The Carrion's Craft

Chapter 5

A couple of hours had passed when a soft knock emitted on the door. Both Gorby and I froze in place mid-cleaning of the office, a shared panic overtook us as we saw the dainty silhouette of a woman standing on the other side of the frosted glass. Thinking fast, I stooped low for the Brownie to throw his duster onto the pile of reports in my hands.

"Just a second!" I called out, urging Gorby to answer the door whilst I hurried into the Kitchen. I dumped the numerous pages of past cases in my palms onto the sofa, along with the bright coloured duster. Beyond the room, a small conversation began in hushed tones as Gorby welcomed our guest. 

I was about to run back, but catching a glance of the bird that had previously startled me kept my feet in place for a moment longer. It just sat there, its black eyes were empty as they stared at me absently. I had had enough, shirking the unnerving thought of being under surveillance, I yanked the curtains shut, veiling the feathered rat, before heading out.

Closing the door behind me, I regarded the young woman in the office. Claudia Stragard was a petite girl with a round face. Two wide eyes brimming with uncertainty beneath a fringe of brown hair. "Miss Stragard, may I take your coat?" Gorby requested.  A thin human dressed in a butler's attire cleared his throat in the doorway. His features resembled death himself, narrow eyes as black as night gazed at us from his stooped figure. Liver-marked skin tightly clung to his skull as if it were about to pop, it was so thin upon his face that I swore I could witness the very blood in his veins pulse through his temples. It made my own turn cold.

Before any of us could react, the client turned to the man-servant and said, "It's ok, Arthur. Wait for me by the cab, this shouldn't take too long." The vampire smiled at the ghoulish fellow, who despite his notably old age, bowed with the fluidity of water, revealing the thin whisps of white hair swept over a rugged scalp. The door shut behind him, and with the human's absence, the room lightened with the sun's rays shining through the windows.

"Good morning, miss Stragard. I trust your journey was a pleasant one?" I greeted the girl with a shaky smile as I moved to take a seat behind the desk. With my back momentarily turned, a small ruckus broke out, exhaled breaths escaped from the others' lips as something possessing some weight landed on the surface with a thump.

Turning, my eyes stared into the deep green glades of a black cat's gaze. It stood erect, as if it were ready to bolt at a moments notice. Strangely enough, I felt like I had seen this cat before. Its ears perked up at Claudia's voice, "I'm very sorry Mr Iriuin, she was scratching at your door, I didn't mean for her to jump out of my arms until I learnt if she was yours." Her cheeks flushed, evidently from embarrassment as she passed her dark fur jacket over to the Brownie. It practically covered the man as he stumbled backwards towards the kitchen, earning a chuckle from me.

"It's quite alright. She's charming." I held out my hand for the cat to sniff. The little thing's nose twitched once and then like the bullet from a gun, it sprinted away, almost swiping Gorby's feet from under him as the animal disappeared from sight.

Preventing myself from showing the fearful realisation that I had forgotten to wash, I was grateful for Gorby's comments, "If Claudia is not offended, I think the cat has chosen to keep us!" He called out from the other room. His furry head peeked around the door, "She is sleeping like a log. I will bring us some tea." He said with a wink.

We offered our thanks, and finally took our seats. Small talk was brief and stilted. The girl's sweaty palms clasped in her lap or fiddled with her pearls and assortment of jewellery as if the very things were choking the life out of her. Given how tightly they clung to her, it wouldn't have surprised me if they were.

Settling aside my own desire for an expensive jewel, I set to work, "Have you heard anything from your mother, Miss Stragard?"  Without Drenin to take the lead, the full pressure to perform weighed on my shoulders, as if the Bogeyman himself were pressing down on me with all his might.