| SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT: The Faceless Ones || THE SCENE OF THE CRIME |
The dead man was in the living room, face down on
the floor beside the coffee table. His name had
been Cameron Light, but that was back when his
heart had a beat and his lungs had breath. His
blood had dried into the carpet in a large stain
that spread outwards from where he lay. He’d been
stabbed, once, in the small of the back. He was
fully clothed, his hands were empty and there was
no other sign of disturbance in the room.
Valkyrie moved through the room as she had
been taught, scanning the floor and surfaces, but
managing to avoid looking at the body. She felt
no compulsion to see any more of the victim than
she absolutely had to. Her dark eyes drifted to
the window. The park across the street was empty,
the slides glistening with the rain and the
swings creaking in the chill, early morning
breeze.
Footsteps in the room and she turned to watch
Skulduggery Pleasant take a small bag of powder
from his jacket. He was wearing a pinstriped suit
that successfully filled out his skeletal frame,
and his hat was low over his eye sockets. He
dipped a gloved finger into the bag and started
to stir, breaking up the smaller lumps.
“Thoughts?” he said.
“He was taken by surprise,” answered
Valkyrie. “The lack of any defensive marks means
he didn’t have time to put up a fight. Just like
the others.”
“So the killer was either completely
silent...”
“Or his victims trusted him.” There was
something odd about the room, something that
didn’t quite fit. Valkyrie looked around. “Are
you sure he lived here? There are no books on
magic, no talismans, no charms on the walls,
nothing.”
Skulduggery shrugged. “Some mages enjoy
living on both sides. The magical community is
secretive, but there are exceptions - those who
work and socialise in the so-called ‘mortal’
world. Mr Light here obviously had a few friends
who didn’t know he was a sorcerer.”
There were framed photographs on a shelf, of
Light himself and other people. Friends. Loved
ones. From the photos alone it seemed like he’d
had a good life, a life filled with
companionship. Now it was over of course. There
was no Cameron Light any more, just anempty shell
on the carpet.
Crime scenes, Valkyrie reflected, were rather
depressing places.
She looked over at Skulduggery as he
sprinkled the powder into the air. It was called
rainbow dust because of the way any residual
traces of magic in an area would change its
colour. This time, however, the powder remained
the same colour as it drifted all the way down to
the floor.
“Not one trace,” he muttered.
Although the couch was obscuring her view of
the body, Valkyrie could still see one foot.
Cameron Light had been wearing black shoes and
grey socks with worn elastic. He had a very white
ankle. Valkyrie stepped to the side so the foot
was out of view.
A bald man with broad shoulders and piercing
blue eyes joined them in the room. “Detective
Crux is nearby,” Mr Bliss said. “If you are
caught at a crime scene...”He didn’t finish. He
didn’t have to.
“We’re going,” Skulduggery said. He pulled on
his coat and wrapped his scarf around the lower
half of his skull. “We appreciate you calling us
in on this by the way.”
“Detective Crux is unsuited to an
investigation of this nature,” Bliss responded.
“Which is why the Sanctuary needs you and Miss
Cain to return to our employ.”
There was a slight hint of amusement in
Skulduggery’s voice. “I think Thurid Guild might
disagree with you there.”
“Nevertheless, I have asked the Grand Mage to
meet with you this afternoon, and he has promised
me he will.”
Valkyrie raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
Bliss was one of the most powerful men alive, but
he also happened to be one of the scariest. He
still creeped her out.
“Guild said he’d talk to us?” Skulduggery
asked. “It’s not like him to change his mind
about something like that.”
“Desperate times,” was all Bliss said.
Skulduggery nodded and Valkyrie followed him
outside. Despite the grey skies, he slipped a
pair of sunglasses into place above his scarf,
hiding his eye sockets from passers-by. If there
were any passers-by. The weather, it seemed, was
keeping most sensible people indoors.
“Four victims,” Skulduggery said. “All
Teleporters. Why?”
Valkyrie buttoned her coat, struggling a
little. Her black clothes had saved her life more
times than she wanted to count, but every move
she made reminded her that she had grown since
Ghastly Bespoke made them for her, and she wasn’t
twelve any more. She’d had to throw away her
boots because they’d gotten too small, and buy a
regular pair in an ordinary, average shop. She
needed Ghastly to change from a statue back to a
man and make her a new outfit. Valkyrie allowed
herself a moment to feel guilty about being so
selfishthen got back to business.
“Maybe Cameron Light, along with the other
Teleporters, did something to the killer and this
is his - or her - revenge.”
“That’s Theory One. Anything else?”
“Maybe the killer needed something from
them.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Teleporter stuff.”
“So why kill them?”
“Maybe it’s one of those items where you have
to kill the owner to use it, like the Sceptre of
the Ancients.”
“And so we have Theory Two.”
“Or maybe the killer wanted something that
one of them had, so he was just working his way
through the Teleporters until he found whoever
had it.”
“Now that’s a possibility, and so becomes
Theory Two, Variation B.”
“I’m glad you’re not making this needlessly
complicated or anything,” Valkyrie muttered.
A black van pulled up beside them. The driver
got out, looked up and down the street to make
sure no one was watching, and slid open the side
door. Two Cleavers stepped out and stood
silently, dressed in grey, faces hidden behind
visored helmets. They each held a very long
scythe. The last occupant of the van emerged and
stood between the Cleavers. Wearing slacks and a
matching blazer, with a high forehead and a
goatee beard pointing down in an effort to give
himself a chin, Remus Crux observed Skulduggery
and Valkyrie with a disdainful expression.
“Oh,” he said, “it’s you.”He had a curious
voice, like a spoiled cat whining for its dinner.
Skulduggery nodded to the Cleavers on either
side of him. “I see you’re going incognito
today.”
Immediately, Crux bristled. “I am the
Sanctuary’s lead detective, Mr Pleasant. I have
enemies and, as such, I need bodyguards.”
“Do you really need them to stand in the
middle of the street?” Valkyrie asked. “They look
a little conspicuous.”
Crux sneered. “That’s an awfully big word for
a thirteen-year-old.”
Valkyrie resisted the urge to hit him.
“Actually, it’s not,” she replied. “It’s fairly
standard. Also, I’m fourteen. Also, your beard’s
stupid.”
“Isn’t this fun?” Skulduggery said brightly.
“The three of us getting along so well.”
Crux glared at Valkyrie, then looked at
Skulduggery. “What are you doing here?”
“We were passing, we heard there’d been
another murder and we thought we could get a peek
at the crime scene. We just arrived actually. Is
there any chance...?”
“I’m sorry, Mr Pleasant,” Crux said stiffly.
“Because of the international nature of these
crimes and the attention they’re getting, the
Grand Mage expects me to conduct myself with the
utmost professionalism, and he has given me
strict instructions as regards you and Miss Cain.
He doesn’t want either of you anywhere near
Sanctuary business.”
“But this isn’t Sanctuary business,” Valkyrie
pointed out. “It’s just a murder. Cameron Light
didn’t even work for the Sanctuary.”
“It is an official Sanctuary investigation,
which makes it official Sanctuary business.”
Skulduggery’s tone was friendly. “So how’s
the investigation going? You’re probably under a
lot of pressure to get results, right?”
“It’s under control.”
“Oh, I’m sure it is. And I’m sure the
international community is offering help and
pooling resources
- this isn’t just an Irish problem after all. But
if you need any unofficial help, we’ll be glad
to—“
“You may break the rules,” Crux interrupted,
“but I don’t. You no longer have any authority
here. You gave that away when you accused the
Grand Mage of treason, remember?”
“Vaguely...”
“You want my advice, Pleasant?”
“Not especially.”
“Find a nice hole in the ground somewhere and
lie in it. You’re finished as a detective. You’re
done.”
Wearing what he probably thought was a
triumphant sneer, Crux and the two Cleavers
entered the building.
“I don’t like him,” Valkyrie decided.
END.
