Case 24: Anatomy of a Murder
Today, rather than working in the office or with Judge Hall they'd been asked to go keep an eye on the new exhibition at the museum and had run into Margaret and the Mayor Howard Johnson who was more than happy to see them there, complimenting them on their work so far.
JJ noticed it the second they looked at the exhibit but didn't say a word as he kept an eye on things, circling through the room and collecting the items without anyone seeing but his lover who gave him an incurring look but didn't press.
He found a torn paper, rolling his eyes, and also found a knife, a skinning knife if he wasn't wrong.
He managed to duck into a quiet corner and ring the Chief.
"King." Came down the phone.
"Sir, we have a slight problem. There is a taxidermied human on display on here in the museum." David showed up at his side, his eyes blinking wide as he looked at his lover before slowly turning to the exhibit and slowly turning back.
"Does anyone else know?"
"Just Jones and the killer as far as I'm aware, I've already collected evidence, I thought it was best to keep quiet and not cause panic." JJ explained.
"Agreed." King sighed. "Leave Jones there and bring the evidence you have to the station."
JJ sighed before giving his confirmation.
He hung up and kissed his lover goodbye, tongue digging in quickly and drawing out the quietest of moans.
Soon enough JJ was at the lab and piecing the picture together and found it was the exhibit flyer that was lacking the human body before getting the serial number off the knife and handing it over to Grace to work on, he then made his way down to the Chief.
"Morning Sir."
"Morning Jensen. Tell me about the museum." JJ took the seat in front of the man's desk.
"We were checking on the exhibit and talking with the mayor when I saw the caveman. I know a model from real life sir, and you know the rest." The white haired man nodded with a sigh just as his phone started playing Love Walked In by Thunder.
"Hey Doll, what's up?"
He heard a smiling but strained voice on the other side as he grabbed a note pad and pen from his inside pocket.
"I figured out who the victim is. His name is Wilfred Turnscrew. He's a crime writer who should have been here this morning, alive that is. He just released a new book called The Death of Rosie Woolf that's set here in Grimborough, sound familiar?" JJ snorted and wrote it down. "Apparently not to many people are happy with him as its brought to much tourism in some places but stopped people visiting places like the museum."
"Great work Doll, anything else?" He asked, sketching a cross onto the pad.
"Yeah, the curator Cornelia Trent is a taxidermist, but she gets most of it done at a small shop on Credence Street." David explained. "That help you out Babe?"
"Great work Doll, I'll see you later." They hung up and JJ nodded to his superior before going about his job.
The moment he got to the dingy shop he felt like he'd walked into a horror movie, a Stephen King one maybe.
He found an out of place fountain pen with the victims name on it before taking a quick look around and finding a law suite against said victim for using the taxidermists likeness in a book, there was his in.
"Mr Mutlog." He called out gently and the round headed figure glided out of the shadows of the back reminding JJ of Nosferatu with his large ears and sunken features.
"Yes?" His voice was soft, almost weak and again the detective thought he'd walked into a film.
"Morning sir, I'm Detective Sergeant Jensen and I'm here about Wilfred Turnscrew." He watched as the mans blank face soured immediately.
"What about him?" The bitterness in his voice was evident but not murderous as far as the red-head was concerned.
"Recently he's written a book entitled the Death of Rosie Woolf, its strongly familiar to the case I worked when I first arrived in Grimsborough." JJ explained and the man sniffed.
"Of courses he did, the scoundrel had me taxidermy a cat for him and then it started rotting. He dared to blame it on me and then released that book that used me as the murderer, though the only thing he got right was my fine sewing skills." He took a note of pride at the end. "He decided to mock me but I hope he'll get what he deserves."
JJ thanked the man and left and mentally crossed him off the list.
David was bored out of his brains as he walked around, keeping an eye on the exhibit, Margaret and more importantly the curator, after all, who better to sneak the body in.
He was just about to go crazy when his phone rang and he checked the ID to see JJ
"What you got Babe?" David asked, leaning back against the wall, watching the passing crowd.
"Not much." Came the sighing reply. "The body wasn't originally part of the exhibit so he was placed there recently. The taxidermist had motive and the ability but I'm sure it's not him and I'm going to see James Savage, the owner of the knife."
"I've spoken more around here, just making conversation. Turns out that the museum has actually been losing money because of the book that Turnscrew wrote giving the curator motive." He explained, smiling as a five years old ran past, bouncing up onto her older brothers shoulders.
"Keep going Doll, we need all the help we can get until we have that body." David already knew that but knew his lover was just thinking out loud, not being able to say the victim was dead made everything harder. It was also making David queasy knowing that the body was just sitting there with people gawking at it.
"Just take care. I love you." He answered.
"I love you to." And he felt his heart swell with warmth, a dopy grin sliding over his lips for a moment. "Talk to you later." And he hung up, leaving his lover to his job while he went about his own.
It didn't take long for JJ to find the Hunters hut. The man was gorgeous with the most incredible light hazel eyes that looked gold, strong features framed by silken black hair.
"James Savage?" JJ walked forward with an extra swagger, challenging.
"Yes! And you are?" The man had a slightly gruff voice but it didn't hide the educated tone beneath, James Savage certainly hadn't been born into this life.
"Detective Sergeant James Jensen. I was wondering about a recent run in with a certain Wilfred Turnscrew." He smirked, silently preying and hoping that this was his in or he was screwed.
"So what, he was taunting me saying he was going to buy out the forest and I just started hitting him. He is the reason so many people have come to the forest, littering, polluting because of that book." The hunter snarled at the taller man as he stalked closer.
"Pretty violent there Sugar, even done anything else?" There was a dark, teasing note while his eyes crawled over the hunter's body.
"Not to him and nothing that's any of your business." Savage replied as JJ got within a foot of him.
"My name is James."
"Well James." His tongue seemed to be almost caressing the word and it sent a shiver down the hunter's spine, a mild flush raising to his cheeks. "Sure there ain't anything you want to tell me?" JJ already knew there wasn't but right now he was cornering his prey and he really didn't care.
"No, there's nothing." He watched at those almost unreal eyes were slowly blowing black and his breathing picked up ever so slightly.
"Okay James maybe I'll see you later." He turned and walked away with a grin, the hunter never noticed him turning back and snapping a photo of him, well maybe the day wasn't an entire waste.
Neither Detective got any further with the investigation that day, they just had to wait for the blood body and hope it would give them the murder scene, though David was sure that Cornelia the curator was their killer.
At night, once all the patrons had left they got a hold of the keys and let them take the body away while JJ grabbed the exhibition tag. David was out and about walking the grounds, sick of the museum having been cooped up all day, not to mention with a queasy stomach.
Looking over the label he found a note written underneath it. 'For where we are is Hell, and where Hell is, those where we should be'. He did the normal thing and typed it into Google, coming up with Doctor Faustus, looks like their killer was a fan of the theatre.
The body was quickly off to the morgue and David met his lover in the door way.
"I found this while I was looking around." He held up a needle and while it wasn't the greatest lead but a sewing needle was a bit odd, especially given the circumstance.
"Lets gat back." JJ nudged him gently in the ribs and pulled him along to the car and they were soon on there way back. JJ handed his phone to his lover with the picture of James Savage.
David let out a low whistle.
"How much did you flirt?" The brunette grinned.
"A little, enough for now at least." They laughed together and David handed the phone back, turning his full attention on the road.
The moment they got to the lab they gave the needle to Grace and went to the coffee place around the corner for a drink, David with coffee and a hot chocolate for JJ.
They went back to the station and sat at David's desk, the man in his chair while JJ was leaning back against the desk.
"So we have a dead and taxidemied writer who is condemned for using Grimsborough for the setting. The curator Cornelia Trent hates him because the museums getting less visitors. Margaret isn't happy about the increased tourism." David recapped.
"Mortimer Mutlog had a row with the victim over a cat and James Savage admits to beating the man but I'm sure he's not the killer. He can be violent sure, but... my instincts say no." JJ shrugged.
"So far we know the killer like the theatre, Doctor Faustus, they managed to get access to both Savages knife, which wouldn't be hard, and the museum."
"Margaret likes the theatre and dropped that Savage was there and that he taxidermies crows."
"Yeah I saw them, but how much access does he have to the museum?" JJ pointed out and his partner nodded. "And given where his cabin is anyone could have gotten that knife." Again the other nodded.
"Cornelia has all of them as well, I got chatting with her as well. Like I said she sorts out the animals so she could taxidermy the body and obviously has access to the museum." Both of them seemed to be in agreement that the curator was the killer but needed more evidence.
They'd just finished their drinks when one of Nathan's minions appeared from down the stairs, through the garage that linked the two places.
"Hey Guys. Nathan found this on the victim, said if you can found out the species you can probably find where the victim was killed." He handed over a small jar with holes in the lid, a black, grey and white bug inside that seemed to have inkblot like mark it white on it's back that looked like a skull.
It lead them to an abandoned garden on the edge of the forest and they found a gold mine of evidence. A barcode which they gave to Alex and a fresh paw print which they matched to a husky. A taxidermied puppet theatre that belonged to Stanley Turnscrew and the victim's shirt with an imprint of a museum badge.
They turned everything over to the lab and made their way home.
David woke slowly with the smell of Omelettes drifting up from the kitchen and Dorian yipped slightly before jumping on the bed, nudging under his chin, licking him a little until he stirred.
The little pup backed off, wagging his tail yipping again as the brunette pulled himself up and rubbed behind the dog's ears.
"I'll be down in a minute." And Dorian yipped again and turned, jumping off the bed and darting down the stairs. He padded to the shower and washed quickly before drying off and pulling on his underwear and trousers.
He went down stairs and drifted into the kitchen, curling his arms around the younger's waist, pressing close to his muscled back, kissing his bare shoulder, sighing happily into his skin. They enjoyed the lazy haze of the morning before finishing getting ready and making their way to their station.
They drifted down to the morgue and discovered that the victim had been alive when he'd been turned into an over sized teddy bear.
Grace then let them know that their killer had green eyes which was quiet the factor before they went to Alex and discovered the barcode was for heart-burn medication.
"You know Cornelia Trent has green eyes and said she was having problems with heart burn." David explained and they had the entire thing including report wrapped up by lunch and Rachel had the story out by the same time.
The Chief wasn't the happiest and sent JJ to calm the situation and the red-head mat have snuck off to seem a certain hunter.
When he got home he showered before dragging his lover to the bedroom, though they didn't get much sleep.
