‘Follow me,’ Max said as they walked. ‘We’re going inside. Investigate and find what you can, but touch nothing. Hopefully, none of the idiots here have disturbed anything yet. There is a police constabulary in town, so I’d imagine it won’t be long before some flatfoots show up. After they do, everyone will likely be moved on, so we need to determine what we can as quickly as we can. Pay attention to the details—look for marks on the body. I agree with the fisherman we heard—it’s unlikely an animal did this. Maybe out in the wilds, but not this close to a town. But both you and I know it isn’t animals we need to be concerned about. Keep your focus and make sure you commit everything you see to memory. I’ll be testing you on this, so don’t let me down.’

  Max picked up his pace, making Jack almost break into a jog to keep up. They soon reached the mouth of the cave. Up close, the scene inside was even more disgusting.

  ‘Identifying him is going to be nigh-on impossible,’ Max whispered.

  The body was sprawled out on the face of a large boulder, and a lot of the skin had been completely stripped away, leaving chunks of red meat clinging to the bone. All that remained of the dead man’s face was the skeletal grin of the skull beneath, which glistened crimson from the remaining blood. Weaving entrails ran out from the stomach, and bits of flesh speckled the face of the rock. Some ravaged clothes still clung to the dead man, but most had been torn away.

  After squatting down close to the body, Jack peered at the edges of all wounds, looking for clues. He had some experience with animal attacks, and there were certainly some similarities to those injuries, such as how the skin and meat had clearly been bitten and ripped at. However, the teeth marks on this man weren’t as severe, and not bitten through cleanly in most instances. He saw puncture marks that actually looked to have been caused by… human teeth.

  One other thing he noticed were distinct boot prints in the blood around the body, eventually leading away from it.

  After about ten minutes of investigating, Jack heard authoritative voices coming from outside the cave.

  ‘Back, back, everyone back!’

  Two constables appeared at the entrance. Jack saw them both pause as they surveyed the scene in shock. One of the men instinctively crossed himself. The other took on an ashen pallor, and Jack heard him utter, ‘Jesus.’

  The first one stepped forward. ‘You lot!’ he snapped, pointing towards the people inside the cave. There were five in total, including Jack and Max. ‘Get out!’ He drew out his truncheon. ‘Scavengers. Picking through his belongings before his blood is even dry!’

  Jack frowned. He was about to launch into a tirade against the police for assuming that, but felt Max’s hand against his chest. After looking up, the Shadowhand gave a flick of his head, indicating it was time to go. ‘I think we’ve gotten all we need,’ he whispered.

  The two men left and made their way back up to the main town. ‘That was fucking horrific,’ Jack said as they walked. ‘You ever seen anything like that before?’

  ‘Worse,’ Max said, to Jack’s surprise. Something could be worse than that? ‘Though not by much,’ Max then admitted.

  They stopped at a wooden stall close to the entranceway to the beach. The vendor had on display fresh fish, mussels, cockles, prawns, even lobster.

  ‘You got anything we can eat straight away without any preparation?’ Max asked him.

  ‘Sure,’ the bearded fellow behind the stall replied. ‘Can mix you both up a pot of mussels and cockles and the like.’ Jack had to repress a grimace.

  ‘Thank you,’ Max said. ‘I’ll take two, full as you can make them.’ He paid the vendor, and once the man was finished Max handed one of the pots to Jack.

  ‘Something happening along the beach there?’ the vendor asked. ‘Sounds like quite a commotion.’

  ‘There is,’ Max said. ‘And I’d advise you give it a wide berth if you’ve a weak stomach.’ Max started to eat as he led Jack away. ‘This will do for breakfast,’ he said. ‘We need food in our bellies.’

  Jack took a sniff. ‘If we can keep it down.’

  Max chuckled. ‘It’s good, hearty food. Your stomach just ain’t used to it. Get it down you and stop complaining.’

  Food is food, Jack thought and dug into the pot with his fingers. He grabbed hold of a soft, fleshy mollusc, dropped it into his mouth, bit down, and started chewing. The taste was salty, tart, and bitter.

  He watched Max devour the full contents of his own pot quickly, shovelling in one fingerful after the other. Jack took a breath and followed suit. By the time they reached the bottom of the pot, however, he had grown a little more accustomed to the seafood. It actually tastes quite nice. What Jack didn’t like, however, was that every belch afterwards reminded him of the taste and caused his stomach to jump.

  ‘We need to find out what exactly happened last night,’ Max said as they took a seat on a public bench in town. They were now up on the northern cliffs, looking out at the sea. The cave where the body had been found was directly below them, but out of sight. ‘First, though,’ Max went on, ‘I want to know what you made of what we saw down there. Tell me everything you noticed.’

  Jack paused as his focus settled onto one of the many fishing boats out on the water. He replayed the scene in his mind.

  ‘It looked like something had fed on the victim,’ Jack said. ‘The flesh hadn’t been cut away with a knife or blade—the injuries weren’t clean enough. But they didn’t look like animal bites to me. So that part confuses me. I don’t know as many of the creatures in the bestiary as you do, so maybe you have an idea of something that fits the bill here, but I’m at a loss. At least I would be, if it weren’t for the footprints in the blood.’

  ‘Go on,’ Max said.

  ‘Those were the grooves from a boot or shoe.’

  ‘Could have been from some of the crowd that had ventured inside,’ Max said. ‘We weren’t the only ones curious enough to take a look.’

  ‘There were too many prints, though,’ Jack said. ‘Only one person, as they were all the same size, but they seemed to stomp right through the remains. The people we saw all kept a healthy distance. Plus, the prints had all but dried, from what I could tell. They weren’t fresh.’

  Max smiled. ‘Keep going.’

  ‘I have to guess that either a person killed the victim and ate him. Or… ate as much of him as he could.’

  Max gave a slow nod. ‘So you think a single man was capable of all that?’

  ‘Men are capable of a lot of things,’ Jack said. ‘So… are we dealing with a cannibal? Even if we were, that is a lot of human flesh to eat. The attack looked savage, wild, animalistic. Maybe it is a madman?’

  A large smile broke out over Max’s face. ‘Excellent,’ he announced. ‘I drew a similar conclusion. I’m impressed, Jack.’

  Despite the harrowing situation, Jack couldn’t help but smile at the praise. ‘So you agree it was a man?’ he asked. ‘Not a creature of some kind.’

  ‘I didn’t say that,’ Max replied. ‘All we know is the killer still has the form of a man, at least for the most part. I can’t say for sure what is happening here, but I have a few ideas.’

  ‘Care to share them?’

  Max shook his head and patted Jack on the shoulder. ‘No, not yet. I don’t want you to get into the bad habit of forming opinions too quickly, or relying on others too much. We gather evidence and information. Unbiased evidence and information. If we start forming theories too early, it could lead us down the wrong path. Remember that.’

  ‘If I was going to be a Shadowhand, then sure, I can see that being important,’ Jack replied. ‘But I’m just a simple Deathborn. It doesn’t matter what opinions or theories I have.’

  ‘Come on,’ Max said in reply, ignoring the comment. ‘We have more work to do.’

  ‘Where next?’ Jack asked.

  ‘Into the lion’s den,’ Max said with a smile.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  ‘So we’ve changed our minds on remaining inconspicuous?’ Jack asked as he and Max stared up at the entrance of the warehouse. It was positioned within a terrace of buildings and overlooked the river. The sign over the high, wide-open door read Skivington, Chambers & Co., with writing burned into the wood and darkened with varnish.

  ‘We’ll still be inconspicuous,’ Max replied. ‘But I think the time has come to dig a little deeper and take a few more risks. Now remember, we’re just two men looking for work. That’s why we’re wandering in here.’

  ‘I got it,’ Jack said.

  ‘Good, because you’re taking the lead. If someone questions us, I want you to do the talking.’

  ‘Why?’ Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.

  ‘Because you’re here to work,’ Max replied, ‘not just follow me around like a puppy. Now let’s go.’ Max motioned ahead for Jack to lead the way, which he did reluctantly. They walked through the large doorway.

  The inside of the warehouse was a hive of noise and activity. Long, open crates were being moved around, the contents of some being unloaded. Sparks flew as men worked with metal, cutting and shaping it. There were carriages and carts parked up inside. Scores of workers talked and shouted as they got on with their tasks at hand. There was a metal gantryway above, part of an upper story that covered less than half of the internal space. There were some lightweight structures on one side of that higher level, made from tin panelling and timber supports. When looking through the windows, Jack saw people were present inside. At the far end of the warehouse, Jack noticed another large double door, but that one was closed and guarded by two men. Jack watched as two other men approached, pulling some small crates on a low cart behind them. The guards slid one side of the door open, just enough for the others and their cargo to move inside, then closed it behind them.

  ‘We need to get through there,’ Jack said under his breath as he nodded towards the far door.

  ‘Agreed,’ Max replied. ‘Secured areas always give up nice, juicy secrets. It never fails.’

  Jack looked around. Everyone seemed too busy with what they were doing to really take notice of the two strangers. Some men were cutting up fish, and others were pulling apart shelled animals such as crabs and lobsters to get at their meat. Other workers looked to be repairing different kinds of equipment. Jack and Max ventured deeper inside. They’d gotten about halfway into the warehouse, walking slowly and taking in their surroundings, before a loud, deep voice called out to them.

  ‘Who are you two?’ It had come from the gantry up above.

  Jack looked up to see a hulking, bearded man standing on the metallic walkway and looking down at them. His large hands were gripped around the railing.

  Max stayed silent.

  ‘We’re looking for work,’ Jack shouted up, finally drawing the stares of some of the other men. ‘Heard you might be hiring?’

  ‘That right?’ the man asked. ‘Wait there.’ He then set off walking, each footfall shaking the metal latticework of the walkway. He made his way down a flight of metal steps and strode over to Jack and Max, towering over them both. His size made Jack think of Len. The man had a wild, thick beard that hung down to his chest and a strong smell of old sweat wafted over from him.

  ‘Who directed you here?’ he asked. ‘People in town?’ He had a skeptical look on his squashed-up face.

  ‘Yes,’ Jack said, though he quickly followed that up with, ‘though… most didn’t have much good to say about you.’

  The man’s wrinkled face then softened and a smile drew across his mouth.

  ‘That sounds about right,’ he said with a chuckle. ‘People around here don’t like the competition. Too used to having things their own way.’

  ‘They certainly seemed put out by your presence here,’ Jack went on. ‘But they said you hired pretty frequently, and that’s all my friend and I needed to hear. We tend not to ask too many questions, as long as we’re being paid. We don’t like drawing attention to ourselves.’

  Another chuckle. The man lifted a meaty hand up and buried it into his beard, rubbing his chin. ‘That so? Is it important to you fellas we don’t pry too much? You got something to hide?’

  ‘We just want to earn a little money for some honest work while we’re here. No more, no less. We like to keep our heads down and stay out of trouble.’

  ‘Will you be in town long?’

  Jack shrugged. ‘Not certain yet. See how things go.’

  The large man narrowed his eyes at Jack. ‘Well, we may have something for ya both. We’re in need of bodies. It’s hard labour, mind, and you’d be working in here, not out on the boats. So, if you are fisherman by trade and want to get back out on the sea, you’d have to look elsewhere.’

  ‘We have no problem working in a warehouse,’ Jack told him.

  The man continued to study them both. Eventually, he gave a firm nod. ‘Good stuff. Wait here, I’m going to nip upstairs to the office, see what I can arrange for you.’

  He then walked away, back to the metal stairs.

  Jack leaned in to Max. ‘We may have a problem.’

  ‘A problem?’ Max asked. ‘How so? You did well.’

  ‘But I think I handled it too well. We might actually get jobs out of this.’

  Max smiled. ‘You scared of a little manual labour?’

  ‘Not at all, But… won’t it get in the way of the investigation?’

  ‘Not really,’ Max replied. ‘We’ll be exactly where we need to be. And getting in there,’ he pointed over to the door at the far side of the warehouse, ‘will be much easier. Once we’ve learned what we need to, we just leave here.’

  ‘If they let us,’ Jack added.

  Max laughed. ‘We’ll be fine. Just concentrate on finding out as much as you can.’

  ‘About the spawn?’ Jack asked.

  ‘About everything. Keep an open mind.’

  After a few more minutes, the large man returned. ‘I’ll need to run it all by the big boss,’ he began, ‘but I think we have something. The boss isn’t here at the moment. He spends a lot of time out at a nearby village, so I won’t get to speak to him until tonight.’

  ‘Should we come back tomorrow?’ Jack asked.

  ‘No,’ he replied. ‘If you’re up for it, I can set you up to work now, that won’t be a problem. So you’ll get at least a day’s wage. But if the boss decides he doesn’t want anyone else, you won’t be back tomorrow. Though… he usually trusts my judgement. He knows that if I ever get anything wrong’—the man then folded his arms across his broad chest—‘I quickly put things right. So, if hiring you fellas turns out to be a mistake, then I’ll be paying you two a visit. Understand?’

  ‘We do,’ Jack replied. ‘But you don’t need to worry about us. Like I say, we just want to keep our heads down and earn a little coin.’

  ‘You’ll get a couple of shillings each for today.’

  ‘That’s… pretty low,’ Jack replied.

  ‘Take it or leave it,’ the man said with a shrug. ‘There’s no shortage of desperate people who come in off the streets.’

  Jack hesitated for a moment, making it look like he was struggling with the offer. ‘Fine,’ he said, sounding disappointed. ‘I suppose it’s something. Though it’ll barely cover our accommodation.’

  ‘Where ya’ staying?’

  ‘A doss house in town,’ Jack replied.

  ‘Well, if we decide to keep you both on, we may be able to help with that. Most of the workers here stay in a small village the boss puts them up in. Free accommodation. Nothing fancy, but it’s something. Though for that privilege, your daily pay comes down. We can talk about it tomorrow.’

  ‘I have a question,’ Max cut in.

  The man then cast his eyes over to Max. ‘It speaks,’ he said. ‘I thought you were mute, fella.’

  ‘Not mute, just taking everything in,’ Max replied. ‘What kind of haul do you bring in here?’ He looked around the warehouse at the fish and other marine life being prepared and crated up. ‘Specialise in anything, or just whatever you can catch?’

  ‘Just the usual for the waters around here. Bit of everything, but nothing spectacular.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘Why do you ask?’ Jack noticed his tone had gotten a bit defensive.

  ‘Just curious,’ Max said. ‘Good to know the type of thing we’ll be working with.’

  ‘You’ll be working with dead fish. Nothing more to it.’

  ‘Fair enough,’ Max said. ‘And what’s happening through there?’ He pointed to the far doors.

  ‘You ask a lot of questions for a mute, don’t ya?’ The man glared at Max, who quickly held up his hands.

  ‘Just curious. But, if it’s none of my business—’

  ‘It ain’t.’

  ‘Understood. I’ll keep my mouth shut from now on.’

  ‘That would be appreciated. Those that make their mouth go a lot don’t tend to last long around here.’

  Max gave a nod, but said no more.

  ‘Do you want us to start straight away, then?’ Jack asked.

  ‘Unless you got somewhere better to be,’ the man replied as he turned back to Jack.

  Jack shook his head. ‘Nope.’

  ‘Good.’ He then extended his hand toward Jack. ‘What’s your name, lad?’

  ‘Jack,’ he said as he shook. ‘Jack Bennett.’

  The man turned to Max, looking expectant, but didn’t offer his hand.

  ‘I’m Max,’ the Shadowhand said.

  ‘Good to meet you both. My name is Bull.’ Apt, Jack thought to himself. However, he didn’t question it. Bull continued: ‘I run things around here when the boss isn’t in. You need anything, you see me. But I’ll warn you now, if you need much, then you aren’t the men for us. I expect you to get on with your jobs and keep your mouths shut.’

  ‘We can do that,’ Max said. ‘What specifically do you want us to do?’

 

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