Page 50 of Investigation of a Quest

“He was already dead when he was stitched into this lion.” The medical examiner pointed at the grotesque joining of flesh and fur. “It’s probably why he was missing for so many days. The killer needed time to prepare.”

Leo Craven’s body had been joined with that of a taxidermy lion to create an entirely new species. An arm became a claw, a knee became thighs ready to pounce, shoulder blades became a mane. Leo Craven had been drained of blood and hacked apart so he could seamlessly blend with this once-living cat.

“I hope never to meet the man whose mind conjured such a desecration,” Lina said as she crouched beside the body. “How does one even imagine such a disgusting death?”

No one answered her. How could they answer her? How could they possibly explain the depravity roaring in their faces?

“He’s missing his intestines,” Lina finally said.

“Because he’s a coward who hid from the world for twenty years,” Bel said. “He doesn’t have the guts.”

“Then why a lion?” Dorothy asked. “When people say, ‘heart of a lion,’ they mean a warrior’s spirit.”

“I don’t...” Bel paused, her memory running through the four crime scenes. “Because they weren’t just Halloween-themed deaths. A scarecrow has a head full of straw, which is why the killer stole the professor’s brain. A tin man is nothing but cold, unfeeling metal, so he took the cardiovascular surgeon’s heart. A wizard can pull off the impossible, either with magic or lies, so he took the twice-married man’s tongue. But the lion is king of the jungle.” Bel glanced at Olivia to convey the double meaning. “And a cowardly lion spells death for his entire pride, so he took his guts.”

“At least he was already dead when they disemboweled him,” Lina said. “I’ll see more under the autopsy lights, but even in the dark, it’s obvious he was bloodless before the taxidermy stitches began. A small mercy… I guess.”

“Hopefully, we’ll encounter another mercy,” Bel said. “The other deaths were posed during the contest judgings, so it was impossible to distinguish who was setting up fake blood and who was carting around real, but this is the town square. There’s no event tonight. Someone had to see something.”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Olivia whispered. “If you listen to the crowd, they’re all confused and surprised. I don’t think they saw anything.”

“I know,” Bel whispered back. “But it’s a lion… how do you move an entire lion?”

“Can’t witches…?” Olivia glanced at the horrified Dorothy and the occupied Lina. “Thum, we’re going to talk to the business owners and see if they keep their security footage on site. Call if you need us.”

Lina waved them off, and Olivia tugged Bel away from their magic-oblivious coworkers… not that Lina was an adequate example of oblivious anymore.

“Can’t witches perform invisibility spells?” Olivia asked when they were out of earshot.

“I don’t know.” Bel grabbed a business’ front door and held it open for her partner. “A witch made Halloween decorations look like flying monkeys, and your ex-boyfriend transforms into a bear.”

“Don’t remind me,” Olivia said. “I can’t get the sound of his body ripping out of my mind.”

“So, it’s possible.” Bel shrugged.

“I liked life a lot better when killers were human.”

“You never investigated a homicide until you joined the Bajka P.D.,” Bel reminded her. “So you’ve always worked cases where something unnatural was involved.”

“I stand corrected.” Olivia rolled her eyes. “I liked it better when I thought killers had to obey the laws of nature.”

“Yet you haven’t quit your job or moved.”

“And leave you without a voice of reason? You get into trouble with all of us looking out for you. What would happen if you were left unattended?”

“You make me sound like a toddler.”

“You act like one sometimes. Can’t take my eye off you for a minute, or you’ll do something that’ll get you killed.”

“Careful.” Bel grabbed her partner’s hand. “It sounds like you care.”

“Not in the least.” Olivia squeezed her hand in return, then they pushed their camaraderie into the past as they forced themselves to inhabit the reality consuming their present.

The first two businesses didn’t have cameras aimed at the square, but the third did, and the owner was eager to help.

“There!” Olivia jabbed her finger at the screen, and the owner paused the rewinding footage. “What’s that in the way?” She leaned forward. “A landscaping truck. Can you keep going?”

The man obliged her, rewinding until the truck arrived.