Cursed Blood | ON HOLD

8. Corpse on the Loose

"We lost the body." Worry filled the coroner's nasal voice.

Seraphina's brows shot up and her father grunted his displeasure as he shifted his crossed arms. Down the rows of the morgue chambers, one fridge was missing a door.

"How did this happen? You mean someone stole it during the night?" Seraphina asked.

"There was no sign of a break in." The elderly woman eyed the chambers. "He was in here." She directed them to the fridge without a door.

"Why wasn't he sealed?" Father questioned.

The woman gulped. "He was. I came in here this morning and found the dented door flung across the room. It's almost like he broke his way out."

Seraphina peeked down into the slot where the deceased once laid. Small dents filled the inside, but she detected no traces of black magic. If someone resurrected his body, she would have smelled it or noticed remnants of necromancy magic, and she did not. It was possible had Mr. Snowberry encountered something like a devil or an otherworldly spirit that possessed him.

"You're sure nobody sneaked in here last night?" Seraphina waved her wand over the slot, noticing faint embers glow from ectoplasmic residue. Maybe it was a wicked spirit, after all.

"I mean, it's possible." The coroner rocked on her feet. "If so, they must've been as silent as the dead."

"Did you work alone last night?" Orick asked.

"No, we always work in pairs. Donny worked with me last night," she replied. "He wasn't scheduled today but I can provide his home address."

"That would be very helpful. Thank you."

After the woman jotted down his information for them, Seraphina tried to wrap her head around who would do such a reprehensible thing. Steal a body? Unless nobody took him and he walked out of the morgue all on his own. How in the devil he did that was beyond her, but with how crazy things were lately, it wouldn't even surprise her.

Once outside, Seraphina pulled her wool hood tightly over her head to shield herself from the cold. Her pink curls peeked out from underneath and danced in the wind.

"Don't tell anyone about this," Father warned her. "We don't need everyone panicking yet."

"Did you notice the ectoplasm back there?" Seraphina asked, gripping her wand tightly. "What if someone's brought his body back?"

"Nonsense, dear. We would have found traces of black magic. Which we didn't." He slanted his eyes in her direction. "Most likely, this is the work of the wolf walker who killed him. They wanted to finish their meal, the disgusting beasts." He made a face of disgust.

Nerves churned in the pit of Seraphina's stomach. If she weren't careful, they'd start looking at Silas. Especially if the council learned what had happened to him.

"What should we do?" Seraphina asked.

"I'll have my greatest investigators look into it. Shouldn't you be heading to your bakery soon?" Father asked as he checked his pocket watch. "I can handle things from here. Just wanted you to witness the same thing I did here. When I heard what happened, it concerned me."

"As it should," Seraphina said, frowning. "There must be more I can do. My employees have been doing a fantastic job at running the place and they know how to get a hold of me if problems should arise."

"I'll let you know if I need you again, alright?" He waved a dismissive hand. "Go bake your cakes and pastries. You're the one who wanted to open a bakery, of all things."