When Monday night rolled around, Jubilee sat beside Detective Law in his office, trying to stay awake as he flipped through Wayne’s Bible and read whole passages aloud in a dull monotone—just like he had on Friday evening. In front of them were scattered photocopied pages, heavy with highlighting and scribbled notes. The time was approaching six o’clock—an hour since he should’ve let her go home. Officer Liang was still in the foyer waiting to escort her.

Finishing a particularly lengthy passage, Detective Law addressed Jubilee. “Based on this, I would surmise that the 'kingdom of heaven' is not located in a physical destination. Would you agree?"

"I guess," Jubilee muttered, questioning whether she’d ever feel motivated to open that book again after the dry, drawn-out sessions they’d had over the past two workdays. To make things even more aggravating, Law had been cross-referencing nearly every single passage with her. "How should I know?"

He glanced at her sharply. "Because you claim to have been there."

"That doesn't mean I can write a textbook about it," she said flatly.

"Your ambivalence does you a disservice, Miss Wong." He sounded stern. "After all, your story does not exactly lend itself credibility."

Jubilee spread her arms. "All I said was, 'I guess.' That's the truth." Vaguely she wondered if her arm had just gone through Hellenos. She couldn't see him at the moment—probably because she was fed up with both the long day and Law's pestering—but there seemed to be a faint shimmer in the air beside her. She continued, "I couldn't possibly have understood everything that was happening at the time. It was like nothing I've experienced before."

Law leaned in close then, inspecting her face with intense scrutiny. "Tell me what it was like."

With great effort, Jubilee refrained from flinching at his proximity and instead rolled herself back a foot. "I already did," she said reprovingly. "It was like I was nowhere and everywhere at once. Like I'd been removed from the world, yet could just as easily see any part of it if I had any desire to. Which," she added with sudden realization, "I didn't."

Law measured her with a calculating look, then nodded to himself and sat back. "As one might expect of a nonphysical dimension. Now—" He returned to the text, flipping rapidly and precisely through its pages. "It says here…"

Jubilee resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She’d heard him use that phrase over a dozen times already.

Landing on a page, he jabbed it with one long, pale finger before continuing, "We fight 'not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.' My research has uncovered the possibility that 'principalities' and 'powers' may refer to certain high ranks within both the angelic and demonic hierarchy—which, according to your descriptions, the demon you saw could potentially be categorized under.”

Jubilee became suddenly more alert. Ranks? Research? An uncomfortable sense of conviction hit her that she didn’t entirely like. She supposed she could respect the detective for his dedication, but it irked her that he took this way more seriously than she ever did, despite her supposed beliefs. She could barely even keep up with all his analysis.

“So,” the detective went on, ignoring the overwhelmed expression on her face, “Does this mean that demonic beings are 'in high places' even while they are on earth? That they are, in fact, simultaneously in two dimensions at once? And what does 'high places' refer to? Something higher than the earthly plane but lower than the heavenly one?" Finishing his lengthy speech, he fixed his eyes on Jubilee in expectation.

She stared at him. “What? Do I look like a theology professor to you? How should I know?”

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Law tapped a knuckle against the open volume on his desk. "Well, you've read this before, haven't you?" he said, perfectly logical as usual.

That stopped her short. "I—well," she stuttered. I never finished it, was what she couldn't bring herself to admit, but didn't have to because she could tell by Law’s look that he had just deduced as much. Defiance bloomed within her. "Well, what?" she said hotly. "You never read it before either."

He shrugged. "True, but I have now."

"Yes, but—" She stopped and did a double-take so fast she almost gave herself whiplash. "Wait, what do you mean you have now?"

Law turned the pages nonchalantly. "I have read it now."

Jubilee felt like she was going to hyperventilate. "The whole thing?"

The detective seemed perfectly ignorant of her plight. "Yes," he said simply.

She took a few deep breaths. This couldn't be right. There must be some kind of misunderstanding. "You mean, you finished the New Testament…right?"

"No." Law finally looked up from the book at her like a long-suffering tutor might at a dim-witted pupil. "The Old and the New Testaments."

Jubilee’s jaw could’ve dropped to her knees. "You…you mean to say—" she began, stammering stupidly, "That you read…the entire Bible…in only three days?"

"Yes, Miss Wong," the detective said with drawn-out patience, "That is what I have been trying to tell you."

She was speechless for a moment, then declared with firm resolution, "That's impossible."

He regarded her for a long while before returning to the page he was on. "Funny,” he said without a trace of humor. “I would have thought that you of all people would have stopped believing anything to be impossible, after what you've experienced."

That shut her up. Somewhere above her head, she heard Hellenos chortling.

He got you pretty good there, the angel’s voice came faintly. I like him.

She turned to glare up in his direction, not caring if Law could see. Why don't you be his guardian angel then? she thought sourly.

Hellenos’ amused features became slightly clearer. Because he's already got one.

Good Lord, there are TWO of you hanging around? She pinched the bridge of her nose. Then why can’t I see it?

You see what you need to see, when you need to see.

The detective’s voice interrupted her silent conversation. “I admit that I may have read a little faster than typical.”

She shot him a look. A little?

“But I wanted to return this to Wayne swiftly,” he went on, tapping the book with a finger. “He’s quite attached to it, you see. So I’d rather him not be without it for longer than necessary.”

At that, Jubilee softened a bit. “I see.” Despite the detective’s aloofness, he did seem to have a considerate side when it came to his assistant.

Her stomach suddenly growled, interrupting her thoughts. Straightening, she attempted to continue with some authority, “It’s getting late, Mr. Law. Are you planning to make me skip dinner and pull another all-nighter?”

Detective Law looked up at the clock on the wall. “Ah. I seem to have lost track of time. My apologies.” He turned to her. “I will be staying at the office tonight, but you are free to go. You will be paid overtime for the extra hour, of course.” With that, he stood and made his way over to the mini-freezer, probably to retrieve a microwave dinner for himself.

Jubilee relaxed in her chair. “Thank you,” she called after him. The man was clearly a workaholic, so it was a pleasant surprise that he hadn’t tried to coerce her into staying longer. Standing, she grabbed her bag. “Well, then...later, boss.” He didn’t answer as he returned to his desk, a new carton of ice cream in hand. Spooning down a mouthful, he immediately returned to perusing pages without paying her any mind.

Jubilee paused in the doorway to cast the detective a dubious look. Don’t tell me that’s the only thing he has in there. And was that what he was having instead of dinner?

He finally glanced up at her. “Something the matter, Miss Wong?”

She started. “Er...I was just—” Glancing from the ice cream to the Bible still in his hands, she said before she could think, “Want me to return that for you—since Wayne’s eager to get it back?”

Law looked just as nonplussed by the offer as she felt. Why had she said that? Errands weren’t part of her job.

“If you don’t mind,” he said after a moment. “I would appreciate it.” Closing the book, he slid it across the desk to her. “His address is inside the cover. Please let him know that he need not wait for me. I will add this to your overtime as well. ”

Jubilee stood there for a second. It wouldn’t take that long, right? Wayne had said he lived close to her apartment. Grabbing the Bible, she slipped it into her bag. “Don’t worry about it,” she said, heading for the door. “I’m on my way home anyway.”