“Well, long story short.” Detective Carter thought for a brief moment then said: “Since a few months ago, we started discovering these really, really brutal sites of gang killings. And it’s not like some one-sided drive by shootings depicted in the movies. These are really brutal attacks, where both sides of the attack used all kinds of weapons, from guns and rifles to machetes and swords. One of the most brutal was at a Corin family mansion in Woodside - there were broken bodies everywhere, and signs of really high grade illegal weapons being used, like grenades, gatlins and rocket launchers ...”

“But it was just a familial civil war?” Caroline asked with a frown.

“All the evidence points to this conclusion, yes.” Detective Carter shook her head: “But we know too little about the Corin family, all we know is that this is a crucial time for the family's internal power structure. One of the major leaders at the ‘table’ was just arrested in Europe, and looks like extradition is in process, so they are looking to fill a seat. Our guess is that some of the major candidates are going all out, and it is kinda tearing the family apart.”

“Which wouldn’t be bad news for us, under normal circumstances.” Detective Carter’s partner said: “Some mafia scum cleaning up their own house? Great! Saves us time and makes the streets safer. But it would be really bad if it bleeds into the streets.”

“Which it undoubtedly will.” Detective Carter sighed and said: “It could be some of the younger generations - like some other crime families, they are much more explicit and honest with their hunger for power. And as the leaders of the older generation take the backseats one by one , the familial bond and decorum of business dealings in the family gradually went out the window.”

“Alright, thank you detectives.” Caroline thought for a while and then nodded.

“Wait.” Detective Carter took out her business card and handed it to Caroline: “If you have some time later, maybe give me a call and let me know what you wanna tell us - I’ve heard of this Emilia Corin before, but she disappeared from our radar for quite a while now. I would like to know anything you can remember.”

“Thanks. Not a problem.” Caroline took the card and put it in her wallet.

Detective Kuhn went into one of the interrogation rooms, in which the bartender was locked, and with a suppression spell mark placed on the back of her neck to prevent her from using her charms by Caroline.

“Okay, she’s a half succubus, right? But her powers are suppressed?” before going into the interrogation room, Detective Kuhn asked Caroline.

“It should be, I placed my best suppression mark on her - she shouldn’t be able to use any of her spells or natural powers for the next few days.” Caroline nodded: “Now, how do you wanna do this?”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“She’s definitely afraid of you. You are immune to her charms. So you will ask the questions, and I will take the backseat.” Detective Kuhn thought for a brief moment and said: “Ask her about the way to read the ledger, ask her what kind of information is on it.”

“Okay, and?”

“Is there some kind of procedural punishment we can threaten her with?”

“We can say we will be handing her to the Division.” Caroline scratched her jaw: “But - but that’s probably the last card we’d wanna play. Do you know of any particular processes where the SJPD or the Feds deal with suspects with superpowers?”

“Usually the Feds handle cases like this, but that’s really not an option for us now.”

“Yeah, and I suspect in this case, the Feds and the Division meant the same thing.” Caroline sighed: “So - should we keep it short? And if she still refuses to talk, you should really consider letting me take them back to our inn - I mean headquarters.”

“As much as I would like that, we can’t do that right away, not before we obtain enough information or some leads on where those blood ‘products’ come from.”

“Well - we can try.” Caroline took at look at Detective Kuhn, who seemed to be become more and more uncertain about everything, including his career choice and the role he played in this world, and decided that she should probably help him with the case at hand as much as she could in a civilian friendly way, instead of directly dragging the bartender and her accomplices away to “do it her way”.

“Has anyone told you before, that your suppression spell is way too crude and way too harsh?” the bartender put herself in a slightly seductive pose while inside the interrogation room even while chained up: “I thought you witches and girl magic wielders would be more meticulous and gentle with their touch, unlike this pig branding iron mark of a curse you just gave me.”

“You’ll take what I give you. ” Caroline sat down and said: “And tell me about the ledger, what’s on it, and how to decode the entries.”

“Oh ho ho, I thought YOU are the detective.” the bartender smiled and looked at Detective Kuhn: “Are you just gonna let an amateur ask the question?”

“Just answer it.” Detective Kuhn shook his head.

“What’s in it for me though?” the bartender sat back on her chair: “I’m just gonna say it - this is a weird arrangement for all of us, huh? I’m a half succubus, and I work - well, I used to work at a bar run by a lycan, who is a mid to high level lackey of someone high up in the Exalted Bondsmen, if I talked, I’d be dead and sold to some fugly underground worm-man, forced into a pair of golden bra - not that I will complain about that, but - ”

“You will get to live, you will have a job at a humble but very safe local inn as a bartender, away from it all.” Caroline narrowed her eyes: “But only if you cooperate with us. If not, I have a hundred ways to make your death look like an unfortunate cooking accident.”

Detective Kuhn’s eyebrows jumped a few times when he heard this, and he already started regretting a lot of his decisions up until now. But after reconsidering the fact that this bartender sitting in front of them was a half succubus and half lycan with ties to THE Exalted Bondsmen, the options Caroline gave did not seem too bizarre at all. It was just that the death threat seemed to him a bit out of line.

The bartender laughed, then leaned in and tried to taunt Caroline: “Oh, I’m so scared ...” But before she could finish, Caroline extended her hand forward as if she was grabbing something, and the bartender’s mouth was sealed shut by an invisible seal of condensed and solidified air, while at the same time the mark on the back of her neck started burning and leaking liquified heat streams into her body. She tried to struggle, but her upper body was restrained by invisible locks consisting of wind energy as well.

It was but a very short moment, but felt much longer to the bartender that when she was finally relieved of it, she was sweating through all her pores. The pain was not anything serious, but what served as a stern warning to her was what Caroline was able to do with the mark on the back of her neck.