There was a sudden knock and, a moment later, the door swung open. A petite young woman with rainbow-streaked black hair entered and offered a quick apology before sitting down next to Officer Sampson. She placed a pad of paper and a small case onto the table and then sighed.
"Hey, Zhi. It's been awhile," Sampson offered as a greeting, his laughter subsiding.
"I hope I'm not too late," she said, opening the latch on the case. "The traffic is hell out there today."
"It's fine," Sampson said, still chuckling a bit. "You haven't missed anything relevant yet."
"It may not have been relevant, but it sounds as though I did miss something."
"Just a bit of fun at Detective Bowen's expense," Ida grinned. "He's ever so much fun to tease."
"I didn't know that he could be teased. I don't think I've even seen his expression change. Does his brow just furrow more?"
"He's only that way when he's in the office," Sampson explained. "He's a little looser out in the field."
"Ah, that explains it. I only ever see him here at the station."
"Anyway," Sampson said, turning his attention back to the work at hand, "Lady Ida, this is Zhi Ruo Li. She's on contract with the department as our sketch artist. Zhi, this is Lady Ida. She'll be working with you today to recreate a tattoo that she saw."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Li."
"Just call me Zhi," she said, extending her hand for a handshake. "It's nice to meet you, Lady Ida."
Ida stared at Zhi's hand for a moment, then looked over to Sampson and asked, "Does she not know?"
"Oh, right!" he said, jumping slightly as he realized the situation. "Zhi, Lady Ida is a bit of a...how should I word this? She can sometimes—"
"I can see into people's minds through touch," she interrupted. "There's no need to be delicate about it, Gregory, though I do appreciate the thought."
Image sourced from Pixabay.
