Evelyn West

Chapter Eighteen

When they arrived at the university's Physics Laboratory, they found the boy's body surrounded by forensic professionals. According to the expertise, he was murdered in a very strange way... he was all scratched up and his throat was totally torn apart, as if he had been attacked by some animal.

And what was an animal doing in a quantum physics lab? It didn't seem to be the work of Doctor Reanimator... or did it? From that mad scientist, you can expect everything!

But just to be sure, Detective Sánchez went to talk to the forensics people and the lab janitor who found the body. He also asked to see the security cameras at the site. Meanwhile, Mitchel analyzed the victim. From the scratches, it looks like he was attacked by a small animal. There was also hair on the boy's clothes...

It was cat hair!

Now comes the question: How would a cat be strong enough to kill a human? Only if it wasn't an ordinary cat... but a reanimated cat!

Another question: How did an undead cat get into the lab and no one saw it?

Mitchel took one more look around and saw that on top of one of the lab benches there was a cardboard box sealed with duct tape, but with a hole in one side... out of curiosity, he went to look inside the box. .. and found inside a Geiger meter, a hammer, some radioactive material, and a broken vial of poison.

_ Wow! It's a Schrodinger experience!

_ What? _ Detective Sánchez asked, turning back to him.

_ It's that experience in which you put a cat in a box with radioactive particles, which can circulate or not, but you're not sure. Consequently, the cat is in a state of dead and alive at the same time.

_ All right, but what does this have to do with Dr. West? Do you think she walked in there, saw the dead cat inside the box and revived it?

_ Either that or she brought him here... _ The detective tried to analyze the journalist's reasoning, but it was difficult. Even when it came to Dr. Evelyn, this was just too fanciful.

_ I know the theory is very crazy, but it is the one that comes closest to the truth. Come to think of it, a normal cat wouldn't do that kind of damage to someone's throat. And look at the strangest thing: the hole was opened from the inside! That is what was there. I tore the box to get it out! Unless someone came here, killed him and simulated the crime scene to make it look like he was a cat!

At the same time, someone arrived at the laboratory. He was a friend of the victim, also a student of quantum physics.

_ What happened here? _ He asked when he saw all that commotion in the lab. And before anyone told him, he was shocked to see his friend's body all scratched and the box on the counter.

_ Oh no! She didn't do it! She didn't do it!

_ Who are you talking about? _ Mitchel asked when he saw the boy's state of panic. He also noticed that the young man was very embarrassed when asked if he knew anything. And of course he knew.

_ I think it's good for you to tell what you know, young man. Do you happen to know Dr. Evelyn West? _ Detective Sánchez questioned.

Seeing that he could no longer hide, the Physics student told the whole truth. It was as Mitchel suspected, exactly what he had said a few minutes ago happened... much to the detective's surprise.

_ My friend and I... we were working on the Schrodinger Experiment for a college project... you know, that paradox that...

_ We already know how it works! _ Detective Sánchez argued, already at his limit: _ Now we want you to explain if you know Dr. West and what happened here?

_ She's my neighbor... and we don't get along very well. She had a cat and I don't like cats because I'm allergic. And to make matters worse, that fur ball had a high-pitched meowing and was very angry!

_ Did you at least talk to her about the cat? Mitchel asked.

_ Already, several times... she always said that she was going to find a way to trap that damn cat inside her house, to calm him down, but she couldn't... that disgusting animal was always in my way!

_ Was that why you went after her to the Research Center?

The boy looked scared at the two, wondering how they knew that information. He feared they would think he had a part in his friend's death. And on the one hand...yes!

_ Yes, we already know that you went to the Center where she works and you discussed badly. _ Detective Sánchez said: _ But you weren't just complaining about the cat, right?

_ I went to give her an ultimatum. Either she gets rid of that cat or...

_ Or would you get rid of him! _ Said Mitchel, already concluding all that explanation: _ There you and your friend kidnapped the poor animal and used it for the experiment. But apparently, the experiment went wrong and the cat died.

_ Well... it was part of the project and...

_ And was it also part of your revenge, killing the cat and leaving her at her apartment door? _ Mitchell deciphered the riddle. The two students used the cat to do the experiment and must have used enough radioactive substance to trigger the Geiger counter. In this, the hammer broke the vial of poison and the cat, of course, died...

... but the most interesting came later. As he said to himself, he wanted revenge on Dr. West. Which he shouldn't have done, for in doing so he aroused his fury. Upon seeing what they did with her cat, of course, she took the opportunity to perform another one of her experiences, bringing him back to life. Intent on giving the boy change, she left the box there to trap him, but it was her friend who died in her place.

_ It was just to give her a scare! This girl is very weird, arrogant and a lying b***h. I've invited her several times, but she always refused, saying that she was already seeing someone, but I never saw anyone enter or leave her apartment. I think what she really wanted was to deceive me... and she still had that damn cat that bothered me all the time!

_ So you weren't satisfied with the rejection, you took the opportunity to get revenge on her and killed the poor cat. _ Detective Sánchez said, disgusted with that statement. Having no choice, he arrested the boy for mistreatment of animals.

But there was still a question: how did Doctor Re-Animator manage to enter the physics lab carrying a box with a cat in it, without being seen? According to the detective, nothing was registered on the few security cameras. And strangely, no one saw her enter.

_ How did she get there without being noticed? She is not invisible, there must be someone here who saw her!

_ Maybe it wasn't her... but someone here may have kept it at her request...

To get this question out of his mind, Mitchel went to talk to the concierge at the university's Physics campus, only to find out if he was the one keeping the box in the lab at Dr. West's request. He went to ask, feeling guilty, because it was him, it wasn't his fault, he just did as she asked. But he needed to ask to be absolutely sure.

And he had. The young doorman, who must have been the same age as most college students on campus, said a very pretty girl had come into the lobby with a large cardboard box, saying it was a package. And he, of course, believed in that pretty face she had!

_ How would I know there was a cat inside that box? Yet another dead cat, or undead, I don't know? Animals are banned in the lab and students are always walking around here with experiment boxes! _ Said the doorman, in an attempt to defend himself.

_ You didn't even ask to check what was inside the box? _ asked Mitchel, finding it strange that he was responsible for the security of the place, having not done such a procedure.

He didn't respond, dying of embarrassment about falling for that mad scientist's conversation and, because of him, someone died right under his nose.

_ Now that we've figured out how Dr. Evelyn tricked security. Now comes the question: where did she and her zombie cat go?

_ That will have to wait. See, they're taking the boy's body to the IML. Let's see if we can find out anything else about her.