"Look, you can't just go in there! That place was the site of a ritual, and if your forensics team goes in before we get a chance to do our thing, we'll be lucky if we can even tell how much faith it generated, let alone which god..." Sarah began. Aislinn placed a restraining hand on her shoulder as the Sergeant grinned maliciously.

"Oh, little crime lord out of her depth? I suggest you go back to your strip club, leave the detective work to the big boys," The man said, getting in Sarah's face. It darkened quite a bit as Aislinn had to pull Sarah away before she bit the man's face off. The Succubus was losing patience fast, and after calling for the equipment only ten minutes ago, she expected some sign that it was on the way, a phone call or something.

The forensics team was pulling out the last of their supplies before they'd ruin any hopes of tracing Aerith down and figuring out who she worshiped. While it was possible to be touched by a god, it was also possible to be touched by a god they didn't worship and they knew precious little about Aerith, besides the fact she knew all about them. Sarah had the feeling she had let a lion in her chicken coop, and the danger to her girls put her on edge.

She didn't like it when her girls got hurt, or when they were endangered. Hiring Aerith was both, and while Jared wasn't around to share the blame on, she couldn't help but figure had he been there, Aerith would have been exposed. Perhaps it was the stress of taking everything on her shoulders, especially after her heavy handed tactics had gotten more than a few girls to quit from under her.

Her phone began to vibrate, even as she heard the cop laugh.

Frowning she hit the receive button before she snapped, "Is it coming? That was slower than when Jared was around..."

"I'm so sorry Lady Mizami! I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen to me. He just harassed me and called me Rebecca!" Rose calling meant something had happened at the club. The fact that she mentioned a distinct he, meant a man had done something.

And Sarah was across town.

"Well where is the bastard?"

"He's coming to you with the supplies! But, he, he took your bike!" Rose wailed. Sarah now understood the hysterics she was employing. The girl had tried to stop whoever was bringing the supplies from taking her bike. The fact this man who was doing it was brash enough to risk the castration she promised any man who touched the thing meant he had to be cocky, or blissfully ignorant.

"Who is this 'he'?" Sarah finally asked, knowing the answer before she had even finished the question.

"J-j-jared!" The girl managed. At that point Sarah heard the revving of her motorcycle and cringed. Shaking her head she said a quick goodbye hanging up even as the fire red helmet came over the hill, the bike racing between the police barriers. She recognized the backpack as being one of the ones used for the field reconnaissance at ritual sites. The clothing while dark did fit his loose fitting style. For a moment she could have sworn she heard her heart beat.

She should have been angry, but after seeing him for the first time in years, she almost wanted to pull him into a side room and give him a real welcome back.

The police immediately moved up to the man waving frantically, even as the forensics team began to move towards the dorms. The helmet was removed before she heard his voice speak, the tone not inviting much room for argument, "You move those boxes another foot and I'll have your jobs with breakfast."

The smug officer from before waltzed up to Jared and pulled out his handcuffs. He then let out a shit eating grin as he said, "Well boys, we got breaking and entering, interfering with an investigation, and defiance of an officer. Let’s see what he does next. With luck he might get up to another felony!"

"That you Jacobs?" Jared asked as he powered down the motorcycle. Sarah wanted to move, really she did, but watching Jared in action was a rarity.

"Yes, Sergeant Jacobs to you, citizen. Give me a good reason not to take you down town for questioning," The man said as he crossed his arms.

"Commissioner Dobbs would fire you for police brutality, again," Jared replied bluntly before he pointed at the man's radio, "Check the database, we have a permit..."

"No, you don't, paperwork hasn't been filed in five years. You're too little too late big boy. Now turn around so I can cuff you. I'll be sure to read your rights nice and slowly, use small words so you understand it..."

"Check the temporary files. You'd be surprised what you can find," Jared replied, grinning with a bit of the Lavinian pride that Sarah missed around the workplace.

The sergeant radioed in the request, only to be given back immediately a file number. He glared at Jared before he said, "Fair enough, but I go with you. Make sure you don't tamper with or destroy evidence."

"I hope you brought a barf bucket," Jared replied getting off the bike. He moved down the street and into the dorms without losing pace. Sarah moved hurriedly to catch up even as the girls began to set up the traditional perimeter. Aislinn was handed the backpack before Jared asked, "Still remember the steps?"

"I think so; you might have to hold my hand through it..." Aislinn said even as they hit the elevator. Sarah remained resolutely silent, watching Jared to see what was up.

"I would but I think my wife might take offense to that..." Jared finally retorted as the doors slammed shut. The officer snorted in derision before Jared gave him a stern look, shutting him up.

Sarah wasn't sure what to make of that choice of words. Did Jared not know? Was he merely playing dumb hoping she'd go out and drop the divorce? He was as unreadable as ever, a true chaotic agent in her perfectly defined life. Perhaps that's what frustrated her, he turned her world upside down, merely by walking through the door.

It's also what lead to their eventual marriage.

When the Elevator came to a halt, she felt the goose bumps once more, before Jared shook his head sighing, "I smell it everyday for five fucking years, and it still makes me cringe every-time..."

The officer frowned at Jared before he said, "Smell what?" At that point the doors opened and the stench reached them fully. Aislinn was used to the scent having only just left it, but the officer felt his stomach lurch at the offending odor. Moving down the carpeted hallway he moved stiffly, in the signs of a rebelling stomach. Sarah felt a bit vindicated by the fact he was already squeamish. Having seen the massacre sight she knew he couldn't take much more.

The dorm room was covered in blood, decorating the walls and the ceiling as well as the floor, painting the room in a crimson red. The officer seemed dazed as he looked at the scene, the body laid bare upon a bed, barely recognizable as a woman. Seeing the man so put off she pointed at a nearby door, "Bathrooms there..."

While he was rushing into it Jared ignored his retching to reach into the backpack. Pulling out some small poles he began, "Aislinn boot up the computer, and hand me the microphone. I'll need to record notes this time, Sarah could you help me set up the spark detectors?"

The "spark detectors" were the best kept secret of Sarah and Jared. Having close ties to the local university and a deity, they were able to quantify the faith a god uses to fuel his divine powers. Once that was accomplished, it was a simple task to measure the imprint of faith in an area. When a ritual was done, it would leave a ghost image of the faith reaped from such an event. The Spark Detectors told how much spark was generated, so a god could function.

Sarah moved to a corner and placed the first one, even as Jared moved opposite. AIslinn had set the laptop on her lap, and was sitting on a chair she had pulled in from outside the room. Immediately she began typing away as a concert pianist, moving through programs and files with a practiced ease. She tossed Jared the microphone, which he clipped to his ear and placed the mouthpiece close to his mouth.

"July 27th 1947 PD, Victim looks to be human female roughly 5 feet six inches tall. Cause of death is bleeding out, with indications of torture evident. Skin has been flayed in some areas, and any attractive feature has been gouged out of the woman. Scraps of cloth on the floor suggest victim was tied down then stripped. Time of death is unknown as the air conditioning of the room is blasting cooling the body prematurely, and the clean atmosphere has not allowed insects to arrive at the death scene yet," Jared said firmly before he clenched his hand into a fist. Aislinn quickly shut off the recording as he looked over at Sarah.

"This isn't some wannabe honey, she's the real deal. What info do you have on her?"

"She worked at the Temptress," Sarah replied softly before she shook her head. Despite having fed only hours ago she could feel a yearning to lick the room clean. Moving out into the hallway she said firmly, "I have to go. I can't keep my composure in here; I'm liable to do something stupid. Let me know if you need extra hands..."

She also didn't want to deal with the emotions of deciding how to treat Jared. As a friend? A lover? Husband? She didn't know, and she hoped some fresh air could shed some light on the situation, even as she let Jared go to work. She looked at Jared only briefly before she spoke up, "Jared, welcome home..."

Jared looked at Sarah with a softer look than his usual gruff appearance before he said, "Thank you Sarah. I'll catch you at the club tonight..."

Sarah sighed before she nodded and headed downstairs.