the Leathermines

The Detective looked at the scrawl on the wall.  It had dripped, but the blood had started to congeal and dry before the person had finished what they had written.  Whomever had done it had gone, the source of the blood gone, too.

He looked at the chain and manacles.  He had experience with such, but he backed out of the scene and pulled his gloves off before calling his expert.

“Madame Mo... Detective Metcalf?  Is that you?”

He nodded knowing she couldn’t see him.  “Ash, do you know the playspace that Desmond was advertising?”

He heard a hesitation.  “Is this business or pleasure, Dick?”

The detective grimaced, feeling his greying stubble pull where he had missed it that morning.  “I’m not sure what happened over here, Ash.  But it looks like we will need you on this one.”

There was a sigh before he heard, “How much time can I take?  I had a client coming in less than twenty minutes.”

“The blood is fresh.”

There was both a hint of horror and of excitement in her voice as she said, “Where are you?”

It took her only ten minutes to go through traffic and be escorted through the police lines.  She was known. She didn’t even have to show her consultant credentials as many of the officers nodded to her and called her by her surname.  Detective Richard Metcalf was waiting just inside of the industrial buildings’ door.

“This is different.  Usually I get in trouble and call you.”  There was humor, but also a nervousness that the business-attired woman showed as she was escorted into the crime scene.

In many cities, there are grey areas where the police and those they are supposed to be policing mix.  This was one of those cities, and it helped to keep the city safe.  The Homicide Detective and the Professional Dominatrix stood side by side, looking at a blood smeared wall, each with their own reactions, and observations.

“Dez, go to H.”  She turned to him and shrugged.  “Where is Desmond?”

“We are running that down now.  The cleaning sub was here to set the room for a private party and called me.”

Ashley looked around.  “Except for the blood, I don’t see anything really out of place, though I hadn’t been able to get over here, yet.  I’m sorry I missed the opening play party.”

The Detective lowered his voice and turned to her and away from the forensics technician taking samples from the wall.  “It was fun.”  He winked and turned back to the wall, but continued turning when he realized something was missing.

“What is it, Di...Detective?”  She had almost slipped.

He smiled and shook his head slightly before he said, “The medical tray that was here is gone.  Desmond was proud that he had it.”  He turned and yelled into the hall.  “Murray!  Check to see if you can find a stainless steel medical tray.  One with a weighted bottom and wheels.”

“I found a fingerprint next to the blood, Detective.”  The technician had taken pictures and was using a film to lift the powdered print from the wall.

“Crap.  I am going to have to have my prints eliminated,” he grumbled.  “It is low on the wall.  Was the person kneeling?”

There was a shrug.  The tech continued his job, trying not to look at the rigging and obviously fetish pieces of furniture around him as anything but things to process.  The Detective looked at the floor next to the wall, seeing, again, something was missing.  The Pro-Dom was looking, too, and thought she saw something in the block letters on the wall.  They looked at each other and both started to say something.  The Detective motioned to her and Ashley pointed.

“Cotton.  It was applied Carrie style.”

The Detective looked and saw the small pieces of cotton that were imbedded in the blood.  “I had just noticed that there wasn’t any blood on the floor at all.  And...”  He looked at her and shrugged.  “I smell perfume.”

She nodded.  “We have to find Desmond.  Dez.  Wait.”  She backed up and thought as she looked at the drying blood words.  She brought out her phone and, after a nod from Richard, called someone.

There was a pause as the other end was picked up, obvious crying coming from the other end.  “Hey, Penny.  I can’t get ahold of Desmond.”

There was a burst of profanity as well as more crying.  Ash nodded and her face became serious, a few calm words going through the anguish back through the phone.  There was a lower volume from the other end before Ashley pushed the disconnect button.

“I think you heard a lot of that.  Um.  If you can’t find Desmond, I don’t think he wants to be found.”

The Detective motioned and they were walking out of the room.  “I have to look for an injured or dead person.  You know that.”

They were outside in the slightly chilly day, the wind smelling fresh after the slightly off smell in the blood decorated room.  “Detective, Penny is the only one I know who calls Desmond Dez because of her lisp.”

Recognition came to the Detective.  “Aren’t they going together?”

Ashley shook her head.  “From what I could translate through her bubbling was that he told Penny that they were over and that he was going away with another submissive for the weekend.”  A gesture towards the building added to her saying, “That was her menstrual blood and she ran out before she finished.  She has a key.”

He seemed to relax a little, but his voice was still concerned.  “I should put out a BOLO on him.  Serves him right for breaking the pixie’s heart.”

An eyebrow raised.  “Oh?  Now, Richard, I thought you went for the tall, willowy types.”

A flush went over his face and he turned slightly away.  “I really like playing with Bonnie and also Denise, but there is something about our Pretty Penny that makes-”  He looked back and shook his head.  “Not professional to be talking about such things at a potential crime scene.”

Ashley did not hold back her laughter.  He grimaced and then chuckled along with her.  “Richard, I think I know where he would have taken a new sub.”  She took out her phone again and dialed, getting a perky woman on the other phone.  “I need to speak with a guest, Desmond Jack-”  She listened and nodded, her face growing a smile from the seriousness that had been there.  “I understand.  As soon as you can, please have him call Detective Metcalf in Homicide?”

Even the Detective heard the change in the voice on the other end.  He almost took the phone away when there was a pause, and then a male voice.  Ashleys head nodded a few times and then Richard had to hold in his laugh as she said, “I am at your new playspace, hun.  There is blood on the wall.  You didn’t happen to kill any one, did you?”

There was a pause and then a loud, “Fuck, no!”  Desmond calmed down on the other end slightly, finishing the conversation quickly.

Detective Metcalf motioned over one of the officers and calmly said, “Looks like it was just a nasty break-up.  All parties seem to be fine right now.  I’ll start the paperwork to close the scene, but you can start clearing our people out, Murphy.”  The woman officer nodded and had a sassy look on her face as she turned to spread the news.

The time on her phone was checked and Ashley smiled.  “I think I can call my client back and still see him today.”  She looked up and asked, “Unless you still need me here?”

There was a hand on her shoulder and he nodded.  “It would have been three days of searching for him without you knowing who to call.  It would have dragged most of the Pro-Am group into the open and I am very glad that will not be happening.  At least this time.”

She nodded and patted his hand on her shoulder.  “Well, you know who to call if something happens.”

There was a moment of companionable quiet between them before they turned away and went to their own duties, one to wrap up a crime scene, one to call her 3 o’clock back and see if he was still interested.  Just another day in the city.

 

*****

The Full novel featuring Madame Monique will be coming, soon. 😉