Very Important Corpses

  ‘Well,’ Baron said reluctantly, ‘I’ve been talking to the guards patrolling the grounds. It turns out all of them have seen a wild beast of some kind down by the banks of the loch. Some of them more than once. And no, before you ask, not the monster. Something human-sized, or just a bit bigger. Fast-moving, seriously strange; and downright scary. And this is from trained, experienced men.

  ‘All they ever see is a dark shape emerging into the moonlight or out of the mists. Only at night, never during the day. Something that doesn’t move like anything human. The guards seem convinced there was something wrong about its shape or dimensions. Like something out of a nightmare … And these are men who don’t spook easily. Most of them challenged whatever it was, even fired warning shots, but when they went in for a closer look there was never anything there. I’m not saying whatever they’re seeing is the actual Coronach creature. But I’m increasingly convinced there is something out there.’

  Penny and the Major Domo looked at each other. They didn’t like the way he said ‘something’.

  ‘I can’t help finding it very convenient that this creature should choose to emerge from the loch just as the Baphomet Group takes up residence here,’ I said.

  ‘Maybe somebody called it up,’ said Penny. ‘Maybe they’re controlling it, using it to kill people.’

  I looked at the Major Domo. ‘Is there anything like that in the legends? Has it ever happened before?’

  ‘Not that I know of,’ said the Major Domo.

  ‘When was the last verified sighting of the creature?’ said Penny.

  The Major Domo stirred uncomfortably in her chair. ‘Over two centuries ago. There’s a drawing, taken from a witness’s description, in a book in the House library.’

  ‘What does the creature look like?’ Penny said eagerly.

  ‘Hideous,’ said the Major Domo. We waited, but she had nothing more to say on the subject.

  ‘I think it would be pushing it to assume we’re dealing with a creature and a human killer,’ I said.

  ‘We’re missing something,’ said Baron.

  ‘I thought that,’ I said. ‘If it isn’t a human killer, with human motivations, I don’t see why Jennifer was targeted. This creature would have had to pass by all the people on the ground floor to reach the main staircase. Why go all the way up to the next floor to find a victim, when there were so many targets of opportunity close at hand?’

  ‘Perhaps Miss Rifkin’s room had some special significance for the creature?’ said the Major Domo. She didn’t sound too convinced.

  ‘Maybe it saw Jennifer as a threat,’ said Baron. ‘She was the only person here with experience of the hidden world.’

  ‘Apart from you,’ I said.

  ‘Yes, Ishmael, thank you for pointing that out,’ said Baron. ‘I was hoping to keep quiet about that part of my background. Maybe … the creature thought it had to get rid of Jennifer before it could safely pursue its real targets.’

  ‘But it didn’t,’ I said. ‘It killed Jennifer and then left the House. And besides, what you’re suggesting sounds like pretty sophisticated thinking for something that is supposed to spend most of its time living in the murk at the bottom of Loch Ness. How would it even know about the Organization? Or the Baphomet Group?’

  ‘It’s a supernatural thing,’ said Baron. ‘Who knows what a creature like that knows or senses?’

  ‘The stories say it was born of a human family,’ said the Major Domo. ‘Who knows how much of its humanity it might have retained? Or what it might have become after so many centuries of existence?’

  ‘You really believe in this creature?’ I said.

  ‘Monsters are real,’ said the Major Domo.

  ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘They are. But people kill a lot more people than monsters ever do.’

  And that was when the door crashed open, slamming back against the inner wall. A sudden hush fell over the dining hall as everyone looked up. A servant stood in the doorway, wide-eyed with shock, his uniform dishevelled. He didn’t want to come into the dining hall. He looked at the principals and stayed where he was, beckoning urgently to the Major Domo. She stayed where she was, glaring coldly at the servant, refusing to be summoned by one of her own people. The servant almost stamped his foot in frustration, and edged into the dining hall in a series of short rushes, as though he had to keep summoning up extra nerve. Some of the security people started to rise to their feet, only to sit down immediately as the principals shook their heads. The servant finally stood trembling before the Major Domo, wringing his hands together in his agitation.

  ‘What is it, Holroyd?’ asked the Major Domo. ‘Tell me what’s happened, and stop making a spectacle of yourself!’

  ‘You have to come with me!’ said Holroyd, his voice low and urgent, with more than a hint of hysteria. ‘You have to come with me, right now.’

  ‘Calm down,’ said the Major Domo, not moving. ‘What could be so important that you have to interrupt me at my dinner?’

  The servant just shook his head, refusing to say anything in front of the packed hall. He was breathing so deeply he was in danger of hyperventilating. He looked pleadingly at the Major Domo until she tutted loudly, threw aside her napkin and rose to her feet. Holroyd immediately backed away, forcing her to go after him. Everyone watched the two of them retreat to the open doorway, where the servant spoke rapidly, in hushed tones. Baron sat back in his chair, looking more amused than anything.

  ‘You know, whatever this is, he should really be saying it to me. I am Head of House Security. But the staff all see the Major Domo as their mother. Or possibly one of those really strict nannies … What could be so bad that it couldn’t be said in front of everyone?’

  ‘I think we’re about to find out,’ I said.

  The Major Domo listened, frowning, until Holroyd finally stopped talking; and then she gave him a quick series of orders, and he ran off. Looking glad to be gone, or at least to be doing something. The Major Domo returned to our table, carefully not hurrying, and leaned in close so only we could hear her.

  ‘I’ve given orders for the House to be sealed,’ she said. ‘Something bad has happened. Mister Jones, Miss Belcourt, come with me. Mister Baron, you stay here.’

  ‘Oh come on!’ said Baron, not bothering to lower his voice. ‘Something bad? Something bad would be the plumbing backing up again! I am Head of House Security, so I should be the one who decides whether or not the House needs to be sealed. That’s my business.’

  ‘The security of the principals is your business,’ snapped the Major Domo. ‘So stay here and watch them!’

  Baron looked at her, and finally lowered his voice. ‘Someone else has been killed, haven’t they?’

  ‘Apparently,’ said the Major Domo.

  ‘But all the security guards are here,’ said Baron, ‘and the chauffeurs. The principals are surrounded by people with guns.’

  ‘Yes,’ said the Major Domo. ‘And how many of them do you trust? You stay right where you are and watch everyone until we get back.’

  ‘Are you armed?’ I asked Baron.

  ‘What do you think?’ he said.

  The Major Domo went back to the door. I followed after her, with Penny bustling along at my side. The Major Domo paused in the doorway for one last look back at the silently watching principals.

  ‘There’s nothing to worry about!’ she said loudly. ‘Carry on with your meal. Desert will be served shortly. It’s plum duff!’

  And then she closed the door in their faces.

  The Major Domo headed straight for the stairs, not quite running. The open reception area was completely deserted and ominously quiet. Off in the background, I could hear doors and windows slamming shut.

  ‘It’s the missing principal, isn’t it?’ I said. ‘October. Someone has killed a principal, at last.’

  ‘Holroyd found the door to October’s room standing open,’ said the Major Domo as she started up the stairs, not slowing her pace in the least. ‘Just like
Miss Rifkin’s room. Apparently he dithered outside for some time, trying to work up his nerve before he finally pushed the door open and looked in. He said the smell … was pretty bad.’

  ‘Was October’s room wrecked?’ said Penny.

  ‘More than just wrecked,’ said the Major Domo.

  ‘Was October killed the same way as Jennifer?’ I said.

  ‘Holroyd couldn’t tell,’ said the Major Domo. ‘This time the body wasn’t left on display. It seems October has been … torn apart, and the pieces scattered round the room. Holroyd said … he couldn’t see the head anywhere.’

  We continued on up the stairs in silence for a while, thinking about that.

  ‘Maybe the creature took it,’ Penny said finally.

  ‘Or maybe the killer wanted to make identification more difficult,’ I said.

  ‘It has to be October!’ said the Major Domo. ‘It’s his room. Who else could it be?’

  ‘Good question,’ I said.

  I was thinking about the possible double among the principals, and whether this could be connected. A quick glance from Penny told me she was thinking the same thing.

  ‘The timing of this death seems very suspicious to me,’ said Penny. ‘This is the second time the killer has waited until everyone else was down on the ground floor, before attacking the one person left upstairs. So he wouldn’t have to worry about witnesses, or anyone coming to help the victim.’

  ‘And we can’t be sure of the exact time of death,’ I said. ‘Making it hard for anyone to have an alibi.’

  ‘You think the differences between the two murders mean something?’ said the Major Domo. ‘They’re significant?’

  She was starting to get out of breath, but refusing to let it slow her down.

  ‘It means something,’ I said.

  I kept a watchful eye on the Major Domo as we reached the middle landing, and didn’t even pause for breath before pounding on up the stairs to the top floor. She didn’t seem particularly upset that October was dead. Just annoyed that someone else had been murdered in Coronach House while she was in charge. Meaning more work, and more trouble, for her. I had to wonder, why had she been so insistent that Baron stay behind? He was right: this was his business, as Head of House Security. Did the Major Domo really see a threat to the principals from among their own people? Did she know something I didn’t? Of course, that wouldn’t be difficult. I glanced at Penny. She was struggling to keep up with us, but was still hurrying gamely along. I slowed a little, to keep her company. This wasn’t a good place for anyone to be left behind.

  When we finally reached the top of the stairs, the Major Domo had to stop to catch her breath. The spirit was willing, but the lungs had gone on strike for better working conditions. She stood with her head bowed, breathing deeply and scowling fiercely at her body’s treacherous weakness. Letting her down, when she had work to do. Penny was quietly grateful for the break. She put a hand on my shoulder to support herself, as she struggled to get her breath back. I stood between the two of them, not even breathing hard, and looked around. It all seemed very quiet on the top floor. The light was steady, the shadows few and far between, and all the doors I could see were firmly closed. Such a quiet respectable setting for sudden death and the return of a legendary creature. The Major Domo took one last extra-deep breath and strode determinedly down the corridor, heading for October’s room. I offered Penny my arm to lean on, and we went after her.

  The smell hit me first. The hot coppery scent of blood, with worse things underneath; all the associated aromas of violent death. The top floor of Coronach House smelled like an open grave. But it wasn’t until we were close enough to see the door to October’s room standing open that Penny and the Major Domo finally began to react to the smell. Penny wrinkled her nose, and pulled a face. The Major Domo frowned and shook her head. Neither of them slowed their pace.

  I took hold of both women by the arm and brought them to a halt. The Major Domo scowled at me and started to say something, but reluctantly subsided when she saw the look on my face. I peered carefully up and down the long corridor, checking for any signs the killer might have left behind. They had to have come a lot further this time, without being seen. Which meant they had to hurry to make their escape and this time might have left some trace of their passing behind.

  I let go of Penny and the Major Domo and knelt down to study the thick carpet. Any number of shoe imprints, of varying depths. A lot of people had come and gone in this corridor, some of them quite recently. But they were all full impressions; none of them the heavy toe and heel marks you’d expect from someone running. And definitely no paw or claw marks to indicate a creature. No blood trail, not even a few spots; which meant it was unlikely the killer was carrying October’s head. Unless they’d found the time to wrap it first. I sniffed at the carpet, surreptitiously; but the heavy smells on the air buried everything else.

  I got to my feet again, shook my head brusquely before the Major Domo could ask anything, and started toward the open door. Penny stuck close beside me, looking at me inquiringly, but I wasn’t ready to say anything yet. When we reached October’s door the Major Domo tried to brush past me and go in first, but I was having none of that. I wasn’t expecting anything dangerous to still be in the room, but I wasn’t taking any chances. Besides, I didn’t want the Major Domo trampling over the evidence. I stopped before the door, blocking the way. Penny and the Major Domo crowded in behind me, breathing heavily down my neck. The door to October’s room stood half open, as though politely concealing the horror that lay beyond. I placed one hand on the door and pushed it all the way open. The full stench of what had happened rushed out, and the Major Domo coughed harshly and turned her head aside. Penny made a low distressed noise, and put a hand to her mouth.

  I stepped inside. October’s room looked like a threshing machine had run wild. Every piece of furniture had been smashed, reduced to little more than firewood and kindling. It was all splinters and cracked veneer, and jagged pieces of wood not much bigger than my hand. I couldn’t even tell which pieces belonged to what. The sheer scale of so much destruction was impressive. It had to have taken a lot of time, and not a little commitment. Nothing had been left untouched, unbroken. It made what had happened in Jennifer’s room look like a trial run. Unless the killer had got a taste for it … alone up here and in no danger of being interrupted.

  It didn’t appear to me that the killer had been searching for something. It looked more like destruction for its own sake. The sheer completeness of what had been done spoke of concentration, rather than rage or frenzy. The bed had been dismantled as well, this time; the mattress torn apart, the sheets ripped to shreds, the headboard cracked in two. Even the heavy springs had been torn out and cast aside. No attempt to put the body on display, though. As though this time the body wasn’t what was important.

  I made myself look at what had been done to October. He wasn’t there, in any meaningful sense. He’d been reduced to bloody bits, ragged scraps and tatters, and then thrown all over the room. I wouldn’t have thought you could take a man apart that completely without using bone saws and a surgical kit. All that was left of the principal was splintered bones and stinking offal. And blood, everywhere. Soaked into the carpet, spattered on the wreckage, and splashed across the walls and ceiling in great crimson arcs. It was still dripping, and the hot rich scent of it filled my head. I studied the patterns dispassionately. The pressure behind the arterial sprays made it clear October had still been alive when the dismantling began. But I still couldn’t see any evidence of fury or revenge. What had been done to this man was a deliberate attempt to horrify.

  I looked back at the doorway. All the colour was gone from the Major Domo’s face, but her mouth was firm and her gaze steady. She didn’t like what she saw, but she wouldn’t let herself look away. Penny looked angry. After the bloody slaughter she’d been forced to witness at her old family home, death would never upset her again. It just left her with a driving
need to see the guilty punished. I gestured for them to come forward and join me in the room. Neither of them hesitated, though they were very careful about where they put their feet. I nodded to the Major Domo.

  ‘Did you know October, personally?’

  ‘I rarely speak to any of the principals directly,’ she said, her voice quiet but unwavering. Not flinching at the horror show set out before her. ‘I usually receive my instructions through their people. That’s the way the principals want it.’

  Penny tapped on my arm, and quietly drew my attention to long jagged claw marks dug into the walls, gouged deep into the plaster. There were more claw marks on the larger pieces of broken furniture. I had to admit I didn’t see how anything human could have made them.

  ‘How heavy would claws have to be to dig in that deep?’ murmured Penny. ‘And how much muscle would you need to do so much damage? What kind of creature could do this?’

  ‘Something big,’ I said.

  ‘Human-sized?’

  ‘Bigger.’

  ‘Do you have anything particular in mind?’

  ‘Not yet.’

  I couldn’t make out any animal tracks in the gore-soaked carpet. Which would not have been the case if the killer had been just some creature. Cleaning up after a kill is the mark of a professional. Penny realized what I was looking for.

  ‘Would a supernatural creature leave tracks?’

  It was a reasonable enough question, so I did her the courtesy of considering it seriously before answering.

  ‘If the creature was real and solid enough to do this much damage, I would expect it to leave some evidence of its passage through the world,’ I said. ‘Which brings me back to my belief that we’re dealing with a human killer.’

  ‘What kind of human could do this?’ the Major Domo said angrily.

  ‘Fair point,’ I said.

  ‘Can you tell anything from … what’s been done to the body?’ asked Penny.

  ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘October never stood a chance. The sheer strength involved was far more than human.’