The untold tales of The Dead Men

KILLER ON THE LOOSE: PART 2

The roof was cold. Colder than the ditch. The wind whipped through her hair and made her jacket flap about like it was attempting to dance. She liked being up high, it made her feel free. She could see it all from up here, even Roarhaven all the way in the distance.
Skulduggery turned to Cain "If my calculations are correct, which they usually are"
Valkyrie rolled her eyes
"We should be standing above apartment 3A" Pleasant declared.
"And if we're not?" Valkyrie questioned
"Well then we are about to ruin a poor mortals day."

They walked to the edge of the building, bellow were the many balconies of the apartments. There was a light on in what was supposed to be Mrs Connelly's apartment. Valkyrie could see two shadows. "And thus the suspicion grows" Skulduggery mumbled, raising his facades eyebrow.
One of the shadows moved in an almost inhuman way then the light went out.
Pleasant and Cain looked at each other.
"Ladies first" Skulduggery said
"Age before beauty" Valkyrie replied
"Equal treacle"
"I- dammit" Cain grumbled.
Valkyrie jumped down, Skulduggery right by her side. Neither of them made a sound.

They were ninjas.

There was a sudden scream and Valkyrie spun. Mrs Connelly was looking right at them through her glass door.
"Well at least it was the right balcony" Skulduggery murmured.
Mrs Connelly ran for the door but Skulduggery was to fast and manipulated the air to pull the lock down.
"Get out! Get out of my house!" She screamed.
"There is no need to scream Mrs Connelly" Skulduggery tried.
Connelly responded by screaming some more.
"Now calm down Miss" Valkyrie said "We think you might be in danger"
"Danger?! Danger! Of course I'm in danger, two strangers just broke into my apartment!"
Skulduggery stepped closer "Mrs Connelly, what my colleague is trying to say is that we believe you are the next target of a serial killer"
Connelly's face became even more paniced striken "Serial killer!?"
"Smooth move there" Valkyrie murmered.
Pleasant ignored it and continued.
"I think you should step away from the door and sit down before we tell you anymore" Skulduggery reasured.
"How do I know your not the killers?" Connelly questioned.
Valkyrie made a face "Why would we warn you that we are coming to kill you?"
"I don't know, you should know the answer, sickos."
"Your being ridiculous" Cain said.
"No, your being ridiculous" Connelly mocked.
Valkyrie went to respond but Skulduggery gave her a look.
"Im sorry Mrs Connelly, my partner lost a game of eye-spy earlier and she hasn't been the same since." Skulduggery consoled.

They both looked at him.

"Tea Mrs Connelly?" Skulduggery asked, trying to divert the awkwardness.
"Oh right, yes please" she said a little dazed "the kitchen is on the left"
Skulduggery disappeared.

Finally relaxed, Mrs Connelly moved away from the door and found a seat to be quietly hysterical in.

It wasn't a very exciting apartment, Valkyrie realised. The living room had a fake fireplace with a Tv fixed to the wall above it. On the mantel she saw a lot of photos with Mrs Connelly and a man in them.
"Is that Mr Connelly" Valkyrie asked
The question made her jump, like she wasn't expecting it. Mrs Connelly answered "Yes. We were high school sweat hearts. Annie and Alex they called us. We did everything together, wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. Until the.."
"The divorce"
"Yes Well, not everyone gets a happily ever after do they" Annie said irritably "Anyway where has you friend gotten to?"

Miraculously Skulduggery appeared in the door way, a tea in his had.
"I'm sorry that took so long, your house is like a maze" He said as he sat down
"The kitchen only has one door" Annie said
"Its a small maze"
Annie gave him a look then turned to Valkyrie and said "What about this murder, is it safe for me to be here?"
"Your safe as long as we're with you" Valkyrie replied
Skulduggery stood up and started to examine the mantle piece "My partner is right. You have nothing to fear if your innocent."
"And what is that supposed to mean!" Annie half shouted. Skulduggery turned to her.
"Where is your Ex- husband, Alex these days?"
Something caught in Annie's throat "I, I wouldn't know. I haven't seen him since the divorce"
"Let me change the question, who was with you earlier today?"
"I don't know what your talking about, I've had no visitors apart from you two." Annie said and stood up from the couch and made her way over to the other side of the mantle, her back to the bedroom door. Valkyrie stood as well.
"It's ok Annie, you don't have to be afraid of him anymore"
"Afraid of who?!" She said as she slowly moved closer to the bedroom door.
"Your husband, Alex Connelly." Valkyrie said, moving closer "He beats you doesn't he, I heard it through the door."
Annie seamed panicked "I, I don't know what your talking about, Alex would never, he's kind and loving and-"
"He killed those women didn't he Mrs Connelly." Skulduggery interrupted
Annie was backed up against the bedroom door now.
"Is he in the apartment now Annie?" Valkyrie asked
Annie didn't reply.
"He's in the bedroom isn't he Annie" Skulduggery said "You don't have to be afraid anymore, we're here to help"
Skulduggery moved pasted her and opened the door.

It was dark. There was nobody in there. But Valkyrie could hear something, a muffled banging from the corner of the room. Skulduggery drew his gun and advanced. As they came close the sound became more distinctive, Bang, BANG, BANG! It was coming from the closet. Skulduggery reached out a boney finger and flung the door wide open and pointed his gun at the threat in an instant.
Except what the found wasn't a threat. It was much worse. Valkyrie saw what she could only assume was Mr Connelly bound and gagged on the floor, a large bruise across his face.
A sharp laugh cut through the air. Valkyrie turned in a fright and saw Annie standing in the door way.
"Oh Mr Pleasant, I was never afraid. Your the one who should be afraid" She said with a wicked grin.
"You did this?!" Valkyrie gasped
"Of course I did dear, I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner" Connelly said with malice.
"Of course. It makes sense now" Skulduggery muttered. "You killed those women didn't you"
"He's a clever one isn't he Cain, got it all figured out." She said
"But why?!" Valkyrie said
Annie's face changed in that instant. A look of pure disgust and hatred. "My husband was a whore!"
Valkyrie blinked "You weren't the one being beaten, Mr Connelly was!"
"He deserves it!" She spat
"Because he cheated on you" Skulduggery interrupted "and by the look on your face it was more than once, four times to be precise"
Annie's face twisted with anger.
"But why kill the women and not Mr Connelly down here" Valkyrie questioned.
"They didn't deserve him! They didn't love him! Not like I do! How dare they touch my Alex! We were meant to live happily ever after! She screamed "So I went to their homes and used the gift I was born with to kill them where they stood!"
Skulduggery cocked the barrel of his gun "Annie Connelly, you are under arrest by the order of the Irish Sanctuary for four accounts of murder and the beating and imprisonment of Alex Connelly."
"Do you really think I'll be taken without a fight"
"Pretty please" skulduggery tried
"Not a chance" She said and with that she lunged.

Skulduggery fired his gun but a wall of shadows was there to protect her. He swung for her but Annie blocked it and sent a slice of shadows at his head, which he had just enough time to dodge. Skulduggery went for a right hook but was taken of his feet and flung back by a tendril of shadow.
Now it was Valkyries turn. She felt the shadow come at her and reached out with her magic to stop it. The tendril vanished, which took Annie of guard. Now was her chance! Valkyrie moved in at lighting speed and sent a punch straight to her gut then followed up with a punch to the face. This seamed to anger Annie as she grabbed Valkyrie by the waist with her shadows and flung her into the living room. Valkyrie hit the television then fell the the floor, shortly followed by the Tv.
Mrs Connelly approached when suddenly she was flung of her feet and straight into a far wall. Skulduggery ran to Valkyrie "Are you Ok?" He asked, his facade had slipped away on impact with the floor.
"Of course, I've had worse thrown at me" Valkyrie replied
"Like a table?"
Valkyrie looked up just in time to see a coffee table coming at her like a baseball. She through herself to the floor, the table missing her by a hair and exploding into splinters on the wall.
Skulduggery charged her while Valkyrie attacked from the side. It was like a war zone in there. A barrage of attacks where thrown this way and that, each fighter struggling to fend off the assault. Valkyrie had to jump back to avoid a shadowy spear to the gut, while Skulduggery hurled fire balls. Valkyrie had had enough of this. She let her magic crackle through her fingers and made it manifest into her white lighting. Annie had Skulduggery pinned down and was attacking relentlessly. Valkyrie made a fist and pointed it at Annie. She waited until she felt the pressure in her hand build then she released. A jet a pure white energy cracked through the air and ripped through Annie's upper torso. She screamed in pain and reeled back shrieking at the top of her lungs. Valkyrie could smell burning flesh. It didn't smell good.

Skulduggery sat up and sent a bullet between her eyes. The screaming stopped.
"I had that under control." He said
"I could see. Was getting beaten into a mush part of your plan?" Cain teased.
"Sort of"
Valkyrie sighed and helped skulduggery to his feet. He brushed himself down, straitened his tie and fixed his hat.
"How do I look?" He asked
"Dashing. Apart from" Valkyrie stepped in close and put her hands on his chest and brushed away some dust "There perfect. Can't have you looking all dirty, I have to be seen with you"
"Your a lucky girl"
"I am aren't I"
They made their way the the balcony. Valkyrie turned and looked back at the mess they made "what do we do about this?" She asked
"We'll get somebody else to clean it up. What's the point in being this cool if you can't abuse your position in power"
Valkyrie laughed. Skulduggery swept her up in his arms and jumped from the balcony. They soured high through the air on the hunt for their next adventure.
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Dooooooooonnnne 😆 Tell me what you thought of it. This was my first skul and val interaction together I have written and I wanted to make sure I got it right. So please tell me if I did.