The Crime Scene
You felt bile rise to your throat. It had been three months since your last case with the gang. You actually forgot what a dead body looked like, smelled like. Pushing it down, you moved to take a closer look.
The woman’s head had been decapitated. The red stains were now a part of the white tile.
“When did this happen?” Velma asked. She too moved closer. Shaggy and Scooby had to leave the room. They still couldn’t handle bodies. Thad moved to the other side of the room and Logan stood where he was, right behind you, staring meticulously.
“Happened about twenty minutes before you arrived. I came to the place to open it up for you folks and found here like this. She’s been missing for two days, but she is originally from Shreveport, which is up North. No idea how she came to be here in New Orleans.” Jeremiah said.
“The body looks like it was dragged in here.” Fred noted, indicating the blood trail. Over the years, Fred has gotten great at small details. “Look over here, Fred!” Daphne exclaimed. There was a tiny piece of red on the floor. “It looks like a ruby.” Daphne has also improved with analyzing crime scenes.
“Nice work, Daph” you said, “It must have fallen off something, but what? A necklace? Some sort of jewelry?”
Daphne took a closer look before putting into a crime scene bag. “I’d say a necklace. It’s too small to be a ring, plus look at her neck.” The bloody neck was not a good sight to look at, but you saw something.
“Bruises?” you asked. Fred took a closer look. “Yep. It looks like something was around her neck, tight.” He said.
Velma took out her phone and it lit up with the Stark logo. The crime scene was digitally imprinted through her phone and it would be sent to her computer later, where we could analyze the scene even further, before it gets contaminated. Velma has always been amazing at everything she does (it’s quite vexing!).
You saw a shadow in the corner of your eye. You looked up and saw Logan staring down at you. His green eyes piercing your own before moving to the woman. Thad comes over as well, asking, “Why would he drag her body here? He must have known that we would be here. Have the murders been in the news?”
Velma quickly checked her phone, “Yes, it’s even reached out of state. They’re comparing the murders to Barbe De Bleu or Bluebeard.” The “Bluebeard” tale of the husband killing his wives, decapitating them, and storing their bodies within a locked closet. He takes a new wife and offers her a key to the closet, but warns her not to go in. When she does, he attempts to kill her.
You thought back to when you first heard the story...when he told you. You knew that he loved the horror and dread that filled you. He loved to see you squirm. Part of you wonders if he did this…but no, it’s impossible. Shaking yourself out of your thoughts, you glance around the room.
“Okay,” you say cracking your fingers, “Is everyone done here? Want to get any last looks?” You glance around again. The gang nodded, preparing for what was about to happen. Thad and Logan looked at you, Logan raising his eyebrow in a confused--and incredibly sexy--manner.
“What will you do Ms. y/n?” asked Thad. You smiled, your eyes glowing “Oh, you’ll see.”
You scanned the room and the objects began to move. Time was moving--backward. The knocked over jars and table flipped over to its original place. The knives and utensils were placed back into a drawer. Then, surprisingly, the woman began to move. Her head was picked up, the blood back into her body, and she moved out the door. It closed slowly. Then like clockwork the door was shoved open.
A black figure with no face came through the door, they were dragging the dead body leaving a trail of blood. They got frustrated and knocked the table over, jars falling. They threw her body violently on the floor and then opened a drawer, looking for something. They gave up and had something in their hand--an axe. In a clean blow, they decapitated her head. The ruby fell off from her neck. They took something from the floor and left out the door.
Suddenly the scene was the same as when we came in. You knew Thad and Logan were taken back. “Was that magic?” Thad asked, excitedly glancing at Logan.
You nodded my head. “Some call it magic, others call it witchcraft. It's neither. I was in an accident and I can now manipulate the air around me. I can see imprints in the molecules. These imprints are time. I essentially can manipulate time.” you finished with a casual shrug, feeling your energy drain a bit.
Thad looked impressed. He began talking about things he noticed during my scene. You left the room to sit down in the main room, wanting to leave because each time you used your power it took a lot of energy out of you. Also, Logan’s deafening silence about the whole situation had you uncomfortable.
You sat up straight. “So, freaky enough for you?” You asked, trying to add humor to displace your insecurity.
He smiled like a full, charming smile and you swooned. “I love freaky, darling.” You blushed slightly and looked away. “Why are you an English Professor if you have this amazing power?” he asks sincerely.
“Well, I love English and teaching. I knew I wanted to get my Bachelor’s degree and English landed into my lap. I love literature, specifically gothic literature. It’s like a dream come true.” You don’t mention what happened three months ago. The scar from that is too fresh.
“What’s your story?” you asked. “How long have you worked for the NYPD?”
“A while. Thad and I normally work on the high stake cases, such as this.” You nodded, then noticed his watch, which was a Stark Industry watch.
You nodded at him, “Have you worked for Tony before?”
He looked visibly uncomfortable and angry? “Mhm. We have done a few cases with him. But we try to avoid him.”
You laughed, “Tony can be a pain in the ass, that’s for sure.”
“Tony? Do you know him? Personally?” he asked. Did you sense jealousy? The idea made you smirk.
“You could say that. Velma works with Stark all the time. They send each other nerdy emails and messages. We met at a party and quickly became friends, because we enjoy hassling Fred.” You remembered when Fred tried to trap Tony. He tried to trap Iron Man. You shook your head at the thought. “I stop by the tower all the time. I’d love to meet the other Avengers, but they’re never at the parties.”
You swore that Logan almost rolled his eyes. “By the way…” you continued, “What’s with Thad’s Hammer? Seems random.” The hammer was left sitting by the door.
Logan smirked, “He uses it for...uh...inspiration.”
“Uh, huh. He must like Thor then. It looks just like his hammer, but obviously fake. I swear I see glue on the side of the hammer.” At the mention of Thor’s name, Logan seemed to visibly tense up. The name Thor brings up another name...Loki. You try not to think back to that time or that name. It’s a nightmare for you.
Logan was about to answer when Shags and Scooby entered the room. “What’s up? Are you guys hungry? Scoobs and I went out back to make some snacks.” Their “snacks” included berries from the bushes, turkey, potatoes, and mustard all encased within bread. Their infamous snacks were known to be deadly. Despite their thriving culinary career, their hungry still drove them to eat anything--literally anything.
Logan eyed the snacks suspiciously before declining, “Thank you gentlemen, but I’m full at the moment. Y/n might enjoy some though. She just said how starving she was.” He smirked at you and you narrowed your eyes at him. Bastard.
Scoobs walked over and gave you his puppy dog eyes--literally. “You want some snwacks?” He said, wagging his tail. Nodding you ate a piece before gagging, then smiled and swallowed it.
Logan laughed the whole time under his breath. You’re going to kill him. You just met him, but you’re going to kill him.
Suddenly, something hard hit your tooth. Wincing in pain, you reached inside your mouth and pulled out a ruby. “Guys,” you say, “Where did you find these berries?”