His Soul

Undercover

Curioso's mask moved closer as you arranged a blanket over your lap, adding more to the cozy ambience of the room. You knew there were several questions he was waiting to ask, judging by the way his fingers clawed anxiously at his thighs. You decided not to beat around the bush with this news. It was something you'd both been waiting for in these idle weeks. He must be just as excited as you were.

"They reopened the case with Brianna," You began to explain. "Not the business with her wife - but the investigation with the house. They all laughed at me back then, but they've been trying to follow leads on the culprits and haven't gotten a break since. They put me back on the case since I've been the only one to make the most progress."

"The police have been mucking around for this long? They should've just kept you on to begin with. Why did they take you off the case?"

"Because they didn't believe in my 'nonsense' about 'magic and spells' ." You used air quotations mockingly. "But now I can say I told them so! I...can only hope those people haven't taken any more victims since our discovery..."

Curioso raised a thoughtful finger to his mouth. "So, what have they learned? If anything at all?"

"They tracked down the location in what they believe to be their bolthole. But get this...when they arrived at the place, not a single building could be found."

"They're hiding it again."

The grin stretched to both sides of your face. "-Exactly. And that's where YOU come in. You help me reveal it, we get to the bottom of things, and arrest these people once and for all." You swiped the TV remote off of the table, sitting up straight as the excitement flooded you. "I'd been hoping to solve the case myself. It's finally going to happen..!"

"I should apologize for how things went last time. If I'd have cooperated with you, we would've solved it long ago..." He bowed his head in regret.

"No, that was my fault. I trapped you when I needed your help. That's not going to be a mistake I make again."

He turned to you appreciatively and moved so he was laying beside you. He lifted his mask and looked into your ceiling, muttering quietly. "I remember someone was obsessed with experimenting on kidnapped persons...injecting them with something mysterious, seeing if they would survive it." He clasped his hands together and added quietly, "With how many bodies we saw, it must not have been very many. They enjoyed hunting down their sick victims like they were animals."

The spark in you slowly blew out, remembering the horrific details of what you were dealing with exactly. "The house must have been a hideaway, since the police were able to find the source of their operation."

"I'm not surprised they did. There were plenty of clues that showed whoever was there was writing letters and reporting back to someone by the name of 'Aydan'."

Your mouth fell open in surprise. "What!? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Oh, yes, I found documents of their call history and a collection of received letters. But you didn't particularly want my help at the time."

You groaned. "Okay, you've got to catch me up with everything you found in that house. If we're to tackle this investigation again, we need to be on the same page."

"I've no problem with that. I just hope you've gained some trust in me so we can work together this time."

"I believe I have," You breathed, remembering how close his body was pressed against yours and the white hand merely inches away from your leg. "With how much you were able to do, you might just be able to solve this entire thing for me."