Hail to the Queen (Witch For Hire 2)

“No, we wanted to wait for you.” Sacha nods her head at me.

“And to settle my stomach. There’s gruesome, and then there are headless bodies. We’ve graduated to a new level of disturbing and horrifying.” Fel mock gags.

“Who cuts a person’s head off, and takes it home?” Sacha mutters.

“This is one of those times I really don’t want to know,” I answer honestly.

“Be a private eye, I thought. It’ll be adventurous and glamorous, I thought,” Fel says in an announcer-style voice.

“Shut up, no one told you that,” I say.

She laughs. “No, they actually said, why the hell would you want to do that.”

Her impression of her father makes me giggle.

“It does help people and pays the bills, though.” I shrug.

“Tall, dark, and fanged would handle any bill you wanted him to,” Fel replies slyly.

“Do we want to enter into a debate about the tall, dark, and fanged, cousin?” I flip the tables on her.

“I go on vacation and you what … start up a new relationship?”

“N-no,” Fel sputters.

“No? Are you sure? ’Cause you were looking super cozy at the house.”

“Friendship is not the same thing as a relationship, and don’t you need to get dressed?” Her obvious change of topic makes Sacha and I laugh as she gestures wildly toward the bag.

“There’s a gas station up the road where you can change. In the meantime, we’ll give you the highlights of the case,” Sacha says as she leads us back to her car.

The conservatory was closed over the weekend as Dr. Stanley Glants finished final preparations for his brand new, fully funded display. The murder occurred sometime Friday, and the body was discovered this Monday when they opened around eight in the morning. Doctor Glants was a healthy, forty-five-year-old astronomer with no family to speak of and no serious relationships. Married to his work, he lived for research, travel, and the stars he studied. Fairly “likable” but quiet, he came across as reserved, but polite. There didn’t appear to be any obvious links between him and the other odd scenes we’ve been to recently.

I change quickly into a charcoal pants suit with low-heeled, black pumps, and an official-looking badge for appearances. Back on the scene. I try to brace myself for what’s to come. There’s nothing natural about murder, and every crime scene is unsettling in its own way. I don’t know that I’ll ever be used to seeing death this way. Nor would I want to.

The stench of rotten eggs and flesh greet me not long after we enter the building. The space is small and enclosed, and death is a potent breaking down of organic matter that gives off distinct odors.

“Ladies, if you’ll follow us, we’ll take you back,” Carter says. His face is even paler than usual, so I know this is going to be bad.

“What display was Doctor Glants working on?” Sacha asks.

“They were opening up a Night Sky observation. Nothing incredibly fancy to big cities, but the high-powered telescope was a huge upgrade for our town. Along with the new sound system and screens, it was a much-anticipated addition to the community. They’d been working on the proposal for a while I hear. Dr. Glants was persistent, and it paid off.”

“It doesn’t sound like anything kill-worthy. The exhibit wasn’t at anyone’s expense, was it?” Fel questions.

“No,” Marcus shakes his head. “As far as we know, Dr. Glants was looked at as a hero for getting the big wigs to pay attention to us down here.”

I clear my throat as the smell intensifies. Blood mixed with the unmistakable odor of feces and cleanser creates a hot mess of stomach-turning scents. Carter and Marcus stop in front of the caution tape and hand us booties.

“You should double up on those,” Marcus says.

“Jesus,” Sacha whispers. We quickly cover are feet.

“Are you ready for this?” Carter asks.

“No,” I reply honestly.

“Yeah, we weren’t either.” Carter holds up the tape as we duck under and round the corner.