Skulduggery – Crow
Anton – Bear
Ghastly – Panda
Dexter – Wolf
Saracen – Weasel
Erskine – Snake
Solomon – Raven
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Chapter 43
Three days after Christmas and everything was going back to business. Valkyrie had made a meeting with the Elders, Crow and head department responsible for sending Marr and Crux to her home.
She arrived early and sat with Crow at the roundtable. Only Guild and Meritorious were going to be there as Elder Crow was working on other meetings with other people. Valkyrie had been impressed the three officials had made time for her meeting at all.
They sat in silence waiting for the others for a few minutes before Meritorious arrived early. He sighed and sat down opposite Valkyrie.
"Detectives," he said tiredly. "Can I ask what this meeting is about?"
"It is about Detectives Marr and Crux," Valkyrie said, then tapped the documents she had on the table in front of her. "Read this."
He did and by the time he was finished, everyone else was sitting around the table. Marr and Crux were absent as Valkyrie hadn't wanted them ruining her speaking time. Meritorious put the papers down and slid them over to the head of the department responsible for issuing it, Mr Lament, who looked them over blankly and gave them to Crow. He slid them back to Valkyrie who was heading the meeting.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me today on such short notice," she said formally. They nodded. "I don't want to take up all of our time today, so I'll be quick. Elder Guild, please read these papers while I address Mr Lament." He took them with a contentious look but read them because everyone else had. "Mr Lament, as you have read on those papers, your department issued for my property to be assessed by Detectives Crux and Marr as well as allow them to interview myself and the Dead Men for signs of abuse and neglect within the home. That is correct?"
He coughed slightly and nodded, staring at the table. He wasn't comfortable addressing her it seemed. "Yes, these papers were issued by my department. I also gave my permission for it to happen although it is not written there."
Valkyrie nodded to him, a polite thank you of sorts for making her life easier and being upfront about what happened. "And to get an issue at all, Detectives Marr and Crux would have presented evidence for such a warrant."
"Yes," he said. "I did not hear it from them personally, but it is written on the documents. Public questions and worries over a child being used for work, underfed, overworked, tired all of the time, not being allowed to do schoolwork, shouted at, beaten. It is all in the papers. I was only consulted as the assessor who wrote the issue wanted to be certain with me before they allowed the detectives to go to the Dead Men. I believe they were nervous."
"Yes," she said. Many people were nervous of them. "And according to that document, it was issued on the twenty-third. The Detectives, firstly, were meant to be in my house immediately as this is an estimated moderate to high violence case, correct? And I did not see them at my doorstep until the evening of Christmas day. Not only that, but they lied to get into my house and only after insulting my home did they present the documents. I'd also like the have the Elder's confirm that, firstly, Detective Marr is meant to just be on desk duty and secondly, Detective Crux is on probation. Why were they at my house and why did you send them?"
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Skulduggery Pleasant: Raising Cain
Fanfiction(This story is written as a fanfiction, but can be read as a story without having read any of the books.) Valkyrie Cain, the adoptive daughter of the Dead Men, has had a life full of love and magic. But as she gets older, times become scarier and sh...
