The sound of the ticking was starting to get into my head. Why was the clock on the wall so loud? Ugh. Don’t know why we kept the thing anyway, by now somepony shoulda thrown that piece of garbage out and given the room a nice new digital clock.
It read three o’ clock. This clock was broken, its second hand ticking furiously but not moving anywhere, so I pulled out the pocket watch my father gave me out of my coat pocket. It felt smooth in my hoof. I admired its goldish gleam and the little family crest engraved on its face. I opened up the watch and looked at its face, gauging the actual time
Ironically it read three in the morning as well, meaning that, for the first time today, the broken clock was showing the right time. I snapped my precious watch shut then stuffed it back into my coat pocket.
Ah Celestia that ticking… it was driving me nuts.
I spat out a bit of tobacco I had been chewing on into the trash can next to me, then replaced it with another piece, mashing down on it with my back teeth. Then I yawned, almost dropping my new piece. Instead I caught it with my hoof and placed it back in my mouth.
I was more than tired.
Being a detective for eight years, it wasn’t surprising to be called in late at night to question ponies. The chief called me in at about two in the morning to the EEPD (East Equestria Police Department.) Apparently there had been a murder on a small farm just outside of town.
Murder? Really? I personally had never worked a murder case. Hell I don’t think anypony had in several years. Murder in Equestria was so rare, that when I got the call I had to ask several times what Chief was saying, ‘cause the word “murder” was almost unthinkable. I had dealt with literally everything else, but not this.
So here I sat, at the EEPD, waiting outside a questioning room for my chance to interrogate two little colts. I know we didn’t usually put young’ns on the spot like this, but I guess considering the circumstances… and the fact that it was three in the morning and they didn’t have anywhere to go, we had to keep them here.
I swear that clock…
The door to the question room opened up and a brown police pony clad in a blue uniform, motioned for me to come in the room. I obliged him, walking tiredly into the room.
The room was solid manila with a deep red oak table in the center. A florescent ceiling light lit the room with a white light. Being tired, it hurt my eyes and, I could tell when I looked at the rest of the ponies in the room, it hurt everyone else’s eyes too. I squinted a bit to dim the light.
I pulled back a chair and sat at the table. Two little colts sat in front of me across the table. They were two adorable little things. Apparently they were twins, as they looked identical with their gray manes. They kind of reminded me of my grandson actually, they were about the same age.
After I took my seat, the police pony put his mouth near my ear and spoke softly, so that the colts wouldn’t hear what he was saying.
“Just go easy on them ok, I’d stick with basic questions. I don’t even think the poor bastards realize that their father is dead.” Those last few words sent a chill down my spine.
I gave the police pony a nod and he quietly left the room and shut the door.
I looked to the two colts who were looking back at me through half closed eyes. They looked exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Both of them had bloodshot eyes that were barely able to stay open. Oh the little troopers, they were so brave. Again I was reminded of my grandson.
“So,” I began “what are your names?” I tried to sound as kind as I could given that it was past three in the morning.
The one on my right answered the question, “I’m Ellis and he’s Wheaty.”
“Alright, Ellis, Wheaty, what can you tell me about what happened at home?”
***
Their description of the event hadn’t been very helpful. They kept talking about a purple monster pony, one with long tentacles. It seemed like they had large imaginations to me, but at least I knew now that we were looking for a purple unicorn mare.
I told the two colts that they would be taken care of until their mom and dad came and picked them up. I didn’t have the heart to tell them the fate of their father.
I left the room, leaving them in the care of the department.
That ticking sound, it was back. I winced every time the infernal clock made a sound.
The chief was waiting for me outside the room, ready to brief me on what to do and where to go next. The chief looked as tired as well… I mean at this time who wouldn’t be. He levitated a hot cup of tea, a bag still hanging from the edge of the cup. He took a sip of his tea and then spoke to me.
“Alright, Hartigan, I’m having you go to Redberry farm. See what you can find there, and you might want to prepare yourself. I hear its pretty ugly in that farm house. We already have several police ponies on scene, nothing will be moved until you get there.” He said “Oh, and your alone on this one.”
Great. I preferred to work alone.
“Alright chief, I’ll go ahead and head out.”
We nodded at each other and parted ways.
I stopped by the restroom on the way out to splash some water on my face. Splashing some cold water on my face helped me wake up a bit. I looked up into the mirror and wasn’t to pleased with the ugly earth stallion replacing me. I was getting old and it showed on my face, which was weathered with wrinkles. I had scars on my face, most of which told stories that I couldn’t even remember. My mane was a mess of orange and red and so was the rest of me but luckily I was covered by a dark brown duster coat, which also covered my cutie mark (a magnifying glass looking over a hoofprint.)
I spat a piece of tobacco in the sink and then reached in my coat pocket for another piece. Ah damn, I was out. I grimaced in annoyance, showing off just how old my face really looked.
At least it reminded me how close to retirement I was.
***
The ride to the farmhouse took twenty minutes, time which I used to look over files and information on the family that lived here. There was a picture of a gray colored stallion and a beautiful pink mare. Mr. and Mrs. Redberry a caption read. It said they lived here on this farm with their two foals, Ellis and Wheaty, the two young’ns I met back at the station.
The cool night air was refreshing, and the smell of farmland was nice. The cart driver pulled the cart up to the entrance gate and stopped. There were two pony police carts sitting outside gate already, their drivers napping with the carts still hitched to their backs. I stepped out of the cart and hoofed a few bits to the pony cart driver.
We exchanged nods and he headed off back to town. I would catch a ride back to town later with one of the police ponies.
I made my way towards the farmhouse, which was lit up by artificial lights set up around the house by the police. As I approached the house, I was greeted by one of the blue uniform clad ponies, who I promptly showed my badge.
“Mornin’ detective.” He said groggily.
“Mornin’.” I grunted.
“I’d wouldn’t breathe through my nose if I were you…” he said as I opened the door to the house.
Oh by the Goddesses! The door opened, and with it, a wave of death rolled out that made me gag. The pony wasn’t kidding. The stench was enough to knock somepony out. I was forced to breathe through my mouth.
Immediately inside the house sat the crime scene. The remains of a gray earth pony, probably just younger than a middle-aged stallion, lay quite literally in a pile on the floor. The carcass was difficult to look at.
Geez, what kinda sick bastard does this… gah…
I reached in my coat pocket absently searching for a chunk of tobacco to calm my nerves. Then I remembered I was out and I cursed hard under my breath.
I scanned the room, which had two other police ponies standing around looking busy. The room looked typical, save for a few overturned pieces of furniture, the dead body, and bloodstained floors about ten feet from the body.
I approached the body of one John Redberry.
Yeesh, what a sight.
His body was mangled. His body contorted to into an impossible position, as if a giant claw had picked him up and squeezed him. He was molded into a ball, legs broken and tucked up into his torso. I looked at his face.
“Yeeeesh.” I said aloud.
His eyes were bulging out of his face. Not that his face resembled a face anymore. His jaw had unhinged his mouth was wide open… I’d seen enough. There was no clear cause of death, though it was safe to say he had been crushed to death.
I had no clue what could have caused this stallion’s death, but I was almost certain magic was involved, I could sense the use of it everywhere.
I looked through rest of the house. The only thing of note was an open window in one of the bedrooms. Maybe the kids used it to escape. I doubted the perp would have come in this way, otherwise the dead bodies would have probably been in here. Of course, if the killer was a unicorn, it would be possible that he or she could have just teleported inside.
I went over all the clues I currently had. There was the grisly murder in the other room, the bloodstain on the floor, the missing wife, the open window, and a crude description of a suspect. Based on the description, a purple unicorn monster with tentacles, I found it unlikely that the wife had committed the crime.
But my next course of action was to find the wife. I just wasn’t sure what I’d be looking for or where to look. Who ever this killer was, he or she was really good at leaving a mess but no useable clues.
I pulled out my pocket watch and opened it. It was half past four. Well that’s all the time I needed here so I guess it was time to head back.