Black Blood

«Three missing girls exactly ten years ago. And this is not everything: in 1998 Reb wrote about another girl that had disappeared, another ten years before. Those events have happened in a cadenced way», she enthusiastically finished. She decided to help me even though facing the truth had scared her to death.

«It is the same year... of Lily», Josh mumbled as he looked down at the table. As a child, he was very attached to his sister, it was an immense pain to bear that loss for him.

«Exactly that», I didn't know what else to say.

«Don't you think that maybe Lily might not have died in an accident?» Hanna spoke a bit carelessly.

I wanted to break her head.

A tactless question that would have inflicted further pain on Josh. But she didn't realize it, she was spontaneous.

Josh slammed his fist on the shiny table's surface.

«What are you thinking of?» he blurted out with a grim expression on his face.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to keep calm. That was the beginning of a no holds barred war, when Hanna and Josh argued, because that's what was going to happen, there was a need to take cover.

First, I had to calm myself and then I could calm them.

«Think about it», she objected.

It was necessary to stop them immediately.

«The inseparable ones, full tonight!» an unpredicted voice said.

The appearance of Gregory Tanner and Tina Harper broke the growing bickering between the two.

They were all righteous people.

Greg was the son of the inspector and Ginger.

We were born on the same day and our families often forced us to organize children's birthday parties together.

Despite the whims, in the end, we always had fun and as we grew up, we became friends.

Greg was an accomplice who deserved absolute respect. He liked technologies and had access to information that were often confidential. He had lent me his help on several occasions, he was on my side, I knew it.

Tina, on the other hand, was a quiet girl, she was the elder sister of the missing Claire Harper. The two did not get along very well, I had already spoken with Tina recently on the occasion of that tragedy.

She was sunny by nature, she faced the days with a smile, but her face didn't lie. She was hiding behind her sand-colored bangs not to show her eyes. Reddened, swollen and adorned with two purple dark circles that not even makeup could completely cover.

I thought it was hard for her family and I was sorry for their pain.

Tina and Greg had met at school, he had completely lost his mind for her and after an infinite courtship, he had managed to conquer her. They had been together ever since, having just celebrated their ninth anniversary.

«How is it going guys?» I asked acting indifferently.

Hanna stood up in a hurry, giving them the place.

«I got to go or this time your mom could threaten me with a kitchen knife», she squeaked to Gregory, winking at him.

«What were you guys talking about?» he asked us after greeting her.

I knew I could safely talk to them.

I wanted to express myself freely on the researches I was leading but I was worried about Tina, talking about the police investigations meant raising an issue in which her family was involved.

I didn't want to cause her any more pain. It wasn't necessary.

Even if...

I looked at her with a frown, she seemed to notice and smiled at me.

«Oh dear! Don't worry, Reb. I know what you're working on. We have already talked about it», she said, putting a hand on her chest.

I listened to her and told them the correlations with old cases that occurred decades ago.

«Does my dad know that you are investigating so deeply?» Greg asked, mulling over my story.

I raised an eyebrow and looked into his thin eyes turning my back towards him.

«No... and he shouldn't know», I declared, resting my chin on the closed fist of my right hand.

A crooked smile broke out on his thin face.

«He won't know. Don't worry.»

«I need some more information. Do you think your old man is willing to chat with me?» I asked Greg, who knew his father better than anyone else.

He made a mop.

«You will hardly get what you are looking for from him. Assuming he decided to listen to you, you will get nothing from him except what he chooses to tell you. He's very secretive about police investigations, he'll never talk to a reporter, even if that reporter is you, Reb.»

The commissioner was a tough man, he knew how to be respected and he managed to maintain discipline in the city. He took his job seriously and did it perfectly.

He was in charge of the small local police district; he represented the law in Hazycreek.

Greg was right, I would have just aroused suspicions and I had to be invisible.

«You could try with Father Dorian, he knows both Claire and Rose, his information will probably not be as thorough as those of the police, but you could get definitely something useful out of it», Tina suggested, looking for her fiancé's approval, he nodded his head.

«Right. My uncle is more open to communication. But be sweet and don't push your hand too hard, he's a sensitive person. If you approach him properly, he will help you», he agreed.

«What is your opinion?» Josh, who had stood silent for a long time, intervened.

«I honestly think I've been affected by popular rumors. But I can't stop thinking about the Thirsty», Greg whispered, lowering his head to the table.

But seriously?