Double Magick in the Falls

Chapter 4

Deciding I’ve seen enough, I descend the stairs and leave the house. Finding a spot in the sun, I plop down and wait for Jasmine to come out. I must have dozed off as I suddenly realize she’s sitting beside me, her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth, in a big doggy grin.

“Hey, you like it here, don’t you?” I haven’t seen her look so relaxed in a long time. “If you want, when we get you back to yourself, you can have the house!” I get a happy tail wag and a gentle bump of her head against mine in answer. With a laugh, I clamber to my feet.

“Come on. Let’s get back. I need to take some photos.”

Retracing our steps, we arrive back at the old Winters’ house and my car, with only a few scratches to show for our adventure. Climbing in, I put my car in gear and head back to my gran’s house. I park and enter the house to collect my camera. Jasmine plops herself down on her bed, and with a grunt of contentment falls asleep.

I enter the woods at the back of the house. I eventually become aware of the stillness and absolute quiet. Not a rustle or chirp of a bird disturbs the silence. While I’m taking photos, a feeling of uneasiness washes through me, and that’s when I spy the shoe. Moving at a stealthier pace, I advance taking continuous photos. An ankle appears followed by the cuff of a jeans-clad leg, and I know deep in my heart I am about to find the body of another victim of The Protectors.

Confirmation comes when I see hands folded in front of the body, as if attempting to hold in the intestines, which are displayed around a grinning corpse.

Taking as many photos as possible, I retrace my steps, exiting the woods as quickly and quietly as possible. I don’t want to bump into the killer if he is still around. Once out, I phone the police. The officer answering the call informs me to stay put. I quickly hurry home and make a copy of the photos on my computer, transferring them to a USB, which I hide in my desk’s hidden drawer. I hurry back to the edge of the woods with Jasmine at my side.

****

An hour and a half later, a detective finally turns up, and I am furious. As he exits his car, my internal magick tells me he’s a werewolf. Supernaturals meeting for the first time can immediately sense each other’s species. After that, we can sense the magick in each other, though most of us dampen down our powers, which make it harder to know exactly what species someone may be, making it feel like a low-level vibration, humming silently along a wire.

“Sorry about the delay. So you found a body then?” he asks, as if he was talking about the blooming weather.

“Yes, yes, I did. You can come see it, if you’re not too busy.”

“Excuse me?”

I notice the detective standing straighter, taking a closer look at what I presume by his expression is an “impertinent witch” standing in front of him. His eyebrows shoot up into his hairline when he notices a dog sitting calmly beside me.

“I said if you’re not too busy, since apparently it takes an hour and half to get from one side of town to another. Or is murder on this side of town less important than elsewhere?” I demand, practically spitting fire.

With that comment left hanging in the air, I storm off into the woods. I sense the detective following, as he walks too quietly for me to hear him. The further I walk into the woods, the stealthier I become. If the murderer is still here, I would rather he didn’t surprise me due to my temper.

I’m positive the detective can scent the body. Being a werewolf, he would have to be a complete failure not to, with their heightened sense of smell. When we finally arrive at the scene, I move out of the way so the detective can see the body.

Scavengers had started to eat in the period of time it’d taken him to get here, which isn’t surprising, as the victim was human. If it had been a supernatural, the animals would have stayed away for another couple of hours, if not longer.

With a quiet curse, which I have a feeling he thought I shouldn’t be able to hear, he steps closer to the corpse.

Looking at the destroyed crime scene, I feel sorry for the dead man. The probability of the murderer being caught is slim to none. Glancing at the detective, I’m glad to hand over my digital card with the photos of the crime scene, before the animals disturbed it. The detective looks like he takes his job seriously and will do everything he can to solve the murder.

“I took photos of the crime scene when I arrived,” I inform him, handing him my card.

“What?” Shock flickers across his face.

“I’m a photographer, and was out taking photos when I found your John Doe there. Hence I took photos of the scene as I found it.” Seeing his expression I get annoyed. “Mind you, if you had bothered coming quicker, this poor man would not be in such...”

With a growl, I shove my card at him and turn and walk off back the way we’d come. I don’t get far before a large hand drops on my shoulder trying to drag me to a halt. Quickly grasping his wrist, I flip the detective. With a gasp of surprise, he lands flat on his back with a thunk and a string of curses.

“I would advise you to never grab me again Detective...?” I practically growl.

“Kheda McKnight.”

I notice the shock on the detective’s face and guess he wasn’t flipped often due to his impressive six foot two inches, broad powerful shoulders, muscular chest, narrow hips, and long muscular legs. He would make most male werewolves nervous with their superior strength, let alone other species or even humans.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have grabbed you. Why is the shapeshifter staying in animal form?” Kheda inquires with curiosity lacing his voice.

With a start, I turn to look at Jasmine. With hope blossoming in my heart, I move toward the detective as he gingerly rises to his feet.

“Jasmine’s stuck in her dog form, and I don’t know how to change her back.” I pace in agitation before coming to a stop in front of him. “She’s been like this for just over a year. I don’t know what to do to bring her back.”

A whine comes from Jasmine. She’s flopped onto the ground, head on her paws and a sorrowful expression in her blue eyes.

“Oh, sweetie, we will find out how to get you back again.” Kneeling down beside her, I scratch her behind the ears in the spot she likes best.

“What happened for…Jasmine, was it? To make her stay so long in her animal form? Look, find out what trauma caused her to enter her dog form for protection. As she’s still in it, a part of her mustn’t feel safe yet.”

He stares thoughtfully at Jasmine. “I need to get the coroner down here to collect John Doe. I also need to check out these photos and take your statement. Can you come down to the station now please? I’ll also need your contact details.”

“Sure, I’ll meet you there.”

“If you want I can give you a lift, and I appreciate you meeting me here, otherwise the body would have sat a lot longer. Normally a witch detective would come out to the scene, but no one else was available, which is why the long wait for me to arrive.”

At my confused expression, Kheda carries on. “Other supernatural species are not allowed in the witches’ woods unless escorted by a witch. So normally a witch detective would investigate to make things easier.”

“Okay…let’s go,” I reply feeling more puzzled than anything, as we continue through the trees back the way we’d come.