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5 | The Breakfast Body




Season of Sunlight

Fifth Month

731 Cooke's Crescent

The City of Trylla, The Cronia Region

2325


Henri sluggishly awoke the following day.

He struggled out of bed, his head thick and eyes swollen shut as he stumbled into the bathroom and took a long five-minute warm shower.

He put on his best brown trousers and white button shirt, affixing a red bow tie around the tailored collar, then hurried downstairs into the living room. A sweet aroma pulled him into the kitchen as he landed on the floor.

Lilith was in the middle of brewing a fresh pot of tea when he entered. Honey and Rose Blossom, his favourite.

"Good morning," he said, walking to the copper refrigerator.

Lilith turned around, her long hair parting to reveal her pretty face. She wore a red knee-length dress and a beige cardigan loosely over her shoulders. Her orange lips smiled. "Good morning. Do you want a cup?"

Henri opened the refrigerator door and grabbed a wooden container. He opened the lid and nodded satisfactorily at the egg sandwich inside. "I'm tempted, but my young constable will be eagerly awaiting my arrival at the bureau."

"Constable Abbott?" Lilith asked.

Henri looked at her in bewilderment. "How did you know that?"

Lilith filled a small cup with tea. She leaned against the counter and took a sip. "Valco called about an hour ago. He's been waiting for you since six o'clock."

"Six o'clock!"

Henri glanced at his watch and hustled to the door. It was quarter after eight.

Lilith chuckled. "Don't forget your lunch, and by all means, Henri, promise me you'll remember to eat."

"I'll try my best," he said, smiling.

"Please eat," she insisted. Lilith stepped forward and straightened Henri's bow tie.

Henri took a glass from a cabinet above the sink, filled it to the rim with cold water, and gulped it down.

"Alright, I'm off," he said, setting the glass aside. "Behave while I'm gone."

"I should be saying that to you," Lillith said with a laugh.

Henri grabbed a dark trench coat and swung it over his body. He fastened the golden buttons to his neck, clutched his lunch container and opened the front door.

Lilith waved goodbye as he stepped outside.

Henri ran toward the Blitzen and rummaged around in his coat for the right key to unlock it. He stopped a couple of feet from the door, squinted, and looked through the window.

He gasped.

The wooden container slipped from his grasp, and the lid popped off as the sandwich tumbled onto the ground. Henri stood paralyzed, his heart pounding like a drum in his chest.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The window was smeared with blood.

Inside, slumped in the driver's seat, was the body of a young man. His forehead rested against the steering wheel, crimson blood running down his cheeks as it dripped onto the fabric of his white shirt.

Henri gazed across the dead face, an examination that caused his stomach to turn. The man's left ear was missing, and a fountain of red burst from the wound.

He gagged.

"Lilith!"

Henri struggled to control his nausea as the front door opened, and Lilith stepped outside with her arms crossed.

"Yes?" she said. "What is it?"

Henri waved her over, and Lilith walked obliviously toward him. She noticed the fallen sandwich on the ground and furrowing her brows. "You dropped your lunch..."

She trailed off and looked towards the Blitzen.

Lilith saw the dead man and screamed.

***

Yellow tape strung around the tree trunks populating the front yards of the houses along Cooke's Cresent, forming a blockade that prohibited unauthorized individuals from walking into the crime scene.

TDB officers patrolled the area, pistols equipped on their black belts. Bronze uniforms hugged their various body shapes, thigh-high black boots and tall helmets completing their professional attire.

Henri stood near the rear end of the Blitzen and observed the forensic team remove the body from his motorcarriage. White cloth hid the victim from prying eyes as it was guided into a large grey motorcarriage with a destination set for the bureau to be further analyzed.

"Fraser!"

He pivoted towards the voice.

A woman wearing a long yellow cocoon coat approached him, her jet-black hair tied stiffly back into a bun while her hawk-like almond eyes penetrated him like a blade. The funnel collar of her coat and narrow face projected a sense of authority, her black boots rupturing the ground as she stomped onto the crumbling pavement.

"Commissioner Valco," Henri said, standing upright.

Li Valco was a powerhouse back at the bureau. Henri couldn't help but feel uptight whenever she sprung into his life.

Commissioner Valco stopped about an arms-length in front of him. "At ease," she said, noticing the tension in his posture. "Tell me what happened."

"Just the start of an average day," Henri said. "I got out of bed, dressed, and grabbed my lunch from the kitchen. Nothing felt out of the ordinary."

"Yet something was out of the ordinary," Valco stated, tilting her head to the right. "The mutilated body of a young man showed up in your motorcarriage. Peculiar circumstances, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes," Henri said. "Have you identified the body?"

"No, but I have officers searching the nearby chapels for any leads."

Henri lifted his chin. "Chapels?" Her choice of words piqued his interest. "Tell me, did forensics, by any chance, find a copy of the Holy Book of El Olam near the body?"

Valco studied him for a moment. "Yes," she said. "They did indeed. Does this murder tie into your current case, Inspector Fraser?"

"Yes. I have four victims who died under similar circumstances; now, this young man makes five. The suspect we are looking for is a dark cult known as the Court of Abaddon."

"The Court of Abaddon? What makes you say that?"

"A witness. Elza Parks. She confronted me yesterday, claiming to have proof. Her family was targeted and killed by this cult. This murder only proves that I am on the right track!"

An ignorant horn of a motorcarriage screamed into the air as a purple Celeste tore into Cooke's Cresent and raced towards Henri at full speed. It screeched to a halt, Valco reaching for the golden pistol clipped to her belt.

Henri extended a hand in protest.

"It's alright," he said.

Constable Abbott's curly black hair popped into view as he leaped from the Celeste onto the road. Elza Parks emerged from behind the wheel, wearing a black pencil skirt and a white blouse underneath a green puff sleeve blazer. The pair linked arms and hurried towards him.

"Inspector Fraser!" they called, ducking under the yellow tape.

"Who's the woman?" Valco asked as she stepped aside to clear a path.

"Elza Parks," Henri said.

Valco turned her head curiously in his direction. "The witness?"

"Inspector!" Abbott shouted, pushing past the other officers. Elza matched his pace. They reached Henri and limped forward with exhaustion.

"What is it?" Henri asked.

"We looked over the autopsies of the previous Abaddon victims," Elza said, breathing heavily.

"We found a link that determines a motive for the killings," Abbott said. "It's not just a hate crime, sir, but part of an ancient ritual."

Henri raised his left brow. "Ritual? What kind of ritual?"

Elza took his hand firmly. "Something sinister."

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