At first glance the impression seemed no different than any other.

It was as if a fist-sized
rock had been knocked loose and removed from the well-trimmed lawn and then covered over.
Gryffon casually walked next to it and crouched to get a closer look. The night drizzle still
weighed heavily on the soil, smoothing the edges of the hole. Gryffon removed his pen from his
too warm overcoat and barely lifted the overlying grass. There within lay the killers calling card.
A small white scrap of plain notebook paper (probably taken from within the house) was folded
precisely into a 2 inch square with nary a smudge of mud touching the emblazoned eye symbol
that stared skyward. Gryffon knew from the previous murders that the killer takes great care in
preparing his message after his kill so as not to leave clues.
Youre getting cocky, Gryffon muttered under his breath. This killer was nothing if not
predictable in his method; stalk the victim, surprise kill, do the ritual or whatever it is that he
does with the body, and finally the clean-up but not before leaving his toy in a natural pose.
Gryffon knew he would be the one to find the note first. It wasnt hidden very well this time as
if the killer was in a rush. Sonya, bring your crew this way when youre done there. I found his
message. Gryffon knew this would be all that was found, but couldnt help but make a sweep
before heading to the office.
Gryffon come see this, quickly!
Bursting from his crouch, he wound his way between the surrounding officers. Sonya was
holding a small object in her hands. All bore stunned witness to the lifeless being in the gloved
hands of the doctor. The embryonic fluid and gore still coated the grossly pale body of the
unborn child; however that was not the object of amazement.
The childs face was canine like; the mouth replaced with a small muzzle. Its ears overlapped in
flops of skin much like a newborn puppy. The legs were still locked in fetal position but they
were bent in unusual ways and denser at the thigh. The slick fur covered tail tucked neatly
between its hind legs covering its sex.
What the hell is that? Where did you find it? Gryffon asked, amazement shining on his face.
It was moving inside the womans bodyI thought she was pregnant and the baby was still
alive, so I performed an emergency caesarian incision and this is what popped out. It took one
breath and just died. Sonyas disbelief was apparent. It cant be what I think it is; that would be
near impossible. I got to get this to the lab immediately. Placing the fetus in a clear marked
forensics bag, Sonya quickly sealed the bio hazard container around it and handed it off to her
assistant. This goes directly to my office and you will begin immediate DNA extrapolation and
comparison with the victims. Dont forget blood work and toxicology, but dont perform an
autopsy, I want the pleasure of figuring out this puzzle myself. The assistant nodded and half
jogged to the still running forensics van.

So what do you think that was Doctor? It was one of the stunned patrolmen. Gryffon knew
him as one of the newer guys assigned to this taskforce, but didnt care enough to learn his name.
New guys hardly stayed long enough to care about. Too creepy for them he guessed. The
patrolmans friends looked as pale as he was. They all had names;
Christ I hope they dont throw up on the scene, Gryffon thought. I should say something
before this escalates.
All right boys and girls, we still have jobs to do, lets not speculate on what we just witnessed
just yet. Cover the arealets find more evidence for the good doctor. He knew there wouldnt
be more but these rabbits were ready to run.
Sonya did that look like a human dog to you because it sure as hell did to me. Gryffon nodded
to himself while half smiling. So much for not speculating like the rookies, he thought.
Dr. Sonya Bluesky liked it when Gryffon smiled that way. It reminded her of the confidence and
assuredness of his being that would shine through time and again when he knew he was on to
something.
At first glance Gryffon, I would say your right, but I wont confirm that till the autopsy. This is
the first time he messed up isnt it detective? Her hazel eyes settled on his. His scruffy daysold beard was starting to collect the mist from the night air and she could see the bags with dark
circles forming from lack of sleep. Sonya still remembered the brief moment they shared three
years back when he lost his first born son to this maniac. She could almost see controlled grief
still in his eyes.
I think hes taking the next step in his game with us. Not only did he leave the message but he
left the body intact, even going as far as putting the victim somewhere where it can be found
right away without rotting. He wanted us to find that thing. Hes gloating. Gryffon used his
pen again to lift part of the sheet to better see the abdomen. Sonya was there any incision
marks on her abdomen before you made yoursany scars?
Yes. There was a cesarean scar that looked fairly recent indicating she gave birth maybe 18-24
months ago, but the house sweep didnt find any evidence of a baby residing in the house.
She could be a surrogate, for another family I mean. Gryffon frowned as his thoughts drifted
deeper. He never did understand how parents could give up their children. His cop friends
nicknamed him Softy when his first wife gave birth to Malachi. The baby was everything and
more to him; a life that he could nurture and teach. The boy was to be his salvation, his legacy.
Swallowing bile, he stuffed those thoughts back down hard under his glacier. No one called him
Softy anymore.
Sonya could see the tension ripple in Gryffons jaw. This wasnt the first time she noticed his
dark cloud starting to form. It was however, the first for her to reach out and take his hand. She

didnt know what compelled her to do it. Perhaps it was what her tribes shaman called empathic
linking or just a need to give this man comfort, yet she could sense it was exactly what he needed
to come back to the now. Gryffon lightly squeezed back and withdrew his hand.
Im alright Sonya, thanks though. The bustle of the investigative team broke the awkward
moment. So um yeah the victim was apparently killed inside the dwelling in the
bathroom, thats where most of the trace blood evidence was found. Exsanguination in the
shower as usual, but here comes the weird part; most of it was collected in some sort of container
and after she lost enough to lose consciousness, was left to bleed out in the tub. Gryffons
eyebrows knitted tighter and closed his eyes from strain. The migraine was coming back.
He was tired, that much was true. He had just tumbled into bed 40 minutes after coming off a
thirty-eight hour investigation into a lead that turned out to be just another dead endliterally.
His hard work was lying on the Kentucky bluegrass before him. Her name was Cheryl
Nickelbacher, assistant intern at PharmaCon Industries. She was 23 years old, with 2 younger
brothers; divorced parents with a remarried father. Gryffon could see the newlywed couple
holding each other while being grilled by the Rooky with the crooked nose. The father was
clearly not responsible, could see the overwhelming grief in his features as he dictated. Gryffon
wondered if he looked like that; bloodshot eyes that seemed to be seeking for the how and why
in the void of no answers. Mr. Nickelbachers hands were trembling. There was anger there
amongst the grief with no target to grasp around the throat with those shaking hands.
.No forced entry, no struggle or defensive wounds, so he must have blindsided her and
rendered her immobile before she could struggle. Sonya stopped talking. Gryffon was a
million miles away. She glanced in the direction he was looking and saw the father of the victim.
Nudging his shoulder, Gryffon quickly looked back at her. Ill put it in the report detective, go
home and sleep a few more hours. Youre drifting.
Right, well you know the drill. Get me the works A.S.A.P. and lets pitch this over to the Feds
before they bitch that we are slowing them down. Gryffon raised slowly, the creeping pain of
old age creaked in his knees. He turned toward the main entrance doorway behind him, Keep in
touch, kiddo.
The maze of crazy lights and sound echoed the chaos around it. Neighborhood gawkers had
formed at the perimeter sending a pulse of ambience that bordered on clich. Gryffon traversed
the course back to his car narrowly avoiding the press that seemed to always arrive a few
minutes after he did. This was the part he hated. The paparazzi ask the asinine questions that just
drain away what little resolve toward humanity he had left. This case was high profile enough
for the camera hounds to scavenge and they were out in force. One particular shutterbug Gryffon
hated. Flint Klebb was first on the scene and had taken the photo that put Gryffon in the spot
light 3 years ago. The news had spun the story with no remorse or regard to the surviving parents
of the victim. The blood still stained his clothes from where he had held his boy; his hands

clenched tightly into fists, the fingernails biting deeply into the flesh. The coroner was wheeling
the body away as the flash went off giving it all a macabre scene for page one. At least Gryffons
wife had been spared the indignity of the half hearted offers to help him through the crisis. She
had died in child birth due to a terrible accident; yet another tale of woe in the saga.
Detective do you have any leads to the identity of the FreeMason? Was there more than one
victim this time? Will the FreeMason start targeting our children?
On this last question, Gryffon turned and faced the inquisitor. He

HERO: Gryffon Richer (Blue eyes, blond hair, average build, son Malichi killed by villain 3
years priorpossible first actual victim.)
Female lead: Sonya Bluesky (native American, Dr. and Forensics lead, Good friend of hero, has
special empathy ability but is a wild talent.)
Villian: Leaves perfectly folded notes with a masonic eye facing upcorners point in the
cardinal directions, kills victim with a narcotic that causes the heart to stop beating, performs
some sort of operation on the corpse but leaves no traces behind, new evidence suggests he is
trying to breed a new species of animal/human hybrid.(possible tie in with HYDE formula,
early stages of work.yeah run with that)