Somehow, I thought you would. [He did seem the type to call this sort of thing an invigorating walk amongst mother nature, or something like that. Stoneface called it mucking around with a bunch of dirt and rocks where somebody really ought to make a road.]

Everybody knew about it already, anyway. It wasn't exactly... well, anybody with a head on their shoulders could tell, [he said, and immediately regretted it. The man felt awful, and he was probably making things worse. He endeavored to amend things.]

What I mean to say is, Youth, is that your son oughtn't be disappointed in that. All he's got to do is learn a little restraint and how to go to you before going and running his mouth off to the entire city.

[He put two fingers to his lips. Was that better? Probably not. If you asked him anything about crime scene investigation, he'd know precisely what he was talking about, but he'd never been good at these sorts of talks. Still, he felt a sort of responsibility for Youth, as a young man, a copper, and as a father. Gods knew he wasn't fit for giving advice in this particular area, but you did the job that was in front of you.]

I think best when I'm on a beat. Everything goes a little clearer when there's ground beneath your feet. Thing is, Youth, we're too short-handed to spare any men. Handmaiden and I are doubleshifting as it is, and Sky's... [His voice trailed off before he got back on track.] If you're serious about it, then I can't stop you, but we need your help right now. If Bridge lets you off, you won't have to do any more shifts than you would usually.