Moonlight Charm
Chapter 5:
**
Talisman tapped her pen against the white sheet of paper on her desk. Her eyes fixed outside the window at the falling rain. Black shadows hugged around her like a skin as she drummed out a steady beat. In her other hand she held the man's identification. In her mind however she was working. Images cut and wove a tattered jungle of black and white through her mind. She sat in peace as the horrific scenes fell into place like a jigsaw puzzle. Slowly the man's last few hours of life took shape behind her eyes. On the paper her hand drew in a frenzied pace to copy out the scenes that whirled around and around. Outside the rain fell and tapped lightly against the glass of her hotel window.
**
It was after two in the morning and Frank still couldn't get to sleep. Sitting up he threw back his covers and put his feet on the cold floor. Glaring at the red numbers of his clock he scratched his head and yawned. Standing he shuffled to the washroom and snapped on the light. He grumbled at the harsh flare and quickly splashed his face with water. Taking a moment he stared at the reflection and was dismayed to find how he had aged. It had only been two years since Alexandria died and he met Luna. But you couldn't tell my looking at him. One would have thought it was a decade or even a century by the lines around his eyes and mouth. Had life really become that hard? He turned away from the mirror and left the question hanging in the air as he staggered back to bed.
"Detective?"
Frank froze before he even registered the voice. He reached for the bathroom light and felt only mildly better with it on. With no weapon in hand he searched his room and found the outline against shadow. " Come out into the light."
He said as he quickly searched for his gun, it was resting against his bedside table. The bathroom lamps illuminated a large square of his bathroom. The figure stopped just short of the square and raised a large gun to his chest.
"I suggest you not go for the gun." The voice laughed slightly. " Now, tell me what she told you."
"Who?" Frank asked as he tried to think of a plan.
"I know she spoke to you Detective Kohanek, tell me what she said." There was a note of urgency to his words this time.
"Maybe if I knew who 'she' was I could." Frank saw the reflection in his mirror as the man frowned at him.
"Talisman." The gunman snapped.
Frank shook his head. " Sorry don't know anyone by that name."
The man stepped forward a little as a sharp click came from the gun. " I grow tired of you."
The shot was loud and Frank struggled to understand why he was suddenly on his back. He lay blinked up at his bathroom ceiling and feeling a burning pain in his chest. Lifting a hand to face he saw the gleam of red and knew he was shot. His ears were ringing as he stared at his blood and couldn't understand any of it. Absently he heard someone scream and thought it was him until he saw her.
Hair that was spun moonlight fell around him as he lay there dying. Cold hands touched the burning pain and he felt it ease a little. Her face was creased with concentration as she knelt by his side. Dark lashes made perfect half moons against her white skin. The dark of her clothing made her seem so very young and yet alluring. He reached a hand for her and was surprised by the coolness of her skin under his bloody hand. She opened her eyes and he smiled softly.
"My angel of death." He whispered and felt himself growing light.
"No such luck Detective." She said gently.
Frank felt the sudden rush of heat under his hand and her eyes became drowning pools of silver incandescent light. Even her hair shimmered with a silver brilliance that only convinced Frank of her ethereal existence. His eyes fluttered shut and he followed the glowing white of warm light.
Chapter 5:
**
Talisman tapped her pen against the white sheet of paper on her desk. Her eyes fixed outside the window at the falling rain. Black shadows hugged around her like a skin as she drummed out a steady beat. In her other hand she held the man's identification. In her mind however she was working. Images cut and wove a tattered jungle of black and white through her mind. She sat in peace as the horrific scenes fell into place like a jigsaw puzzle. Slowly the man's last few hours of life took shape behind her eyes. On the paper her hand drew in a frenzied pace to copy out the scenes that whirled around and around. Outside the rain fell and tapped lightly against the glass of her hotel window.
**
It was after two in the morning and Frank still couldn't get to sleep. Sitting up he threw back his covers and put his feet on the cold floor. Glaring at the red numbers of his clock he scratched his head and yawned. Standing he shuffled to the washroom and snapped on the light. He grumbled at the harsh flare and quickly splashed his face with water. Taking a moment he stared at the reflection and was dismayed to find how he had aged. It had only been two years since Alexandria died and he met Luna. But you couldn't tell my looking at him. One would have thought it was a decade or even a century by the lines around his eyes and mouth. Had life really become that hard? He turned away from the mirror and left the question hanging in the air as he staggered back to bed.
"Detective?"
Frank froze before he even registered the voice. He reached for the bathroom light and felt only mildly better with it on. With no weapon in hand he searched his room and found the outline against shadow. " Come out into the light."
He said as he quickly searched for his gun, it was resting against his bedside table. The bathroom lamps illuminated a large square of his bathroom. The figure stopped just short of the square and raised a large gun to his chest.
"I suggest you not go for the gun." The voice laughed slightly. " Now, tell me what she told you."
"Who?" Frank asked as he tried to think of a plan.
"I know she spoke to you Detective Kohanek, tell me what she said." There was a note of urgency to his words this time.
"Maybe if I knew who 'she' was I could." Frank saw the reflection in his mirror as the man frowned at him.
"Talisman." The gunman snapped.
Frank shook his head. " Sorry don't know anyone by that name."
The man stepped forward a little as a sharp click came from the gun. " I grow tired of you."
The shot was loud and Frank struggled to understand why he was suddenly on his back. He lay blinked up at his bathroom ceiling and feeling a burning pain in his chest. Lifting a hand to face he saw the gleam of red and knew he was shot. His ears were ringing as he stared at his blood and couldn't understand any of it. Absently he heard someone scream and thought it was him until he saw her.
Hair that was spun moonlight fell around him as he lay there dying. Cold hands touched the burning pain and he felt it ease a little. Her face was creased with concentration as she knelt by his side. Dark lashes made perfect half moons against her white skin. The dark of her clothing made her seem so very young and yet alluring. He reached a hand for her and was surprised by the coolness of her skin under his bloody hand. She opened her eyes and he smiled softly.
"My angel of death." He whispered and felt himself growing light.
"No such luck Detective." She said gently.
Frank felt the sudden rush of heat under his hand and her eyes became drowning pools of silver incandescent light. Even her hair shimmered with a silver brilliance that only convinced Frank of her ethereal existence. His eyes fluttered shut and he followed the glowing white of warm light.