Something Rotten: An Uncanny Kingdom Urban Fantasy (The Ghosted Series Book 2) by David Bussell & M.V. Stott

Author:David Bussell & M.V. Stott
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Genre Reader
Published: 2017-05-18T06:00:00+00:00

14

I told DCI Stronge to get some shuteye while I carried on the investigation overnight. She protested, telling me she could power through, but she was dog tired and we both knew it. As for me, I had to do something to keep my mind occupied, and even if I were able to sleep I couldn’t have. This case had gotten into my head, and I wouldn’t let up until the Hooded Man had answered for what he’d done.

Before I said goodnight to Stronge, she mentioned that Dr Anand was carrying out the autopsies of Mike and his abuser that evening, so I decided to ditch the meat suit and pay a visit to the morgue for an observe and report. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t relish the prospect of watching Anand carve a giant Y into a dead kid, but if there was any chance of her examination leading me to the man in the hood, I was going to be there.

As I’d been informed, Dr Anand was there, dressed in her scrubs and apron, burning the midnight oil. As she worked, I stood by inconspicuously in my ghost form, watching her unseen. Anand began with a cursory examination of the adult, the cadaver of which lay on its fat belly, presenting a back full of holes. She inspected the corpse visually and reported her findings into a microphone that hung above the autopsy slab.

‘...Multiple sharp force injuries from a rear, dropped position consistent with the witness report of a juvenile stabber. I count... eleven puncture wounds and... five chops. Cause of death at this stage seems self-explanatory.’

She moved across to the opposite slab and began to examine the body of Mike, which lay on its back, facing the ceiling. He looked peaceful. Except for the belt mark around his neck, he might as well have been sleeping.

‘Come on,’ I whispered, goading Anand on inaudibly. ‘Give me something. Find me a clue. Lead me to the puppet master.’

Anand went about her second exam with the same dispassionate professionalism as the first. ‘Without opening the body up and studying its internal organs, it would appear this death occurred due to strangulation.’ She picked one of the cadaver’s legs up by the heel and flexed it at the knee. ‘Going by the degree of rigor mortis, the time of death is estimated to have occurred at least twelve hours ago.’ She put the limb down and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. ‘Which of course is impossible as the deceased was seen to perform a frenzied homicide less than four hours ago by at least a dozen witnesses.’

That part was no news to me, even if the reanimator’s motive, method and identity were an utter enigma.

Anand went on. ‘Continuing my examination, I will now conduct an internal exploration of the cadaver.’

She went to a tray of stainless steel instruments and selected a large scalpel. This was the part I’d been dreading. I wanted to look away of course, but I forced myself to stay focussed and remember that I was only looking at Mike’s corpse.

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