</a> It was a strange environment. They called everyone but Campbell by first name, and even he had a nickname. She wasn’t sure she could take it if they insisted on calling her Clarisse, and she was not letting them call her Claire in the office, even if Dryden put up with nicknames. ‘Theo’. His subordinates called him Theo.


    We’ve got a body in the bat arbor,” Dryden said, standing up. “Abigail, is Linn''s car charged?”


    Yup! I’ll go get her.”


    What is it?”


    They’ve identified him.” Dryden pushed back his hair. “This is going to be worse than we thought. The victim’s been identified as Caspian Handfellow. He’s the son of a successful merchant.”


    Well,” Stephanson said softly, “shit. Half the city’s gonna be up our ass, huh?”


    Yeah. He was young too. We’ll be tripping over reporters the second this gets out..” Dryden grumbled.


    What’s the protocol for reporters? I’m afraid I’m not experienced with them.”


    Just don’t talk to them and you’ll be fine. Cam’s in charge of our official statements. The good ones know how not to cause too much trouble, and the vultures are easy to scare.”


    She says that, but she talks to them a lot,” Stephanson added. “She likes to talk about gross medical stuff until they get creeped out. What did that guy call you?”


    The grim butcher of this otherwise respectable team,” Linn recited proudly, “whose fascination with the macabre leaves proper citizens to question who should be allowed to handle such sensitive cases.”


    It’s really best to say ‘no statement’,” Dryden said, though it was unclear if he was talking to Claire or Miller.


    This is a weird place to leave a body,” Dryden said, crouching down to look. “Putting it back here implies they were trying to hide it, but they left it where it could be easily found. Maybe he was killed somewhere near here. No blood, but the wounds look cauterized, so-”


    He wasn’t killed here,” Claire said, then swallowed her embarrassment when she realized she’d cut him off. “Sir.”


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    Mmm?” Dryden asked, not seeming too annoyed at being interrupted.


    These wounds were made recently and slowly. I’d guess each one took about fifteen minutes. With that much use, I’d be able to feel it in the air if it had been anywhere within a mile or two.”


    Tortured and dumped then?” MIller asked, kneeling next to the body and inspecting the wrists. Her tone was harsh, but she manipulated the hand gently as a parent checking a child’s fever.


    That would be my first guess,” Dryden said, looking close. “Abigail, you help Linn get the body to the car. Looking into the family will have to wait until morning, but there’s plenty we can do now. Let’s go see what Cam has for us.”


    In Avairne, you’d say ‘You have worked hard and served well, may you find rest.’. Here it was… something about a wheel, but the blessing that came to mind was neither of those.


    We mourn the loss of the present, we mourn the loss of the futures you will not have. To those that should have grieved you but will never know you, let us show them kindness in your name. To those that took your future, may we bring them justice in your honor.”


    I don’t recognize that prayer,” Dryden said. She nearly jumped. She’d forgotten she wasn’t alone.


    You speak Vayish?” she asked.


    Only a small, but I understand more than speak.” His accent was rough, clearly mostly from books, but it still brought half a smile to her face.


    It didn’t feel right to use an Avairnian prayer here. It’s a Salfari prayer.”


    Salfari? I haven’t heard of it.”


    You wouldn’t have. Salfet got absorbed into the defiled lands a few years ago. I’ve never been there myself,” Claire clarified before Dryden could draw any tragic conclusions, “I worked with a Salfari priest for a bit.”


    <hr>


    Is it alright if I touch the wound?”


    Why?”


    There’s another type of magic in the wound, but I haven’t been able to identify it. I was hoping for a closer look.”


    Go ahead, just be careful and- Saints, put on gloves!”


    I’d prefer not to, if that’s alright. Direct contact is best.”


    Wash your hands first,” she said instead.


    Thank you. I believe I’ve gotten all I’m going to get. The original magical trace is badly damaged.”


    Does the trace line up with the burns?” Linn asked.


    It does. Why?”


    This wasn’t torture. He died of blood loss. These match slashing wounds, right? I think whoever did this changed the clothes and burned him post mortem to cover both the original injuries and the magical trace.”


    In that case, whoever did this wasn’t powerful at all. Even if they wanted to minimize damage, anyone half experienced with fire could have burnt away the evidence in a minute or two and hid the physical injuries better. Somebody was in over their head.”


    That’s good. Sloppy killers are always easier to catch. Come on, let’s fill in Theo.”