Demonic Runes and Leg Humping
The interior of the cathedral was much brighter than the previous locations, and it helped Malachi relax slightly.
The oppressive nature of the darker buildings was something he normally would have liked, being a demon, of course, but throw the consecrated ground into the mix and it emphatically ruined the gloom-and-doom vibe.
The distinctive tingling of righteousness inside the space still rippled over his fur like icy, boney fingers.
Fortunately, the room's openness lessened the uncomfortable sensation to a more bearable level.
This place isn’t too bad. Hopefully I won’t have to embarrass you here. He plopped on his behind and lifted a foot to scratch at the collar of his vest. This damned thing itches even though it’s not literally damned. Can’t the department honor my demand for a satin one?
“You’re never an embarrassment. Except for that time you dressed as a sexy nun for that Halloween party. The fishnets were a little extra,” she whispered in his ear as she crouched by his side, pretending to check his vest.
I made that nun habit look good, and you know it. And no one even noticed the cross was upside down. Well, except for Glenda, but she had no room to talk, coming as the character from The Wizard of Oz; that’s a little on the nose, don’t you think?
Smirking, Chuck straightened as footsteps sounded and turned toward the young man who was hurrying toward them. His long cassock was flapping noisily behind him like a pair of giant wings in his rush.
“Sorry!” he called breathlessly, arriving with a chagrined wince.
“I was trying on my new vestments for a baptism soon and didn’t hear you come in.
” He glanced down in confusion at the strange horking sound coming from Malachi.
Frowning, he continued, “Thank you for coming back, officers. We appreciate you taking this seriously. I’m Jonathan.
I’m the caretaker of the property.” He faced Chuck now, his smile widening.
“I guess you already know they came in through the front door. Please let me know if I can answer any further questions for you or be of help in any way.”
Nodding back politely, she ignored Malachi, who was banging his muzzle on the carpet over and over.
“Yes, thank you so much. And where were the artifacts stored? The ones that were taken? We’ll need to look there again as well.
” She tugged at the leash as she followed the young man across the wide foyer to a small, unobtrusive side door with no plaque or signage indicating its use.
Once opened, the door revealed a standard, narrow storage room lined with shelves piled with detritus from years of collecting.
It was the sacred equivalent of the kitchen junk drawer.
It was likely that no one knew for certain exactly what was stored in there.
Unlike the other locations, this space was much brighter because of the extra light streaming in from a small transom window high on the back wall.
Dust motes danced heavily in the beams of sunlight, indicating this room was rarely used.
Muzzle twitching, tickled from the dust, Malachi realized with horror he was going to sneeze. Fuck… fuck… I’m gonna sneeze. In a church. He’s gonna say it! You have to stop him… or say… say…
ACHOO!
“God bless you,” the young man offered sincerely, piously, and right on cue.
“Unbless you, damn you to Hell,” Chuck whispered furiously, trying to cancel out the effects. The men eyed her strangely, but she ignored them with a small pious smile of her own. She kept a trembling hand buried in the fur on his back, waiting to see if it worked.
Ugh, thanks. That helped a little; Malachi reassured her with a wheeze and shudder. He was still a little nauseated, but her quick thinking had prevented another projectile pentagram vomit episode.
Dropping his nose to the floor to trace the scent, Malachi quickly located the trail and followed it to a set of shelves, where large, dust-free empty spots indicated that items had been recently removed.
He inhaled the smoky sulfuric scent of the other demon and grimaced.
This was, without a doubt, the same creature that had targeted the first two locations, but it was still off somehow.
What he’d considered at the previous church now solidified in his mind.
This was a demon, but also something else.
It was a strange blend of contrasting smells that shouldn’t be, but he couldn’t quite place what that second scent was.
Its familiarity tickled his brain, just on the edge of recognition.
Regardless, he could at least confirm for Chuck this was the same party targeting these places of worship.
Traipsing around the room, he gave perfunctory sniffs to other shelves in case he missed anything.
It was in the back corner of the lowermost shelf that he came across something peculiar.
A small scrap of paper, completely saturated with demonic stench, was folded up and tucked into the space between the shelf and the wall.
Easy to miss as incidental trash, but it appeared to have been purposefully placed for someone low to the ground.
Especially as it had his family name etched onto the outside of it in demonic runes.
Any human who found it would think it was just random scribbles.
He glanced at Chuck meaningfully and nudged her to follow him away from the shelf, so Kassidy wouldn’t grow even more suspicious than he already was.
The man was entirely too observant for Malachi’s liking.
Some of that may have just been his dislike of the detective’s mustache, but he wasn’t taking any chances.
At Chuck’s questioning hum, he sent her his concern. Lower shelf, corner, there’s a piece of folded-up paper with some writing on it. I need you to get it without the detective seeing. It’s evidence, but it’s addressed to me, so I don’t want him taking it. I’ll create a distraction. Good?
She gave a slight nod as she moved behind him. “Well, I think that’s all for here; ready to go to the next location?” she asked brightly, slackening her grip on his vest.
Malachi took advantage of the lapse and rushed out, slamming his body into the detective’s knees and spinning him around so hard, he had to grab the doorframe to keep from hitting the floor.
A vibrant woof kept the man’s attention on him while Chuck quickly dropped and snatched the scrap of paper before shoving it in her pocket.
“Malachi,” she scolded in mock fury as she rushed forward, grabbing his collar and snapping his lead back on. “What has gotten into you today? I’m so sorry, Kass. I don’t know what his deal is. He’s normally much more well-behaved than this. Maybe I should take him to the vet!”
Brushing himself off, the detective nodded slowly and narrowed his eyes as Malachi sat happily at his feet, panting like a good boy. His gaze softened as a paw came up to shake.
“I think he’s apologizing,” Chuck murmured, nudging his arm gently. “Maybe he’s turning over a new leaf. The V word usually works wonders.”
“Apology accepted, Malachi,” Kassidy replied formally with a soft smile and slight bow. It was hard to frown when a large fluffy dog was shaking like a gentleman. “So, what did he find? Certainly seems like he’s recognizing the scent.”
Swallowing hard, Chuck nervously wiped her hands over her pants, and her halo briefly flashed yellow and gray.
She hated lying. “Yeah, I think it’s definitely the same person.
He caught the trail before we even indicated a starting point.
I think we should head to the next location and let him lead from the parking lot, see if he finds it without being directed. ”
They said their goodbyes to the young man and hurried back to their vehicles. Once they got on the road, Chuck fished the paper from her pocket and handed it to him through the open partition.
Shifting to human form, Malachi quickly unfolded it and frowned, a deep furrow forming between his brows.
“Huh, that doesn’t make any sense,” he grumbled, frustration deepening his tone.
At Chuck’s inquiring hum, he continued. “It’s gibberish.
There’s nothing here but chicken scratch. I don’t know what it means at all.”
“You said it had your name on it, but I didn’t see that,” Chuck called over her shoulder to him as she focused on the influx of traffic around them.
“Yeah, on the front. It’s technically my family name written in demonic runes. I guess you’d call it a surname. It probably looks like meaningless symbols to you,” he murmured absently as he turned the paper over and studied the runes more closely.
Snorting, Chuck said, “What if it’s not chicken scratch? What if it’s a language you just don’t know?”
Now it was his turn to scoff. “Ma’am. I’ll have you know I’m fluent in six hundred sixty-six languages, both alive and dead.
This…”—he flicked the paper decisively—“is chicken scratch.” He studied it closer.
“Which is especially strange seeing as how my name is written so precisely. Whoever did it took the time to mark it correctly. It’s not rushed, very clean lines.
And that’s odd too; someone clearly meant for me to find this.
This name is not common and not well known.
This demon did their research to get this.
” He trailed off and studied the writing again.
“Why is the name not well known? You said it’s like a surname; do you not use those in Hell?”
He waggled his head side to side. “Not really. It’s more of an inheritance thing.
How we trace our lineage and powers. Different family lines equal different types of magic.
Like how I have smoke and shadow powers from my mother, and incubus powers from my father.
They’re both very powerful, from strong lines, which is why I can access both types of magic.
My cousins only have shadow powers because their parents have the same kind of magic; no crossover.
But the name itself is mainly for official documentation.
To know that name, someone had to dig through the archives to find it unless they know my family well.
” He paused and considered further before adding, “How could they know I’d even come in there?
They used demonic runes, so they obviously know I’m also a demon, but why assume I’d come into a church? This has got to be about me, but why?”
“That is odd,” Chuck agreed as she frowned thoughtfully.
She turned the car radio down a bit and hummed in concentration the way she did when working on a puzzle in her head.
“So, I agree someone is trying to get your attention. We need to know who, and why they did not just seek you out directly? Why go on a crime spree on the off chance you’ll investigate and leave you a meaningless note?
I think we need to be more careful at the next location until we figure out the motive.
I don’t want any nasty surprises or traps sprung on you. ”
“Agreed. When we get there, I’ll stick closer to you but still follow the trail like you suggested.
Also, it’s definitely the same person, or demon, but there’s something else off here.
More than just cryptic notes. I think whatever demon this is, they’re also something else and I don’t know what.
I can’t quite place it and it’s driving me crazy.
As much as I hate to admit it, I might need to get Glenda’s input.
She once told me it’s okay to ask for help, so hopefully she won’t tease me too much.
” He glanced over and noticed Kassidy’s car pulling up alongside so he quickly ducked down.
“Shit, I need to stay dog with that guy around. He’s going to suspect something if we aren’t more careful. ”
Nodding in agreement, Chuck slowed just enough to let him pass her, so he wasn’t able to keep looking through the window without being obvious.
Malachi popped his head back up, now in dog form, and grumbled so she would know the coast was clear. I can’t get a read on him. It’s like he knows something but isn’t ready to show his hand just yet. I don’t trust him.
“Yeah, but you don’t really trust anyone,” Chuck replied with a hint of amusement.
True. But I trust you. And Glenda. Even Jaxenda to an extent. But we still need to be extra careful around this guy. And not just because he wants to play with your handcuffs.
“Mal!” she spluttered indignantly. “I already warned him off!”
Doesn’t mean he wouldn’t try to convince you he’s a better choice. Maybe I should pee on you. Mark my territory. You said I couldn’t pee on him or bite him, so that leaves me no choice but to mark you. I could just hump your leg if you want to stay dry.
“Don’t you dare!” she warned with a decent imitation of his growl as she turned into the parking lot.
This building was much larger than the previous locations they’d visited.
A soaring steeple rose three stories above them, shading the lot with its imposing edifice.
She stared up at the large cross affixed to the peak and blew out a steady breath. “Let’s do this.”
As they exited the vehicle, Kassidy peered into the back, surveying Malachi’s compartment. At Chuck’s arched eyebrow, he pointed into the darkened interior. “Where’s the guy that was riding with you? I could swear I saw a man back there when I passed.”
“A guy? Nope!” she blurted. “Just me and Malachi, unless you’re counting him as a guy. Because he is a him, but I think you mean a person? No other humans. Maybe it was a weird shadow?” Her grin steadily grew until it must have been painful.
Nipping her fingers to distract her so she’d calm down, Malachi sent, Chill there; you’re overdoing it.
He’s about to call in that white jacket you were so worried about earlier.
I smell the other demon. Let’s go. He went into alert position to gain the detective’s attention, his ears rotating and his muzzle pointing to the side.
“Looks like we’ve got something familiar here,” Chuck stated, immediately switching to all business again. “Go on, Malachi, follow.”