Free The Seventh Sons (Sycamore Moon Series Book 1) by Domino Finn

again. The detective shrugged and got to his feet.
    As he walked into the office and closed the door, the first thing Maxim noticed was that the air conditioner in here was working. It was a cramped space that was made even more claustrophobic by the hazy windows and filing cabinets encroaching on the middle of the room. The marshal sat behind his heavy desk and motioned to the two empty seats opposite him.
    In the corner of the room, squeezed between a cabinet and a fake plant, was a lounge chair. Reclining comfortably was the whitest Indian woman Maxim had ever seen. She wasn't American Indian, as Maxim had assumed; that would have been normal for the area. Instead she carried an exotic charm that could only have originated overseas.
    The woman had long features: her build, arms, legs, nose, everything about her was thin and stretched. Her elbows and waist created sharp edges in her casual business suit, and she wore a frilly light blue blouse under her beige jacket.
    It was her face, though, that was so striking. She wore her hair back in a ponytail to show off her ears and cheeks. Her skin had a light brown tone and was softened and smooth where the light hit it. Her features stood out in the dim lighting, and her dark brown eyes and eyebrows accentuated the contrast.
    Maxim nodded at the woman, but she just looked at him with an amused expression. Maybe he had been admiring her for too long.
    "You know," the marshal chided, "there are reasons we do things the way we do."
    The detective took a breath and sat down.
    Marshal Boyd looked absurd in his leather chair. He was a short man, and the large desk seemed built for a grander presence. Maxim couldn't imagine a better caricature of a boy feigning the responsibility of a man.
    "I am responsible for protecting the integrity and reputation of this entire office," he said plainly. "As a department, we need to display a judicious balance when it comes to interacting with organizations with a footprint larger than Sanctuary. That is why dealing with Federal and State agencies is my purview."
    Maxim nodded, as he knew where this was going. He'd heard the same speech before and just had to patiently wait it out. A glance at the woman showed her looking intently at him. Something stirred within him, and he felt his face redden. Again this reminded him of junior high, and the detective angrily pushed the thoughts from his head and refocused on the marshal.
    "The motorcycle club is a sensitive subject," said Boyd. "My policies may appear to have no rhyme or reason, but they are in place to protect us. And you. And Officer Kent."
    "Sir, a man was killed within town limits." Boyd's point was only valid so far. Besides, it was dirty of the marshal to mention Kent like that.
    Marshal Boyd looked perturbed by Maxim's objection but continued speaking with the reserve of a politician. "Detective, if you had properly requested to interview the club president, then I would have approved it. The key is for these determinations to flow through me so that I can keep our greater interests in mind."
    There was, begrudgingly, some sense to that logic.
    The marshal had only been appointed two years ago, when Maxim was just starting to make a name for himself as a detective. Between his good track record and his wife going missing, Boyd had afforded him a lot of leeway and independence. But with Maxim's increasing frustration becoming more evident through his actions, it was clear that the dynamic between the two men was changing.
    "Yes, sir," was all the detective mustered. He didn't know if it was true that he would have been allowed to interview Deborah, but there was no point in making things worse. "Next time I'll come to you."
    Maxim looked down at the floor, unsure of what this was all about. Boyd certainly could have made his point without this strange woman being in the room. It was obvious there was something more to this meeting and that they were just going through the motions in order