Investigation Three File One
Investigation Three
File one
Deaths
May 11th 20XX
Moe walked by Silas's desk as he read through a large tome. It was just them and Rita in the office, the siren playing on her phone as she curled up in an armchair.
Moe tilted her head as she read over Silas's shoulder, her brows furrowed.
"Banshees? What do you need to know about banshees?" she asked, frowning. Silas chuckled and leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head.
"I was more refreshing my memory, but I should have started with you or Peadar. You two know way too much about stuff like this," he said with a grin.
"Its handy in this line of work," Moe pouted, her hands fiddling together. She had always had an interest in folklore, her whole family made up of witches who followed the old Gods.
"You're right, that’s true," Silas nodded. "In any case, we've been asked to help in the city. There’s been a buncha murders up there, I suspect a werewolf."
"A werewolf? How many deaths in total? When was the last one? Were they all at night?"
"Slow down, Mortimer! One question at a time!" Silas playfully pleaded as he pulled a notepad close. "Four deaths total. First one a little under month ago, and the last one happened last night. The banshee was seen by the wife and teen daughter of the victim a few hours ahead of the crime. Varying times, mostly after dark though."
"and we suspect a were? It would have to be a natural born were as most of the deaths happened outside of the full moon." Moe moved to her own desk to pick up her clipboard.
"something wild, at least. They were, y'know, mauled. The marks match a wolf's bite. " Silas said as he read back his notes. Moe nodded and scratched some words on her clipboard.
The office door opened, and Ruben and Peadar entered. Silas smiled broadly at the pair.
"who's up for a road trip?" he asked. Peadar groaned.
May 12th 20XX
The group filed out of the car, having arrived in front of the house that the last murder had taken place. It was about supper time. Silas looked around with a frown; they were alone on the street.
"Where’s our contact?" He asked, and Ruben shrugged, checking his phone.
"We're a little late..." He said.
"only by five minutes." Moe said with a worried brow. A police van turned into the street, and everyone turned to it as it pulled up behind Ruben's car. They watched as the woman driving it climbed out and approached the team.
"Evenin'. I am Officer Hurley Sloane," She nodded at Ruben, then eyed the others with a frown. "The victim was a man, 47, named Craig MacCarthy. Apparently, the wife and daughter saw a ghostly woman warn them of his death."
"Right to business, I see," Rita muttered.
"How did he react?" Moe asked, clipboard in hand. She stared at it, looking through her notes. The others looked at her, until Silas nudged her.
"How did who react to what?" He snorted a laugh.
"Oh! Sorry! How did Mr. MacCarthy react to hearing his death had been foretold by a banshee?" She reiterated.
"... He didn't listen, other than spending the night in his study upstairs," Officer Sloane raised a brow, nose wrinkled in annoyance. "Died in there, though. The body's been moved, but not much else."
"Can we see inside?" Rita asked, matching the raised brow and bad attitude of Sloane. She even popped her gum when the officer looked at her, punctuating the fact that Moe had backup against bullies. Both women glared for a second, before turning away and scoffing.
"Yes, you can see inside," Officer Sloan grumbled and took out a ring of keys.
When inside, Moe looked around as she rubbed her palms together. The foyer was large, with a dining room to the left and a spacious kitchen across the hall. There were stairs going to the second floor at the back of the foyer. Moe adjusted her glasses and looked at her notes.
"Where was the banshee seen?" she asked the officer, who pointed to the dining room.
"-And can you take us to where the body was found?" Ruben asked. Officer Sloane nodded and waved them up the stairs. Silas and Moe hung back as the other four walked upstairs, headed for the victim's study. Once they were out of sight, Silas threw Moe a playful look before he pushed the dining room doors fully open.
"C'mon, lets get this show on the road," he urged happily. Moe followed slowly as she dug through her endless star bag, finally producing a chunk of chalk.
When she took the room in, Moe saw a long table surrounded by chairs, an empty fireplace to the side. The walls were tastefully decorated with paintings of landscapes. The floor was carpet, so Moe pulled out a chair to lean over the table. She used the chalk to draw arcane symbols on the polished wood surface. As she drew, Silas sank into a chair across from her.
"Do you need any help?" He asked, and Moe shook her head.
"No, just let me-" she set the chalk to the side and brought her thumb pad up to her mouth to take a breath and bite down. She winced as she bit hard enough to taste blood. With ancient words quietly escaping her lips, Moe drew one last symbol with her bloody thumb, in the middle of the chalk runes.
After Moe healed her thumb, a second passed without anything happening. Silas was about to make a comment when a gust of wind blew through the room. A sob could be heard as a pale woman dressed in white sat at the other end of the table, not there a second ago. Silas swore under his breath, but Moe stood straight.
"He-hello? I'm called Moe, this is Silas. What can I call you?" She asked as she slowly approached the banshee, who looked at her with a tear stained face.
"Does it matter?" The specter asked, and Moe pulled her clipboard from her bag again, ready to write.
"I mean, not really, but-"
"What do you want?" The banshee asked, and Silas leaned forward on the table.
"Yo u were the one to warned Mrs. MacCarthy of her husband's coming death?" He asked, and the banshee scoffed, then sniffed sadly.
"He didn't listen. They never listen anymore." She sobbed quietly. Moe nodded sympathetically as she sat across from the specter.
"People aren't as superstitious anymore." Silas said, lip curled.
"Do you know what caused his death?" Moe asked to keep the conversation on track.
"A hairy person with the head of a wolf, that’s all I know." The banshee murmured.
"Sounds like a werewolf." Silas commented, but Moe shook her head as she read over her notes.
"No, no I don't think so. You said a person, walking on two legs?" She clarified, and the banshee nodded. "Can you tell who will be killed next?"
"... I can." The banshee whispered.
"How about telling us, so we can perhaps save their life?" Silas tapped the table and watched the specter glare at him.
"no mortal can outrun death." She uttered hoarsely. Silas shrugged and rested his head in his hand.
"We can try."
"Silas -" Moe started, but the banshee cut her off.
"Hurley Sloane." She said, staring Silas down. "But she won't go down without a fight."
"What the shit does that-"
"What is happening in here?" Officer Sloane's voice sounded around the room. The banshee rose up and screeched, her finger pointed to the officer as her eyes sunk in and her skin darkened with rot. Papers flew as a wind picked up, swirling around the table. Moe rushed back to her symbols and smudged the blood and chalk, a chair knocked over in her haste. Within a blink, the room was silent. Moe took a cautious breath, and looked at Officer Sloane. She looked back with fear on he face. The rest of the Rott's team filed into the room behind her. There was a stretch of silence, before Ruben broke it.
"What happened?" He asked, and Moe slumped into the nearest chair.
"Uh, we summoned the MacCarthy banshee, and she warned us that Sloane is, uh- Officer Sloane..."
"You're next on the chopping block." Silas finished crudely, earning a kick from Moe's foot under the table.
"... Is there a way we can stop it?" Sloane asked, dully staring at Moe, who shrugged.
"We'll try our best. Maybe we should stay with you, just to have the best-"
"No, no. I don't want you freaks near me for any longer than necessary." Sloane hissed.
"please, we can help protect you." Ruben offered. Sloane glanced around the room, before she nodded at Moe and then Peadar.
"I'll keep you two around. Only you two." She muttered as she turned to leave.
"Wait- I'm sure that either Silas or Ruben would be better suited to protect you!" Moe spluttered and stood, but Sloane shook her head and waved at the pair to follow her.
"no. Just those two. Did you need to see anything else here, or can I go home?" Sloane stared harshly at Moe, standing beside her police van.
The team exchanged glances, until Peadar rolled his eyes and followed the woman to the cars, the rest following suit.