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“He is.”
I regretted the lack of alcohol in my apartment, as I’d empty the bottle and hope the hangover dulled me to the reality of life for a while. “What’s your name?”
“Chester.”
“All right, Chester. I’m going to clear some air with you, as I don’t know what you know, I don’t know what your brother has told you, and I don’t want any problems. I left so Erik wouldn’t get dragged down with me. We entered that relationship with both of us having goals and an understanding we would not get in the way of each other making our dreams a reality. When my ship sank, I did as I promised I would from the start: I would not get in the way of him becoming a captain. Or a chief. Or even a commissioner if he made it that far. I made my mistakes. I pushed my heritage too far on my quest for justice. Well, at least in Miami.”
“Here, your abilities would be cherished, and you’d be moved to the top tier of detectives as soon as eligible.” Chester looked me over, and he huffed. “Are you going to return to the force after you test in?”
Well, at least he held confidence in my ability. “I was planning on entering forensic accounting. After Miami, I think I need a change in pace. I thought I might hunt people being crooks with money rather than haunt myself with the truth of bodies.”
Chester made a thoughtful sound and nodded. “I took the liberty of bringing in the force’s requirements for those who test in. We do, for the record, employ forensic accountants in Dragon Heights. You’d also help detectives go over financials, something I know you’re highly skilled at. In fact, if my brother is to be believed, you’re even better at the financials than you are at the homicide investigations, and that’s including your abilities. Ideally, the force would team you with Erik and use you on the big cases needing some extra care.”
Interesting. In Miami, detectives had been expected to handle the financials even when someone else might have been better suited for the work.
“He wants to be a captain, not a detective,” I reminded him.
“In Dragon Heights, detectives and higher ranks all work on investigations. He could be any rank except commissioner and be involved with investigations. The commissioner does not work directly in any investigations.” Chester stared at Garnet, who worked hard at licking her bowl clean. “Erik thought you didn’t like animals.”
“I’m afraid the exact opposite is true. I never wanted to have animals because I was not sure I could give them the attention they need and deserve. But Garnet and Tourmaline can come with me most places, and if I do need to leave Garnet at home, I’m not going to be worried about her much. She’s smart, and with her wisp form, she can let herself out and find me if something is seriously wrong. I’m going to have to teach her some independence, but I’m hoping once I have her gemstone collection established, she’ll want to stay home sometimes and admire her sparkling treasures.” I smiled down at the kitten, who finished her treat, came over, and rubbed against my legs. I bent down to pet her. “This is Erik’s brother, Chester. Do you remember how I was talking to my parents about Erik?”
The carbunclo chirped, sat, and bobbed her head.
I rewarded her with more petting. “Erik is a little shorter than Chester, his eyes are brown, and he’s a bit more…” Hmm. How could I explain the differences between the brothers without offending Chester?
“Egotistical comes to mind. You might want to try cocky. He’s not flamboyant; he does not need to show off to let everyone know he is a superior being. He is quietly smug. He knows his worth, and he isn’t shy about letting people know that. Frankly, I’m impressed he found a woman capable of tolerating him at all.”
Ouch. Had Erik done something to irritate his brother? “He’s also kind,” I stated in Erik’s defense.
“He’s kind, yes. He’s compassionate, as well. But he’s definitely egotistical. He’s a lot like me, but he carries himself straighter and with more pride. He’s confident.”
Yes, confident was a good word for Erik. “He can be humble, Chester.”
“He’s very bad at being humble, but he does try. He’s beautiful and he knows it. We’re all beautiful, though.”
I sighed, rolled my eyes over Chester’s antics, and scooped my kitten up. “Erik is quite similar to his brother, Garnet.”
“I’m a dog person, but Erik is definitely a cat person, and he wants to pet your kitten.”
I stared at the cop, raising a brow at his statement. “When was the last time you spoke to your brother?”
Chester checked his watch. “About two hours ago. Why do you ask?”
“Does he know you’re coming here?”
“No, he doesn’t, but because he is working here in the force, he has access to your address. He knows where you’re at, and he’s debating how best to approach you. As I was ordered to come here anyway, I thought I’d help my brother’s cause and test the waters.”
“Is Millson his real last name?”
“Millson is our last name. Most of our family works in the force in some capacity. My mother’s sleeping with the commissioner, which counts.”
For fuck’s sake. Erik’s father was the commissioner? I’d made a point of avoiding checking into the law enforcement situation, which held top responsibility for failing to notice the commissioner’s name. “And he goes by Millson?”
“Yep.”
“I am an idiot.” I bowed my head and heaved a sigh. “I was so determined to dodge being a cop that I refused to look into anything more than the basics.”
“To be fair, most people have no idea who the police commissioner for their area is. It’s just not something average people care about. They might know the name of their captain, and that’s only if the captain is vocal during election season. It’s just not something most people care about. I don’t know anyone who has checked who the commissioner of a city is before moving there. They find out later if at all. But yes, Dad is the commissioner. We have a system for if we get into disciplinary trouble; one of the other clans handles the situation, and Dad is expected to generally agree unless he can prove something is being handled in an unfair fashion. There are penalties on the books for doing such a thing, so everybody plays fair. We try to avoid earning Dad’s wrath, though. Also, if Dad had been in Miami when you’d been pushed out, things would have turned out a great deal differently. Erik learned his sense of justice from our father. Have you been told what he did before leaving Miami?”