I fell into the den of Fangs

The nickel drops

Rick sat behind his desk, while Sherry stood and leaned on the wall with her hands folded across her chest. Ian was sitting on the chair opposite Rick.

“Detective…” Rick began.

“Ian, please.”

“Ian who are you? Yes, you are a legal detective and have good records but what the do you know that we need to know? I mean the way you know some of these strange things give me a second thought. Things out of the normal.”

“I am a man who learnt a lot and if you have got no legal problem with me, then let it be. The truth is you can’t do this alone and you must accept me as a partner or I leave. I know I can’t do it all by myself but I can explore.”

Rick took in a deep breath. Ian was right. He did not see how they could understand these things on their own; things out of the ordinary.

“Okay, Ian, I want to know what is going on.”

“I had a wind of the killings before I was contracted by STS. English John was allegedly killed in Canada, Daniel Michael was allegedly  killed in Detroit, Pascal Delaney allegedly  killed in California, and Mary Jewel allegedly  killed in New Jersey along with her five year old son. I crossed the dots and found something interesting. These people had something in common. They were biologist or zoologist, and all worked with Hamilton Green at a point except the kid who was connected to his mother by birth. When I was contracted, I talked to Hamilton.”

“Hamilton Green, the CEO of Washington Vet Clinic?” Sherry asked, chewing bubble gum.

“Yes.” Ian said.

“He hired them as ad hoc staff and for an undisclosed research. I think they worked in the sss forest for months. Daniel came back to set up his crew after that. What they did is unknown but why would all of them killed by a wolf? I went to the grave yard where Mary and her child were buried. I did not exhume the graves but I knew they were not in there. I saw the alteration and from experience, I knew they had left and what are left there are just empty coffins. We saw what happened to Daniel so you won’t falsify that they woke up. They were bitten by a werewolf and what happens when a werewolf bites? The victims transform into a werewolf. Other could get killed if the werewolf wanted to kill…”

“Are werewolves real?” Rick asked.

“How else would you explain what you saw in Daniel? The strength he had to pull off a window and stayed warm all those while. But they beat some of the things I know about them. There must have been a modification. It may be a combination of nature and science.”

“I want to know more about werewolves.” Rick said.

“Werewolves are human with abilities to shapeshift into a wolf either purposely or after a bite from another werewolf. Usually, transformation takes place under fool moon but there are exceptional cases where some transform anytime they wish. Werewolf species include werewolf,werecoyote,werejaguar,chimera, darach, hellbound, kanima and kitsune but chimera are humans scientifically given the powers of one supernatural species. They are not bound by the same rules as the real supernatural creatures. That is all I can say for now because as I speak, I am expecting results.”

“Results about what?”

“The prints found o Daniel’s crashed laptop were two. I had my suspicions. He may have crashed it and why? Did he carry his hard disc and crashed the laptop? If he just wanted the hard disc to reduce load, why did he smash it? His parents said the laptop was intact before he arrived. I suspected someone must have taken his hard disc and that hurt him which means…it has a lot of information important to him and many others. When I asked you to take me to the scene he was found dead and the money was found, I saw things. There was a real struggle there and Daniel had no strength to have such a struggle with a werewolf before his transformation. I suspect that there was a brawl between werewolves and that sounds strange. Why? Who were they? So I sent samples of hairs I picked for scrutiny..”

“Where is that?”

“My forensic team. I have handled a few werewolf cases and got a forensic outfit for them. We have a suspect. A dangerous werewolf whose DNA matches the DNA of the wolf that allegedly killed them.”

“I don’t get this.” Rick said and moved his body forward. “If werewolves are humans with the ability to transform into humans, why did the DNA found showed that of an animal?”

“Because the DNA sample was taken in its werewolf form and it is a wolf at that point.”

“Does that mean you know some of them?”

Ian chuckled.

“We all do. You know Daniel and that is how we get to know them. With the records you have of Daniel, you are building a profile and the more you deal with them, the more you know them.

“That means you know the werewolf that allegedly killed them.”

“I have chased it before and on my wanted list.”

“But they are said to be immortal.”

“Nothing is immortal except God. They live for hundreds or thousands of years under normal circumstances but everything has its weak point.”

“What are the weak points?”

“You sound like you are interrogating me now.”

“We must know what we are fighting. If they are so strong, how do we fight them? I should know.”

Ian got up and Rick confessed that his size was intimidating.

“Something are learnt in the hard way. Your gun is a weapon so stick to it.”

“If you know this much, why did you come to us? Do even need us?”

“I do need you because we use information and manpower. If I had not come to you, how would I have gotten the samples I had? We private detectives go through a lot to get passes and prerogatives. I will expect us to leave any time soon.”

“Leave to where?”

“I have spread the word that the dangerous werewolf is on rampage. We must get it. It is transforming people into werewolves and there must be a motive. The victims are not random but selective and looks like they were willing. I am afraid I don’t have a clue of what is going on but it is haphazard but well planned. I need to take a break. Keep your line opened. It’s always morning in this job of ours.” He nodded, took a few steps towards the door and then turned. “The currency found along with the dollars is strange. I want to know where on earth that is used and why he had it.”

Immediately Ian got into his car, he received a phone call.

“We found a location.” A voice said

“Keep quiet.” He said and sent a text message. He did not know if his car was bugged.

Text the details to me, He wrote, and they found six hundred thousand Bwaras buried. I denied knowing where the currency is used but now I am sure, there is something big going on. The devil has the hard disc and we must find it!

*******

The past few days had been the best in Ian’s life. He discovered a feeling he had never felt; a feeling of pure bliss and commitment. He also felt what it was to have a partner who he could rely on. He did not know if it was too early to judge but he let intuition and instinct overwhelm his thoughts. These were the things he felt with Gina. She totally obliterated his pains and mended his broken heart and made it super hyper.

She was nothing compared to Sandra and he had known more bliss with her than all of the girls he had met put together. They never had a dull moment. They would go out for paintings, go for leisure trips, and sell their products and sneak back to make love.

Just within two weeks, he and Sandra had made over two thousand dollars. Her paintings added more value and sales rate to their works and she never accepted the credits or more share.

Though there had being occasions when they were nearly caught by his parents going into the cabin. With the money they were making, he suggested they got an apartment for her so they could have the carte blanche they needed.

They had gone for shopping where she got new clothes, a phone and cosmetics. It was at the shopping mall they had run into Sandra and her mother. That was the second time he was seeing her after the Halloween night. He had told her that he was done with her and she had come to his house and explained that she sent Brian away.

He could not bring himself to tell her that he was seeing someone else. She had demanded to come see his artworks which were the guile they used to go there to make love in the past. He had refused saying he was going out. Gina was there and he needed no drama which  blow the gaff.

She had left and not called him since then. When she saw him and Gina at the shopping mall, she had acted normal but sent a text to him later: now I get why you have been avoiding me. It is you who have been cheating on me. You are a jerk Liam and to hell with you. I hate you!

The text came as a relief to him because all he wanted was to have the freedom of being with Gina.

Now they were sitting on a pew in a public garden after having chips and juice, so they could go home when it was late as usual.

“I knew life was good,” Gina said, “but now I know it is better. I am at the best part of it and the prime of its vintage”

His hand wound round her back and she rested her head on his shoulder. “The sky is a boundless stretch yet my love for you fills it up. The sun’s heat intensity is measurable but not the heat of my love for you.

Liam…”

“Sweetheart.”

“I love you, mark that.”

“I know right.” He said and kissed her lightly. “I saw that in the global constitution, endorsed, stamped and official. It is a crime not to acknowledge our love because it the surest thing on earth.”

She chuckled.

“But the tenth amendment says I love you more.”

“Nahhhh.”

“You don’t know what you do me. You modify me, intensify me, revivify me and reclassify me.”

“I read a story book when I was a child. A girl named Cinderella was sent on an errand by her parents and along the way; she saw a beautiful horse and got carried away. She was so fascinated she forgot that she was sent on an errand and the horse smiled at her and asked to come for a ride. She remembered the errand but felt glued to the horse. She kept riding until she got lost in bliss but she knew her parents will come searching for her and the horse may be perceived to have been the cause. Now she was confused because she did not want the horse to get hurt and did not want to stop enjoying the ride. So the parents hired armed men to come for her.”

“Whoa! So what happened next?”

“She saw them coming and alighted and started running. The horse was shocked ad thought she was barmy but she was running away from it so she would not be found with it. She had to run from what she was enjoying.”

“Irony. Did they find her?”

“That is most painful part. I did not read it all because the book got lost. I still want to know what happened and now, I can’t even remember the title of the book.”

“Oh, oh…I am sorry about that. Was it at the orphanage?”

“Yes. That is a long time ago but you make me remember my childhood because you treat me like a pampered baby. Maybe that made me remember the story.”

“I was more into comics as a child.” He said. “I can only remember having a book titled The African Princess and the pot of ivory. It’s the story of a princess called Kkadija S.L. She was the best chef in the kingdom. Her cuisines were so powerful. So magical that each time the wicked King Garah sent his entourage to collect tax, she cooked and the members would be hypnotized and they would forget to ask. King Gurah got angry and came personally. When he ate her cuisine, he librated them. So one of the father’s wives swore to know her secret ingredients but they never found it because she had a magical pot called the Pot of Ivory. On the eve of the feast of……”

“Just a moment, please.” She said and got up. “I am pressed.”

He did not understand but saw her walk towards a caravan ice-cream shop in the garden. Then he saw a short stocky man walk past him in hurry. The man was dressed in black suit and wore sunshades even in darkness. He went behind the caravan too. Liam got up. Maybe Gina was going to ease herself and this man may get ideas. The garden was not so populated and the trees and flowers made hidden spots. He got up and went there. He did not stop until he got behind the caravan but did not see Gina or the man. He looked round and saw no sign of them.

What the hell just happened?

“Gina.” He called “Gina, where are you?”

He quickly removed his phone and dialed her number. It kept ringing with no pick. He moved past the place and went further, and the flowers were not so high to cover her from him.

Then the short man suddenly appeared from a dark angle, walking back with alacrity.

“She is gone. “He said and Liam wondered who he was talking to.

“We will get her.” A thick voice said from behind and Liam turned swiftly and fear crawled inside him as he saw a huge man with cadaverous eyes and white skin dressed in black trench coat and black hat.

“Hello kiddo.” The man said. “I am Ian. We need to talk.”