Final Apocalypse: Rise of Tamara

A little bit of detective work

Daniel and Sako stopped at a coffee shop to rest. So far, they had one lead, and that was from a witch at a bar in Manhattan. She said that a guy had come in rambling about a new queen.

The two were stumped, so they asked what his name was. He was Dr. Aaron Hull. A warlock that specialized in memory spells. He owned an antique shop in Brooklyn.

Daniel ordered two coffees and handed Sako his coat as he noticed she was shivering. "Something bothering you?"

"Actually, yes. It's the way Marriko acted when we called her. She's usually much more animated. Bouncing off the walls and ecstatic with energy. She seemed a little on edge when we called."

"It's close to Halloween. For all we know, it's just a prank. Marriko and Tom are always doing stuff like that."

"Dad, you're not listening! You say something seemed off about the thing with Darrius. We call Marriko to check on them. Have we heard from Darrius, Tamara, or anyone else since? No. I hate to admit it, but Marriko might be the queen."

Daniel reached for his wallet to pay the bill. "It's worth looking into. Let's see if this claim holds any water."

Rone fumbled with the radio dial as he rounded the corner of 5th street. It was almost two in the morning and they had no leads. Isabelle and Ali were asleep in the backseat. Currently, he was alone in his thoughts. He was tired and annoyed. Right now, he was on his way to Angel of Mercy hospital to confront Dr. Hull. After Daniel had called them to let them know they were going to Darrius's house to check on Marriko and Tamara, Rone agreed to keep the comm line open in case of an emergency. He just hoped Sako was wrong. She may be a cunning strategist and near master martial artist, but if they were as bloodthirsty as the book said, then there could be trouble for Daniel and Sako both. He pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and walked inside, leaving Ali and Isabelle alone in the car. He stopped at the reception desk. "Hello, is there a Dr. Hull here?"

The receptionist looked up. "Are you the private detective?"

Rone answered on a dime. "Yes. Now, can you tell me where he is?"

She stood up and led Rone to a locked iron door. "Right this way, sir." She opened the door.

Rone realized immediately that this was a morgue. "I'm sorry, but could you fill me in on what's going on here?"

"Yesterday, we found Dr. Hull dead outside. We called a private detective agency to look into it."

Rone nodded. "Ok. Thanks."

She opened one of the cabinets and pulled out his body, then left in a hurry. Rone could tell she was squeamish.

He pulled the sheet down and inspected the body. No puncture wounds of any kind. But a red and purple ligature mark around his chin caught his attention. He either hung himself or someone dragged or strangled him with a rope. He spoke a prayer of peace over the body, then left the morgue, not even bothering to thank the receptionist.

He climbed in his car and called Daniel. "The witch doctor committed suicide sometime last night. Have you found anything else?"

"Not yet, but we haven't arrived. We're still about three minutes away. We'll call you when we have more. Be careful."

"And you." Rone hung up and drove away.