Six

It was a quick jaunt over to the morgue. I don’t know how the fairyfolk did it, but everything they did just looked fancier than what we did.

They somehow made a morgue look like an architectural masterpiece. Its exterior was a mix of marble with veins of gold running throughout. A large ruby was inset above the door.

I gave the door a jiggle and wasn’t surprised to find it locked. I gave a knock and waited. A small glowing light approached the door from the other side, and I knew someone was looking at me through the light.

“Detective Clay. I’m here to inspect the body of one Heston Barclay. I’m under the employ of his fiancée, Faelana.”

“Where’s your badge?” the voice was high in pitch and sounded like it was drawn thin.

“Really? I just gave you the information, didn’t I?” I stood there, unmoving.

“Anyone can claim to be that. Sure, you look the part, but I need proof. I can’t just let anyone into here and look at dead bodies, can I?”

“Fine. Gimme a sec here.” I fumbled through the inner pockets of my coat and found my badge. My licence was also enclosed in the small leather booklet. I flipped it open and held it up against the glass of the door.

“Ahhhk, yep. Not a problem at all there Mister Clay. You can come in.” I heard the door unlock and the light remained even after I walked in. The door locked behind me and the glowing light whizzed down the hallway.

I followed after the light.

The interior of the morgue was the same as the outside. Perfect looking marble everywhere. The walls, floor, and ceiling. No carpet was laid down and so every step I made echoed through the building.

Eventually, the light led me to the room I wanted. The room was well lit, but I couldn’t see any light source.

A silver bench stood in the middle of the room and a pale body laid on the bench.

The man looked a little younger than me. He had a receding hairline, something I was never going to suffer. He had a handlebar moustache that sat about an inch beyond his face.

“I’ve already got the body ready for you.” I whirled around.

An elven woman stood there, wearing a white coat. She was a head and shoulders taller than me, and her frizzy hair was pulled back in a bun.

“Thanks.” I approached the body on the bench and gave it a quick look. There was a large ‘Y’ shape across the chest.

“Cause of death was blunt-force trauma. Here, let me show you.” The elven woman approached the body and carefully lifted the head of Heston Barclay. The tilted the head slightly and beckoned me to take a closer look.

The back of Heston’s head was mashed in. I’d never seen an injury quite like it. It had been flattened.

“That’s it then, hey? Nothing else?” The sight of dead bodies like this still made me a little uneasy.

“Well, if you take a closer look, detective. You’d see that his whole body has been battered. Whoever killed him wasn’t satisfied with just crushing his head. They belted the rest of his body too.”

“But he was already dead when the rest was done?” I gave a closer look at the rest of the body, noting that his chest looked caved in.

“I’d hope so. Otherwise he would’ve been in extreme pain. The pain overload probably would’ve made him go unconscious.” The elf looked at me, waiting for some kind of reaction.

I pulled out my little notebook and wrote some notes.

“Will that be all, detective?”

“I just need your name.”

“Jastira Paphine.”

“Thanks. Will that little light let me back out of the morgue?” I asked.

“Yes, it will.”

I walked back out of the ostentatious morgue and was greeted by another figure in a coat. The figure was about five feet in height and wearing a wide brimmed hat. However, they weren’t getting soaked in the rain. Something was above them, like an invisible umbrella. The rain just stopped and slid down around them.

“Err, hello.” I said. I stood under the overhanging roof of the morgue; I didn’t want to get when if I didn’t have to.

“Detective Clay, is it?” the voice was gruff and impatient.

“Yeah, that’s me. And who are you?” I tensed up under my coat.

“Officer Zasi Tontop. I was the one that was called in to the body of Heston Barclay.” The figure approached and joined me under the roof of the morgue. They took off their hat and revealed the face of a female dwarf. She had dark brown skin and a septum piercing. Her hair was swept back into a low mohawk that was pulled back into braids.

“Hi.” I offered out my hand and she grasped it. A lot tighter than I expected. I massaged my hand when she let go.

“Do you want me to take you to where the body was found?” she asked.

“Yes, please. If it isn’t too much trouble. I know it’s getting late.”

“No trouble at all. Its part of my job and must be done.” She pulled her hat back over her head.

“Hey, before we go to far. Can that bit of magic extend and keep me dry as well?” I was soaking wet, and I could feel the cold in my bones. I did not get paid enough for this.

“You do look a little wet, and a little cold. Here.” I felt a warm glow pass over me, similar to when Faelana had dried me out before. Then I felt a slight tingle through my body as the arcane magic covered my body too.

We stepped out into the rain, and I was relieved to find I wasn’t wet.

“Come on, this way.”