P.S.I. Private Supernatural Investigators Book 3: Condemned Souls

Chapter 3: No Brainer

Scarlet releashed the clip to the leash on the dog's collar. Duke tread into the lab which he began smelling around. As he tried finding the scent he had smelled earlier, she and Butch looked around the lab.
      There was no trace of an accident that happened here. No blood from Tony. The lab was clear! There was viles of blood on the counter which were labled of what they were from. A laptop laid nicely on the workstation. Monitors and pannels were not touched either?
      "This lab has no blood from Tony anywhere," obserbing he responds. "It's clean?"
      "Whatever happened in here last night," Scarlet guesses, "somebody had to have sanitized the lab?" She looks to where Duke was. "Can you find what you were smelling, Dylan?"
      "Unfortunately, I can't find it even though I am still smelling it," answers he responds.
      He rumaged his head underneath a workstation. Duke then pulled his head out which he had something grasped in his mouth. He treads over to Scarlet.
      "What do you have there, boy?" she asks.
      "This isn't it," his voice muffled he spoke.
      She places on some gloves which she kneels down. He lifts his muzzle to Scarlet who noticed something white and shiny. She grasps the plastic with her fingers which Duke released his grip. Scarlet looks at the plastic to realize what it is.
      "Butch?"
      Butch was over at an examination table which he was investigating warring gloves. He heard his partner's voice call him. Butch looks over at her to see she was glancing over her shoulder. He stops examining the table and walks over to Scarlet.
      "This is a fake I.D.," explaining she responds.
      Scarlet hands her partner the I.D. card which Butch takes looking it over. "Yup, this is a fake I.D.," he confirms which he places it in an evidence bag. "I recognize the design from Shella's fake I.D. we found in her apartment."
      With their last case, she and Butch had went to Shella's apartment, after finding out information, that she lied about her name being Amy.
      "I still can't find what I was smelling earlier," informs Duke. "I can smell it though?"
      "What does the scent smell like?" Scarlet asks.
      Even though she had a keen smell, her wolf sense was not as powerful as a german shepherds. Plus the fumes from containers did not help as well.
      "It smells confusing," perplexed he explains. "The scent smells dead...but alive as well."
      "What is Duke saying?" he asks. Butch could not understand the dog because Duke was in skinwalker form.
      "He says he can smell something dead but alive at the same time."
      "How is that even possible?" confused he says.
      "I am not sure," Scarlet admits.
      "I'm going to keep looking," reassues Duke. "I'm certain I can find whatever I am smelling," he adds with determination. Duke continues sniffing around the lab where he can smell the scent.
      "Let's keep searching for clues," implies Butch. "We have the scuff marks as one part of our evidence and this fake I.D. card."
      She walks over to the examine table where he was before. Butch follows her over to the table. Scarlet observes the material to the table with her fingers. He payed attention as to what his partner was doing. Butch has been learning from her who teaches him her senses even though he is not a werewolf.
      "This material is fresh," she informs. "Too fresh." Scarlet glances up at her partner. "If the incident happened last night, then why is there no disruption to this examination table?"
      He nod his head agreeing with her. That was something Butch didn't understand as well when he examined the table. Everything about this lab was a little off. Scarlet's wolf senses was trying to tell her something happened here...but what?
      Duke lifted his head up sniffing the air. The scent was coming from above the workstation. He jumped standing on his hindpaws with his forepaws on the countertop. Duke sniffed some more to then find where the scent was coming from. He stretches his neck and reaches to a cubby hole.
      Once his teeth gripped on what he found, he pulled his head back. Duke then placed his forepaws back on the floor. He turned and tread over to Butch and his partner.
      "I found it!" his voice muffled he says. "I found the strange scent!" She took the piece of rag from Duke's mouth. "Blaa! Phaa! Nasty tasting!"
      Scarlet looks at the rag piece along with her partner who was staring at it too. The rag piece in her hand was long and was grey. It was greasy too.
      "Is that..." he begun to reply.
      "...hair," interrupting him she guesses. "Yes...yes, this is."
      "It is grey," Butch responds confused. "It can't be Tony's nor R.J.'s. They are not elders. Whose hair is this?"
      "No idea," admits Scarlet. "Once we get back to the station, we'll take the hair sample to George." She places the hair sample in an evidence bag. "Good-job, Duke," Scarlet praises while scratching him behind the ear.
      "From the looks of this hair sample," begun explaining he replies holding the bag closer to take a look, "it was cut off by something sharp."
      She guessed that when the beings attacked Tony, he might have used a tool as a way of defense. Scarlet surveys over the counters. The tool he used had to have been here still!
She then noticed a scaple knife lying on a tray perfectly. The tool was made to look like it was not touched at all. Scarlet though focused her eyes to notice something on the knife though...
      Blood!
      She walked to the counter with the tray. Scarlet picked up the scaple knife examining the blade over. Indeed there was a small trace of blood.
      "This is what Tony used to defend himself with," she concludes while facing Butch's direction.
      He nod his head agreeing with his partner. "That should be enough evidence to help us figure out whom had attacked the guard and killed the scientist." Butch opened another evidence bag which Scarlet dropped the scaple knife in.
      The first day of their third case was going along great. They had quit a few evidence to go off of. Unlike the last case with the skinwalkers, which took them quit a few days, before figuring out what was going on. They had scuff marks from tiny nails, a fake I.D., a hair sample, and a scaple knife, which was the weapon of defense...they were off with a good start!