Demons Ascension - Investigational Banter

[Posted by Ted H]

Welcome to 2014...or as I plan to call it: the Demons Ascension year (until either November or whenever I can get the ball rolling on other projects, whatever happens first)
 
I fully plan on continuing BGI and MDZ, but for now, keep on enjoying some NaNoWriMo winning stuff...

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[Demons Ascension - Investigational Banter]

           "Ok," John said as he and James walked back into the alleyway where Mickey Williams was killed "I think I've humored you long enough. You need to tell me why we're here again." James fished out the napkin from his pocket and showed it to John. "This look familiar?" he asked as John shook his head. "Bradford is going to kick my ass for this," he said to himself as James lit a cigarette and started looking around the scene.
            "This symbol is important," James said as he scanned the ground near the car wreck "If our killer left it, it can only support my ritual theory." He moved over to where Mickey died. "And if we don't find anything like that?" John asked. "Well then, we'll be like Bradford; no leads, no ideas and no clue."
            "They didn't find anything like that thing at Stephanie's place either."
            "Maybe it was meant to be hidden. Whoever is doing this might be trying to keep his intentions on a low profile."
            "What makes you think ritual?"
            "It fits better."
            "But he left Allanson the way he was. No ritual there."
            "He was here for Williams. Tony got in the way."
            "Wouldn't it have been easier to just perform whatever ritual on Tony then?"
            "He wasn't the target. It was something about Williams. Still no connection to him and your sister?"
            "Nothing. Ya know, I could have Lyle look for whatever symbol over at the house."
            "He and your sister are still there?"
            "Brittany never leaves. At first she couldn't bear to be in that house, now it's all she ever wants. Stopped going to work, barely sleeps, even Lyle thinks it odd. She can't seem to help herself."
            "She's grieving. Not much I can offer on that. You're coping by bringing me in as if I'm gonna fix everything. Brittany literally lost another version of herself. We all deal with it in our own way."
            "So should I call Lyle?"
            "Let's first make sure there's even a symbol to find, then we'll worry about wasting your partners time."
            "I guess," John said as he wandered over to where Tony had died and looked along the ground there.
            "You know," James said attempting to lighten the mood "You didn't tell me you sister had a boyfriend. Now it's gonna be awkward when I demand my date from her like we agreed with Lyle in the picture."
            "You find the guy who killed her sister, I'm sure Brit will be more than willing to let you buy her dinner."
            "I bet," James said with a smile as he looked along the walls of the alley for anything that stood out against the brick layout. "How'd those two even meet?"
            "Lyle and I had just been assigned a few years back. We cracked this huge double homicide and were celebrating. Neither one of us could drive so I called my sisters to give us a lift. Brittany picked us up and let us crash at the house. I passed right out but her and Lyle talked all night."
            "He a good guy, Lyle?"
            "I trust him with my life. And Brittany's lucky to have him, now more than ever."
            "No man for Stephanie?"
            "Guys always came and went but none ever stuck around. Nothing the last few months though. I didn't actually think you remembered my sisters to be honest though."
            "Freshman year," James said "Move in day. My dad pretty much dumped me off roadside and left but I remember your family was making a spectacle of it."
            "What could I say?" John said "First kid to college, whole family was excited."
            "I remember seeing those twins for the first time and thinking...well, best not discuss that."
            "Best if you don't," John said while flashing a look.
            "I remember them though. They came out one weekend to visit. You were friends with my roommate at the time and the four of you went out one night to a party."
            "Oh shit, I remember that...oh God I drank too much that night."
            "I remember Tom came home with half his face all red and he didn't want to talk about it. I never did get the story out of him."
            "Oh jeeze, yeah!" John said with a laugh "He and Brittany had been talking it up at a party and she was looking to go home with him. Then he went and talked to Stephanie about going home with him instead. He mixed them up and tried to get with the wrong one. When Brittany realized what was going on, she slapped his ass so hard, he fell over. It made everyones night and Tom stormed right out."
            "Hah!" James cried out "Tom always tried to sleep with everything. I can't believe I missed that!"
            "I thought Tom invited you? He said he did."
            "No way I was going. No way I would be able to keep my cool around either sister."
            "You would've gotten along with Steph, she was a bit of a loner too."
            "Gee, thanks."
            "You still all awkward and bad with girls?"
            "I'll have you know I'm a damn Casanova with the ladies, even if it requires me to be in the wrong part of town and have a crap ton of singles."
            "I'm sure it's your charm and wit that those kinds of women find attractive."
            "Yeah, well, it's got me in a better position in life than most we knew in college."
            "Good times, that year."
            "Right up until the part where Suzan shot Meg in the head? Yeah, good times."
            "I can't believe how long ago that night was. Feels like yesterday."
            The two searched in silence for a while as John periodically checked the skies. "It's going to rain soon," he said as the wind began to pick up "Sure this can't wait?" James blew into his hands and rubbed them. The wind was already making a cold day downright frigid. He wanted another coffee, nice and hot, to just hold as much as to drink. He looked up to the sky and couldn't begin to judge what time of day it would be. The sun was completely blocked out by the gray clouds that were ganging up.
            As James went to look back down into the alley, something up high caught his eye. At first it looked like a random splatter of blood against the bricks, but the more James looked, the more it began to resemble the symbol he was looking for. "Found it," James said as John walked over to see. "That's got to be twenty or thirty feet high," he said "Maybe it's a random way the splatter went."
            "How did it splatter that high, yet nowhere close anywhere else?" James asked as he struggled to see better despite the utter lack of light from the sky. "There is no way anyone could get that high to deliberately draw that," John said as he looked to James."Call your partner," James said "Tell him to start looking. If that same symbol is there, then all coincidences go out the window."