Reginald looked at this man, probably in his late thirties. He was impeccably dressed in neat almost new uniforms, contrary to other officers.
It's said officers of acquisition were new uniforms everyday. His fingers were adorned with rings, his neck beautifully glinting silver chains, and a bejeweled monocle rested before his eyes with a tongue of amber.
"Can you sign my handkerchief? Even with the madness going on, it's still rare to see a dead man walking," the man said, raising his handkerchief.
That was it. Reginald was now sure that he wasn't supposed to survive that suicide attempt. It was all thanks to the mysterious purple-eyed woman who had saved him. And coupled with the change in attitude from his Superintendent, whom he didn't have the best relationship with, such a cold shoulder was uncalled for. All this intensified his desire for strength.
"I'm sure the inspector didn't mean to leave this old man hanging," the man, noticing Reginald spacing out, said, "or does he?"
"I'm sorry," Reginald quickly retorted, taking his handkerchief and signing it as quickly as possible. His future safety depended on it.
"I'm sure the inspector isn't here to daydream before this old man."
Why does he keep referring to himself as old? He's obviously only a few years older than Jim, Reginald thought.
"Yeah... of course not... I'm here for a few vampire hearts." Reginald knew what he was asking for was literally illegal, so he spoke with a toned-down voice.
"What makes the inspector think he can get that here? This is but only a storage space."
Reginald broke down in cold sweat; this was what he feared the most. The man refusing to help. He was even willing to bet his next few monthly salaries to get some. Worry started finding its way into his mind; the fastest way to get some power was to get a few vampire hearts.
"Haha," came a stifled laughter. "You should have seen your face. Of course, I can help with that. Only for a small price, of course."
A sigh of relief, then another bout of worry.
Here it comes, he thought.
"How much will it cost me?"
"Money? No, of course not. Just a small favor, actually. Nothing you will miss."
Reginald almost wanted to walk out the door at this point; free things cost the most.
"Just tell us how you survived."
"What?"
"Yes," the receptionist affirmed. "You survived something no Unscorched should be able to survive. We are very interested in how."
Reginald was unsure how to feel about this. But he really needed those hearts.
"I'll tell you all I remember. I don't think I can help you beyond that."
"Of course, I don't expect anything more. Of course, the inspector knows better than to lie to me," as he said this, his eyes glowed red, Miasma pervading his pupils, scrutinizing Reginald.
"A woman saved me. All I remember was she had a cloak on, and she has purple eyes...."
He recounted the details to the receptionist.
"Will that suffice?" Reginald enquired.
"Of course. One moment."
The man turned his back and walked towards the door. Soon he was back with a box. He pulled at the latch, and the box opened with a clicking sound.
"As per our agreement, these are all the Heart of Vampire currently in storage."
Reginald moved closer to look into the box and saw six red dried-up leathery hearts. He looked at the hearts, not letting any emotions out, then accepted the box.
He hopes he hasn't incriminated the purple eyed woman that saved him.
"I'd like to remind the inspector that it's forbidden for anyone outside the Attack Department to become Scorched."
"I know."
"That is splendid. Here, have the box."
"Thank you."
Reginald took his price and started walking away, even faster than he had entered the station.
Reginald sighed. He didn't expected better but was quite disappointed with the hearts. The hearts belonged to low-ranking vampires. Maybe that's why the police had them in large quantities.
Creatures of Hell are divided into seven castes from lower to upper: Knight, Baron, Viscount, Earl, Marquis, Duke, and finally The Ruler or King. The Hearts of Vampire he got were merely at the Knight level; only one was pseudo-Baron.
On his next list was to look for somewhere to hold the ritual. The ritual he was planning was very ancient and powerful, one of the strongest in the Book of Blood. Therefore, most spaces were not suitable.
The attitude of the Superintendent and the slight differential treatment from the receptionist of the Acquisitions department put him ill at ease. Reginald was sure that he was being followed, or at least he was currently of interest to them.
So he couldn't just carry out the ritual in his house. Headache after headache. But things were still proceeding according to plan.
Reginald flagged down a carriage.
"Eggot Harbor," he said to the driver.
The cab driver looked at Reginald, confused. 'Why would a detective take a cab to a place like Eggot Harbor?'
Eggot Harbor was an abandoned harbor and was west of the city. Back in the day, it was a very prosperous community because all ships coming to Earnest's Fog docked there.
Things changed when ships started sinking on their way to the harbor, and all the crew disappeared. The official statement was that it was due to a change in sea tide, but even he could tell how bogus that excuse was.
That was how the gated community fell from grace, wealthy people becoming paupers over a few days. Now it's one of the slums in Earnest's Fog. Due to the high population of the area, it became a safe haven for rogue Scorched activities.
He intended to disappear into the slum and carry out the ritual there.
-------------------
Unbeknownst to Reginald, the news of his movements had spread across a lot of interested people.
Veronica was also finishing her report to the Superintendent.
"Keep tabs on him. He might be a threat after all."
"Six vampire hearts won't make a difference, Milady."
"Someone saved him that night. I believe it's one of them. All we need to do is follow him, and he will lead us to them."
Veronica nodded slightly and wondered how the situation would play out.