“All right. That should do it,” Liam said. “It’s amazing that you’re part of a real investigation. You’re so lucky.”
“Isn’t this what you do every day?”
He sighed and continued shading his drawing. “I do the sketches and desk work, but I’m hoping to do more in the field soon.”
“Your sketching is important as well,” I said. “I could never do that.”
He ducked his head.
Clearly it was a touchy subject for him, so I shifted gears. “While we’re here, could you also sketch a few other details about him? I don’t know if they’ll be useful, but I’d rather do it while it’s fresh on my mind.”
“Sure. You never know what will end up being helpful in a case.”
As I told him everything I could remember from the two times I’d seen him, Liam created a full body sketch of the man with his top hat. He even did a drawing of the man’s ring, careful to capture every detail of the hourglass made from two scythes.
Looking at it like this, it was hard not to feel like I’d seen it before somewhere. Even if I couldn’t put my finger on the reason, the design called to me.
“I’ve seen this ring,” I muttered.
Liam laughed. “Of course you have. You’re the one who just described it to me.”
“No, I mean somewhere else. Somewhere unrelated to this case.” I gasped and straightened in my chair as it came back to me. I’d seen this same ring at AIR U.
A knock sounded at the door, and Detective Atwood poked his head in. “You about done?”
Liam jumped to his feet. “Yes, sir. We were just finishing.”
Detective Atwood walked over and picked up the sketch of the man, then clapped Liam on the back. “Excellent work.”
A wide grin split Liam’s face. “Thank you, sir.”
“You know what to do with the sketches?”
“Yes, sir. Leave it to me.” He collected his supplies and left.
“Is he an officer?” I asked once we were alone.
“He’s in training.” Detective Atwood escorted me down the hall. “His scores at the academy were too low, but his talent for sketching landed him a desk job here, anyway.”
A desk job. That would explain what he’d said earlier.
“I have to go, but I’ll get a steamcab to take you home.”
I gave him a sideways glance, trying not to let my disappointment show. “I want to come to the university too.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I appreciate your help so far, Poppy, but I don’t think that’s wise.”
“All right.”
“All right?” He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, all right?”
“I mean that it’s fine for you to go on your own. I won’t accompany you.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You’re being awfully agreeable about this.”
I smiled sweetly at him as we made it out the front doors. “I wish I could say the same about you.”
Outside, the wind had picked up a bit, blowing the fluffy clouds across the sky. I shielded my eyes and looked up at an airship as it flew overhead, casting a long shadow on the ground.
“Give me a moment, and I’ll get you that ride,” he said.
“Don’t bother. I’m going to walk.” I hadn’t planned on quite this much walking today, but since I hadn’t brought any money for a steamcab, it was my only choice if I wanted to get to AIR U. It was in the Twelfth Chime, straight north of the Iron Watch in the Seventh Chime.
“You’re walking home?”
“I’m not going home; I’m going to AIR U.”
“Poppy,” he said warningly. “You said you would go home.”
“I believe I said I won’t accompany you,” I said. “I’m going on my own. I have some personal business to take care of at the university.”
He sighed and ran a hand down his face. “How convenient that you have business there as well.”
“Indeed.” I smiled brightly at him and started down the street. What was another forty-five minutes after the rest of the walking I’d done today? At least AIR U wasn’t too far from the Epoch Clock, so I didn’t have to go too deep into the Twelfth Chime. The only risk to my plan was if Detective Atwood took his hoverbike. He might get there and finish his questioning before I even arrived.
But if I was lucky, his protective instincts would kick in and he’d feel the need to walk with me.
As if on cue, he fell into step beside me with a heavy sigh.
We continued in silence all the way to the Epoch Clock. I studied the detective from the corner of my eye. His detective badge, a cog fashioned in the shape of a dodecagon, held his short cape in place. His short hair rustled in the gentle breeze, and his brows were drawn together in thought.
“Becoming a detective at twenty-five is quite impressive.” I finally broke the silence between us.
“And thirty is young for your fiancé to be a meridian, yet here we are.” Like before, instead of looking at me, he scanned the streets, giving the market around the Epoch Clock careful attention.
He was right about Desmarc, but that didn’t soften my curiosity. “I heard you solved a big case not long after starting at the Iron Watch,” I prodded as we crossed a bridge, leaving the center of the city behind and entering the Twelfth Chime.
“I caught a lucky break.” His jaw clenched as he spoke, betraying his discomfort with the subject.
My curiosity grew. “A big case about what?”
“A drug ring.” His hand drifted to the scar on his temple, but then he quickly dropped it and cleared his throat. “But that isn’t what’s important right now.” He paused, and his gaze darted from side to side as we walked through a street lined with vendors selling food to the hungry students milling about in their uniforms. The men and women alike wore a jacket or vest, usually in some shade of burgundy, navy, or green. Underneath, the men wore cream-colored shirts with slim ties, suspenders, and fitted pants with leather knee patches, while the women had cream blouses with lace cuffs and a bow tied around the blouse’s collar and a choice of skirts or pants.