The Marradith Ryder Series—The Art of Shadows–Part 13

“How can this day get any worse?” Fiona whispered under her breath.

“Oh, let’s not tempt fate, I’m sure it could,” Marradith replied.

The girl stood with her back against the wall, hands shoved in her pockets. It was just past eight in the evening, and the better part of the day had been spent arranging for Sojourner guards to pick up, transport, and examine the body of the victim that Marradith had found in the park.

Now they were in the morgue of a hospital with a doctor who was paid on the Sojourner payroll. He was a middle aged man, heavyset, with gray, curly hair.

He balanced his glasses on the tip of his nose. His name was Dr. Roberts.

Fiona looked at Marradith. The girl had not shown any signs of being ill, but she was waiting for it.

“You sure you’re okay?” Fiona pressed.

“Yes,” Marradith replied, holding her body rigid. “I kill things. I’m good.”

Fiona smiled dryly. “You’ve killed one thing so far, and you weren’t around to see the gruesome aftermath. Let me know if you need some fresh air.”

Marradith didn’t want to argue. She’d seen Justin kill Bruce. She stood and watched Justin and Will burn the body. But this felt different. Maybe because she didn’t feel any sympathy for Bruce – he’d tried to kill her and Justin both. There was something cleaner and more humane about shooting a man.

This victim wasn’t that lucky; he’d been gutted like a fish.

“How come Daria got to go to the hotel and deal with the paperwork?” Marradith asked.  She couldn’t hide the irritation in her voice.

“Daria needs to improve her skills at documentation.  And you need to get your hands dirty.”

Why did I even ask? Marradith thought. Fiona always has an answer for everything.

The doctor interrupted them just then.

“Well, he was definitely killed by a Wolf.  There are distinctive claw markings on the flesh. And the saliva matches.”

“Saliva?” Marradith said.

“Yes,” Dr. Roberts smiled, pleased that she was showing interest. “Wolves have a very distinctive enzyme in their saliva which is canine. It kills off germs. Their mouths are actually a lot cleaner than humans. Anyway, there wasn’t much of it too be found.”

“Which means?” Fiona prodded.

“Well, I’d say it means that this person was not killed as a meal. This Wolf wasn’t hungry, just angry. And the victim was dumped in a public place. This was a message.”

“That bit we guessed,” Fiona replied. Marradith noticed the bags forming around her eyes.

“You took the red-eye in this morning,” Marradith said. “When did you sleep?”

“A few minutes, in flight,” she snapped, and then turned her attention back to the doctor. “Is there anything else remarkable about this guy?”

“Well, yes. Two things. He wasn’t human. He was a ShapeShifter. Which is interesting, because how often do they even get close enough for someone to kill them? And secondly?”

He turned the body onto its side, so that its back faced Marradith and Fiona.

When they found the body, Marradith had seen the small infinity symbol on the on the base of his neck.

His back revealed a myriad of black symbols, each one an inch long. It reminded her of the ancient script she’d seen in her high school history books.

“I’ve got no clue what this means,” Dr. Roberts said. “It must be something important.”

Fiona stared at it for a long moment. “No. No… I have never seen anything like it before.”

The doctor and Marradith exchanged glances.

“Alright then. I’ll complete my report and send the paperwork to you.”

“These tattoos…” Marradith began.

The doctor shook his head. “Oh, I didn’t mention. These aren’t tattoos. They are brandings. It was very cleanly done.  I can’t tell how long ago, but I’d say it was very recent.”

Marradith clapped a hand over her mouth. “Um….”

“Ladies room is over there,” the doctor said. She ran for it, barely making it into a stall before she threw up.

***

A few minutes later, Marradith went back to the exam room. Oddly, she felt better. The quivering in her stomach had stopped, and she was fairly sure there was nothing left to bring up anymore.

The doctor was alone in the exam room. A sheet had been placed over the body.

He smiled at her in a fatherly manner. “You did well, dear. Everyone loses their cookies that first time. It’s just part of the process.”

Marradith nodded affirmatively, and then was sorry she did . She was lightheaded.

“Those markings. Have you seen anything like that before?”

“No. And that’s saying a lot.”

Marradith paused. “Where’s Fi?”

“In the hallway, out the other door.”

“Okay. I know she’ll be receiving your report, but would you be able to send me a photo of his back? I want to see if I can find out what those symbols are.”

“Of course.”

She gave him her information so he could email it to her.

Out in the hallway, Fiona waited.

Marradith was taken back by the look on her face. Fiona was in shock.

You freaking liar, Marradith thought.  You know exactly what those symbols mean.

“It’s some kind of ransom note, isn’t it, Fi?”

Fiona shivered.

“I can’t explain this here,” she said. “We need to talk in private.”

_______________________________________
©2010 Lori Titus

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The lights were out. He sat in front of the computer screen, barely awake.

Somewhere on the street outside, headlights swept past his living room window.

He’d been sitting in his desk since four thirty, the beginning of twilight.

It was past six, and he had not bothered to get up and put on the lights.

Having worked on an advertising proposal for the better part of the day, he was exhausted. Stretching, thinking about the leftover pot roast still in the fridge from the night before, he stood and yawned.

A pop-up came on screen:

Sarah13705 has sent you a message.

That’s strange, he thought. Sarah should have left work. He expected her to be in traffic, headed back to her apartment. It was rare that she ever sent him an instant message, anyway. Usually she just called or sent a text.

He clicked on the box and opened the message.

Are you home? it read.

He sat down and typed in his answer: Sure. Are you coming over tonight or what?

It took a moment for the reply.

Actually, I am sending a delivery over to you. Make sure you get it. I purchased some naughty things for you.

His mind began to race with possibilities: lingerie, toys? One never knew. Sarah always appeared to be this buttoned-down rich little Daddy’s girl, but she was full of surprises. 

No hints? he typed back.

No. You have to wait and see.

Ahhhhhhhhh!!! Come on, you’re killing me here.

You’ll just have to wait, baby.

The doorbell rang, and he signed for the package. It was fairly heavy, all wrapped up in a glossy red box. As the delivery man pulled away, he turned on the lights and closed the door behind him.

It took a few minutes for him to unravel the paper. Finally, he had a  round, black box in his hand, not much bigger than the size of a hat. He opened it, and found a letter inside.

The front said “I love you,” in Sarah’s slanted handwriting. There was an arrow and the words beside it: turn over.

The back read “Too bad you don’t love me, too.”

There was a bunch of tissue in the box. He suddenly felt dread. He reached under the paper and his fingers found something. Cloth. 

 It was a red lace bra. The smell of perfume still clung to the fabric.

 This was not Sarah’s.

There seemed to be something else in the box, something much heavier. He reached in and felt the edge of something metallic.

Now he understood. How Sarah had been overly sweet, making him pot roast and calling him every few hours, smiling, but her eyes boring holes into his back every time he wasn’t looking. This routine had been going on for the better part of a month.

Just how long had she known he was cheating?

He heard a tick… one… two… three.

He tried to toss the box, but it bounced off the wall and landed at his feet.

The explosion rocked the whole street.

——————–

©2008 Lori Titus