Guarded by a Monster (Monstrous Guardians #2)

one

I'd lost my glasses more times than Velma and I wished like hell this was of those times. I did not want to see what I was witnessing. Not only was I unable to tear my eyeballs away but the glasses I'd cursed since I was 6 years old made everything stand out in ultra-high definition.

I was a kindergarten teacher, for Christ's sake. I should never have been a murder witness, but there I was, in a downtown Damruck alley trying to tempt a cute little tuxedo cat out from under a dumpster with seafood medley paté while a man at the far end stabbed somebody.

My knees were screaming in protest at the awkward crouch I'd held for far too long but I didn't dare move. The late summer air hung thick and heavy in the alley, making the metallic scent of blood somehow worse. It wasn’t late enough for the shadows to turn deep and any move I made had the potential to draw the eyes of more than the stray cat. If I thought I’d get away with it, I’d have crawled under the dumpster with them. I chanced a glance at the ground and decided that no, I actually wouldn’t. Behind a Chinese restaurant was a great place for stray cats, but the ground was five miles from anything clean. I’d never be able to squeeze my big ass under there anyway.

The blood streaming down the victim’s chest was almost purple. It didn’t look like that in the movies, but that was a ridiculous thought to be having right then. The whole scene was a lot quieter, too. I think the victim grunted once or twice, but the whoosh of blood in my ears was better than any noise-canceling headphs.

My thighs shook. I was certain I was going down in a heap, but then it was over. Without the blood and the odd flash of metal from the blade, I would’ve thought the murderer was just punching the other man. Once, twice, maybe four times was all it took and then the victim crumpled to the asphalt and his assailant hightailed it into the night.

I knew better than to try to stand, so I just fell on my butt. The stray cat and I shared a look before it took off like its tail was on fire. The adrenaline coursing through me wanted to follow it. My shirt clung to my back in the humid air, and somewhere a fan rattled against ancient brick. I was torn about what to do. I needed to check for a pulse, but the amount of blood and lack of even an eye twitch made me think it was futile. And if I did that, I risked contaminating evidence. I’d watched enough Investigation Discovery not to go tramping through a crime scene.

It took the ph in my pocket blooping for me to remember it existed. I leaned to the side and reluctantly put my hand down to balance so my other could fish the cell out of my back pocket. I dropped it twice before I finally managed to get it unlocked and dial.

“Nine--. What is the nature of your emergency?”

“Um… I just witnessed a murder. Maybe.”

“You maybe witnessed a murder?”

“I definitely witnessed something. I just can’t be hundred percent certain that the victim is dead.”

“Have you checked their pulse?”

“I considered it.”

“But you haven’t d it? Is the assailant still present?”

“No, and no. I didn’t want to mess up the crime scene.”

“Ma’am, I’m going to need you to check for a pulse.”

“Okay.” I grunted and groaned my way through getting to my feet. Then dropped my ph again. “Damn it, sorry, I’m shaking like I’ve got palsy and I dropped my ph again.”

“That’s okay, Ma’am. Have you checked for a pulse?”

“I’m walking to the body.” My knees screamed when I crouched next to the head. I gasped. He couldn’t have been out of high school.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, it’s just… he’s so young.” My index and middle finger sank into the side of his neck and I rooted around for a bit. “I can’t find a pulse.”

“What is your location?”

“I’m in the alley behind Chow Man’s Land.”

“I have police and EMS on the way. I need you to stay there and on the line with me until they arrive. What is your name?”

“Jade Massey. Can I go inside? I’m kind of hungry.”

The pause from the other end of the ph was long enough to be awkward. “I haven’t eaten since breakfast. I’m a kindergarten teacher, and of my students is having a rough time at home, so I’ve been giving her my lunch to let her skip the cafeteria. Then as I was heading home, Emma from Dixie Whiskers called and asked me to come here and try to catch a tuxedo that’s been hanging around. It’s probably not appropriate to be hungry after witnessing a murder, but I watch a lot of crime shows so I guess it hasn’t hit me the way it might some else?”

“Ma’am?”

“And Chow Man’s Land is the best Asian food in Damruck. If you haven’t been you gotta try the dim sum Sunday buffet, and the dinner rush must be happening because there’s all sorts of yummy smells coming from their back door.”

“Jade!”

“Sorry. I talk too much when I’m nervous.”

“That’s all right.”

The operator switched her voice to patient grandmother mode and even though I registered what she was doing; it calmed me down. I inhaled until my lungs burned and then slowly let the air out. “I hear sirens!” I kept my happy dance restrained.

“Yes ma’am. Tell me when the first to arrive is on scene.”

“A police officer has just parked at the far end of the alley.”

“I’ll let them take it from here, then.”

I hadn’t even finished my, “Okay, bye,” before I heard the click. I went to rub my eyes and then remembered that hand was on the ground. Water dripped steadily from a rusty air conditioning unit above, making me jump at each plunk against the metal dumpster.

I needed to wash my hands. I was probably immune to everything but Ebola, but I still didn’t slack on personal disease prevention. Working with twenty of the world’s best disease vectors for a few years will do that to you.

The police officer exited her patrol car and I waved at her like I was inviting her into the backyard picnic.

“Jade Massey?”

I nodded.

“Are you okay?”

“Yep.” I pressed my lips together to keep the stream of words from flowing.

“Please walk to me, keeping as close to the building as possible.”

I did as I was told, trying to appear as normal as possible. When I got close enough, she stuck out her hand. My capacity to make things weird knows no bounds, apparently. “You don’t want to touch me. I had to sit on the ground next to the dumpster. I mean, I had to put my hand on the ground to dig my ph out of my pocket.” I looked around like a sink and soap would appear in the alley.

The striking woman stared at me the way I looked at the first kid I caught picking boogers each year. She dropped her hand to her side and took a step back. “Right. Do you have blood on your skin or clothing?”

I shook my head. “I was pretty far away. I don’t think the killer ever saw me.”

“Let’s hope not.”

The murmur of her voice continued under my head exploding. “Am I in danger?”

After her pointed look, I peeled my fingers away from her bicep and took a step back.

“A detective will determine your level of risk after taking your statement.”

I nodded and picked at the skin next to my thumbnail. “Can I wait inside? I’m hungry and want to wash my hands.”

A flock of police cars trailed a silent ambulance that wedged itself into the narrow opening of the alley. The police officer I’d grabbed with my grubby hand closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’ll escort you to the restroom.”

The but I don’t wanna was as loud as if she’d actually said it.