by E A Price
It was the same as their first victim. She had been walking home from the grocery store – various grocery items, candy bars and the like, were littering the crime scene. Someone – or something – attacked her. Her body was strewn with claw marks.
Julie, the medical examiner’s assistant, told them she thought both victims had been attacked by the same animal. Melissa was too worried to even find any amusement in the way Julie was shyly blushing and casting glances at Colt.
If the gargoyle had killed again, this was bad for Gracchus. From what he said, gargoyles were hoping to ‘come out’ to the rest of the world eventually. But if one of their kind was behind brutal murders like this, their welcome from the world was not going to be warm, and they were already kind of working with two arms tied behind their backs anyway.
Melissa scanned the area, hoping for some clue. But it was the same as before. It looked like whoever – whatever – killed her just swooped on down from out of the sky. Which wasn’t excellent news for her hopeful werewolf theory.
To Julie’s disappointment, Colt moved over to the witness. He was talking a mile a minute to a patrol officer, and at least seemed less skittish than their last witness. Melissa wandered over to join them.
The man had been jogging when he witnessed the attack, and like the last witness, he was sure it was some kind of beast. He was gladly repeating his story for Colt, while the patrol officer happily took his leave – disbelief rolled off the cop in waves.
“Okay, okay, I was just coming round this corner here, and I passed her going in the other direction,” he pointed his arms wildly, “and that’s when I heard a kind of snuffling noise.”
“Like a dog?” suggested Melissa. Colt shot her a look of irritation.
“Exactly!” cried their jogging witness. “And I stopped right here.” He pointed to a spot on the ground. “I decided to take my pulse – you know to see how high it was, and that’s when I heard her screaming. She was walking through the park to get home I think.”
“Did you know her?” asked Colt.
The jogger shrugged. “By sight yeah, I never talk to her though. I jog this way every day, and I usually see her on Mondays and Fridays. I think she’s a nurse and works night shifts. She’s always buying groceries – I reckon she buys them on Friday mornings, so she has a treat for over the weekend – that’s when she buys loads of candy - and Monday mornings for the upcoming week – because that’s when she buys fruit.”
Melissa and Colt exchanged a glance. “You’re very observant,” she said.
He brushed aside the compliment. “Thanks, I’m a building safety inspector – I have to pay attention to the smallest detail.”
Lord help the building owners who got an inspection from him. “Why do you think she’s a nurse?”
It was hard to tell given the damage to the body, but they could see she wasn’t wearing a nurse’s uniform.
“I once ran past her and noticed she was wearing one of those upside-down watch things over her right breast. Kind of old school, but most people who wear them tend to be nurses. Plus, she always has her hair pulled back in this really severe bun – so either she works with food or some other environment that needs to remain sanitary.”
Melissa nodded. “Good point. So what happened next?”
“I turned around when I heard the scream and this… this… thing!” he exclaimed, resuming his arms waving. “It was just attacking her, clawing and swiping at her. I mean I was quite a way away but I could still see what it was doing. She was screaming and it was roaring. I shouted ‘hey’ and it ran away.” He deflated a little. “She was dead by the time I got to her.”
“What did it look like?” asked Melissa and Colt at the same time. It was hard to tell which of the two of them was keener to hear his answer.
The man tapped his chin thoughtfully, and then declared, “Like, a wild animal.”
Colt looked like he was about to explode. “In what way?”
“In that it wasn’t human, I mean it seemed to run off on two legs, but it clearly wasn’t human. It was too big and its head looked too big.”
“Did it have wings?” demanded Colt feverishly.
“Did it have fur?” demanded Melissa, equally feverishly.
“I... I can’t be sure. It all happened so fast and from over here it kind of looked like a big, dark shape.”
“Must have been hard to make out in the dark,” murmured Melissa.
“Huh? Oh, the sun was already out, she was just too far away.”
Melissa gaped at him. “You mean, the sun had already risen.”
“Yes.”
“It wasn’t dark out?”
“No, it wasn’t…”
“Because it was daytime?”
“Yes, that is generally what it means when the sun has risen!” he cried in exasperation.
Melissa could have kissed him. Could have laughed out loud in relief. Instead, she did neither, but rather she inwardly breathed a huge sigh. If it happened in daylight, then it couldn’t possibly have been a gargoyle. That was one less thing to worry about. Oh, she couldn’t wait to tell Gracchus!
Fifteen
Melissa lounged on her couch, idly scratching Panthro’s ear and waiting for Gracchus. Her nervousness that he might not show had abated – she was sure he would glide through her window any moment. It had only been a few days, and already they had seemed to settle into some kind of comfortable routine.
The first night he was due, she had been more nervous than if he were coming to take her out for her first date. Now, there was no doubt in her mind that he would arrive.
She looked up as a slight woosh indicated he had landed. Nearly silently, he walked into her apartment. She beamed at him as her cats – who had until that point been lounging in various spots in her apartment – all flocked to greet him and rub against him. They were lucky they could get away with showing such affection she thought a tad jealously.
“Melissa,” he rumbled.
“Gracchus,” she breathed.
He cocked his head to one side. “You are much calmer than the previous evening.”
“Yes, I have good news. Well,” she winced, “good and bad news. The good news is that I don’t think a gargoyle killed my victim, but the bad news is that I now have another victim.”
“Indeed?”
Not betraying a hint of what he might be feeling, he carefully made his way over to her couch and sat down as she explained what happened.
“No,” he agreed, “if it happened in daylight it cannot be the gargoyle we encountered the previous night.”
He seemed to hesitate, and Melissa narrowed her eyes. “But? You definitely left a but hanging out there.”
Gracchus let out a small, soft growl. “But, other people know of our existence who have taken to… experimenting with us to find a, well, let us call it a cure, for our daily sleep.”
Disgust swirled in her stomach. “Wait, you mean there are some mad scientists out there who have been mucking about with gargoyles to stop them turning to stone each day?”
His lips twitched almost into a sad smile. “Yes, you put it very succinctly. I am afraid we do not know the extent of these experiments, or how many of my kind were subjected to them.”
“But you know they happened?”
“Yes,” he hissed and his eyes hooded, and then he blew out a breath, allowing the momentary fury to pass. “One of my clan was abducted. We found him at one of the facilities they used for their experiments. The only other gargoyle there was one they had bred, and they were hoping to breed her with my clan mate.”
“That’s awful, what happened to her?”
“She is safe now. She does turn to stone when she sleeps, though she is not forced to sleep in the day alone. She does that because the rest of the clan do.” He let out a bark of laughter. “She is quite a lively, young creature.”
Melissa smiled politely, but she wasn’t quite sure what to make of that comment, or Gracchus’ obvious
happy amusement when thinking of this female gargoyle. She knew she wasn’t exactly pleased about it.
She cleared her throat – no point in letting him think about this other gargoyle for too long. “So basically, the upshot is that there are potentially more gargoyles out there who could be awake during the day?”
“Yes, it is possible. It seems unlikely they are roaming free, but until last night, I believed the city to be free of gargoyles other than me, but I was obviously proven wrong.”
“Yes, two gargoyles – quite the infestation,” she teased sadly.
“I am sorry,” he said gravely as if he was to blame for the whole mess.
Melissa leaned forward and chewed on her lip. “Gracchus, this isn’t your fault. I’m sorry – I was all excited because I thought I had good news for you, and because I thought I could help.”
Gracchus leaned forward and graced her with one of his elusive smiles. The fact that they were so rare made them even more special, and even more attractive. Melissa almost bit through her lip when she thought that.
“Melissa, you are helping. I appreciate everything you are doing for us. I am sorry that I have needlessly complicated your life.”
“Please,” she laughed, inching forward even more, “until you came along my life was pretty boring. I liked my life – but it was boring.”
“And now?’ he virtually purred, pressing forward.
They were only inches apart. His rich, warm scent filled her nostrils, and she could feel the heat emanating from him.
“Now? Now, it’s… ah!”
The strains of Ride of the Valkyries thudded through her apartment, nearly giving her a heart attack and completely knocking her off balance. She fell off her precarious perch on the edge of her seat. Luckily, two massive arms caught her and righted her.
“Is that your phone?” he asked, mildly amused.
“Uh, yeah,” she grumbled. She ran over to her purse and dug it out. “It’s my mother.”
Perfect timing, Mom! Surely her mother had some kind of sixth sense about whenever Melissa was about to do something of which she wouldn’t approve. It would explain how her mother knew to ring her when she was considering on losing her virginity in the back of her boyfriend’s beat up Cortina, and when Melissa was considering chopping all her locks off and going for the Rosemary’s Baby look.
“Hello, Mom,” she groused into the phone, and before her mother could get started, she added, “sorry, I can’t really talk right now because…” She glanced at Gracchus. “I have a work thing.”
“Chiquita, you nearly always have a work thing when I call,” complained her mom.
Yeah, strange coincidence that. “Sorry, I’m just… busy.”
She watched as Gracchus peered at some of the photos from the new crime scene. His brow furrowed.
“Well, I wanted to tell you that dinner on Sunday is canceled.”
“It is?’ she chirped, perhaps a little too happily. “I mean, oh no, why?”
Her mom humphed. “We’re spending the weekend out of town. Carla’s parents invited us to their vacation house by the lake, so, we won’t be home this weekend.”
Melissa thanked every deity out there. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her family. She did – ten thousand percent! But dinner with them every week was a real drag. It started off well with talking to her brothers and sisters-in-law and chatting with her dad about what new hobby he had taken up that week. Retirement was not easy on him – not given that he was now spending twenty-four seven with her mom. Alas, by the time the food arrived, it devolved into arguments between at least one of her brothers and their respective wife. Then, with a glass or two of wine in her, her mom started to question Melissa on why she wasn’t married yet, why she seemed to be having such a hard time finding someone, what exactly was wrong with her, why she refused to settle, blah, blah, blah.
She wouldn’t mind so much if it were only one dinner per month – that she could handle, but every week was kind of a bit much.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” lied Melissa, quite shamelessly. “I guess I’ll see you the week after. I really ought to get going…”
“You can come with us,” her mom said brightly. “Carla’s parents know that you’re still… well, you know.”
“Still what?”
“You know?”
“Ah…” Still allergic to strawberries? Still frustrated by guessing games? What?!
Her mom let out a mewl of sadness. “Still single,” she said in almost a whisper. It was clearly something that was embarrassing her, and Melissa surmised her mom thought she should also be embarrassed by it.
Yep, she was in her thirties and still single. Clearly a disappointment, and a charity case - given that she had a pity invite to the fabled lake cabin.
“Mom…”
“Carla’s brother will be there. He’s divorced now.”
Melissa pursed her lips. “Does Carla have two brothers? Because the only one I know about just got out of prison for beating up his bookie.”
“You know everyone makes mistakes,” said her mom piously.
“Mom!” snapped Melissa, feeling her usual good nature reach breaking point.
“You’re not getting any younger.”
“Ugh!” He mom had been telling her that for years.
Gracchus was watching her with a neutral expression, and Melissa decided she really needed to end this and quickly, if only for her own sanity.
“Mom,” she started firmly, “I’m an FBI agent – it would not be a good fit, and honestly, nobody gets any younger. I will find someone in my own time. Now, if you don’t mind, I have important FBI work to do.”
Her mom sniffed and huffed, but Melissa finally managed to wrestle her off the phone and ended the call.
“I ah, I’m sorry about that,” mumbled Melissa as she willed her body to cool down.
Gracchus grunted softly. “You said your mother does not understand you.”
Melissa crossed her arms and pouted. “Yeah, that's an understatement.”
“She wishes to see you mated. Even gargoyle mothers would understand that urge.”
“She seems to think that any available male under sixty will do.” Though soon she would probably raise that to seventy. “She can’t believe I can be happy without being mated.”
“Do you not wish to be mated?” he asked slowly.
Melissa met his curious, intense gaze and her insides quivered. “Yes,” she admitted, looking away. “But to the right person. Not just any person. You get that, right? Isn’t that what you want?”
She could have kicked herself. She regretted the question as soon as she said it. So far, Melissa had been too chicken to ask him whether he was mated or married or whatever. She did want to know, but rather, she feared the answer. If he was involved with a woman, a female or whatever, then Melissa couldn’t help but feel that she would somehow view him differently. She kind of preferred not knowing.
Gracchus let out a low sound. “My mating was arranged by my father.”
Melissa breathed in sharply. Disappointment trickled through her. “Oh, I had no idea. Can I meet her?” she asked dully.
Gracchus shook his head. “She died. A long time before the curse.”
“Oh, I’m so… I didn’t…”
He rose to his feet and in two long strides stood before her. He placed a huge, clawed hand on her shoulder and she looked into his rugged yet kind face.
“It was a long time ago,” he told her in his velvety tones. “But I am grateful for your sympathy.”
Melissa nodded and placed a hand over his. She had no words that could make what happened any better, but she wanted him to know she cared. She barely knew Gracchus, but yes, she cared about him a lot. If he were to just disappear from her life tomorrow, she had an unnerving feeling that she would feel the loss for a long, long time.
“I think you should take me to your new crime scene.”
“Hmmm?”
Melissa stared
up at him dazedly, not quite comprehending what he was saying.
“Your new crime scene.” He gestured towards her coffee table and the myriad of photos adorning it.
“Oh, ah, right. Why?”
“I may be able to scent something. I may be able to scent whether a gargoyle was involved, and perhaps even scent the killer.”
Melissa wavered. “It was in the middle of a park.”
“Then it should be quiet at this time of night.”
“The body has been removed.”
“Scents will still linger.”
Melissa chewed on her lip. “I’m not sure about this. I mean I took you out last night, and that didn’t turn out very well.”
Gracchus frowned. “The other gargoyle would have destroyed your evidence whether we were there or not.”
“That’s not what I meant. If I hadn’t taken you there, you wouldn’t have been attacked. I don’t want to put you in more danger.”
What if the gargoyle was there? What if he had brought a friend? Or two friends? Or three friends? Or… yeah, she could just keep going with that. Gracchus could take one gargoyle, but could he take all of them? Or what if they showed up and some random human saw him? The park would probably be mostly deserted, but she knew that kids went there at night to hump and drink alcohol. Detective Simpson often complained about it.
He looked amazed to hear this, more amazed than if she had just told him that she owned a flying car made out of pudding.
“You are concerned for my safety? You wish to protect me?”
“Of course. You want to protect me too, right?”
“Well yes, but…”
Melissa groaned in frustration. “It works both ways, buddy, and I just don’t think it is worth the risk. I mean, yeah, obviously I want to get to the bottom of these murders, but not at your expense.”
Plus, she had to admit that she wasn’t entirely enamored with the idea of flying anywhere else just yet. Her legs still shook at the idea of another midnight flight.
“I appreciate your offer of help, but…”
Sixteen
Melissa placed a hand on her stomach, and even in the dark of the night, her brown skin looked a little on the green side. Gracchus clasped her tiny waist and held her steady as she weaved.
