บท 9: A shot in the dark
Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, Xander had no choice but to back his instincts and take a leap of faith. He agreed to investigate the apartment and look for clues that might lead them to the killer.
Being a Dreamwalker had its perks, but most of it was essentially useless in the real world. Despite having helped the Detective solve several cases in the past, he didn't have any experience conducting investigations on this side of the veil.
Since the officers had already investigated the immediate scene of the crime, Xander decided to start afresh by taking the wooden stairs and making his way to the bedroom.
Out of all the areas in a house, the bedroom was the only place that had special significance for Dreamwalkers. It was here the otherworldly aura was at its strongest. However, Xander knew it would need a lot more than gut instincts to find a clue in this room.
With no leads to follow, Xander was shooting in the dark, but it was better than nothing.
Accompanied by Detective Locksley, Xander unlocked the door to the bedroom and started scanning the room for any signs of struggle.
Everything looked perfect. The creased bed sheet and crumpled pillow suggested that the bed had been slept in, but there was no trace of any outsider being present in this room.
Xander carefully checked the bedside table and even looked under the bed, but he couldn't find any clue.
"What happened this time?" Detective Locksley asked. "You always return with answers."
"I told you, her Last Memory refused to answer my questions," Xander replied, a bit annoyed.
"How's that possible? You Dreamwalkers say that the Last Memory always leads you to the truth. Why would her memory refuse to answer?" The Detective picked the lock of an old wooden cupboard and started searching inside.
Without looking up from the floor, Xander replied, "I don't think she had the answers to begin with. I think she truly didn't know how she died."
"How the hell is that possible?" Detective Locksley turned around and gave Xander a questioning side-eye. "What are you hiding from us?"
"I'm not hiding anything!" Xander stood up and looked directly at the Detective. "Maybe the attacker took her by surprise. Maybe she was poisoned. You're the cop. You do the brainstorming."
Detective Locksley glared at him. "I wouldn't have called you here if you weren't going to be of any help. Now I have the Chief—"
"Hold on." Something about the bedroom struck Xander, and he got back on his feet. "The bed has been slept in. Her Last Memory sounded quite calm as well. A bit too calm. What if...What if she was murdered in her sleep?"
"The murderer would have left some clues then. But we didn't find anything. And the doors were all locked from the inside."
"What about the windows?"
"They are all fitted with iron grills. The only murderous creature that can slip through them is a cat. You're really throwing—"
"Stand back." Xander was suddenly seized by an idea. Uncorking a slender glass vial, he proceeded to sprinkle handfuls of silver-gray dust all over the discolored white carpet on the floor.
"What are you doing? What the hell is that powder?" the Detective asked, visibly confused by Xander's antics.
"This vial contains the Ashes of Amara. They can sense the presence of magic energy," Xander replied, continuing his task. He sprinkled the ashes on every corner of the room, covering not just the carpet but the floor as well.
"I don't understand how that will help—"
The Detective's words were pushed back into his throat as he saw black spots appearing over the carpet. They started as little smudges at first and then turned into dark black stains.
"Just as I suspected," Xander said, picking up a handful of the blackened dust. "This is bad."
"What does it mean? These black spots on the carpet?"
"It means Esther wasn't alone at night. She was visited by a Mystic. And quite a powerful one at that," Xander replied, holding the ash in his palm. "The ashes only turn black in the presence of forbidden magic."
"So...it was a Talent user?" the Detective asked, his face clouded with doubt and disbelief.
"Yep, it was a Mystic for sure," Xander replied, blowing the ashes away. Shifting his eyes toward the bed, he stared at the pillow. "The pillow is still in place. Exactly at the head of the bed."
The Detective again looked at Xander with curiosity burning bright in his dim black eyes. "What are you trying to suggest?"
"For most people, pillows never remain in place while they're sleeping. It should have moved." Xander flipped the pillow upside down and noticed a red smudge on its corner. "It looks like lipstick," he said, turned to face the Detective. "She was murdered in her sleep. And what better way to do it than suffocate her to death?"
"You mean, the murderer used the pillow as a weapon?"
"It looks probable. If Esther had been poisoned, she would've felt something— some pain or at least some sort of mild discomfort. Or there would have been some other symptoms."
Another thought came to Xander's mind as he recalled his last conversation with Esther's Last Memory. She had clearly mentioned it being a hot night and her throat drying up.
Everything fell into place now. Xander looked at the open window beside her bed, and it confirmed his suspicion. "She said she should have opened a window last night. It was too hot for her. But the window was already open when we got here."
"So you mean the killer entered through the window?"
"I don't know how the killer got inside," Xander replied, taking a good look around the room. "But I do know how she died. If she was feeling hot and thirsty even though it was a cold night and there was a window open, it can only mean one thing. She died of suffocation. I couldn't connect the dots before, but now it makes complete sense. She was suffocated to death and then her corpse was hanged from the ceiling to make it look like suicide."
Detective Locksley put on a pair of white latex gloves and picked up the pillow. "I'll send this down to the forensic lab. What else can you tell me?"
"Nothing that I haven't mentioned already," Xander replied. "She was murdered by a Mystic, one with close associations to Shamura. I've already done my job. The rest is up to you, Detective."
At this point, they were joined by the Chief of Police himself. Chief Volgin walked into the bedroom and fixed his eyes on the Dreamwalker. "It's been over thirty minutes. What have you found out?"
Xander repeated all his findings to the Chief and handed him another vial of the silvery gray dust. "Please request your officers to spread it on the floor below. I'm sure you'll find more traces of forbidden magic."
After hearing everything, Chief Volgin stiffened his lips. "You're making quite a serious accusation. If the murderer was indeed a Mystic, the DMA will come knocking on my doors pretty soon. It's gonna cause a lot of uproar amongst the public."
"That's none of my concern, Chief. I've already done my job. How you handle your associates is entirely up to you." Xander stretched out his hand. "My services don't come free. Twenty Thousand vireks."
"But you—"
Detective Locksley was about to correct Xander about the sum he had previously requested, but the Dreamwalker gave him a sideways glare to shut him up. The Detective immediately bit his tongue and looked away.
The Chief was too distraught over his niece's death and didn't want to haggle with a Dreamwalker at this time. He took out twenty crisp white notes from his pocket and handed them to Xander.
"I'm trusting you against my better judgment. If your words don't add up, I will find you and make you regret it," he warned in his baritone voice.
Xander however, didn't seem the least bit frightened. "Detective Locksley has my number and address. Good luck with your case."
With those parting words, Xander walked out of the room and climbed down the stairs. Though he wanted to learn more about this mysterious murderer, he didn't want to get too close to the cops.
In the end, he decided to walk away with his payment before someone else came looking for him.
Xander was about to exit the door when Chief Volgin's voice arrested his steps.
"Just a minute, Dreamwalker. Does this mean anything to you?"
Xander slowly turned around and saw the Chief of Police standing on the stairs with a gold necklace in his hand. However, what caught his attention wasn't the necklace itself but the red feather-shaped medallion attached to it.
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