Arcane Sequence: 1987 (WLW)

December 5th, 1987: What The Actual Fuck?

This novella contains mature language.

"Cut me a goddamn break for once you son of a whore!" Jaime fussed as she slammed her notes onto her desk.

There was nothing, not one single sign of that rat bastard Ryan and the LGBT community wasn't being of any help at all. Several of their own were dead and Jaime couldn't blame them for being defensive, but, Jesus Christ, was she pissed. Short of outing herself to the entire community in hopes they would possibly trust her a bit more, she had no clue what to do.

"Detective Schmidt?" She heard from her side and glanced up. The rookie, Gia, stood there with her notepad in hand and a tight line forming her lips.

"What? Come to tell me more bad news?"

"No," Gia set her notepad down on her desk and Jaime looked at it, reading the chicken scratch with ease. No cops had incredibly legible handwriting, quite like doctors really, but Gia's was a bit simpler to read than others and it held information she found quite intriguing. "Actually, I've come to help."

Jaime worried her bottom lip before asking, "Are you sure about this, Gia?"

"One hundred percent. And I brought a change of clothes in case you agreed."

"Are you even--"

Gia cut her off as she raised her hand shoulder length high. "I am, just like you. But I look closer to Ryan's type."

Jaime scanned her face for any sign of wavering doubt, but found none. "Go get changed and I'll tell the cap. Get Kev when you're done and I'll meet you both outside. No squad cars. Only personal sedans or unmarked vehicles. No uniforms. Only casual streetwear. Tell Kev you need his helmet from his locker, too."

"Yes, ma'am."

As Gia spun around and headed toward the locker room, Jaime glanced at her watch. It read eight-twenty. Perfect timing. She picked up her desk phone and dialed home. After a few rings, there was an answer.

"Yes? This is Doctor Yua Watanabe? How can I help you?"

"It's me."

"Jaime? Why are you calling home?" Jaime listened to the slight rustling of paper on the other end of the phone. "Aren't you heading here soon? I was thinking we could go down to the deli and--"

"I'm sorry, but there's been a change of plans, gorgeous."

Yua was silent for several seconds and Jaime chuckled at just how easily she could imagine her blinking expression on the other end of the line. "What's going on?"

"Go down to the squad car parked outside your building and tell them, from me, to stay put until I show up in person."

There was another silence on the other end, then a hum before Yua spoke again. "No risks, remember?"

"It's an undercover operation and I won't be the one risking anything, but if it comes down to a fight, I won't run, Yua." She glanced around her and hunched over as she spoke softly into the phone. "We found a lead. The rookie did. The one I mentioned before. Gia. We're going to hit a gay bar and go from there. Please, just stay inside and lock your doors once you tell the uni's downstairs what's up. I'll have it radioed to them for good measure, but I need... I can't do this if I don't know you're safe. Okay?"

"Jaime..."

"Please, Yua." She sounded desperate and she didn't care.

"...Alright, Jaime. But please be careful. You and both Kevin and Gia."

"We will be. I'll call you as soon as I know anything else. Yua, I..." Jaime wasn't sure what more to say. Did she have the right to say more yet? After that heated moment in Yua's room, they hadn't shared a single kiss, but only held each other closely each night. Still, Yua was slowly working her way into every crack and crevice of Jaime's mind like she was being consumed and she never wanted to fight against it. "I just... I--"