Chapter 8: Something Rotten, In The District Of Attison

Main Street and Park, The Attison District, Temple City (3040).....

Rapid-paced and bright flashing lights had gotten the attention of quite a few onlookers as many a curious and nosy person gathered outside to see what became of the person who had been merely a body with a crisp white sheet tossed over it while beat cops and onlookers muttered about what could have possibly happened and why. Baddwulf had already summed up the tragedy in a matter of seconds. From the brutality of the slaying and being that it was out in the open it proved that someone was adamant about sending a message of some sort, given the trajectory from being near his office, he knew that someone had wanted very badly to send a message. The beat cops came out of the woodwork to keep things civil and from spilling into Highland mostly to make the mayor look good. They ordinarily never patrolled in Attison District and it was a dead giveaway that the crime was more important than the usual "drug deal gone bad" that they liked to spin in the press for the good people of Highland.

Baddwulf had known better.

Being the eldest son of The legendary Don Leonetti, he knew the makings of an executed hit when he saw one.

His father was a prominent member of organized crime after all.

There was a saying the old man had, about "How you can't bullshit, a bullshitter."

Baddwulf seemed to apply his father's logic to this situation as the beat cops went about making their rounds and trying their best to keep the speedily gathered and rather ferocious "press" out of this.

The way they were acting as if Attison District had meant anything to them was a real joke in it itself, Baddwulf had come to the foregone conclusion that this was definitely a nice heaping helping of bullshit, hot and ready for when the masses got to asking questions. He deduced elections were coming up and the mayor needed to make a good impression on those still foolish enough to think their votes mattered, especially in Highland District.

Try as he might, he knew there was no way to get a glimpse of the body with the press around and opted to wait for a later date to go see what his old friend Arthur Pearson down at the morgue would be doing to make the deceased look more presentable and if he found any clues as to how the poor sap had died before turning his findings over to the county boys for their botched investigation and cover jobs mucked up the works.

As he stood mulling over the possibility of all the ways The County Boys could ruin the case before it got started, Baddwulf caught the scent of something foul as he peered at the body, his face wrinkled in disgust as he took note of the scent which seemed to leave a trail behind that made him want to vomit the contents of his stomach. He stepped passed the cops and the crowd of concerned citizens and press as he continued to follow the scent of the strange thing that had apparently been the true culprit behind the murder.

It was a bold killing, one that most people, especially those doing criminal acts, avoided due to the unwanted heat and publicity that came along with it. Baddwulf took note of the lone figure draped in black from head to toe due to black slacks, black dress shoes, and a low-worn black fedora. The stench continued to waft as Baddwulf found himself giving a full-on chase after the mysterious figure that had taken off following the discovery of the body in the open street. It had been quite some time since Baddwulf had to actually put in any effort to catch anyone, as the lone figure continued to pick up speed.

Baddwulf continued his pursuit through dark alleyways and narrow street corners. He could feel the intensity of the figure's panic as it ducked and dodged oncoming traffic in a bid to escape the pursuit of the detective hot on their trail. It had been a close run as Baddwulf rounded one of the corners and found himself stopped by an oncoming truck carrying sizeable thick crates of oil.

The detective had no choice but to pull back in the wake of the truck skidding in front of him as he came to the end of an alley and lost sight of the figure before he could continue to give chase. Baddwulf growled in annoyance as his eyes glowed briefly from his rage startling the old man who had come out of the truck to give him a piece of his mind in the wake of the near-on accident his running had caused them both.

"Are you outta your...." the old man stopped mid-sentence after noting Baddwulf's glowing red eyes.

"Out of the way old man," growled Baddwulf moving passed the formerly upset driver and making his way back toward his office building.

While he had been frustrated that he lost sight of the figure in black, he concluded that the murder was "none of his business anyway" as he headed back to his office to finish working on the case that was his business and his payment of black pennies were depending upon it.

By the time Baddwulf had gotten back to the main street, the fanfare had died down and the body was gone. Only the telltale traces of blood and the lingering aspect of the scent remained giving him an uneasy feeling and the sense that this little incident was only the beginning.

Shaking his morbid thoughts from his mind, Baddwulf ventured toward the building where his office had been housed and made his way to the front entrance. Already it had been a long day with being attacked by the no named hoodlum Blacky Clay's boys, the new case, and now with the mysterious body and the chasing of the foul-smelling figure that managed to avoid capture due to a random trucker cutting him off at the pass.

Baddwulf sighed as he entered the glass door and watched it close behind him.

All he could think of as he climbed the stairs to deliver his evidence to proceed with his current cheating husband's sleaze case was that he needed a drink and he knew just where to get one once he called it a day at the office.