The veiled dead
Walking in to the morgue, the three of us stopped short.
“Oh. My. God.” Bailey blinked, looking around. “The-”
“Dead.” A voice said, behind us.
I turned, looking towards the voice, bemused.
“Death.” I nodded.
“WHO?” Bailey asked.
“Hello, beautiful.” Frank said, offering Death a slight curtsey.
“Why are there so many-” Bailey said, looking towards the morgue.
“People who haven’t moved on yet?” Death asked. She gestured towards me. “Her doing.”
“I get blamed for a lot of shit.” I grumbled.
“In this specific instance, it’s accurate.” Frank elaborated. “You have been altering the way things are supposed to go, according to Death.”
“That’s what Fairy Godmothers do.” I nodded.
“Not like this.” Death shook her head. “But I don’t necessarily attribute your interference as a bad thing.”
“You don’t?” I asked.
“You’re responsible for a lot of crimes being solved faster than would be considered normal. You’re presently on track to catch a murderer who successfully frames someone else for their crimes.” Death shrugged. “I’m not supposed to judge, but I’m also not supposed to make deals.” Death looked to Frank. “And, besides, it’s not every day Death gets their own wishes granted.”
“They flirt.” Bailey blinked.
“You catch on fast.” I nodded. “So you’re not going to try and stop me?”
“Stop you?” Death laughed.
“Azura, Death has agreed to let me finish this case. She wants to see us win this.” Frank elaborated.
“I-” I tilted my head. “Oh.”
“On that note-” Death said, gesturing to one of the spirits in the morgue. “Frank, I think you should talk to Kevin.”
“We’ll talk to the good doctor.” I nodded.
Bailey watched Death vanish, then looked around, perplexed. “Don’t… normal people get confused about you just talking to invisible people?”
“Veiled.” I corrected. “The veil, itself, acts as a sort of magic. It alters the perceptions of those who can’t understand what they’re witnessing, and makes it easily dismissable. I did explain this already.”
“Oh.” Bailey nodded. “I see.” She paused. "No, I don't."
“That's because your brain doesn't really work like that anymore. Come on. Let’s go talk to the medical examiner.” I laughed, leading Bailey further in to the morgue.
“Detective Noir. I had wondered when you would be joining me. Though, at this point, there was an active bet running throughout the department as to whether you’d make it here in a wee black bag, or on foot.” The doctor said, stepping out of her office. “Doctor Vanessa Amir”
“Azura Noir. This is Bailey LeBlanc.” I nodded.
"Vanessa… Amir?" Bailey raised her eyebrows. "Like…"
"Aabirah?" Vanessa smiled. "Yup. Of the same Amir. Goddess knows why she puts up with me, but she is my wife."
Bailey's face blanked, and I placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "A couple things. Aabirah said I have an infection in my foot, and I was hoping you could give us slightly more exacting causes of death for our victims.”
“I only treat dead people, but as to the causes of death, they were all in the reports that I sent Aabirah.” Vanessa nodded. "She's much more detail oriented than I am."
“No, no. She means, little things. Exact amounts of pressure used for strangulation. Size of stab wounds, for possible murder weapons. You know? The stuff they put on those crime shows?” Bailey asked.
“Ah. You want the down and dirty nitty gritty. Normally detectives like to let my darling wife translate those into idiot speak for them in her patented blend of condescending mannerisms and unappreciated genius.” Vanessa nodded. “You’re looking for a particularly strong individual. The amount of force used to subdue the victims, and the amount of force used to strangle them were all excessive. Like, violently excessive. There were some bruises on the Sharkbucks guy, and a LOT of bruises on the woman, Tracy Lincoln. Like. A LOT.” Vanessa said, moving over to the morgue drawers. “Come take a look.”
The two of us carefully navigated the confused spirits, who were looking around, while following the doctor to the drawers. “Look.” Vanessa said, gesturing. “These bruises, here? They’re used to assert control over someone with one hand. There are several different strength indentations, and different colors of bruises implying some of them had healed a bit, while the others were fresher and applied new. Then, there are the cuts, and bruises on her face, and stomach. Less for control, more for pain, to induce fear. These are all in the past couple days. If I had to guess, I’d say something spooked her, then her captor.” Vanessa held up a hand, then put Tracy back, before rolling out a new drawer. “As to Frank, this one confuses me a little bit.”
“What?” I asked, intrigued. At this point anything that was out of the ordinary was a possible lead.
“Well, an attacker who can strangle 3 people of varying sizes and strengths, and has access to a gun doesn’t really need to use a knife, now do they?" Vanessa asked, withdrawing another body from the drawers. “And this one. Kevin LeForge. I was just reviewing this, actually, before having Aabirah perform some tests. Near as I can tell, Kevin was certainly possibly stabbed by the same person who strangled or shot the others. Look at the stab wounds. Angry. Rushed. Forceful. But look at Frank’s. Methodical. Almost medical.”
“The first two-” I said, looking between the reports, and Frank’s body. “Those would have caused serious pain.”
Vanessa nodded. “Debilitating pain. Then, as Frank struggled, you can see more stab wounds here, here, here, and here. None of these should have been lethal. It takes an awful lot of serious biological knowledge to stab a person 7 times in such a way as to not hit any vital organs. The last two, I suspect, they realized Frank wasn’t giving up. That’s why they aimed for the liver, and spleen.”
“And Frank still managed to dial 911 after all of that?” Bailey asked.
“Seriously sturdy, that man.” Vanessa nodded. “Though with today’s voice activated dialing, that is less an impressive feat than it once was.”
“But this is methodical. There aren't the knife dragging lines between each stab wound. They’re not close together. They aren’t-” I blinked. “There isn’t the same bruising around the wounds.”
“These wounds?” Vanessa asked. “They definitely weren’t done by the same killer.”
That did put a damper on our present line of inquiry.
And then, I raised an eyebrow. An idea brewed. It wasn't a pleasant one, but as it formed, it answered more questions than it asked. “Thank you, Doctor.” I nodded.
"You should get your foot checked out before Aabirah tracks you down to remind you, if you don't want a lecture." Vanessa winced. "She likes a good tirade."
"Good to know." I nodded, with a chuckle, though my face quickly returned to its thoughtful look.
"Something on your mind?" Bailey asked, as we left.
"Something too damn obvious." I nodded.
"Care to share with the class?" Frank asked.
"Cops have partners." I said, quietly. "Doctors have wives. Criminals have… What?"
There was a silence.
"Accomplices." Bailey blinked.
"Son of a bitch." Frank laughed.
"There are two of them." Bailey nodded. "One relaying details of the case to the other, the other doing the work, but they're taking turns."
"What tipped you off?" Frank asked.
"Someone being much more methodical at stabbing you than Kevin." I said, quietly, as we stepped back in to the elevator. "I've got a plan." I added, withdrawing my phone. "Yeah, Captain Channing?" I asked. "We need to requisition a squad car. Not in a hurry. We'll stop for lunch."
I pushed a button on the elevator.
Frank raised
both his eyebrows.
"What?" Bailey asked.
"Building security." Frank gestured at the lit up button.
"I want to watch the cameras." I nodded.
"For what?" Bailey asked.
"Brown hair. Blue eyes." Frank guessed. "Or anyone working with them."
"It just occurred to me that they'll stand out." I added.
"How?" Bailey asked.
"One stays, while the other one leaves." Frank guessed. "There's a reason you two stick together."
"Aside from flagrant lesbianism." Bailey nodded.
"Hey, at least you admit to it. Azura is remarkably tight lipped." Frank shrugged.
"We didn't stick together." I reminded Frank, discarding the previous commentary.
There was a smirk on both their faces.
"And that's how someone got me alone to play amateur operation." Frank nodded. "There's a reason it's protocol that you need a partner."
"And most cops have been around long enough to know that." I nodded.
The doors opened, and we stepped out.
"One thing. Do you know the people in the office well enough to know who is whose partner?" Bailey asked.
"Two problems. They're not going to let you in and peruse the footage without probable cause or a warrant." Frank added.
"We don't need to." I said, taking Bailey's hand. "We're going for lunch."
"I know who is partnered with whom." Frank's eyebrows rose.
"And you can walk straight through a heavily secured door without raising a single blink from 99.7% of the human population of this planet." I nodded.
"Fucking hell, Azura." Frank laughed. "This is the best plan I've heard you come up with."
"We'll be back in 45 minutes." I nodded.
Bailey grinned. "But first, lunch."
"Openly. In the cafeteria." I added.
"Verifiable and easily observed." Frank laughed.
"On camera." I grinned.
"Let's get to work." Frank clapped his hands. "Enjoy your lunch date."
"I would, if it wasn't cafeteria food." I retorted.
"That's fair." Frank admitted.
Weighted lures
We were in line at the commissary, when my phone chirped. I took it out, to look at the text, casually.
"What?" Bailey asked.
"Six names." I said, quietly. "Two of them stand out."
"In what way?" Bailey looked over my shoulder.
"This one." I pointed at one of the names, Sergeant Lawrence Wilcox. "He was responding to the shooting at the car dealership. He'd have known Frank and I split up."
"And the other?" Bailey asked.
"One of them was on scene when Kevin was killed." I said, quietly. "Could have let the other know you had Eva, and made sure we were discreetly followed."
"Circumstantial." Bailey frowned.
"At this point, everything is. The only really damning thing is that Aabirah thought they were sufficient matches to include them." I agreed.
"Let's hope Frank turned up something good." Bailey nodded.
"Wait until they figure out Channing is giving us the-" I paused for dramatic effect. "Wrong keys."
"And promptly impound the squad car?" Bailey asked.
"It's a good playbook, no?" I laughed.
"It's down right dirty." Bailey grinned.
We set our trays down, and I placed my right hand over her left. "Hey?"
Bailey smiled at the gesture, and took a more serious look towards my face. "Yeah?"
"One of these days, we'll get to a proper date." I laughed.
"Preferably without almost dying." Bailey agreed.
"That would be amazing." I chuckled.
She gently leaned her head on my shoulder, and we ate in near silence. It was strangely intimate. The entire room was buzzing with conversation at a gentle, unintelligible roar, but neither of us paid it much attention.
Until I froze, while lifting bacon to my mouth.
Intent.
Bailey caught on, and followed my gaze.
"I know this. I can't place it." I said, quietly.
"You know what?" Bailey asked.
"We're being observed." I scanned the room.
Bailey was quiet as she got up to refill her coffee. Her cup was half full, but I quickly caught on. Intent was directed at both of us. By separating, she was separating the attention span of the person observing us. I'm not sure if she was even aware that she was offering a belief crossfix, but I appreciated it.
No sooner, however, had we split, that the person I was searching for in the crowd vanished.
Intent lingered for a few seconds.
Bailey returned, placing a fresh cup in front of me.
"Anything?" She asked.
I shook my head. "They're gone."
"Who else is on the suspect list?" Bailey asked.
"One of the people from accounting, three other officers and Captain Channing." I said, quietly.
"You don't-" Bailey blinked. "We didn't check his alibi."
"I don't need to check his alibi." I retorted. "Though I'm going to act like I have."
"Why not?" Bailey asked.
"Belief. The Captain genuinely wishes for us to catch this guy. I heard the wish. It's pure." I shrugged.
"You know what, Azura?" Bailey asked.
"What?" I tilted my head, looking towards her.
"I know rational people would say we should verify it anyway, but I have a sneaking feeling that you and I are going to have better luck if we just start trusting our instincts. Screw playing games. Screw clever plans. Screw protocol. I'm an intuitive woman with a love for detail. You're an actual fairy godmother. Set aside the badge. Be Azura." Bailey said, quietly.
"I already started." I laughed. "Bailey, I gave up when I realized Frank was tagging along with us. We're waiting on a ghost to rat out video footage. I'm trying to locate possible threats by using fairy-dar and discrediting people as suspects by fairy godmother wish and dream reading."
"Good." Bailey nodded. "Let me focus on the cop stuff. You're our ace in the hole."
I gently squeezed her hand, and nodded. "We do this the right way."
"As heroes do." Bailey agreed.
"Nobody else dies today." I said, evenly. "This ends. Soon."
Bailey nodded.
My attention was drawn to something else. Something bright and astonishing to witness.
Aabirah and Vanessa were sitting down to have lunch together. In fact, there were a few sources of light blinding my attention.
Three people texting spouses. One person who was gushing over a date later. It swirled around us, too.
And it put malicious intent sharply into focus. The darkness slithering between the bright.
I got up, and hastily rushed to grab Aabirah's plate. "Don't." I said, quickly.
"Don't what?" Aabirah asked.
"You're in danger." I said, in a hushed voice. "What did you do between us leaving and now?"
"Several subpoenas, some more detailed tests on the sample from your foot, and Vanessa asked me to review some of her findings about the stabbings." Aabirah frowned.
"And you?" Bailey asked, sitting next to Vanessa.
"I was going to take better samples and more exacting measurements of Frank's stab wounds." Vanessa frowned. "How do you know we're in danger?"
Bailey and I gave Aabirah a side eye.
"This is an Aabirah thing?" Vanessa asked.
"Azura is a fae." Aabirah said, quietly. "She can detect belief and intent."
"Bullshit." Vanessa scoffed. "Fae aren't real."
"She's veil-blind." Aabirah explained. "Even if you were to show your wings, she couldn't see them." Aabirah took a breath. "Alright. Vanessa. For just a few minutes, I need you to trust me."
"You, I trust implicitly." Vanessa scoffed. "Glitter dee and glitter blondie over here have explaining to do."
"If that was a blonde joke, I swear-" Bailey said, sharply.
"Tell me what'
s got your wings in a twist." Aabirah said, quietly.
"We came here deliberately, while waiting for the Captain to requisition a car." Bailey explained.
"Just before you came in, there was a particularly vicious intent. I thought it was targeted at me and Bailey at first, but it didn't change focus when Bailey got up to leave. Then, just as you were sitting down with your food, I felt it linger over your tray." I said, quietly.
"That's bullshit." Vanessa blinked.
"You wanted a dollhouse all your friends had when you were six, your parents split when you were 9, and you wished your abusive father would die. You were horrible at physical education throughout school and repeatedly wished very ill things against people who bullied you throughout high school. You like to lord your doctorate degree over them at high school reunions. Your favorite artist is Elvis, and you truly, and purely love Aabirah in white magic grade love. You are secretly wishing none of this is real because you're terrified for her safety." I whispered in her ear.
"What in Goddess' name?" Vanessa asked.
Aabirah took Vanessa's hand. "She is what I say she is. Trust me."
"That's impossible." Vanessa shook her head.
"You think it's lingering on my tray, right?" Aabirah asked.
"Yours, specifically." I nodded.
Aabirah got up, bringing the tray with her. She nodded towards the door.
We brought the tray in to her lab, and Aabirah hastily began chemical tests on varying parts of the tray. Salad. Dressing. Nuts. Vegetable soup.
The soup caused one of her tests to set off an alarm on the computer monitoring it.
"What's in there?" Vanessa asked, quietly.
"Water Hemlock. We need to shut down the cafeteria. Immediately." Aabirah said, harshly, as she picked up the phone. "Believe her." She added.
Vanessa stared at me, bewildered.
"Nobody else dies today." I told her. "Not you. Not Aabirah. I'm going to catch this bastard."
Vanessa nodded. "These bastards."
"Damn straight." Bailey nodded.
"Let's get to work." I said, to Bailey. "Frank should be about done."
"Frank is dead." Vanessa pointed out.
"Presently, that's working in our favor. He's haunting the camera room." Bailey said, bemused.
"He's what?" Vanessa asked, as we headed for the elevator.
Neither Bailey nor I said anything.
Fae Noir- the Murderer in Blue Page 10