Melissa Barker-Simpson

EPISODE 2 

PROVISIONS 

Previously on Labno & Carter: Dan Carter, part of a specialist, multi-species task force, interrupts his partner’s downtime to pull her into a case. Since it’s their case, Kate Labno doesn’t have any objections, though things get complicated when she’s called up to enter the Tournament – the price she must pay for making a deal with a god. En route to their witness’s property, they learn she has been taken while travelling to a safe house, so head to sift through the evidence left behind. The episode is told from Kate’s point of view. 

I actually made it to him in ten, my headlights illuminating the wreck still blocking most of the road.   

A response unit had beaten me to the punch. They were in the process of redirecting traffic, not that there was much of it. People still tended to avoid travelling at night, you never knew what lurked in the shadows.  

As I parked, I spotted Dan standing beside Gibson and Drake. It didn’t surprise me he’d beaten me to the scene. I was more shocked his animal half had conceded to letting his human take the helm again.  

He was dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that barely contained his broad chest, and he stood out like, well, a bear in a china shop. Not quite the right idiom, but you get my drift.  

It should have been a natural sight, though he certainly wasn’t dressed for the weather. I’ve been around plenty of changelings – uniforms are optional when there’s a need to change your threads on the fly. It’s the reason clothes shacks are a thing now, like pop-up stores which provide an array of attire to protect modesty. Clearly, provisions were running low in this area. 

Approaching the small group, I schooled my features so I didn’t set off his bear. 

“Don’t say a word,” he said, by way of a greeting. That’s the trouble with partners, they always know what you’re thinking. I really need to work on my game face. “Those were my favourite jeans. It sucks I have to replace them.”  

Clothes burn up during a shift which, admittedly, has to suck. “You bought it for ruining my evening. I need coffee before I can even attempt civilized.” My gaze swept the others. “Do we have any leads?”  

“What? Since we spoke ten minutes ago?” Gibson asked, shock gone to be replaced by his usual winning personality.  

Apparently, my emotional leakage was showing its ugly head because Drake read my face and stepped in.  

“How much do you know about Club Fractured?” he asked, snagging my attention.  

“Enough.” In the beginning, the demons who invaded our world, known to most as the Fractured, had established a series of clubs. These weren’t clubs in the traditional sense. Basically, they were training grounds for the sick and twisted. A sort of incentive programme where soldiers of the cause could feast, experiment, and torture to their heart’s content. Some joker had termed them Club Fractured, but from what I understood, these had mostly been disbanded.  

“The Fractured learned from their mistakes, so instead of advertising their depravity-”  

“Sir, we need to check your vitals,” a medic said, looking directly at Gibson. That was another new addition. Each station has its own medical team. They were highly trained and held enough authority that Gibson followed without resistance. He’d probably been dodging the medic for a while.  

“So…depravity,” I prompted, reclaiming Drake’s attention.  

His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Yes, members are finding new ways to hide their activities.”  

“So, what you’re saying is, they’re still conducting experiments but now they’re being sneaky about it.” At Drake’s nod, I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. “Is that what’s happening next door to Sahara?”  

“Perhaps, but whoever is responsible we’re talking someone powerful enough to swoop in and take Miss Miller without leaving any trace of themselves behind. To find her, we have to find them and we have to hope we’re not too late.”  

“Are the bodies secured?” Dan asked.  

Drake nodded again, though he looked grim. “Yes, their removal is likely what tripped the alarm. We found several triggers in the house, as well as evidence they are running the operation remotely. They knew the instant we moved in and likely targeted Miller to learn what she knows.”  

“Then we go to the source and work from there,” I said, turning to Dan. “We need to get to the house.”  

Dan inclined his head, then turned to Drake. “Keep us updated on progress at your end, and make sure you get checked out too.”  

As we turned to head back to the Audi, I glanced at my partner, trying to gauge whether it was safe enough to poke the bear. The instant I met his gaze I caught the vulnerability so kept my mouth zipped. That was something else about partners, you knew when to push it, and when to give each other a break.  

Rather than suffer Dan’s bear with a sore head routine, and because it was on the way, I detoured back home. I knew he’d have at least two sets of threads to choose from, so I left him to gear up and went ahead to Sahara’s property.  

When I arrived, the narrow street was eerily quiet. On alert, I climbed from the car to survey the area, catching the twitch of curtains to my left. That wasn’t the attention I was worried about, though. Some of the creatures we now share space with can go full-on invisible man. Well, not in the sense of shades and bandages, and the phenomenon isn’t gender-specific, but they can cloak themselves from view. But I digress.  

When I was satisfied there were no immediate threats, I continued towards my destination. I pride myself on my instincts, but I have to admit, it helps to have cool tech. The RDU has some of the best toys, too. If there had been a presence in my immediate vicinity, my watch would have lit up like a neon sign. The thing is pretty handy, but it’s not infallible. Had it been a god hiding their presence, I would have gotten zilch from the device, and I’d like to say gods have better things to do than follow me around, but Eris would probably take pleasure in tormenting me.  

Not that I needed a reminder, the tattoo on my wrist was a near-constant itch, and the closer I got to my deadline, the greater the sting. Just another of Eris’s little amusements.   

All thoughts of the tournament vanished when I reached Sahara’s driveway and spotted DC Glynn. Her riotous mane was tamed into a complicated knot, which immediately gave me hair envy, but that wasn’t what I homed in on. No, that would be the steaming cup of java in her hand.  

I moved so fast towards the good stuff, the young constable blinked in surprise. “How did you-“  

I raised my hand as I took a sip, savouring the first hit. Then, allowing the caffeine to work its way through my system, I met her gaze. “The very fact you’re my welcoming committee was a pretty good giveaway.”  

She frowned at that, clearly not following my logic, but not disagreeing with my assessment either. The coffee was indeed meant for me. 

With a grin, I stepped past her and moved into the house.  

I didn’t need to be told where to go. I followed the buzz of sound. I’d also inspected the site more than once.  

Finding the room – or what was left of it, since Sahara had taken a hammer to her side of the wall, I didn’t know which unnerved me more; the detritus left over from whatever had been housed in the cavity between, or the pale sickly pallor of the officers attempting to remove the evidence.  

“Thanks for the coffee,” I said, catching sight of Rahim, who looked surprisingly relaxed considering his wings took up most of the space.   

He didn’t question how I knew. We’ve worked together enough to establish our own kind of rhythm. One of his first instincts would have been to protect DC Glynn from the horrors being uncovered, so giving her an important task – and supplying me with caffeine could be described as a vital one – meant she would be spared some of the burden.  

“You’re welcome. I spared the team from-“  

“Okay, I get the point. I’m a grouch. I’m also working towards hangry, so if you add frazzled to the mix, you’ve pretty much saved the day.”  

One of Rahim’s brows shot up, arching above his shades in a comical fashion. “Coffee is not food.” He threw a bar in my direction, so fast I almost fumbled with it, worse, I almost dropped my cup.  

Tearing into the wrapper with my teeth, I took a huge bite and washed it down with another hit of caffeine. “Much better,” I said, grinning.  

That done, I turned to the team working on the wall. There was now a large hole at least ten feet wide and almost as tall. Techs had cut away the concrete blocks, wood, and plasterboard and were working on the neighbouring side. I spotted some kind of frame installed in the gap, which I suspected had nothing to do with support. 

Catching the attention of the nearest tech, I gave them a nod. “Show me what we’re dealing with.” My voice was sober, but not unkind. This kind of processing was new to the job description and the poor guy looked a little green around the gills.  

As he set things up from the other side, I swept my gaze around the space. Sahara’s bedroom was like the woman herself; contained and sophisticated. Somebody had dismantled the bed to make room for all the foot traffic, but I could see from her comforter and ornaments spread out across the space, that she appreciated antiques. It was cluttered but tasteful. 

When my gaze swept through the wall to the other side, the room was sterile in comparison; empty of any personal belongings. 

 “Good to go, Inspector,” the tech said, activating a machine with a name I’ve never bothered to learn. It’s an impressive piece of kit that basically records every detail of a crime scene and projects a series of holographic images to examine.  

A second later I was looking at the wall as it had first been discovered. The majority of the plasterboard was still intact, but the gruesome image was enough to turn my stomach.  

Stepping forward I focused on the closest cocoon. The person inside, or the image captured of them, certainly appeared human. The man was naked, his frame positioned upright, arms by his side and bent at the elbow with his palms outstretched and touching the membrane as though trying to push his way out.  

But it was his eyes that added the macabre factor. They were wide open and held a sheen so close to death it sent a shiver running through my entire body.  

If that wasn’t bad enough, the tech shoved his head through the gap in the wall, effectively pushing through the hologram right where the man’s chest was, like a scene from Alien.  

“Jesus Christ!” 

“What is it?” Rahim said, directly behind me. 

I shook my head. “Nothing. Just had a John Hurt flashback.” 

“John Hurt?” 

“He’s an actor,” Dan said, helpfully as he walked into the room. “She watches far too many movies.” His gaze went to the tech. “But I totally get that reference.” 

There was a small silence, which the tech filled with a hesitant. “Sorry, Inspector, but you need to see this.” 

In a smooth motion, Dan stepped up, plucked the cup from my hand, and replaced it with an industrial-sized travel mug. He passed the now-empty one to the tech and pushed his way through the hologram.  

Thankfully, a few seconds later, he switched off the machine. 

“When do you have time to watch movies?” Rahim asked in a voice dripping with humour. 

“I had a lot of time on my hands growing up,” I snapped, taking a large gulp from my new mug – more to fortify myself than anything else. Then I followed my partner through to the other side and stepped into the house of horrors.