Wrestling the Kraken

Mahone

Mahone

Mahone stopped in the alley by the crime scene. He looked up at the building beside where the body had been found. The abandoned floor, he understood, but it was too close to prying eyes. He looked up at the windows from the neighboring building. There were several with a clear view of the alley. Why this location? It's too exposed.

Angela sent the message that the body hadn't been moved, which explained the lack of evidence in the previous murders. So what changed this time? According to the news, Mrs. Rossini was set to take back the circus from Armand and Dante. With the bodies often being found at or around the circus, this time there was no circus. With her out of the way, Armand and Dante would keep the circus, unless in her will she stated otherwise- which he had a hard time getting his hands on to find out.

Mahone entered the building. The first floor was in shambles with equipment, machinery and boxes scattered throughout. Newspapers and trash were all over the floor. The windows were dingy enough to block out much of the sunlight, not that much of it could reach down here in the first place.

He walked over to where the body had been discovered. Sure enough, there was a bloodstain where the body was found. Scanning the area, he opened boxes, pushed away tarps, checking for anything the killer could have left behind. The techs must have combed through it already.

Passing by a fireplace, he paused. Angela wrote the word "Fireplace" on the puzzle. He knelt down, examining the interior. For an abandoned floor, there was plenty of soot and debris, then again, there were signs that hooligans frequented this place as well.

Mahone grabbed a piece of wood off the floor and poked at the tall pile of ash. Large chunks of wood surfaced, but not the kind you'd use to start a fire. He gently pushed back more of the ash to get a better look. The shape was rectangular, but had smooth, rounded designs at the center. He knew right away that he was holding one leg of a chair.

Poking at the ash some more, he found more pieces to the chair. Underneath, were singed pieces of rope. Then seeing something peculiar, he cleared the ash with the stick. A ring sealed inside a clear bag. He picked it up and brought it closer for a better look. Angela also wrote the word "ring" on the puzzle. It was a cheap prize ring, hundreds of these could be found anywhere.

Stepping away from the shadows, a figure approached Mahone with stealth. Stretching his fingers out over a pipe in his hand, adjusting his grip, he raised it up in the air, as he moved in closer. The last step made a crunching noise and Mahone turned his head.

"Hey, what - " The pipe echoed as it landed on his head, knocking him back off his feet. The figure stepped over him, looking down at Mahone between his legs. He was still fluttering his eyes, trying to see through the haze. Another echoing of the pipe and the lights went out.

The figure bent down and grabbed the bag with the ring and left. Mahone stayed motionless on the ground.