The High Priestess - The Darkest Desires Series

WANDS OF SIX - XIII

McQueen breathed in deeply when he saw Detective Hale raging a storm behind the blue and white tape. The man was on a murder spree and no one was safe. "Your late McQueen!" Hale snarled, teeth flashing in the police cars lights. He was late. By ten minutes, but the local taxi man and probably the only one in the town, tried to take him for a joy ride. At the time, a sharp bark and a slap of his police badge on the glass-divide got the man crossing hist's and dotting his i's. But that didn't help when he pulled into a traffic jam.

"Sorry Hale." He said meekly. Small and timid. That was how he'd get through this morning... until meek and timid just reminded him of the way he'd run from Echo too. Today wasn't going to be his day.

"McQueen!!" Hale barked again, indicating to the large oak tree that scraped the sky. In the morning light, if would have looked like an idyllic scene: for a wallpaper or a wedding photo. That would have been the case if it wasn't for the three naked, dead bodies swinging in the breeze, the tree branch creaking under their weight."Get your head out of your ass and get to questioning the officers first on scene!"

"Yes Hale." McQueen didn't query it.

✽✽✽

He quietly and quickly worked through the other officers, then the tech team, finding out what they knew and Jacob Smith, who was as helpful as the first time they'd spoken. Almost an hour later he walked up to the tree to give Hale his findings and thus got his first view of the murder victims. He had hoped it would have all been removed by now. But alas, it wasn't.

One body had been taken down, but that didn't spoil the effect. There had been once been three, but now there were only two. Both women had their arms strung high above their head, this time, by their hands. Side by side, from a distance, they could easily be about to perform an acrobatic act. Up close, you could see that wasn't the case, the first issues being they were as naked as the day they were born.

The first victim, hanging the furthest along the branch, had dark brown hair and caramel skin and features that suggested she was of Indian decent. Head tipped back, her hair was limp, while her mouth hung open in a silent scream. Dried blood was crusty and cracked around her chin and black make-up was smeared under her eyes. McQueen could see track marks dotting her inner elbow; evident of some substance abuse that looked to span years. Her face was gaunt and every one of her ribs was showing. She wasn't starved but she was too thin, much like the supermodels he'd see on TV. Dead women walking, his Nana had called them. Unfortunately, these victims wouldn't be walking anywhere alive or dead. The Detective in him did notice however, her breasts were missing, leaving two bloody circles on her chest. That was new. The killer hadn't used a knife on the first two victims. This woman had faired a lot worse than the other so McQueen studied her more. Below her knees were completely gone, some of her thigh flesh was missing too. Her stomach had been ripped out and her intestines draped dramatically in the air in long loops. Her wrists had long dribbles of blood trailing down her arms where the woman had pulled so hard, she'd pulled her skin apart.

McQueen's mind tried to glaze over the horror, but he still couldn't un-see the bloody thighs and skeletal bones that hung below.

"Focus on the evidence." He said to himself as he looked over the bodies again. Moving on from the Indian lady, the other woman had what would have once been beautiful red coiled hair, but now it hung in front of her face, dirty and sheared, lacking colour and life. Her soft white skin looked ghastly next to the brittle red blood, it could have rival Dwight's. Sticky blood coated her stomach and arms; however, her legs were in better condition than any of the previous victims. Twisted up, her ankles had been tied to the tops of her thighs which had caused them to turn mottled black and blue. There were some bite marks, but for the most part her legs were whole. Not that it would do her any good now, McQueen thought.