Free The Light Who Shines by Lilo Abernathy

finishes this with a nod like it is all
decided now.
    She turns back to the stove and handles the long wooden
spoon like a master while I hop down to rummage through her cabinets. I locate
a large, green glass bowl, fill it with cold water, and set it on the brick floor.
Varg starts lapping the water up with a terrific thirst but stops as soon as
Alexis puts down another huge glass bowl filled with rice, ground beef, and
garlic.
    “Wow! Just wow!” I say as we watch him move over to that
bowl and devour it like it’s nothing.
    Alexis crosses her arms and says, “Yeah. He’d better stay
with me today. I’ll get him in shape.”
    I give Alexis a big smile. “Thanks so much. I’ve got a new
case, so I’ll be running around all day. I’m so glad he doesn’t have to wait
for the end of the day to get fixed up.”
    “Of course he shouldn’t wait with that injury. Now, don’t
worry about him. I’ll see you when you get off work. If the shop is closed, you
know where to find me.”
    Then she wets a paper towel and leans over me to dab at my neck.
“There, you’re all clean now.”
    I hug her and affect a serious tone. “Now I owe you one. If
anyone ever murders you, remember, I’m the one you should call.”
    Alexis laughs and pushes me toward the swinging door. “Go, get,
scoot!”
    I start to leave with a smile on my lips. Then I remember
something, so I spin around. “Hey Alexis, I have one more question. If you
wanted to learn more about a certain magical artifact, where would you go?”
    “Easy. The Dragomir Magical Artifact Shop. Make sure you
speak with the owner.”
    “Thanks again!” I shout, running out the door on my way to
the Medical Examiner’s office.

Chapter
07
Evidence of Anguish
    Bluebell Kildare: May 27, 2022, Red Ages
    I think to myself how ugly the new Medical Examiner’s
building is as I eat up the sidewalk on the way in. It rises out of the
mountainside as a cement and steel square oddity in disaccord with the rustic
countryside. Hopefully it was gentle on the taxpayers’ pocketbooks because it
certainly isn’t an asset to our architecture.
    By now the rain has stopped, and a steady, cooling breeze
blows my straight brown hair across my face. I tuck it behind my ear as I enter
the building.
    Inside, the receptionist accepts my ID and gives her
reluctant assent for me to proceed to the autopsy room. I gather by the way her
mouth sours upon sight of me that she doesn’t care for my kind. I don’t care
for her kind either—the breedist kind.
    Pushing past the steel door, I enter the heart of the
operation. Dr. Nathan Perlman, with a two-day shadow on his chin and a
clipboard in his hand, is standing over a body. He looks up, and I see his affable
smile is a bit forced today. He looks tired and worn but tries to put up a cheerful
front. “Good morning, Bluebell. I was expecting you.”
    He covers the body on his table with a white sheet and
pushes it through a cooler door while whistling. I think the whistling is for
his benefit more than mine. He pulls out another table and maneuvers it toward
the examining area. “This is our boy.”
    “Well, I’m afraid to ask what you’ve found.”
    Nathan nods solemnly. “The only good thing about telling you
what I’m about to is that I know you’re going to find the person who did this.
That thought has been my saving grace today.”
    I say softly and firmly, meaning it from the bottom of my
soul, “I promise, Nathan. I will do my very best.”
    Nathan nods and pulls back the sheet. He picks up another
clipboard and starts his report. “This is a summary of my preliminary findings.
The cause of death appears to be due to blunt force head trauma caused by a
vehicular collision.” Nathan points to an area on the front of the boy’s skull.
“The frontal bone was crushed on impact, causing fracture contusions on his
brain, massive hemorrhage, and immediate death. Fragments of glass were found
in the wound area.”
    Nathan points to the