Chapter 12 Garrick #2
This body was no different to the other one. Throat cleanly slit, not a mark or print in the blood splatter. No evidence of a fight or forced entry into the room. The roommate seemed legitimately shaken and even when my eyes shifted in my frustration, they didn’t break.
I don’t think they are our killer.
“Why don’t you take a break?” Dominic says as I rub my tired eyes, leaning back into the corridor wall. “I can finish here and make sure the body gets transported.”
“Thanks, Dom,” I reply after letting out a long exhale. “I should wait until we’ve finished interviewing everyone on this floor at least.”
“No, you need to go get some sleep. If any evidence turns up we can come and get you. Everyone’s locked up, the killer isn’t getting another chance.”
I contemplate heading back to my room for a quick nap. I still need to deal with Tarron. I can’t believe he fucked up so monumentally. He’s meant to be in charge whenever I’m not but how can I trust him now?
Leaving Dom in charge of the final clear up and reallocating number Forty-Three, the roommate of the fresh corpse, I make my way back to the Officers’ quarters.
The sun is fully up now and the sky is clear, azur blue stretching from horizon to horizon.
The heat hasn’t kicked in yet but it's muggy out. I bet we’ll have a storm soon.
The call of the mountains pulls at my cat. I want to take off and shift.
Inside the Officers’ quarters the ground level is quiet but I hear plenty of action down on the office floor.
Jogging down the stairs with the tiny ounce of energy I have left I check in with my team who are wrapping up the search.
I don’t know if I’m relieved or even more frustrated that they found nothing.
It seems Hades really has chosen some elite criminals for these games if these humans are outsmarting us in multiple ways.
With our current luck I cannot believe that one of them doesn’t have Tarron’s pass and hasn’t tried to get into the building. The opportunity would be too good to miss.
“What about the CCTV?” I ask when they’ve summarised their physical search.
“We’ve just clipped the sections and divided it between those of us who aren’t needed out there today,” one of the rookies replies.
I nod, wondering how long it’s going to take to comb through the last twelve hours of footage.
With the amount of cameras we have set up we could really use more bodies watching it, but with the lockdown in place more of the team are outside ferrying around the contestants.
“Oh,” Elisa grabs my attention. She’s another of my team from back in Tartarus that I brought over. She’s the best organiser I’ve ever had and ensures we never run out of the supplies we need. “Hades is in your office.”
“Why didn’t you lead with that?” I growl at her. Elisa shrinks back. I don’t currently give a fuck though. I don’t even stop to wrap up the meeting, I simply leave them to it. Crossing the hall and taking a breath to steady my anger, I head into my personal office.
“Sir, I’m so sorry, I wasn’t told you were back,” I apologise as Hades spins in the chair he’s occupied.
“No worries, I gather you’re dealing with more than just another body.” I can’t decipher his tone. Is he angry? Disappointed? Am I about to be punished for the staff pass?
“Yes, I’m afraid so.” I keep my eyes low as I reply and take my seat behind the desk. I pause for a second, the scent of currents drifting up my nostrils. But Hades starts speaking before I can process it through my fog-tired brain.
“Don’t look worried, Zephyr. I don’t blame you for the fact that one of the contestants managed to get one of the staff cards.
” Finally, something that brings cooling relief to the acid that’s been swimming in my stomach for the last several hours.
“It was a good idea you had, to make all the staff memorise the entire contestant deck. At least anyone breaking in here wouldn’t learn much. ”
I think of the site plans and game summaries in my desk and quickly slide open the drawers beside me to check those are still there.
“Yes, there isn’t anything overly confidential kept on site,” I respond, quickly counting the sheets and feeling more relief when I confirm none of them are missing. Sitting back up I run a hand through my hair before stretching out my arms, the tiredness really taking hold now that I’ve sat down.
“Get some rest, Officer.” Hades moves to stand. “We can catch up this evening.”
“Wait. Did you find anything out from the soul?”
“Sadly not. Their memory of the killing was hazy. It was quick, they’d been asleep and didn’t take in any features of the killer.”
“Damn, I was holding out for that. Whoever it is, Hades, they’re good. Like beyond human good.”
“I know. I think this second one confirms that the Angels must be involved. One of the contestants must be more than we believe.”
“You think they’ve been given divine magic?” It would take an Arch Angel to do it but some of their strongest have the power to imbue some of their power into a mortal. It wouldn’t last very long but maybe that’s why they’ve acted so quickly.
“It’s plausible, don’t you think?”
“It is. It shouldn’t last more than another week though, unless they’ve found a way to top it up down here.” I stifle a yawn, my mind trying to conjure up the ways in which we could test this theory.
“Rest, Garrick. I’ll come back at dusk and we can talk properly then.
” Hades disappears in his smoke, and I’m left alone in my office.
Slumping back in my chair I tap my fingers on the wooden surface.
Hades was much more lenient about the officer pass going missing than I thought he would be.
I know that the contestants couldn’t really access much information but it's still a huge screw up on our part.
Another yawn drags its way out of my chest and forces my mind to empty. I need to rest. If I get some sleep, I will be able to focus more. I can still feel the sun’s rays on my face from my short walk across the courtyard.
Fuck it.
I march out of the office, yell to everyone that they are to go to Elisa with any problems, that she’ll prioritise for me, for when I get back and I hightail it out of there. I barely remember heading to the main exit of the games compound, but as my feet hit the grass outside the fences I shift.
Immediately, my muscles relax and the tension I was carrying slips deep into the recesses of my mind, getting locked away for when I return to my human form.
My black coat absorbs the sun’s heat, which is now much higher in the sky.
Digging my claws into the earth I take off into the wilderness.
I can’t go far but the freedom feels fucking glorious.
I run for a bit before my stomach grouches at me, reminding me I haven’t eaten in way too long either. Leaning fully into my feline instincts I find some prey to catch, eat until I’m stuffed and then pass out on the flatbed of a rock in the sun.