chapter 3 —Arthur |She Said It Like A Fact
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Chapter 3 — Arthur |She Said It Like A Fact.
The old woman at the grocery store knew Dad. She said he went into the forest and never came back. She didn't say it like a warning. She said it like a fact, and she was really sure of herself.
The village is called Coldwater.
About 300 people. Maybe less. The kind of place where everyone has known each other for three generations and a stranger gets noticed immediately. We park in front of the only open grocery store and get out of the pickup.
The rain has stopped, but the ground is still wet. The air smells like pine trees and something else I can't quite identify yet.
Elidja senses it too. I can tell by the way he stops for a second getting out of the truck.
"Looks like there's a weird smell."
We walk into the grocery store. An old woman behind the counter looks up. She smiles, but her eyes don't really smile. The kind of smile from someone who's been on guard for a while.
— Hello. Can I help you?
Elidja does the same.
— Agent Cole and Agent Harris, FBI.
I flash the badge. Just a second. Not long enough for her to really see it, but long enough.
"I want to see your partner's badge," she says.
Elidja shows her his too.
— We're here to investigate the disappearances in the area. Do you have a minute to spare? I tell her.
Her smile disappears completely.
— You're from the FBI, she repeats slowly. But that's strange. You're too young, no?
— Yes, ma'am.
She looks outside through the window. Then at us. She lowers her voice like someone might be listening to what she's about to say.
— You're not the first ones to come. She crosses her arms. The county police told us it was an accident. People getting lost in the forest. She shakes her head. Five people in two months isn't an accident.
— We agree, says Elidja. That's why we're here. Have you noticed anything unusual before the disappearances? Sounds at night, animals behaving strangely...
— The dogs, she says immediately.
We exchange a quick look.
— The dogs? I repeat.
— Three days before each disappearance. The village dogs bark all night. All at the same time. Toward the forest. She shivers slightly. My own dog hasn't gone outside in the evening for six weeks. He scratches at the door to come in and hides under my bed, like he's afraid of something.
I make a mental note. Elidja takes real notes in his notebook, like always.
— Did a man pass through here about three weeks ago? I ask her. Alone, in his fifties, tall, brown jacket...
— Marcus, she says.
I freeze. "You saw him?" says Elidja.
— You knew him?
— He stayed three days at the motel down the street. She looks at us differently now — more carefully. He was asking the same questions as you. A pause. You look like him. Especially you. She looks at me. He used to stop by here from time to time.
My throat tightens.
— What did he tell you? asks Elidja. His voice is calm. Professional. But I know my brother.
— He thought it was a creature. Something that's been living in the forest for a very long time. She hesitates. He left one evening toward the forest, and I never saw him again. He was a nice guy.
The silence that follows is heavy. Very heavy.
— Thank you, ma'am, says Elidja. He places a card — fake, obviously, with a fake number — on the counter. If you think of anything else, or if you remember anything at all, call us, ma'am.
"I'll keep you informed," she says.
Thank you.
We walk out. The door closes behind us.
We stand on the wet sidewalk without speaking for a second. The forest is visible at the end of the main street. Dense. Dark. Even in broad daylight. It doesn't make you want to go in.
— He went in there, says Elidja.
— Yeah. Something weird is definitely going on in there, I tell him.
— And he never came back out, Elidja says.
— Yeah. But we're here now. We'll check it out ourselves, I tell him.
I stare at those trees. Dad is in there somewhere. Alive or... I don't finish that thought.
"No, he's not dead. I feel like he's alive."
— Tonight, we go in, I say.
Elidja looks at me.
— Both of us?
— Yeah, who else do you want to call? I tell him.
He nods. We head back to the pickup. We have a few hours before nightfall to prepare the gear, load the guns, and find that motel down the street.
Tonight is going to be long.
We head to the motel where Dad stayed, to see if he left any clues behind. His room was still available. We tell the manager that we're with the FBI and we need to search the room.
"Hey. Elidja."
"Yeah, hey. I'm Agent Cole, FBI, and this is Agent Harris. We're here to search one of your client's rooms."
"Alright, show me your badges."
We show him. He doesn't suspect a thing.
"Do you have a warrant?" he says. "Because without a warrant, I can't do anything for you."
"My friend, we drove nearly five hours to get here, so try to understand."
"What my colleague is trying to make you understand is that we're having some trouble with our printers," says Elidja.
"Are you serious right now?" says the manager.
"Yes," says Elidja.
"Alright, no problem. It's room 303," says the manager.
"I know the room well because I passed through here. He hands us the key."
"Tell you what, the guy left without even getting to enjoy his stay," says the manager.
We enter the room. At first glance, everything looked normal.
Elidja goes to the closet. He opens it, tries to move the clothes aside. And then —
"Come take a look at this," he says.
"But I came in here, I didn't pay attention, and besides, I wanted to be surprised," I tell him.
"Look. Old newspapers tied together. Every case is connected to this town. Unexplained disappearances," Elidja says.
Dad, what did you get yourself into?
Tonight is going to be long.
—
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- Writer
