Richard sighed as he hung up on the caller. From the sound my deputy made, I knew it wasn’t yet another call from old Macklin complaining about the kids making a racket by running a stick along his fence slats again this morning on their way to school. No, it was more of an unspoken ‘fucking hell’ sound of resignation.
“We’ve caught another one,” he said, already reaching for the kit bag.
I swore under my breath. “And they’re sure it’s an omega?” I hated the vaguely hopeful edge to my tone, but damn it, if I had to deal with a dead body, I was hoping it wasn’t another omega.
“Yup,” Richard replied. “The earring is plainly visible. Thankfully, they haven’t touched the victim and I asked them not to so the evidence is kept preserved.”
I pulled my duster on then, jamming my hat on my head, I asked: “They know who it is?”
Richard shook his head. “The vic is face down and naked as a jaybird, just like the other two.”
Fuck! I’d hoped that the first one was a one-off and the second a copycat. It was bad enough having two murder victims, but a potential serial murderer? Yeah, no one wanted that kind of trouble.
“We’re going to need to ask the Council for support,” I replied heavily, going out the door first. My mount, Winnie, nickered at me softly from where he was tied up just outside, ready to go at a moment’s notice. Richard’s mount studiously ignored him as always, even after he untied him. Kilroy instead lowered his head down to the rough grass and began eating.
I smirked as I got onto Winnie’s back, wondering if Kilroy was going to do that thing again where he sat down as Richard tried to get onto his back. Kilroy could be unpredictable like that and I’d lost count of the number of times I suggested he get another beast for work and keep Kilroy for personal use; all to no avail. Both rider and beast were stubborn as hell.
“Where we headed?” I asked, mildly disappointed to not be treated to Richard getting dumped on his ass once more. It was funny as shit, no matter how many times I saw it, and today, it sure looked like I could use all the levity I could get.
“Down by Riker’s Creek. Face down on the bank, head down in the water, right by the landing site marker. That’s what the caretaker said, anyways.”
I winced. “Seriously? At the park where school kids and visitors to the area all go to see where humans first landed on this rock? Well, somebody sure wanted to make sure this poor guy was found quick sharp.” I turned Winnie about to head in the right direction, knowing we’d have about a twenty-five minute ride to get there.
“Yup. Guess they didn’t like how long it took for folks to find the other two,” Richard agreed.
I grunted in reply. The first body had started to bloat already when it was found at the town dump. The second victim had likely actually been the first as it was partially ossified by the time local hunters found the poor sod inside a hunting hide. The door had been ajar already when they went to take shelter from a storm, only to make the grisly discovery of the partially gnawed on and dismembered corpse as animals had gotten inside.
We’d only known it was an omega thanks to the earring, a tradition we’d adopted from the native inhabitants of this planet. The Ilyirzi gifted their omegas with an ornate earring upon presentation, which they wore ever after. The higher the social status the omega was, the more ornate the earring. Upon mating, they gifted the omega with a matching circlet to wear upon their head and once the first child was born, a coordinating necklace.
Once the human children born here all turned out to have mutated in utero to conform to the alpha and omega genome prevalent on this world, and we had no means to research why it was happening or to correct it, we simply adapted and that included taking on the custom of the omega jewelry. It had become the industry, along with wedding bands and such.
Both of our earlier victims had worn quite simple earrings and neither had on a circlet or a necklace. They had also not had any clothes or other personal items nearby and, oddest of all, no one local had reported a missing omega, nor had anyone from any other human settlements we’d contacted. Now, there were some pioneering types who liked to live out in the wilds and only occasionally came into a settlement when in need of something they couldn’t make themselves; but surely if such a family had an omega go missing, they’d have alerted someone.
It was odd that not one, but two people within our limited population went missing, turned up dead, and no one knew who they were or seemed to be concerned about their whereabouts. Richard and I were puzzled as hell. Who were the victims, where had they come from, and why had someone wanted them dead?
Richard and I rode along discussing the few facts we had about the deaths so far, falling into silence only as we came up on the sign indicating the turn off into Marner Township where the park was. Marner had grown up around the landing site and while they had a deputy, I was the sheriff for the entire region. Which wasn’t as grand as it sounded, being that there was our smaller town, Freedom Rings, and about five or six other townships of equal size to ours scattered within the size of what I’m told was the size of some place called Texas back on the old home world. Plus about a dozen or so itty bitty two-beast places, plus any of the pioneering sort of family settlements deep in the lorgash pine woods.
So, yeah, I was pretty well much it, along with a bunch of deputies and the occasional local constable. Why me? Because during my schooling, I’d shown the most aptitude and the Council selected me when the old sheriff fell off his beast one night after a few too many at the tavern, and broke his fool neck, that’s why. Didn’t matter where I lived, just that I’d had the scores and hadn’t committed any major fuck ups. Though if I had a serial killer living right under my nose, it might be time to reassess that bit.
News had traveled fast as it always does when there is something going on and folks were out and about, standing around talking in groups and openly staring at me and Richard. I ignored them, urging Winnie to pick up the pace so we could get to the park before someone accosted us, hoping for a tidbit to sell to the local papers. Winnie obliged and Kilroy kept up, albeit with a bit more jostle than was strictly necessary. That beast really did like giving Richard hell. He didn’t hate Richard, he just was ornery as all get out.
We came to a stop several minutes later as we reached the entrance to the park and saw the local head deputy waiting for us.
“Sheriff,” he greeted me, inclining his head. “Good to see y’all.”
“I wish I could say the same,” I replied evenly. “But circumstances being what they are…”
“Yeah, murder isn’t a great social occasion,” the man agreed.
“Ya think?” Richard muttered under his breath.
I could tell that the other deputy had heard him by the way he suddenly flushed. “Anyways,” he said, “body’s this way, just yonder.” He pointed down the path behind him.
“I reckoned,” I replied drily, making a mental note to check this guy’s performance scores. There might need to be a bit of a shake up in this department, even if it was just requesting additional training. This being the main town, the senior deputy in charge needed to be sharp. I refused to consider what the Council asked of me at least every other month. I was not interested in moving here. I quite liked my little house, thank you very much, and got along with all of my neighbors. I was settled as much as a single man could be and had no desire to up sticks.
Richard and I dismounted, leading our beasts to a nearby tree where we tied them. Richard opened his pack and took out the foot coverings and what not we needed to begin the forensic examination.
“How many have been down there?” I asked the other deputy. I really should have known his name, but I really was shit with them. I made a second mental note to send out a bulletin requiring name tags. It wouldn’t only benefit me, but folks would more easily be able to identify which officer they’d spoken to.
“Nobody,” came the surprising answer. “Jensen, who found the body, stopped as soon as he noticed it and I moved along the bank trying to see as much as possible without contaminating the scene. I stopped once I saw the glint of the earring and realized what it might mean.”
Okay, so this guy wasn’t as clueless as he first appeared. Good to know.
“That’s great, Hank,” Richard said. “The sheriff and I will take it from here, so if you can just keep everyone else away, that’d be awesome. Only let the coroner on down.”
“He’s on his way. He had a call out to the McDougal farm early this morning. The old man there had a heart attack or something and the doc called him out because he saw evidence of a still.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. Lord help me, I did not need to have to deal with the deaths and permanent disabilities caused by someone peddling badly made moonshine on top of everything else!
“Oh boy,” Richard said, going down the embankment. “Kelly, you’re not going to like this.”
I hurried down to join him, finding him kneeling next to our victim, having lifted and turned the head gently so that he was looking them in the face.
“Oh, shit.”
“You know who it is?” Hank called down at us.
“Yep,” I called back up. “It’s Councilman Roe’s youngest.”
Hank gave a low whistle. “Shoot, that’s gonna kick up a huge fuss.”
It sure was, as if having a possible serial killer wasn’t horrific enough.