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What he didn’t find, though, were bloody finger or foot prints—which was something he would have expected. Especially since the killer had presumably dipped his fingers in the blood and then used it to paint the eye on the back of the door.
“Hmm…” He shook his head. “I don’t know if any of these are his but we’ll need to take prints from everyone who’s been in here just in case to find out.”
“That can be arranged.” Sky’lar was standing, tense, on the balls of her feet by the bed chamber door. Torin got the feeling that she wanted badly to go but she didn’t want to be the first to leave the room—as though wanting to leave the awful sight was a sign of weakness.
“You go on,” he told her. “I just need to get samples of the black stuff.”
“You’re sure?” She cleared her throat. “I mean, I can stay…”
Torin shook his head.
“No—go on. Maybe start the process of getting the ambassador’s body cleared to send to the Mother Ship, if you don’t mind?”
“Oh, of course—yes, I can do that.” Sky’lar nodded, looking relieved. “I’ll be just outside if you need me,” she added and let herself out.
Torin didn’t blame her for wanting to go. It wasn’t weak at all—it was normal. Nobody confronted with this level of violence and death could remain unaffected.
He finished getting the samples, made certain all the prints were recorded, and went to the door himself. Before he left, he made himself turn once last time to look at the eyeless, violated body on the bed.
“I’m so sorry, Ambassador,” he said in a low voice, though he was certain her spirit had fled—hopefully to be with the Goddess. “So damn sorry—I’ll catch this bastard and make him pay. I swear to you I will.”
Then he left, shutting the door gently behind him.
EIGHT
SKY
Sky had never seen anything so horrible…had never even imagined that anything could be so bad. She’d been terribly afraid she might throw up the thresh she’d had on the way here, which would have been extremely unprofessional, not to mention weak.
She put a hand to her temples and then realized that the stuff Commander Torin had sprayed on them was still stuck to her fingers and palm. Picking around the edges of the transparent shield, she peeled it off, her stomach still rolling.
She kept seeing the ambassador lying there—her throat slashed…her eyes cut out…that silent scream on her lips…the blood in her teeth…
That poor woman! Gods, what kind of a freak would do this? And how can we stop him from doing it again?
There were no answers—only work to be done. Getting out her communications device, Sky began filing her report, detailing the gruesome scene—breaking it down to its various components. She ended by recommending that the body of the ambassador be released to the Kindred Mother ship, which apparently had resources for this kind of crime.
It was so different from the clean poisoning deaths which she normally investigated. In a poisoning case you had a body with two tiny holes in the neck or the arm—that was it. There was no blood, no gore, no face with its eyes carved out…
Mother of Serpents, I have to stop thinking about this—have to stop seeing it!
Just then, Commander Torin finally came out of the room, tucking two small vials with black, oily stuff in them into the pocket of his leather vest.
“Ready,” he remarked.
Sky restrained herself from saying, “Good—let’s get the Underworld out of here!” She didn’t need to show weakness in front of the giant Kindred. Instead she nodded coolly.
“All right.”
But when she got to the top of the spiral staircase, the world swam around her and she nearly fell.
“Whoa!” A big, warm hand caught her under the arm and dragged her back from the first step. “You all right, Darlin’?” Commander Torin stared down at her anxiously.
“Fine.” Sky pulled her arm out of his hand and lifted her chin. “My boot just slipped—that’s all.””
“Okay—sorry.” He held up both hands in a gesture of peace. “Just didn’t want to see you go tumbling down the stairs—there’s a hell of a lot of them. That would have been a nasty fall.”
Secretly, Sky agreed with him but she wasn’t going to say it.
“Thank you,” she said frostily. Taking a tight grip on the handrail, she lifted her head and walked regally down the stairs.
Only to stumble again at the bottom. Torin took her under the arm once more and this time she didn’t try to shake him off. What was wrong with her?
“Hey—you okay?” the giant rumbled. He seemed about half a meem from either putting an arm around her to support her or maybe even picking her up to carry her like a hurt child—Sky wasn’t having either one.
“I’m just a little light-headed,” she said tightly. “Nothing to do with all this, of course.” She waved a hand, indicating the horrible crime scene they’d just examined. “I just…I need a drink.”
