The Duke's Masked Wife

"It is not surprising that out of all towns, Lockwood would have a psycho going around kidnapping and killing young women with no clear reason behind his attacks. I'm sad for the families but happy my new home is just outside of town," said Dominic.

There was always something going on in Lockwood and he was genuinely surprised Edgar had not moved yet. Edgar could always move to a nearby town and visit Lockwood when he needed to help Tobias. Dominic wouldn't be shocked if Edgar would one day pack up most of his things and send his wife out of town to keep her away from the dangers here.

Edgar looked around at the busy street as they walked to their destination. The snow had done nothing to slow down how busy Lockwood could get around this time of the year. People wore their thick coats to handle the snow and carried on with their activities.

News of the dead body wouldn't completely spread until night so people were relaxed now. Even with his warnings and warnings from the town guards to remain vigilant, most of them were carefree.

Edgar entered the home slash shop of one of the town doctors used by the guards to inspect dead bodies. "Mr. Looney?" He called for the man.

"Looney?" Dominic snorted, covering his mouth to hide his laughter. He would hate to be given such a last name.

"It is a horrible name," a short man with thick spectacles said as he popped up from behind a counter. His body rocked as he walked with a cane. "I was hoping to be done with this, Edgar. I prepare myself to deal with many things but I cannot stomach what is being done to all of these girls. You just missed the town guards a moment ago. Come with me."

"Guards came knocking on my door a couple of hours ago acting all secretive before bringing something in. Once I noticed them trying to hide what they were bringing to me, I knew it had to be another victim. There hasn't been anything as cruel as this one for a while," said John Looney. It was gut-wrenching when one family came as fast as they could right after they were informed of a body.

John removed a cloth he had placed over the young woman to hide what was done to her. "There are the usual chain marks around the feet and hands. Burn marks on the fingers and thigh. Just like all the young ladies, a couple of her nails were pulled out. What I found interesting was this," John said, carefully taking the girl's hand to show her nails. "I thought it was dirt at first but with a closer look it is dry blood and skin."

"She fought back," said Dominic.

"Whoever this bastard is was scratched at some point. There is no telling where she clawed at this person but there is a mark somewhere. It would be helpful if she clawed at the face, the neck, hands, or any other place that is exposed."

"It's our first clue to identifying this person but we have one issue. It is winter," Edgar stated. Everyone now had a valid reason to be covered from head to toe because of the snow. This person was doing well with hiding their tracks from the very beginning so Edgar doubted that if the scratch marks were somewhere exposed this person would walk around not covered up.

"Still, a clue is better than nothing," Edgar said to offer the doctor some peace. "What happened to her face?" He asked.

Her face reminded Edgar of when he would go around squashing pumpkins as a child.

"Based on the damage and how easily her skull cracked open, I would say something with metal was used to beat her. If only the blood under her fingernails could be more useful. My sister left town with her daughter to get away from all of this. You never know who is next. I heard from one of the guards that a young boy witnessed a man placing the body where it was found. He was hidden in an ice fortress he made with friends," said John.

"Must have been a terrifying experience for that little boy to remain silent. Do you want to go see the description they got from the boy?" Dominic asked Edgar. If the boy was able to see the face, an artist could be used to create a portrait of this person to be put up around town.

"No," Edgar shook his head. "Too many people in one day will only make him nervous and his retelling of what happened will change because of his nerves. Whatever the guards find out will be sent to my home right after. We should head back to the palace while information is being gathered."

Edgar began to walk out of the room but stopped when he noticed a flower sitting in a glass jar with water. He walked to the counter where the jar was and squashed the flower petals in the palm of his hands.

"Edgar!" John exclaimed, shocked by Edgar's actions. "I was taking care-"

"What for?" Edgar interjected before he could be given some bullshit story. Edgar hated seeing all the flowers found on the victim's body and he would bet his fortune that the victim would hate the sight of it too so why take care of the flower? "That flower is nothing but a cruel reminder of a life lost. There is no reason to take care of it. Do not treat it like it is something special. If you find anything else, send a letter to my home."

Edgar left the room before John could give him some ridiculous story about the girl's life and the flower being connected once again. John should have learned from the time he tried handing the flower to the family of the deceased and it was thrown to the ground that no one wanted the flower to keep and be reminded of why it was here.

"He means well," Dominic said to John then followed after Edgar. Dominic agreed with Edgar on not keeping the flower around. If he were to lose a loved one and someone presented him with an item left by the killer, he would most likely find a fire and toss it in.

On another note, Dominic hated the chrysanthemum because he placed it every year on the grave of his late grandfather and it would bring back the sadness of watching someone he loved become weaker until they eventually passed away.

"This person will get cocky and slip up. They always do and now you will have a description to go by thanks to the boy. It feels like the beginning of unmasking this person and punishing them," Dominic said, not to please Edgar but as this was what he truly felt. One clue was all they needed to start finding more.

"Hopefully," Edgar replied unsure of where they would go from here but at least they were in a better place than before when it came to clues.

The scratch and the boy seeing someone place the body were good news. This person they were looking for had messed up twice in this new start. "I am heading back to the castle. We need to have more guards out on the roads at all times. The people here aren't smart enough to be more aware of their surroundings therefore we need more guards doing it for them."

"News of the boy seeing someone should make Tobias happy. Seeing that body put me in a bad space. By the way, I have chosen to stay with you while I am here," Dominic said, shuffling away from Edgar when the man looked at him.

"Why is it that everyone around me seems to be thinking my homes are some sort of free shelter? Go rent somewhere to stay."

"Wow," Dominic placed his hand on his chest feigning hurt. "I thought you liked me. Good thing the house no longer belongs to only you. I'm sure the Duchess would love me staying in your home."

Edgar gritted his teeth as Alessandra would certainly allow Dominic to stay in their home. What once was a quiet place started to have a lot of visitors. 'I hope she has stayed out of trouble,' he thought.