CHAPTER FOUR #2
The thought exploded through her mind like a bullet.
She winced, suddenly feeling the heat of Hell rage all around her, but she held on, unwilling to leave just yet.
Yes, the nun’s spirit was gone – eaten – but what had eaten her remained.
She saw the signs of its teeth in the ether.
Judging by their size, it had to have been terrible and powerful, a beast of immense strength, of unfathomable age. A creature older than bone… rising…
Hero gasped – Goddess, her second in one day! – and came back to herself, demon and human reunited as one. She knew her pale face must have gone pure white by how the other two stared at her. Even the DH had a look of concern.
“You have charge of the body, DH Keen,” she said. “Let the coroner know he can begin his autopsy.”
“Did you find her?” Dewey asked eagerly. “Did you Speak with her?”
Hero shook her head. “Sister Catarine is gone. I do not understand how, but I can assure you it is not good for us, or for this case. Something very old and very strong has taken her soul. I have never seen anything like it.”
“Then I suppose we have to do this the old-fashioned way,” Keen interjected, somewhat smugly, to Hero’s vexation. “Through good police work, exacting diligence and deduction.”
“The slow way,” she growled, irritated beyond reason. Hell still clung to her, and the familiar stench coating her tongue made her hackles rise.
“I suppose without a shade to spill its secrets, a death speaker is hardly necessary given the circumstances,” he continued, oblivious to Hero’s rising temper. “It’s good you called me in, Chief. A demonhunter is just what this case needs.”
“Speaking to the dead is not my only skill, DH Keen. I am lead on this case. You will defer to my command, or you can find another assignment. The demon that did this won’t be impressed with your rank.”
He bristled, his ears turning pink at her tone. “Maybe you should find another assignment, Viridian. I am not afraid of any demon, no matter how terrible. I’ll root it out and expose whatever human called it here.”
“DH Keen, Inspector Viridian has vastly more experience than you,” Dewey said, throwing Hero an apologetic glance. “She remains lead, and you will do everything she asks of you. Do you understand?”
His lips, plump and red, thinned at the command and the pink on those too-big ears of his deepened. But he was Citadel trained, and he knew how to take orders: mindlessly. He nodded sharply. “Of course, sir. I beg pardon for my insolence. I just wished to do what was best for the case.”
“You are forgiven, Officer. This one time. Now, let’s call the diener in to prepare the body. Dr Virchow is eager to begin the autopsy once the body has been cleaned and weighed.”
The body . It had such a sound of finality to it, a bitter rebuke – to Hero, at least, vaunted death speaker with absolutely no one to talk to. The dead nun lay in peaceful repose. There was nothing left of her, this Sister Catarine, but an empty shell. A body. Flesh and bone and nothing more.
“Is he skilled, this Dr Virchow?” Hero asked, hooking her glasses over her ears once more. The world faded to a peaceful green.
“He wrote the book on the procedure,” said Dewey. “Literally. Soon, I suspect all PKs will follow his protocols for post-mortem examination.”
“Impressive.” Her gaze cut to Keen. “You will stay and observe. Make sure all remaining blood, all her organs, every hair and fiber anywhere on her, are examined and preserved. Can you do that, DH Keen? I mean everything. ”
Her sharp tone had the opposite effect to what she’d expected. Instead of the defensive air of before, he snapped to, his heels clicking smartly. “Yes, Inspector. I understand.”
She huffed, surprised. Citadel trained , she reminded herself.
They beat the insubordination out of their cadets.
A firm hand might work best with this one.
Hopefully, his training hadn’t rendered him a useless automaton.
He was good with a sword, at least. Nevertheless, she hadn’t asked for a partner, and she didn’t want one.
Especially not a Goddess-cursed demonhunter.
Fucking Culpepper should have warned me.
Her jaw clenched. It had taken ten experienced demonhunters to bring her in after she’d run from the smoking ruins of her old abbey.
One young buck was hardly a threat. Still, she didn’t like the way he looked at her, like he was just waiting for her to turn her back on him.
She kept him in her sights as she backed toward the exit. Casually, of course.
Nothing to see here, just a half-demon arsonist disgraced ex-nun jailbird.
“I need to see her file, Chief Dewey,” she said.
“As DH Keen pointed out, we’ll have to do this the old-fashioned way.
And gather all witnesses or potential suspects.
I will need to speak with them. In fact, I’ll want to speak with everyone even remotely involved with this case, including every teacher at Clementine and all of Catarine’s students. ”
Dewey cleared his throat. “That’s… that is a tall order, Inspector. Some very important families in Havenside will most likely protest their children being part of a murder investigation.”
“Those are the ones we’ll start with, then.” She gave her cane a quick twirl, her spirits rising. This might actually be fun. She remembered a few of those “important” families. She would enjoy putting them under the spotlight.
A whiff of foulness cooled her amusement, tickling her memory but skittering away when she tried to examine it more closely. She left the morgue with Chief Dewey, an unsettled feeling lodged in her gut.