Revenge will be sweet

When the curse is complete

In the dark of the night

~ In the Dark of the Night, Anastasia

Back at the morgue, Rex and Angelique were working on Elias' corpse and listening to piano music to pass the time. He looked over at her and smiled. "Did I tell you that I can play the piano?"

Angelique shook her head. "No, you didn't- OH! What was that?" she shrieked as a metallic clang! sounded. Both she and Rex looked over at the mortuary fridges - those metal cabinets dead bodies are stored in before burial or cremation - and watched for any sign of movement. In a moment of bravery, Rex reached over and opened the door, greeted with the face of a person who was not dead at all - in fact, they were very much alive.

"Lyall, you scoundrel!" she fumed, which made Rex wince slightly as he waited for metaphorical smoke to begin pouring out of her ears. "How dare you think you can just waltz your ass into my mortuary when I am out! I was helping the detectives that have come into town to solve the case."

The man grinned and pushed himself out of the fridge. "Whoo, is it ever cold in there! But then again, who am I to complain, right, Angelique?"

Rex couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Excuse me, but who the hell are you?" he asked in an annoyed tone, his Southern twang bleeding through on the word 'hell'.

Lyall, as he had been referred to, just chuckled. "Lyall Cooper. I'm a friend of Angelique's. We go way back!"

Angelique just looked at him with an 'are-you-kidding-me' look. "What are you doing here, Lyall?"

Lyall smiled. "I'm gonna summon him, Angelique."

"Who- no, absolutely not, Lyall. I will not allow you to put yourself in danger by summoning a potentially malevolent man." Angelique spoke in a stern voice as if she were scolding a disobedient child.

Lyall sighed. "Angie, you're no fun. You suck the fun out of everything. Here, I was waiting to surprise you, but I guess some dead guy is more important than your best friend." He looked at Rex. "Who the hell is this, by the way?"

"I'm the guy who's actually helping her," Rex snapped.

Lyall sighed. "You have quite the gall coming here from the outside, my friend. Though I guess Wulfric is gracious. Or frantic, one of the two."

Rex smirked, but the smirk was quickly replaced by a shocked expression as Angelique removed a glove from one hand and raised it to slap Lyall squarely across the face before putting it back on. Panicking, he grabbed the tray of surgical tools so as to prevent her from murdering Lyall. SsureRex might have been mad that this man had intruded on the investigation, but he didn't wish death on him.

Angelique glared at Lyall. "How dare you come to my mortuary, hide in my fridges, and insult my guest doctor! The one time I have help in this place, and you come around to ruin it!"

Lyall just kept smiling. "Awwww, don't be mad, Angie. You're a great coroner, trust me on that. And besides, this will give you a lot more experience than you'll get by just looking at regular dead people."

Rex stepped up and looked Lyall dead in the eye. "Well, ain't that just a nice way to shroud sass in a compliment. We appreciate the commentary, but we were getting on just fine before you showed up. Now if you'll just leave, we can get on with the investigation. I might just be a guest here, but my partner and I won't even take shit from the locals. But bless your heart for trying, though."

Lyall balked, clearly taken aback by this new guy's sudden bravado. "I've been to Texas at least once, long enough to know that you're telling me to go fuck myself. I have to say, I really do not appreciate that."

Rex gave him a shocked expression. "Really!? Oh, dear Lord, I am so sorry, sir. I had no idea." The sarcasm in his voice was palpable, so much so that anyone within range could practically taste it.

Lyall was about to say something, but Angelique stepped between the two men. "Both of you, stop with this childish nonsense. I will not let this turn into a who-has-the-bigger-dick contest." She glared daggers at Lyall, who obediently - and conveniently - sat down and shut up. From Rex's point of view, Angelique had a lot of sway in this place. It made sense, given the fact that it was her mortuary, and the only one who had remotely any power over her was Wulfric, but even he knew better than to criticize her whether she was leaning over a dead body with a scalpel or bone saw in her hand or giving him a - most likely well-deserved - death glare.

"And another thing!" she said as she whirled around - still clutching the scalpel in her hand that she had been holding during the entire altercation. "I am so sick of you treating me as less than my true worth. Rex gets it. He at least gives me the respect I very much deserve."

Lyall just shook his head. "Why are you so testy, Angie? So a few people have died-"

This angered Angelique even more. "A few people!? A few people, Lyall, really?" Angelique was done at this point. She didn't have time for Lyall's shit. "There are serial murders going on here in town after so long of it being established and you say that only a few people have died!? What the hell is wrong with you?" If Angelique was simply angered before, she was pissed now. To the point where she would absolutely charge at Lyall with the scalpel if it wasn't a crime to do so.

Rex put a hand on Angelique's shoulder and whispered "It's fine, Angelique, I've got this, alright?" before looking at Lyall. "Listen, Lyall," he said to the man, "even being the Southern gentleman that I am, I am not above kicking asses if it comes down to it. Especially the asses of those who piss off my friends." Rex stood firmly. Though he was now in his white lab coat with 'R. Snow' stitched neatly on the left breast, he was more than willing to take it off and throw hands.

Lyall just glared at Rex. "I guess I'll see myself out, then," he said, walking towards the door.

Angelique stared at him with a stone-cold glare. "You most certainly will, Lyall Cooper."

At this point, Rex was standing over Elias' body and looking at the poor man, still wondering how exactly he ended up ripped to shreds. He looked up for a moment to acknowledge Angelique, who was staring at the door Lyall had left through.

"Hey, Angelique, er... your friend here, did he ever get himself into any sort of trouble? That might give me a better view of exactly what I'm working with if you get my drift."

Angelique nodded, looking back at Elias and Rex. "He was a sweet man. We had... history, but nothing serious, and I never mixed my work and my personal relationships, if you know what I mean." She looked at him and smiled. He was a good man, had an honest job, and I hate having to be the one to operate on him. So I suppose what I am saying is... would you do it?"

Rex nodded. "Of course, I'd be happy to." He waited until she stepped out of the way before he stepped to the side of the table and began looking at the gashes on Elias' torso. "What in the Sam Hill did you do to end up here, man? Too bad I can't save you now, otherwise, I would," he mused to himself.

Angelique set about helping him by passing him tools as he needed them. After several hours, They stopped examining the bodies in the morgue and left, having found out a lot more than had previously been known to them.

Rex looked over at Angelique and smiled. "I know I should have said this earlier, but I am mighty sorry for how I acted towards your friend, especially in the presence of a lady such as yourself. To be honest, though, you remind me of my sister."

Angelique waved off his comment as she smiled. "Don't worry about it, Rex. He was being very stupid and deserved what he got. Though one thing is confusing me. We had been in the morgue since we left the Hall of Records, so I am not sure how he got in unless he followed us in somehow. I usually lock the morgue whenever I leave."

Rex thought for a moment. "Yeah, that doesn't add up. I mean, unless he has some ability to stay in the freezing cold for prolonged periods of time, I doubt he'd have been alive even before we opened the door."

Angelique sighed. "I'm not sure exactly what is going on anymore," she told him truthfully.

Rex just shrugged. "Honestly, I am with you on that. Coming here was the first step of many, but now we - Brynn and I, with help - have to figure out where to go next in terms of the investigation. We have as much time as we need, but the two of us like to try to get as much done in as little time as possible."

Angelique nodded in agreement. "I understand where you're coming from. In the death industry - strange to call it that, but it is the truth - it is generally better to be faster, as long as you're not rushing yourself or jumping to conclusions." Angelique spoke true as with every profession, there was some degree of speed required, but in their case, dexterity and precision was also a requirement.

Rex nodded, simply happy to be of assistance to her. He thought back to when he, Brynn, and Wulfric were looking at the body before loading it into his truck to be brought here. He thought about how Brynn's face had crinkled in disgust. She didn't like creepy-crawlies at the best of times. He, on the other hand, was quick to smile at any sign of decomposition or other things related to death - especially maggots. "Ooh, yes, my pretties, there you are," he mused as a few maggots peeked out of an open wound. Maggots and other invertebrates were his favorite things when it came to his job. "I mean, sure, the ability to manipulate the human body postmortem is cool, but what I find even cooler is the fact that bugs can find a home and nutrients in your body even after you are no longer a prisoner on this mortal coil." He shook his head. "Sorry, Angelique, I tend to get poetic in my own mind when I'm working."

She shrugged. "It's alright, we all have ways of enjoying the workday," she said as she smiled. She enjoyed working with a partner for once, and as such was glad that Rex was here for a while - however long they needed to get this solved, that is. "And actually, I kind of like it. I know your friend probably doesn't, but to each their own, right?" She smiled brightly at him, helping him stitch up any incisions they'd made.

Rex smiled back. "Exactly. I mean, when you look at a person - dead or alive - it's pretty easy to tell certain things, but others, not so much. For example, I know that he has definitely been dead for over 24 hours because of the maggots I extracted. Flies love dead things and other gross stuff. That's why you see them flocking around garbage cans and dead bodies and such."

"I see," Angelique said, even though she already knew that was the case as well.

Rex sighed as he looked Elias over one more time. "I know I have said this before, but the poor guy... It's always a shame when people turn up pushing up daisies."

Angelique bobbed her head as well. "Speaking of which, I have some bodies here from your town - that is, the town you came from." She looked at him. "I know I should have told you earlier, however, I didn't want to bother you while you were hard at work."

Rex smiled at her. "I get that. Thank you, Angelique," he said as he finished locking up Elias' new "bedroom". He then took a moment to inspect the nametags on the other lockers, praying to God - something he truly hadn't done in a while - and hoping that there was no tag saying 'R. Snow' (for his older brother Roy) or B. Snow (their younger sister Belle, a linguist). Upon not finding either of their names, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god my siblings aren't there. Both my brother Roy and my sister Belle are amazing people, and I would hate to see them being put in a freezer or on a slab."

Angelique listened attentively to Rex. "I would hate that, too. Hearing you directly state your siblings' names, though, it must be quite confusing when mail addressed to 'R. Snow' comes for you or your brother. I don't mean to assume that you still live at home, but if you do, it must be a bit of a gamble."

Rex nodded. "Honestly, for the longest time, it was. When we were kids, our parents had to put us in different schools after Roy got in trouble for my rebellious nature one too many times. What can I say? I liked to live on the edge as a kid." He chuckled. "Nowadays, if my mail accidentally gets forwarded to my brother because we happen to have the same initials, he knows to send it on to me."

Angelique chuckled. "I'd never have pegged you for a trouble-maker, but then again, I have only known you for a day or so."

Rex gave her a cocky grin. "Well, you've got time to get to know me. I don't think we're leaving for a while, considering the mountain of bodies that have piled up," he replied.

Angelique was quite impressed with Rex so far but didn't want to phrase it wrong so as to come off as flirtatious, so what came out of her mouth was actually "I agree. It is wise to see this the entire way through, as one in our line of work has to do so unless the case is passed off to a separate department. When Wulfric called in the tip, he told me that your chief of police had only assigned you two to the case."

Rex cocked a brow, interested in what she had to say regarding his and Brynn's arrival. "So you were expecting me, is what you're saying." He was curious now about just how much Angelique was told.

Angelique nodded slightly. "In a way, yes. I was only told that a detective and her partner were coming, nothing more." She looked him in the eye and gave a small smile. "So, what's it like working with her? In the Hall of Records, she seemed... what's the word... quick to anger?"

Rex thought back to their first days as partners. The way Brynn had come into his lab, hot on Chief Lopez's heels, smacking her gum as if his lab wasn't a sacred place of science and learning... and also quite possibly the occasional explosion. He remembered how he'd been offended by this, but the chief had pacified him by assuring him that Brynn would be better after that day. The man had stuck true to his word, and from then on, Brynn and Rex had been nigh inseparable.

Rex smiled as he came back to the present. Angelique was looking at him a little strangely as if he had gone into another dimension - again. "Sorry," he said, an apologetic look on his face. "For whatever reason, my mind can't focus on one damn thing at a time."

Angelique put a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, Rex. Trust me, I have gone through the same thing."

Rex returned the gesture briefly before gesturing for her to leave the morgue. "Let's take a break. We can come back to this later."

Angelique nodded. "I agree. On the one hand, I do feel like we are taking this a bit slower than we should be, but at the same time, I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders since you're here helping me. Does that make sense?"

Rex gave her a thumbs-up. "Absolutely, Angelique. I mean, I'm not used to having help either - you saw how Brynn reacted, after all. She ain't much for the whole blood-and-gore side outside of a crime scene or a horror movie. And bugs freak her out."

Angelique laughed a bit. "Not everyone can handle it if I'm going to be completely honest."

Rex smiled. "Oh, ain't that the truth."

Angelique tried hard to stifle a giggle. "Oui, it is. Our profession is, in my opinion, at least, one of the more underappreciated jobs out there," she said, as she exited the morgue, taking her keys out of her pocket, closing and locking the door once they were both out.

Rex took in her words and responded accordingly. "I agree, we're generally presented at the bottom of the pecking order, right next to undertakers. I know at least one detective who takes me for granted. Ironically, he's the entire reason we're here, aside from the fact that our amazing, take-no-shit chief of police gave the go-ahead. The chief will defend any of his employees with a fierceness. But then again, so will my dog." He let out a chuckle. "He doesn't like Lieutenant Harding at the best of times, but even less so when it comes to his lackadaisical approach to my work. I'm sure that at least half the time, he's thought I used witchcraft to examine the unfortunate victims that end up on my slab."

Angelique gave Rex a look of confusion. "Are you talking about the lieutenant or the dog?" she said as she awaited his answer.

Rex's eyes widened for a moment before he chuckled, realizing his mistake. "Either one, honestly, but I'm mostly referring to Lieutenant Harding. I swear, sometimes, the man has a brain the size of an ostrich's some days, though he himself would beg to differ. He thinks he's hot shit and a veritable king in the precinct."

Angelique made a face that showed her disgust. She might not know the lieutenant personally, but her disgust was apparent. "He sounds like an asshole," she said in response.

Rex chortled. "He is. Before we got here, I threatened to report him. I mean what decent human or animal lover wouldn't report someone who seemingly goes out of their way to be a dick to animals?" He shook his head. "Sorry, I'm just very passionate about animals and life in general."

This caused Angelique to huff a bit, likely upset at the fact that a person would go through with anything like that, even in theory. "Well, in that case, I am glad the lieutenant didn't come," she said as they both walked away from the building, Rex following behind her. He wished Brynn was there, as she was much better at the planning side of each investigation they worked on. As seen earlier, his strength mostly involved dealing with those who were no longer moving. Inanimate, devoid of like, defunct, late, lifeless, cold, departed... you get it.

"Where to next?" he asked in a tone that implied needing a recommendation. This made the corners of Angelique's mouth turn up with a grin.

"I have to admit, I really want to see your dog now, since you've mentioned him."

Rex smiled. "And you absolutely can," he replied. "If I'm gonna be honest, he would absolutely love you. He and Brynn are best friends, so I wouldn't imagine you'd have a different effect on him."

Angelique smiled. "I can understand that. They do say that dogs are man's best friend, but with the way you described his reaction to the lieutenant," she replied as they walked away from the morgue.