The wind tore at Valkyrie Cain's coat, causing it to whip around her legs, brutally. She watched as the Bentley swerved into the driveway, the door opened and a tall man got out, he had a scarf, hat and sunglasses covering his face. Skulduggery Pleasant straightened his exquisite suit and walked towards her. "How's it looking?" he asked.
She smirked. "Nice to see you too. It looks troublesome, but nothing we can't handle."
Skulduggery nodded. "Is there anything that we can't handle?" he chuckled, Valkyrie wasn't laughing. "Come on, Val." he said, plaintively.
She shrugged. "Sorry, guess you're just not funny."
He shook his head sadly and headed to the edge of the pier. "So, the victim was found in here?"
She nodded. "Yup. William Branson, 189, didn't look a day over 40." she smirked. "Ah, the wonders of being a sorcerer."
Skulduggery shook his head. "Yeah, cause of death?" he asked, in a professional manner. There'd been some tension between them, ever since he'd socked Fletcher 3 days previously. Fletcher had been making wisecracks about Skulduggery's ignorance pertaining to his wife and child, Skulduggery walked in, heard him and didn't even hesitate to send Fletcher through the wall. Suffice it to say Valkyrie hadn't taken too kindly to that.
Skulduggery peered over at the water. "How long was he...?" he began, but realized that Valkyrie was looking at him strangely and didn't finish. "What?" he asked.
She tilted her head. "How'd it go?" she asked, biting her lip.
He sighed. "Fine." he lied.
"What'd she want?" she pursed her lips, trying to keep from laughing.
"Nothing, nothing at all."
"Skulduggery... China said it was urgent and personal and that she needed to see you as soon as possible, I know you're still furious with her, and I understand why, I'm angry too. But you can't pass off anything she has to say as 'nothing'." Valkyrie bit her lip, hoping she hadn't said too much, he was rather sensitive recently.
Skulduggery turned and fixed her with a steely gaze, or at least it felt like a steely gaze, but she couldn't quite tell.
Valkyrie sighed. "Skulduggery, you've got to give her a chance."
Skulduggery ignored her and went back to his original question. "How long was he in the water for?"
Valkyrie bit her lip. "Approximately 8 hours. He was an Elemental, a poor one at that." she said, reading out of the notebook in her hand. "He usually didn't do more than sparks here and there, if he was lucky he could do a slight gust of wind."
He nodded and turned back to the Bentley. "Come on, let's go." Valkyrie sighed and followed him. "You do know that you owe me an apology."
Skulduggery tilted his head at her.
"You left me here with the Sanctuary detectives for 2 hours," she explained. "You at least owe me an explanation, if not an apology."
Skulduggery sighed and unlocked the car, then opened the door, but did not get in. "China wanted to apologize, and... she also had other things in mind."
Valkyrie raised an eyebrow. "Like?"
He sighed again, getting more and more irritated. "She wanted me to do her a favor, she has something she wants us to look into."
"What does she want us to look into? What did you say?"
"No, of course. And it's just something."
Valkyrie sighed in irritation and got in the car. "You really should forgive her, you know, I liked it much more when you two were friends."
Skulduggery got in next to her and started up the car. "Your opinion is not of importance in this matter."
"Well, whose opinion is of importance?"
He scoffed. "Mine, obviously."
She sighed and rolled her eyes.
They continued down the road till they reached the Sanctuary. When they got inside they headed for Ghastly's office, Skulduggery knocked impatiently. Tanith answered, looking irritated and she flounced out the door without a word, just a curt nod at Valkyrie. Valkyrie raised an eyebrow at Ghastly, who waved away her look, dismissively. "What do you two need?" he asked, fidgeting in his seat.
Valkyrie looked at him, with a hint of pity. "Um, we're here to-" she began but Skulduggery cut her off. "Ghastly," he said, sounding amused. "What's up with Tanith?" he asked, sounding like a giddy child now.
"Nothing." Ghastly replied, annoyed. "If you don't have anything to say, then please leave, Elders have much more to do than one might think." he said, turning to a stack of papers on his desk.
Skulduggery huffed, determined not to be brushed away, so he swaggered over and let out a sigh as he settled onto Ghastly's desk, causing a glare from Ghastly. "Get off my desk, lazy bones." he said, tiredly. Skulduggery laughed emptily. "Oh, that's a new one." he said, sarcastically.
Valkyrie sighed. "Can we get on with this?" she asked. "Alright Ghastly, we need to be filled in on this Branson case." she said, business-like.
Ghastly sat forward. "Sorry Val, you two aren't on this one."
"What?!" Valkyrie and Skulduggery asked at once.
"Why not?" She asked.
"Because, the rest of the Elders are already furious with me, they hate the fact that I assign every case to you two and they blatantly ignore the fact that you two are the best we've got. So I need you two to step back, just this once mind you, you're not off the hook for good."
Valkyrie scoffed and rolled her eyes, but Skulduggery nodded thoughtfully. "Alright." He said and left the room. Valkyrie stared after him for a minute, then followed incredulously.
"We're just letting this go? Why?"
"Ghastly has his reasons, beside we've got more important hinges to be doing."
"Like?"
"Well... we'll think of something, we usually do." He shrugged his bony shoulders.
"Let's head over to Gordon's place." She suggested, glancing at him.
His posture suggested that he was in a nonchalant mood, but by the tilt of his head he assumed to be thinking.
"Alright." He said slowly.
-
The Bentley rolled into the driveway of Gordon Edgley's mansion, it was a lovely old house, the shutters needed a bit of fixing up though.
Valkyrie got out of the car and walked up to the house, she pushed the door open and entered. She bounded up the old staircase to Gordon's office, she went to the secret tunnel and opened it.
She reached over and snatched up the Echo Stone, cradle and all, then ran back downstairs to the kitchen. Where Skulduggery was leaning against a counter, studying a piece of old fruit. "Glad I don't have them." He said, looking up at her.
"Sorry, have what?" She frowned slightly, as the figure of Gordon Edgley appeared.
Skulduggery made a scoffing sound, although how, was beyond Valkyries imagination. "Wrinkles." He held up the fruit in his hand.
She nodded a bit, still confused then turned to face her uncle.
"Good evening." He beamed, rubbing his hands together.
"Hello, Gordon." Valkyrie said, pretending to give him a kiss on the cheek, it was a bit silly and made Skulduggery shake his head, but they found it amusing.
"Gordon, how's your stone been?" Skulduggery asked, setting the dead fruit back on the counter.
"Cramped, to be honest. If you hadn't let me out when you did, I probably would have gone mad." He chuckled a bit.
"I'm sure, but I've been mad, it takes quite a bit more than two days in an Echo Stone."
"Yes, I know." Gordon rolled his eyes.
"We just wanted to say, but I just remembered that it's my turn to babysit Alice." Valkyrie said, playing with the sleeve of her coat.
Skulduggery turned his head to her, the light catching his pearl bone, Gordon eyed her and took a step forward.
"What?" She asked.
"Bring her here." Gordon grinned. "I want to meet my new niece."
"Aha, no. Not doing that." Valkyrie said, stepping back.
"Please? You promised I could meet her." Skulduggery said, slumping his shoulders.
She bit her lip and closed her eyes. "Fine. Only because I want to stay with you two, but have to watch her."
The two dead men exchanged an indeterminate look. "Understood." They said in synchronicity.
Valkyrie rolled her eyes as she noticed that Gordon was bouncing a bit.
"I'll pull the car around then." Skulduggery said, walking out quickly, a definite bounce in his step.
She trudged after him, groaning. "Don't go anywhere, Uncle Gordon!" She called over her shoulder.
"I couldn't even if I wanted to." Gordon sighed.
Valkyrie climbed into the Bentley and buckled, Skulduggery was very particular about seat belts. They arrived at the Edgley's house in 10 minutes time, Valkyrie hopped out and ran in to see her mum holding Alice and bouncing a bit.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mum." She said, walking forward to take the squirming toddler.
"It's fine, Steph, I'm usually a couple minutes late anyways." She said, kissing Valkyrie on the top of the head.
She smiled at her mother and hugged Alice tight. "Wave bye-bye to Mum." She said to the small child, who flopped her hand about lazily at her mother as the woman walked out the door, blowing kisses.
As soon as Melissa Edgley drove off Skulduggery Pleasant had tapped his collarbones and let his facade slid up over his head. He got out of the Bentley and approached the house, poking his head in the door and grinning.
"May I?" He asked, holding his arms out and walking towards Valkyrie.
"Fine." She groaned and handed over her little sister, a little wary of handing her to a walking, talking skeleton.
"Oh, hello lovely." Skulduggery said in a high babying voice, he bounced her and held her tight. "She's beautiful. Aren't you, dear? Yes you are." His cooing brought a grin from Valkyrie.
"Wow, you're kind of cut out for this type of thing, aren't you?"
He shrugged. "I suppose so."
She smiled. "Alright, let's head back, Ghastly should be waiting for us." She headed out the door and Skulduggery followed whilst zerberting Alice's cheek, or as best he could without lips.
"Don't slob on her." Valkyrie warned.
"I'm a skeleton." He said through a grin, "I don't have spittle." He said, making noises at Alice, making her giggle and clap her hands.
They arrived at Gordon's and walked in, as soon as Valkyrie had stepped out of the car Skulduggery had snatched Alice back, playing with her and baby-talking her. She silently hoped that Gordon would be better with kids as they walked into his mansion for the second time that day.
Skulduggery walked into the kitchen and tapped the Echo Stone, and Gordon Edgley's figure appeared again. "Oh she's darling!" He cried upon seeing Alice and he started making baby noises and tickling her neck, even though he couldn't actually touch her.
"I'm so going to regret this." Valkyrie groaned.