The Creature of the Woods (BxB)

Chapter 13: The Journal

<hehe. I just realized that the spelling of the names changed between chapters. Don't worry, I'll change it... someday>

* Hansel *

It was the happiest day of my life so far, and I'm looking forward to better days. It makes me feel like I am newly married. Despite of our differences, heck even our lifespans, I still want to spend a lifetime with him and him only. I know it's just the lovespell speaking, but somehow, I want to enjoy it until it lasts.

I decided to come back home anyway. I still need to work because I will never forget the soul reason why I am here. I need to expose the syndicate that could be working around here. That, at least, is what I think my father wants me to do. So far, I don't have a lead. I'm just here for about two weeks and there are no police files about them. Could it be that the syndicate might be controlled by the police? It's not impossible.

I opened the door with my spare key, and what I saw shocked me. The sofas are out of their usual angles, the curtains are down, the vase is broken, a dead unfamiliar person was beside the sofa, and ginger powders are scattered around the place. And with this, I did what every police officer should.

*

Minutes later, the police tapes were crossed around the lot. It's not a murder case despite what the neighbor thinks, but they need to investigate Geddy's whereabouts by analysing every corner of everything that has been misplaced. I ordered everybody not to misplace everything as I observe and tell Officer Luisa Fina my analysis.

I went to the kitchen and saw it open. Geddy does not open the kitchen door, but now, it's unlocked. With the very tiny scratched paint marks surrounding the base of the knob, it seems that the door was opened not by a key, but by tools, which by the way needed some forced turning to work.

"Somebody entered through the kitchen." Officer Luisa then wrote it in her pad. "There are two of them. One of them rummaged the second floor looking for a thing big enough to be seen out of the drawers, which we can conclude that that person was actually looking for me. The other one stayed here to pin Officer Karait down, and choke him." I said as I examined the out-of-angle sofa in our living room.

"How can you even..." Officer Luisa stammered. "Never mind." We continued our search around the house, looking for more evidences of what happened, and if we're lucky enough we could find what they are really after. "So this is how deductive reasoning of agenius really is. Maybe I just forget that you are NBI's top dog because you're so cute."

"Did you just call me...." I stammered. "Never mind."

"I know, I know. You already have a 'husband', quote and quote from Geddy. Plus there's a big possibility that Officer Geddy is kidnapped or... somewhere else. So tell me what else."

I could have stopped about Officer Luisa's blabber, but as I step further, I realized I forgot one variable in this investigation. I knocked my shoes from the ginger dust that was scattered around the window sill and the doorway. They made little footprints of what seems to be a rabbit.

"Is that Ginger powder? I never thought Geddy is very superstitous. I noticed there are vases all around the house. So what are they now? Holy water?" Officer Luisa added.

"No." I raised my head in realization. "Salt water with ginger powder."

If the attacker was someone from the underworld, whom he hates, his first instinc is to shoot then throw the water to the creature. But that doesn't seem to be the case because there are no wet floor except from the blood, and there are no empty bullet shells from his favorite U-45.

"Luisa, write this down."

"Okay, Detective."

"The two intruders attacked Officer Geddy Karait. The officer seemed to fight until he was failing, until somebody entered the house, killed one of the intruders, saved or took Geddy, then went away."

"Is it safe to assume that Officer Karait is still alive?" Luisa asked.

"I hope so. But I want to say yes."

I dismissed the officers and ordered them to dispose the body... I mean, put the body in the morgue. I immediately went upstairs while I curse myself of not thinking about this earlier.

Uncle's Journal.

Everything I want to know should have been there, but Geddy just hugs it so much that I thought it's just a big sentimental value. Judging from how proper the drawers are, it appears that the intruders didn't actually know about the journal, which is a pure relief because that means I can only find it right there. Under Geddy's pillow.

This kid and his Daddy complex.

I quickly skid and scanned the journal, gradually learning about Uncle's mission to find out about a rummored new drug in the province, about his sighting of a tall gray creature, about his secret investigation on this creature, about this creature finding him out, about this creature bringing him to the underworld to kidnap him and interrogate him about the whereabouts of their stuff, about this creature finding out that Uncle Jerry wants to help them investigate.

A few hours more and I found out that the creature and my uncle Jerry developed a romantic relationship. And this creature is named Dimito.

However, it ended there.

I checked the date of the last installment, and it was a month before Uncle Jerry got lost, and two months before he was found dead with mangled body. The journal... it's somehow... incomplete.

It does say something about his adventures with the creature of the underworld, and the small progress of his investigations about the syndicate headed by Officer Cesar Dick. But the cheesiest parts of the investigation were not here.

Nobody tear it. It's just that it was never installed. He never wrote about it because he was kidnapped and killed. And for now, I cannot do anything about it but ask someone and focus on finding my cousin.

*

"Araki!" I called in front of the Balete tree. Suddenly, the face of the bark changed just like the last time, and a portal opened to let me in. Araki greeted me with a cup of relaxing smelling tea then offered me to sit down.

"Here, have a drink first." He said worriedly.

"You look worried about me. Do you know what happened?" I asked him, wondering about the crease on his usually calm forehead.

"As you were entering the forest, it felt your unease heartbeat. Of course, then, I can feel this forest. Why are you in such a problematic biological situation anyway?"

I smiled. He appeared to be very worried with me, and him using those kinds of words was just so funny. But then I remembered my situation and dismissed the thought right away.

"Who is Dimito?" I asked him seriously.

"He's our King. Are you going to ask about his relationship with your cousin?" He followed forewordly.

"Yes. Actually." I gulped, getting nervous about the information I will get. "What are they and Uncle Jerry?"

*