by Lelana Croft
I pulled her out of the cooler to let her skin warm up just a little, since that made it easier to apply foundation. But I got the shock of my life when I pulled back the sheet.
I gasped and clamped my hand over my mouth. This couldn’t be the same person we’d just loaded up the night before. The body in front of me was mummified. It looked like it had been something dug up from the one of the National Geographic specials or something.
The skin was dark and leathery. The hands and feet were distorted from the skin tightening up around them causing them to curl. Her hair was white, instead of the dark auburn from the day before.
What the heck had happened? I needed to know.
I knew it would be risky, but I had to try and see what’d happened to her. How did she age so far overnight?
I could hear Hobbs footsteps on the floor above and muffled voices. I knew he’d probably spend a few minutes chatting with Ruby and comforting her. I only had a small window of time to see what I could see before he came down.
Placing my hand on her forehead, I forced a surge of power into her brain. The anklet immediately sent shocks into my leg, making it hard for me to focus. I bit down and forced my attention into Marilyn’s past, and landed into a scene that could only be described as from around the 1800s.
The river was a wide-open expanse in front of her. There were several men herding cows through the middle of town, which was nothing but a big, muddy dirt road. Horses pulled carriages and a few women stood on a front porch of a strange house up on some kind of stilts. The women were all dressed in long dresses and black boots. Their bodices were smooth and tight-fitting and went all the way up to the neck.
She began to walk across the muddy street towards a man who was smiling at her. I could feel her joy as she got closer to the man, admiring how handsome he was. He walked down the stairs to meet her and leaned in to kiss her cheek.
But his clothes. He was dressed in clothes from a time long before she should have been alive.
“So, what do you think about Ste. Geneva?” he asked her, using his hand to wave across the land.
The memory went black as I removed my hand, relieving myself of the intense pain of the anklet. I half expected my phone to be going off any moment now with Tony, scolding me for using my powers again.
The door to the lab pushed open and Hobbs froze in his tracks. He just stood there, looking at Marilyn’s shrunken body before slowly edging his way forward.
“Oh no. Not her,” was all he could say before he covered his mouth with his hand and took a shuddered breath.
I held back my thoughts as I watched him pull out his cellphone and shakily push a few buttons.
“Yeah, it’s Hobbs. We got another one,” he said and paused. “Okay, come down through the basement entrance.”
Pocketing his phone, he went over and pulled the sheet over Marilyn’s body.
“Please, do me a favor and don’t mention this to Ruby, or anyone else for that matter.”
I nodded and made a motion to lock my lips and throw away the key. Then I gathered my courage to inquire what was happening.
“What happened to her? She looks like she’s hundreds of years old.”
Hobbs went over to the rolling stool and sat down, shaking his head and rubbing his tired eyes.
“We’ve had a couple more like this recently. I’ve never seen anything like it. And I have no idea what is happening. It’s like someone has been digging up mummified remains and replacing bodies with them.”
“You mean, this isn’t Marilyn?” I asked, knowing that it was indeed Marilyn. At least, I thought it was.
“How could it be? I mean, she died yesterday. This can’t be her body. Someone had to break in and switch them around. It’s terrible. And it seems to only happen to those who don’t have any family left.”
I looked at Hobbs and wondered if he’d actually tried to prove whether the bodies were who’d been there the night before, or if he’d just assumed that it’d been a switch.
“Mr. Hobbs, I don’t mean to be disrespectful and I know that I am not a forensic expert, but don’t you think it’d be a good idea to find out for sure who this is? I mean, if someone is switching bodies, where are they getting the mummies from?”
I had to get him to look a little deeper into this, or at least allow me to.
“We don’t have the resources to do that kind of in-depth research. It would take a lot of specialized equipment to get the data needed.”
If I could only use my powers to their full capacity, I could help find out what was killing these people. It wasn’t something I had done a lot of, but I knew it could be of some use if I could just get the High Council to agree to it. I needed to make a call to Tony tonight, and see if there was any leeway with this damn anklet thing.
We were interrupted by Sheriff Bowers, pushing through the double doors and walking over to Hobbs.
The Sheriff was a tall, broad man who was shaped like a triangle. Broad at the shoulders and skinny at the ankles. I could tell he liked beer by the belly that protruded over his belt, which was loaded with all kinds of gear. I half expected him to pull out a half-chewed cigar.
“Hobbs? What’s going on?” he belted loudly, as if he’d been disturbed.
Hobbs pulled back the sheet to show the mummified body.
Sheriff Bowers took a step back. “Oh, Jesus!”
I waited off to the side and paid attention to the conversation.
“What the hell is going on around here? And where are these things coming from?” the Sheriff barked.
Hobbs shook his head. “I have no clue. Maybe it’s some college kids, playing pranks or something. But wherever they are getting these mummies, they must be missing from somewhere.”
“Well, just go ahead and wrap her up. Put her with the rest of them. We have to hold them for at least a year to make sure someone won’t claim them before we can put them to rest.”
The rest of them? I wondered how many there were.
“Have you thought about fingerprinting them” I spoke up, distracting them from their conversation.
“And who are you?” Sheriff Bowers asked as he cocked his hip and put both his thumbs behind the front of his heavy belt.
Before I could speak, Hobbs interrupted me.
“This is Scarlett, my new makeup artist and assistant. She was here last night when Marilyn came in and discovered the mummy this morning,” he said, almost dismissively.
That didn’t set well with me. Not being one to just take the first answer, I pushed a little harder.
“Yes, and I don’t believe this is a switch. I think it is actually Marilyn and that it should be investigated more,” I chimed in as I folded my arms across my chest. They didn’t know what I’d seen. Then again, I wasn’t exactly sure that what I had seen had been Marilyn’s thoughts. I needed to get back into her mind and figure out what had happened to her. If it was Marilyn, I wouldn’t know without more time in her mind.
Sheriff Bowers huffed. “You’d do good to mind your own business and just do your job, little lady.”
Little lady? I shook my head and rolled my eyes. What a condescending prick! I resisted the urge to tell him what I truly thought and decided it would be better to get him gone and let me do what I did best.
Investigate.
Chapter 8
After Sheriff Bowers left, Hobbs had me wrap up the mummified woman in plastic and duct tape and move her into long-term storage. When we rolled her into the room, there were several shelves with bodies wrapped up the same way. I was surprised to see so many for such a small-town morgue.
There had to have been at least ten of them.
“Are all of these…” I began.
“Yes. All of these are mummified remains. It started about a year or so ago. What I can’t figure out is how no one is putting out any kind of notification that they are missing. I mean, you’d think there’d be some kind of panic if mummies started disappearing from places.”
/> I helped lift the body up to one of the shelves and pushed the empty cart out of the room as Hobbs closed the door behind us.
“So, you’ve not been able to identify any of them? Have you called around to the colleges or other places that might have mummies?” I asked.
“Yes, I’ve had Ruby working on it for a while now. But we’ve come up with nothing. The Sheriff thinks some kids are robbing old family graves that no one visits anymore and digging them up. I wanted to contact one of the labs up in the city, but the Sheriff warned me against it. Said it would create a trend and then mummified bodies would be showing up everywhere. So I just did what he said, and didn’t pursue it any further.”
“But aren’t you the least bit curious as to who these people might be?” I couldn’t understand why he’d just given up. As an examiner, it’s second nature to question. So why hadn’t he questioned this? Something just wasn’t adding up.
“Yes, I was when the first one came in. But after doing quite a bit of questioning and research and not finding anything anywhere about the mummy, plus having to get through all the new bodies that were coming in, it just went to the back burner. And quite frankly, I’ve been doing this since I was your age. After a while, you just do what you have to do to get through the day.”
I understood what he meant. I’d imagine after being a mortician for years and years that eventually, you’d become numb to death and dying and all that goes with it. You would have to become detached, just to be able to live a normal life.
It made me wonder if Hobbs had a wife and kids. Or if Ruby was more than just his secretary. In a small town like this, I imagined keeping secrets was highly sought after. And if there were some secrets to get out, I’m sure that everyone in town would know about them in short order.
That could make for a very sticky situation. I needed to be able to come in and not be disturbed. I needed a key to the morgue.
“Mr. Hobbs, are you okay with me coming in early some mornings to get a head start? Some mornings, I’d like to get my work done early in the day.”
Okay, I lied. I hated getting up early and had always been a night owl. But I needed him to think I was an early bird.
“I don’t mind that at all. Ruby will get you a key.”
Hobbs walked over to the intercom and told Ruby to give me the key today on my way out. Perfect. Now, I could just come back in the evening and see what else I could learn about Marilyn. And maybe find out more about the rest of the mummies in the cooler.
The rest of the morning was uneventful and I finished one other senior lady who’d been brought in that morning.
Hobbs had given me a desk in a small office and had me do a little paperwork on anyone who’d come through, before passing it off to Ruby. It didn’t feel like an office. More like a closet. The walls were cool and block, painted in hospital green and white. There was a desk lamp, a chair and a phone.
I was finishing up the paperwork when I saw Hobbs’ shadow in the doorway.
“This job can be feast or famine. I know you’ve only been here a couple days, but what I would like to try is to have you on call. Basically, you don’t have to just sit here and wait for a body to show up. But if I have you on call, you’ll need to be available within an hour of my call or text. Are you agreeable to that? The downside is that it will only pay while you are working. So if you choose to stay, you get paid even if you just sit here all day. But if you choose to be on call, you are only paid for the hours worked. Make sense?”
I nodded my head. I loved the idea of not having to sit here and stare at the walls just to get a paycheck. I didn’t need the money anyway, since the High Council had provided everything for me. Plus, I had plenty of cash on hand if needed.
“I think it’d be a great idea. I’ll stay in town so that if you need me, you or Ruby can call or text me on my cell. I’ll keep a log of the hours I come in and leave, so that it is easy for Ruby. Would that work?”
He smiled and nodded. “That would be perfect. It’s Friday and we are done for today. I haven’t received any calls for anyone coming in. Go ahead and give me your number and on your way out, give it to Ruby when she gives you the key. If something comes in over the weekend, I’ll text first and then call. Okay?”
I smiled and hopped out of my chair, handing him my cell number on a sticky note.
“You’re okay, Hobbs,” I said, patting him on the shoulder as I bounced up the stairs, trying not to be too excited about getting out of there early on a Friday. I stopped at Ruby’s desk and gave her my number and picked up the key.
“Have a good afternoon, Ruby,” I said as I waved and walked out the door and into the sunshine. Funny, how the funeral home felt almost like a cave. Maybe all funeral homes felt that way.
I decided to see what Katie and Patty were up to but before that, I wanted to go home and finish unpacking a few of my things.
Adonis was sitting on the edge of the front porch when I pulled up. His expression told me he was waiting to be fed.
“Hi, Adonis,” I said, ruffling the fur on the top of his head.
“You forgot to leave out the cream,” he said with a groan as he followed me inside.
“Sorry, I’m still getting used to this new routine,” I said as I opened the fridge and pulled out the cream, pouring some into a saucepan and turning on the heat. “So, what did you do before I got here?”
Adonis hopped up onto the bar stool and looked at me, then over to the saucepan as he licked his lips.
“There’s a dairy farm a few miles down the road. I can get all I want there, but it is so messy and smelly. It would take me days to get the stench out of my fur.”
I laughed out loud. “First world, kitty problems.”
“Hmpf. You try cleaning your hair after it’s been dragged through the mud, and do it without thumbs and only your tongue.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, but he had a point.
“Sorry, you’re right. I shouldn’t laugh,” I said, as I checked the warmth with my finger, making sure it wasn’t too hot.
I poured the warm cream into a shallow bowl and set it on the edge of the counter. Adonis wasted no time in lapping it up, groaning occasionally and making ‘mmmm’ sounds.
Making my way up into the master bedroom, I looked over the boxes that had been delivered. It wasn’t much, but it was mine. The movers had labeled things based on the room, which made it easier. I went over to the boxes that were marked with ‘living room’ and began to look for the ones with the game consoles in them. There was a TV in the living room and one in the bedroom. Most likely, I’d put one in each room to allow me to play in bed if I felt like it. A year was a long time and I’d need an escape.
THUD. I startled at what sounded like one of the doors closing. Had I left it open?
“Adonis?” I called out as I walked onto the loft and looked down. The only thing left was an empty bowl on the counter. I walked to the kitchen and looked out the back door. Nothing was out of the ordinary.
Maybe I was just hearing things. New houses had their own sounds that you had to get used to. It’d probably been a raccoon or something. I made my way to the stairs to go back up and finish some unpacking, when a pair of strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me into what felt like the chest of a man. I tried to turn my head, but couldn’t see who or what it was.
“Let me go!” I yelled as I tried to pry the strong arms off of me, but they were wrapped around my arms and holding them so tightly that I could barely move.
The beast grunted as he pulled me into the living room and forced me down over the back of the couch, him laying over the back of me. Under any other circumstance, this might be sexy, but not this time. I had no idea who this was or what their intentions were, but I wasn’t about to let this continue.
As I reached back into the waistband of my jeans, I grabbed the handle of my small hidden dagger and readied myself. With the strongest kick I could muster, I lifted my heel up and kicked the beast right in t
he groin, sending him to the ground to curl up into a fetal position.
Pushing myself upright, I wasn’t about to stand there and wait. I looked down and could see it was definitely in the form of a man, but his face was covered by hair. I hopped over him to run upstairs, when I felt something grab my ankle and yank.
Face first, I landed on the bottom two stairs as he dragged me back toward him. I went to kick him with my free foot and he grabbed that one too, pinning me down as he used his strength to hold me down, walking up my body with his hands and using his body weight to keep me held to the floor.
I gripped the dagger as tightly as possible and raised it to come down into his neck, hoping to hit as close to the jugular as possible, but on the downward swing, he grabbed my hand and pushed it into the floor.
He finally made his way up my body as I fought as hard as I could, using my other fist to punch him in the face as many times as possible. His hair was tousled and covered his face as he tried to avoid my blows. I just needed to keep punching and maybe I could disorient him enough to weaken him.
No such luck. He grabbed my other hand and pinned it to the floor as he finally brought his face even with mine.
I used my body and pushed as hard as I could to push him off of me, but I was pinned like a dead bug on a display board for an entomology class.
“Stop fighting,” a deep voice said with some familiarity.
Behind the mess of hair and sweat, I looked up to see the face of my captor.
It was Tony.
Chapter 9
Oh, no. I’d just tried to kick the ass of the one man I didn’t want to have as an enemy. Then again, he did surprise me without identifying who he was.
“What…why are you here? And why are you stalking around my house?” I asked breathlessly, as if it was all his fault we were lying on the floor with him on top of me.
Tony was still holding me down and looking me over closely. I could feel the entire pressure of his body on mine and couldn’t help but notice the stiffening member that was beginning to press up against my pelvis. Angels who took on human forms could also feel what humans felt, including sexuality.
