Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her lips curved into a smile. She was astoundingly beautiful, but more importantly, she was familiar.

Asher had not forgotten about Renee Duval.

He was entirely certain of that. But why was the public safety hazards picture on this document?

"Detective, before I go, would you mind lending me the file on Jester's Guise?" Asher asked.

Mr. Bolard glanced at him and then smiled. "Well, it's your assignment, so no, I don't mind. You weren't meant to receive it until tomorrow, but an early start doesn't hurt. Go ahead and take it. You can read it in the office, but do not leave the building."

Asher took the document from the detective, somewhat surprised at how easily he had achieved his goal.

"Good day, detective. I appreciate your guidance and concern. I'll leave the documents with Liz."

With that, Asher retreated to the lobby in search of a reading space. He located the chair he had sat in when he first came to the office and plopped down.

Liz approached him and handed him a cup of coffee the way he liked it.

"Cheers, Liz. Excellent timing."

Liz just smiled and walked back to the receptionist desk, resuming her browsing through a magazine he didn't recognize.

Now that I think about it, is it really acceptable for me to review documents in the office lobby? Perhaps there is a commons room or break room I can use.

Well, nobody would be there anyway; the detective said everyone is away in the field.

Asher turned his attention to the documents in his lap and prepared to get stuck in.

Assorted Records And Speculation Pertaining To The Relic Kmown As Joker's Guise.

The relic was first documented in a painting by Florence Hesparee in 1627 titled a simple self-portrait. Below the header, a small depiction of the painting could be seen, illustrating a coming-of-age celebration.

In the center of the painting, a seemingly young boy stood surrounded by his family in celebratory dress. His face was covered by a white and black mask. There were no slots for the eyes or mouth; the mask seemed to fit the boy like a glove.

It matched the contours of his face perfectly. The mask was split down the middle, black on the left and white on the right. The left eye was white, with white teardrops falling from the eye's edge. Conversely, the right eye was much the same, with the colors reversed.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"How does he breathe? That mask seems to be suffocating him."

Below the painting, a paragraph described the event depicted.

"Antoine Stellarums is believed to have been a child of one of the Knights Stella. There is precious little known about this time period. The only suspected relevant information is in the form of a poem by the same artist.

Discard your inhibitions.

Embrace your desires.

Atone with blood.

Tear them apart.

Have no fear, for all are silent in her embrace."

As a bit of a cynic, Asher couldn't help but appreciate the morbid nature of the poem.

But what does this have to do with the Guise? Other than him having illustrated the painting, this Florence fellow doesn't seem to be related.

Thankfully, below the poem, there was more information.

"Florence Hesparee is decorated in many creative fields. His paintings were among his least famous. The main reason little is known about Antoine Stellarum is that he passed away shortly after this painting was created. Due to his young age, there is almost no information. However, it is confirmed that Florence was tutoring the young man in cultural arts."

Another of Florence's paintings was illustrated below; a similar scene could be seen.

No, it's not similar; this is identical—a child in the middle of the scene, his family surrounding him, celebrating. Eerie... downright creepy. The feeling only compounded when he noticed there were more.

The people and faces changed, but the scene and the mask always remained. There are a dozen of these—why does he keep using the same template?

Below the paintings, some unnamed official had left their speculation.

"It is noteworthy that each of the children and young adults Florence was tutoring met misfortune. Though it wasn't until 1627 when this began to occur based on available evidence. The relationship between him and the mask is uncertain. He himself committed suicide three years after the first incident. Florence Hesparee was found dead in 1630; he impaled himself on a church spire. There is a public witness account from that time. Apparently, no blood was found on his person or in the area."

Asher tried to turn the page over to find more information; however, it was blank.

"Precious little information, indeed. These relics, for all intents and purposes, hardly exist."

The second and last paper he was given was a much more recent entry: February 17, 1817.

"Three men were found dead off Starsong and Gemini in Urs Stellarum. They had no visible wounds. The official autopsy declared their deaths to be caused by heart failure. Unofficially, their autopsy reveals their cause of death is lack of blood. They simply had none in their bodies."

Several more individuals were reported in the greater Girnesct Valley area, totaling 19 victims. The victims had almost nothing in common other than their sex and age.

They all seemed to be in their early 20s and male.

Upon investigating for mutual contacts, a woman was found masquerading as a multitude of professions. Some of the victims sought her out for medical treatment; others sought her out as a seamstress.

In the end, investigators from the city tracked her down to the cottage she had been inhabiting. It was in the corner of a graveyard, very easy to miss.

When confronted, she asked the investigators a question:

"Do you think yourself better? You would do the same. Perhaps he was right to seek solace in sin. How foolish I was to drink so deeply from this poison chalice."

The red-haired woman soon brought her hand to her face, lowering it as she smiled. Before her lips finished curving, she suddenly exuded irresistible charm.

Suddenly, it was as if the world itself was born only to serve her. The stars were undeserving of her attention.

The investigators soon fell under the influence of what is suspected to be airborne hallucinogens. They reported an inability to disobey the woman. They couldn't remember anything other than the scent of her perfume after that.