Part Two - Chapter 7

 Summer nights are short; darkness comes for a couple of hours only. I remembered that from what my friend and maker told me, and now I got a chance to check his words. I needed that darkness.

I wasn’t happy about having to act without Lita’s permission. I still wasn’t sure she wouldn’t use her power to kill me as a way of punishment. But in this case, I had to take the risk. If I told her about my plans, she’d want to help, but she’s just be in my way instead.

I got out of the water beside her temporary home and passed her window to make sure she was okay. I could barely see her due to the lack of light, but I could feel she was there and she was calm. For some reason I remembered the mirror wall in the lab, the assistant’s late night watch, the guard who joined her... That memory seemed to be out of place here, so I shook it off and continued walking.

I had no problem with finding the road since it was surrounded by electric lights. I didn’t like it, those lights made seeing me easier, thus I had to stick to the forest, where shadows hid me from curious eyes. Soon I reached three buildings surrounded by a poor excuse of a fence �" even a bunny would break it in one touch.

I assumed the biggest building to be the guesthouse. Only one window was lit; it had no curtains, and I could see the elderly couple Lita had mentioned sitting inside. The ranger’s cottage was separated from the guesthouse by some household building. I wouldn’t be surprised if humans lived there too, I hadn’t figured out all of their habits yet.

I tried to sense all humans around me and it seemed like I succeeded. Apart from the old ones, everyone else was asleep, four of them in couples. In different houses.

I was intrigued by this. Lita told me there were three tourists here, but I could sense four inside the guesthouse: the elderly couple and a young man and a woman on the top floor. Together.

I was curious about who decided to get together, but I reminded myself of the plan. I shouldn’t just walk around where humans live! I had to hurry up. I could already see the boat, it was lying upside down beside the household building. I just had to get closer.

I knew I’d be able to tell whether it was used for transporting dead bodies or not after one touch. The feeling of death can’t be washed away, it’s more than dirt. Such things don’t disappear. It would get into the boat forever, fill in the tiniest cracks in its boards. Luckily, it doesn’t work this way with the living creatures, so I was sure I could get rid of this feeling on my scales once I return to the Headquarters.

I jumped over the fence and landed on my feet as gracefully as I usually dive into water. A week ago I wouldn’t be able to perform such a trick. I took it as a sign that the healing process in my body had finally ended.

Making sure that most of the humans were asleep once again, I came closer to the boat and put my hand on it.

Lita was right: this nutshell hadn’t been in water for years. It had been in the lake once, its boards still remembered the water. But that had happened long before the corpses were thrown there. 

So much for my theory! Not too shocking though. To be honest, I’d be greatly surprised if this little vessel turned out to be the boat. I stopped believing in easy options long ago. The one who killed those people is not here, he doesn’t want his presence to be detected. That’s how animals hunt.

I was about to leave when I heard the door slam in the guesthouse. The old folks decided they needed some fresh air!

I was aware of the fact older humans usually had worse eyesight than young ones. But it was probably still good enough to notice a six-feet-tall brown and green monster crossing the road on tiptoes. I had to hide.

I stood close enough to the household building to see that its door was unlocked. I didn’t have much time to think and search for options, so I just got in there and hid behind some boxes, cans and bags of dry grass �" humans keep the weirdest things around their houses! Still, I was lucky to find that shelter. Once you’re my size, you can’t exactly hide behind a tree trunk!

I stood still, which allowed me to catch every word they pronounced.

“Are you sure it’s safe to go there at night?” the woman’s voice was shaking a bit. “All those stories… I’ve heard bad things happen here!”

Huh, so the rumors of the missing people had spread! Lita told me no official announcement had been made. But if I understood it correctly, humans always did things like this: they’d find out what they didn’t know and make up what they couldn’t find out.

“What are you afraid of, silly? I’m with you!” her companion laughed.

That’s the spirit! As long as we don’t take into account that an old man would never stop a psycho who was able take two or more young men down at once. However, I didn’t hear any hidden fear in his voice. So he either didn’t believe the rumors at all or was too dumb to realize the full potential of the danger.

“After all, this young girl stays by the lake all by herself! And she’s not afraid,” he added.

So Lita told them she was staying alone in a house with an almost useless door. Why? Was she trying to attract the killer that way?

That thought scared me. She most likely hoped I’d be by her side, guarding her, and I was stuck here! I was so far that I couldn’t even sense her. I had to return as fast as possible, and I was glad to hear the voices getting further.

When I was sure they were far enough, I started to move out. There was a metal clink under my claws which made me stop and look down.

The object I stepped on was unfamiliar to me, but even with that I could tell that such things were not meant to be kept like this. It was a round golden plate with a human pictured on it. There was a fabric ribbon put through a hole in that plate, now dirty and faded.

Someone must’ve lost it. Humans love gold, they don’t keep it in a lousy household building!

I had no time to stand here and think about what it was. I decided to take the thing with me. I doubted anyone would notice it missing, and I’d be able to figure what to make of it. I’d have to explain its origin to Lita, but… I could always tell her I found it in the lake! She wouldn’t be able to check it anyway.

I needed to make sure she was safe and then return into water.

***

When I woke up, Lita was already gone. I was bothered by this at first, but then I found the food she left for me on the platform. If someone kidnapped her, she wouldn’t have time to think of feeding me! That’s why I had my breakfast and hid under water again; if the old folks were walking around at night, they could come during the day too.

Some hours later, when I grew tired of swimming around the lake, I was finally able to hear voices on the shore. One was Lita’s, the other I didn’t know.

Curiosity got the best of me and I decided to check who was keeping her company. I hid my spikes under my skin �" they usually served for protecting me from trauma and even managed to wound Anton’s hand once, but without them it was easier for me to hide when I swam to the surface and froze among water flowers. I didn’t emerge completely, but now I could hear and see the humans by the lake.

Lita’s companion was about the same height as me and from afar he reminded me of a walking log: he was massive, a bit hunching, with long messy hair and a thick beard. He had a low and very loud voice. He demonstrated a habit of whipping his mouth from saliva with his palm while talking. Quite a view, I should say!

It appeared that Lita shared my opinion, since she tried to stay a couple of steps away from him, hugging herself so he wouldn’t be able to do it instead. But at the same time she was smiling and answering all of his questions politely. Why the hell did she choose such a short dress today?!

I couldn’t help thinking whether she looked as small and vulnerable when she was by my side…

He was talking some nonsense about the beauty of nature and the worthlessness of civilization, his monotonous job and rare days of rest. My watcher agreed with everything and tried to push him to the topic of people disappearing here; she most likely wanted to know what information he had. But all his thoughts were about fresh air and those cute little dragonflies.

I didn’t like the way he was looking at her. He could talk whatever he wanted, I knew his thoughts were far from green grass and blue sky now! His energy was giving him away, and if I swam closer, I bet I’d smell the pheromones at once! I moved my tail angrily, which immediately raised a wave on the lake’s surface. I had to submerge before they detected me.

“What was that?!” the man seemed frightened.

Lita wasn’t. Her voice was friendly yet spiced with irritation.

“A frog probably.”

“Too loud for a frog!”

“They come in different sizes.”

I dared to return to the surface when I felt them sitting on the shore. I hid under the bushes that grew very close to waterline. The real frogs who resided there didn’t like my intrusion, but their opinion was the last thing I cared about. I wasn’t sure why, but I wanted to kill that man, though he hadn’t harmed me in any way.

He had no right to look at her this way. That was all I could think about at the moment.

“Lolita �" such a beautiful name!” he crooned. For someone his size crooning should be illegal. If he tried to make his grin any wider, his cheeks would burst open. “It suits you!”

“Thank you,” she didn’t even try to pretend she was sincere about this. Her lack of enthusiasm made me feel better.

“Tell me, Lolita, why such a lovely young lady travels alone? If someone like you is single, men around you are truly blind!”

“What makes you think I’m single? I have a boyfriend. He’s working now, so he couldn’t join me.”

“I’m sorry, it was very rude of me to make such assumptions. What’s his name?”

Why the hell would he ask such questions? Private life is not called private for nothing!

“Rey.”

That answer almost made me sink right there on the spot! I was rescued by the fact I had gills. I knew she just wanted to get rid of him, but she could’ve chosen any other name! Like Zhenya, for instance. And she chose me.

Okay, my thoughts were going in a very wrong way now! I need to focus, that merry log is still by her side…

“Is he a Spaniard?” That guy just couldn’t shut up.

“Something like it.”

I’m something like a Spaniard? Interesting.

“In any case, he’s not here now,” the man announced casually. “It’s such a wonderful day! Would you like to have a swim?”

“No, thank you. I don’t swim.”

“Don’t worry, dear, I’ll help you!”

“No, thank you,” Lita repeated. “You know, I suddenly understood I feel sleepy. Must be the heat taking its toll!” She got up and cleaned her dress of small twigs. “I hope to see you again! Later.”

“Yes, of course, I’ll find you! Your company is truly a pleasure, Lolita.”

“No doubt,” she grumbled quietly. I wasn’t not sure he could hear that.

He went to walk her to the house. I was following them along the shore �" just in case. I doubted he was a real threat to her, but you can never know!

I wondered if I should tell her I heard everything. Including my new position as her loving but busy boyfriend! I’d like to see how she’d react to that. But no, I’d better not push it. She wouldn’t kill me for eavesdropping, of course, but knowing Lita made me believe she’d think of a worthy punishment.

So our talk was postponed, but not cancelled!

***

I closed the book and shook my head, trying to get my thoughts under control. Twisted stuff! Even with the fact I stopped expecting any normal behavior from humans, this was just too much. I didn’t know why Lita gave this book to me. To be honest, her choice perplexed me at the very beginning of the story.

“Finished so fast?” My watcher took her eyes away from the documents to look at me. “’One Hundred Year of Solitude’ in four hours �" that’s impressive!”

“I told you I read fast.”

“Did you like it?”

“I don’t know. It’s weird.”

Furthermore, the amount of twisted and illogical scenes made my head ache a bit, but I decided to ignore it. If she chose this book for me, she probably likes it. Insulting something that a human likes is a bad idea.

“Everything Marquez writes is weird,” Lita commented. “I guess I shouldn’t have given this novel to you… I mean, you don’t even know the real world too well yet!”

I didn’t argue with that. Strange book! The only thing I truly understood there was solitude. I’m an expert at that. The kind of solitude from which you can’t hide inside your memory because you have none of it left is a horrible thing.

The sense of someone’s presence alarmed me and made me jump up to my feet. Lita yelped in surprise, though I didn’t even touch her.

“What’s wrong, Rey?”

“Someone’s coming,” I reported.

“Do you hear them?”

“Not hear, I sense them.”

Yesterday was a calm day, no-one came to the lake. It was probably due to drizzling rain. I can generally say that humans have unexplainable reaction to rain: they always complain about it! Nonsense. Who cares about the sun if breathing in the rain is so easy?

Closer to the evening Lita’s new buddy showed up, I still didn’t bother to ask for his name. He stayed inside the hut for about twenty minutes and then left, my watcher wasn’t hiding the fact she didn’t like him. That day was useless for our mission. I didn’t care, while Lita was angry. I mean, I remember about the threat and all, but what’s the use of being upset over something you can’t change?

Today’s morning was equally calm. But in the second half of the day the sky became clear again, it started to get hotter. I should’ve known humans would want to use this! And now they came.

I hid under water long before they left the forest, but I stayed close to the shore. I didn’t like being in that part of the lake though. I’d never get used to it.

I didn’t have to use my eyes to know that two young females were approaching; I sensed them. That could only be the ranger’s daughters, unless some other tourists arrived today. These two had never come to the lake before, at least, not while I was here. Which wasn’t exactly surprising �" Lita mentioned they didn’t know how to swim.

They reached the hut and stayed beside it. I heard their voices, but didn’t bother to pay attention to their words. Somewhy these two didn’t alert me as much as the male did. 

The sound of footsteps reverberated into the lake through the wooden platform. It wasn’t Lita, I knew her steps perfectly, so it had to be one of the sisters. She put her hand into the water, most likely checking the temperature. It was an average human hand, small, with tanned skin, and still there was something about it I didn’t like. At this point, even I couldn’t tell what unnerved me, so I decided to let it go.

They left and Lita stayed. She was standing on the platform now, most likely waiting for me. I rose to the surface, but remained in the water.

“What did they want?”

“Nothing particular,” she shrugged. ‘They asked how I was, we talked a bit… You know, just small talk. They’re nothing but cloying country girls, never mind them.”

I wasn’t sure about that. My instincts were telling me not to relax, something was wrong!

“Can I follow them?”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure, it’s just… There’s something I didn’t like about them.”

“You didn’t even see them!” Lita rolled her eyes. She took my current reaction for my general dislike of humans, but that wasn’t the case. “Oh well, do what you want, not like you have anything else planned for today.”

I nodded in gratitude and submerged again. The females were walking to the other half of the lake, while I copied their route in water. I wasn’t sure why, but I couldn’t keep the hand I saw out of my mind. There was something wrong with it!

They stopped on the beach that was closely surrounded by trees. It was a nice place; I used it for rest myself, because tree branches hung so close to the ground that I could hide under them easily. The girls used this place for the same purpose.

Actually, I didn’t see any reason for hiding in their case. They weren’t doing anything special, let alone criminal. They put a blanket on the ground and started to undress. I observed all of that from my hide-out among water lilies. I could see their hands too, but the feeling of alarm didn’t return.

I was about to lose all interest and return to Lita when the sisters started to look around attentively. I could feel the slight anxiety coming from them. Now that’s curious! Then one nodded to the other and went into forest.

I couldn’t tell which was the younger one, and which was the older one. Those females looked almost the same to me: rather short, stout, with their hair dyed red. One was a bit taller though, she was the one who left. The shorter one remained at the beach.

As far as I could tell, there was nothing special in that part of the forest, and never had been. It’s a Natural Reserve with all civilization represented by the ranger’s household! But she was moving fast, people don’t use such pace to walk and observe nature. That girl had some goal out there!

I was intrigued. I wanted to check where she was heading. Unfortunately, I couldn’t follow her, and not only because of her sister’s presence. The one who reminds a demon as much as I do shouldn’t walk around during the day! That was part of the mission too.

But things would be different at night. I’d check where she went then. Until that moment, there was no use in me staying there.

I swam to the platform, knowing that Lita was waiting for me there. My assumption was true, she was sitting on the boards warm with sun and reading some book. I’d love to see her face if I dragged her into the lake now! Though I’d better not try my luck. Our relationship became better during the last couple of days, but it still wasn’t that close!

Yet, simple emerging would’ve been too boring. So I came up with a fountain of splashes, most of which flew at her.

“You’re dead,” she promised gloomily. “Are you out of your mind?!”

“No, there’s still a tiny piece left,” I smiled at her disarmingly.

“You know, I’ve spoiled you! Time for some discipline. No supper for today!”

“Hey!”

That was actually a serious threat. Basically, the food I received was barely enough for me. The slush I usually got at the Headquarters was more nutritious, even though tasteless. And now she was going to leave me without supper! Good thing I didn’t drag her into water after all, or else she’d make me return my breakfast too.

“What, not happy about the diet?” she grinned.

“Not really.”

“Then show more respect! I’m your boss �" no matter what. So did your chase bring any results, apart from you staring at naked chicks?”

“They weren’t naked, they were in bathing suits. Otherwise, no results.”

I wasn’t lying, technically. I just preferred not to tell the whole truth to her. Why would I? It wasn’t important for Lita. If I found anything in the forest, I’d report to her immediately.

“Just as I suspected!” she declared with unreasonable triumph. “I managed to learn more without going anywhere!”

“Which is?..” The temptation to raise another wave of splashes was truly great at the moment.

“The venerable spouses were passing by, have you seen them? No? It doesn’t matter. In any case, they told me they were leaving tonight. And not only they, all tourists are leaving the guesthouse. It looks like they decided to close the Reserve for some time.”

Ouch… Those were serious changes, which I didn’t like. Closing the Reserve might mean letting the police handle the case. And that would be the end of my mission. Maybe even the end of me. Unpleasant perspective.

“Was any reason for this given?” I asked.

“Yep. Not the real one, of course. They told the tourists they’ve found something nasty in the water. They probably meant you.”

“Thanks!”

“Welcomes,” she continued without batting an eye. “They came here to ask me whether I was going to leave too. I had to discuss the cruelty of this world with them and tell I had been evicted as well. We felt sorry for each other.”

“Are you happy that they won’t be around anymore?”

“It’s not as much about them as that… Mr. Lonely and Horny. He’s harmless, sure, but he’s still a pain in the a*s. The only thing that surprises me is that the ranger’s little albeit oversized princesses didn’t tell me a word about the guesthouse being closed!”

“Maybe they didn’t know,” I suggested. It was their father’s business, not theirs!

Lita agreed with me:

“Most likely, or they just forgot. They had no reasons to hide it from me! Too bad that the departure of those tourists won’t help us in any way. We’re stuck, no clues left, and it’s about time someone took those bodies out of the lake. You won’t make it alone, we’ll have to call in the expert team, and that will scare the killer away for good.”

“Why does it sound like you’re giving up?” I frowned.

“I’m not �" yet. But I’m thinking about it. It’ll be worse if we allow the lake to continue rotting and still not find anything! My idea is that if we call it quits on our own, it won’t be a complete failure, the management will give us another chance.”

It was very unlikely. She knew that. And the killer will remain on the loose: the police don’t stand a chance of catching him! And I do; I want to.

“We still have time,” I reminded Lita.

“That’s what I’m hoping for.”

She rose to walk away, but I asked her to stay. There was one question I kept forgetting to ask her, and now I got my chance. I returned under the water for a couple of seconds and reemerged with the golden plate I had found in the household building.

“What’s that?”

“Let me see,” Lita took the plate and cleaned it with a bunch of grass. “Interesting…It’s a medal.”

The word sounded very familiar, but I just couldn’t bring myself to remember what it was.

“Ehh… What’s a medal? Please don’t comment on my ignorance.”

She didn’t. She just answered:

“A medal is a type of reward a person gets for some high achievements �" in sports, for instance. This particular medal had been awarded for good swimming. Where did you get it?”

“At the lake bottom,” that was actually true, because up till now I kept it hidden there. Lita didn’t ask me where the medal came from originally! “It’s probably old…”

“No, it was awarded two years ago. See, there’s a year here. Its owner was one unlucky guy!” My watcher smiled bitterly. “To be a champion swimmer and find a grave in water… Talk about some irony! But I imagine swimming wasn’t as easy with a broken scull. Okay, enough about that, we’ve got our own problems to deal with. Wait here, I’ll get you something to eat.”

She left, and I just stayed there. I was looking at the medal, trying to understand who it could belong to. Two years ago… That factor excluded the one-armed ranger and his wife with her aching back. Though �" who knows? Anything could be expected from humans!

Their daughters would’ve been a more likely option if they hadn’t been afraid of water. They didn’t enter the lake today, I knew that for sure �" I’d sense them easily. Besides, girls wouldn’t be hiding such things. Nobody would. Humans are vain, they boast even the tiniest of their achievements! If the medal belonged to someone from the ranger’s family, it’d be kept inside the house where everyone could see it.

But who was its owner then? How did it get into the household building? The information I had left me with no chance of finding the answers.

Lita was right. We were stuck.