Rotten To The Core

"Whoa," Jenna said, making a warding gesture. "Are you all right sharing such intimate details?"

Laura shot her a fiendish smile. "After you just told me how my mom went down on you? Besides, I trust you, as a fellow Briou graduate, a friend of my mom's and my boss."

"Thank you. I don't get that too often." Jenna touched Laura's arm. "So, from curious girl to girl then -- which did you like more?"

"Do I have to choose?" Laura asked. "By now, lesbian sex is familiar. Soothing even. But I want to explore the other avenue as well."

Jenna snorted. "You are your mother's daughter, no if's, and's or but's about it."

"I'm not sure if that was meant as a compliment or an insult," Laura grumbled. She tore a bit of ham off her sandwich and dangled it in the cat's direction. The tiger-striped furball snatched it with its front claws and dashed off the table, purring loudly. She finished the rest of her meal then looked expectantly at Jenna. "What's the plan for tomorrow?"

"Pretty much the same as today. Doug and I will plan how best to tackle the Asylum and the roach thralls within while you keep helping Detective Goldbaum."

"That's a lot of trust you put on my shoulders," Laura said.

"Is there a reason why I shouldn't? So far, you've fulfilled all my expectations and then some. I expect everyone to pull their weight, no matter if they've been with the Order for one year or one hundred."

"You might want to cut Eric some slack though. How far along in his training is he?"

"I really can't say. There are moments where he acts like a vet. But most of the time, he shows a dire lack of initiative or battlefield awareness. It's infuriating."

"You are aware he's possessed by an old Voodoo priestess?"

"Of course. I hoped Mama Louise would have more of an influence on his whole character." Jenna sighed. "If I had known I would be training a rookie, I would have chosen someone else."

Maria entered the kitchen, a teapot in one hand and her tablet computer under one arm. "Oh, are we gossiping?" She placed the teapot onto a counter and fired up the electric kettle.

"Not really," Jenna said. "Just so you know, you'll be working with Laura unless told otherwise."

Maria stepped behind Laura and hugged her from behind, breathing a kiss onto her cheek. "I'm all yours," she purred.

Laura swatted her away. "Did you hear anything from your friends in Austria yet?" she asked.

Maria shook her head. "Sadly, no. Your case seems to be a rather unique one. Those in the know about unusual latent abilities are gathering their sources. Give it a few days. Or weeks. Most of my pen pals are pretty busy, working for the British Mages' Association on the side or pulling extra duty as Akademie teachers."

Laura checked her watch. "Okay then. I'm having an appointment with lovely Detective Goldbaum tomorrow morning. That's one date I don't want to miss."

"Aww. And here I was hoping you'd tell me about your trip to the succubus brothel," Maria said.

"Not today." Laura breezed past Maria, caressing down her back and stopping just above her firm butt cheek. "You'll have to read my report like everybody else. Gute Nacht!"

* * * *

At 7:30 AM the next day, Laura's alarm clock app fired up. She turned around in bed and grabbed the phone, snoozing it. There was one new mail titled "Orion" from Vicky, sent in the wee hours of the morning. It contained a ton of photos, showing her dark elven friend in super-tight short shorts and a minuscule silvery top prancing around on a dancefloor, surrounded by mostly Shadows and a few humans. A few pics down, she was dancing very closely with a big-breasted dwarven lady and a towering orc whose jeans threatened to explode any moment. She scrolled down. The next few pictures showed all three in Vicky's luxurious bed in a wild, sweaty tangle. Laura's heart beat faster, all the way up into her throat. She wasn't quite sure if she was horny or jealous.

Someone knocked at her door.

"It's open," she said, sending the phone to stand-by. "And I'm awake already."

"Good", Eric said, coming into the room. He wore a pair of boxer shorts adorned with colorful skulls and flowers. "Mornin'."

"Just the man I needed to see," Laura purred, swinging her covers wide. "Hop in."

Eric stopped, his eyes roaming over her panty-clad figure. "I'm flattered... but no." He wrung his hands. "That's what I'm here for, actually."

"Huh?" Laura swung her legs out of bed and looked at him in confusion.

"Yeah... you know, I've barely slept last night." He yawned. "Mama Louise and I had kind of an argument about you. She was more than happy that I've finally found someone able to look past my face and all... but I-" his voice faltered. "Could you put on a shirt or something? You're not helping right now."

Laura allowed her gaze to roam his body. Despite his effort to be all mature and not act like a horndog, his body betrayed him. Eric's boxers tented impressively.

"How about you stop behaving like a rueful sinner and sit down next to me? I won't bite," Laura said, fetching a sports bra from a wardrobe. "Or force myself on you. I have manners."

Somewhat covered, she sat down on the bed again, patting the mattress.

Sighing, Eric joined her, an arm's length between them. "I don't think I can do this 'casual sex' thing you Briou guys are so much into," he said.

"Your boxers say otherwise," Laura observed gleefully. "And I wouldn't mind one bit if you got rid of them and..."

"And that's exactly why I can't do it," Eric said vehemently. "I hardly know you -- which isn't the main issue, I've had one-night-stands before -- but this offer makes things hella awkward between us already!"

"You know what's awkward?" Laura asked, exasperated. She grabbed her phone and pulled up Vicky's email. "This." She tossed the phone onto the mattress between them, showing an image with Vicky on her back, legs wrapped around the orc's head and the dwarf woman's curvy butt on her face.

A little smug grin flickered across Eric's lips. "Jealous? After what we did yesterday?"

"I... I don't really know. In the end it's what we promised each other -- having sex and telling each other about it."

"So, did you...?" Gone was the grin, replaced by a mortified look.

Laura shook her head. "No. I was much too pooped out to send long mails or texts. And now I wake up and find this in my inbox."

Eric looked around the bed. He found Laura's dildo on the nightstand and grabbed it, pressing it into her hand. "Unless you know the difference between this and me, we don't have anything to talk about," he said. "See you later." He left her room, pulling the door shut as he went.

Ouch, Laura thought. Am I that horrible?

She let one hand slide between her thighs. Her fingers encountered sensitive flesh and a surprising amount of wetness. Silently cursing Eric, she pulled down her panties and put the orange-and-green pleasure giver to work. Vicky's pictures helped her reach a quick and messy orgasm and for the first time since she had discovered sex, Laura had a guilty conscience. She vowed to apologize to Eric once an opportunity presented itself.

A long, cold shower later, she jogged onto the back porch. Doug and Maria were having breakfast. Laura breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Hey," she said, plopping down onto a chair. "Have you seen Eric?"

"Yup," Doug said. "You just missed him. He went into the basement, said he wanted to punch something."

"Did you fight?" Maria asked, concern in her cat-like eyes.

Laura bit her lip. She usually preferred not to air her dirty laundry. "Let's say we had a difference of opinion in regards to washing each other's back. He thinks I'm treating him like a dildo, which is absolutely not the case! I wouldn't let him anywhere near me if I didn't like him!" Before she could stop herself, the words had already taken flight, a hasty, breathless swarm of complaints.

Maria and Doug exchanged looks. The paladin cleared his throat. "Not everyone can separate love and the pleasures of the flesh. There might come a time when you are in the same spot as Eric is now, where you don't want to share yourself with others besides your main squeeze."

"I think our cleric has a thousand other things on his plate besides fooling around with cute monster hunters," Maria added. "Let things cool down between the two of you and focus on working as a team first. Everything else might come naturally."

Laura sighed. "I didn't want to make things needlessly awkward between us but, seeing how things are, I will need another partner to accompany me to the GPD." She filled a coffee mug. "More importantly, I need a chauffeur."

"No problem," Maria said. "I'd be delighted to shuttle you around."

"And I will tell Eric that he should tag along with Jenna and me." Doug added.

"Won't he see through it? I mean, even if you cite his healing powers-"

Doug laughed, the happy rumble churning Laura's stomach. "If we're really going to strike the Asylum, we'll need every Cure spell we can get. And Flame Strikes. And Blade Barriers."

"You're doing it today?"

"Probably not. First we need to make sure to plug any escape routes the thralls may have dug then there's trying to figure out the layout..."

"For which I've already provided blueprints," Maria said. "Did you look at them at all?"

"They are almost fifty years old," Doug said. "The real layout may look totally different, with who knows how many generations of hobos altering the place. Thanks still." The half-orc stood up and clapped Maria's shoulder as he went. "I'm gonna look after the kid."

Laura checked her watch. "Once I'm done with my pancakes, we should be off too. I don't want to keep the detective waiting."

* * * *

Kelly Goldbaum looked like she hadn't slept well. Dark shadows framed her eyes and strands of hair had escaped her ponytail. The smell of coffee and old files saturated the air in her office. Half a dozen folders cluttered her desk.

"Good morning," Laura said, closing the door behind Maria.

"Good? What's supposed to be good about this morning?" Goldbaum grumbled. "Not only do I have three corpses to deal with but now an almost forty year old cold case just hopped onto my desk and demands my attention." She sighed. "The worst of it? I don't even have a suspect!"

"Where's your partner?" Laura asked.

"Lee stayed in Vermont, helping our colleagues in Brattleboro deal with the investigation into Sullivan's suicide." Goldbaum stacked her folders and cleared some space on the desk. "We have other problems though. One of the pieces of evidence is a video tape but none I've ever seen before." She pointed at a stocky black cartridge with only one visible tape spool. "It's no VHS. Won't fit in our old VCR." She indicated a dusty TV/DVD/VHS combo unit parked on the office's second desk.

Maria inspected the cartridge. "It's a Betamax tape."

"Never seen one before." She paused. "Who are you again?"

"Maria Lechner, Order of Martinius Quartermaster. We met two weeks ago when you registered my Glock." Maria patted her hip. "You probably remember my companion -- the broad-shouldered 'biker dude?'"

Goldbaum looked up. "Yeah, he's a hard one to forget. Wait. Why are you wearing Warcraft cosplay ears?"

"I assure you, these are real." Maria brushed locks of hair behind her right ear. "Congratulations. It seems you can actually see now." She pulled her phone from her jacket and manipulated the screen. "Here's a picture of Doug. See anything different?"

Kelly looked at the picture, her face full of disbelief. "You are absolutely shitting me. He looked like this the whole time?"

Maria nodded. "People are very good at denying what they can't understand. Despite Doug and me touching you when we shook hands, you still refused to see the lovely green shade of his skin, his tusks -- or my ears."

"So... you are not human?" Detective Goldbaum chewed on every word as if it might explode in her mouth.

"If we want to be anal about it, I am at least fifty percent human. I'm what is generally known as a half-elf. My mother is an elf, my father a human."

"First giant cockroaches, then a so-called life leech, now I'm chatting with a D&D character. Just fucking great," Goldbaum moaned. "Did I miss something? Since when are you people living here?"

"Earth has always been a mystical place," Maria said. "How do you think the legends of dragons, giants and mages like Merlin came to be in the first place? During the fourth century AD, when the Roman Empire was on its way out, some nobles summoned an entity known as Zakharius, a fallen angel. His reign and subsequent banishment changed the world forever, tearing holes in the Barrier between worlds. Now people and... things can move to and from Earth more easily."

Kelly made a warding gesture. "Stop, stop, stop. That's waaay too much info. Is it pertinent to the case?"

"Considering it is the foundation of the world you and I live in, I'd say 'yes,'" Maria said. "And before you ask: People like me are called 'Shadows' for a reason -- our true nature is invisible to most humans."

I should probably stop her, Laura thought. Otherwise we'll be here all day listening to a thorough lecture on mana fluctuation, portals and the post-travel memory loss symptoms most Shadows experience after arriving on Earth.

She placed a hand on Maria's arm. "Betamax tape?" she supplied, flashing her teammate a friendly smile.

"Oh yeah, that." Maria frowned. "I think I saw some mothballed VCRs over in the Examiner's basement archives yesterday. I do have a spell to read electronic media though."

"Spell?" Kelly asked. "You're a... wizard?"

"Sorceress," Maria corrected. "No need to deal with pesky spellbooks. I just-"

Laura cleared her throat. "Not now," she whispered. "Besides, if you 'read' the tape, only you know what's on it, right?"

"True." Maria's face fell. "I'd have to tell you all about it and won't be of any use in court."

Detective Goldbaum had already picked up the phone. "Hey George, it's Kelly. Say, do you have a Betamax player? A working one preferably." She listened. "Cool. Could you send it over ASAP? Thank you very much. I owe you one." Another pause. "No, sorry. My schedule is kinda packed right now. Kay. Bye." She replaced the handset and looked at Maria with newfound appreciation. "You were right. There are a couple stashed away in the Examiner's basement. My friend has no clue if they still work though."

"That's not a problem. I'm pretty good with tech," Maria said.

"Do you have a spell for that too?" Goldbaum asked, trying not to sound sarcastic. She failed miserably.

Maria raised her hand to her face, thumb and pinky spread away in a telephone handset gesture. With her other hand, she pointed at Goldbaum. A moment later, the detective's cell phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket and looked at the display. "That's... impossible," she muttered.

"Come on, take the call," Maria urged her.

Goldbaum tapped the screen and raised the phone to her ear. "Yes?"

"Hello to you too," Maria purred. Her voice came clearly over the tiny speaker in Goldbaum's phone.

"Stop showing off already," Laura said. "Give the poor detective some time to digest all the new info."

"Aww, just as I was having fun," Maria complained. She lowered her hand and shook it out. The connection died.

"I... I can't even think about the ramifications of what you just showed me," Detective Goldbaum said, her voice picking up steam as she went on. "I mean -- you are not paying for use of the telecom infrastructure and what about hijacking other people's cell phones?"

"It's completely legal," Maria began. "I have signed a contract with the AMA-"

"What?!" Goldbaum interrupted her.

"- American Magic-User's Association -- which allows me to use spells on US soil. I am licensed to use my magic for non-violent and legal endeavors, also in self-defense."

"My head hurts," Goldbaum complained.

Laura squeezed Maria's butt, causing the sorceress to squeal in surprise. "I see you're having way too much fun teasing Detective Goldbaum. How about we stop fooling around and see what we can do about the other pieces of evidence. You said something about a confession letter?" she asked Goldbaum.

The detective breathed a huge sigh of relief as they returned to familiar ground. "Yes. Have a look." She handed two folders to Laura and Maria. "That's a whole lotta guilt right there."

Laura looked at the copied page. It was filled with neat handwriting and the residue of fingerprinting powder. The letter read:

I knew this day would come. Despite the pact Waylan, Stephen and I made all those years ago, I have to tell someone so I can face God with a clear conscience. We didn't want Donna to die. We completely lost our minds and when I went back to look for her, there was nothing left but bones! And then I found my video camera sitting on the shelf where I left it that fateful night and it had captured everything. I wanted to go to the police and let them know but the others demanded I keep quiet because all of us would have gone to jail for what happened to the girl. When I heard that Stephen had died in horrific fashion, I knew what would happen. Old Erika Goldbaum had prophesied that a vengeful spirit would come and demand justice for what we have done.

Laura looked up. "Your Grandmother is involved too?"

Goldbaum sighed. "She earns a bit of cash on the side telling fortunes. Never imagined she'd nail one."

"Seems like a pretty accurate prediction, all things considered," Maria said. "Since the succubi are no longer in the picture, it only leaves some form of undead as the culprit."

"Undead," the detective growled. "What, like Romero's zombies?"

"Right family of monsters, wrong species," Maria said. "Zombies are mindless automatons. We're looking at something far more advanced, possessed of its own will and probably a host of nasty special powers, of which Life Drain is but one."

"Days like these make me question my choice of profession. Becoming an attorney doesn't sound so bad all of a sudden," Goldbaum moaned.

Laura resumed reading the letter.

While the others have always been solitary, I found a little happiness in my family. I don't know what Donna's vengeful spirit will do but if my death can divert her wrath away from my wife, kids and grandkids, so be it. The videotape you will find nearby will tell you the whole story. I am sorry. Instead of saving our own hides, we should have untied Donna. May God have mercy on my soul.

The letter was signed "Jacob Sullivan."

"Do we know who this 'Donna' Mr. Sullivan keeps referring to is?" Laura asked.

Goldbaum nudged one of the folders Laura's way. "After some digging in the archives, I know." She gnashed her teeth. "Donna Wilson. Went 'missing' in 1983. Somehow, the case never went beyond a casual questioning of the three guys she was always seen with. My gut tells me a lot of money changed hands to keep everything hush-hush."

"That seems to be an awfully common occurrence here," Laura observed. "You mentioned Waylan making his hooker issues go away by throwing money at the police."

"Like father like son," Goldbaum growled, refilling her coffee mug.

"Do you mind?" Laura asked, taking the folder labeled 'Donna Wilson.'

"Not at all. I asked the captain if I could bring in the Order as consultants. As far as he's concerned, we're in this together now." She exhaled slowly. "You'll have to be patient with me though. I don't think I'll ever fully accept this supernatural bullshit."

"As long as you acknowledge its existence, you should be fine," Maria said, peeking over Laura's shoulder. "Anything interesting about this Donna girl?" She whistled through her teeth. "Quite the looker."