Durango – Installment 4

Durango

By

D.M. KURTZ

Installment 4: Well That Was Unexpected

Wrap it up… Oh, I’ll wrap it up, that’s for sure. Rodie struggled to contain the flurry of words that rushed through his mind, all of which he very much desired to send flying at Marcus, the idiot of a DA who had cut the deal with Stokes and Harvey. In just a few minutes, he’d have to decide what was worth saying and what should be kept to himself. He took a deep breath as he reached for the handle of the office door that read “Marcus Holt”, and with a quick force of resolve, he pushed it open and stepped inside with a hand raised.

Rodie’s mouth, which had been open and ready to unleash a barrage of heated speech, snapped shut. The hardened Southerner swallowed hard and let his arm fall slowly to his side while his eyes widened just slightly at the sight before him.

Blood; the overwhelming stench assaulted and choked his nostrils while it entirely filled his vision. It soaked the carpet, was smeared across the walls, splashed on the blinds and chair. In one corner was an arm, another housed a leg, the torso itself was laid out on the mahogany desk, and the head was stuck upright from the severed neck to what Rodie knew from prior visits to be the thin letter opener that Marcus had so highly favored.

Rodie’s eyes stung, and he backed slowly away, though he found himself unable to tear his gaze away from the widened eyes and swollen tongue of Marcus’ face.

“What… What the…” Rodie stammered and cursed under breath, multiple times. His attention darted from detail to detail as he struggled to process the scene. It wasn’t until several moments had passed that he noticed it: the writing on the wall, deep crimson in color.

“Tenebra,” Rodie muttered softly. “Tenebra…?”

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