Fraudulent Death, Draft 01, CH 03 (Patreon)

Marlot showed his ID to the enforcer, and then reluctantly left the crowd of warm bodies to walk onto the construction zone.

“RI Blackclaw,” he told the zebra standing a few feet away from the body, which was on its stomach, with snow starting to obscure it, “what can you tell me?”

“It’s too fucking cold.”

Marlot chuckled. The temperature had continued dropping, and flurries had turned into light snow. Even he’d have to dig out a heavier jacket if this kept out.

“How about this body?”

“Wolf, it’s been there at least eight hours, that’s when security did a round of the site.”

Marlot looked around. No fencing to keep anyone out. The building looked to be retail, halfway constructed. In this weather it was perfect for vagrants to take shelter in.

“It was found by that guy, and called in.” The zebra pointed to an emaciated mink dressed in rags and little else. If the zebra was cold, that guy had to be frozen from ear to tail.

“Is anyone getting him something warm?”

“No one has anything warm,” the zebra complained. “It wasn’t supposed to get this cold today.”

“He’s a witness, I don’t want him to die of exposure, go get him a few blankets from your car.” Marlot smiled. “Maybe keep one for yourself.” He headed for the mink. “RI Blackclaw.” He showed his ID again. “You are?”

“Galden,” the mink stammered.

“What can you tell me about the body?”

“I called it in.” His teeth chattered hard enough to make the words hard to understand. “I could have kept it, but I called it in. So it’s mine, right?”

“It is. As soon as I close the case, you’ll be able to eat it.”

“How long’s that going to take?” Galden hugged himself tighter, not that it did anything to stop his shivering. “Haven’t eaten anything in days.”

Marlot didn’t want to consider what the mink had eaten last. “I don’t know. Depends on what you can tell me, how hard the killer is hiding. It’ll be a few days at least. Could be a week.” He motioned to the returning zebra.

“Can I take a bite out of it now?” The mink pleaded. “Nowhere that you need, I just need to eat something, anything. I’ll take a foot.” The mink stiffened at the approaching enforcer.

“I can’t let you do that. The body has to remain in its current condition until my examiner has determined the cause of death, and after that, it’s staying frozen until the investigation is over.”

“I’m not going to last that long,” he whined, moving away as the zebra handed him the stack of blankets.

“First thing you need to do is not freeze to death. You won’t be able to enjoy the meat if you’re dead too.” Marlot took a blanket and draped it over the mink’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, you can keep them.” The mink seemed to shiver even harder under the three blankets. “Why aren’t you at a shelter?”

“All full. I was going to stay here, out of the wind and snow.” He indicated the half-finished building. “I saw the wolf lying on the ground and thought I’d finally have a real meal. But I thought about his family. So I called you. Now I’m not going to get to eat at all.”

Marlot looked in the body’s direction, taking out the old paper pad and pen from a pocket. “Do you know the Spottedspine processing store?” It looked to be healthy, too healthy for a vagrant. He wrote a note for Ezk’Eriel. The mink shrugged noncommittally.

Marlot handed him the note. “Go there and hand this to Ezk’Eriel. He knows me and he’ll give you a week’s worth of meat. If you don’t have a place to store, I’m sure he’ll be fine with you coming every day for part of it. I’ll bring the body over once I’m done with it, I’ll take the body there and you can arrange the rest of it.”

After a hesitation, the mink snatched the paper from Marlot’s hand. “What if it takes more than that?”

He looked the body over again. It wasn’t big, but there should be two week’s worth of meat on it. “Have Ezk’Eriel call me if that happens and I’ll see what I can arrange with him. How can I contact you if I have more questions?”

The mink shrugged. Right, vagrants and pads weren’t a thing.

“I’ll leave a message with Ezk’Eriel then. You can pad me back.”

The mink nodded and Marlot went to the body. He took his pad out and brushed the snow off the head. “The body is a wolf, preliminary cause of death is a broken neck. The head is twisted at something close to a hundred-twenty degree. The examiner will need to confirm. Didn’t do a smell test. The temperature dropped below freezing and makes that useless, but the body is less than eight hours old as of this recording based on witness testimony taken by the enforcers. Testimony to be appended. Beginning pat-down for ID.”

He paused the recording and searched the body, brushing the snow off as he went. “No ID found, so it’s possible the killer’s just slow in paying the tax.” Although with leaving the body in the open, it was doubtful. “No possession on him at all. Could be a robbery that escalated. Clothing is worn but in good condition.” He couldn’t pry the muzzle open but felt the teeth. “Dentition feels intact, so an ID should be possible that way if he isn’t in the DNA registry.”

The clacking of metal made him look up. A bundle of black with only spots of red poking through the clothing approached, pulling a gurney.

“Did you somehow know the weather was going to turn?” Marlot called to the frog.

“Does of us cold-blooded people never take for granted the weather will be warm. My heated outdoor suit is always maintained and on hand. You have no idea how easy you furred people have it.”

The zebra snorted. “Not all of us with fur have enough of it matter. If my grandpa was still alive I’d kill him for moving the family this far north.”

Jaxca eyes the enforcer. “Get back to me after you missed two day’s work because you set out to do work in the garden and the temperature dropped.”

“Your wife left you outside?” Marlot asked, taking the gurney from the frog.

“She was away at a conference. Found me on coming back.” He crouched next to the body. “How old?” He pressed the sides.

“No more than eight hours.”

“The temperature dropped before freezing four hours ago and he feels about four hours hard. He was here before that. That looks like a broken neck.”

“No possessions, so this might be a robbery.”

“You’re looking at someone strong to do that. Especially if I don’t find defensive marks. Predators don’t usually go down without inflicting damage.” Jaxca looked at the hands. “No visible blood. Help me on the gurney, he’s not going to get easier to move if we wait any longer.”

Once Jaxca let with the body, Marlot looked the area over. He checked the ground. The sand offered resistance to his fingers but broke under his feet. “Does anyone have an air blower?” he asked the zebra.

“That isn’t standard equipment.”

“Get me one, there’s a chance the cold preserved the footprints.”

The zebra grumbled something about it not being an enforcer’s job, which made Marlot smile. An enforcer’s job was whatever the Registered Investigator said it was when a body was involved.

“Think about it this way. It’s going to be warm inside a store.”