Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Josefine was woken the next morning by the FBI knocking on her door bright and early. She opened the door and visibly deflated at the sight of them.
"Schultz," she addressed her old partner with an even tone, "I'd say it's a pleasure but I'd be lying."
"Relax, I brought coffee," Schultz held out a paper cup and Josefine took it almost on reflex, "the Bureau would like to hire your services for a case."
"Better be some damn good coffee then," she muttered as she took a sip from the cup.
"Look, I don't want to be here either, but the case is your kind of weird," Schultz coaxed and her interest was piqued.
"Alright, call me curious," she took another long drink of her coffee and then gestured into the apartment, "let me go put some real clothes on and I'll follow you down to the crime scene."
#
Josefine got off of her motorcycle while Schultz and the other agents who'd come to get her got out of their car ahead of her. She smoothed out the lines of her woolen green overcoat, waiting for Schultz before approaching the cordoned-off crime scene. Police and FBI agents milled about in the plaza in front of city hall discussing in muted voices how what they were looking at was possible. They were looking at the body of one Peter Lukas, which wasn't all that unusual, except that it was frozen solid through in the middle of the hottest time of year.
"Name was Peter Lukas," Schultz took the notepad from one of the officers as Josefine approached the body, "witnesses say last anyone saw him he was working late last night in city hall. The morning shift found him when they were coming into work." Peter Lukas was dressed the part of a city official, Josefine supposed, examining his frosted three-piece suit. Something shiny caught her gaze in the lapel of his jacket, a familiar double "O" pin to tie him to the Oracles of the Obscure.
"May I?" She gestured toward the body and Schultz waved her on so she reached out to check the frosted pockets of Lukas's jacket. In one of his pockets was a piece of paper so she slipped it out between two fingers and unfolded it. There was an address scrawled on it and something dropped in the pit of her stomach when she recognized it. She discreetly tucked the paper into her pocket; this magic she felt coming off the body felt off from anything human; Emil didn't need to be dragged into this case just because the vic was a patron of Raven's Roost. Then she returned to checking the other pockets but all she found was a wallet frozen into an inside pocket so she moved on to check the watch on his wrist. The ice had gotten into the gears; it was stopped at 11:15 so Josefine knew the time of death at least even if she couldn't explain the cause. She straightened up and turned back to Schultz, "Any suspects so far?" It was early in the case, they probably hadn't come up with a list of suspects yet.
"Just one," Schultz answered to her mild surprise and checked his notes, "One Emilius Solomon, he claims to be some kind of wizard." Josefine bit her tongue to resist correcting him. He smiled wide like he was taking some personal satisfaction from all this, "He's a friend of yours, isn't that so?"
#
Emil had just opened his shop an hour or so ago when he heard the familiar sound of a motorcycle pulling up outside. He placed another book between the pages of his book and set them aside just as Josefine came inside looking rather grim and followed closely by four rather serious-looking men in black suits.
"Good morning, Josie," Emil began hesitantly, eyeing the men with wariness, "this is about work, isn't it?" Josefine smiled grimly and nodded slightly as he stood from his chair.
"'Josie', eh? Maybe you weren't just friends," the lead agent of the trio pushed past her to take the center of Emil's attention and Emil hardened at his words, static crackling across his scarred knuckles as he flexed his fingers behind the counter. Then he caught Josefine's pointed look over the agent's shoulder and shifted that hand behind his back. "I'm Agent Schultz," Schultz flashed his badge, "we're here in regards to the death of Peter Lukas," he took a sketch of the victim out of his notepad and placed it on the counter between them, "Have you seen him before?"
Emil looked down at the sketch and shrugged. "I don't know him from anyone else, he may have come in at some point or maybe not," he slid the paper back toward Schultz.
"Where were you last night between 10 pm and midnight?" He blinked in surprise at the accusatory tone behind the question, shrinking back slightly even as he didn't want to falter in front of someone like Schultz. Then his brow furrowed and he forced himself to straighten up again.
"I was here with Holmes," he gestured toward the white raven perched on one of the shelves overlooking the shop, "after turning over that runaway cop from last night," there was more than a little bite to Emil's answer before he looked past Schultz toward Josefine. "What is all this about, really?" Josefine pushed forward so that she was shoulder-to-shoulder with Schultz.
"Lukas was killed with magic—"
"That's not what the Bureau believes—" Schultz began to argue but Josefine cut him off.
"He was frozen solid mid-stride in the middle of the hottest time of year."
"Oh, I see," Emil's gaze narrowed into a glare at Schultz and the other agents, "you couldn't explain how he died so you blame the local sorcerer." Electricity crackled across his hand again, "Come back when you have evidence," he came around the desk to herd them out the door and slam it behind them. Then he turned back to Josefine, "You sensed magic?" She nodded slightly.
"I don't think it was human, it felt…" she cocked her head to one side thinking over the right word to describe what she'd felt, "off."
"Something supernatural? That bodes well," Emil paused, debating over his network of supernatural patrons and, "Manhattan," he looked up, "have you heard from Ms. Manhattan?" Josefine's brow furrowed.
"Not recently, why would I need to speak with Anna?"
"She's got a finger on the pulse of all things supernatural here in Otsha, if you want to know how this Lukas fella died, she's the one to ask."
She seemed to think it over for a moment before nodding slowly. "Suppose I know where I'm going next," she started to leave, but something made her stop and turn back, her hand lingering on the handle of the door, "I suggest you keep your head down until this blows over, I know you're not the only one in Otsha with magic, but the Bureau is operating off the assumption you are." Emil nodded his understanding.
"Stay safe, Josie."
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