Awakening - The Last Science #1

Chapter 12 - Deputies, Detectives and Deities - II

  They combed the town without any particular direction in mind. Jackie simply followed her usual patrol schedule. They figured a Japanese girl with blue hair would stand out pretty well in a small town. Rachel offered suggestions on how to optimize her route to move through the town quicker, use less gasoline and still cover the same ground as frequently. It was a stark contrast to the old Rachel, and Jackie commented as such.

  "You think?" Rachel said absently, her mind currently working through an idea for a way to fuel cars while they spoke. A typical car engine was just a series of rapid explosions causing pistons to move and generate mechanical energy, and Rachel wanted to know if there was a way they could improve that somehow. The real trick in her opinion was how to approach it. Would it be better to try and recreate the same explosion effect and rotate the axles in the usual way, or could it be more efficient to toss the entire existing engine design and find a new method entirely propelled by magic? There were so many theoretical possibilities that it kept Rachel's mind entertained during such tedious things as travel or rest.

  "Hell, girl, a year ago I'd be picking you up and giving you a ride back to campus because you were lost in a ten-street town and asking strangers what day it was," Jackie snorted. "The look on your face, too."

  "Oh," she replied, her thought process broken for a moment. "...I'd forgotten about that."

  "I thought you didn't forget things."

  "Not since I changed that about myself," Rachel answered. "Things before that..."

  "Why didn't you do it sooner, then?"

  She hesitated. They were entering dangerous waters for casual conversation topics. Rachel didn't want to reveal too much. On the other hand, Jackie already felt like she was second-rung, and Rachel valued her both as an asset and as a friend. Of the two major town officials, the sheriff was much more likely to be the neutral party. Rowan wasn't hated, but he wasn't exactly loved either. Many groups—particularly the loggers like Robert Harrison and friends of Gordon Merrill the journalist—were vocal opponents.

  Rachel still didn't trust the mayor with detailed information about magic, but Jackie wasn't a power-grabbing politician. There were very few who had a bone to pick with the sheriff. Here was a tried-and-true officer of the law, and one that preferred quiet streets where she could enjoy the town as opposed to a crime-laden district where she could lay down the law. Given sensitive information, Rachel believed Jackie wouldn't act on it unless she needed to.

  "Jackie, if I give you some information, you don't have to pass it on to the mayor."

  She frowned, turning the next corner a bit more sharply than usual. "Weird way to answer my question. Not officially, no. I like to keep him in the loop on anythin' important though."

  "Well, let's say this isn't something important to the investigation. Knowing it will help you police the town, but if it became more common knowledge, it would be dangerous for everyone."

  "And you think the mayor can't keep his trap shut," Jackie concluded.

  "I don't, but I also don't know him that well yet. We've worked together all year though. I can trust you, right?"

  "'Course you can, girl."

  Rachel pointed out an alleyway they were quickly approaching, a secluded spot behind the Kettle and Bones bar. "Pull over there. I have something to show you."