Chapter 2
“That would be helpful, yes.” Samuel offers a nod of thanks to a stocky, middle-aged constable, then turns his attention towards the rear of the building, where the Justice’s chambers lay. Hmm… he’d definitely heard a panicked squeal just then… but since nothing had exploded, then his Mistress was probably still unharmed, and well in control of whatever situation she’d found herself in this time. Or… would that be ‘again’?
Ignoring the smell of burning hair that was suddenly hanging in the stale air of the main public-safety hall, he follows the handy constable through a pair of small corridors, and soon arrives at a storage area that was blocked off with solid iron bars. After being admitted into the space, and shown where the personal effects of the victims had been collected, the wiry male then offers another nod, and waits until the officer leaves the space before pouring through the items…
The case they were now investigating was one in which there had been thirteen deaths; ten females and three males, of ages varying from sixteen to sixty four. Their bloodied clothes —or what was left of them after this ‘Slasher’ was finished displaying his gruesome handiwork—spoke volumes as to the horrors that each of the victims had endured. Gouges on the arms, legs… stab-wounds in the chest and stomach… though the vestments couldn’t reveal it, for obvious reasons, the murdered individuals’ heads were the only areas left un-scathed. As if the perpetrator wanted it that way. It spoke to the control that he held, despite the over-kill being displayed in other areas…
The long-haired aide lets out a sigh, then starts to root through various paper bags pertaining to the investigations. Not a single solid piece of evidence had been collected, aside from the personal-effects of the deceased-individuals. No matter where the bodies had been discovered, the only things that the constables had found were footprints in the mud. No treads on the soles, which was all too typical, considering that the under-sides of the vast majority of footwear was a single slab of hardened leather… but this killer seemed to be very careful not to leave anything else of his own behind…
He shakes his head slowly and replaces the last of the bags to where he’d found them, then takes one last look over the useless bloodied garments before making his way back out the main hall. Easily finding the ginger copper he needed, he stalks over to the young man’s desk, and looms over the edge until he’s acknowledged. “Arthur Johnson.”
Issuing an audible gulp at the cold stare forced down upon him from such a great distance, the red-headed constable pushes himself up from his chair, and tries to tactfully place a fair expanse of his desk between himself and the un-flinching giant. “Y-yes? Is there… something that you needed?”
“You discovered the third and sixth victims, correct?” Samuel stoically waits until the uniformed constable gives a jerky nod before continuing. “What were the dates and times that you found them?”
“I-I, uh… the, uhm…” the hawkish officer clears his throat softly, and tries to banish his nervousness under the scrutinous glare of the arsonist-woman’s companion. “R-right. Uh, Millie Vandergrueben, and Hanna Balmorrow. On the, uh... second and tenth of this month. Both late at night when I was on my way home from the tavern.” He scrunches his brows together, and tries to get a read on the unwavering features above. “Why? Was there something special about them?”
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Aegis and Order: First Light
Fantasy"It’s shoulders were wide and powerful. At four metres in height, it was almost as large across as it was tall. The arms of the hulking beast hung nearly all the way to the ground, and were thick with rope-like muscles that bulged with even the sl...
