I thought about Em’s words for a long time. If I was created to redress some kind of impropriety, then didn’t that suggest there was a higher power? If there was, maybe all the players were operating in the dark, not just humans.

“Let’s assume you’re right, Em,” I said. “That would mean I’m not bound to any of the laws, or at least, none of them beyond the first.”

“So,” Rawlins said, “You’re a rogue genie?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “Would you be a rogue cop if the President stripped you of your association with A.P.D. and let you operate outside normal law?”

Rawlins thought about it. “The other officers might think so, but I think I’d feel more empowered, not less. No…I don’t think I’d be a rogue cop, just a different kind of one.”

“What exactly is the Genie’s First Law?” Em said. “You told me about it, but I’d like to hear the wording.”

“Genie's first law is the Universal Law of Probability,” I said. “No genie shall change Universal Probability beyond negative .01 or positive .01. All changes to local probability produced by a Genie will be balanced against the Universal Probability.”

“There you have it,” Rawlins said.

“Now I’m going to need more to go on,” I said.

“Obviously, I deal with a lot of laws,” Rawlins said. “They all have ways around ‘em, but they can definitely be broken, but you can’t break that law.”

“Why’s that?” Em said.

“Well,” Rawlins said, “if you screw with local probability too much, then it gets balanced by the Universal Probability. It seems like there’s no way to really mess things up beyond repair. It sounds more like a law of physics than an enforceable law of the land.”

“Fair point,” Em said. “Not only that, but maybe it didn’t count as messing with probability since David was really counteracting Jinn’s actions.”

I sat and listened to them both. I wasn’t a dumbass, but every time Em and Rawlins pointed something out, it sounded so obvious I wanted to slap myself. I was getting tired of that. One of the memories popped into my head, and at last, it was my turn to offer some insight.

I looked up and down the beach, trying to gather my thoughts. The line of sargassum marking last night’s high tide stretched along the shoreline. Seagulls and sandpipers flitted in and out of it, filling their bellies on small crabs and sea lice. The smell of it, though pungent to me, was a neon sign signaling a buffet. It was the balance in action. In a few more hours, it would be dried out and unfit to house the small prey the birds feasted on. Not long after that, it would be washed away by the tide, only to be returned the following day, teeming with more food.

“You’re not exactly right,” I said. “You can break the first law, but there aren’t any personal repercussions like with mortal law. The Universal Probability will indeed balance eventually, which is why I don’t think Jinn is dead. In all the memories I experienced, there have only been two instances when a Djinn was killed outright. One caused the black death, and the other caused World Wars I and II.”

“The death of a single Djinn was enough to cause all that?” Em said.

“Yeah, but it’s like a pendulum. It swings both ways,” I said. “Like Rawlins said, it’s more like a law of physics. The plague was followed by the renaissance, and statistically, we’re living in the most peaceful time in human history. I think if Jinn was dead, I’d know if the balance was about to get out of hand.”

“So, we can expect to hear from her again?” Rawlins said.

“Probably,” I said. “I don’t know what her game is, but she was just fucking with me.”

“What makes you say that?” Em said.

An SUV passed our little camp going well beyond the twenty miles per hour speed limit. Sand flew from its wheels as it fishtailed, and one of the passengers tossed a beer bottle from an open window. I saw Rawlins shift his weight.

“You’re not a cop right now,” I said. “Besides, you wouldn’t have jurisdiction.”

“I bet my badge would still scare the shit out of those assholes,” Rawlins said.

“I hope they get stuck,” Em said.

“Is that a wish, master?” I said.

Em looked hard at the truck. “You know what, screw them. I wish they’d get stuck.”

“I’d like to report a possible DUI,” Rawlins said into his cell phone. He paused. “Yes, white Ford Expedition, can’t make out the license, but they just buried their tires in the sand. They’re not going anywhere for a while.” He paused again. “Mustang Island state park, between access road 1A and 2.”

He finished giving his information and looked at me. We shared a smile. I could see how much he enjoyed having something to direct his ire at. Truth be told, I enjoyed it too. This time there was no doubt about the origin of my mirth. It was all me.

It only took a few minutes for the beach patrol to show up. The driver complied with the officers, but the three passengers made a break for it. They were rounded up in no time.

“Morons,” Rawlins said. “If they’d just stayed in the truck, they’d have been fine. Now they’re going to get tagged with misdemeanor resisting on top of public intoxication.”

“Fuck ‘em,” I said.

They knew the consequences of their actions and had decided to endanger the public anyway. Just like Jinn. She told me a genie could kill a mortal, but it was forbidden, but now I knew that to only be partly right. A genie could not directly harm a mortal any more than Rockslide or Haliniel could. However, it could be done indirectly, and Jinn would have to face the consequences of that. So, why did she do it? And why was it because I’d met with the emissaries?

“Well, that was exciting,” Em said. “But we kind of got off track. Why do you think Jinn was messing with you?”

“Because she’s more powerful than me,” I said. “If she was really trying to kill me, she could have done it, and in a way that didn’t endanger the public. Hell, she never had any trouble figuring out where I was.”

““What was the point of the attack, if not to kill you?” Rawlins said.

“I have no idea,” I said. “She said something about attacking me because I met with the emissaries. Presumably, she has all the knowledge I have, plus everything that came after. Maybe there’s something in these agreements with the Malak and Shaytan she doesn’t agree with.”

“Could it be a smokescreen?” Em said. “You know, like when a kidnapper accelerates the timetable to compensate for some unforeseen change in circumstance. They give some bullshit reason, so it looks like they’re in control.”

I watched as the beach patrol arrested the three passengers of the SUV. The driver must have been clean because he was left to wait by his truck as his friends were hauled off to jail. If you’d put a gun to my head, I would have said he was intoxicated. There’s a difference between assumption and presumption, and my guess was definitely the latter, but it was a stark lesson on drawing conclusions based on too little information.

“I don’t know,” I said. “All I know is that I’m too tired for this shit right now. You guys gotta be wrecked too.”

I was drained, emotionally, and physically, and I doubted they were any better off than me. I stood up and started cleaning the campsite. Em and Rawlins stood to help, but I waved them down. I needed to be moving, needed to be doing something that made sense, and that I could understand. The simple act of picking up trash was heaven.

“We should get a motel room before heading back,” I said. “Rawlins, you gonna be okay taking another day off?”

Rawlins smiled and nodded. “I’ve been reassigned. Wherever you go, I go.”

“So,” I said, “we’re stuck with you whether or not we want to be. Fan-fucking-tastic.”