Shallows Creek: Requiem Of The Guilty

The Dead Can't Speak

Lockheart makes his way to the center of the study to inspect the body once more. He kneels down towards the body and reaches into his coat as he rummages through his pockets he produces a set of dark leather gloves which are quite worn out due to heavy use. Now after putting his gloves on he proceeds to check the rigidity of the body. Running his hand down the legs of the victim he can feel the muscles have completely stiffened so time of death was around midnight to early morning.

Lockheart now having a time frame for time of death begins to further examine the body checking the arms for defensive wounds or other markings. As he makes his way up further the neck wound is now in view it doesn't take a doctor to figure out the cause of this grizzly death, the wound was deep but thin grabbing the head and tilting it back was a chore do to with how stiff the body was. Lockheart can see clearly see two slices one was almost superficial barely nicking an artery, the other was quite different the slice was so deep it severed muscle and was deep enough that he could see bone this was the wound that killed him of that Lockheart was certain. Cases like these bothered Lockheart it wasn't the murders themselves that bothered him but the superstitious beliefs of these people which breed ignorance and violence that revolves around them.

Lockheart takes a breath and then continues searching the room. The walls of the studies color matched the rooms before it a rusty red painted the walls, moving along the wall Lockheart muttered to himself.

This awful color it will be impossible to find blood splatter. He stops at the hearth the coals cold now, above the hearth a portrait hung there. The portrait was of good quality the colors still vibrant it depicted The victim standing, an older women around his age siting in the chair of the study and the maid standing in front of Ronald his hand on her shoulder. It would be a lovely portrait if not for the writing in the blood along the bottom. Lockheart now staring at the morbid message REUS.

Ohlmes on the other side of the study managed to procure the documents Lockheart requested now walking towards Lockheart he hears a crumpling sound underneath his foot. Ohlmes looks down at his feet a blood stained sketch lies under his foot, removing his foot and bending down he takes the blood stained sketch in hand. It is of a young women a silver necklace adorned with a blue gem stone hanging around her neck, Ohlmes inspecting the sketch flips it around and see's a faded signature on the back Maggie.

"Is this the Maggie the maid spoke of?" Ohlmes asks himself before heading over to Lockheart.

"Have you found anything of note?" Lockheart asks Ohlmes.

Ohlmes hands the sketch to Lockheart,

"I think the women in this sketch is Maggie, She may have been a maid here at one point." Ohlmes replying to Lockheart.

"I see this is all starting to make some sense." Lockheart says rubbing his fingers on his clean shaven chin.

"Sir how does this help?" Ohlmes asks quite befuddled by this statement.

"Ohlmes!" Lockheart speaking quite sharply now giving Ohlmes a start."

"Do you see the message in portrait it was written in the victims own blood." Ohlmes staring at the portrait and the message REUS clearly visible in the painting.

"Is the word some sorta code or an anagram?"

"You are quite sharp Ohlmes but no I believe this is Latin." Lockheart staring intently at the painting.

"Latin but that language is hardly used why use it to convey a message." Ohlmes now starting to wonder if Lockheart is correct.

"In my studies of the occult Latin is used in many rituals, medicine and even in scriptures of the church, if our killer wished to spit in the eye of the church this could be his way of doing it." Lockheart stating to Ohlmes.

"I see can you translate it?"

"I think so this may be a rough translation but I believe it is the word for Guilty." Lockheart replying to Ohlmes.

"If that's the case this must be a revenge slaying?"

"Yes Ohlmes I do believe that to be so we should search through the documents and ask the butler to find this Maggie if she is alive or dead this may be part of the motive."

"As the two begin to search the documents an exchange of words can be heard from the door to the study."

"Please sir you can't enter the crime scene." The first voice is Inspector Young.

"This man is the third of my flock to be slain and I will have answers!" the second voice yelled back.

The door swings open and standing in the door way is a middle aged man dressed in white robes.