Blood Rage

4. Small stitches

An uncomfortable feeling wrapped the chameleon when he eyed some preserving jars in Doc's shelves.
Meanwhile, they had returned to town and Rango was waiting for the result of the doctor.
At this moment, Doc pushed aside a curtain of a little room and walked over to the sheriff.
"Fascinating, aren't they, Sheriff?"
He looked at the glasses with some organs inside.
Rango swallowed. "Oh, yes, very interesting.
"Indeed," Doc agreed. "Some souvenirs from Mr. Black. We are colleagues in a sort somehow."
Rango forced a chuckling. "Aha, I understand... well... what's your result, Doc?"
"Oh, well then, I searched the corpse, but I found no wounds, but some things are strange."
"What's strange?"
Doc waved him over. "Come with me. I will show you something."
They went behind the curtain where the rodent lay on a table. The rabbit took the arm of the dead body and showed under the fur.
Rango narrowed his eyes. The skin was a little swollen and blue.
"That's very unusual," Doc said. "I know such kind of pictures after an injection. But very clean. Do you see it? A very specific stitch in the vein."
Rango pulled his collar. "Okay, yes, very interesting, Doc. What about the needle what we found? Could it be what it caused here?"
Doc went to another little table and held the little arrow in his paws.
"Well, I've never seen such kind of weapon, but I guess that it was coated with something. And the injection stitch was different. No, it had to be another sharp thing. And by the way..."
He bent more over to the sheriff. "As far as I can judge, somebody had tied his hands and he seemed to still alive while he died slowly."
Suddenly the door was opened. The two men turned around and a little owl stood in the room.
"Ambrose?" Rango asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"I heard about a corpse," Ambrose explained. "And after some people described him, I had an assumption."
They looked at the dead rodent.
"Do you know this man?" Rango asked.
Ambrose came closer and eyed it.
"Fingersmith Joo," the owl answered sadly.
"Uh," Rango knitted his brow. "Was he a criminal?"
"Not really," the owl said. "Well, we knew each other after we were caught at card-sharping in Timberly Town."
Rango put his hands on his hips. "Well, well. Such kind of friends do you have?"
"Long time ago, Sheriff," Ambrose said quickly. "His head money wasn't high."
Thoughtfully, they looked at the corpse.
"Mm, pitiful," Rango said finally. "Maybe he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Doc, pass him to Mr. Black. I leave the work to you."
With these words he left the house.
Maybe he could close the case. Maybe it was just a disagreement between two outlaws. The only thing what caused great anxiety was why the murderer had executed him so elaborately. Why not only with a headshot? Why this ritual?
But this should cause him a headache soon again.