Thaumatology 05 - Disturbia Read online

  ‘They took the area long before Canary Wharf became an enterprise zone,’ Kate commented. 'It looks like there was some sort of fight here… probably started here and, what? It moved back into the kitchen?’

  They got as far as the door through to where the kitchen was and stopped. A flight of steep, very narrow stairs led up between the two inner walls and a long scuff mark, the wallpaper ripped in places, showed where someone had slammed into the wall as they went up. ‘Looks like he went up,’ John said. ‘Report says the body is in the bedroom.’

  Lily nodded to the closed kitchen door. ‘He tried to get through there, but it wouldn’t open. You see the claw marks around the handle?’

  ‘He shifted,’ Ceri said.

  ‘He shifted and ran for it,’ Kate added. She started up the stairs.

  ‘Uh, you may want to brace yourself before you get to the top,’ John said. ‘The reports said the death was… exceptionally violent.’ Ceri, starting up the stairs after Kate, looked back at him. ‘Exceptionally violent,’ he reiterated.

  Someone had laid little aluminium platforms out from the small landing and in through the bedroom. They were like stepping stones through the blood and Kate used them for that purpose. Ceri heard her voice before she saw anything of the room. ‘Holy widderwise shit!’ Ceri took a breath, thinking she was going to need the reinforcement, and got a lung full of fetid blood. She stopped, looking at the landing carpet.

  ‘You okay?’ Lily asked from behind her.

  ‘Yeah, just don’t breathe too heavily.’

  ‘I know. Blood, stomach acid, and, uh, faeces. This is going to be awful.’

  Gritting her teeth, Ceri stepped onto the first tile. ‘I wish you hadn’t said that.’

  Apparently, seeing a man’s throat being slit by demon-wolf claws had not been quite enough experience; Ceri felt bile rise in her throat a she took in the scene in the bedroom. There was blood everywhere; soaking into the carpet, splattered on the walls and ceiling, sprayed over the coverlet on the bed. An arm rested on the pillow, grey furred and clawed, and very much not attached to the rest of Carl’s body. Then again, Carl’s body was not attached to Carl’s body. His intestines were in an untidy pile at the foot of the bed. She could see a leg sticking out from under the bed beside the guts. His upper torso was on top of a dresser. Near a wall and upside down was his head; Ceri was glad she could not see his eyes.

  ‘He was torn apart,’ Lily said clinically. ‘I mean, like, pulled. The wound edges are ragged, ripped.’

  Details, yes, focus on the details. Ceri looked at the ragged edge of the throat. If she concentrated on the details she could kick in her science-brain and forget this was some man’s dead body lying around her in pieces. She stepped onto a closer tile and squatted down, balancing on her toes. ‘Torn tendons,’ she said, ‘muscles ripped off their anchor points. That would require a fair bit of force, especially when we’re talking about a werewolf.’

  ‘Another werewolf?’ John asked.

  ‘Unlikely,’ Lily said. Her eyes were on the torso with its torn skin, pulled back to show the lower ribs. ‘No claw marks, no bite marks. Werewolves don’t fight like this.’

  ‘And even a black-fur would be pushed to pull a body apart like this,’ Ceri added. ‘Hell, a Dakag might be pushed to do this. A troll wouldn’t fit up that staircase… A major demon, perhaps.’

  ‘I don’t buy it,’ Kate said. ‘This is… angry. The person doing it was emotional about it, very emotional. This wasn’t a summoned demon doing a job.’

  ‘No one saw anyone entering or leaving the building,’ John said. ‘There’s no sign of forced entry.’

  ‘The neighbour?’ Lily suggested.

  ‘We’ll interview her,’ John said. ‘She was pretty hysterical when she found out what had happened. It could be an act.’

  ‘She may know if he had enemies anyway,’ Kate added.

  ‘He’s a Dog Boy,’ Ceri said. ‘Was a Dog Boy. Of course he has enemies. But enemies that could do this?’ She stood, her gaze taking in the blood spattered room. She could make out ballistic trajectories in the spray on the walls; Carl had been somewhere near the middle of the room. She looked down at the carpet there. ‘There are no marks, no footprints,’ she said. ‘Have the SOCO guys found any indication of the attacker?’

  ‘We won’t know until they’ve finished going over what they’ve got,’ John replied. ‘Is there anything, uh, supernatural about?’

  Ceri flicked her Sight on with a blink and began looking around. Lily just stood there and said, ‘There’s nothing magical here aside from Ceri and Kate.’ Ceri’s enhanced vision was showing nothing much either. The field of energy Lily emitted constantly, allowing her to detect the desires of others, was there, but as faint as always. There was the core of energy the half-succubus held in her abdomen, between the two Manipura nodes. The corpse showed nothing she could detect, neither did the room.

  ‘You can sense I’m a witch?’ Kate asked curiously.

  ‘I can sense you work magic,’ Lily said, ‘and the charm you’re wearing.’

  Ceri glanced over at Kate. There were the signs of magic use in her Chakral Median; practitioners tended to show it in the form of a more developed pathway between the nodes. She could also see the dull glow of a simple enchantment under Kate’s blouse, though she could not make out what it was.

  Kate’s hand went to that spot, pressing against the bone between her breasts. ‘It’s a warming charm,’ she said. ‘It belonged to my grandmother.’

  ‘There’s nothing here,’ Ceri said. ‘The most magical thing in the room is Lily’s stomach.’ Somehow, Lily could not quite raise a giggle at the remark. ‘Can we get out of here? And remind me to bring nose plugs next time.’

  ‘I think we’ve seen everything we can before they tidy up the mess,’ John said. He turned to back out of the room and Ceri hurried Lily to go after him. She wanted out of the stink of death. And she would not be able to take a shower for a few hours. Grimacing, she headed down the stairs to get out of the stupid bunny suit hoping her clothes would not hold the scent too much.

  Battersea

  ‘Another one?’ Alexandra asked, frowning.

  Ceri nodded, sipping her tea and settling her back comfortably against Michael’s chest. ‘Ripped apart. Guts torn out, limbs and head pulled off. No sign of another werewolf attacking him, or a blade being used. I’m just thinking people should be careful in case this isn’t coincidence and someone’s gunning for wolves.’

  Alexandra looked around at Anita. The Captain nodded. ‘I’ll have word passed around. I’ll have them keep their ears open as well. It’s amazing what beggars and whores hear that cops wouldn’t.’

  Ceri smiled thankfully. ‘Thanks, it’s appreciated. I don’t suppose you’ve actually heard of this Carl?’

  ‘I have.’ The voice came from one of the girls sitting nearby. Ceri recognised her; Tina, one of the prostitutes Anita had mentioned. She stood and walked over, naked rather than dressed up in the mini-skirt and bandeau she was often seen in. ‘He occasionally used to pick up a girl around King’s Cross. Never another wolf though, he had a taste for human girls. I heard he got a bit rough at times. Liked to fuck while furry and wasn’t too careful about his claws.’

  Ceri chewed on that for a second. ‘You know if he had any particular friends or enemies?’

  The blonde shook her head; her large breasts jiggled as she did it. ‘I stayed away from him to be honest. A couple of the Dog Boys come looking for girls but I’m not desperate enough for the cash. I could ask around the others if you’d like.’

  ‘I don’t want to cause any problems for you,’ Ceri said.

  Tina grinned. ‘It’s not a problem. We’re pretty tight up there. We all look out for each other. The humans like us because we can handle bad customers for them and they don’t need pimps. They keep us informed about stuff we miss being out here.’

  ‘Okay then, if it’s okay with our Alpha, thanks, Tina.’ Tina glanced a
t Alexandra, receiving a barely perceptible nod, and then grinned brightly before wandering back to the group she had been in.

  Ceri drained the rest of her tea and then slapped Michael’s shin. ‘Come on, you, you’re supposed to be teaching me tracking tonight.’

  Alexandra smiled. ‘Hide and seek,’ she said. ‘A nice way to spend an evening. Don’t make it too easy for her to find you, Michael.’

  Ceri frowned. ‘Why would he… oh yeah.’ Considering what would likely happen when she did, she would not have put a little cheating past him.

  Westminster, August 18th

  Ceri was somewhat surprised when Kate opened a door and led them into what looked like a firing range. It was late in the afternoon and they had spent most of the day studying rules regarding the use of magic in restraint situations, the safety regulations involved in that, and a few other random bits of magic use in police work. The rules on restraining prisoners, in particular, were distinctly convoluted. The firing range, however, was a surprise; for one thing, Ceri had not expected there to be one.

  ‘We’re going to learn to shoot?’ Lily asked.

  Kate grinned. ‘No, this is for Ceri.’ She looked around as a tall, bulky man in a Met T-shirt approached them. ‘Ceridwyn Brent, Lily Carpenter, this is Sergeant Daniel Briggs. He’s one of our firearms instructors and he’s going to take Ceri through an evaluation to allow her to use lethal force, if required.’

  Ceri suppressed a grin as Briggs bulked himself up a bit and tried to look as manly as possible as he shook Lily’s hand and then her own. He was a good looking guy; strong features under short cropped, sandy-blonde hair, and a body which showed a lot of muscle. ‘Basically,’ he said, ‘I need to assess your accuracy and control under a variety of conditions. We’re making sure you can hit someone without being a danger to yourself or any nearby non-combatants.’

  ‘Okay,’ Ceri said. ‘Do you have a preference for choice of weapon?’

  ‘Whatever you’re most comfortable with,’ Briggs replied. He looked a little disappointed that it was not Lily doing the evaluation; Ceri tried not to be disappointed he felt that way. Huh, Michael had a better body anyway.

  He led the way down the short row of booths to the second from the end. Around ten yards away was one of those paper, human-form targets with concentric lines drawn to mark off scoring bands. ‘Okay,’ Briggs said, ‘shoot the target. Three rounds, as rapid as you can.’

  Ceri lifted her hand, blue-white energy forming in her palm. She took aim down the range and fired off three bolts of energy. Lily was impressed; she had never seen Ceri throw anything that small before. And Ceri could feel the pride her bound demon felt too. The target was gone; each bolt had hit a different point because the raw magic rapidly disintegrated the paper around the impact point and she had to hit a different part with the next ball of light.

  ‘Uh… right,’ Briggs said. Kate was trying hard not to laugh. ‘I’ve never seen that kind of magic before.’

  ‘Raw thaumic energy,’ Ceri explained. ‘When I get nervous I tend to fire off bolts of it. I can use something else if you prefer?’

  ‘Uh, no, if it’s what you’re most used to.’ He backed up two booths and pointed down the range. There were three targets, all turned sideways on. ‘The targets will turn at random,’ Briggs said. ‘You need to evaluate whether the target is dangerous or not and respond accordingly.’

  ‘Okay,’ Ceri said, setting her feet, fingers flexing like a gunfighter in a cowboy movie, ‘ready when you are.’

  Briggs signalled to someone, presumably in the control booth, and nothing happened. Ceri was beginning to wonder whether the system was working when the first target turned. The figure was a rough looking, shadowy character holding a pistol. Energy burned through Ceri’s core, flaring up her spine and blossoming into destructive power in her mind. A bolt of light burst from her hand, hitting the target in the centre of its chest. A second later there was no target.

  The second target turned almost immediately, a printed image of a man running at her with a machete. The first had been on the right, this was on the left, and she had to realign her aim quickly as her power built. She blinked and the target was dissolving into dust.

  Her arm moved, lining up on the last target. Light flickered around her fingers. The target turned and the light flared brighter… and then died as Ceri closed her hand and pulled her arm back. The target showed a woman with a shocked look on her face holding a baby.

  Ceri heard Lily let out a breath and once again the sense of pride flowed over her. ‘Well done,’ Briggs said. ‘That’s all I need.’

  ‘That’s it?’ Ceri asked. ‘I figured there would be more to it.’

  ‘We’re not training you to be an armed response officer,’ Briggs said. ‘Kate will have explained why you should avoid doing things like that most of the time, but if you do have to we need to be sure you’re not dangerous. We know practitioners are lethal weapons and we can’t expect them to avoid using lethal spells at all times, especially when saving lives.’

  ‘Come on,’ Kate said, ‘The Chief wants to talk to you.’ Briggs pulled a sheet of paper off his clipboard and handed it to Kate, and then she headed out of the range.

  The detective handed the paper over to her boss in his office and then left. Detective Chief Inspector Barry waved at the chairs beside Ceri and Lily as he looked over the form, nodded, and then added it to a brown file folder on his desk. Then he opened his desk drawer and pulled a pair of cards from it, placing them in front of the women before settling into his seat.

  Ceri picked hers up; it was a variant on a warrant card, specifying that she was a Special Advisor to the Metropolitan Police. There was a picture, which she grimaced at, and a holographic authenticity mark, surrounded by the tiny runes of an anti-tampering enchantment. ‘You had them made up before we passed the course?’ she said.

  ‘I have never asked someone to be an SA who I didn’t already know would pass the evaluation,’ Barry replied calmly.

  Lily had picked up her own card and was grinning at it. The childish glee coming through their bond was infectious and Ceri had to stop herself giggling. ‘So we’re official then,’ Lily said.

  Barry allowed himself to smile; Lily’s enthusiasm was infectious. ‘Yes, you are officially able to stick your noses into police business when required.’

  ‘The werewolf case?’ Lily asked.

  ‘Radcliffe will call you on that if he thinks he needs further assistance. For now you can get back to your normal activities.’ His lips quirked. ‘Sunbathing, I understand.’

  Ceri felt her cheeks flush. He knew they sunbathed nude on the roof! She knew it. If she found out who had told him… ‘It’s a demon thing,’ Lily said without even the slightest hint of embarrassment. ‘I really love the heat of the sun on my skin.’

  ‘Well, enjoy it,’ Barry said, ‘the forecast for the weekend is good.’

  Kennington, August 19th

  The sun did feel fantastically good on Lily’s skin. It felt pretty good on Ceri’s skin too, but the feeling of contentment over their link was something else. It was sensual, yes, but mostly it was just plain nice. Ceri could lie there feeling warm and happy all day, if she were actually allowed. A soft groan escaped her lips as Twill emerged from the roof hatch.

  ‘Ceri, phone call. It’s Kate.’ Twill floated the phone over, looking apologetic.

  Ceri plucked the offending instrument out of the air. ‘Yes.’

  Kate sounded apologetic too, but there was also a hint of urgency in her voice which caught Ceri’s attention. ‘I’m sorry to disturb you, but there’s been another death.’

  ‘Another werewolf?’

  ‘Another of the Dog Boys. The Chief’s asking if you can use your contacts. We need to talk to their Alpha and he doesn’t really like cops.’

  Ceri glanced across at Lily, who was looking at her with interest. ‘That could take some doing,’ she said into the phone. ‘Dolf isn’t terribly fond of me either.
I’ll talk to Alexandra and Alec. Might take a day or so.’

  ‘That’ll be faster than the macho freak is likely to talk to us,’ Kate replied. ‘Even if we bring him in, which would just make things worse politically, and explain what’s going on, he still won’t talk to us.’

  ‘Okay, Kate, I’ll contact you as soon as we have anything.’

  ‘Thanks. Bet you didn’t think you’d be girls in blue so fast.’

  Ceri looked up at the clear blue sky with the sun blazing down. ‘Actually, it’s a beautiful day and nothing really bad has happened to me in a couple of weeks. I figured we were doomed as soon as I lay down on the lounger.’

  Part Two: Blue Murder

  Soho, London, August 19th, 2011

  ‘You want to have a meeting with Dolf? Do you have some kind of masochistic streak I wasn’t aware of?’

  ‘Actually, a little spanking…’

  Ceri drove her elbow into Lily’s side with perhaps a little more force than she had intended and looked across the bar at Alec trying hard not to blush. ‘He’s lost three of his wolves in a week under… odd circumstances,’ she said. ‘I’d have thought he’d want any help he could…’ She sagged. ‘He’s going to be one of those Alphas who wants to handle everything in-house, isn’t he?’

  Alec nodded, a wry look on his face. ‘He reminds me of me when I was younger.’

  ‘You mean last year?’ Lily asked.

  She got a glare from the werewolf. ‘I meant much younger.’ He stroked his chin thoughtfully. ‘I think you should go in off your own bat,’ he said. ‘Play the Luperca card. The pillock may not like the fact she’s changed, but he has to listen to her, even if it’s subconsciously. And he knows what’ll happen to his bunch of useless curs if he harms you.’ He sniffed. ‘Don’t take cops or wolves with you. Lily would be fine, but cops will make him clam up and wolves will give him an excuse.’

  Ceri drew in a deep breath. ‘You think I should walk into Dog Boys’ territory with Lily and just demand to see their Alpha?’