Chapter 7:
The Sheriff knelt down and touched the blood seeping from the wooden floorboards. It's cold. That means the crime happened hours ago. But that only lead to more questions than answers. The body, mangled and ripped to shreds, had become infested with purple and black spots. The face couldn't be recognized. So many things didn't make sense. Sherriff Williams stood and went to Location #2 and looked around inside the fishing boat and saw no other evidence to be found and collected. All he saw was a fishing rod, string, a bucket of wriggling pink worms and a dead body found on the bank of the river infested with pale maggots. His other officers were at the scene discussing who the victim could be in their own little circle. He knelt up and stepped next to the other constables.
"Poor bastard."
"I've never seen anything like this…"
"It… looks like an animal did this."
The Sheriff wiped his face, "But what kind of animal…?"
That was the question! Sheriff Williams looked at the side of the boat, etched and marked with claw marks. They were at least 9 inches long piercing into the wood like paper. Whatever attacked this poor fisherman was wild and angry. Maybe hungry.
"Have they identified the body yet?" the Sheriff demanded.
"No."
"Send the body to the city morgue and talk to Mr. Grim and see if he can perform an autopsy on him. We need to know what we're dealing with." Sheriff Williams demanded.
"What about the public?"
"Send someone to make an urgent announcement to the Mayor." The Sheriff stopped, and then restarted again. "No, no, no. I'll personally send the Mayor an message and let him know what happened here."
From inside the boat, a man in a black coat with a suit case full of flutes and jars approached the Sheriff. He was Williams personal assistant hired an hour ago.
"Did you find anything Mr. Henson?" the Sheriff asked.
"It's clean. I mean, it's filthy inside, but there's nothing I can find."
Sheriff Williams flinched in shock.
"No hair? No prints? Not even animal fur?"
"That's just it. I'm pretty sure an animal did this but I can't find any fur. There are no fingerprints and I can't find anything else that would suggest someone invaded the boat. The locks and windows haven't been touched or broken. It's bewildering," Mr. Henson wiped his bald forehead with his cloth. "But, I've never seen so much blood."
"Did you find any old fibers? Perhaps they were wearing gloves at the time the murder happened?"
"If there had been a struggle I would've found something."
Sheriff Williams pointed to his suitcase, "May I?"
Mr. Henson looked at his finger to his suitcase.
"Of course. Right this way."
The Sheriff looked around. They needed to be discreet about this information. Both men gradually walked to a brick wall and set the suitcase upon it and opened it. Mr. Henson slipped his gloves on and separated the jars and flutes from his bag to present them to the Sheriff.
"Here…" he lifted a flute.
The Sheriff looked into the tiny glass flute and saw a few drops of blood inside.
"Is this the blood of the…?"
"Yes, it's the blood of the victim. But here…" he lifted another flute. "This is very interesting."
"What is it?"
"Tobacco."
Sheriff Williams held up the tiny flute to the sun and indeed he saw a tiny pinch of dry tobacco inside. It was small but at least it was something. Whoever did this left a bread crumb trail.
"The big question is: did the victim or the murder smoke?" the Sheriff pondered out loud.
"I still need to investigate the rest but it'll take time."
"When you're done you can send my crew back. I'll need them when we go see Mr. Grim inside the morgue." He returned the tiny glass to him. "We never talked. If anyone asks what you found here you tell them it's under private investigation. You only talk to me! Do you understand? You only talk to me. No one else. Just me."
"Alright."
"Someone did this to him and I'm not going to rest until I find him," he pointed to the mangled body being lifted onto a two-stick blanket carrier. "As long as the murder is on the loose you're my assistant from now on."
Sheriff Williams gave a hard pat on his shoulder and walked towards his awaiting black horse tied to a wooden post. Mr. Henson followed carrying his luggage under his arm.
"Send the entire crew…?"
"Yes."
"May I ask why?"
Sheriff Williams shrugged on his long black winter coat before climbing on his horse, "We've got a psychopath on our hands."
Meanwhile:
Valerie and Richard stood in the alley exit together. She looked in both directions, anxious that Madame Alice would discover them and scold her for out-of-marriage nonsense! But Richard insisted that they talk. He had been telling her about an upcoming show that would happen in 3 days and he would be happy if she could come see him perform. For the past few minutes she was trying to convince him that her father needed her back home and she didn't have any time to see puppet shows. But he became even more persistent! Just like the stubborn frog prince he was, he threatened to stay inside the bakery and order bread each and every day! Until she accepts his invitation of course! Running out of time and becoming more and more nervous, Valerie accepted! Running back to the door of the bakery she sent Richard a mocking glare before disappearing back inside.
"What happened out there?" Ivy asked wiping her hands.
"Stray dog."
Meanwhile:
Sheriff Williams followed Mr. Grim through the stone walls deeper and deeper into the catacombs where the fisherman's body lay on a stone bed. A little stream of blood dripped out of the stone table and into a small bowl upon the floor. He lit a single candle.
"What have you got?"
"Well…" Mr. Grim took off his spectacles, wiping the lenses. He pinched the bridge of his nose while pressing a thick rag to his mouth. The poor old man looked frazzled. "I-I-I've never seen anything like this…"
It smelled.
Bad.
Really bad.
"What's the damage?"
"Well you can obviously see the stomach has been torn open severing the right and left kidney here and there. You see that the spleen is missing and torn from its place. The heart is completely gone. But here, here, here, and here, everything is missing. The ribcages are completely broken and the intestines are completely… destroyed," he pointed with a small wooden stick, matching rhythm like a maestro.
"So there's no chance to find his roots? Wife? Brother? Family?"
"Well the face has been torn clean from the skull. The patches of hair are gone. The bleeding has stopped but the eyeballs are gone thanks to the crows. The only thing that I found that was intact was the spine."
Sheriff Williams circled the dead body. There had to be something he could find.
He pointed. "So there's nothing? No breadcrumbs I can follow?"
"Unless you can wake the dead you can't get new information."
He huffed.
He hated losing the scent of a killer. Especially when it came to his lifestyle and career which meant absolutely everything to him! He needed to show the citizens of the city that he could protect them and serve them justice. But if he couldn't find the scent then he'll look for other breadcrumbs to find. Punishing himself he sucked in his breath.
"Alright…" he closed his eyes shut. "Thank you for your time Mr. Grim."
He slipped on his gloves and gave him a sharp nod, hiding his disappointment.
"But if you need any more help…" Mr. Grim reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.
He unfolded it. "There's someone I know who might give you what you're looking for. It's a little unorthodox but after what happened to this poor old man I can't take any chances…"
The Sheriff took the paper.
"Who is he?"
"She."
He raised a brow, "She? Who is this woman?"
The piece of paper had the numbers and name of a street address. It even had a name on it.
"She's the one who owns the fishing markets alongside the harbor. Her market is very famous for its delectable varieties and its reliable delivery service. She owns the biggest fishing workforce in the Middle Class…"
It was something!
Quickly, maybe too quickly, he returned to the man. Sheriff Williams began to hope again!
"Her name is Madame June and she's the one who negotiates with all the fisherman who come to her."
Sheriff Williams nodded, "Thank you."
Later That Day:
It had gotten dark and Valerie felt so exhausted that she could collapse on her bed and never move a muscle. She returned back to her house and quickly began to cook dinner for her father before he returned. It was a long day but she had to admit that she was excited to see Richard again. He made her feel…normal again. She began to cut the pork with a knife when she suddenly felt something ache in her mouth.
Biting her lip she ignored it but when the pain returned again… she couldn't ignore it anymore. Dropping the knife she ran to her room and quickly took out her mirror. Lighting a candle she stood in front of the mirror pulling back her bottom and upper lip to get a better look at her gums.
She gasped!
Valerie trembled as she examined her reddened gums. Little red roots spread across her gums beneath the soft pink flesh like a deathly virus. Slowly she poked it.
Moaning in pain she covered her mouth! The pain seemed to become aggressive! She slapped down the mirror and crawled to the corner of her bed with both hands covering her mouth. Is it possible that she has become a victim of the Black Death!? Oh no! What will she tell Papa? Once again the pain in her mouth tripled forcing her to spill drool from her bottom lip as she bent over and dry heaved, shutting her eyes tight!
"Gah!" she screamed, panicking and snatching the mirror.
She toppled down to the floor as the drool had been replaced with blood dripping into little pools on the floor. Dry heaving, she coughed and the pain in her teen became a little less intense. At last the pain stopped and her gums still looked dreadfully infected with a terrible virus which scared her!
Within the reflection of the mirror she slowly lifted her hand to her mouth. Her fingers pinched her gums. They felt numb now. The pain was gone and she felt relieved by this fact. But her fear only became worse when she tugged on her tooth.
Like slipping a flower from the soil the tooth came free.
As it separated, she trembled with fear! She hoped she was walking in a nightmare! Her eyes widened! The mirror shook in her trembling hand as she refused to believe this was happening! Panicking she pulled out another and another! More blood spilled from the holes in her gums and she could taste the thick iron taste on her tongue.
She wanted to scream! But she was in shock!
"P-P-P-Papa!" she cried! "Papa!"
Tears fell from her face.
"Papa!" she screamed louder!
More blood spilled from her lips.
Before she knew what had happened someone appeared before her very eyes like a breeze from the shadows. Catching her breathe, Valerie began to pant through her nose while her hand began to become soaked in blood. Two strong hands caught her trembling ones and he softly began to soothe her panic.
"Valerie!" her father choked.
"Papa I didn't know what to do!"
"What happened!?" he looked at her, inspecting her. "What's wrong?"
"I didn't know what was happening!" she lifted her teeth to him.
He looked at her mouth.
"What's happening to me, Papa!?" she cried. "What's happening to me!?"
"You're growing your wolf teeth, Valerie…" he quickly wrapped her in his arms, petting her hair. His arms could stretch around the world. "Your wolf teeth are coming out. Don't cry little one. Please don't cry."
"I didn't know what to do! I-I-I…" she choked, hiccupping.
Her hands gripped on his shirt.
"Shshshshshsh…." He soothed hugging her close and rocked her back and forth like a babe. "I know it hurts for the first while but it won't happen again, Valerie! I promise. I promise the bleeding will stop."
"But what about my teeth, Papa?" she lifted the poor things to him. "What do I do? What's happening!?"
He kissed her head. "Those are your human teeth, baby. Your wolf teeth will replace them. All young wolves go through this. There's nothing to fear…"
Rubbing her head against him, she felt his comfort take effect.
She hiccupped, "R-Really?"
"Yes. Yes." He kissed her head, petting her hair. "Even I experienced the same thing you're going through, little one. My father explained to me that I won't need my human teeth anymore. He told me that all young wolves must lose their human teeth. Slowly, day by day and step by step, your body will become stronger. Your human teeth are the first sign." He looked down at her, hugging her shoulders. "Valerie I am so, so, so sorry that I have not told you this before. I should have b-b-been a better father."
He choked on that last part.
Seeing his daughter in so much distress nearly made him—
Made him want to kill something!
But he was lucky it was only a wolf emergency than a dangerous emergency with anyone outside their pack. If anyone—absolutely anyone threatened his daughter then he would be the first to exact terrible vengeance.
No one hurt his baby cub.
No one.
"Papa…" she exhaled falling against him and enjoying his protective arms.
She tugged on his shirt and he petted her head just the way he did when she was a baby. She was beginning to relax and he could smell her exhaustion. Easily, Cesaire knelt up and placed his daughter on her bed like she weighed nothing at all and tucked her in. He lifted her blankets up and made sure she would be warm enough to dream sweet dreams tonight.
"Papa…"
"I know. I know…" he soothed. "It's scary… I know how you feel, little one. It's okay. It's okay."
"Hmm…" she sniffed.
"But I'm here now… okay?" he nuzzled her head softly. "I'm here. Papa's here. No one is going to hurt you."
She hiccupped again.
And if he hadn't been in such a panic he might've thought it was cute.
She might have been comforted but she didn't seem to be convinced.
"Hmm…" she hummed slipping into her slumber, exhausted from her panic. Her head spun.
Her blue eyes shut. Her heart rate slowed to an easy pace. Cesaire, the protective wolf father, nuzzled his cub and was sure the blood was cleaned and wiped away from the wooden floorboards. He didn't want her to see it in the morning, furthering her fear. He wiped the blood from her mouth softly and gently. Careful not to wake her up. He blew out the candle and pulled a chair to place by her bed and he watched her.
For the cold and silent hours of the night he watched.
Just watched.
Cesaire had to be there for his daughter if she had a nightmare or if she woken up in the middle of the night and had questions.
He had to be there for her to nuzzle her fears away.
It's what a wolf father does.
The Next Day:
Madame June held a cloth to her eyes, bawling and screaming. She heaved and she trembled in her seat as she clung to the shirt of the mangled victim found by the river. Her brunette hair had fallen over her face and she couldn't stop sobbing.
Her husband stood next to her gently holding her shoulders as she wept, trying to be strong for them both.
She couldn't believe her ears when she heard the terrible news.
"His name was Christopher! I knew him since he was a boy!" she cried, clinging to his shirt. "He was always a good boy!"
"We found him earlier this morning. His body was sent to the morgue. We haven't done anything with him since." Sheriff Williams sat in his chair weaving his fingers together.
She nodded looking at him.
"But, we believe this…" he slipped out the tobacco and he shifted his eyes. "We believe connects the victim to your… husband?"
The Sheriff eyed him. Trying to read him. Gulping her husband stepped forward giving his wife one last hand squeeze.
"C-Christopher always bought tobacco from me. H-He always smoked. The last time he purchased a pouch was last week after he sold his grandmothers silver. That's where the tobacco came from"
This information registered carefully in his mind as if trying to detect the smallest white lie in his confession. He never broke eye contact. Not even for a second.
Sheriff Williams nodded, "I see."
So her husband wasn't involved in the murder. He was crossed off the suspects list. But that didn't mean that he trusted the man.
"I just can't believe it!" she cried again.
The man scooted closer, "Do you have any clue what his social life was? Did he have any bad relationships that resulted in rivalry? Did anyone hate him? Give any reason they would hurt him?"
"No. No one."
"Do you have any reason he owed any debt to someone?"
"No."
"Any history of violence…?"
"No."
"Do you know who his family is?"
"Y-Yes…."
Sheriff Williams eyed her like a hawk.
"His mother is… Madame Alice," she sobbed and looked up at him with tears on her face. "S-She runs a bakery… A bread bakery. Oh my, she'll be devastated! She'll be absolutely devastated!"
"Would you happen to know where she lives?" he ignored her sorrow.
"No."
"Alright, then where is her bakery located?"
"It's in the Middle Class." She wiped her face. "She and her husband own it."
That was it.
"Thank you for your hot tea and all of your services. It was most appreciated! Madame June." he nodded at her. "Mr. Gables." He gave a quick smile to him and his wife and grabbed his cloak and hat and swept out the exit.
Mr. Henson, the poor shivering fellow, stood from the road curb and followed the Sheriff out the front gate while he quickly gave his condolences to the sensitive woman and her poor husband.
He followed pursuit of the blonde Sheriff and his head filled with questions. Before he saddled his horse he took out his own pipe, filled it with dry tobacco, and lit a match. He flicked the burning match away and puffed.
"What did you get?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Gables are crossed off my list but I need to send word to my officers. They'll need to guard them. Day and night. I need eyes on everyone." He puffed again.
"What are you going to do now?"
The orange burning little embers in his pipe burned bright with every inhale. His eyes focused on so many things at once. It was difficult to memorize so many faces and names all at once he thought his head might explode.
But yet, his mind became more free and clearer whenever he came close to discovering the truth.
The hidden truth.
Sheriff Williams pointed to the East. "We're going to visit another woman. Right now. She may know something about the victim."
"What's her name?"
"Madame Alice." He climbed on his horse.
Mr. Henson, without a horse, began to job beside him, "I see. May I ask what her relation is?"
"She is the mother," he inhaled. "Get on your horse. We're leaving now and soon Mr. Henson, my good fellow; you may witness my secret in slipping the truth from snakes."
"Snakes?"
"Yes! Even vipers have their weaknesses."
(A/N): Sorry I'm late. I know! I know! But all my updates come every Friday!
So coming up next: Valerie regrows her wolf teeth, Cesaire becomes more protective than ever, so how will she sneak off to see Richard's show? Sheriff Williams is on strict watch with all his suspects including Cesaire. Father Solomon is coming closer causing more mayhem while Henry is becoming confused between the difference between bravery and cruelty. Find out next Friday!
Bye!