Dead and Unburied (Chess and Gryffonclaw) Part One

It had been a long while since the fellow commonly known as Jonathan Chess sat in the Pig & Whistle tavern in Stormwind’s Old Town neighborhood. It might have been longer still, but he had gotten mail from an old friend, requesting his assistance. Officer Connelly had been just a newly-recruited beat constable when Jon had been first making a living in Stormwind after returning from his service in Northrend and having his heart broken in Hearthglen. She had initially been suspicious of a Private Investigator operating in his patch, but over time, Jon had been asked to consult with the Stormwind Constabulary on a serial poisoner case, and Officer Connelly had been assigned as her liaison. They had never been friends, precisely, but when Jon discovered things he felt the constabulary should know, he sent the information via Officer Connelly. Her career prospered, she knew that a large part of that had been cases closed due evidence gathered and given to her by Chess.

“She had always been able to resist my charms,” Jon mused. He had tried his best to work his way into her bed, but she had always shot him down like an archer with a telescopic sight; which of course increased Jon’s attraction. At least it had until he had met the beautiful, powerful and brilliant Alia Atherton, who had made Jon forget any interest in any other women. Still, he could not ignore her appeal for assistance.

He did not have long to wait; she was almost religiously punctual. Conversations ground to a halt as she entered the tavern’s common room; the clientele of the Pig & Whistle was not precisely replete with understanding citizens. They relaxed when they saw her make a beeline for Jon’s usual table under the stairs. The low buzz of conversation in her wake translated, for the most part, to “better him than me”.

“Master Chess, so good of you to come,” she said as she approached the table.

“Please, Officer Connelly, call me Jon,” Jon said, waving her to the seat opposite his. “You are looking well.” Morning arms practice and then walking about Stormwind in plate and chain armor had kept her in a svelte, muscular fighting trim. 

She ignored the complement. It didn’t bother Jon, he was used to it from her.

“I need your help on my current case,” she began, but Chess interrupted her. “I don’t really do that kind of work any more.”

“I know - you somehow conned your way into the Lord Admiral’s service. It's just as well, as I don’t have any budget to pay you anyway.” She smiled an insolent grin, the kind Jon remembered so well.

She had a stunning smile, and Jon knew, that his gorgeous wife aside, there was no way he was going to say that he declined to help.

“Tell me,” Jon said.

“Well, two weeks ago, the first body was found in the Scarlet Raven in Darkshire. The body was drained of all life; the fellow was a 30-ish male merchant in the prime of his life, but the corpse looked like a man triple his age, who had died of natural causes,” she said.

“Did the local militia come to any conclusions?” asked Jon.

“I have not had a chance to question them; that would require traveling, and when I asked for permission, it was refused,” replied Officer Connelly bitterly.

“I see,” Jon said. Travel costs money, and time, and resources; the local magistrates would never approve that for a commoner.

“The next bodies were found in Raven Hill, on the ground between the town and the cemetery. They were identified as two who had planned to harvest the poison glands from the giant spiders there, to sell to apothecaries for making antivenoms,” said Officer Connelly. “Again, both bodies were shriveled with age, with no other sign of injury.”

“I suppose you haven’t spoken to those who found them, either?”

“No. I was told that given the number of people who have died in that undead-infested cemetery, two more were not important and quite out of our jurisdiction.” Once more Jonathan nodded; a predictable if uncaring answer by the civil bureaucracy. 

“The only reason I know about them at all is because another body was found early this morning in the Stormwind cemetery; whatever or whoever is causing these deaths have come to Stormwind. I am assigned the case to find answers and stop them from happening, but my hands are tied, hamstrung by my superiors.” She scowled, clearly unhappy about her situation. “I thought perhaps you might be willing to investigate, given how many pro bono cases you had taken in the past. I remember you saying ‘Everyone matters, or no one matters’ when that insane Scarlet Crusader was killing Void Elves in the city, and nobody would help them. Except for you.”

Jon blushed. There was a time before his wife when he had several Ren’dorei lovers; he was appalled by how the authorities had ignored their plight, believing that the newly-arrived Ren’dorei still held allegiance to the Horde. Jon had done his best to help them, including finding the Scarlet Crusader responsible for a string of racially-motivated deaths. 

“I won’t be able to offer much, but I think I can manage to get you a Crown warrant to investigate. Will you please help me?” she asked.

“I will do my best,” said Jon, his mind already leaping ahead to what needed to be done.