Chapter Two
"Jesus fucking Christ? This is a fucking mess." Mana sighed as she examined the very bloody alley that Tierney said to meet at. Percival and Theseus along with Tierney were already there staring at the body, a young woman, surrounded by blood.
"Do we have any ideas who did this?" Percival asked.
"Well, Percy," Tierney drawled.
"Don't call me Percy." Percival told them for what must have been the 100th time. But just like every other time Tierney just ignored him.
"Yeah, I'm the only one allowed to call him Percy." Mana added as she crouched down and started drawing the required ritual sigils around the body. Occasionally she dipped her fingers in one of the not yet dry pools of blood because she needed more to complete the circle.
"And my brother!" Theseus exclaimed. "But of course he does not know that mobs exist."
"Because that's what you and Percy tell him all the time." Mana rolled her eyes. She thought it was a little ridiculous but it wasn't like they were actually hurting anyone so she didn't really care.
"Newt is my baby brother and I need to protect him!" Theseus declared dramatically.
"You do realize that he is literally surrounded by mob members right?" Mana paused in her sigil drawing for a moment to turn around and fix Theseus with a look. "You; his brother; are literally my left hand, Percy; his boyfriend; is my right hand, Tina; his best friend; is in Tierney's mob and the sister of their wife, and he works with Larissa who is married to Tina. Granted she's not actually apart of either mob but she does know who we all are."
"Why does Percival get to be your right hand?" Theseus pouted.
Mana sighed heavily, that was not the first time that Theseus brought that up. She knew that he didn't care, but she also knew that the only reason why he said anything was because he was being a little shit. "We've been over this, Percy is also a lawyer which is helpful on occasion. And you know, I don't have to have a left hand." She said pointedly.
"Ok, ok." Theseus waved his hands frantically. "Shutting up now."
"As I was saying," Percival cleared his throat. "Do we have any idea who did this yet?"
"No, not yet. According to Sheila, right? Sheila?" Tierney glanced to their left, presumably where Sheila's ghost was. Not that any of them could see her, besides Tierney. "According to Sheila all she saw was some masked man come up to her and he just started stabbing her."
"He didn't say anything beforehand?" Theseus asked.
Tierney looked to their left again and listened for a moment and then answered Theseus. "Sheila said he never said a word. He just walked up to her and shoved her into the alley and then started attacking her. She said that when she died she came to find me because she had heard rumors that I could talk to ghosts."
"Ok, I'm ready." Mana said and stood up. "Ok, let's get on with it." Percival said. He never liked watching Mana work. Raising the dead took a lot out of her and the whole process was kind of creepy to watch. First there was the chanting, and then there was a bunch of creepy whispers and a lot of black mist, and then all of a sudden whoever was being resurrected would shoot up and all of their wounds; if they had any; healed. Mana started chanting and it wasn't long after that the whispers started and the black mist appeared. And then minutes later Sheila sat bolt upright gasping and clutching her chest.
"Ok, Sheila right? You can go home now, just don't say anything to the police, ok? Or to your family. Got it?" Mana told her once her gasps had subsided.
"Why not? That guy fucking stabbed me to death! The police need to know so that they can catch the fucker!" Sheila exclaimed angrily.
"I know, I know. You know who we are right?" Mana said calmly and when Sheila she continued. "Then you know what we can do. And whoever this fucker is has no idea what the fuck he is getting himself into. This is our town and we'll be damned if we let a serial killer run around. Look, I promise we will catch this guy. But we also want to fuck with him a little. Don't worry if he goes after you again I'll bring you back, ok? Just like anyone else he goes after. He's only doing this for attention so it's only fair that he doesn't get any. So all I need you to do is act like nothing happened and go about your life. It's going to really fuck with him, and eventually he'll make a mistake and we'll find the asshole."
"You promise you'll get him?" Sheila asked hesitantly.
"You have my word." Mana nodded and handed Sheila a slip of paper. "Also, I made a discord for all of the serial killer's victims. You know, kind of like a support group? Tierney and I are on there and so are Percy, Theseus, and Tina so if any of you remember something you can send it to us on there. That way you aren't seen around town associating with the mob. There's only one other person on there right now but I'm sure you'll get along."
"Do you want one of us to walk you home?" Tierney offered.
"Uhh, yeah." Sheila nodded shakily. "It's just down the block. How am I supposed to explain my bloody clothes?"
"You went for a late night walk and fell into the dumpster outside the butcher shop?" Theseus suggested.
"You know what, I'll figure something out." Sheila shook her head and stood up.
"Percy, can you-" Mana said and then gasped and fell over. Luckily for her Percival was close enough and caught her before she hit the ground.
"Oh my god! Is she ok?" Sheila gasped.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Mana said dismissively as Percival helped her sit not in a blood pool.
"We both know that you're not fine. You should have sat down right after you finished the ritual." Percival scolded her.
"I'm just tired. Percy, we can talk about this later, can you walk her home?" Mana asked.
"Fine." Percival frowned and stood up to do what Mana told him. And then without another word he gently led Sheila away. He was only gone for about 10 minutes when he returned. "She's home safe."
"Good. Now if only we could find this asshole." Mana sighed tiredly.
"He's bound to slip up some time." Tierney offered.
"I know, but unfortunately that means that he's going to kill more people first." Mana pointed out.
"This is true." Tierney nodded. "But it's not like we're going to find anything else out tonight."
"You're right. We better get out of here." Mana said and struggled to stand, but eventually she managed it.
"You're not driving like this." Percival told her.
"I'm fine." Mana insisted.
"Let me drive you home." Percival said. "And then Padmé or Anakin can drive me back here and I can pick up my car. I parked around the block so if someone happens by it won't be too suspicious. Unless you want me to call one of them now?"
"No, no, it's fine. Just drive me home." Mana sighed in defeat.
"What should we do about all of the blood? The last one wasn't nearly this messy." Theseus asked.
"We might as well just leave it. Who's on the case? Madge Brooks?" Mana asked.
"Yeah, but from what my contacts in the police department have said they don't really have an open investigation. They just didn't want Brooks messing up their important active investigations so they 'gave' her the 'satanic sacrifice' to keep her out of the way. And well her father is the Chief so it's not like they can kick her off of the force." Theseus explained.
"They do know that I don't do satanic rituals right?" Mana asked incredulously.
"For the most part everyone does, you know except the out of towners, and the new recruits and the Chief. But you know, as long as we don't cause too much trouble the cops leave us, all of us, alone. But as far as I know Brooks does not know that and so now she is invested in 'solving' the crime." Theseus shrugged.
"What do they think happened to the body?" Tierney asked. Their mob didn't really deal with the police as often as Mana's mob did. They were mostly focused on helping queer youth and fucking with the asshole parents that kicked them out or otherwise. And for the most part that flew under the cops' radar, and what didn't was all completely legal because that's how Queenie and Tina made sure to pull it off.
"They don't know, and that's part of the reason why they are leaving it alone. Brooks thinks that they bodies some how dissolved into the ground. Or something." Theseus said.
"Well ok then." Tierney said.
"Text me if something else comes up." Mana told Tierney as Percival helped her stand. "We really shouldn't stay any longer."
"Ok." Tierney nodded. And Percival and Mana, Tierney, and Theseus went their separate ways.
After Percival dropped Mana and her car off at her house Padmé drove him back to his car. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked Mana when she returned and the three of them went back up to bed.
"Not really." Mana groaned and rolled over into Anakin in the hopes that he would be the big spoon.
"Percival said that you almost collapsed, again." Padmé said pointedly.
"He is a traitor." Mana said and shoved her face into Anakin's chest when he finally gave into her pouting and wrapped his good arm around her.
"You need to be more careful." Padmé chided her girlfriend.
"Padmé's right, you should be more careful Mana." Anakin added.
"Aww, not you too. I thought we were the reckless ones in this relationship." Mana pouted.
"I'm not really sure if that's something you should be proud of." Padmé pointed out.
"Maybe. Look, Percy already lectured me on the way home. Can we just sleep now?" Mana sighed.
"What do you say Ani?" Padmé asked.
"Sleep is good. I like sleep." Anakin said. "But you know what I don't like?"
"Oh, I don't know? What could it possibly be?" Padmé asked Mana playfully.
"Sand. I don't like sand." Anakin stated.
"Yes Ani, we are all aware of your distaste for sand." Padmé replied.
"I just wanted to make sure you knew." Anakin nodded.
"Can we sleep now?" Mana asked sleepily. Her eyes were already fluttering shut.
"Of course." Anakin murmured and pulled Mana closer. And on her other side Padmé curled up and threw her arm around Mana. And then within minutes the three of them were asleep.