'Hell's teeth.' Hawk tried to imagine how much sheer strength was needed to destroy a body so completely, and a disturbing thought came to him. 'Doctor, is there any chance this could have been a nonhuman assailant? Werewolf, vampire, ghoul?'
Jaeger shook his head firmly. 'There's no evidence of blood drainage; you can see for yourself how much there is around the body. There's no tooth or claw marks to indicate a shapeshifter. And apart from the missing head, everything's here somewhere. No evidence of feasting. No, Captain, the odds are this is your standard homicidal maniac, with a very nasty disposition.'
'Great,' said Fisher. 'Just great. How long before the forensic sorcerer gets here?'
Jaeger shrugged. 'Your guess is as good as mine. He's been contacted, but you know how he hates to be dragged from his nice warm bed at this hour of the morning.'
'All right,' said Hawk. 'We can't wait; the trail will get cold. We'd better use your magic to get things started. Doctor. How much can you do?'
'Not a lot,' Jaeger admitted. 'When he finally gets here, the forensic sorcerer might be able to recreate the entire killing and show us exactly what happened. The best I can give you is a glimpse of the killer's face.'
'That's more than we've got from the last three killings,' said Hawk.
'We were lucky with this one,' said Jaeger. 'Death couldn't have taken place more than half an hour ago. The chances of scrying the face are very good.'
'Wait a minute,' said Fisher. 'I thought you needed the head for that, so you could see the killer's face in the victim's eyes?'
Jaeger smiled condescendingly. 'Medical sorcery has progressed far beyond those old superstitions, Captain Fisher.' He knelt down beside the body again, grimacing as the bloody slush stained his clothes, and bent over the torso. The fingers of his left hand moved slowly in a complex pattern, and he muttered something short and guttural under his breath. Blood gushed suddenly from the neck of the torso, spilling out in a steady stream to form a wide pool. Jaeger gestured abruptly, and the blood stopped flowing. Ripples spread slowly across the pool, as though disturbed by something under the surface. Hawk and Fisher watched, fascinated, as a face slowly formed in the blood. The features were harsh, brooding, and quite distinct. Hawk and Fisher bent forward and studied the face thoroughly, committing it to memory. The image suddenly disappeared, and the blood was only blood again. Hawk and Fisher straightened up, and Jaeger got to his feet again. Hawk nodded appreciatively to him.
'Anything else you can do for us?'
'Not really. From the pattern of the bloodstains, I don't think the victim had time to struggle much. Which suggests that most if not all the mutilations took place after death.'
'Cause of death?' said Fisher.
Jaeger shrugged. 'Take your pick. Any one of those injuries would have been enough to kill him.'
Hawk gestured for the Guard Constable to come over and join them. He was a dark, heavy-set man in his mid-forties, with a twenty-year star on his uniform. He had the calm, resigned look of the seasoned Guard who'd seen it all before and hadn't been impressed then, either. He glanced briefly at the body as he came to stand beside it, but nothing snowed in his face.
'Constable Roberts at your service. Captain Hawk, Captain Fisher.'
'Who found the body?' said Hawk.
'Couple of kids coming back from a party. Merchant families. Took a shortcut through the Northside on a dare, and found a bit more than they bargained for. They're in the house opposite with my partner, having a cup of tea. It's good for shock, tea.'
'They see anything, apart from the body?'
'Apparently not. Captain.'
'We'd better have a word with them, anyway. See if you can move that crowd along. The forensic sorcerer should be here soon, and he hates working in front of an audience.'
The Constable nodded, and Hawk and Fisher headed for the house he'd indicated, stepping around the bloodstains where they could.
'You know,' said Fisher quietly, 'it's times like this I seriously think about getting out of this job. You think you've seen every nasty sight and spectacle the Northside can throw at you, and then something like this happens. How can one human being do that to another?'
Hawk felt like shrugging, but didn't. It had been a serious question. 'Drugs. Passion. Possession. Maybe just plain crazy. There are all sorts in the Northside, on their way up or on their way down. If a man's got any darkness in his soul, the Northside will bring it out. Don't take it so personally, Isobel. We've seen worse. Just concentrate on finding the clues that will help us nail the bastard.'
The young couple who'd found the body were still in the house where they'd been left, too shocked and disorientated even to think about making a fuss about leaving. They were clearly merchant-class by their dress, lower-middle by the look of them, and looked distinctly out of place in the dim smoky kitchen, being fussed over by a motherly washerwoman. Another Guard Constable was sitting comfortably by the fire, keeping an eye on them. He wore a ten-year star, but looked like he'd spent most of those years indoors. He nodded pleasantly to Hawk and Fisher, but made no move to get up. The merchant boy looked to be in his late teens, the girl a year or two younger. Hawk drew up a chair opposite them, and concentrated his questions on the boy. The girl was half asleep in her chair, worn out by shock and emotional exhaustion.
'I'm Captain Hawk, of the city Guard. This is my partner, Captain Fisher. What's your name, lad?'
'Fairfax, sir. Calvin Fairfax.'
'All right, Calvin, tell us about finding the body.'
Fairfax swallowed once, and nodded stiffly. 'We were walking down Wool Street, Belinda and I, when we heard something. Footsteps, like someone running away. Then Belinda saw spots of blood on the ground, leading into the next street. She didn't want to get involved, but I thought we should at least take a look, in case someone was injured and needed help. We walked a little way down the street… and that's when we saw the body.'
'Did you see anyone else in Silver Street?' said Fisher.
'No. There was no one else there. Belinda screamed, but no one came to help. A few people looked out their windows at us, but they didn't want to get involved. Finally the Guard Constables heard her, and came to see what was happening.'
Fisher nodded understandingly. 'What time was this?'
'About three o'clock. I heard the tower bell sound the hour not long before. The Constables took over once they saw the body. We've been waiting here ever since. Can we go now, please? We're very late. Our parents will be worried.'
'In a while,' said Hawk. 'The forensic sorcerer will want to see you, when he finally gets here, but after that you're free to go. You'll have to make a statement for the Coroner's Court, but you can do that any time. And in future, stay out of the Northside. This isn't a safe place to be walking about, especially early in the morning.'
'Don't worry,' said Fairfax earnestly, 'I never want to see this place again for the rest of my life. We wouldn't have come this way anyway if Luther hadn't dared us to walk past the Bode house.'
Hawk's ears pricked up. The Bode house. The name rang a faint but very definite bell. 'What's so special about the Bode house?'
Fairfax shrugged. 'It's supposed to be haunted. People have seen things, heard things. We thought it would be a lark.' His mouth twisted sourly. 'We thought it would be fun…'
Hawk talked reassuringly with him for a while, and then he and Fisher left the house and walked back down Silver Street. The cold morning air seemed even harsher after the comfortable warmth of the kitchen.
'Bode house…' Hawk frowned thoughtfully. 'I know that name from somewhere.'
'You should do,' said Fisher. 'It's been mentioned in our briefings for the past three nights. There are some indications the place may be haunted. Neighbors have complained of strange lights and sounds, and no one's seen the occupant for days. Since Bode is an alchemist and a sorcerer, no one's taking it too seriously yet, but there's no doubt it's got the neighbors rattled.'
'Beats me how you can take in all that stuff,' said Hawk. 'It's all I can do to keep my eyes open at the beginning of the shift. I don't really wake up till I've been on the streets an hour.'
'Don't think I haven't noticed,' said Fisher.
'Where is this Bode house?'
'Just down the street and round the corner.'
