* * *
Fifteen minutes later, she parked in front of the video store and went inside. It was full of teenage boys mostly, but there were two men standing in front of a rack with the newest sword and sorcery and combat games. One of them was Dr. Rydel. The other, surprisingly, was Officer Kilraven.
Dr. Rydel looked up and smiled when he saw her coming. Kilraven’s silver eyes cut around to follow his companion’s gaze. His black eyebrows arched.
“She’s Christmas shopping,” Dr. Rydel announced.
“Buying video games for a relative?” Kilraven wondered aloud.
Dr. Rydel chuckled. “She’s a gamer,” he confided. “She can take down Hunters with a .45 auto.”
Kilraven whistled through his teeth. “Impressive,” he said. “I usually do that with a sniper rifle.”
“I can use those, too,” she said. “But the .45 works just as well, thanks to that magnified sight.”
“Have you played all the Halo series?” Kilraven asked.
She nodded. “Now I’m shopping forODST,” she said. “Kell, my brother, likes it, too. He taught me how to play.”
Kilraven frowned. “Kell Drake?”
“Yes…”
“I know him,” Kilraven replied quietly. “Good man.”
“Were you in the army?” she asked innocently.
Kilraven chuckled. “Once, a long time ago.”
“Kell only got out a year ago,” she said. “He was freelancing for a magazine in Africa and got hit by flying shrapnel. He’s paralyzed from the waist down—at least until the shrapnel shifts enough so that they can operate.”
Kilraven blinked. “He got hit by flying…he was working for a magazine?” He seemed incredulous. “Doing what?”
“Writing stories.”
“Writing stories? Kell can write?”
“He has very good English skills,” she began defensively.
“I never,” Kilraven said in an odd tone. “Why did he get out of the army?” he wanted to know.
She blinked. “Well, I’m not really sure…” she began.
“Look at this one,” Dr. Rydel interrupted helpfully, holding up a game. “Have you ever played this?”
Kilraven was diverted. He took the green case and stared at the description. He grinned. “Have I ever!Elder Scrolls IV, Oblivion,” he murmured. “This is great! You don’t have to do the main quest, if you don’t want to. There are dozens of other quests. You can even design your own character’s appearance, name him, choose from several races…ever played it?” he asked Cappie.
She chuckled. “Actually it’s sort of my favorite. I loveHalo, but I like using a two-handed sword, as well.”
“Vicious girl,” Kilraven mused, smiling at her.
Dr. Rydel unobtrusively moved closer to Cappie and cleared his throat. “You shopping or working today?” he asked Kilraven.
The other man looked from Cappie to Dr. Rydel and his silver eyes twinkled. “If you notice, I’m wearing a real uniform,” he pointed out. “I even carry a real gun. Now would I be doing that if it was my day off?”
Dr. Rydel smiled back at him. “Would you be shopping for video games on city time?”
Kilraven glared at him. “For your information, I am here detecting crime.”