Maniai Case File 1: The Girl And The Blood Slide

Chapter 36

I must have dozed off for a mere second and then I got thrust forward and my seatbelt choked me. "What?" I croaked and looked up.

There was a police roadblock ahead, and Zoe had braked hard. "I don't like this," she mumbled.

It was near dark, and the police lights were making crimson and blue streaks of light. I squinted and saw two police cars, the entire Kilkis force I assumed, blocking the road. The officers were waiting, hands sitting on the butts of their service pistols.

And there was Doctor Gounaris with them as well. Holding a scary Doberman by the leash.

"I guess we weren't that sneaky after all," I said gulping.

"Turn off the engine, and put your hands out the window first. Both of you. Then exit the vehicle," one of the officers said with a bullhorn.

"How did he see us? Damn," Zoe said and put her hands out of the door, in clear sight.

I did too.

"What's up Doc?" Zoe asked and I cringed at her poor choice of humour.

"Didn't I tell you not to antagonise authority figures?" I whispered.

Doctor smiled, and reigned in his dog. It was agitated. "You nosey little junkie. And her historian friend," he said, looking at me.

"Finally, we see who's calling the shots around here, Gounaris," Zoe said loudly, as if we weren't the ones raising our hands. The policemen hadn't drawn then guns, but they were just waiting for an excuse. I for sure wasn't planning to give them one, but Zoe had proven to be a little contrarian.

"Yeah, yeah. You've figured it all out. Clever little emo girl," Gounaris said and gestured to speed this along.

"Of course I have. You have a system here. You file in false rabies reports and have the purebreeds euthanized in the system. But you really gather them up in that kennel of yours, and sell them illegally. That overcrowded, inhuman kennel. Must be quite lucrative for you to be buying off policemen as well," Zoe said and shrugged.

"What are you doing?" I whispered through gritted teeth, standing next to her.

"Aren't you quite the investigator," Gounaris said. "Yes, I have a system and it works like a well oiled machine. What are you going to do about it?"

The Doberman barked at us.

"My boss knows everything, I was just on the phone with him. That dashcam on the patrol car is recording, you can't do anything to us," Zoe said with much bravado.

The policeman, my pal from before who had wanted to search my cavities, walked close and pulled Zoe's phone from her. He checked the calls.

Damn.

"She's lying," he said and smiled. "You know, those god-damned dash cams always crap out. Out in the country, they never send the new stuff."

Double damn.

He stepped back to his police car.

"Now," Gounaris said with a creepy voice. "What do we do with you city kids? Getting lost in the woods... Tsk, tsk. A shame."

"You fucking crazy person!" Zoe yelled. "Don't take this farther than it should be. This is just some falsified reports up till now. I can't prove that you've got anything fishy here. And by the time anyone bothers to verify my claims, you'll have covered it all up."

"Yes, I suppose I could. But then I'd have lost my source of income," Gounaris said and unclipped the leash off the Doberman. The beast didn't move, he was still holding onto the collar.

"We are government agents, you will have an investigation on your ass!" Zoe threatened but it was thin even for a newbie like me.

The sun had gone down, leaving us in the dark.

"As if anyone would bother with you two. Since you like doggies so much, here. Why don't you pet Vlad," Gounaris said and let go off the collar.

Vlad the Doberman barked and sprinted at us, showing his sharp teeth.

End of Case File 1