Palmerson led us to a medium-sized office space with two large bay windows that overlooked the sales floor. We had a great view of almost every part of the ground floor the public would have access to. Fu Zhang was seated behind a bank of eight computer monitors mounted to the wall and tapped away at a keyboard.

“I have some other things to attend to, Fu Zhang will help you. Please show yourself out when your investigation is complete. I expect to have my artifacts returned by the end of the week.” Mr. Palmerson turned and left without waiting for a response. Jesus.

Fu Zhang stood and pointed a perfectly manicured finger toward a pair of chairs in front of a computer monitor. “I have prepared all the pertinent video and spectral feeds on that workstation. Next to it, you will find photos and descriptions of the missing items as well as an abbreviated catalog of the Reliable Reliquary.” She told us in perfectly accented Londoner.

Teddy sat down and immediately started reviewing the video. I took the opportunity to get Ms. Zhang’s statement. “Can you tell me about your activities yesterday afternoon and evening?”

Fu Zhang crossed her long arms across her chest. She tapped a nail against her shoulder. Once. Twice. The nail looked sharp. Not claw-like exactly, but like an improvised shank. Three times. She was debating if she should cooperate. “Agent Renshaw. How long have you been associated with the AMI?”

I gave her my best “don’t fuck with me” smile. “That doesn’t have anything to do with where you were last night.”

“My activities last night have no bearing on the theft and are none of your business.” Her finger picked up speed.

“That’s a strange thing for the Director of Security to say and…”

Teddy interrupted me. “Fu, just give him a statement so we can get out of here.” He didn’t look up from the computer.

Fu huffed and said something in Chinese, the Londoner accent gone. At least, I think it was Chinese. I am only the product of the American Public School system. And although I did go to University, when I wasn’t on the football field, I was drunk. Fu ended her rant and switched back to the Queen’s English. “It’s just like Mr. Palmerson said. The only thing I would add is that my apartment is in the basement, not the second floor and no you may not see it.”

“That’s fine Fu,” Teddy turned in his seat to look at us. “This is gonna take a minute, can you give me and my partner a bit of privacy? We won’t leave the office.”

Fu Zhang’s slitted eyes flicked from Teddy to me and back again. “I suppose that is acceptable. I will lock the door. Knock twice when you are ready to leave.” She marched by us without a second glance. She closed the office door and I heard at least two locks being engaged. It took me a moment to realize that she had locked us in.

I sat down next to Agent Ruthersford. “You sure this is a good idea?”

Teddy went back to the monitor. “It’ll be fine. Fu didn't take anything, questioning her is a waste of time and is only going to make her mad. They want us out of here as soon as possible.”

I started thumbing through the pictures of the stolen items and their descriptions. “So what is Fu? Space Vampire? She looks like she could rip my heart out with those claws.”

Teddy stopped typing and looked at me. “Space Vampire? Do you mean Energy Stergoi? No, her full name is Fu Zhang Long. Does that help? He went back to typing.

“Fu Zhang Long? Is that supposed to mean something to me? Wait, there are actually Space Vampires?” I was just kidding.

“I just said she's not a Space Vampire. She’s a Chinese dragon. A Treasure Dragon.”

“She’s a fucking dragon! Like wings and fangs and breathing fire?”

“That’s a European dragon. She’s a Chinese dragon. Or, well, the human embodiment of a Chinese dragon? I’m not sure. Mostly, she’s a bitch that can fling lava.”

I could hear the sounds Teddy was making, and I understood the language that he was speaking, but my brain was not interpreting the words. The small part of my lizard brain that had decided to just roll with all of this came up with the most logical question. “Why is a Chinese dragon working for a little punk like Palmerson?”

He stopped typing again and looked at me. “That’s the smartest thing you’ve said today, maybe this week." He turned back to the monitor. "But the answer is literally in front of you.” He motioned toward the binder containing the store inventory.

Lizard brain spun the hamster wheel. “She’s a treasure dragon. And this,” I touched the binder, “is her hoard?

Teddy smiled approvingly. “Cash, you really are taking to this. I know it’s overwhelming, but on some level, you are getting it.”

Lizard brain took a bow.

“Unfortunately, this case is a pile of excrement.” It felt like Teddy came close to using the "s"-word, but had to hold himself back.

“Nothing on the video feeds? This place has enough cameras.”

“Just this.” My partner tapped a few buttons. The computer screen changed to a view of the hallway right outside the security office. A ghostly figure could be seen sweeping across from the left to the right. Teddy paused the video. I could just make out a figure in dark clothing. The figure’s head was uncovered though and a mane of blond hair was unmistakable.

“The Farfalla.” I peered closer at the screen. The closer I looked the less I could see the figure and the more I could make out the hair. “This is all we have?”

“This is all they are going to give us. Most of what Palmerson told us is a fabrication. They know exactly how she got into the building and into the safe. She’s a cat burglar, not a ghost. They just don’t want us to know. Either from embarrassment or fear that we could exploit the same weakness. It doesn’t matter anyway, she left us her calling card, we don’t really need to prove she was here. You heard Northcutt, he wants us to eliminate her, permanently. And Palmerson just wants his belongings back, I doubt he cares one way or the other if we capture her or not.”

“So we are just going through the motions? Feels like we are just wasting time?”

“Not exactly. What element of the crime are we still unsure of?

I thought back to the police academy. This time I was able to use my whole brain. “Well, the conduct was a regular old breaking and entering. The mens rea is she’s the fucking Cat Burglar. Capital C, Capital B.”

Teddy nodded along encouragingly.

“So that leaves the proximate cause, or motive. You said she’s already stolen everything worth stealing, so what is she dinking around in Texas for?”

“Exactly Cash. Exactly." He pointed a finger at my chest. "Why did she come to Texas, why did she come to the Reliable Reliquary and why did she take these three items specifically?”

“Well, what did she take?”

“That’s where this gets stranger, still. She absconded with the Amulet of Obscurity, which makes the wearing invisible, for five seconds.”

“That seems useful for a Cat Burglar.”

Teddy rolled his eyes. “The second item was Eye of Sagacity, which allows the wearer to see ninety seconds into the future.”

“I mean, I could see…”

Teddy hurried to talk over me. “The last item was a hat that lets you speak and understand Russian. It doesn’t have a name and they don’t even lock it up at night.”

“Hmmm.”

“Indeed. And take into account that the Eye of Sagacity was on the same shelf in the vault as this,” Teddy opened the binder and flipped through a few pages. He found what he was looking for and opened it so I could see. There was a photo and an evil-looking stick on the page.

"The Wand of Obliteration." I read aloud after clearing my throat. "The Wand of Obliteration can fire a magical beam of energy that splits the target into all of its component atoms and then sends each of them into a different pocket dimension for all of eternity. Whoa, Teddy, that sounds pretty serious.”

Teddy understandably ignored me. “The Eye and the Amulet are certainly useful, perhaps less so to the Farfalla. But why did she take those items,” he closed the binder and tapped on it meaningfully “out of all of these. If we can answer that question, we may have a chance to solve this case.”

Teddy logged off the computer and stood up with a sigh. “Well, there’s certainly nothing left to learn here.” He knocked on the door twice and it opened almost immediately. Fu Zhang was there and she held the door open for us to exit.

"Have you gentlemen finished your investigation," she asked sedately.

I contemplated a tough cop routine, but I didn't think there was much I could say that was going to intimidate a mythical beast. "Yeah, we're good. Thanks, Fu."

She actually smiled at that and led us back down the spiral staircase. Mr. Palmerson was behind the counter showing something to a guy wearing an actual purple robe. With little golden stars embroidered on it. I guess it was getting close to Halloween.

Fu opened the door to the mancatcher. “Try and have my property back to me by Friday. Or don’t, I have been terribly bored lately.” Fu slid a forked tongue out over her ruby lips and then the door closed behind us.

Fucking Dragons.

The outer doors buzzed, and we walked back out into the cool for Texas, late October morning. The air felt refreshing after the stuffy office and Fu's veiled threats. Agent Ruthersford had a thoughtful look on his face. He looked out across the street and at some of the surrounding buildings. He looked around at several of the roofs. He seemed to be engaged in an exercise I used to do as a cop. Look at a scene and think like a criminal. How would I get into the building? Who’s around? Would anyone see me? Is there anything in the area I could take advantage of? Why would I choose this house or business to burglarize out of the others?

I watched Teddy examine the scene. “You got a thought partner?”

“I just might. Let’s take a walk, it’s such a nice morning.”

We set off down the sidewalk and we crossed the street, walking slowly. I followed Teddy as he turned into an alley between a closed bar and a furniture store. My only warning was a few loose pebbles that came falling down from the roof. Then, a fucking dumpster fell on top of my partner.

I stood there in absolute shock for a moment. I was staring at the green dumpster and noticed that Binnie the recycling mascot was upside down. I heard a pounding from inside and heard a muffled “It’s her. Farfalla. Go!”

I looked up to the roof where the dumpster had come from. I saw a blond woman in an honest to god black leather catsuit smiling back down at me. Then she was gone, sprinting along the rooftop down the alley. I pulled my pistol in a smooth draw and rotated the chamber twice to put a stunning round under the hammer. Then I tore down the alley after her. I figured I had about a zero percent chance of actually catching her, but I figure I owed it to Teddy to try on account of the dumpster and all.

I watched the woman leap from one rooftop to another, clearing the 15-foot gap in a single leap. She looked like a gazelle, not even making an effort. Her eyes were covered by a half mask, but I could see a faint smile on her lips. She was having a good time. And why not, I supposed she lived for shit like this. I ran for about a hundred yards, following her as she ran along the edge of the buildings. We made a few turns, and I came to a dead end. What was it with these blind alleys?

I slowed to a jog and then I got the third heart-stopper in as many minutes. The leather-clad woman stopped running and performed a graceful flip and landed in front of me in the alley in a superhero pose. She was tall and lean. Partially genetics, and partially the three-inch heel on her boots. Her hair flowed freely like a golden river and the catsuit did a fantastic job of showing me her Milan model body. She was not overly curvy but was instead built like an Italian Supercar.

“How the fuck do you run in heels?” Lizard brain stuck again with the most unlikely question.

Her laugh was throaty and sensual. Guttural, like she was a smoker or maybe she drank champagne by the magnum and stayed up all night. Maybe all three. Probably all three. “Magic, of course.” She smiled like we were sharing a private joke.

I pointed my gun at her. “You’re the Farfalla, then?”

She looked at my Ruger and her smile broadened. “That’s a nice pistola. Very shiny. Are you going to shoot me with your big American gun?” She paused for emphasis on the last three words.

“I’d rather not, but my boss didn’t leave a lot of room for interpretation. He wants you brought in and he made it clear he wasn’t going to count the number of holes in your body."

“I’ll bet he did, that son of a puta. But you’re not the kind of man that would shoot a signora a sangue freddo.” She took a step toward me.

I didn’t know exactly what she said, but I could guess. And the way she said it was making me want to buy her dinner. “I don’t suppose I am. That puts us at an impasse.” I had never used the stun rounds before and I didn’t know what they would do to her at this range, or if they would even be effective. Looked like I was going to have to hands-on. Lord help me.

“It does, Agent?” she was asking my name.

“Agent Renshaw. Cash Renshaw.”

The laugh again. “Cash? Like contante? Oh, you’ll do nicely.”

I holstered my pistol. AMI had issued me a pair of magically suppressant handcuffs. If I could get them on her, they might be able to neutralize her Archetype mojo. Hell, she probably only weighed ninety pounds. If I could get my hands on her, I could just carry her back to the office. I started to advance toward her.

She raised an eyebrow as if she was considering something and then her hand went to the belt of her catsuit. She pulled an object free from her belt and threw it to the ground. I knew what was going to happen before I even smelled the smoke. There was something else in it, some kind of irritant, and I started coughing. I started back toward Teddy. There was no way I was catching this lady without some kind of advantage and right now I had the short end of the stick. She had engineered this entire encounter and I was just reacting. Better to regroup and fight another day before I got myself into trouble.

Agent Ruthersford had managed to pull himself free from the dumpster by the time I jogged back to the mouth of the alley. He was covered in trash and he didn’t look happy. “She got away of course.” He frowned and picked a banana peel off his tweed blazer.

“Yeah, she had some kind of smoke bomb. You OK?”

“Just hurt feelings. What did she say?”

I stopped. “How did you know I talked to her?”

“All of this was just a well-orchestrated meeting.” Teddy spun a finger in the area as if to include the whole alley, including Binnie.

“She said, ‘I’d do’. What the fuck does that mean?”

“Who knows? Italian women have a special brand of crazy. We’ll be ready when she makes her next move. Let’s get out of here, I smell like a landfill.”

“You’re not getting in the Hellcat like that.” I laughed.

Teddy looked mortified. He pulled out his phone. “Let’s see if there’s a tailor in the area. This is wholly unacceptable.”