fought a smile, looking down at my hands, clasped in front of me. Occam was . . . Occam was my cat-man. Accent on the word my.
“Jackett,” T. Laine called out. “I have a compromise between speed and safety.”
Jackett ambled over, his face saying he wasn’t sure how to act but didn’t want to look as if he was being difficult or as if he was giving in to a federal cop and witch.
“The unis we’ve been using,” T. Laine said, “are antispelled unis made by the Seattle coven especially for law enforcement and crime scene techs at paranormal hazardous crime scene sites. They are expensive and hard to come by. We went through an entire yearly supply of them on the last big case we worked and after today, I’m dangerously low. I have twenty null pens and they drain fast. I need a coven to recharge them, and before you ask, no, they can’t be charged with electricity. Your agency does not have access to a coven, correct?”
“Correct. I’m listening,” Jackett said.
“I’ve determined the most likely time parameters to keep the gear working and the people safe.” She explained the time on, time off, and time in a null room protocol. “That’s based on us having access to a portable null room, which is supposed to be on its way from Nashville. If it doesn’t arrive, then your people will have to drive to PsyLED Knoxville and sit in ours, according to the protocol I’ve outlined.”
Jackett nodded, still listening.
“While we’re talking supplies, equipment use is specified and coded by budgetary demands. PsyLED’s eastern regional director is talking to the governor to declare this an emergency, which will free up people and equipment, but I haven’t heard back and I need to order and overnight more unis and equipment for this scene. We need to talk jurisdiction and money.”
I was inordinately proud of T. Laine, standing up to male authority figures without getting all prickly. I wanted to give her a hug, but I figured that should wait.
Jackett looked out over the property, clearly seeing a high-profile situation he wanted to be part of but didn’t have the resources to handle. He frowned, thinking. “I ain’t ready to turn over full jurisdiction just yet. Hell, my own investigators ain’t even sure this is a crime, and my hazardous materials response team ain’t sure what this is either. Let’s keep working together. I got a budgetary line item for paranormal investigations I can put toward the supplies. It’s never been used, since we don’t have witches or weres or fangheads in this county.” His tone said that made his county superior to others.
T. Laine took a slow breath, holding back her annoyance. “Fine. Here’s my deal. You reimburse PsyLED Unit Eighteen for the unis your people wear and the cost to recharge the null pens they use, you agree to make sure your people spend the proper amount of time in a null room, no matter where they have to go, and you can get in there.”
Jackett rubbed his chin as if it itched. “That’s agreeable to me. Send me a text with the itemized costs. I’ll approve it and get the paperwork to your HQ. If it does become a federal PsyLED case, I’ll eat the cost of unis used now and during the paperwork transition.” He dropped his hand. “And I’m sorry I used inappropriate words about the witch situation. One of my deputies informed me why they were ill chosen.”
T. Laine took a moment to let the words sink in between them. Stiffly, she said, “Sorry I mouthed off. I don’t know what these energies are, and I need to make sure all our people are safe.” She stuck out a hand. They shook. “Oh,” she said. “No electronics inside. I can’t protect them.”
Jackett nodded agreement before he turned and started shouting orders. To us, T. Laine said, “And that, boys and girls, is how to smooth troubled waters and ruffled feathers, lessons courtesy of SWAT’s Gonzales.” I wasn’t sure who had soothed who, but I didn’t disagree.
Two deputies, who had already been inside and knew the protocol, requested gear and null pens. Dressed out, they started manual timers, as opposed to electronic ones, and went inside. The stench in the house puffed out each time the door opened, and I reapplied mentholated rub to my handkerchief and kept it folded inside my shirt collar.
Around us flies buzzed, the biting kind, and the sun beat down, making