jack already did enough today. Now he just needs to look tall and handsome while I handle things in court.”
Cat chuckled when Agatha put emphasis on the “I handle” part.
“Pleased to meet you, Alice. Sorry about earlier,” Agatha approached the wolf girl and offered a hand.
Alice smiled and shook it, “No, it was our fault for wanting to make sure Catherine was safe. We rushed things because of what happened this morning.”
“Well, let’s get this over with,” Cat hopefully asked.
“This way, everyone,” detective Martinez pointed them to the elevator.