Two days ago, the Mistral embassy was an almost forgotten building. Most official business was done digitally, to reduce the risk of transportation. In the eyes of the public the building was little more than a large eyesore.
Today it was the hotspot for news reporters and amateur bloggers, all eager to get a few pictures of the shattered windows and fleet of police cars. Despite the city redirecting traffic, it was all but impossible for Detective Murrey to drive his car through. He honked his horn, and it seemed to draw the crowd even closer, if that was even possible.
Eventually he made it through to the crime scene, where the police tape seemed to be doing its job. He got out of his car, and turned to scowl at the crowd, ignoring the way the sun lanced through his eyes. A few younger kids visibly jumped when his gaze landed on them.
Not that he could blame them. At 6'8", he was taller than many huntsmen were, although anyone who thought he was one would be dissuaded the moment he took his trench coat off and revealed his skinny frame. Slicked back brown hair, a badge and a gun, and a layer of solid stubble completed the hardboiled detective look.
Huntsmen, no. Still intimidating? Yes.
With a snarl he turned around, and crouched under the police tape. Tossing on a pair of gloves, he opened the main doors, passing by a pile of rubble, and was hit with the pungent odor of decaying flesh. High powered camera flashes took in every inch of the room, working alongside crime scene investigators with notepads to ensure that they'd have a perfect record of the room once they left.
He walked over to body, taking care to avoid the puddle of blood surrounding it. Several photographers were taking dozens of photographs, alongside a few medical examiners discerning what they could without touching the body.
One of them, a short, reedy looking man, stood up when he noticed his approach. He stuck out his hand, before he realised his glove had just touched a dead body.
"Detective Murrey, isn't it?" He asked, putting his hand down. "I'm Doctor Favel. Nice to have you on board."
Murrey grinned, showing off his teeth. "Believe it or not, good to be here. Been too long since I've been in a city." He glanced at the body, his mouth closing into a grimace. "Although I wish it wasn't for work."
Murrey's job was investigating crimes involving huntsmen and huntress. Whether it was a murder, a robbery, or even something as simple as tax evasion, it was his job to figure out what happened, and who needed to be brought in. Apparently they thought someone who'd been through an academy (even if he never finished) would be the best choice. It wasn't always the most enjoyable work, as it often involved figuring out whether a body was killed by Grimm or something else.
Didn't really matter how many times he saw a freshly gnawed on corpse, he never got used to it.
The doctor nodded, sighing at the same time. "Don't we all? You get the reports yet?" He walked over to a table near the east wall, where most of their computers and papers were placed.
"Read it this morning." Murrey pulled off his gloves and started typing on one of the laptops. "Not much in it except for video footage and that Spice guy's—." He made quotations marks with his hands, "Interview."
Favel chuckled lightly. "Yeah, not the best guy for the job there. First responder, so he got dibs. Even before the government came in."
"The feds were here?" Favel nodded. "Damn it. I just got off a government job." He swore, before turning his attention to the screen. Favel could still hear him darkly muttering under his breath.
"Who's the victim?" He eventually asked, pulling out a small notepad.
Favel pulled out his own. "Victim's name was Jasper Mulson, thirty year old hunter from Vacuo. No family, all KIA, except for his father, currently undergoing treatment for dementia. Came here looking for work, and got one working as a security guard for this place. No outstanding records, no issues with the law, perfectly upstanding citizen." He put away the notebook. "Wrong place, wrong time for him. I don't think he was the target."
Murrey nodded, and started reading the mountain of papers in front of him. Shrugging, Doctor Favel began going through the reports from the other medical examiners. As he flipped through the pages, he occasionally caught sight of the detective, deep in thought during his search through their findings.
After a few minutes of working in silence, something caught his eye. He stopped scrolling, and read through the report a dozen times.
He coughed, drawing Favel's attention towards him. "This report, it say's we only got one blood sample. Wasn't there two victims?" He asked.
"Right, according to the cameras there was." He walked over to the computer and started scrolling through the list.
"And the military investigators did find some blood samples. But here's what happened." He said, and then opened a video. The screen showed a small plastic container, filled with blood. Judging from the shakiness it was filmed by hand, and Murrey was nearly certain he was looking at the same table he was standing at now.
"What am I—?"
"Just watch."
Suddenly, the liquid began to give off dark black flakes. The container was sealed, so they had nowhere to go, yet seconds later they were gone. Within a few minutes there was nothing left of the liquid.
His jaw hung open, and he slowly turned to the doctor.
"Is that... blood?" He asked, pointing at the screen. The doctor nodded, his face grim.
"From the second victim," He said, "It was taken from the alleyway, so it couldn't have been anyone in here." Favel closed the video, and then sighed.
Murrey shook his head, and said, "It looked like a Grimm blood sample."
"That was my first thought too," Favel admitted, "But there was no sign of a Grimm attack anywhere near this building."
Murrey nodded, and turned his gaze back to the computer screen.
"I want to see those videos again." He told Favel. "Specifically when the second victim is stabbed." Favel nodded, and opened it up.
The photo quality was better than he expected. Although it was still somewhat grainy due to how dark it was, there was no struggle to easily make out the three fighters. One male wielding shotguns, one girl with a sword/pistol thing, and…
"Adam Taurus." He growled, "Bane of my fricking existence."
Favel chuckled. "I take it you know him?"
Murrey grunted an affirmative, unwilling to go into depth.
The video continued, and he watched as the huntsman and the girl get stabbed, saw the girl run, and heard Adam's angry roar after he lost his prey.
Suddenly his eyes widened, and he went back in the footage to when Blake first escaped Adam.
"That's her semblance, isn't it?" He asked Favel, his eyes never leaving the screen.
Favel squinted at the screen, watching the black haired faunus run. "Yes? I can't see any other way she could have done that."
Murrey turned to him, and said, "But we just saw her aura run out."
Favel's jaw dropped, and then he shook his head and closed it. "No, no way. That can't be right…" He muttered, his fingers on the touchpad. He clicked the rewind button, went back to the victims last attack. Sure enough, he could make out the faunus's aura dissipate.
"That's…" He said in disbelief, "Impossible. Completely impossible! You can't use a semblance when your auras…" He stepped away from the screen, and turned to the detective. He didn't seem to be noticing the looks the other techs were giving him.
"I think," Murrey said slowly, "I should go find our other victim. Where can I find this…?" He paused, struggling to remember the name of the earlier detective. "Herb guy?"
A voice called out from behind him, "This time of day? I'd check the station. He's probably filling out paperwork."
He cranes his neck around, and said, "Thanks." Nodding at Favel, Murrey steps out of the building towards his car, noticing how the sun has begun to reach the highest part of its arc. The streets are much clearer now, the reporters apparently realising they weren't getting any information out of this place.
He opens his car and steps in. The cloth seats are hot to the touch now, and if it wasn't for his aura he would have burnt his fingers when he picked up his scroll.
"This is Detective Murrey, badge number 777980." He begins, "I need all the files we have on the Summer Rose case."