The Beast of Bray Road, Part Two

[doctormagnus]

The evening is colder than she expected, and the sun seems to be setting unusually early. Helen looks up and is greeted by angry clouds, billowing on the horizon. The entire sky looks dull and overcast, and she wonders to herself how long this investigation is going to last tonight.

She shuts the car door, shoulders her pack, and turns on her flashlight, leaving the venison for James.

"Ready?"

Comments

[dr_jd_watson]

James nods and shoulders the pack with the meat, checking his weapons quickly before following her away from the car. "Ready. I do hope the rain holds off but, if it doesn't, it will just be like that time in India during monsoon season..."

[doctormagnus]

She looks up in surprise, eyes twinkling a bit. "Our first holiday together as a couple," she reflects, biting her lip.

[dr_jd_watson]

"And what a holiday it was. I especially enjoyed the near-fatal food poisoning..."

Well, the food poisoning had been dreadful, honestly, but Helen nursing him back to health had been divine.

[doctormagnus]

"You really don't know someone until they've eaten bad seafood," she chuckles, cringing a bit.

Helen scans the treeline with her flashlight, looking for any signs of damaged overgrowth, trails, or tracks.

[dr_jd_watson]

His eyes follow the beam of her flashlight, and he abruptly points. "There, Helen."

[doctormagnus]

She's not remotely surprised that he sees it before she does. It's only a broken branch, but closer inspection reveals an animal trail that is far too big to be left by a deer and far too slim to be left by a bear.

[dr_jd_watson]

James crouches at the start of the path, shining his light on the ground. "Gait varies between bipedal and quadrupedal. Either it can comfortably walk either way, or one of its legs is injured, forcing it to occasionally assume a bipedal posture. I'll need more tracks to tell for sure..."

[doctormagnus]

She gets out her tweezers and very carefully picks up a patch of gray fur caught on the broken twig.

[dr_jd_watson]

"Oh, splendid, darling!" he exclaims quietly, producing an evidence-collection bag and holding it open for her.

It's only a routine mission, but after decades on the bench, he feels as exited as if it's his first, and he can't help but beam at her.

[doctormagnus]

She beams back and nods towards the trail. "Shall we?"

[dr_jd_watson]

He climbs to his feet, gesturing for her to precede him. With any other woman, he'd be tempted to protect her by going first himself. But Helen Magnus, he knows, can handle herself just fine.

[doctormagnus]

She slides her gun out of her back holster and checks her ammo. "Tranqs only," she says, sliding her magazine back into place and heading down the trail with her gun and flashlight crossed.

[dr_jd_watson]

"Good, because that's all I have loaded at the moment..."

[doctormagnus]

She senses he's being a smart arse but ignores it, pressing on down the trail. It's not her fault she's usually giving orders in the field to people far less experienced than James.

[dr_jd_watson]

James smiles and follows her. He's so absorbed with following the trail that he barely even registers that magnificent bum of hers.

[doctormagnus]

She stops and squats down, examining a section of the trail that seems heavier laden than the rest.

[dr_jd_watson]

James moves next to her, crouching and studying the ground himself, eyes darting keenly.

"It stopped here, for some minutes. Resting perhaps?"

[doctormagnus]

"Hmm. Seems that way." She looks around the area to see if someone may have caught its attention and if that something is still in plain view.

[dr_jd_watson]

James studies the ground with her, making a soft noise of surprise as he notices a blood-spot on the ground.

[doctormagnus]

She nods when she sees it, too, quickly reaching for a swab to take a sample.

[dr_jd_watson]

"It could have fed here, or it might be injured. It's hard to say for sure. An analysis of the blood will tell us more."

[doctormagnus]

She carefully contains the sample and hands it to him to put in her pack so she doesn't have to waste time taking it off. They work in near-perfect sync after all their years together.

[dr_jd_watson]

James remembers the routine well. He knows exactly which pouch each sample-type goes into, and he tucks it away in seconds, snapping a few photos of the area before nodding for her to continue on.

[doctormagnus]

She pauses and smiles for a moment, just long enough to tell him that he's getting lucky tonight.

[dr_jd_watson]

He beams in answer to that, tongue darting out to wet his lips in anticipation before he returns himself to mission-mode and reacquires their trail.