Madness Unhinged: Dragons of Zalara

by ML Guida

  Hoss looked at her amusingly. “Is he one of the gods?”

  “He thinks he is,” she mumbled.

  Tom shrugged, then cleared his voice. “Principal Myers, this is my partner, Agnes Malloy.”

  The principal stretched out his hand. “Bob Myers.” He had a nice firm handshake. “It’s nice to meet you, Detective.” He released her hand. “Agent Malloy is your brother?”

  Agnes nodded, forcing herself to bite back a retort. “Yes.” She gestured toward Hoss and lied. “This is Hoss, and he’s a special advisor on the case.”

  Just as she said that, another suit and her brother, who looked as smart as ever, entered the office. He was the exact opposite of her––tall, dark, muscular, handsome––her father’s favorite.

  “Really?” Frank put his hands behind his broad back. “I wasn’t informed of a special advisor.”

  Principal Myers frowned. “I thought you were the agent in charge.”

  Frank strolled over to Agnes. “I am.” He glanced at the tall blond man next to him, wearing an almost identical blue suit with a red tie. “This is Agent Jeff Holmes, my partner. We are both in charge of this investigation.”

  He gave Hoss a cool look. “I suspect, sis, your claim of this civilian being important to this case is based on your so-called abilities.” He humiliated her like he used to do when she was a little girl in front of her friends. “Care to explain yourself, Detective?” He lowered his voice. “Or should I say, Carrie?”

  Heat flared in her cheeks and in her neck. He and his friends used to call her Carrie White, based on the misfit character in Stephen King’s novel, Carrie, who was strange and telepathic.

  Hoss frowned. “Carrie?”

  Frank shrugged. “She was a crazy, psychic like my sister.”

  “Don’t talk about her like that.” Hoss glowered and actually towered over Frank.

  Frank’s face actually paled. He straightened his tie and his Adam’s apple moved up and down. Agnes forced herself to hide a smile.

  She’d be called on the carpet for that one, but Hoss was an advisor, not that she could tell these two that their number one suspect was from outer space. She’d be off the case and put on leave until a mental health exam said she was sane.

  The principal shook Hoss’s hand. “It’s good to meet you.”

  He focused on Agnes. “Your partner reports that you have some amazing deductible abilities and can help us find out what happened to…Annie.” Tears welled in his eyes. He put out his hand. “Sorry. I just can’t believe something like this happened here. I’m still not sure what happened.”

  She ignored Frank rolling his eyes and concentrated on the principal. “I’m sorry for your loss,” Agnes said. His grief appeared to be genuine, and this was a man who obviously cared about his staff.

  “He found her at seven this morning,” Tom said. “The principal had just missed the murderer.”

  “Annie liked to get to school before anyone else, including me. She was our MTSS teacher, who was extremely dedicated. Who would do this to her?”

  Hoss asked, “What’s MTSS?”

  “It stands for Multi-tiered System Support, which really means that Annie had lots of reports to fill out,” the principal answered. “She liked to get to school early to work on them. Her main focus had always been the students.”

  “I know you’ve repeated what happened, but could you tell me what happened, Mr. Myers?” Agnes asked.

  The principal flashed Tom a warning look. “I know your partner doesn’t believe me.”

  Agnes led him away from the captain and Tom, who was mumbling under his breath about the principal being off his rocker.

  “Would you like to go someplace private?” she asked.

  Principal Myers motioned. “My office.”

  “Of course,” Agnes said. Both her and Hoss followed him into a large office with a wooden desk and a conference table with eight chairs. She and Hoss sat on either side of the shaken man.

  Hoss was right at her side, thankfully, keeping his mouth shut.

  “Please tell me what happened, Mr. Myers.”

  “I know it sounds crazy.”

  “Please,” Agnes encouraged. “Anything will help.”

  He damped his face with a handkerchief. “I was just coming into the building when I heard her scream. I ran toward her room. When… I saw her…”

  His eyes turned vacant as if he were reliving the scene again.

  Agnes gave him a minute to compose himself.

  “Sorry,” he muttered. “It’s just so surreal.” He glanced at her face. “Annie was lying on the floor bleeding profusely. I have never seen so much blood.”

  “Did you see anyone?” Agnes asked.

  He shook his head. “No, but I… I heard a voice.”

  “Go on.” Agnes gently touched his trembling arm.

  “The voice said…I…was lucky that he…wasn’t going to kill me.” He frowned. “Why would he say that? What did he mean?”

  “He’s only interested in killing women,” Hoss finally said.

  Principal Myers took a deep breath. “You believe me? You don’t think I imagined it like your partner or the FBI agents?”

  She smiled. “I’m more open-minded. Did you smell anything?”

  “Come to think of it, I did. I thought it was strange that I detected spoiled milk.”

  “Thank you,” Agnes said. “You’ve been a big help.”

  “You don’t…think… You don’t think the killer will come back and murder more of my staff, do you?”

  Agnes and Hoss glanced at each other. “We hope not,” they answered at the same time.

  “That’s not very reassuring.” Principal Myers glanced up at the clock. “If you’ll excuse me, my staff will be getting here soon, and I’ll need to tell them what happened.”

  “Sure.” Agnes smiled. “Do what you must do.”

  He quickly left his office and headed down the opposite hallway where a group of nervous women waited for him. He led them into another classroom. Agnes didn’t envy what he was about to do.

  She and Hoss approached the captain, who stood by himself. He flashed an angry look at Hoss.

  “Captain,” she asked. “Where did Frank and his partner go?”

  “Back to the office. They’re planning on working on a profile.”

  Hoss looked at her. “What’s a profile?”

  “Based on what they know and the evidence, they will come up with a profile on the suspect.”

  “Does that actually work?”

  “Yes, it does,” the captain snapped.

  Not wanting those two get into an argument, Agnes asked, “How was she killed?”

  “She was wearing a scarf, and according to the coroner, the killer yanked on the scarf from behind, pulling her to the ground. The bastard slashed her throat so deep that he cut through her wind-pipe, silencing any scream. She bled out within two minutes.” The captain shook his head. “The poor girl never had a chance.”

  Agnes noticed the wooden mail slots and wandered over. Annie hadn’t picked up her mail. “How did she get in?”

  “She had a key fob,” the captain said. “The killer must have attacked her as she came inside.”

  She frowned. “There were no signs of forced entry?”

  Hoss interrupted. “What about the security cameras? Did anyone catch any footage on that?”

  The captain frowned. “We did, but there must be something wrong with the cameras. It didn’t make any damn sense.”

  Dread hunkered down in Agnes’s gut. “What do you mean?”

  He motioned for them to follow. “Come on, I’ll show you.” He led them to the resource officer’s office. On one wall were a slew of screens. A young officer sat behind a desk with a perplexed look on his face. He tore himself from the screen and stood when they entered.

  “Officer Wilson, this is Detective Malloy, she was the lead investigator on this case.”

  Agnes bristled at the word was, but kept
her composure. She gestured toward Hoss. “This is Hoss. He’s my advisor.”

  Office Wilson stretched out his hand and shook hers. It was a strong, firm, grip. “Detective.” He then greeted Hoss.

  “Please sit,” he said. “I’ve been reviewing the tape of Annie, and I just can’t figure what is wrong with the equipment. The video just doesn’t make sense.”

  Agnes and Hoss glanced at each other as they slid into two chairs that faced the screens, while the captain sat on the edge of the officer’s desk, folding his arms across his chest.

  “Review the footage, Wilson.”

  “Yes, sir.” He pushed some buttons and the tape rewound. “Just doesn’t make sense,” he muttered.

  Annie entered the building on the west side of the building, her pale face was a sharp contrast to her black hair. With her red lips, Agnes thought of Snow White, but no prince was going to wake her from a dead sleep.

  Annie kept looking over her shoulder. She held her purse and bag close.

  “Do we know what was in her bag?” Agnes asked.

  “Papers, notebooks, and an iPad. Nothing that gave us in any information on what happened,” the captain said.

  “I’d like to look at her things,” she said.

  The captain cast her a glowering look, as if to warn her not to do anything supernatural. She pretended not to notice but anger seethed inside her. She was so tired of any guesses she made being suspect. No other detective had to work as hard to be logical.

  On the tape, Annie walked down the hall, but the she increased her pace, constantly looking over her shoulder. Her eyes were wide, and she was breathing hard. Strangely, there was nothing behind her. The woman’s terror touched Agnes.

  Annie’s mouth opened in a scream as she ran down a hallway that led to her room. She jammed her hand into her purse and pulled out a key ring. She shoved a key into the lock, and the door opened.

  Suddenly, her scarf lifted up from behind her as if by magic, then she was yanked hard back. Her throat was viciously cut, blood gushing down her white coat, turning it dark red. She gurgled, then collapsed on the tile floor. A pool of blood spread from underneath her.

  She hadn’t blinked nor had her chest rose up and down. Her legs moved apart by themselves, or more likely someone forced them to move.

  The principal came around the corner and halted to a stop. A look of pure horror flashed across his face. He jumped back against a wall.

  “I just don’t understand,” Officer Wilson said. “Someone killed Annie, but it looked like the suspect was erased from the tape. No one broke into my office. How the hell did this happen? She didn’t deserve this. She was a great teacher, loved by her students.” His voice shook with frustration.

  The captain shrugged. “Hell, if I know.”

  Agnes cleared her throat. “Do you mind if I go down to the crime scene?”

  “Go ahead. Good detective work that’s all, Malloy.”

  Hoss followed her out of the office. “Daidhl wasn’t done with her.”

  “What?”

  “The principal interrupted his work. I fear he would have been more violent.”

  “So, part of his plan is to cut these poor women up?”

  “I told you. He feeds on fear. Not just the women’s, but ours. I am sure he got a full belly after feeding on that man’s fear. We need to find him.”

  “Obviously, but how?”

  “By figuring out how he knows our mates.”

  “And exactly how we are going to do this?”

  “I don’t know, but we’d better damn well figure it out. He’s getting more brazen and more violent.”

  Neither of them spoke as they went down the hallway toward Annie’s room. Agnes caught three cameras and felt like her every move was being dissected. Maybe they were.

  Cold air whooshed around Agnes, and she pretended not to notice. A white light flashed at the end of the hallway. Agnes quickly glanced at Hoss to see if he saw it, but his demeanor hadn’t changed. She took a deep breath.

  The light reappeared and formed into Annie Watkins, but she had difficulty maintaining her form and flickered in and out. She looked down at her dead body that was now covered with a tarp. Forensics was still inside taking photographs. Luckily, neither Frank nor his partner were inside.

  Agnes slowed as her and Hoss approached the ghost. She leaned closer to Hoss, inhaling his masculine scent. “She’s here.”

  He frowned. “Who?”

  “Annie Watkins. I can see her.”

  He raised his eyebrow. “You can.”

  “Yes, if I try talking to her, the cameras will see, and I’ll be off the case.”

  “Your kind is foolish to not appreciate your gift.”

  It was the second time he’d called her abilities a gift and rather than arguing, she smiled, wishing she could kiss him. But this wasn’t the time or place.

  “I need you to stand next to her, so it looks like I’m talking with you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because we’re being watched.” She tilted her head toward a camera that was high up in a corner overhead.

  “Can’t they hear us?”

  “No, based on what we saw in Officer Wilson’s office, the cameras are only visual and don’t have the capacity for auditory. Stand on the other side of the body.”

  He winked. “Sure, beautiful.”

  Annie raised her head. “I can’t believe I’m dead.”

  Agnes pulled out her iPad and took a picture. “I know. I’m sorry.” She proceeded to take several pictures of Annie’s body.

  “My students will be sad. We’re very close.” A tear leaked down onto her cheek. “He was so vicious. I could feel the evil within him. He’s not done yet.”

  “Can you tell me anything else?”

  “He’s obsessed. I could…read…his mind.”

  Her fading voice unzipped an uneasiness inside Agnes. Goosebumps slowly edged up her arm.

  Annie faded, but her voice was loud enough for Agnes to hear.

  “He’s going after your friend, then you. You can’t stop him. He’s too powerful.”

  14

  Hoss looked around the hallway for any clues of Daidhl’s next move. Besides the metallic stench, he detected foul milk.

  Hoss led Agnes out of the elementary school. She’d been quiet. Too quiet.

  “You haven’t said anything since you saw the ghost. What did Annie say?”

  She walked over to her car. “Both Kathy and I are in danger.”

  “We already knew that.”

  “But it gives me an idea.” She quickly got into the car.

  He didn’t like her tone and slid inside. “What does that mean?”

  “Look Hoss, you’ve said repeatedly that you and the so-called Fates can’t determine who are the mates, but this bastard can. As far as I can see, we’re always going to be one step behind.”

  “Go on.”

  “Annie said he’s obsessed with both me and Kathy. This is our advantage.”

  “What are you saying?” he asked slowly, knowing he wasn’t going to like the answer.

  She started the car. “We could set up a trap. Kathy and I could be the bait.”

  “That’s the dumbest thing you’ve come up with.”

  She glared. “Don’t talk to me like that.”

  He fought not to lash out at her, but it brimmed slowly out of his voice“How the hell do you want me to talk to you? When you’re determined to walk into a wike’s den.”

  She frowned. “What’s a wike?”

  “A ferocious beast on Zalara with a mouth full of teeth, a spiky tail, and long talons. But it pales to this creature. This isn’t a human, Agnes. This is a Mistonian. One of the deadliest creatures in the universe.”

  “Hoss, this is my job. I swore an oath to serve and protect. If I can stop the killing, I’m going to do it.”

  “I can’t let you do this.”

  She cast him a look that froze his tongue. “You don’t have a choice.
This is what I do.”

  He nervously tapped his hands on his thighs. “Where are we going?”

  “Back to headquarters.”

  He stopped tapping and scowled. “Why?”

  “I need to do a time line to see if there is a pattern of any kind.”

  Her tight face looked like she was a million miles away and she needed to be looped back into reality. “He only goes after mates.”

  “I realize that, but maybe they’re not at random.”

  He opened his mouth, but shut it. Frustration roasted inside him like a piece of meat. He was about to argue, but it would be pointless. Why was he getting so upset? She was just another woman––a stubborn woman––that he enjoyed, and if she were walking into danger, he shouldn’t care. There were always more women––at least tons on Earth.

  His fingers turned numbed and his skin chilled at losing her. He’d gone through women on Zalara like water, just to prove he wasn’t like his father. Why did the thought of her being killed leave him ice cold? The concern had to be because his lineage would end. He refused to admit it was anything else.

  She parked the SUV in police headquarters and got out of the car. She stretched her back then quickly headed toward the front door without waiting for him. Stubborn wench.

  The last place he wanted to be was here. Every time, he always ended up in a cell that he could easily escape, but was under orders not to. Pushing aside his unease, he easily over took her. She barely glanced at him, but didn’t block him from coming.

  “So, you’re not speaking to me?”

  She stopped and glared. “I don’t play games. I just don’t want to argue. I learned a long time ago that it’s useless to try and change the mind of stubborn over-bearing men.”

  “Is that what you think I am?” he asked softly.

  She turned, her back stiff. “All men are.”

  Hoss wanted to take her back into his arms and show her that not all men were enemies, but he doubted she’d believe him. Based on the men in her life, she had no reason to trust him.

  They were quickly near the interrogations rooms, that he unfortunately knew too well. She led him past the rooms to a large glass office with leather chairs, a long table, and bulletin boards. Crime photos were pinned on the bulletin.