Toads and Tales

The waiting for normalcy to envelope the atmosphere in a shroud of numbness was almost unbearable. The crime itself was on a level of such complexity that the detective was almost positive that they would never figure out exactly how it was accomplished unnoticed amongst the crowded partygoers that evening. He would have classified it as a halloween prank but the dank heat of the summer eluded that explanation of dark macbre. 

Nothing was where it was supposed to be during the investigation and that caused a slow simmer of boiling anxiety to intensify the longing for the mundane. Blood was everywhere, and it was on the wall, close to the ceiling. No weapon or weapons found, however plenty of guts strewn around the bathroom stall. Someone had died all right but who did it and where the rest of the corpse had disappeared to he had no clue. 

The prints the lab picked up after they brought in a step ladder to reach the tiles next to the ventilating duct were too big for any human, they weren't even human to begin with. Footprints on the damned ceiling.  Three fingers, or rather as he just found out footprints, animal patterned. 

A frog. A giant toad, had to of weighed in over 200 pounds. 

Confirmation would be coming in soon as to which one of the young adults wouldn't be celebrating a midsummers' dream this week. He already knew it was going to be  a female since they found the massacred remains on the ladies side of the washroom facilities. 

Five minutes after stepping outside to clear his nostrils of the coppery smell of death he was informed of even more details. The team had peeled gossamer fragments of a silvery substance off the ceiling and were now telling him that they had discovered the strips to be wings, insect wings, of impossible huge diameters. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a woman whish briskly through the side doors, so he followed her assuming that she might be a relative looking for her sister or cousin, this might be the victim's next of kin. 

She almost managed to cross the yellow tape before he stopped her, she squirmed and tried to get away. He prepared to soothe her as he had so many people before when they found out a funeral would need to be planned. She recoiled just as he expected her to and he put on his most somber expression. 

"My crown", she said." I came for my crown."

Befuddled, it was his turn to look puzzled, and he felt for a moment that the necessary roles had been reversed. What in gawd's name was she talking about? 

She gave one hard yank and snapped at him. 

"She was going to kiss my prince! I had to stop her!" 

One spit second later she had the door open and left it swinging close enough to his face to miss knocking him square in the jaw by half an inch . 

As he put his hand up to catch the door and go in after her an assitant rushed up to him holding a bag. A teary eyed older man was standing a few feet away. The plastic contained an object the father of the murdered lass could not identify. It was a headpiece encrusted with diamonds. 

A loud groan came from the bathroom where the suspect had just entered. The detective jumped, he put the weapon he had instinctively drawn back into his holster. He instructed the assistant to stand by the door.  

It was time for a drink and time to let someone else deal with this insanity.