"You did say you were putting together a task force. I assumed that meant you were the one in charge."
Richard set his own coffee cup on the table and knocked three times on the table top next to his cup. "Coffee for two please, black, use the cups on the table." There was a slight disturbance in the air directly over the two cups, and suddenly they were both full of freshly-brewed, steaming coffee.
"Before I retired and came to Preya, I competed occasionally on the International circuits. Martial arts, magical dueling, and wizarding sword. You learn to size up your opponents based on the smallest clues."
He flashed Natasha a quick smile. "Not like I need the money. A dollar a year and police privileges so I can carry concealed everywhere will do. Throw in a badge and a ticket book so I can cite idiots who drive slow in the fast lane and I'll even give you my unlisted cell number."
"I know what I've read on the network. People vanish, their things remain here. People with no apparent reason or desire to leave, while those who do wish to leave are told that is not an available option. Even though it would be easy enough to erase all memories of Preya, and given the multiple universes and timelines people seem to come from, probably send them back to the exact moment they left their previous home. Oh, I've poked a bit at the magic of the place. What you would call passive scanning if it were done with some technological means. There is no Apparation block - that would show up as a wall. There is simply nowhere else to Apparate to. I suspect a pocket universe, with the flap firmly buttoned shut. Not an Unplottable location on Earth somewhere. No discernible holes in the fabric, which does not preclude some magical failure, such as a person falling out of sync with Preya for some reason. Maybe looking at the place somebody vanished from would tell me something, but to be honest, that sort of magic isn't my strong point. I can do wards, magical security screens, and am used to looking for holes, but that doesn't mean that whatever rip in the fabric of this place did open up hasn't been mended by those in charge."