Chapters It was a cold, rainy morning when I walked into the dark Las Pegasus apartment, the air smelling of drying blood. I adjusted my raincoat and looked around. Two stallions in lab coats were discussing something in the small cramped hallway that led into the bedroom from the kitchen, where I was. A stallion, looking a bit worse for wear and a bit sick, leaned against a wall groaning. He was dressed in a blue policecolt's uniform, his short, pointed beard slightly grey at the end.
"Sergeant Bassline?" I asked, walking up to him.
He looked up and nodded. "Inspector Raven? We've been expecting you. Now someone else can deal with the body and I can go outside before I vomit." He pushed past me and went out the door.
I walked into the hallway the two stallions in lab coats were. They looked at me and one of them, a younger unicorn with crimson hair and piercing blue eyes, smiled at me. "Hello, Inspector! Pleased you could make it so soon. My name is Theorem and this stallion is my partner Bones." Bones, a light blue Pegasus, had dark brown hair and green eyes, and he looked somewhat imposing. He nodded, the stern look on his face lightening into a slight smirk. Theorem got on his hind legs for a second and clapped his hooves together twice. "I'm so excited! I've never met an actual National Detective before! Any questions before we show you the deceased?"
I wanted to ask why the hell this young fresh faced stallion was so damn bubbly when there was a dead body in the next room. "When was the body found?" I asked.
"This morning, at approximately 4:45, a cleaning mare for the apartments walked in and saw his body." he says quickly and professionally. "She said there was no smell of decay or the lingering smell of blood that would mean the death had happened less than two hours before, so we believe the murder" Murder? "happened less than an hour and a half before she found Mr. Wave."
I nodded. "What did Mr. Wave do?"
Bones looked up. "He was the founder of a casino called the King's Head down on the strip." he said in a strangely soft voice for such an imposing colt. "Always treated employees and customers with complete respect. Except perhaps whoever killed him."
Theorem nodded energetically. "Quite right, Bones. Now then, would you like to see the deceased?" he asked. I nodded, and they led me into the large bedroom chamber.
The first thing I noticed in the room was the messiness. The sheets on the bed had been practically torn off and flung all over the room, cabinets and dressers were overturned, and there were a few hoof-shaped holes in the walls. There was a struggle, alright. The body lay in the center of the room, a pool of dark red, drying blood formed under his body. He was at some point a Pegasus, but where his wings were were just two bloody stumps. His barrel had three stab wounds in it, most likely the cause of death, and his side had several more that had no blood on the fur around them. Postmortem. I had apparently said those thoughts aloud, for Theorem nodded.
"Yes, quite a struggle. We suspect the killer attacked him while he was getting ready to sleep, but he saw the killer and tried, obviously in vain, to wrench the knife away from him or her. And then he was knocked to the floor and stabbed in the chest three times. Have you ever seen Pulp Fiction?" I nodded. He got on his hind legs again, this time in a kneeling postion, and did a stabbing motion similar to the famous 'adrenaline' scene in that movie. "That was the death blow. The killer then turned the body over, cut off the wings, and stabbed him several more times, maybe to throw us off of the cause of death." Theorem looks at the ceiling and stands back up. "Unlucky for the killer, whoever it was left the knife in the bathroom over there, maybe as they were washing off the blood and getting the wings into whatever container they were using for it."
Bones nodded in agreement. "We think it was a first time killer, because he made several mistakes. Not getting the jump on Mr. Wave, leaving the murder weapon, and taking a trophy for what seems like a simple revenge killing."
Theorem smiles. "If we can get even a partial hoof print on the knife, we can crucify the motherbucker in court." Bones looked at him with a look that said 'Did you just say that?'
I nodded. "Okay, get a meat wagon here and we'll get the body to the local ENDA department. We need a full autopsy. And you two are gonna be in charge of it since you already know most of the details." I did a small salute to them. "Goodbye gentlemen, see you at the morgue."
Theorem and Bones waved bye and Theorem pulled a small cellular phone out of his lab coat. He dialed a number as I started to walk out of the apartment. "Yes, Las Pegasus ENDA? Dr. Theorem here. We need a meat wag- I mean, an ambulance to the crime scene in the apartment block on..."
His voice drowned out as I closed the door behind me. This was gonna be a long week, I could already tell. My name is Raven Nevermore, and I'm an agent of the Equestrian National Detective Agency. This was only the start of a very disturbing case.
I sat in the back of the taxi carriage, my earbuds blaring my favorite song. I like to listen to music to keep my mind focused. I hum a little as I look around outside. The strip of Las Pegasus was bristling with mid-day activity, ponies going to drive-through wedding parlors, strip clubs, and, of course, casinos. I was heading to a local club that I frequented, the Red Light Club. I liked it because of the music and the friendly staff, and it was quite a nice place. It also had one of the few legal brothels in Equestria, but I didn't care much for that. A quick drink, a review of the case, then down to the local ENDA to see the results of the autopsy. Simple.
"We're here sir." the young driver said, the taxi coming to a slow stop in front of the club. Nobody was in line, which was a trademark of the club in midday. Nobody knew how amazing the place was in the day, since everypony went to it after dark.
"Thanks, kid." I hand him thirty bits, enough for my fee and with a 7 bit tip. I step out, take out my earbuds, and turn off my iTrot. I walk in, the music different to the late night dance and electronic, instead being light alternative and soft rock. The bartender and co-owner of the club, Rocky, smiled as I sat in a barstool.
"Hey, Raven!" He smiled. "Wonderful day, isn't it?" he asked, grabbing a glass and setting it on the table.
"Sure is, Rocky." Rocky was young for a club owner. 24, barely out of business school, he ran this place with his best friend, DJ Minimoog Voyager, age 18. "I'll have a glass of cola, please."
"Coming right up!" he replied happily. He grabbed the nozzle of one of those bar beverage sprayer... Things. I'd never been one to know terms for this kinda place. He poured soda into my glass until it was nearly full and slid it over to me. I sipped it and smiled. He smiled back.
"So, any new cases?" he asked.
I nodded. "One. Homicide." I said casually. He'd been a friend of mine since I had arrived in Las Pegasus three months ago. He offered opinions on my cases, and helped me through some tough moments. He knew as much about crime as I did.
He whistled. "Homicide in Las Pegasus. Wow." he said, a hint of sarcasm in the back of his voice. "So, who got whacked?"
"A mister Freak Wave. Casino owner." I said.
Rocky raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Wave? No way. He was a regular here, nicest guy I ever met. Who would kill him?"
"That's what I'm figuring out, Rockmire." I sighed and sipped my soda.
Rocky thought for a second before asking, "What was the cause of death?"
"Three stab wounds to the upper torso."
"Any postmortem trauma?"
I nodded. "Three more stab wounds in the victim's side. And his wings were cut off."
Rocky's eyebrows jumped up and his eyes shot open. He was shocked. "His wings?! Sweet Luna, who would do that?"
"Again, that's what I'm figuring out."
Rocky thought for a second, mixing himself a martini as he did so. "Any possible motive?"
"We were thinking revenge, but considering Mr. Wave's character, that seems very very unlikely." I replied.
Rocky sipped his martini. "Perhaps it was a hit? A rival casino owner wanted Wave dead and made it look like a revenge killing."
I shrugged. "Makes sense."
The doors open and Rocky smiled as he looked up. "Mini!" he exclaimed happily, seeing his friend.
Mini spotted Rocky and smiled, waving to him warmly. "Heya, Rocky!"
I smiled and waved at Mini. "Hey, Moogster!"
Rocky raised an eyebrow. "Moogster?"
I shrugged. "I suck at nicknames." I said to Rocky before turning back to Mini
Mini chuckled at his comment, walking over. She swiftly hopped onto one of the barstools next to me, planting her rump down on its top. "Get me a Grasshopper, yeah?" she suggested, before turning to me. "Heya, Ray. How's life treatin' you?"
Rocky nodded and quickly mixed a perfect Grasshopper, sliding it over to Minimoog. I shrugged. "Pretty average, got a new case today." I said, sipping my soda.
"Mm?" Minimoog hummed, sipping her alcoholic beverage. "Oh, yeah? How's it coming along?"
"No suspects yet, but we have a murder weapon and a partial hoofprint." I said with a slight smile of accomplishment.
Rocky looked at Minimoog. "You'll never guess who the victim was. Mr. Wave." he said somewhat grimly, sipping his martini.
At this, Minimoog's face fell. Her usual happy, energetic expression left her completely, leaving only a look of sadness. She turned to Rocky and gave him a questioning look.
Rocky nodded. "I'm shocked too. I'm going to miss him a lot..." Rocky sighed and I looked over to him and patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry guys. I'm gonna find the bastard that did this and take him down hard." I said, a reassuring tone in my voice. I looked over to Minimoog. "That's a promise."
"What exactly happened?" Minimoog inquired, staring at me with an expression of utmost seriousness.
"Someone broke into Mr. Wave's apartment at about 3:45 and attempted to get a jump on him." I said, sipping on my cola. "They failed to, though, and there was a struggle. His assailant got the upper hand and stabbed him three times in the torso, which we think is the death blow. He then was stabbed three more times in the side, postmortem." I paused, unsure of how to say the next part. "Whoever did this cut off his..." I couldn't say it so I looked to Rocky.
"His wings. The bastard took his wings as a trophy." Rocky said morbidly. His expression had changed to an angry frown.
Minimoog made a sound that I interpreted as a mix between a sob and a gasp. She put a hoof to her mouth and turned away quickly, almost jumping off of her stool.
Rocky gasped and hopped over the counter. He quickly put a foreleg around his friends shoulders and hugged her tight to console her. I sighed. "I'm going to find this guy. I swear on my father's grave I will."
I heard Minimoog sniffle once or twice, eagerly returning Rocky's hug. Her hoof shot out for her Grasshopper, where she gulped the entirety of it down.
I looked at the two. "Don't worry. We have enough evidence that we can get the bastard if we find him." At that moment I heard a telephone ring in the club. Rocky looked over to it. He gave Mini a final hug and then trotted over to it.
He took it off the hook and put it to his ear. "Red Light Club, Rockmire Feldspar speaking." He nodded to something the person on the other line said. "Alright, I'll tell him." He looked up at me. "A Dr. Theorem. Says the autopsy report is in and you need to see it immediately."
I nodded. I looked over to Minimoog. "I'll be back soon, hopefully with some good news." I gave her a hug as I hopped off my barstool. "Hang in there, Moog." I said softly.
The DJ nodded her head and wiped at her eyes with a hoof. "Keep us updated, yeah?"
"Of course." I said, nodding. "The bastard is going down." I released my hug and walked over to Rocky. I gave him a quick hug before walking out the front door to the taxi. "Las Pegasus ENDA HQ, my good colt, and make it quick." I said to the driver, hopping in the back seat.
Time to see the good news.
I walked into the basement of the ENDA HQ. The morgue. The room smelled of embalming fluid. I looked around, noticing the several signs pointing toward other sections of the ENDA building. I walked through the room, looking around at the several sliding drawers in it. I went through a small door into a room with the corpse of Mr. Wave on a table. Theorem looked up from his chair. "You made it. Good." he said, utterly serious, a complete turnaround from his mood at the crime scene.
"So you made a full autopsy report?" I asked, walking over to him.
He nodded and handed the file to me. "There's a problem, though."
I raised an eyebrow. "What kind of problem?"
"The hoof print we thought we had. The killer had on horseshoes. The hoof print is a no go." he said, looking over to the table where his surgical instruments were.
I sighed. "Damn."
He then perked up for a second. "But we did find something interesting. Mr. Wave must have bitten his assailant in self defense, because we found a small chunk of flesh in his throat." He looked over to the body. "He was a tough stallion, it seems. I'm surprised he couldn't overpower his attacker."
I looked at the report, which stated the time of death, cause of death, and pretty much everything I already knew. "So we have DNA from the killer." I said softly.
"Yes. However, it matches with nobody in the database. But if we find the right guy and match his DNA with that flesh..."
"We send him away for life." I say, somewhat pleased at this revelation.
Theorem nodded. The intercom in the ceiling buzzed as the voice of a mare came through.
"Dr. Theorem? Call for you on line 2."
He looked up. "Thank you, Marionette." He looked to me. "I'll be back in a minute." he said, standing up from his chair and trotting out of the room.
I read over the report several times, making sure not to miss any details. About 5 minutes after he left, Theorem burst into the room, a look of panic on his face. "There's been another murder. Come on, we need to hurry!"
I got up quickly and ran out the door, Theorem close behind. "Where's the scene of the crime?" I asked as we rushed up the stairs to ground level.
"Everlasting Winnings Casino, top floor. A major shareholder of the franchise was found dead in his office thirteen minutes ago." We got out through the front doors and I was about to call for a taxi when Theorem stopped me. "I got this." He pulled a small whistle out of his pocket and blew it. A police wagon pulled up next to us, the driver looking at us.
Theorem and I jumped into the back of the wagon. "Everlasting Winnings Casino!" I said to the driver. He nodded and drove the cart as fast as he could to get to the casino.
"Who's the shareholder?" I asked Theorem.
"A Mr. Top Tier. Wealthy businessstallion and one of the people keeping Everlasting Winnings solvent." He looked in the direction the wagon was going. "This will bring down their entire business once word gets out."
When we arrived, Bones greeted us at the door. "Come on. We need to get to the office before the newsponies do." He nodded his head to the stairs. "I saw some go to the elevators but I told the electricians to disable them for a few minutes. Come on, let's go." We followed him up the stairs until we reached the top floor. We quickly ran to the office that had been cordoned off by security tape.
A police colt stood beside the door. "Make sure no reporters get anywhere near the room until we're done." I said quickly, ducking under the tape and walking into the room. The first thing I noticed was that there was blood absolutely everywhere. There was blood on the walls, on the ceiling, soaked into the carpets, on the furniture, just absolutely covering everything. Then I saw the body.
Theorem walked in behind me and saw the scene. "Holy mother of Equestria..." he said softly. The deceased was splayed out in the middle of the floor, his front legs cut off at the point between the foreleg and knee and his horn completely broken off. I heard Theorem gag before he walked out.
Bones walked in. "This explains why the pony who found the body was so shaky over the phone." he said, unmoved. He walked over to the body and crouched down, looking closely at him. "Cause of death was strangulation, possibly by garrote." He turned to me. "Write this down."
I nodded and pulled my notepad and pen out of my coat pocket. I wrote down the cause of death. "So, any other trauma?"
He turned the body over, examining the underside of the forelegs. "None whatsoever. His killer got the jump on him, strangled him, cut off his legs, splattered blood all over the room to throw us off, and then broke off the horn. Fuck. This is one sick pony, whoever killed him."
I looked at the blood on the walls. "The blood here seems drier than the blood around the deceased. Maybe this isn't his blood that's been splattered everywhere?"
"Possibly. We'll do a check in the lab." Bones looks at Mr. Tier's body closely. "I swear I've seen this guy somewhere..." he mutters.
"Wasn't he involved in that huge fraud? Hundreds of millions of gambler's hard won bits never being given to them or something?" I ask.
He smirks and nods. "Yep. Thought I recognized this guy. Grade-A scumbag." He immediately frowns. "But nobody deserves to be mutilated like that." He stands. "I'll call in a body transport, you check the side rooms for anything." I nod and walk to the door of one of the side rooms. I walk in.
The first thing that struck me was the strange smell of decay. I quickly turned on the lights and saw a pair of bloody wings nailed to the wall. "Holy shit." I said softly. I walked up to them. They weren't rotting or decayed in any way, so I quickly looked around for the source of the smell. The small room was a tiny walk-in closet, so I looked through the clothes on the racks for anything of use. Then I saw it. A bucket of congealed, dark blood. There was a half-rotted tongue on the surface. "Bones?" I said loudly.
"Yeah?"
"We got a bucket of blood in here. There's a tongue inside." I heard hoof steps behind me, and soon Bones was crouching next to me.
"Hmm, looks like the blood's been sitting for a couple of days..." he said. He picked up the bucket. The blood slightly jiggled in it, jostling the tongue a little. "Maybe the tongue belongs to another victim?"
"Maybe, but the wings over there" I pointed to them, Bones following my hoof. "definitely belong to Mr. Wave. Same color fur, and they're not decayed. I'm thinking they were preserved slightly."
Bones nodded. "Makes sense. Alright, the corpse transport is on its way. I'll head back to the lab with Theorem and make preparations for the autopsies."
"I'll check with the pony who found the body, see if they know anything. Meet you at the lab in an hour."
"Check." He stood up and walked out of the office. I walked slowly to the stairs, arriving at them just as the reporters arrived with the corpse transport. I smiled as the transport shut the door in the reporters' faces. I needed to get to ENDA HQ and talk to the pony who found the body. Maybe they know something.
Author's Note
This chapter was half-written a month ago and half-written today, so it's a bit rushed and rough, IMO. But tell me what you guys think! :D
Theorem and I sat across from the sweating, nervous young mare. "C-can I get some water?" she asked. I nodded to Bones and he left to get her some.
"Ms. Flash, I need to know how you found the body of Mr. Tier." Theorem said softly. Bones walked in with a cup of water and gave it to her. She silently thanked him and drank it quickly.
"I-I have an office on the floor below Mr. Tier's... I h-heard a noise, like a short gasp cut off b-by something, above me... I thought Mr. Tier was in trouble." She wiped her eyes. "When I got to the top floor and stepped out of the elevator, somepony pushed past me to get in. I think it was a stallion. And then I walked over to the office, where the d-door was wide open and... Mr. Tier was-" She choked on a sob and put her head on the table.
I put a hoof on her shoulder. "Ma'am, did you see the face of the stallion that pushed past you?"
She slowly looked up at me and nodded. "He had dark blue eyes, almost black. He had a small scar running across his cheek, looked like a cut or something..." she stopped for a second and looked to Bones. "Could I have some more water?" He nodded and grabbed her cup, walking out to get her some more. She turned back to me. "This stallion looked young, probably 19 or 20 if I were to wager a guess. He had this... This look about him. His face had no emotion, but it felt like he was expressing something like.... 'Don't follow me' or something similar to that." She sighed. "I can't believe Mr. Tier is dead... He was a jerk, but he didn't deserve to die!"
Bones returned with the water and handed it to her. I looked at him. "We have some info on our possible killer. Get a sketch artist in here." I looked to Ms. Flash. "Do you remember enough to get a sketch done of him?"
She nodded and drank her water. Bones looked at me. "I think our work here is done. I'll go call the sketch artist."
Theorem smiled and stood up. "Ma'am, thank you for your help." She looked up at him and nodded.
I stood as well. "The sketch artist will be here soon, until then you're free to walk around the building. When he arrives, we'll call you back here."
She looked at me. "Who would do that to a pony?"
"The worst kind of mind. We'll find him and bring him to justice." She smiled softly and mouthed 'thank you' to me. I walked out with Theorem, Ms. Flash walking past us to the small lounge.
Me and Theorem sat outside. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his coat pocket. I raised an eyebrow. "You smoke?"
"Not anymore, I just usually hold one in my mouth." He grabbed one and placed it between his lips. "So, Raven, what's your story?" he asked.
I shrugged. "I was born in Fillydelphia with two brothers to a nurse and a policecolt. I graduated from secondary school at the age of 16, went into drawing for a while as a hobby, and as a source of mild income." I paused. "My father died when I was 18. He was stabbed trying to stop a mugging. My brothers and I helped our mom cope for two years and then we went our separate ways. My mom became a surgeon earlier this year, and my brothers run a coffee shop in Coltorado. I went into police work instead. Ran the beat for a few years, then I solved a murder and was bumped up to detective." I sighed and looked at him. "What's your story?"
"I was born an orphan, went from foster home to foster home for a while, then I ended up living with a doctor. He taught me everything I know, and encouraged me to get a college education. Which I did. And now I'm head of the Las Pegasus ENDA morgue. Pretty much all there is." He smiled and handed me a piece of gum. I took it and started chewing it. "I feel like this case is far from over."
"You and me both."
"So, you married or have a marefriend or a coltfriend or anything?" he asks, relaxing on the stairs.
"Nah, not too interested in relationships... You?"
"I got a marefriend, she's absolutely wonderful." He chuckles. "One time I got her to bungee jump and she got so scared and I just kept saying 'You'll be fine, as long as the rope holds!'. When it was my turn she threw a fake rope down after me and I thought the rope hadn't been tied. I nearly peed myself, I was so scared. She laughed when I finally realized what she did and told me 'Hey, you'll be fine! The rope holds!'" He laughed. I smiled.
"So, how long have you known Bones?"
"Ever since I was I kid. We were always in the same orphanage whenever I left my foster parents. He was always picked on, but I became his friend and made sure nopony ever messed with him. And we've been best friends ever since." He took the cigarette out of his mouth and tossed it into a trashcan next to him. "So, any idea why someone's killing casino shareholders and co-founders?"
"Getting over a bad hand at poker? Trying to stop ponies from gambling?" I guessed. "I really have no clue."
"Well he isn't gonna stop anytime soon." Theorem said grimly. "I feel like he's gonna keep going until we catch him."
"I agree. We need to find this bastard." I stood up. "I'm gonna check some of the underground fight clubs and back alley dealers after we get the sketch, maybe I can turn up some leads."
"What makes you think he'll be there?" Theorem asked, standing up.
"I always check the seedy places first. Usually, these kind of killers frequent them. Anyway, let's go see how the sketch is going." We walked inside, slowly walking to the interrogation room.
Bones stood outside, holding a rolled-up piece of paper. He handed it to me. I looked at him as I took it. "This our guy?"
He nodded. I unrolled the paper. The drawing was of a stallion with black cropped hair, dark blue eyes (almost black, as Ms. Flash said), a horizontal laceration scar across his left cheek, a short, slightly pointed snout, and a somewhat feminine chin. His expression was one of focus, as if he were completely on point about a task. Theorem whistled. "We got ourselves a pretty boy." he said with a chuckle. "Fucker looks very high and mighty with himself."
"I see anger and focus, no high and mighty here." I say softly. I roll it back up. "Okay, I'll head to downtown, try and rustle up some leads. Either of you wanna come with me?" I looked between Bones and Theorem. They both raised a hoof. "Okay. Get us a carriage." I walked over to the exit and looked back at them. "We're about to catch us a killer." Theorem and Bones smirked at each other and Theorem grabbed his whistle. I smiled. "Come on."
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. 