Gibbs froze the waiting area and anything inside just as the stairwell door popped open. Graham Lightner and his team exited and joined Annie and Gibbs in the waiting room.
“Hey Annie, Gibbs. Good timing.” Graham pointed to the medical examiner.
“Too close,” Annie said.
They separated quickly. The VAU entered the morgue, leaving the medical examiner frozen in his spot.
Once inside the stairwell, Gibbs replaced the window on the door just as Annie’s phone buzzed in her pocket. It was Bucky Hart.
“I printed the X-ray,” he said.
“Any thoughts?” Annie asked.
“No clue what it is. I’ll keep the alert on until VAU claims the body and does their thing. Anything else I can do for you?”
“VAU is here, so I think we’re good for now. If anything else comes up, I’ll let you know.”
“So much for an easy case.” Bucky whistled through the phone.
When Annie finished the call, Gibbs grumbled, reached for her hand and pulled her back up the stairs.
*
Milo Rawley answered the door in sweatpants that hung from his shrinking frame and were covered with large stains at the knees. His body swam in a large ripped sweatshirt with a hole on the side; he looked as though he were ten and wearing his father’s clothes. He grunted and waved Annie into his house. She followed as Milo, her boss, shuffled his way to the small room at the back of his two-story home. He switched on the light and lowered himself into his squeaky desk chair with an irritated grunt.
“Why are you here?”
“You asked me to come.”
At the door, a thin, pretty lady named Annette poked her head inside the small office, checking on her husband and his guest. Her bathrobe was pulled tightly around her, her face clean of makeup, her smile cheerful.
“Hi, Annie. Can I get you anything?” Annette asked cheerfully, as if she were unaware of the early hour.
“She’s not staying,” Milo groaned.
“Ugh. No wonder they dislike you, dear. If you need anything, Annie, please help yourself.” Annette ran a hand through her short curly brown hair and pushed her thick glasses closer to her eyes.
“Thanks, Annette. Sorry to wake you.”
“It’s nothing, dear,” she said. Her footsteps treaded down the hallway and up the stairs to bed.
When the door closed shut, Milo spoke. “You sure it’s ours?” He regarded Annie, judged her. For a moment Annie doubted what she thought was the truth.
“It’s definitely black magic at the site of the scorch mark where the electrocution spell hit. An X-ray was taken, and there’s a white magic object in his stomach. I have the VAU already there.”
Milo glanced at her. The low light cast shadows across his sallow skin. His recent weight loss had done little to bring him a healthy glow; it only made him appear sickly. “What’s in his stomach?”
“We don’t know. According to Bucky, the autopsy is scheduled for morning. Graham will have everything cleaned and taken care of long before then.”
Milo picked up a pen and twisted it through his fingers, leaving Annie feeling like a teenager having to justify her actions. She took a slow breath, not giving him any satisfaction. She crossed her legs.
“And the blood?” Milo asked.
“I took care of it. Just sign the forms, and VAU will finish up.” She summoned the form and floated it toward him.
Milo unrolled the scroll and read the declaration—her reasoning for stealing the magical body from a nonmagical entity, risking exposure. “You’re a smart ass.” After scratching his name, he handed it back to her. “It’s all official.”
Annie took it. “Have you ever heard of a wizard that can shoot electricity from their hands?”
“Nah. You need a spell for that. Gotta be a creature to have that kinda magic.” It was the last thing Milo said to her before hoisting himself out of his chair and out of his home office, leaving Annie to let herself out.
Chapter 5
Wake me up before you go-go
Don’t leave me hanging on like a yo-yo
Wake me up before you go-go
I don’t want to miss it when you hit that high
The alarm pierced the darkness; even in her morning haze, Annie slammed the off button with her fist. As her brain stumbled through the fog, becoming aware of the day, the song on the radio wasn’t lost on her.
Her body fought between wake and sleep; rolling over, she watched the bright numbers change to 5:31 a.m.
I could use one more hour.
Against all her wishes, Annie threw the covers off and popped up. Cham turned to his back. As much as she wanted to curl against him, she stood on the cold wood floor.
“You really have to leave so early?” Cham groaned. She leaned over, kissed his soft lips, and ran her hands through his already wild morning hair.
“Perkins Abernathy likes to get the autopsies done early. I have to get there,” she said.
“I’ve got a missing person tracking again,” Cham said.
Annie nodded. Another text had been sent to all wizard guards last night. Another missing person was reported on the south side of Chicago with the same unknown magical trace found at their residence.
“I wish I could help.” But Annie had John Doe to contend with. She reached down and kissed him one more time. “I love you,” she whispered and climbed off the bed.
“Love you. See you later.” While he rolled over for a last few minutes of sleep, Annie threw on her work clothes, brushed her teeth, managed her unruly hair, and grabbed a breakfast Danish before heading out to the lab in the basement of Wizard Hall, all the while humming like she was hanging on like a yo-yo.
*
The sun hadn’t risen when Annie landed in the courtyard of Wizard Hall. Cold, blustery wind blew through her hair. She ran into the main entrance to the security desk where the day shift officer sat at his desk, reading the morning edition of the wizard newspaper, The American Sphinx.
“Annie. How’s the dead wizard?” Manny asked with a wide smile.
He must’ve been here when the John Doe was brought in. “You’re way too chipper this morning,” Annie groaned, then chuckled. “I’ll let you know after the autopsy. So how’re the wife and kids?”
Manny laughed with Annie. “Good. Two broomstick racers at Windmere.” He pointed to the pot in the corner. “Coffee’s loaded if you want some.”
“Congrats. I wish I could, but no food or drink in the lab,” Annie said. She waved and passed through the final entrance to the back hallway of the first floor.
Annie swung around to her left, bypassing the elevators for the stairs and nearly running to the basement. The staircase dropped her out by the library, which was still closed this early. She rarely saw the large, hand-carved oak doors closed shut, the way they would be until the librarian, Mrs. Cuttlebrink, opened them at her consistent time of nine in the morning.
As Annie passed the beautifully carved hanging art, she noticed the depictions of ancient wizard folklore, stories all magical children grew up learning. They were interspersed with scenes from wizard history in the United States, history she had learned as a student at Windmere.
Like they always did, her eyes found the carving of the woman who ironically looked just like her, with long flowing hair that blew behind her. The woman stood beside the carcass of a demon, her foot resting on the body, a sword held triumphantly in the air. Still to this day, no one had recognized the demon type that lay beneath her foot.
Strolling past the closed doors of the Records Chambers, Annie peered into the cafeteria, where elves and wizards were well into preparing for the breakfast shift. A few maintenance employees congregated at a clump of tables in the center of the room. Their laughs wafted through the mostly empty basement as they were either coming off the night shift or starting the day shift. Annie saw familiar faces, including Cham’s brother, Jimmy Chamsky, who was jovially regaling his coworkers with some story
. Heading past the maintenance office, which was open all night, Annie saw the manager was deep in a pile of paperwork.
The laboratory, where the autopsy would be performed, was hidden away at the end of the hallway. Annie opened the metal door and entered the most orderly and clean space in the entire Wizard Hall. The laboratory, which was built on top of the incinerators, rumbled beneath her feet when she stepped through the door.
The lab consisted of two large rooms. The first half was much like any morgue. Two stainless steel tables were set parallel to each other; above them, large tilted mirrors hung from the ceiling for easy viewing of autopsies.
Cabinets lined the perimeter of the room and were filled with beakers, test tubes, cauldrons, herbs, and other potion ingredients. To Annie’s left, a large work table was piled high with containers and folders.
The far right wall of the morgue contained a huge, thick, indestructible pane of glass, the kind used at zoos to keep animals from breaking through. It overlooked a massive yet empty gym. The walls were covered in blue mats, some stained, others ripped or burnt. Extra mats were piled along the far right wall. This half of the laboratory was used to test spells, potions, and black magical objects. The linoleum floor was covered in scorch marks and potions stains; there was one nasty burn running the length of the room and up the wall to the ceiling.
John Doe lay on the table closest to the window. A large mirror was already positioned above the table, angled for a good view of the body.
Who else is coming?
Perkins Abernathy, the lab manager, was starting his examination by reviewing the X-ray on the light box along the back wall.
“Hi, Perkins.”
“Annie. Interesting case.” Perkins smiled and returned to the X-ray, taking measurements of the object and its location inside the stomach cavity.
“No kidding. Body came okay, I see.” Annie donned the required work suit, slipping on the large blue coveralls, shoe covers, and gloves. Lastly, she placed on a hat with a large faceguard protecting her eyes. Hot under the shield, her breath fogged the visor.
“I still can’t figure out what this is,” Perkins admitted, joining her at the table but leaving the X-ray on the light box.
“We’ll find out soon enough.”
When Perkins finished with his gloves and lowered his visor, he began the ‘Y’ incision through the chest, opening up the skin and muscles. The stench of death hit Annie immediately. She held the side of the table to keep from passing out.
“Okay, girl?” Gibbs asked, entering the lab. He had come from his missing person’s case and ran over to back up Annie in this murder case. He yanked on his own gear before Annie could answer. “Abernathy,” Gibbs greeted the lab manager, then joined them at the table.
Perkins detached the stomach from the rest of the organs and placed it on the table behind him. Annie tentatively followed.
Perkins ran a knife through the stomach; contents spilled over, landing in a plastic storage box. Another distinct smell assaulted Annie’s nose. Something hadn’t digested before the victim died.
“You hanging in there, Annie? Gibbs?”
“Yeah. Still gross though,” she answered, trying to breathe at the same time.
Gibbs looked over her shoulder, neither fascinated nor bored. Though he was far more used to autopsies than Annie was, he was pale and breathing through his mouth.
He’s more bothered than he lets on.
Annie grimaced when Perkins stuck a hand inside the organ. Bodily fluids and flesh squished under his fingers, and she blanched. Gibbs grimaced and looked away, even though the splish-splashing of stomach contents continued.
After feeling around in the stomach, Perkins plucked out the mysterious object, holding it in his palm.
“What the hell?” Annie reached forward. The object was a large, thick ring with a dense band.
“Something worth killing for,” Gibbs commented.
Annie wiped away stomach biologicals to examine the ring more closely. It consisted of a flat top, with a raised six-pointed star at the center. Three stones made up the corners of a square; the fourth corner was a set of empty prongs.
“It’s missing a stone. Can you check inside for it?” Annie pointed, showing Perkins the missing stone.
He widened the incision in the stomach and dumped the contents into the bowl. Annie looked away, exchanged disgusted looks with Gibbs. Perkins sloshed around in the half-digested food and stomach acid. It slopped against the side of the bowl. Gibbs turned green underneath his shield.
Finding nothing, Perkins examined the inside of the stomach, kneading every recess, bump, and centimeter of the stomach lining. “Sorry, Annie, there’s nothing in there.”
“It probably didn’t pass into the intestines yet, right?”
“Doubtful. Let me see the ring.”
Annie passed Perkins the artifact. He collected the ring’s magic from his crystal. Saving the trace, he passed the crystal over the victim’s intestines, which remained dull and lifeless.
“It could have been lost centuries ago,” Perkins suggested.
“Probably,” Annie agreed. “Thanks for checking. Do you mind if we clean it off now? I’d like to take it with me.”
“Have at it. I’ll start a full autopsy and let you know if I find something. Do you need anything from the body?”
“Just the normal stuff, DNA samples, and fingerprints for Bucky. We still need to find out who this is.”
“Will do. If you need anything else, let me know.”
Perkins began his more thorough examination and became singularly focused on that, paying little attention to Annie and Gibbs at the sink. Annie ran cold water over the ring, rinsing away slime and stomach contents.
“Whoever had this ring made was extremely large,” Annie noted as she gently massaged the ring clean.
“Yeah. Looks like.”
When the water ran clear, she dried the ring off and handed it to Gibbs, a large man on his own. He slipped the ring over his largest finger. It spun and slid off easily.
Annie dumped the ring into a plastic evidence bag.
“I’m heading to the library to see what I can find on this. Tonight the market?” she asked Gibbs.
“Call when you’re ready for me,” he said, and they stripped off the work gear, dumping it into the incinerator. It sizzled and popped.
She said goodbye to Perkins, who was so wrapped in what he was doing, he didn’t seem to notice.
*
Mrs. Cuttlebrink, the Wizard Hall librarian, flew through the stacks of thousands of books, some as early as the fifth century and scrolls and tablets older than that Wisps of her salt-and-pepper hair danced out of her normally tight bun as she skipped happily on her short, thick legs to the table where Annie perused several books the librarian had waiting for her. “Here’s some more for you, Annie.”
The first pile contained encyclopedias of Middle Eastern designs. Many represented cults, clubs, religions, and other organizations originating in that area. Mrs. Cuttlebrink was most certain that the brooch worn by John Doe was indeed from that region, as per her research; however, they still had no idea what their particular design represented.
Maybe it was meant to just be pretty.
A second pile of tomes, larger than the first, contained both general books about ancient jewelry and some with a distinct focus on the Middle East. Annie pulled down another book from that pile to peruse.
The harsh library light and dry air caused her to blink rapidly. Annie pushed the book aside and rubbed her temple that ached. She slid her chair backwards, arched her tightened back, and stretched her arms above her head.
Drawing a cleansing breath, Annie sniffed a scent of lemon. As she glanced around the library, she finally noticed that the dark, wood-covered walls gleamed brightly. High bookshelves had been repacked; the books were neatly lined, alphabetized, and reorganized. The cobwebs that normally appeared from the ceiling to the top shelves had been swept away. Even
the table, which was covered in books, shined after an extreme cleaning.
It must be slow in the library. Annie chuckled at the thought that Mrs. Cuttlebrink was bored.
“Are you okay, Annie?” the librarian asked.
Even after rummaging the stacks all morning, Mrs. Cuttlebrink still felt fresh and overly excited by this project. “I’m fine. Tired, a little hungry, and… well, frustrated with the lack of… anything.”
“Oh, sweetie, we have lots more books to look through.” Mrs. Cuttlebrink smiled. The kindly woman held up another book before opening it and skimming the page. As the librarian read the passage and turned the page, her eyes lit up and her smile grew wider like an excited child who had just opened a birthday present and gotten just what she wanted. Mrs. Cuttlebrink turned the page again; her smile couldn’t have gotten any wider. She pointed and tapped the book.
What question did she answer?
In a flash, the librarian pulled up another book, laid it open on the table, and cast a spell with her palms above the books. The pages flipped rapidly, succumbing to the magical order to search out whatever it was she requested. As quickly as it started, the pages stopped, and the book flopped open to the designated page. Mrs. Cuttlebrink scanned a passage and returned to the first book. Her eyes volleyed back and forth as she verified her findings.
Anxious for an answer, Annie examined the piles in front of her and pulled down a handwritten scroll that teetered on top of a pile. Unrolling the paper, she separated several pages, scanning the handwritten notes.
These are the adventures of Nicholas Roerich.
Out of the Russian city, with the scent of people, of animals as they meandered through the muddy streets, I find myself in Tibet, to the clean, clear mountain air that revives my abilities and gives me back my clarity as I search for my place in the universe. I’m sure of the answers I seek…
…The tea awakened me to the purpose of the sky, of the stars, of the meaning of all things not of this world, of all of the mysteries that are for me to discover.
Black Market (The Wizard Hall Chronicles Book 2) Page 6
